Work Text
Izuku didn’t remember when he started writing. At the age of four, presumingly. That’s when they taught children the letters and symbols in school, so that’s probably when his hero obsession transcribed from speech to text. Notes next to drawings and rants about hero outfits becoming full blown quirk analytics and incident investigation reports over time. Going deeper into depth on the technical aspects, the support items, the practical application of the outfits and names and why and how and when. It was good practice for becoming a hero, for when he could use this knowledge out in the field against villains or to aid other heroes. It was knowledge Izuku was proud of!
But then there were the…
less practical
applications of that knowledge.
He should’ve known his hero obsession would lead to him fantasizing about what could be- what could've been. Definitely when he was quirkless, when his dreams had seemed so unreachable that only words on paper could make them become reality. When drowning in stories was his only escape, and the only way for him to connect to the main character was for him to shape them himself. For all popular stories always starred people with good looks and strong quirks, and Izuku had neither of those. That was the biggest reason he started writing his little stories- his hero fanfictions.
Izuku had written notebooks full of them. Of quirkless characters becoming heroes, of other minorities gaining the spotlight. Of being adopted by a famous hero after a terrible accident or a villain attack, of being guided and cared for. Of being accepted in a way he never was. Not by his classmates nor his teachers. And his mom… His mom tried her best, but even so, Izuku could see the look of sorrow in her eyes. The apologetic way she’d look at him when he came home with another bruise or tear in his clothes. She never believed in the rough play excuse…
“What are you writing down now, nerd?” Katsuki asked, pulling his notebook right from underneath his nose. It was the start of their first year in their new middle school, but Izuku had become a social outcast in no time at all. He’d hoped things would be different from elementary, but he was wrong. And so he took to keeping himself busy in silence, trying not to take up too much space as to not attract any unwanted attention. Of course he’d still annoy Kacchan even without doing anything. Just his presence alone was enough to piss him off… Just his luck.
“Please give it back, Kacchan,” Izuku whined, quickly glancing around to make sure they weren’t drawing any attention. He didn’t want anyone else to follow Kacchan’s example like they did in elementary school. It was better to be ignored than to be tormented, after all.
“Ha! Still fanboying over the local hero nobodies I see,” Katsuki snickered as his eyes darted over the page. Yeah, Izuku expected as much from the blonde. It wasn’t until he started thumbing through the pages of the notebook that the real mortification set in.
“No! Don’t look at that! Kacchan, please!” Izuku called out, trying to grab his notebook, trying to take it back from Kacchan, only to be pushed just out of reach. “It’s just some dumb stuff about low ranking heroes anyway! Nothing you’d be-”
His face fell when Katsuki’s gaze turned from something between bored and amused to shock and horror. His eyes widened and his movements stilled, if only for one moment. Yep, he’d definitely found Izuku’s fanfictions just now…
“The fuck..?” Katsuki breathed as Izuku covered his face in the pure mortification of it all. This was so embarrassing! Not only that, but it would give Kacchan a lot more to taunt him with! Izuku wouldn’t be able to handle that if it came to it. To be bullied because of his quirklessness was one thing- He didn’t have any control over that, no matter how much he wanted to. But if Kacchan was going to start ridiculing his writing? The one thing that brought him some sense of joy and comfort? A skill he honed, something he liked, something that was
within his control-
It would absolutely destroy him.
Izuku flinched when the notebook was thrown back in his face, his hands quickly scrambling to keep it from falling to the ground. When he looked back up to face Kacchan, the ash blonde looked as embarrassed as he felt.
“Keep that dumb shit away from your nerd shit, Deku,” he snapped, turning around in an instant, stomping off instead of teasing him about it. That was…not what he expected. Izuku was relieved, don’t get him wrong! It just wasn’t something he thought Kacchan would say- not say, actually. He did make a point with what he
did
say. Izuku really should get separate notebooks for his hero analytics and hero fanfics, lest something like that happens again. He’d been planning on digitalising some of his work anyway, so maybe he could separate it like that? One on paper, on digital?
He wasn’t used to writing on his phone, though… And writing stories on the family computer was
not
an option. If Kacchan finding out was an embarrassment, his mom finding out would be the death of him. He would never be able to look her in the eye again! No, he’ll figure this out with just his phone, that’ll be best for everyone. Maybe he could start some kind of digital archive of his stories? Like his own little library? Would his phone have enough space for all of that, though? Hm, maybe an online backup would be better… But that would mean-
Izuku face flushed red.
Oh dear All Might, he was going to need to post his work for all to see, wasn’t he..?
xxxxx
Katsuki was scrolling on his phone before class, ignoring the other extras as they freaked out over the homework assignment they failed to finish in time and were rushing at the last minute. Tch, fucking losers, honestly. He couldn’t believe extras like that actually thought they stood a chance at making it into a hero course in high school, let alone UA. And in order to get into the hero course, Katsuki wanted to be prepared. So he analyzed recent hero fights and tried to come up with things he would’ve done to solve it, a little habit he begrudgingly got from always watching the nerd scribble in those notebooks of his.
Deku hadn’t arrived to class yet though. If he had, Katsuki wouldn’t have been on this forum in the first place, knowing that damn nerd would recognize the site from a mile away. Who was he kidding? The nerd was probably looking at the same All Might clips as he was right now and getting late to class because of it. All Might had defeated a villain with quite the destructive quirk, leaving a lot of property damage, which was unlike the number one hero. The whole comment and discussion section got derailed by another little tidbit though, because he saved a woman and her child from a fire in the aftermath and apparently that shit was somehow more impressive than the defeat of the villain.
@AMNr1FanWife
Wish that were me omg 🥺🥵 did anyone else see how tight she gripped those biceps?? 😍😍😍 my LORD
@DadMightForLife
Imagine being saved by All Might and getting a hug AND a signed picture?! Like girl burn my house down and give me my big hunking dad figure rn 🔥🏠🔥
@HeroGirlie78
Lol yeah wish DadMight was real fr fr but at least theres some dece fic out there
@Blorbzilla69
Omg yesss did anyone else read
this
one tho?? Its fckng amaze 🤯
Katsuki frowned, hating it when the fangirls took over the comment section like this. Although he was kinda curious about what they linked… These people may be deranged but those crazy bitches always recommended the best fics ever written, and this was supposedly a Dad Might fic, which was one of his favorite genres in the hero fandom. He quickly glanced around, making sure no one was looking before tapping the link, taking him to his oh so familiar fanfic reading website. Doing this at school was risky- Katsuki didn’t want any of these extras knowing he was into hero fanfiction- but if he didn’t save it now, he might not find it again later.
Shooting for the Stars - I.M.HERE
All Might based username, huh? Pretty common on Japanese fanspaces. Katsuki hadn’t read anything by them before, not that he could remember. His eyes skimmed down to the description a second later, suppressing a surprised noise as he found out it was centered around the platonic father-daughter relationship of All Might and the American pro hero Star and Stripes. Well, it was no secret that All Might’s time in the US had inspired Star to become a hero- Katsuki had just never seen anything written about the two before. Why the fuck would those All Might fangirls recommend something not reader inserted..?
“Hey Bakugou! Can’t we look at your homework for a sec? Just a quick pe-” one of the extras said, popping up on his side, making him lock his phone in an instant. He tensed up when they leaned in, smashing his phone face down on the table and turning to glare at the other.
“Get the fuck out of my space, loser,” he hissed, letting an explosion pop from his palm before pushing him back. “And you wouldn’t be whining to me about this if you’d just done the fucking homework before staying up gaming all night like a nolifer.”
He shouldn't be the one lecturing others on that, though. He, too, stayed up quite regularly to read stories in bed. Yet Katsuki at least had the self control to complete his school work first, unlike these dumbasses.
“Geez, you could’ve just said no,” they grumbled, quickly going over to their seat when the teacher entered. Deku ran in behind them, rushing to his seat before they could say anything about it. If the teacher noticed, they didn’t say anything about it, just calling the class's attention and starting today’s lesson. Katsuki sighed, leaning onto his hand as he stated at the blackboard, barely listening to what the teacher was saying. All of this was baby shit anyway so he could just catch up with whatever he missed later.
A part of him couldn't help but wonder about that fic link, thinking back on how one of the fangirls praised it on the hero forum. Katsuki had recognized that username, knew that whoever was on the other side was also a big Dad Might fan and always recommended good shit. It was the sole reason he opened the link in the first place. But still… Star and Stripes? He got she was popular in the states, but not a lot of people here cared about her. He’d expected a good reader insert, if anything. The sort of ‘
I got rescued by my number one hero
’ shit that fit the article they were commenting under.
Was he even gonna like something like this? For how obsessed Katsuki was with hero fanfiction, he sure was picky. If there was one thing off, he wouldn't read it. And could you blame him when there were so many different works out there? He could afford to scroll through a dozen decent fic titles before finding the diamond in the rough he was looking for. Maybe that’s why he hadn’t recognized the I.M.HERE username on the fansite. It was probably someone who didn’t write any of the shit he was into. He frowned, glancing down at his phone. Might as well give it a try later. He could always stop reading if he didn’t like it.
Turned out that fic was made by a god.
The writing, the wording, the premise- just everything. It was fucking perfect. It sucked Katsuki in in a way he never expected it to, and for a moment it felt like he was discovering hero fan stories for the very first time again. The way his heart thumped and his eyes darted over the screen, unable to put it down even if he wanted to.
Fucking amaze indeed.
It wasn't a fluke, either. Katsuki made his way through I.M.HERE’s fics through the weekend, devouring one after another, enjoying every moment of it. Not a lot of other authors had ever held such a grip on him, and he let them know as much in the comments. Long, elaborate, and way too excited. He just couldn’t help it. The author didn’t mind his spam, though, reacting to each and every praising rant with their thanks and their own thoughts on certain aspects of the story or the writing process.
Comment by
LEM💥
AHJIKSHBLOSDTQ WTF how are all your fics this fucking insane?!?!?! 🤯🤯🤯 The way you write his quirk is just so spot on like what the hell??? That part where the strain on his legs made him cramp up and everything 😩 and the genuine angst of it all 😭 Chef's Kiss 💋 Fucking delicious
Comment by
I.M.HERE
OMGGG You’re so nice??? 🥺 I’m literally crying rn wth
😭😭
Also yesss the legs!! I’m always so peeved when people don’t take quirk strain into account at all 😡 Heroes are still human and quirks aren’t miracles and I always try to write my angst as realistic as possible cz that just hits the feels way more yk (that’s just my opinion tho 😅) I’m so happy to hear you liked this one too 🥰
Comment by
LEM💥
Liked it?? Fucking love it ♥️ love you 😍 you’re a fucking god marry me 💍
Comment by
I.M.HERE
Ashilyetdbajklft my mom would kill me if I married some random internet stranger lol also I’m a minor so no thank you (love you too tho ❤️)
How was this fucker able to make Katsuki squeal like a damn girl?! Ugh, this author brought out the worst part of him, holding such a vice grip on his heart and making him lose himself to those fangirl urges buried deep down. He fucking loved them. What he loved even more was that they updated frequently. Sometimes one shots, sometimes longer fics. Always about the most random and underappreciated topics and minor heroes and weird ass quirks. It intrigued him, kept him on his toes. Katsuki didn’t know what they’d post next, but he knew that whatever it was, it would be fucking awesome.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Izuku fell down in bed, absolutely exhausted. All Might’s training regime was hardcore, left him aching and sore and unable to do anything else. He should’ve expected this-
had
expected this when he first saw the schedule, but living it was something else entirely. Not only that but Kacchan… Kacchan had been acting differently, too. The bullying stopped after the sludge villain incident, which was kinda odd at the start but not an unwelcome change of pace. Lately he seemed more distracted, though. Worried. Izuku wondered whether he was stressed about the UA entrance exam coming up.
He sighed, forcing his eyes to stay open, knowing he’d fall asleep as soon as he closed them. He still had to shower and change into his pj’s before-
Ding!
Oh, it’d been a while since Izuku heard that notification… Well, guess that couldn’t be helped when he hadn’t been able to write the last couple of weeks, let alone post something new. His profile was slowly being pushed to the background, most likely, as inactive accounts tended to lose feeling with the site’s algorithm. Izuku smiled as he reached for his phone, happy to know someone was still able to discover his work, only to see it was a private message request. Huh… That’s odd. He locked his private messages a long time ago, after a wave of trolls and bots hit the website, spamming mean things.
Izuku couldn’t remember when they added a feature to request private messages, though. He must’ve missed it since he never used that part of the fansite to begin with. Maybe they were finally able to get a decent system going after all the problems making it unusable… Izuku frowned as several screens popped up when he opened his messages, informing him of several new things they added, only confirming his earlier suspicions. He quickly tapped them away, finding out private messages were now locked behind requests as a standard spam protection measure, and tapping through to where his current request was waiting.
Private message request from
LEM💥
. Replying automatically accepts any future message requests. You can change the current settings in your
profile preferences
.
View message
Izuku was instantly on high alert when he saw the name, recognizing it from a mile away. LEM was one of his few consistent readers, always reading, liking, and commenting on everything he posted. They always left long and thoughtful comments, always praising and kind and noticing the little details others didn’t. Izuku tapped view message without a second thought.
Hey, I know we don’t really know each other and this is probably weird as fuck but I just wanted to ask whether you’re okay? You haven’t posted in a while and you’re normally very strict about your schedule so. Yeah. I get if you don’t wanna share anything about your life and stuff, just wanted to check in. You can ignore this if you want.
Oh my- That’s- What? Izuku reread the message a couple of times, still not believing what he was seeing. Some random person on the internet was worried about him because he hadn’t posted in a while..? What the fuck. Izuku could
cry
. He went back to check when he’d last posted something. Months. It had been
months
and he hadn’t even realized. Of course he knew he wasn’t writing as often- couldn’t even if he wanted to, but months?! And someone else had actually noticed? What the hell. Izuku could feel tears pricking in his eyes, blaming the physical strain and exhaustion for his overly emotional reaction as he typed back a reply.
Omg hi hey yes I’m totally okay! I’m fine! Just really busy with school and upcoming exams and stuff and I haven’t been able to write a lot in the last couple of weeks thanks for asking and checking up on me I promise I’ll post something soon!!
He sent it before getting up and grabbing his stuff, making his way over to the bathroom for a shower that was gonna have to be cut short- Yes, even his showers were timed in All Might’s training scheme. He didn’t regret taking the time to answer to LEM though, happy to know there was someone out there thinking about him. Which…was kinda weird, wasn’t it? Izuku didn’t know anything about them, didn’t know their age or their intentions… He should be careful when talking to strangers on the internet, even if they were nice to him-
especially
when they were nice to him. That didn’t mean Izuku didn’t read the message LEM sent back when he returned from his shower, though.
I understand, thank you for replying. I didn’t message to ask for updates, just wanted to know if you were okay. You don’t have to push yourself, take your time. Good luck with exams 🍀
How could he not smile at a message like that? And they continued to message like that. It was irregular, but it was there. Small chats between them growing to conversations and rants about heroes and potential story ideas. It was nice to finally be able to talk about his hobby with someone else, someone who wouldn’t make fun of him for it, who liked the same things. Izuku had never experienced something quite like it before, so even if he didn't really know who LEM was on the other side, he continued talking with them despite the rules he set for himself.
Their chats were messing with his training schedule, though, since Izuku wasn't getting as much sleep as he should. It was harder to pay attention in class, but he had to power through if he wanted a shot at UA- at inheriting One For All. He had no regrets whatsoever even if he could barely keep his eyes open during the day. As long as All Might didn’t know, everything would be fine. And so he shuffled through the hall, stifling a yawn as he rounded a corner, tending up when he bumped into someone.
“Ah, sorry, I wasn’t-” he started, only to cut himself short when he saw who he ran into. Why did it have to be Kacchan, of all people..? They were finally on better terms! Well, that is to say that Kacchan didn't bully him anymore. That the blonde actually talked to him like a normal person during group assignments, even if he was still pissed Izuku was trying for UA. “I’m so sorry Kacchan! I didn't mean to- I’ll just, uhm-”
“You just gonna let that quirkless loser get away with that, Bakugou?” one of his friends asked, making Izuku tense up. Oh no…
“Keep your noisy ass out of this, extra,” Kacchan snapped before turning to face Izuku. “And you. Don’t fucking think you can make it into any decent high school with that shitty attitude of yours. Even if you weren’t a quirkless loser, you’d never make it into UA when lazing around like you can afford to skip school, Deku. So save yourself the fucking embarrassment and don’t get any funny ideas.”
He shoved Izuku aside after that, making him stumble into the wall with less force than he was expecting. Izuku didn’t make eye contact as Kacchan passed him, his friends giving him a few extra pushes as they snickered and followed their leader. Kacchan had told him he didn’t want Izuku to apply for UA before, had threatened him with all kinds of things if he even thought of entering the entrance exam, and yet here he was, still in one piece. Yeah, Kacchan had calmed down a lot the last couple of weeks, even if he was still quick to anger. It was less violent, less explosive. More like a barking dog behind a fence. Scary but harmless.
Izuku couldn’t afford to waste time thinking about him, not if he wanted to get into UA. Because Kacchan was right about one thing, he needed to step up his game! The entrance exam would be there soon and he still had a large chunk of beach to clean up!
xxxxx
Message from
I.M.HERE
I totally flunked it 😭 I’m never gonna get into my dream school 😭😭
Message from
LEM💥
I’m sure you did fine, you’re the fucking best after all
Message from
I.M.HERE
You weren’t there!! It was an absolute disaster 😭 I couldn’t do anything during the practical!! There was so much competition and I didn’t get the time to try anything 😫 If you need me, I’ll be sulking in the corner of my room 😖
Message from
LEM💥
Am I gonna have to tell you to reread some of your fic comments again to increase your self esteem?? I don’t need to see to know you’re amazing and you know it too
sides you can always go study literature of some language shit and become a professional writer. We both know you’re fucking good at it
Message from
I.M.HERE
Being a hero has been my dream since forever though 🥺 and I’m really not good enough to become a professional writer like?? This is just a hobby aislsbwkwl and I know you like the things I wrote but that doesn't mean everyone else does
Message from
LEM💥
Are we seriously gonna have this discussion again?? Look at your fucking follow count, dumbass. Or your reads, your likes, your comments- THE NUMBERS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES so no I’m not taking any bashing from you 😤 if your quirk is even a fraction as good, you’ll make into that hero course for sure
Message from
I.M.HERE
I dunno… But I’m stressed enough as is so can we please talk about something else 😫
Message from
LEM💥
Sure thing, tell bout your new fic ideas
Message from
I.M.HERE
Who says I’ve got any new fic ideas rn??
Message from
LEM💥
You’ve ALWAYS got new fic ideas lol so tell me whatcha cooked up this time?
Message from
I.M.HERE
Well I mean maybe?? 🤔 Not really a new fic idea but a new idea about a fic
Message from
LEM💥
Care to explain??
Message from
I.M.HERE
I was thinking of writing a few fics in English so more people can read them (and I can write about a lot of international heroes and stuff!!) but I don’t know if my English is good enough for that… I wish I had a beta like all those big shots 😫
Message from
LEM💥
English huh?? Ambitious I like it 😎 my English is decent enough so maybe I could beta for you (not like I won’t read all of it anyway even if it's English)
Message from
I.M.HERE
I wish!! Can’t send docs through this message system remember?? Sucks tbh 😔
Message from
LEM💥
Hm yeah I know
I’d be up to share my email with you tho, if you’re okay with that
Message from
I.M.HERE
WHUT 😳
Message from
LEM💥
Only if you want to!! I mean we’re strangers and all that but email is still better than social media or something like that cz it doesn't directly link to our real lives
You know what forget it, it was a dumb idea, I shouldn't have suggested it
Message from
I.M.HERE
NO NO NO NO NO NO
I was just taken by surprise!!
Ofc I’d want you as my beta and email does allow us to send things more freely and afhgjkltsdbq I hadn't thought about that at all
I'll think about it
Message from
LEM💥
Kay no pressure
I know you’d kick ass in English even without beta tho
Message from
I.M.HERE
Hopefully I’ll be kicking ass for real some time soon haha fingers crossed!! 🤞
Message from
LEM💥
You don't need luck you got this in the bag!! Lemme know when you get your results
Message from
I.M.HERE
Will do!! Thanks for believing in me 🥰
Message from
LEM💥
Well you ARE my god so
Message from
I.M.HERE
Ah yes my most faithful disciple 😇 I have to go now (need to train those muscles!! 💪😎) talk to you later 😘
Message from
LEM💥
Alright don't strain yourself
xxxxx
They ended up exchanging emails. Well, no, Katsuki sent them his email, [email protected], and I.M.HERE was gonna send him one of his latest drafts for him to take a look at. Katsuki had never beta read anything like this before, but if his experience in having to look over some of the extra’s English homework was anything to go by, he’d do just fine. Waiting was the worst part of it, because here he was, sitting in his bedroom, nervously bouncing his leg up and down as if any of this actually mattered. It was just fanfic. It was just a hobby, and nobody would be looming over his shoulder to grade him on his beta work.
So why was he so fucking nervous? Why did he have this awful foreboding feeling deep down in his gut that was screaming at him that this wasn’t gonna end well… Probably just his perfectionism talking. Always afraid to fuck up when trying something new, always scared he wouldn't be good enough. He knew that even if he fucked this up, I.M.HERE wouldn’t be mad about it. They would be super understanding if anything, dragging their own skills through the mud to make him feel better. That was just the kind of person they were, at least online.
The notification finally came in a couple of minutes later and Katsuki opened up his mail app in a matter of seconds, only to freeze up completely when he read the address.
Sender:
[email protected]
Topic:
Fic draft for my new beta reader!!
What. The. Fuck. No. No, no, no- Katsuki locked his phone, throwing it to the other side of his bed before small explosions popped up from his already smoking hands. He remembered- Of course he remembered- He
knew
Deku used to write little fics in those notebooks of his, thought he stopped, thought- Katsuki balled his fists and gritted his teeth. No. No, this was impossible. Deku couldn't be I.M.HERE, he just couldn’t. It had to be some weird coincidence or something. I.M.HERE couldn’t… I.M… Those are the nerd’s fucking initials! It was a damn name pun
and
an All Might reference! Ugh!
Katsuki slapped his hands in his face, dragging the palms down over his skin as the last wisps of smoke disappeared. He’d been chatting with Deku online for
weeks.
He’d been fucking worried for him! Encouraged him for his entrance exams- Fuck! He was talking about the UA entrance exams! He was telling Katsuki he probably failed and Katsuki had said he would pass anyway, as if a quirkless nobody would ever be accepted into the hero course.
Izuku was smart and talented and yet it’ll all go to waste just cause he lacks a quirk, that was a harsh truth Katsuki learned a long time ago. It was unfair, really, because deep down Katsuki knew Deku was better than him. That if he’d have a quirk, any quirk whatsoever, he’d be a better hero than him. If anything, his fics showed as much. Fuck, Katsuki should’ve realized sooner! Nobody else would be able to write about so many different quirks in such detail! Only the over analytical nerd could pull off something like that!
He tensed up again when he heard a notification pop up on his phone, knowing it was the nerd to ask whether he’d received the draft properly. What the hell was Katsuki supposed to tell him? Did he know..? No, there was no way Deku knew LEM was his username. If so, the nerd would've cut all contact already. Or maybe he wouldn't. Maybe he’d see this as some kind of weir bonding thing or something. He’d always been a clingy bastard when they were children, after all. Another dinging noise pulled him out of thought, and he reached for his phone with some hesitation.
Message from
I.M.HERE
Did you get the draft??
Are you reading it rn?? Let me know what you think!! 😊
How the hell was he supposed to react to that now that he knew it was Deku on the other side? Should he just act normal and act as if he didn’t know? Katsuki enjoyed talking to him online up until now, liked the fact he didn’t know who he was and acted so genuine with him, unlike all the other extras who only clung to him to raise their own power and influence. Maybe… As long as Deku didn’t know…
Message from
LEM💥
I got it! Can’t wait to read it 😜
Yeah, maybe this much was okay… Katsuki sighed as he opened his email again, yet he couldn’t help but grin and squeal when reading the first chapter of what promised to be another masterpiece.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Going to UA was like a dream. Izuku still couldn’t believe it was real! He actually made it in! All Might didn’t even have to pull any strings or ask for favors- He made it in on hero points alone! Izuku forced himself not to bounce as he excitedly walked down the halls, taking it all in. It looked so much bigger in person! He’d seen pictures before, used them as reference when writing UA high school scenes in his stories, but it didn't compare to the real thing at all. Even the door to the classroom was enormous, taking into account any quirk variations of current and future students alike.
“Shut the hell up glasses!”
Izuku tensed up when he heard that voice as he opened the door, his eyes instantly locking onto the familiar figure of his childhood friend. Kacchan… Kacchan was in his class. Oh, he was not gonna like that… Izuku yelped as their eyes met from across the room, yet Kacchan didn’t seem as angry or annoyed as he thought he would be. Nor did he seem surprised to see him there. He
did
look pissed at the guy that was lecturing him though, and Izuku feared the guy with the glasses didn’t know what he was getting into by making an enemy out of Kacchan.
It wasn't until they were in the changing rooms, getting dressed into their sports uniform as requested by their homeroom teacher, that Kacchan spoke to him. Izuku had expected him to be angry, to demand to know how he got into UA, to threaten him to give up and quit. Yet none of that came.
“Don't think you’re tough shit just cause you managed to get in, Deku. This is only the beginning,” he stated, glaring him down with those intense red eyes as if he could look straight into his soul. “I’m still leagues ahead of you.”
Was… Was that a
challenge
?
“I… I’ll do my best, Kacchan,” Izuku sputtered, trying and failing to sound confident as he forced himself to look right back at him. He could swear Kacchan’s mouth quirk up for a moment.
“I’d like to see you try.”
And so he did. Izuku tried, did his best, and Kacchan watched him. Even when he used his quirk, when he broke his finger, and Kacchan’s eyes almost popped out of their sockets. He
did
seem surprised that time, which wasn’t all that shocking. Izuku had been quirkless his whole life, so to see him use such a powerful ability… Izuku expected Kacchan to explode, that he’d definitely get angry this time. He didn't. He was shocked, sure, but that passed quickly. Was he just…accepting this? How? Why? Izuku didn’t understand it at all.
Katsuki didn’t tell him he’d ranted for days about how excited he was to get accepted into the hero course of his dreams. Didn’t explain that he already knew of his self destructive quirk after Izuku based a whole damn fic on it. A short one, but still. It was still shocking to see it for himself though. To watch Deku use a quirk he knew he didn’t have before. It made him more curious if anything, because how the fuck was he able to get his hands on such a power? He deserved it- Hell, he deserved it so much. But… Just… How? He couldn’t exactly ask I.M.HERE, and Izuku sure as hell wasn’t gonna tell him shit if he hadn’t already.
Instead he asked him how his first day went through the private message system of the fansite, and they both rambled on about how excited they were to become real actual heroes. Things continued like that for a while, Kacchan keeping a polite distance, throwing some remarks at him here and there. None degrading or humiliating. If anything, they were always quite helpful. Izuku, in turn, improved his quirk control. He became better each and every day, even beating Kacchan in their first indoor battle simulation and not backing down when actual villains attacked them in the Unforeseen Situation Joint.
Message from
I.M.HERE
Got time?? I have a fic idea I need to rant about 😬😅
Message from
LEM💥
Shoot
Message from
I.M.HERE
So this is kinda out there but you know I got some fics about quirklessness and quirk discrimination and stuff right??
I was thinking maybe a reader insert about a quirkless kid gaining a quirk and using it to push the change they want to see, to influence society into accepting people for who they are regardless of their quirks
Not super realistic I know haha just an idea that popped in my head
Message from
LEM💥
Why a reader insert?
Message from
I.M.HERE
That’s what you got from that?
Message from
LEM💥
Just feels like an OC kinda deal to me idk
You do you tho I can’t write for shit so
But yeah no sounds good 👍 unique and original and shit
Not that you have to write unique or original stuff for it to be good or anything
You write what you want to whatever anyone else says!! Fic is for yourself first and foremost and write for yourself and all that crap like you don’t even have to post it if you don’t want to
No matter what you end up doing with it I’ll love it ♥️
They both knew it was just a way for Izuku to vent his feelings about this giant secret weighing him down without actually telling anyone about the quirk he inherited, and Katsuki was curious whether reading it would provide some answers to his questions. Izuku ended up not writing it though. Or, well, he did start, but he just couldn’t do it. Writing about quirklessness was always rough on him but something like this… It was too much. He didn’t tell LEM that, making up an excuse, saying it wasn’t such a great story idea to begin with. LEM understood, still supporting him in anything he did, even if Izuku knew he didn’t deserve it.
Meanwhile the sportsfestival came and went, Kacchan taking the win just like Izuku had expected him to. The blonde wasn’t too happy about his victory, stating Todoroki half assed their fight. That wasn’t completely untrue. Todoroki
did
use his fire when fighting Izuku… But Izuku also understood why he didn’t use it again- why he wouldn’t. But despite his anger, Kacchan didn’t direct any of it towards him. Hadn’t since the start of UA, as if he was turning a new leaf. Something Izuku could only encourage by staying out of his way.
“Looks like I’m still way better than you, Deku,” Kacchan had called out after the award ceremony as they passed each other in the halls of the stadium by chance. “When are you gonna make that quirk your own, huh?”
Izuku’s eyes widened as he whipped his head around, wanting to reach out for Kacchan, to shout at him, to ask what he meant- what he knew- and yet all he could do was stand there, completely frozen, as he watched his childhood friend walk down the hall. He knew. Of course he knew. They’d known each other their whole lives, of course Kacchan wouldn’t believe him when he lied about being a late bloomer or needing a specific thing to unlock his quirk. He’d known from the start…
Izuku debated on whether to tell All Might about it, but decided against it. Kacchan didn’t know about their connection and Izuku wanted it to stay that way. Then again, All Might had told people, too. That’s what Izuku found out when the internships started shortly after the sportsfest ended. Gran Torino was an odd man, but he did help Izuku gain more control, get better at using this quirk in a more unique way, a technique better suited to his body. Yes, he was determined to make this quirk his own, to show Kacchan what he was made off!
xxxxx
Katsuki bit the inside of his cheek as he suppressed some unholy noise from escaping his mouth. It was the middle of lunch but Deku had just updated his favorite ongoing long fic that morning and Katsuki couldn’t possibly wait until after school to read it. He hadn’t betad for it since Izuku only let him read his English fics ahead of time, so he got the joy of experiencing it for the first time any time he posted a new chapter. It sucked that it had to be when he was in public, though.
“Whatcha reading, blasty?” Ashido asked, trying to lean in over his shoulder to get a peek at his screen.
“None of your fucking business, pink shit,” Katsuki hissed, reflexively holding his phone away from her. He reacted a bit harsher than he intended to, but he’d always been overly defensive about this hobby.
“Oh my- Is that what I think it is?!” Kaminari exclaimed, grabbing Katsuki’s wrist, making the explosive blonde freeze up. By trying to keep his phone away from Ashido, he’d pushed it towards Kaminari without thinking, and now that dumbass was-
“Oi! Let go of me!” Katsuki snapped, pulling away his hand and turning to explode his face with his other. “Have none of you extras ever heard of privacy?!”
“Yeah guys, leave Bakubro alone,” Kirishima said from the other side of the table.
“But you saw the face he was making! I wanna know what got blasty so happy!” Ashido stated. Fuck, was he making a face?! He thought he covered that up pretty well, but they’d seen it anyway.
“Well, it seems like our mister explodo isn’t as innocent as he seems,” Kaminari snickered. “Reading fanfiction in broad daylight? You’ve got balls, dude.”
Fuck.
“Wait what?” Ashido gaped, instantly turning to Katsuki as his face flushed red. In anger or embarrassment, he didn’t know. Both, probably. “Oh my god, is he serious? Blasty, are you into-?”
“If anyone says another word I’ll blow up this fucking table and everyone at it,” Katsuki interrupted, holding up his sparking hand as he glared at each and every one of them. It was silent for a moment after that, everyone internally freaking out about the implications of this new discovery while Katsuki was panicking and trying to figure out how to do damage control.
“There’s… There’s nothing wrong with reading fanfiction,” Kirishima forced out after a while, trying so hard to remain calm and neutral even though Katsuki could tell he had so many questions. “It’s uh, just not something we expected of you, I guess?”
“And what of it?” Katsuki frowned. “If anyone here blabs, I’ll kill them.”
“...Does that mean it’s okay for us to talk about it now?” Kaminari asked, always stupidly brave- or just plain stupid. He had no real concept of boundaries or reading the room, much like Todoroki. Unlike that half assed asshole though, this moron
didn’t
have full control over his stupidly overpowered quirk.
“I need to know what your favorite tropes are,” Ashido said after Katsuki didn’t outright object to it. “We could recommend each other things! Won’t it be fun to have someone to talk about all the-”
“Shut up, I don’t have a favorite trope and I don’t want to fucking talk about it with the likes of you,” he said. No, not a favorite trope, although Dad Might came close, Katsuki did tend to read other stuff too if he was in the mood for it. A favorite author, on the other hand… “I only read some of it cause I beta for someone I know, we’re not the same.”
Any excuse would do to save the last bit of his reputation right now. He couldn’t let these people know what kind of a squealing and sobbing mess he could become by simply reading about fictional stories about real and made up heroes all the same. He was Katsuki Bakugou, for crying out loud, and he wouldn’t not be labeled as emotional or soft or sappy or anything like that if he could help it.
“Really?” Kaminari gasped. “First reading fanfiction and now
proofreading
for someone else? You have a friend who
writes
fic?!”
“Are they any good? What’s their username?” Ashido asked, whipping out her phone, already typing out the fansite name on the internet. “What tropes do they write? Any good ships?”
“Guys, please,” Kirishima tried, seeing how tense Katsuki had gotten. “Can’t you see you’re making Bakubro uncomfortable?”
Kirishima was his only real friend, Katsuki decided. Even if it was only because he obviously knew the least about fanfiction in general, although Katsuki doubted he hadn’t looked into some Crimson Riot stuff when he was in middle school.
“Their username and we’re ending the conversation here,” Ashido said, as if striking a deal. “Come on, we won’t make fun of you for it!”
“Yeah, I mean, we read fic too,” Kaminari shrugged, making Katsuki roll his eyes. Why didn’t that surprise him..? They had probably talked about it without him, too.
“Fine,” Katsuki groaned. “But you morons better keep your mouths shut, got it?”
“Of course! I’d never betray a fellow fanboy,” Kaminari stated, placing his hand over his heart, as if he was taking an official oath. Katsuki almost gagged at being called a fanboy. He
just
read hero fanfiction, he wasn't actually active in any fandom. He never cared for ship discourse, either. It was all made up bullshit anyway.
“Call me that again and I’ll strangle you,” he snapped before taking Ashido’s phone and typing in Izuku’s username. “Here, that’s the one.”
“Oooh, they got a decent amount of reads- Holy shit, how many fics do they have on here?!” Ashido exclaimed as she scrolled through Deku’s profile. Izuku was a giant hero nerd, so yeah, he had more fics than the average author. A lot more. Three digit territory. Ashido’s reaction was the right one, this shit was wild. Yet Katsuki wasn’t all that surprised, not when knowing what kind of hero obsessed fanboy was on the other side of the screen.
“I know,” he sighed, watching her as she kept scrolling. “They’re all good, too.”
“A compliment from Bakugou? Okay, now I definitely have to check them out,” Kaminari said, standing up and sitting down at Ashido’s other side so they could look through I.M.HERE’s page together. That kept them busy throughout the rest of their lunch period, leaving Katsuki alone long enough for him to finish Deku’s newest chapter and type out a long ass comment praising the nerd into the sky. If Izuku ever found out it was him, he would actually kill someone- Izuku, probably.
He couldn’t look the green head in the eye for the rest of the day, scenes of the latest chapter spiraling in his head, making him want to strangle him for making Katsuki feel this way. Cause that nerd may be the most merciful hero out there, he was still an absolutely evil piece of shit on paper.
xxxxx
Everyone was buzzing with nerves as they walked into the classroom on the first day of the exam period. Failing meant not going to summer camp with the rest of the class, so Izuku couldn’t afford to slack off. He wasn’t too stressed about the written portion, knew he’d studied as much as he could and answered everything to the best of his abilities. No, it was the physical test he was most nervous for. Even if his quirk control had gotten better now that he’d developed his own style, he still couldn’t handle most of what One For All had to offer. He still hadn’t made it his own yet.
“The hero course physical exam will be held in teams of two this year,” Aizawa explained on the day of their last exam. “We picked the teams based on quirk and personal compatibility, among other aspects. As for the opponent you’ll be facing… You’ll each be facing one of the pro hero teachers of UA.”
Of course. Of course Izuku’s opponent had to be All Might, and of course his partner was Kacchan. Of all people to beat, to work with… This was just his luck, wasn’t it..? Well, he and Kacchan were on better terms since entering UA- since Izuku gained a quirk. Things could be worse, all things considering. Because if there was one person here he could beat All Might with, it would be Kacchan.
“We need a plan,” Izuku said as they stood in front of the gate. “I… I don't know what sort of plan, but we won’t be able to pass without something to throw off All Might so we can flee through the-”
“We’re not gonna flee,” Kacchan stated, making his eyes widen.
“What?”
“We’re gonna defeat him,” he added.
“What?! Kacchan, you can’t be serious! We can’t defeat
All Might
!”
“We can if we focus on his left side,” he stated, making Izuku freeze up in shock. His left side… That was the side of his injury, the one he kept hidden from the whole world. His one weakness even in his muscle form- How could Kacchan possibly…
“How do you know that..?” he breathed as the giant doors in front of them started to open. It couldn’t be… Nothing had given him away! Izuku had been so careful about hiding their connection! And All Might had never given a single indication he had a weakness or that his power was fading- But then could Kacchan know about his injury? Had he eavesdropped? Had he heard something he wasn’t supposed to? But all their OFA conversations were private so-
The truth was that Izuku had subconsciously used that weakness in all of his most recent All Might related fics and Katsuki picked up on it. It was a gamble to point it out like this, to take it as a fact, but it seemed like there was some truth to it. Good.
“You can use that quirk of yours to move around now, can’t you nerd?” he asked as he stepped into the fake city. Izuku snapped out of his daze, quickly running behind him until he caught up to the blonde and walking by his side. “You think you can keep up with me?”
“What? Kacchan, this isn’t a competition-”
They both stilled as the ground rumbled, only to dodge to either side as All Might’s first attack laid waste to the main road. Okay, so he wasn’t holding back. Noted. When Izuku looked over to Kacchan, trying to find some semblance of common sense in his eyes- because surely he could see they were no match for the number one hero- all he did was point up before exploding himself into the sky. Izuku didn’t ask questions, using his quirk to jump between buildings until he landed on one of the roofs. Kacchan jumped over not much later, tugging at his arm as he ran past.
“Come on, get moving nerd! Gotta get out of his line of sight!”
“Oh- okay!” Izuku yelped, quickly running after him, surprised he was able to keep up so well with Kacchan. Then again, he was probably adjusting his speed for him… All Might didn’t attack again, nor did Izuku think he’d come looking. All he had to do was wait by the gate for them to show up. Because even if they knew it was a trap, they had no other choice if they wanted to pass the exam.
“Here should be good,” Kacchan said, jumping through an open window on the top floor of a building, turning around in time to see Izuku land. “He’s gonna wait for us, isn’t he?”
“Most likely. No point in playing hide and seek and exhausting all his energy like that,” Izuku said, making Katsuki hum. “About his left side-”
“Yeah I was thinking about that, too,” Kacchan interrupted. “I think I should be the one to target him first, distract him so you can come in to strike him with a strong fucking kick. No holding back. If he turns out to be a bigger pain in the ass than we thought, you got the speed to run right fucking past him while I keep him busy. I don’t like the idea of fleeing, but it’s better than losing.”
“You can’t be serious,” Izuku said. “Neither of us can take on All Might alone, Kacchan! We’ll barely manage together, even
with
using his injury against him. Distracting him by yourself is not an option.”
“So the plan is to defeat him then, yeah?” Katsuki grinned, and Izuku got the sinking feeling he played right into Kacchan’s hand. “I still want to get the first punch in, so you should try to surprise him before we take him on together- What? The hell you looking at, nerd?”
“Nothing!” Izuku exclaimed, waving his arms around in surrender. “Just… I didn’t expect… Kacchan never works together with others and I’m… I’m me, so I assumed you wouldn’t want to…”
“This is an exam, I ain’t really got a choice,” Katsuki huffed, putting a hand at his hip while glaring down Izuku. “Sides, there are worse extras to be stuck with for this. At least you got a fucking brain.”
“Ah, uh, thank you..?”
That answer made Katsuki groan and roll his eyes, his hand slipping down from his waist again as he stepped forward to jab at Izuku’s chest.
“Listen up Deku, cause I’m only gonna say this once,” he hissed. “I don’t fucking hate you. I hate that you thought you could become a hero without having the skills and power to back it up, that you’d make it in without putting in any of the fucking work or effort I put into this. And you didn’t. You got in because you gained power, because you worked hard for this, because you think things through and don’t lose your calm in a fight. I admire that shit, and we’re gonna fucking need it if we want to pass this shitty test. So get your head in the game and stop half assing this just cause you’re scared I’m gonna snap at you!”
All Izuku could do was stand there and blink as he took it all in. Kacchan…didn't hate him? Kacchan…
admired
him..? His face flushed red at the thought, making Katsuki roll his eyes again.
“Tch. If you’re not gonna snap out of this within five seconds, I’m throwing you out the window and I’ll win this shit on my own.”
“Oh… Oh! Uhm, no, I’m- I’m good!” Izuku stammered, still feeling how hot his face had gotten. Talk about embarrassing. “Okay, uhm, the plan! Yes, the plan. Okay, so, if you get his attention with your explosions and challenge him, he might think you’re acting on your own and I can try and sneak up with the coverage of the buildings and kick him in his side to temporarily stun him, but you’ll have to get him close to the side of the road for that to work.”
“Alright, I’ll get him in position, you finish him off,” Katsuki nodded. “We can always make a run for it if things get dire after that.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Izuku smiled. He couldn’t believe this! They actually came up with a plan together! He fired up his quirk as they've ready to go, determined to make things work. He couldn’t let Kacchan down!
And they did it! They managed to beat All Might, if only because of the restrictions that were placed upon him, and not without the necessary injuries- But they beat him! They made it out and passed their exam! Izuku couldn’t help but ramble in excitement as they made their way over to Recovery Girl, going over their moves and actions and trying to come up with counters where they got hit before. He completely missed the soft look Katsuki gave him as he talked, as the blonde listened and confirmed what he’d known all along: Izuku was going to be an awesome hero.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Message from
I.M.HERE
Omg LEM I’m freaking out I don’t know what to do help help me I lost him and I don’t I don’t I can’t even type right now and this text to speech thing is absolute crap and I just need a friend right now please I just need someone who isn’t involved someone who doesn’t know I failed and cried and and I lost I lost LEM I lost him and I can’t I can’t stop crying and I hate that I’m such a crybaby I need you to tell me things will be okay please I need things to be okay
I’m so sorry for ranting like that out of nowhere I guess it’s the painkillers I still can’t use my arms and I still don’t know what to do sorry sorry I shouldn’t be throwing all of this on you I just couldn’t think of anything else and and all my friends they know and they look at my with such pity and worry and I don’t want that I want to do something I want him back but I can’t I can’t move my arms and I feel so useless please please tell me it’ll be okay tell me I’m good enough I just need to hear it please
I can’t believe I’m doing this like you’re a stranger you don’t know me I don’t know you or your life or anything and I’m just here crying and ranting and I hate myself and I hate that I don’t want to burden my friends with this cause they’re just gonna give me even more pity and I don’t want that and you’re just gonna pity me too or call me crazy or insane or absolutely nuts and that’s okay maybe I am a nutcase I broke my arms again and ran after him and I’m I’m crazy okay yeah okay I’m crazy yeah that’s fine I can do crazy I’m fine
I’m not fine I can’t do this I feel so alone I’ve never been away from him like that what the hell is wrong with me why am I still crying and messaging you I just want all of it to stop I don’t want you to read any of this it’s pathetic omg how do you delete messages how do I stop the text to speech stop stop typing no stop I don’t want to no stop don’t
I’m gonna do something stupid and reckless or maybe just stupid idk but I can use my hands again so I can type again!! I can use my arms, so I can save him, I won’t let them take him away from me again even if I get hurt and that’s probably not what you want to hear but I don’t know how to remove the messages so I at least owe you an explanation. And I’m scared. It’s silly cause I’m gonna be a hero but I’m scared and I can’t tell the others because we’re not supposed to be scared but I can tell you right?? I know you’ll have my back even if I’m scared. You’re a good friend, LEM. I wish you were here to support me rn, to tell me things will be okay.
You’re not responding to any of this so I guess I weirded you out which is understandable. I’m going back to others soon, and then we’ll go save him. Can’t believe I’m hiding away in a dressing room just to message you haha guess I really am nervous lol Sorry, I’ll stop bothering you now. Gotta be a hero. Hope I can still be yours after this, too.
Katsuki had reread those messages over and over again in the days after his release. He had to stay a couple of nights in the hospital after his kidnapping to make sure he was okay. A bit of an overkill for some dehydration and hunger symptoms if you asked him but hey, he wasn’t a doctor. The police had come to ask him questions, too. Yet none of that could keep his thoughts from going back to those desperate messages Izuku sent him in his time of need. When he was freaking losing it and needed a friend and Katsuki… Katsuki hadn’t answered- How the fuck do you answer to shit like that?! If he’d been there when they were sent, if he hadn’t been the one the League kidnapped-
No. No, he couldn't think like that. He had to get over it, had to erase it from his mind. The way All Might fought to save him, how he won and yet lost himself… The way Deku cried- Katsuki did that. It was all his fault. He caused all of it, he was weak and got kidnapped and forced All Might to his breaking point- He hurt Izuku. He hurt him and everyone else and caused the fall of the greatest hero in the history of Japan- of the entire world. And he… He just had to live with that now, didn’t he? He just had to move on, with those messages sitting in his phone, with clips and videos of the fight being aired all around him-
Katsuki was expected to move on.
To live his life as if none of it ever happened.
How the hell was he supposed to do something like that?!
Why did everyone look at him with pity? Only to mask the hatred burning in their hearts? To avoid the sadness he caused, the hurt he brought others, the harm he spread to UA and the pro heroes and his classmates and Izuku. A loud and ugly sob broke free from his throat, tears running down his face as he stared into the darkness of his room. He was pathetic… Weak and pathetic and absolutely useless. How the fuck was he ever supposed to be a hero when all he could ever do was fuck shit up for everyone? When he was the one that had to be saved time in time again? Why had Aizawa even mentioned the dormitory system when Katsuki should drop out in the first place? When everything would be better for everyone if he just didn't-
“Oi brat! Time to get up!” his mom yelled, banging on his door. “You still gotta pack your stuff and the Midoriya’s will be here at noon so hurry the fuck up!”
Right… He was moving into the dorms today. His parents had offered Deku a ride there, since Inko’s car wasn’t as big, so he’ll have to face him too. Katsuki hadn’t actually seen Izuku in person ever since the fight- the rescue, whatever. They parted ways in Kamino and Katsuki’s mind had been spinning ever since. There was definitely something going on between him and All Might, although Katsuki didn’t know what. He didn’t have the energy to really think about it either, not with all those other self-destructive thoughts haunting his every waking moment. His dreams, too.
“Katsuki-!”
“Coming!” he yelling, hating the way his voice cracked, hoarse from the crying. Fucking hell. He quickly wiped away the tears, took a few deep breaths to steady himself, and darted to the bathroom in order to make himself look more presentable before any of his parents could see him. Packing up his things kept him busy all morning, so at least his mind was occupied with something else as he sorted through his stuff and decided what he’d take and what he’d leave. His peace of mind didn’t last long though. The moment he met Izuku’s dark green eyes, all of it came spiraling back to him.
“Thank you so much for driving me, uncle Masaru,” Izuku smiled, still standing in the hall by the front door, beaming at Katsuki as the blonde came down the stairs with the last of his boxes. “Hi Kacchan! I, uh, I’ve been meaning to drop by- I just- Uhm, I wanted to check in whether you’re doing okay, you know? After uh all that’s happened and-”
“I’m fine,” Katsuki snapped, instantly shutting him up. “This is the last of my shit.”
“Great! I’ll go put in the trunk,” Masaru said, taking over the box. “We can leave after you’ve said goodbye to your mother.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Katsuki sighed, waving it off before making his way to the old hag’s study.
“Oh, I’ll join you! I haven’t seen auntie Mitsuki in so long and I-” Deku ranted, quickly catching up to him as he talked. Katsuki suppressed a groan, forcing himself to keep a neutral face and not think about those awful breakdown messages or the face Izuku must’ve been making while sending them his way. He did let out a sigh though.
Yeah, this promised to be a long ass car ride…
xxxxx
Living in dorms with all of his friends was like a crazy fever dream. Izuku supposed that’s what happens when you put twenty teenagers under the same roof and leave them practically unsupervised for a week before school starts up. Aizawa had said it was officially labeled as bonding time after a traumatic experience, and had warned them not to go overboard. If he had to step in during this week, he’d make their lives a living hell, and everyone had taken that promise very seriously.
Izuku couldn’t help but notice Kacchan had stayed distant throughout it all, never really mingling with the class. Observing but never participating. Always looking so serious, so…troubled, in a way. Izuku couldn’t help but worry as Kacchan made himself disappear in the background. He hadn’t found the right time or place to speak up about it, since they were never truly alone here and everyone was still discovering where everyone’s limits lay. Would Kacchan even want to talk about it with him..? Sure, he told Izuku he didn’t hate him, but that didn’t mean-
A knock pulled him from his thoughts, making him glance at the time on his phone. Huh, he wasn’t expecting anyone to disturb him at this hour. It was already late and there hadn’t been a lot of people left in the common room by the time he went upstairs to get ready for bed. Maybe someone was hosting a late night movie night or something? Iida would never approve of a sleepover in the common room though, not even if it wasn’t a school night. But what else could it be? Izuku didn’t remember anyone asking him to hang out this evening so… His eyes widened as he opened the door, staring straight into the red eyes of none other than Katsuki Bakugou.
“Kacchan?” he asked, surprised. Kacchan averted his gaze almost immediately, looking anywhere but Izuku as he stood there in silence, hands in his pockets. He was dressed in full black, which wasn’t unusual. It made him match the darkness of the dimly lit hallway, its lights automatically dimming after a set time in the evening. It felt like the building was telling them to go to bed, nudging them to go to sleep as a decent hour instead of staying up all night. Of course anyone could still turn on the normal lights, but it seemed like Kacchan had opted not to. “What are you doing here? I mean, uhm, it’s already late and I know you like to go to bed early so-”
“Can I come in?”
“Huh?” Izuku let out, blinking at the taller teen.
“There’s something I need to tell you,” he continued. “And I really rather not do it in a fucking hallway, so are you gonna let me in or what?”
“Oh, uh, yes, yeah, of course,” Izuku stammered, stepping aside so Kacchan could get in, closing the door behind him. “Don’t uh mind the mess, I uhm…”
Izuku trailed off when Kacchan’s eyes locked with the various posters and figurines on the walls.
“Once a nerd, always a nerd,” Katsuki huffed, making Izuku let out a nervous little laugh as he quickly cleared his bed so Kacchan could sit down. “You never did change, did you, Deku? The only thing that’s different from back then is that quirk of yours.”
Was that what Kacchan wanted to talk about? His quirk? Izuku felt his face go pale, all blood leaving his body at once, making him feel lightheaded. Had… Had Kacchan figured it out..?
“I didn’t believe you at first, when you told me you had a strength based quirk. I thought maybe I was wrong, maybe I was talking to someone else after all. But then you showed up here, showed me that power of yours, and I couldn’t deny the truth anymore,” Katsuki continued, picking up an older All Might figure as he talked. “I guess talking to you has always come easy to me… And now that you had a secret too, I felt less guilty about hiding mine. But… Fuck. I just… I need you to know, so you can understand why.”
Izuku had a hard time following what he was saying, what he was trying to tell him. The secret Izuku kept from him had to be One For All, his quirk, the powerful strength ability All Might had entrusted him with. He didn’t understand any of the other things, though. Talking to him? They were barely even friends, only ever classmates who barely even talked to each other outside of training exercises. Then there was the other secret, Kacchan’s secret. Something that existed, apparently, and Izuku wondered whether he was to somehow know about it the same way Kacchan seemed to know about his.
“I don’t… I don’t understand. What are you talking about?” Izuku asked, knowing there was no point in trying to lie or deceive Kacchan. The ash blonde could see right through him, he always had.
“You reached out to me and I didn’t answer you, but that won’t happen again,” Katsuki said, putting down the All Might figure so he could turn around to face Izuku. “LEM stands for Lord Explosion Murder. It’s me. I’m LEM.”
It took a couple of seconds for Izuku to make the connection. When he did, blood came rushing back to his face in an instant. He stumbled back, flailing with his hands as he made some unusually high squeaks and other noises, yelping when his leg caught the bed and he fell over onto the sheets. All the while Kacchan stood there, frozen, staring at him with something akin to terror in his eyes. Fear? But why would he..?
“...So that’s your reaction, huh?” he mumbled, hiding his eyes with his hair as he looked down to the ground. “Guess I should’ve expected this. I won’t bother you anymore, so we can just forgot about it and-”
“No, Kacchan, wait, I-” Izuku exclaimed, grabbing his wrist in order to stop him from leaving. “I didn't mean to react that way, I just… Wow, this is a lot to take in.”
Kacchan was LEM. Izuku had been talking to
Kacchan
about his most unhinged thoughts and ideas for
months.
What the actual fuck. And Kacchan… Kacchan called him his own
god
when knowing who he was, when knowing it was Izuku and- What the fuck?! Izuku told him everything! All of his feelings and thoughts and- And oh god, he sent him all those long emotional messages when Kacchan was kidnapped and he didn’t respond because
he was kidnapped!
“I felt like you should know,” Katsuki said, also feeling uncomfortable in this conversation. “This doesn't have to change shit between us though. We could still…talk. Like before. Or not. It’s- It’s whatever, I don’t care.”
He cared though. Izuku could tell. He cared so much, and wow, he’d never imagined Kacchan acting like this because of him. But the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. If he saw Kacchan as LEM, as the person online who cared and comforted him when he felt like he wasn’t good enough and supported him and
betad his fics-
Oh my god, Kacchan
read his fanfiction.
Izuku was absolutely
mortified.
Even more so when remembering Kacchan actually called him a writer god. This would all feel like an elaborate prank if not for Kacchan’s obvious sincerity.
“Don’t say things like that!” Izuku called out, feeling tears well up in his eyes. And now he was crying, great! “I… I don't want things to change! I… You have no idea how upset I was when LEM stopped messaging me, when I lost contact with him-
you.
You were my best friend, Kacchan. You
still
are my best friend, and nothing can change that.”
He let out a sob, staring at the ground as his grip on Kacchan slipped.
“Kinda pathetic I thought of some random stranger on the internet as my best friend, isn’t it?” he shrugged, trying to laugh it off as he rubbed away some tears. “Guess that really shows how good middle school treated me, huh?”
Izuku’s breath hitched when Katsuki suddenly pulled him forward, making him stumble into his chest as the blonde engulfed him in a hug. It was a hug, right? Kacchan was hugging him. When was the last time they actually held each other like this…? When had they grown apart as far as they had? Izuku supposed it didn’t matter, not when the tears returned and all he could do was grab onto Kacchan’s shoulders as he cried.
xxxxx
“Okay, what the fuck.”
“Uh, good afternoon to you too?” Sero said, looking up from his place on the floor as Ashido barged into the room. Kaminari cheered from next to him while Kirishima leaned forward on the bed, controller in hand as he focussed on the screen. Katsuki looked up from the laptop on his lap, unbothered by who was winning or losing the game the others were playing. The squad had regular game tournaments like this during their hangouts, but they switched up the games often enough for it to remain fun and fair. Katsuki didn’t always play, and right now he had better stuff to do than kick ass in some racing game.
“Hey! You’re blocking the screen!” Kaminari screeched as she ran up to the bed, making Kirishima yelp, barely managing to dodge her as she jumped up next to Katsuki.
“What's got you so worked up?” the redhead asked, pausing the game for a moment as Katsuki closed his computer screen, knowing that whatever gossip was about to be shared was gonna be worth listening to. Ashido always knew how to get their undivided attention that way.
“Okay, who’s got a crush on who? Spill it girl,” Sero sighed, leaning back so his head was resting on the bed.
“Blasty, if you don’t tell me everything, I will kill someone. I’m serious,” she started, making him raise a brow. What the hell was she talking about?
“What’s this gotta do with me, pink shit?” he asked, frowning. “If this is about my ideal type again, I swear to-”
“You beta for I.M.HERE, right?” she said, grabbing his shoulders, making him tense up. Having these touchy idiots break into his personal bubble like that still threw him off more than he wanted to admit. He’d never been fond of being grabbed or dragged or touched in general, but these people weren’t the worst, so he was making an effort not to push away
all
of the physical affection.
“Oh, it’s a fic thing, okay,” Sero said, instantly relaxing and sitting back up again, reaching forward to take his phone.
“Girl, are you talking about the latest chapter of
I’m Dying in your Eyes
?” Kaminari asked, having the opposite reaction to Sero, who couldn’t care less. The tapedispenser didn’t mind it, but he just wasn’t as into the hero fandom as some of them. Kirishima always felt a little awkward in these types of conversations, even after admitting he had a big fanfic phase in middle school. Katsuki supposed is was because he wanted to leave that version of himself behind, which was bullshit, honestly. “Because what the fuck was that?! The cliffhanger!”
“The cliffhanger!” Ashido repeated in agreement, finally letting go of Katsuki. “I’m going insane! I
need
to know how it’s gonna end! Like how can they do this to us?! They’re so evil!”
“The worst,” Katsuki snorted. “Yeah, I read it. Cry and weep, losers.”
“Bakugou!” Ashido whined, letting her head fall onto his shoulder as she clutched his arm from the side. “I’m dying here!”
“They’re updating in another week, it’s not the end of the fucking world,” he huffed, shoving her off. He was open to more physical touch but enough was enough. It made him wonder what the hell he did to get stuck with such clingy idiots for friends.
“At least tell us if she survives,” Kaminari begged. “She
has
to survive! She was finally gonna confess after this fight!”
“Dunno, does she?” Katsuki smirked, earning more whining noises.
“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” Kirishima asked as Katsuki shrugged. He wasn’t gonna deny this was amusing, even though they both knew he was gonna tell them everything in just a few minutes anyway.
“You’re just as evil as that damn I.M.HERE,” Ashido pouted. “And I thought we were
friends!
But you’re just a big meanie!”
“And here I was, gonna have you let a sneak peak at one of the future chapters I’m editing right now,” Katsuki sighed, acting as dramatic as they were. He took his laptop as they stared at him with wide eyes, holding it to his chest as if it was something precious- Well, it had been expensive, but that was not the point. “But I guess if you don’t want to…”
“No, no, no, no! I want to! And I didn’t call you a jerk!” Kaminari exclaimed, quickly scrambling up from the ground, trying to get onto the already crowded bed.
“Hey! I didn’t call him a jerk!” Ashido yelled, and Kirishima took that as his cue to get up and grab a snack. “And I really really want to see! Please Blasty?”
“Oh, so now I’m blasty again?” Katsuki asked, listening to them beg and plead for another minute before giving in. “You just get an out of context scene, alright? I’m not allowed to show you more than that.”
“Wait, you
asked
?” Kaminari asked in surprise.
“Well, yeah,” Katsuki frowned, not knowing what was so shocking about that. “I knew you guys would be all over the place so I asked if it was okay if- Why the fuck are you looking at my like that?!”
“Oh my god, you really do care!” Ashido cried out.
“Kacchan truly
is
the best!” Kaminari agreed.
“I told you to stop calling me that!” he snapped, yet he opened up his laptop all the same.
“But Midoriya always calls you that and you two aren’t even close or anything,” he huffed. If only he knew… Izuku hadn’t stopped bothering him ever since he came clean about being LEM. Katsuki didn’t mind though, happy to help him achieve his potential in any aspect of his life. Just happy to keep him by his side in general, really.
“That’s cause the nerd has been calling me that since forever.”
“Oh, so he gets an exception huh?” Ashido grinned. “Sounds like you got a soft spot for-”
“One more word and I’m not sharing the spoilers with you,” Katsuki stated. That quickly shut her up. Good. He sent them the scene through the squad’s group chat after that, closing his laptop and putting it aside for now. He ended up taking Kaminari’s controller and finishing the race in his stead as he read the snippet on his phone, squealing and giggling with Ashido as he did so.
“I really don’t get what’s so great about reading,” Sero huffed as he smashed the buttons on his controller to boost his speed. “Reading comics is so much better.”
“You’re just too stupid to read something without pictures to understand it,” Katsuki jabbed, leaning to the side a bit as he passed a narrow corner, effectively taking the shortcut and passing Kirishima at the same time.
“Fanfic is different from just reading though,” Kirishima said, using his power up to make Katsuki slow down. “Ha! Take that!”
“You’re gonna eat my fucking dust, shitty hair!” Katsuki laughed, also mashing buttons by now, shoving against Kirishima as he pushed back, battling it out on the ground
and
on the screen. “Also how the fuck is fic different then literally any other story? It’s just the characters that aren’t original.”
“He’s got a point there,” Sero hummed. “Also, yeah, I like visuals, what of it? Having a block of text to read gets boring real fast if you ask me.”
“You just ain’t got no imagination, soy sauce face,” Katsuki called out, leaning forward as he caught up to first place in the last second, taking the win as they passed the finish line. “Take that, losers!”
“What about fan comics though?” Kaminari asked, bending down to their height as Kirishima groaned and Sero whined about how unfair it was that Katsuki always won. “Best of both worlds, am I right?”
Huh… Deku
could
draw somewhat, so maybe… Katsuki hummed, making a mental note to suggest it to Izuku later. And if he didn’t want to, well then maybe Katsuki could do the drawing. He wasn’t bad at it so he could probably pull it off. Yeah, he could draw some of the fic scenes like- Like fanart. Oh my god, he was thinking of making fanart of Deku’s fanfics. Wait, had anyone ever made fanart about it? They must have, right? And otherwise… Otherwise Katsuki will just have to be the first!
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Izuku couldn't stop smiling. And crying. Mostly crying. Was that why his hands were shaking?
“Such a crybaby,” Kacchan scoffed, yet there was no real bite behind it. Of course not, the blonde was grinning just as much as he was.
“We did it, Kacchan!”
They really did it! They got their provincial licenses! Training their special moves had been a switching point for Izuku. It made him realize which fighting style he preferred, which suited him best. Changing from primarily using his hands to using his legs as his main weapon really put some more dynamic into his moveset! And it turned out to be a great idea, because now he was holding his provisional license and he still couldn’t stop crying. Crying and shaking, ruining any and all pictures he tried to take to send to his mom and All Might.
“Hell yeah, we did!” Katsuki grinned, also looking down at his own pass. Both of their pictures kinda sucked, to be honest, but neither of them cared. “Did you sent it to auntie Inko yet? Bet she’ll cry her eyes out, too.”
“Can’t get a good picture,” Izuku sniffled, letting out a high pitched noise of surprise when Katsuki grabbed his phone from his hand, reaching for it reflexively, only for Kacchan to keep it out of reach.
“Come on, hold up your card, I’ll snap a pic real quick,” he said, already holding up Izuku’s phone.
“Wha-”
“We have about a minute until Aizawa is calling us all to the bus and I’m not letting the extras see me take pictures of you so are we doing this or what?”
“Oh, uh, yes! Thank you, Kacchan!” Izuku beamed, quickly holding up his license to his chest, trying not to cry too hard as Katsuki snapped a couple of pics. After that he stepped up next to him, grabbing his shoulder and pulling him in close to take a selfie with Izuku as he poked his own hero license into his freckled cheek. And Kacchan smiled! He actually, genuinely smiled!
“Don’t send that last one to anyone or I will murder you,” he said as he handed back Izuku’s phone, quickly steeling his expression and putting some distance between them as their classmates found them. Izuku couldn’t answer him, not before Uraraka started gushing at him and Iida ranted about the new responsibilities this will bring. They sat away from each other on the bus, too. Each with their respective friend groups as everyone happily chatted about what they did during the testing and what people from other schools did and how they handled things differently.
Todoroki was quiet, but Izuku didn’t know whether that was because he was the only one to fail or because he was usually also the silent type. He didn’t seem to mind the failure all that much, if he was being honest. If anything, sticking it to Endeavor that his perfect little prodigy was the only one to lose, the only one that didn't get his license. Besides, he’ll still have a chance to get it if he took the remedial classes the hero commission was offering, so it wasn’t the worst thing all things considered. Which is also why he wasn’t opposed to celebrating their win together.
And celebrate they did.
The class threw a big party in the common room, with snacks and music and everything. Aizawa warned them not to make it too late, that he was gonna come for their asses if he was woken up due to noise complaints, and gave them his congratulations before leaving to take a well deserved nap. Izuku never had class parties like these before, not when people never wanted to get close to him, not when he was never invited to anything fun. Not in elementary and definitely not in middle school. He was having an absolute blast right now, though, so he was not gonna let those depressing thoughts get to him.
It wasn’t until he got to his room after the party was over that he saw Kacchan had messaged him through the fansite. It was funny how they still exclusively used that site to message each other now that they knew who the other was, but at the same time it was something Izuku wouldn’t want to change for the world. It was what cradled their current friendship, what got them talking again. A precious secret shared between the two of them.
Message from
LEM💥
Come to my room? Wanna talk
Message from
I.M.HERE
omw
Izuku pocketed his phone, leaving his room almost immediately after getting there. He didn’t know why Kacchan wanted to see him in person, didn’t know why he didn’t tell him over chat- It’s not like they hadn’t stayed up messaging each other all night before. So whatever it was must be important. Important enough to warrant an in person conversation, at least. And so he hurried to Kacchan's floor, making sure no one saw him as he walked up to his door at the end of the hall. The ash blonde might be kind to him online, he still didn’t want people to know they’d gotten close again. Maybe because it might expose his fanfic hobby? That was his best guest.
“Kacchan?” he asked, knocking on the door. “I only just saw your message- I hope it’s not too late to-”
He shut up when Kacchan opened the door, looking sort of troubled. Which was concerning for someone who should be happy right now.
“Is everything okay..?”
“ ‘m fine,” he sighed, opening the door further. “Come on in before someone sees you.”
Izuku didn’t completely believe him, but maybe he really was just tired or something. It made his lingering curiosity only grow, because why would Kacchan invite him to his room when he so obviously wanted to go to bed?
“You kicked ass out there today,” he hummed as he strolled over to his desk, looking down at a non distinct folder. There wasn’t any writing on the monotone color to give away wat was inside of it. Homework though, most likely. “Really starting to get the hang of that quirk huh? All Might must be proud of you.”
“Oh, uh, yeah, he is,” Izuku said, fiddling with his hands to stave off the nerves. They rarely talked about his quirk like this and it always made him uncomfortable. He didn’t know how much Kacchan had figured out on his own, how much was still a secret, and the ash blonde never pushed for him to share either. So it was walking on eggshells, trying to protect the last bits of All Might’s legacy like he promised him.
“Was- Was it always supposed to end like this?” Katsuki asked, turning around to face him. “I… Tell me, Deku-
Izuku.
Tell me, was it… Did I end All Might?”
Tears pricked in the corners of his eyes and Kacchan swore under his breath as he quickly wiped them away.
“What? No! What are you even-”
“He had to go all out because of me! Because I needed to be saved!” Katsuki called out. “And he’d already passed on that quirk to you, right? He gave it to you, so he must have less left for himself and I- I pushed him to use it all the way and-”
“It was always supposed to happen,” Izuku confessed, hating to see Kacchan upset like this. “It was only a matter of time before he… I thought there would be more, that he’d… But this isn’t your fault, Kacchan! All Might made that decision by himself!”
Deciding to throw away the last of his embers with no consideration of his successor whatsoever. Izuku understood, though. He was hurt and confused at first, but he knew it had been the right call to make. He hoped that Kacchan would understand that, too. His words visibly calmed him down, his hug even more so as Izuku continued to repeat the same things over and over again. That it wasn’t his fault, that this would have happened no matter what. That it wasn’t because it was Kacchan, but because it was All For One.
Izuku confessed everything in that hug. The nemesis thing, the long line of successors trying to defeat him, the way Izuku was destined to face him if All Might hadn’t beat him in Kamino. That One For All’s sole purpose had been fulfilled, that Izuku could go on to become a hero at his own pace and gift this power to someone else some day. He confessed he could only use a fraction of it right now, confessed how much it hurt to use in the beginning, confessed he too thought he was at fault for the fall of the symbol of peace. That in the end, All Might decided for himself, that the old hero was happy to retire and leave things to the next generation.
“Fuck, I told myself I wasn’t gonna cry,” Kacchan sniffled, still wiping away some stray tears. “Fucking hell, I didn’t even mean to ask you right now- This shit is supposed to be about
you
.”
“What… What do you mean?” Izuku asked, confused.
“Wanted to give you something,” Katsuki shrugged, letting out a short laugh. “A reward for a job well done or some shit like that, I don’t know. Sounds fucking weird, I know, I just… Fuck, I really got off track.”
He stepped back, breaking the hug, only to grab the folder on his desk.
“I uh… I tried some things. It’s not much and it probably sucks, but I wanted you to have it anyway.”
Izuku blinked, not knowing what to think as he accepted the folder. All he knew was that his hands were shaking and his vision was blurring and Kacchan laughed and called him a crybaby for the second time that day. Izuku didn’t mention Kacchan cried as well, instead opting to profusely thank him for his gift, expressing how happy he was.
“You haven’t even seen it yet,” Katsuki said as he pushed Izuku down on the bed before shoving a pack of tissues in his hands. “Calm down, nerd. Tell me what you think.”
“I think this is the best day of my life,” he said, crying yet smiling. “I get to be a hero by Kacchan's side and- and you got me a gift!”
“You act as if those are somehow fucking equal when they’re absolutely not,” Katsuki huffed, sitting down next to him. “And I meant what you think of the gift, idiot. Open it.”
Izuku could tell Kacchan was nervous, tapping his leg up and down as he avoided looking at the folder all together. He didn’t know what he was gonna see when he opened it, but he didn't expect to find pages of hero fanart. Most black and white, sketches inked and shaded in black pen. A few had colors, although not much, and it took a couple of seconds for Izuku to realize what they were.
“This a scene from Shooting for the Stars,” he pointed out, totally dumbfounded at the discovery. He quickly turned a few pages back, realizing that, yes, all of these were scenes from stories he’d written. This wasn’t just fanart, it was fanart for his fanfics. Fanart made by Kacchan. Izuku quickly closed the folder when he started crying again, not wanting to ruin any of the drawings with his tears.
“Like I said, it’s nothing. Just tried some things and thought you might-” Katsuki mumbled, still not looking at him, only to be taken by surprise when Izuku tackled him in a side hug.
“I love it! I love it so much! Oh my god, thank you so much Kacchan!” he exclaimed. “This- This is amazing! I can’t believe you actually did this for me!”
“Yeah, well, you deserve it,” he said, blushing from all the genuine praise Izuku was throwing his way. “Besides, best piece isn’t even in there. The commission isn’t finished yet so I couldn’t-”
“YOU COMMISSIONED SOMETHING FOR ME?!” Izuku screamed, completely freaking out. Kacchan paid real actual money on fanart of his fanfics for him to have and to treasure and omg, omg, omg-
“Oh my fucking god, BREATHE Deku!” Katsuki snapped, grabbing his shoulders and pushing him up straight. The folder had fallen on the floor in their scuffle, papers sprawled out on the floor as Izuku could do nothing but cry. “The fuck you freaking out for?! It’s just drawings-
shitty
drawings-”
“Kacchan commissioned something for me,” he wheezed, not listening to anything the blonde was saying. “How can I
not
freak out?! That’s so- I just- I'm going insane here, Kacchan!”
Katsuki didn’t seem to know what to do, either, so he just freaked out next to him.
xxxxx
“Ugh, this math homework is killing me!” Kaminari whined, flopping down on top of the kotatsu they’d pulled out so the squad could work on their assignments together. Katsuki was sitting up at the desk, though, since he already finished and was only there to help if necessary.
“At least you already finished your English essay,” Ashido groaned.
“Come on guys, it's not
that
bad,” Kirishima said, trying to cheer them up. “Let’s play a quick game after we’ve each finished the thing we’re working on to keep up the energy!”
“Last time you did that, it turned into a tournament and none of you extras got your shit done,” Katsuki commented from above, making tho others groan again.
“You’re such a killjoy dude,” Sero complained. “What are you ever working on? I thought you finished all of our assignments already?”
“Probably studying to get ahead like the diehard he is,” Kaminari mumbled. “For someone who always calls others nerds, you sure care a lot about academics.”
“Grades are important, dunce face,” Katsuki stated, turning around to face them, leaning on the back of the chair as he did so. “Also, no, not studying. Couldn’t get anything done with your idiots around even if I tried.”
No, he wasn’t studying, although getting ahead in his classes was something he liked to do. He was drawing, sketching the pro hero Edgeshot in a dynamic action pose while adding some details here and there. Katsuki couldn’t get the image out of his head after reading Deku’s latest ninja story. So even if he didn’t have the skills to pull it off in the way he wanted it to, he had to try just to get that image out of his mind.
“So whatcha doing then?” Kirishima asked. He wasn’t offended by any of it, already used to Katsuki’s way of talking for a long time.
“Nothing,” he said quickly, maybe a little too quickly, before turning around again. Ashido shot Kaminari a quick look, which Kirishima caught onto as well.
“No, guys, come on, let’s not-” he started, reaching out to stop Ashido too late. She was able to snatch Katsuki’s paper from underneath his nose, causing him to draw an ugly out of place line right off to the corner.
“Oi! The fuck you think you doing?!” he yelled, explosions popping off as Ashido giggled and squealed, quickly running to the other side of the room before taking a closer look to what she snatched. His face paled in horror as she gasped, only to be flushed in embarrassment as he realized she’d seen his shitty half finished sketch of Edgeshot. “Not. A. Fucking. Word.”
“This is-!
“NOT A WORD RACCOON EYES!” Katsuki snapped, practically exploding out of his seat and snatching back the paper in an instant. Great, now there were scorch marks all over! “Shut the fuck up! I couldn’t get it out of my head after that last one-shot- This means nothing!”
“Bakugou, that’s- Oh my god” she forced out, still squealing. “I can’t believe you actually make fanart! You told me you weren’t active in the fandom!”
“Wait what?!” Kaminari exclaimed as Katsuki jumped Ashido, ready to explode her ass.
“I told you I only interact with one person’s shit and that’s fucking De-” Katsuki yelled, cutting himself off as he threw an explosion at both Ashido and Kaminari. Kirishima yelped, quickly trying to protect his homework as Sero jumped back, complaining about the mess they were making. Katsuki cursed under his breath as he looked over at the kotatsu, seeing Sero was right. It was an absolute mess. And it would’ve been even messier if Katsuki sipped up and told them I.M.HERE is actually Deku. He couldn’t let them find out. Ever. Because then they’d know he wasn’t only obsessed with some internet rando, but that he was actually obsessed with Izuku.
“Was all of this really necessary?” Sero sighed. “Ash, you know better than to tick him off on purpose. Definitely when it comes to this fandom stuff.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Katsuki huffed.
“Dude, you always get super defensive whenever the three of you talk about those online stories,” Sero pointed out. “Always singing praises and never tolerating any criticism. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re actually the writer.”
Oh… Katsuki hadn’t noticed until now, but he really did get defensive, didn’t he? Didn’t want anyone badmouthing Izuku’s writing- didn’t want anyone badmouthing Izuku in general. Maybe he was overcompensating, maybe this was all just to get rid of the gnawing guilt eating away at him, but so what if it was? He actually liked Izuku now- had always liked him, even if his jealousy had driven them apart. He… Katsuki’s face flushed an even brighter red and he quickly turned away, walking over to the desk and acting as if nothing was wrong. What could possibly be wrong? Not him having a sudden gay realization! No way!
“Wait- No way, are you really-?” Kaminari gasped, unable to read the fucking room.
“I’m not, dunce face!” Katsuki snapped. “Focus on your damn homework and leave me the fuck alone.”
“Oof, didn’t mean to bite you in the butt, blasty,” Ashido frowned. “We’re good though, right?”
“Tch. Yeah, whatever,” Katsuki huffed as he took his things off the desk. “I’m leaving. Figure this shit out on your own.”
“Aw, come on, really man? They were just teasing, you know that,” Kirishima said while Sero mumbled something about him being right about the whole defensive streak to Kaminari, who was nodding along.
“Yeah, I’m really sorry!” Ashido pouted. “I won’t speak of it ever again!”
“As if you can keep that promise,” Katsuki scoffed before shutting the door behind him. He didn’t mean to be so short with them. To act like a spoiled brat unable to take a little teasing. But he just had to get out of there. Katsuki was internally freaking the fuck out and it wouldn’t be long until he actually burst so he had to get out of there as fast as possible. It was nothing personal, really, and he’ll probably apologize later, but for now all he wanted to do was burrow his face in a pillow and
scream.
He liked Izuku…
Of fucking course he liked Izuku.
Katsuki was fucking screwed.
xxxxx
Izuku stepped back after pinning the last paper to the board above his desk, taking in the sight of Kacchan’s drawings in between the pictures and other little trinkets he’d gathered over the course of this year. It were mostly Kacchan’s drawings to be honest. He hadn’t actually printed out a lot of pictures of him and his friends yet. Izuku was happy with how it looked now though, letting out a high pitched noise as he thought about how Kacchan had actually drawn things for him and now he had hung them up on his wall and oh god his life was perfect right now.
He was about to take a picture to send to Kacchan when there was a knock on his door.
“Deku-kun? It’s me!” Uraraka shouted from the other side as she knocked again. “I’m gonna take Todoroki to the mall to let him experience the happiness money can buy! Wanna come?!”
“Is he taking his father’s credit card?” Izuku asked as he opened the door. Uraraka grinned, and that was all the reaction he needed. “Count me in. I’m just gonna take a picture real quick and put on a clean shirt.”
“No rush! Tsu is still getting ready, too,” she shrugged as she walked in while Izuku went back to his desk. She closed the door behind her before looking at the wall Izuku was photographing. “Huh, I never knew you could draw like that… Wait, are those heroes kissing?”
“Oh yeah, it’s fanart,” Izuku smiled as he looked at the pictures. He could decide which one to send Kacchan later.
“That’s- Deku, this isn’t okay,” she said, making him look up. She’d pulled one of the drawings down, waving it around, seemingly disgusted. “These are real actual people, Deku-kun! You can’t just- What would you do if we’re pros and people draw you like this with- with Bakugou or something?!”
Well, Izuku wouldn’t mind being drawn kissing Kacchan, to be honest. If anything it would be Kacchan who’d absolutely explode. Their relationship had been getting better now that they were bonding over hero fanfiction but Izuku still didn’t know what he’d do if he found out he was Izuku’s gay awakening. What concerned him more right now was Uraraka’s reaction to it all.
“What do you mean?” Izuku asked, frowning. “It’s not like they’d ever see any of this-”
“That doesn’t matter!” she snapped, pulling down more drawings, not caring whether they got crumpled or torn.
“Hey! Stop that!” Izuku called out, grabbing her wrist. “What’s gotten into you? It are just drawings!”
“It are not
just
the drawings, Deku! It’s the whole principle behind it!” she stated. “Don’t tell me you actually support people harassing heroes about their private life?!”
“What- But- That’s something entirely different!” Izuku said, not understanding Uraraka at all. Why was she suddenly being like this? She
knew
he was a hero fanboy, she’d seen all his figurines and posters and heard him talk and mumble about his favorites for so long. “Fanart and fanworks and stories- How are those the same as harassment?”
“What, you’re reading those disgusting sex fantasies too?! No, wait, you probably write them as well, don’t you?! You’re fantasizing about real people’s lives like you’re playing with dolls!” Uraraka snapped. And what was so wrong with that? Izuku wasn’t doing anything to these people- these pro heroes. It was just something for himself. “It’s disturbing!”
“You literally gossip about people’s crushes with Ashido every other week!” Izuku exclaimed, not understanding why Uraraka was so distraught about this. “Isn’t that the same thing?”
“That’s completely different!”
“How?!”
“What’s going on here?!”
Izuku’s face snapped aside, seeing Iida standing in his doorway. He instinctively held Kacchan’s drawings closer to his chest, trying his best not to cry.
“Your yelling is audible from the hallway,” Iida continued, frowning. “What were you arguing about? Maybe if you tell me, I can help mediate the conflict and-”
“There’s nothing to mediate, just Deku being a disgusting freak,” Uraraka stated, glaring at Izuku one last time before walking off. “Don’t talk to me until you’ve found your senses.”
What?
“Uraraka! It is very immature to walk out on a conversation like that!” Iida stated, going after her, leaving Izuku alone in his room once more. He took a shaky breath, taking a few big strides to the door and slamming it shut. The moment it did, the tears erupted from his eyes. Izuku sobbed, trying his hardest not to crumple the paper any more than it already was, putting it down on his desk with shaky hands. They were damaged. After taking such good care of them- After being so fucking happy of receiving a gift like this-! He bent down so his forehead was resting against the desk, his trembling fists resting upon the wood.
Why..? Just why? He didn’t… He didn’t understand what Uraraka thought was so wrong about it. He wasn’t harming anyone, right? This- Shipping, it- It was just harmless fun, wasn’t it? Then again, these were real people. Real people with real lives and real emotions and real relationships and- And Izuku supposed fans wanting them to be with someone else could be seen as putting extra pressure on them or… or their actual relationships but…
Tears blurred his vision as he sucked in shallow breaths. He was panicking. He needed to calm down, needed to- needed to
think.
Izuku heaved himself back upright, the sight of the drawings alone enough to make new, warm tears erupt and fall down his cheeks. Kacchan worked so hard on those and Uraraka- She just- She called him a
freak.
Not only did she make fun of him, she was outright disgusted and appalled and… And was she right? Had he really been so lost in his made up stories that he couldn’t see the harm in them..? But Kacchan- Kacchan read them too and he didn't think he was weird or abnormal.
Maybe Kacchan was a freak, too..?
No. No, Kacchan was absolutely perfect. He could never be a freak. And Kacchan was always right so…so he had to be right about this too, right? He had to be, because if he wasn't… Izuku took another shaky breath, turning to face the ceiling so he wouldn't have to look at the drawings anymore. Calm down. Breathe. It’s gonna be fine. Everything’s gonna be okay! Uraraka was probably just surprised, is all! Yeah, she was just not expecting it- overreacted in her shock! Izuku will talk to her later and they’ll clear this up and everything will be okay again.
Except things didn’t go the way Izuku thought.
It wasn’t okay.
It only got worse.
Because now there were people around. Now Uraraka was airing out his hobby for everyone in the common room to hear. Izuku had approached her a little before dinner, wanting to talk things out in private, to get rid of this misunderstanding between them, only for her to completely lose her shit when she realized Izuku wasn’t apologizing. To make things even worse, she made it sound like he was some obsessed perverted stalker that lusted after pro heroes. Izuku had never even written anything remotely smutty before! And Iida seemed to go along with it, adding his own comments whenever Uraraka wasn't screaming in his face.
Izuku was crying now, wiping away his tears as he tried to defend himself, to get his side of the story. It was no use though, not when Uraraka bulldozed all over him with her morals and exaggerations and accusations. She was supposed to be his friend! Izuku didn’t know why she’d turn against him like this! Why she was so against fandom and creating fake stories- Why others seemed to be taking her side. Was it really so wrong..? Was the only thing Izuku had to escape to when his life was nothing but pain so perverse that his enjoyment of it made him nothing but a freak..?
“Uhm, girl, I think you gotta calm down,” Ashido said, trying to de-escalate the situation. She'd only just come downstairs, hearing about half a minute of this beat down, and stepping in like any decent hero would. “Take a deep breath, okay? We can talk about our feelings like mature people, isn’t that right class rep?”
“Well, yes, of course, but-” Iida said, seemingly going to argue with her on the importance of civil conversation.
“The hell is going on here?”
Izuku blinked, sniffing as he glanced aside at Kacchan. He didn’t want the blonde to see him like this, to be so pathetic and weak in front of everyone- Izuku was supposed to be stronger now! He had a quirk, had good grades, did well in training- He was supposed to be a hero! He should be able to take this! What would All Might say if he saw him being cornered like this..? Over something as silly and stupid as fanwork, of all things?
“Deku-kun is a fucking freak!” Uraraka snapped, making Katsuki’s eyes widen before they darkened. “He’s an obsessive, perverted freak! Who the hell fantasizes about pro heroes kissing and
actually
draws it on top of that! That’s just wrong! They’re real people and-!”
BOOM!
“Shut the fuck up,” Katsuki snapped after pushing her to the ground with a large blast.
“Bakugou! Fighting with others is unbecoming of-!” Iida started, only to be cut off by a death glare from the blonde.
“Oh? Fighting is off limits but this chick screaming at Deku till he’s crying is fucking fine, is it?!” he laughed. “Then again, you’ve always held double standards, haven’t you?
Mister attempted murder.
”
That shut him up real fast. Izuku briefly wondered how Kacchan even knew about that, but decided now was not the right time to question it.
“And you, you round faced bitch,” Katsuki spat out, turning his daggers towards the girl on the floor. “Don’t know who the fuck taught you fanfic is harmful to heroes cause they obviously got their head screwed on backwards! Don’t you know how much fan culture boosts someone in the popularity polls?! Pro heroes love that shit! They tease on purpose! Hell, half of Japan probably wanted to fuck All Might at some point, and you might think that’s weird as fuck but that's your fucking business, isn't it? Stop bashing on Deku just cause you’re never gonna have what he has!”
“And that is?” she snapped.
“A beautiful fucking brain between his ears!” Katsuki snapped back. “It takes creativity to come up with plans and combo moves, which is why Deku’s are the fucking best and your losing ass is stuck sucking up to people like him for help for the rest of your pathetic carreer as a B-list extra!”
Izuku could cry- He
was
crying. Kacchan was standing up for him! He was calling Uraraka out on her bullshit and complimenting him at the same time and- and Izuku didn’t know whether his heart could take this swing of emotions.
“You okay, Izuku?”
He called him by his name! In front of the entire class! Izuku could feel even more tears well up from his eyes, sobbing as Kacchan pulled him into a hug.
“She… She called me a freak and-”
“You’re not,” Katsuki stated. Confident. Firm. As if it was a universal truth. “And if you are, then so am I. Which is fine by me. We can be freaks together.”
Izuku sputtered out a short laugh before hiding his face in Kacchan’s shoulder.
“Yeah… Let’s be freaks together, Kacchan.”
“And if any fucking extra has anything to say about this shit, they’ll have to go through me!” he proclaimed loudly, grabbing Izuku and swinging him around as he turned to glare at everyone in the room. Izuku couldn’t contain his laughter at that, finding this whole situation just so hilariously ridiculous.
“I can’t believe you actually support something like this,” Uraraka hissed, already back up on her feet, glaring right back. “You should see those disgusting drawings he hung up in his room-”
“
I
made those disgusting drawings, so I’m pretty fucking familiar with them,” Katsuki said, making her eyes widen. “Now fuck off. Consider your friendship officially terminated, cause Izuku doesn’t need toxic bitches like you in his life.”
“You two deserve each other, you disgusting pigs,” she hissed. “I don’t want to be associated with perverted freaks like you anyway.”
Izuku flinched at that and could you blame him? Uraraka had hung out with him just a day ago and now she was throwing such hard words at him. It was as if their friendship meant nothing to her…
“Her fucking loss,” Katsuki muttered as he pulled Izuku with him to the bathrooms, wanting to get some privacy so Izuku could calm down properly. Something that wasn’t possible in the noisy ass common room that was surely erupting in arguments right now. People taking sides and discussing the morality of it all while Uraraka probably tried to poison their minds. Katsuki knew his idiots would have his back though. There was no way in hell Ashido or Kaminari would let anyone disrespect fanwork like that. “Here, dry your face. Don’t let her words get to you, she’s spouting nonsense and you know it.”
“She’s still my friend- At least I thought she was…” Izuku sobbed, taking the tissues Kacchan das handing him. “She ruined your drawings, Kacchan! They’re all crumpled and torn and-
“And they were shitty anyway,” Katsuki interrupted. “I’ll make you new ones- draw a ton of fanart for your fics, enough to cover your whole nerd room from top to bottom.”
“Really?” Izuku sniffled.
“Of course,” Katsuki said. “You should know I’d do anything for you.”
Izuku was grateful his face was already red from crying, otherwise Kacchan would’ve seen his face flush red for another reason.
“Ha! Uhm, yeah, I- I’m your god, aren’t I?” Izuku said, forcing a laugh. Kacchan remained serious though, helping him wipe away the tears.
“You are,” he hummed. “You’re everything to me, Izuku.”
Okay, now his face was definitely turning redder than it was before. Why was Kacchan saying stuff like that all of the sudden?! What did this even mean?! Izuku tensed up when Kacchan rested his hand upon his cheek, trying his best to avoid eye contact.
“I- I’m okay now, I promise-” Izuku forced out, only to be interrupted by Kacchan.
“Izuku, look at me,” he said, tilting Izuku’s head towards him. “There’s something I need to tell you, and right now is not the most amazing time and confessing in a fucking bathroom is kinda shitty but it’ll have to do cause if I have to keep these feelings to myself for another day I will go absolutely insane. I like you, and I want to be with you in any way you’ll let me.”
“Wha- What?” Izuku squeaked. “You… You like me as in..?”
“It’s okay if you don’t feel the same,” Katsuki said, although he didn’t seem too pleased about that possible outcome. “I just needed to get it off my chest more than anything, really. Sorry to overwhelm you with this after all the shit round face just threw at you. I know the timing is crap so-”
“I like you too!” Izuku blurted out, making Kacchan stop. “And I’d- I’d like to be with you, too. In any way you’ll let me.”
“That’s… That’s uh great,” Kacchan let out, seemingly as awkward about it as Izuku was. “Fucking hell, why is this so hard? Fanfic makes confessing and shit look so easy.”
That got a laugh from Izuku and Katsuki started not long after. Yeah, they were a hopeless mess, weren't they? It wasn’t as in the fanfics, wasn’t perfect in any way shape or form- but it was real. It was real and it was good, and Izuku couldn't have asked for more.