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“C’mon, Deku, All Might wouldn’t want you to do this!”
“What would you know about All Might? What would you know about me?!” Deku cried out, entire body heaving as he glared at Katsuki with every ounce of anger that that body could possess.
Katsuki felt his blood run cold. That was it. There were a few certainties to this world--the first was that Bakugou Katsuki was a hero whether or not the law was on his side and, the second, was that being a hero was making the best decisions even when they came with awful consequences.
So he raised a hand, using a gloved finger to pull down the edge of his bandana until it came to rest just under his chin. A moment later, he pulled the hood back off of his head so he was standing there, unmasked.
“I think I know you pretty damn well.”
It felt like it took ages for Izuku to speak and when he did, it was little more than a rush of air past his lips.
“Kacchan?”
“Yeah.” He pushed a hand through his hair, feeling the odd way that it stuck up in all kinds of awful directions. “Yeah. I’m…”
“You’re a vigilante.”
“Yeah.”
“Why did-- Why?!” The word came out harsher as Izuku stood up tall, fixing Katsuki with an impenetrable gaze. “I don’t understand. Kacchan, you-- You were an
amazing
hero. You could get into any agency you wanted! You aced the license exam!”
“No, I didn’t!” Katsuki winced at the way that his own voice rung in his own ears. “I… Izuku, I failed the exam. I couldn’t get a goddamn agency to take me. I… I lied, okay? Here came the ‘Quirkless Wonder’ with every damn person ambling for his attention and I couldn’t get a
single one
to want me.” He rubbed the back of his neck, looking down at the ground. “So I started vigilante work to try and prove myself. I don’t know, I thought maybe if I did some hero work on my own, that I’d get enough clout to have agencies knocking on my door.”
“But it’s illegal.”
Katsuki scoffed. “You think that was going to stop me then? I thought I deserved that license or that I just needed practice or… I don’t know. So for a year, I just kind of did my own thing. I worked at the coffee shop during the day, then snuck out at night to be a Cool Vigilante type.”
“But you stopped. I… You disappeared and then you...”
Finally, he forced himself to look up at Izuku. The young hero was waiting for Katsuki to anything and all Katsuki could do was gape at him. He could keep the man in his good graces, he could lie the way that he had every single day for the past six years. No one had to know, he could say that he just took up the mantle that a previous vigilante had taken.
But this was about so much more than his pride or even his feelings for Izuku.
Being a hero was more than the glamor of it all, it was more than the glossy photos and the cool costumes; it was making the hard decisions in hard times and sticking with what you knew what right because it was right.
He remembered the way that All Might had looked at him, that mixture of sorrow and pride. You’ll make an incredible hero, Bakugou.
Katsuki gnashed his teeth together, fists hard at his side as he fixed his eyes solely on Izuku.
“I did. And then I stopped for awhile. I…” He schooled a deep breath in through his nose.
Abstractly, Katsuki had always known that he couldn't lead this double life forever. Lying to Izuku was hard enough, but now there was more than just his reputation with the young hero on the line. There were lives, thousands, and it all came down to these moments.
Katsuki's voice was smooth as glass despite the way that his body trembled. "I... I stopped the night that I killed All Might."
Some part of Katsuki expected Izuku to come roaring forward in a blinding rage the way that he just had when Izuku had thought that he was just a poorly named vigilante. He expected flying fists and the names of the United States to come flying off of his tongue. But he stood there still before the corner of his mouth crept upwards and Izuku started laughing.
“Oh… Oh, Kacchan.” Izuku’s head went back in an expression of pure mirth. “That’s okay. It’s all okay!”
“What?! It is?!”
“It is!” Izuku started to move towards Katsuki and the man immediately pulled the bandana back over his nose. “He’s not dead! I told you. You’ve seen him!”
“That’s not All Might!” Katsuki gritted. “The man you were with is not All Might.”
There was a twinge in Izuku’s gaze that made Katsuki’s hair stand on end. “And who else would it be? You’ve seen him. He’s incredible. Just like when we were kids! It’s okay, I didn’t understand it either!”
“That’s Himiko!” Katsuki shouted, feeling his anger build. “She’s playing-- She’s using you!”
“No, Himiko died in the same building collapse that All Might faked his death in. That… Kacchan, you don’t understand! But I can show you. It’s all okay.”
That was it, then. He had to expose her, right in front of Izuku. He flipped his hood back up, back rigid as he flexed his hands beside him.
“Fine.” Katsuki tilted his chin up and raised his voice. “Then why doesn’t the Symbol of Peace come on down? You know, I’d love to get to see him for real!”
Silence met his words.
“Nothing? Come on, big guy! Afraid I’m gonna kill you?!” He was spitting into the air like an angry dog, spinning around and looking to the skies that were clearer than Katsuki ever remembered seeing them.
“Fucking coward! Come out and fight!”
“Kacchan, really! There’s no reason for--”
“No, Midoriya. I think that young Bakugou is right.”
Katsuki twisted around towards the source of the voice, but nothing was there. “Come on, old man, I’m really tired of this goddamn parlor trick. I’ve got a four-am shift in the morning and I’d like to wrap this up again. I’ve already had to kill you once!”
It was shaping up like Katsuki would have to track Himiko down when he heard a whistle through the air. Looking up, Katsuki had just enough time to dart back a few paces before the fake All Might landed down on the concrete in a crouch, his fist harsh against the concrete in a fashion that left a massive crater in his way.
At the very least, she’d gotten All Might’s showboating down to a science.
It was like seeing his nightmares in reality, Katsuki realized when All Might stood up. He’d seen that same face countless times, harsh and forgiving and everything in-between. Some nights, All Might berated him for following his orders, others he thanked him, and others still, Katsuki was hero enough to save both All Might and the civilians. But unlike his dreams, this wasn’t All Might.
“Bakugou, I am warning you now that putting up a fight further will result in a fight that you will not win.”
“I’m not the one who should be worried. Either I’m going to kick your ass or I’m going to die and I’m not planning a funeral today!” Katsuki rolled his sleeves up before extending a hand towards All Might, beckoning him forward. For a minute, All Might seemed to consider the offer before looking to Izuku.
“Midoriya, take care of him.”
But whereas Izuku had been ready and willing to jump into action, there was a hesitancy there now that Izuku knew who Katsuki really was.
“I… I don’t…” Izuku looked to All Might, pleading. “I don’t want to hurt him. He’s… He’s just confused.”
“Time for forgiveness is over. He’s a thorn in what we’ve planned. We’re going to fix this city and the infection in her bones--it starts with parasites like young Bakugou here.” They stared at one another awhile longer before All Might made a disgusted noise when Izuku wasn’t going to comply. “Fine. I’ll take care of this myself.”
And, god, if that wasn’t the coolest thing Katsuki had ever seen.
Alright, maybe another time and place he’d freak out over it because even if it wasn’t All Might, even if it wasn’t the right time, to see a version of All Might towering with a sense of purpose and that deadly look in his eyes was incredible .
It was also terrifying to have it turned on Katsuki.
Despite that they weren’t actually Himiko’s powers, she’d had a lot of practice with them, Katsuki recalled. The moment she squared up for the first hit, Katsuki knew to get the hell out of the way. With a mighty shout, All Might’s fist hit the building just where Katsuki had been a moment before and it splintered.
He cursed loudly, scrambling to get out of the way as All Might whipped around to come at Katsuki again. This time, Katsuki didn’t move. From the elbows down, his arms lit up like a campfire as he met the brutal punch with one of his own. Embers shot out of the way as Katsuki was knocked askew, but rolled to recover.
Despite mimicking All Might, Himiko wasn’t able to match that brute strength. Good.
Katsuki jumped back to his feet, igniting his hand again. All he had to do was tire All Might out or get him talking or get Himiko to reveal herself or--
Another swing and another dodge, Katsuki met the heel of his hand with All Might’s side, far too satisfied when the hero was blasted back away from him. Yet like All Might, he didn’t stay down, he was back up, charging at Katsuki.
It wasn’t anything like at school or even the diagrams that Katsuki had studied--Izuku wasn’t the only All Might fanboy. In fact, Hikimo didn’t fight anything like All Might did. She was far more wild, far more unpredictable and, while it made for a great fight, it made for bad planning on Katsuki’s part. Every single time that he’d block one hit with a wall of flame or jet himself away from All Might, the hero would get angrier, would come at Izuku with half the brute force, but twice the malice. And just as Katsuki thought he was starting to see a pattern, All Might threw another variable in. Katsuki watched the way that All Might’s arm came around and Katsuki stretched both arms out, creating a wall of flame as something grabbed him around the throat. One of Hikimo’s goons had slipped in unnoticed and grabbed Katsuki, hands pinned away out of use.
All Might gave that reverberating chuckle as he pulled to a stop, grinning down at him and wiping a little blood from his lips.
“Once upon a time, I’d have offered to let you join in this, but you’re too much of a liability, now. The rules were made for a reason and I think I might take some enjoyment in making an example of the city’s favourite vigilante. Call it payback for five years ago, Bakugou.”
Panic bubbled in his chest as Katsuki was forced to stare up at All Might by the impossible grip in his hair. The man pulled his fist back, a blackness in his eyes as he glared down at Katsuki. He desperate tried to bring his hands together, to create a flame, a pillar, a spark, something , but his hands were too spread apart to be of any use.
Katsuki shut his eyes tight as he braced for impact.
“New England Smash!”
Despite waiting for a blow, one never came. Katsuki was knocked off of the wall, rolling across the concrete until he looked up to see Izuku standing there where All Might had just been. His hand was smoking, now limp and utterly useless at his side, and there was a horror in his expression.
“I… I didn’t know what to do, I just…” Izuku turned his attention to Katsuki. “He was going to…”
“Why… You ungrateful--!” Katsuki looked to where All Might was reeling, cupping the side of his face and bleeding. He was struggling back up to his feet and Izuku was rapidly trying to back down. For a fraction of a second, Katsuki felt like he was almost helpless to do anything but stand there. All Might was baring down on him as two other people just seemed to appear from the air. They cornered Izuku as one pointed her hand to Izuku whose knees hit the ground and arms behind him in a position like an executioner’s block.
Katsuki’s heart raced as he leapt to his feet.
“Don’t move another goddamn muscle!” The group of them turned to look at Katsuki who was trying to ignore the way that his entire body was shaking.
“There’s one of three ways that this damn thing is going to go down!” shouted Katsuki, hands pointed towards each other, voice reverberating off of the surrounding buildings. With every passing moment, the space grew brighter and brighter, an enormous pressure building in Katsuki’s chest and hands. “Option one, you come quietly and no one has to get hurt; option two, I blow your ass straight to hell; option three, you kill me and I drag your ass down to hell with me.”
All Might fixed him with an amused expression, letting loose a wild, booming laugh. “And what point do you hope to prove by doing this?!”
“Because I know something that only the real All Might knows.” Katsuki’s heart started to beat faster. “He’s not resistant to everything. In fact, I have a move in my arsenal that I know for a fact that he’s weak to, it’s how I killed him. It’s this move right here.”
“You still don’t get it! If I’m dead, how am I standing here?!” demanded All Might, anger flashing across his face. “I’m losing my patience!”
“Well, that’s the thing, isn’t it? Either you’re the real fucking deal and can survive this, so me blowing this sky high shouldn’t phase you, or you’re not All Might and you’re Toga Himiko and you’ve been playing Izuku, the other heroes, and the entire world for a fool all of these months. And you know what happens if you don’t change out of that form then. If you stay All Might, you’ll be weak to the same things that he’s weak to. And then some if how goddamn weak your punches are gives any kind of clue. So either you reveal yourself or you die. I made it real damn simple for you.”
Those fathomless eyes narrowed on Katsuki as he processed his words. Really. The logic was infallible.
“What’s to stop me from killing you before you kill me?”
“Think those are great odds? How about this--the only one who can call this off is me. If I die and release this, you better hope that you’re right with whatever god that you believe in.”
For a few tense moments, they just looked at each other and then All Might smirked. There was a pressure added to Katsuki’s shoulders. It felt like his arms were being broken apart. Katsuki let out a cry, but forced all of his attention on the way that everything in his body felt like it was expanding. And inch by inch, his arms were dragged into place until Katsuki was forced to shove both hands on top of his head, that intense pressure now rattling around in his skull.
Through his mostly closed eyes, he could just barely make out the shape of the figure behind Izuku now pointing at him as Izuku fell prone to the ground, freed.
“And what number is this on your list out outcomes?” demanded All Might. “We both know you’re not the kind of hero to sacrifice yourself. That’s not in your character.”
Katsuki forced his eyes open, scanning around. “All Might” stood there, proud and grinning despite the trail of sweat that was beading down his massive forehead. Good. She was scared.
And at the edge of his vision, he saw Izuku. Izuku now flat against the ground, Izuku with wide eyes, mouth stretched around a scream. For a split second, they met eyes and it was hard to look away.
In Izuku’s eyes he saw all kinds of things--he saw Izuku bugging him at the coffee shop counter with that stupid grin on his lips, he saw the pair of them walking arm-in-arm down the shopping district together, he saw both of them curled up on the futon and trading sleepy kisses that they tried to smother was laughter, he saw the days that they spent together and the eternity that they could spend together still if he picked the selfish way out.
Before he looked away, Katsuki hoped that he looked as sorry as he felt.
“Tch. Three,” he croaked out, looking Himiko dead in the eyes with a set jaw. “Tick, tick, bitch.”
Katsuki forced himself to relax and let go.