Chapter Text
Izuku's heart felt like it was in his throat as he followed behind All Might to a meeting room. Katsuki was just as quiet, but had settled into a well-practiced scowl. Thankfully they didn’t bump into any of their classmates on the way, but that was probably due to All Might choosing a more discrete route. Eventually they found themselves outside of one of the sound-proof meeting rooms, and All Might turned to look down at them.
“Okay, let me speak to young Midoriya first,” All Might requested, placing his hand on his shoulder. “You wait out here Bakugou.”
“Whatever,” Katsuki hissed, crossing his arms and slouching back against the wall. All Might’s smile twitched.
“All right then,” All Might opened the door, and led Izuku inside. After closing the door he dropped his muscle form back into his true form, and gave a little cough. “I need you to explain to me what is going on, now.”
“Uh… How much of that conversation did you hear?” Izuku asked nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. All Might took a seat in one of the chairs and watched Izuku pensively.
“I heard enough to be concerned,” he answered. “I was planning to talk to young Bakugou, to give him a pep talk, as he seemed to have taken his defeat earlier today pretty hard. But it looks like there may have been more to it than I have I first believed.”
“Yeah…” Izuku laughed. “We have a little bit of history…”
“Oh?”
“Yeah,” he tried to smile, but he felt so nervous that he thought his heart was going to pop. “Since we are all here… I actually had something that I’ve been wanting to talk to you about…”
“Please take a seat and explain,” All Might gestured to the couch in front of him. Izuku nodded before plopping down.
“I was too afraid to ask before, but it needs to be said now,” Izuku explained, his shoulder’s tensing up as his good hand fisted the pants of his hero suit… He forgot he was still wearing it. “I need to tell Kacchan the truth, about how I got my quirk.” He sucked in a breath. “Please, he’s really worried and-“
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Huh?” Izuku blinked.
“Is this not the same boy who attempted to use a lethal move on you today?” All Might asked. “The same one that charged at you the first day when you used your quirk and beat his score for the ball throw?”
“Is not like that!” Izuku gasped. “He’s really trustworthy, I promise!” All Might didn’t seem convinced. “Please! I promise! There’s just a lot that I can’t explain, not without asking him first.”
“What exactly is your relationship to him?” All Might asked, resting his head on top of his fists as he quirked an eyebrow.
“I-“ What could he say? “I trust him with my life.” The room was silent for a moment, and Izuku’s heart began pounding harder than ever. He gave a glance over to All Might, who still seemed skeptical. And honestly, he couldn’t blame him. If he was going to make this work, then…”How about a secret for a secret then?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, if I can prove to you that Kacchan is trustworthy, then I want to share our secret with him.” Izuku offered. ”Please. I’m begging you. Give him a chance.” All Might thought it over before nodding.
“Very well, send him in.” Izuku perked up and ran over to the room.
“Thank you so much!” he smiled before quickly opening and closing the door as he exited. Katsuki was still slouched against the wall, his foot tapping on the floor. “Kacchan!” Izuku called out, smiling. “This is it; all the cards are on the table!”
“What are you muttering about?” Katsuki asked. “What’s going on?”
“If you want to know the secret behind my quirk, then we need to give ours in exchange,” Izuku explained as Katsuki’s eyebrows shot up on his forehead. “I know it’s a lot but-“
“I’ll do it,” Katsuki nodded, stepping away from the wall.
“Really!?”
“Yeah,” he scoffed. “I’m not excited about it, but if this is what it’s going to take to make sure your sorry ass hasn’t gotten into some weird shit, then fine.”
“Thank you!” Izuku smiled. “Okay, so pick a fight with me, make it look like the worst of your bullying and then… switch it off.” Katsuki nodded and then grabbed Izuku by the scruff of his collar, pushing up against the door.
“Ready nerd?”
“Ready!” Izuku nodded, bobbing his head forward to give Katsuki a small kiss. He used his good hand to knock on the door, as Katsuki turned the door handle pushing Izuku in.
“Kacchan! Calm down!” Izuku cried, wrapping his good hand around Katuski’s wrist. “Please!”
“You think I give a shit, Deku?” Katsuki spat with a menacing glare. “You’re the one that had to go and get me in trouble with All Might. Who the fuck do you think you are?”
“Hey!” All Might cut in nervously, back in his muscle form.
“Shut it old man!” Katsuki snapped. “I don’t even know why you let this piece of garbage into our school. He isn’t worth shit!” He pushed Izuku down onto the ground, and pinned him the floor, trapping Izuku underneath him, a move that they practiced frequently and used often. He raised his hand up, popping off small explosions.
“Kacchan! Kacchan!” Izuku whimpered, squirming under neath. “Please! I can’t do this anymore!”
“Bakugou! Knock it off now!” All Might snapped, getting up from his chair. “If you-“
“As if I give a fuck!” Katsuki put on his most evil smile. “Shitty Deku is mine to do with how I please!” He pulled his hand back, and swung it down to Izuku’s face as explosions popped off. All Might had begun to cross the room in a panic. Izuku turned away in instinct, and before his hand could make contact with his face, he stopped, causing All Might to pause as well. His hand hovering next to him for a moment before Katsuki let go of Izuku’s collar and rolled back from resting on his knees to being on his feet. He carefully grabbed Izuku, and pulled him back up into a standing position as well.
“And scene!” Izuku chirped with a grin and Katsuki stood next to him. “So what did you think?” All Might just blinked in confusion.
“I think I’m confused,” All Might answered honestly. Katsuki nodded.
“Good, it means I’m doing my job right,” Katsuki smiled lightly. He cocked his head over to the couches. “Let’s have a seat, yeah?”
“…R-right,” All Might agreed, going back over the where he was sitting prior, as Katsuki and Izuku sat next to each other on the couch.
“So to start,” Izuku began. “Kacchan isn’t actually bullying me. He never has. Its all been an act.”
“It was my idea,” Katsuki explained. “When Izuku found out he was quirkless, the other kids started to bully him. And I played along with it the first time it happened. But then I came up with the idea where I would pretend to bully Izuku myself, and make it known to everyone that he was my sole target. Everyone else was afraid of my quirk, so it was easy to make them back off and leave Izuku to me.”
“Kacchan is very protective of me,” Izuku chimed in. “We’ve practiced our fights numerous times, and we always agree on what he’s going to say to me beforehand. We’ve planned this all out together. Even during our fight today, while unrehearsed, we used our old tricks to make sure I wasn’t seriously hurt while still having a real fight. That’s how I was able to avoid the grenade blast, Kacchan gave me a signal and told me which way to jump to avoid it.”
“Did I scare you?” Katsuki smirked. “I couldn’t help but to use it. Izu helped to come up with the idea, and I knew he would want to see it in action the first chance he could.”
“It was sooo cool!” Izuku smiled at the memory. “But anyways, I’d say we’re pretty convincing.”
“I see,” All Might nodded along. “But then I have some questions. Why did you have to pretend to bully him? Why not just be his friend?” The pair squirmed.
“Well…” Izuku started.
“Well, it’s a plan that we came up with when we were four,” Katsuki explained with an eyeroll. “I wouldn’t say we were exactly geniuses at that age”
“Four?” All Might sputtered. “Then this has been going for at least… ten years?”
“Yup!” Izuku nodded with a cheery grin. “And well… If we’re going to be totally honest…” Izuku slid his good hand across the couch, and searching for Katsuki’s. Their fingers intertwined, and Izuku felt his face heat up. “The other part is… We’ve also been using this as a cover up… to hide… well…!”
“He’s my boyfriend!” Katsuki stated flat out, causing Izuku to blush a bright red.
“You said it!”
“Weren’t you planning to?”
“I was trying to! But…” Izuku sputtered. “Its embarrassing! We just came out to All Might! That’s scary!”
“Ah, let’s put a pin in that for the moment,” All Might interjected. “So what I’m gathering here is that you two have been keeping up an act that no one else knows about, for the sole purpose of protecting young Midoriya here, and for the sake of your relationship.”
“Pretty much,” Katsuki confirmed.
“And no one else knows about this?” All Might asked.
“Well, our parents know that we don’t actually hate each other, but the don’t know why we do it,” Izuku explained. “You’re the first person we’ve ever told.”
“I see…” All Might sat back in seat for a moment. “I only have one more question. Bakugou, how serious are you about him?”
“All Might!” Izuku blushed. “You can’t just-!”
“I’m deadly serious,” Katsuki answered. “There isn’t a single person in the world that I care about more than Izuku. I would do anything and everything for him.” Izuku squeezed his hand and bit his lip as he tried not to cry. He really didn’t deserve him.
“Very well, if that’s the case, then I’ll keep up my end of the bargain,” All Might sighed and closed his eyes, as a puff of steam went off, filling the room in a haze as All Might once again dropped his Muscle form in favor of his true form.
Katsuki blinked once.
And then again.
“What the shit!?”
“This is the truth behind my quirk,” Izuku explained turning slightly in his seat towards Katsuki. “Remember that day… the one with the sludge villain?” Katsuki squirmed in his seat, and All Might quirked an eyebrow. “I know, I’m sorry, but its important. Remember how I told you All Might saved me first, and I met him then? Well, there’s more to it.
“So after All Might saved me, and tried to leave, I actually grabbed onto his leg before he did his jump, because I wanted to ask him a question.” Izuku explained before Katsuki put his hand up.
“Before he jumped?”
“Yes?”
“The jump he does where he goes up so high and so fast he’s basically flying?”
“That’s the one.”
“And you were holding onto just his leg?”
“That’s right.” Izuku nodded.
“What the shiiiit,” Katsuki groaned as he facepalmed. “Why are you constantly trying to get yourself killed every time I turn around!? Do I not love you enough?”
“You love me plenty,” Izuku soothed. “Now hush. I did it to ask if I could still be a hero without a quirk, and he told me no, and then All Might lost control of his Muscle form in front of me, and I found out about his secret injury.”
“The truth is young Bakugou, is that my time acting as a hero is limited, due to an injury that occurred during an unreported fight, and while I did tell him no, he made me change my mind.” All Might supplemented.
“Right! So after, um, the sludge villain happened again,” Katsuki squirmed again at the mention. “Which, by the way… I need to apologize to you for… Um…” Izuku let go of Katsuki’s hand and scooted back on the couch away from him. “Its my fault you got attacked. If I wasn’t being stupid and selfish that jerk wouldn’t have gotten away from All Might after he saved me.” He whimpered in frustration as a few tears rolled down his face. “It was all my fault you got hurt! I’m so sorry, Kacchan!”
“Hey, knock it off,” Kacchan chided, moving forward on the couch, to tilt Izuku’s face up to look at him while he wiped his tears. “Its not your fault, stop crying. That pervert was a sick fuck, and he did all of that on his own.” Izuku gave a tiny nod before Katsuki pulled back. “Now continue.”
“After seeing young Midoriya’s heroic actions, stepping in when no other hero would, as well as using quick thinking to address the situation to make up for his lack of quirk, I approached him and offered to make him my successor.” All Might continued.
“That’s how I got my quirk, Kacchan,” Izuku explained. “I got it from All Might!”
“HAH?”
“My quirk, through strong will and DNA ingestion, is transferable, with myself being the eight holder,” All Might gestured to Izuku. “And Young Midoriya here is the ninth.”
“Its really powerful, and my body still isn’t used to it, which is why it hurts when I try to use it,” Izuku explained gesturing to his arm that was still in a sling. “I haven’t quite managed to control it yet, but I’m getting there. That’s why I had to do all that training, to make sure my body didn’t just blow up as soon as I got it.”
“Okay, so let me get this straight,” Katsuki pointed to All Might. “So the pervert neighbor you’ve been hanging out with this entire time was All Might.”
“P-pervert!?” All Might sputtered aghast.
“That’s right,” Izuku nodded.
“And then you got your quirk from him?”
“Yup!”
“Through DNA ingestion?”
“That’s how we did it.”
“I see,” Katsuki nodded calmly before kicking the table and exploding. “So you had to EAT his WHAT???”
“I ate his hair!” Izuku defended.
“A HAIR from WHERE?”
“ACK!” All Might hacked and sputtered blood.
“A HAIR FROM HIS HEAD!” Izuku smacked Katsuki arm. “Calm down you paranoid knucklehead!” Izuku then turned to All Might who started coughing into a handkerchief. “ALL MIGHT! Are you okay!? I’m sorry! Kacchan can’t help but to be overprotective sometimes. Can I get you anything?”
“I-I’m okay,” All Might eased, holding the bloodied rag in front of him. “But as you can see, this is why I needed to find a successor. My time as the number one hero is coming to an end, and I can only maintain my muscle form for a few hours tops at this point.” Katsuki’s eyes widened in recognition. “I trust you understand the implication?”
“Yes sir,” Katsuki nodded before sitting back down. “Is there anything else that I needed to know?”
“This secret MUST be kept,” All Might explained gravely. “The truth of my quirk, as well as the power it holds, is extremely dangerous if the wrong people find out. It is dangerous as well for those who do know. I’m sure you could imagine what would happen if a villain found out they could be given a powerful quirk. What they could do to coerce the holder into giving it to them.”
Izuku bit his lip. He actually hadn’t thought about that… Did he just put Katsuki in danger by telling him? Is this okay?
“I understand,” Katsuki nodded. “My feelings on the matter have not changed.” He reached back for Izuku’s good hand and pulled it to him so he could give a small kiss to his bandaged knuckles. “I’m sticking with him for the long haul, so you better get used to me.”
“I’m glad we’ve come to an understanding then,” All Might smiled before resting back in his chair. “I like to limit the number of people who know the truth, but I’m glad that Midoriya has someone besides me he can talk to about this… It does put me at ease.” He paused thoughtfully. “Well then, since you’re both here, there is something else I need to discuss with you about this arrangement. I may know the truth, but the fact of the matter is, if you keep this up, Bakugou is going to be on the fast track to getting expelled.”
“Ehh!” Izuku gasped. “What? Why?”
“There is a zero-tolerance policy on bullying,” All Might explained. “If the staff believe that Bakugou has a personal vendetta against you that is detrimental to your safety, he will be expelled.”
“We’ll figure something out,” Katsuki nodded. “We’re flexible.”
“Honestly, I don’t even see the need for this charade to be continued,” All Might mused. “Young Midoriya does have a quirk now, and if you’re the only one here that used to know he was quirkless, this is basically a fresh start for him, is it not? Not to mention with they way young people are nowadays; I don’t see why you can’t be open about your relationship either.”
“I mean… We’ve always planned on being heroes…” Izuku mumbled sadly. “Its not like we actually have the option of being out…”
“What do you mean?” All Might asked. “There have never been any rule against that type of thing, its discrimination!”
“Yeah, but there aren’t really any openly queer heroes either,” Katsuki snarked. “Name five currently-active, openly LGBTQ+ heroes. Or better yet, give me the name of any top ten hero that has ever been openly queer. You can’t, because they don’t exist.”
“I didn’t realize that was how the public felt,” All Might sighed. “The truth is that most heroes don’t openly discuss such things, to protect what personal relationships they may have. It’s not supposed to be about fear of public rejection, but rather about keeping your loved ones safe… But maybe that needs to change.
“However, I can say as a matter fact that I know plenty of heroes who are members of the LGBTQ community, even if they aren’t open about it to the public,” All Might gave a big grin and jerked his thumb towards himself. “I’m actually bisexual myself! So trust me, I would know.”
“Oh! My! GOSH!” Izuku’s eyes lit up and he vibrated in his seat. “YOU’RE BI TOO!? I can’t believe this! The number one hero is bi! ALL MIGHT IS A BI-CON! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Kacchan! All Might is bi too!” Izuku devolved into a fanboy mess as his mutterings increased in speed and pitch.
“Congratulations, I think you just made his entire year!” Katsuki laughed. “But yeah… I think we’re going to keep it a secret for now. But thanks for the heads up. I’d rather not get expelled over some bullshit I could have prevented.” He grabbed Izuku by the arm his fingers grazing over Izuku’s suit. “Tch.
“Speaking of BULLSHIT!” Katsuki exploded. “What the hell is wrong with this school that Izuku didn’t get the proper forms so that he could get a real hero suit made?” He pulled at Izuku’s jumpsuit, snapping the bruised boy out of his fanboy glee. “I love his mother, I do, and I know she meant well, but whatever cheap shit fabric she bought to make this isn’t going to cut it. This shit fell apart faster than toilet paper!”
“Kacchan, it’s okay!” Izuku laughed. “Its not really a big deal.”
“Yes, it is, shit-nerd!” Katsuki snapped. “I would not have used my explosions on you the way I did if I knew what you were wearing couldn’t have handled it! The school fucked up, and they need to own up to it!”
“I agree,” All Might nodded, getting up from his chair. “This should not have happened, and this needs to be corrected. I wasn’t aware that Midoriya’s costume wasn’t professionally made. If we are done here, I can go ahead and escort you, Midoriya, to the faculty office, and we can get the paperwork drawn up.”
“Right, okay!” Izuku got up to leave as well and turned towards Katsuki. His cheeks tinted pink. “Can we talk later?”
“Yeah,” Katsuki answered in hushed voice. “Get your costume sorted, and I’ll be waiting for you at my house.” He took a step back and marched towards the door. “I’m leaving first.” He looked All Might dead in the eye, as he dropped his relaxed posture into an aggravated hunch, his well-practiced scowl covering his face. And without another word he shoved the door open and hurried out.
“…He really is something else,” All Might commented, his hand on the doorknob.
“Yeah,” Izuku frowned. “He is! But now that you know the truth… Do you still think I’m the right choice?”
All Might raised his eyebrows. “What do you mean?”
“Well, the only reason you picked me was because I rushed in to save Kacchan…” Izuku explained, shifting uneasily. “I wasn’t just rushing in for someone I didn’t know… It was my boyfriend… I was biased… and I didn’t tell you that… I was just so happy that you told me I could be a hero…”
“Midoriya…” All Might let go of the door handle and pulled him into a hug. “Its okay. That may have been the case, but all you’ve done since then was proven to me that I have made the right choice. You were still smart on your feet when trying to save Bakugou. You’re still the one that gave up your chance to score points in the exam to save young Uraraka. You’re the one that trained with me for ten months, giving 100% every day. And you’re the one that even within these past couple of days have shown that you are smart, adaptable, and have a will made of iron. And even now, you’re choosing to be honest, even if you thought the results would have been less than favorable.” He pulled back and patted Izuku on the head. “You’re my successor, and I’m proud of you.”
“Thank you!” He beamed, trying not to cry again. “You don’t know how much it means to hear that…”
“Anytime, young Midoriya! Now then,” He put his hand back on the doorknob and shifted back into muscle form. “Let’s go get you a suit made!” He gave a smack to his back, one just a little harder than intended.
“OW!”
“Ah! Sorry!”
Hours later they were laying together on Katsuki’s bed, their legs intertwined, and their bodies pressed close to each other. Izuku had his face pushed into Katsuki’s chest, muffling his quiet sobs, his now healed arms wrapped around the other’s torso, clutching onto his back. Meanwhile Katsuki absent-mindedly played with Izuku’s hair with one hand, while lazily grazing his other up and down Izuku’s back as he gave soft kisses to the top of his head.
“It’s okay, we’re okay, I promise,” Katsuki eased. Izuku shook his head against him, and hiccupped. “It’s okay, I know I was mad, but I understand why you had to do it.”
“I w-was s-so s-s-scared,” Izuku cried, clinging onto him tighter. “I-I thought you -h-h-hated me. I-I h-hated me…”
“Izu… I could never hate you, you know that.” Katsuki sighed, pressing another kiss to Izuku’s head. “You make me want to rip out my fucking hair sometimes. But that’s because I love you.”
“I-I’m s-still s-s-s-sorry,” Izuku cried. “Lying to you w-was the worst. I-I felt l-like garbage.”
“I know you did… I felt shitty too… But these things happen sometimes,” He pressed his face into the curly, green locks. “How can I stay mad at you? You’re fucking incredible, do you know that? Out of everyone, it was you All Might chose. My boyfriend is going to be the next symbol of peace. I still can’t believe it.”
“Me neither,” Izuku rubbed his face against Katsuki’s shirt before looking up at him with red rimmed eyes and a mischievous smile. “I might actually have a shot at beating you for number one hero now!”
“Ha!” Katsuki laughed as he flipped over on the bed, pinning Izuku down and straddling his hips. “You wish! You’re gonna have to work hard if you’re going to catch up to me!”
“I’m going to catch up in no time at all!” Izuku grinned defiantly. “So you better watch out!”
“Oh, I’ll be watching!” Katsuki then ground his hips down onto Izuku’s, pulling a low groan from him. He watched his face turned pink, and then dived down for his neck, pressing an open mouth kissed on Izuku’s sweet spot, causing him to let out a breathy moan.
“A-ah! Kaachan!” Izuku whined, his hips bucking. “Kaa-aah!-chan!” Katsuki grinned as he pulled back, shifting his hands from around Izuku’s wrists, sliding them up, and intertwining their fingers.
“I think we’re overdue to celebrate our first day in hero school, don’t you think?” He lowered his head again, and Izuku met him halfway for a searing kiss. The quiet moan was all the answer he needed.