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Katsuki didn't know how he'd wound up here.
He thanked whatever deity above had let him intervene, though wondered if his mere presence was what almost caused the worst to happen in the first place.
School was over, but for once Deku was the first ready to leave.
The small, freckled boy had been quiet all day despite Katsuki’s repeated jabs and targeted remarks. Usually, he at least got some meek muttered response. Today he'd only gotten the faintest grimaces and silence no matter what he said.
Katsuki thought he might have finally gotten through to the quirkless wonder. That Deku finally accepted his status and had given up.
But something was off about that and it annoyed Katsuki. He knew how stubborn Izuku was, usually giving even mild defense of himself and his goals, however hopeless they were. Surely no one knew better than Izuku himself how hopeless he was. He never got like this. In fact, Katsuki made a comment about how he was finally accepting his pitiful future. He was more surprised to catch the look of contempt Izuku shot him when he thought Katsuki had fully turned away.
The nerve of that nerd. If he hadn't vanished two seconds later back to class, Katsuki would have jumped on that to ask what his problem was. As it was, he hadn't gotten the chance. Yet.
When school ended, Katsuki glowered when he realized the greenet wasn't there when he looked back. He huffed, turning to the door past the extras loitering about just in time to see the top of said nest of green curls vanish. Oh, Deku thought that was the end of it? What the hell was he up to?
Without so much as a ‘get lost’ to the unimportant nuisances that followed him around, Katsuki grabbed his bag intent on cornering the nerd.
Getting to the hall just in time to glimpse the green mop turning down another hallway. Katsuki followed with a purpose, weaving and mostly bumping anyone in his path to catch up. Another turn down a nearly vacated hall and Katsuki lost him. Where was he going? This wasn't the way out or any way leading to an exit.
He debated continuing the pursuit for a moment (was it really worth his time when he could deal with it tomorrow?) but ultimately decided the nerd wasn't giving him the slip. He'd come this far, and he'd stupidly trapped himself. Katsuki looked into each classroom on the hall and saw no one but some lingering club group in the second to last door. All of which were girls.
Unless Deku was actively hiding, Katsuki couldn't see him anywhere. But...the door he'd skipped. He walked back to the stairwell entrance. Well. He supposed it was a possibility. Irritated at the chase this was turning out to be and ready to give Deku hell over the effort, he started up.
There were only four floors and then the roof. Katsuki ruled out him having gone back to the first floor because it was an out of the way way to go about it. He had to be up...and if he wasn't, Katsuki was going to lose it.
He searched the third floor, but there was no one; everyone had cleared out including the teachers. He went back to the stairwell and up again.
He paused at the next door he came to, then after a brief deduction, ultimately decided to bypass these for now. What business did Deku have on the lower-classmen floors? He'd just double back if the roof turned up nothing.
On his way up, his mind wandered. Why would the nerd even be on the roof? It wasn't technically against the rules, but even couples or friends trying to meet discreetly didn't consider this an ideal meet up place. Something in the back of his mind nagged him about this fact. He didn't know what exactly it was. He climbed a little faster.
He shoved open the metal door rather than going for any subtlety when he got to the top, the metal door slamming open loudly.
And his gut had been right, there was that messy green head. ...On the other side of the chest-high railing. Falling. Fuck!
Katsuki didn't have time to register that he was diving.
“Wha- Stop!! ” came out in a jumble at the moment Izuku had fully vanished and in a desperate ditch effort, he aimed for the approximate last spot he'd seen Izuku’s body and prayed.
He caught something.
Katsuki’s shoulder and collarbone slammed into the corroded metal grating from his careless flop. The bruises he’d have and the fact that he could have gone over too was an afterthought, since he hadn’t, and was now more focused on holding onto the thin pale leg he had snagged.
He held his breath as he heard Izuku cry out and still. The jerky motion didn't assist his already poor grasp. Like hell any strain was gonna make him let go, though.
He grunted for one worrying moment as he tried to pull back and couldn't budge, head pressed painfully to the metal. He’d never considered Deku’s weak body to be heavy , but he guessed doing an impromptu one-armed lift of the other teen wasn’t the same standard as normal.
Deku, in his part, really wasn’t helping; he hung there like the deadweight he had almost actually become and this was still far too much of a distinct possibility for Katsuki's comfort. He probably was still too stunned about being caught in the act... literally, too.
Katsuki tried to look down, to see him, but all he saw were the trees that lined the back of the building through the gap in the metal slats.
He was also having trouble reaching through with his spare arm given the terrible angle; the metal guard rail was both a blessing and a curse in that it blocked his other arm from quite reaching Deku. It was the only thing keeping him from being pulled over with the teen on the other side, but he needed extra support to take the strain of 120 pounds off his poor right shoulder.
Desperately stretched fingers scraped under the railing snagged onto coarse black fabric he felt but could not see beyond the edge. He didn’t get a chance to feel relieved as gravity was punishing him with a vengeance for interfering, taking it out in his shoulder and wrist. He cursed to cover his panic as he was stuck with no way to pull himself, let alone Deku, back up, fully occupied with holding onto the one important thing. Like what the hell?! Who did he think he was; how was Katsuki supposed to save his ass?
Deku suddenly lurched and a small muffled sob came from below. The blond let out a strangled yell and nearly let go from the weight of a body- still alive and breathing, so that was something- on his wrists. He resolved to somehow hold tighter.
“Wh-What...the actual hell- ! Deku!” He bit out, gritting his teeth from the pain and pull. His arm was shaking terribly. He couldn’t reposition his other one around to take some of the weight better or even move to change his grip without risking dropping him. Not a gamble he was making. They were stuck and slowly losing the fight against gravity. Katsuki at least wished he could see his stupid freckled face so he could gauge what was happening.
He heard Izuku’s panicked breathing. Katsuki growled and tried again to brace back onto his elbows. He couldn't do it. Katsuki had managed to catch him, and now that was about to be for nothing if he couldn't get him up before his hands gave out.
He wheezed, wondering if screaming would get some extra kid or teacher out fast enough. He needed more hands. Unfortunate that that wasn’t his quirk right now. Was anyone even around to hear? Surely someone was in the building, and yet over the noises of the city and all things considered, Katsuki ruled out anyone actually getting to them in time.
He settled for twisting whatever piece of fabric he had in his hand to keep it further locked in his death grip. It didn't feel secure in the slightest and Katsuki couldn't feel some of his fingers from the pressure. Okay, now he was inwardly panicking. That fact slipped out a bit.
“D-Deku! Fu-fucking- You're- hell! ” An incoherent cry escaped him as Deku fucking moved again, immediately making him freeze.
“Gah! G-Grab the damn ledge already! I-I got you , just- shi- do it!!”
After a beat of fear between both of them, Izuku was carefully trying to move while dangling from his ankle. Trying desperately to curl upwards without dislodging himself from Katsuki's precarious grip. Katsuki let out a string of curses and wished he could just have a moment to stop his wrists from feeling like they were going to fall off; if only he had the chance to grab the idiot better, this wouldn't be as bad after only- what, a minute or two had passed? It felt like he'd been dangling his childhood friend for an eternity.
Izuku was straining and Katsuki could just barely see shaking pale fingertips out of the corner of his eye (face still pressed against the metal). Izuku flailed desperately before latching on to Katsuki's hands. Katsuki yelled and saw stars. Izuku nearly released just as fast, but Katsuki transferred one hand faster, snagging him. Izuku’s leg slipped free, but a few desperate scrambles for purchase and the shoe was firmly placed on the ledge. Izuku tried to catch his breath dangling like someone midway through falling off the side of a horse they'd been on. Then it was back to getting the rest of him up.
“K-Ka...M-My hand, ju-just let me hold on and t-then pull...p-pull-”
“F-Fuck you.” Katsuki said hoarsely, fingers numb. “Like hell I trust you, d-dumbass…just get your ass up here, now .”
Izuku was silently crying as he twisted and struggled to get up. After some slow and painful laboring for both parties, Izuku managed to securely snag the edge with his other set of trembling fingers. Katsuki endured the squirming, shifting to securing Izuku’s foot with one hand once Izuku got most the weight off, but he never fully let go at any point. Katsuki worked his way to standing again, his hands Izuku’s safety harness gripping him and ensuring he got up. Katsuki didn't know what he'd do if Izuku had managed to slip.
Finally, that freckled face appeared, flushed from strain and wet with tears and red across his forehead with a harsh scrape he'd obtained from Katsuki brute-force dragging his ass up from certain death. It was a small price to pay and only then did Katsuki let himself feel some tiny relief.
Izuku gripped the metal with stark white knuckles, and Katsuki snatched the front of his uniform the first chance he got, hauling the boy over it towards him with shaking fists. Izuku tumbled over the railing and consequently right into Katsuki, who essentially caught him.
Katsuki’s knees were weak with what definitely wasn't fear or stress and he dropped down, Izuku having no choice but to go down with him. Despite the abruptness, he definitely made certain to put himself between Izuku and the railing. Both were exhausted, unable to even speak for several minutes, just sitting there numbly.
Izuku almost didn’t realize Katsuki was shaking too. Were both of them shaking or was it all due to him?
Guiltily, Izuku tried to scoot back, but Katsuki wasn't relinquishing his grip on his shirt even as he still wouldn't look at Izuku. Not that the smaller boy blamed him.
Izuku stared miserably, focus landing on scraped up and bleeding wrists peeking out from under black sleeves; Katsuki’s palms matched his eyes where his fingernails had dug in to keep his grip, scarlet red too.
Izuku’s vision became glassy all over again and he collapsed on his side, everything finally boiling over. He sobbed. Hard. The terror of the moment and the fact that Katsuki had pulled him from an almost certain deadly fall weighed heavy on him. He was tired and overwhelmed and what could he say even if he could talk right now?
Katsuki wasn't looking at him, or anything, really. He was just staring ahead, his breathing uneven. He gritted his teeth, looked like he was going to say something, then closed his mouth again as hundreds of things rushed through his mind.
Izuku squeezed his eyes shut, limply lying on the cool grey concrete under him, the feeling of Katsuki still keeping hold of him grounding if nothing else.
Katsuki took a slow deep breath and it came out in a harsh shudder. His eyes shifted to Izuku, laying there having a breakdown. Because what else could one do after something like that?
Slowly, unthinkingly, Katsuki lowered himself down too, adrenaline gone and leaving him feeling far too weak. He tugged the other experimentally before deciding to just scoot closer to the other boy. He stayed on his back, looking up at the sky and pulled Izuku to him. This time Izuku didn't even try to resist, pliantly letting himself be pulled to Katsuki’s side, pressed against him inadvertently, legs tangled. And Katsuki never let him go. He clutched the back of Izuku’s uniform with both hands, ignoring his wrists that honestly needed attention. Distantly, he begrudged the fact that it would affect him using his quirk for awhile.
At first, Izuku didn't move, confusion and his own emotions a clashing mess in his mind, and so he just did nothing. Eventually, his hand found Katsuki's shirt to cling to, and when no protest came from the unusually quiet teen, he left it with unspoken permission. Izuku sniffled violently, trembling as Katsuki clung to him, who was telling himself it was for the stupid shaken nerd and not himself.
The whole ordeal had lasted likely less than three minutes, definitely no more than five, and yet it felt like so much longer. They certainly laid there recovering for far longer in the receding light. Izuku quieted eventually, his energy spent that he couldn't even continue shivering from the crying spell. His mind buzzed and he felt lightheaded.
Izuku...was beyond mortified with the situation.
This hadn't been what was supposed to happen. And his own stupidity had nearly killed him. The last thing he’d expected was for Katsuki to jump for him and hurt himself so badly...just to save him.
Izuku was grateful. He...he needed to say something. Thank you, I'm sorry, oh god his hands….Izuku tried. He had to at least explain himself.
“K-Ka-cchan, I di-I didn't-”
“Shut up.”
Izuku hadn't expected to be cut off so abruptly, and for a moment he was in stunned silence, mouth still open dumbly from the lost words. He blinked, eyebrows furrowing.
“Bu...Ka-cch-”
“I said don't. “
Izuku felt Katsuki's hold on him tighten. Izuku clutched the taller boy’s shirt in frustration, trying desperately to look him in the eyes despite not seeing clearly. “ P-please . W-wasn't on p-purpose. I didn't. Y-You didn't...I'm sorry.”
Well that hadn't come out exactly as he'd wanted, the jumble of thoughts swirling coming out as a train-wreck sentence. He was going to try again when Katsuki hissed.
“ The fuck are you apologizing for? ”
Izuku's eyes widened. He...he hadn't even really thought about it deeply, it had just slipped out from habit, likely. Surely he had some reason, right?
“I-I-”
“No. Not accepted. Stop talking. God , Deku, your such…why the hell would you do that? You have a death wish? Huh?!”
Izuku muttered weakly that, no, he didn't. Then again, he also found that his reason for putting himself on the ledge wasn't much better.
“I-I...I wasn't g-going to...do anything. I never e-even-...I wouldn't. ” he insisted. “I was just...sometimes I wonder i-if putting myself on edge might...trigger something. L-Like some dormant quirk o-or, I don't know, really...I know it's so stupid and dangerous but I can't help thinking about it! And I'm k-kind of desperate, okay?”
Izuku ducked his head more, honestly ashamed to admit it. To admit how he truly knew better than anyone how impossible this whole dream was to the one person who had been reminding him as if he didn't know since they were little. He frowned to himself, scrubbing the side of his face with his sleeve. “I want to be a hero more than anything, and I lost from birth against all odds. I-I mean, how much bigger a sign do I need, right? Four in five people get quirks, my parents both have quirks! So call me crazy for praying I was just a late bloomer. I would have been thankful for anything. ”
Izuku sniffled unhappily, not really wanting to start that spiral again, especially not here and now. He could sulk at home, in the safety of his own room away from any judgmental eyes and recuperate alone as he usually did. He could always be back at it again tomorrow. He suddenly no longer felt comfortable here...well, he hadn't really gotten comfortable at all, but now he was decidedly self-conscious about it. He decided to quickly close this conversation.
“A...and you saved me. S-So it's fine. I...I'm fine. And now I know for certain what I'd been too scared to see on my own, so…” Izuku shrugged noncommittally.
Katsuki tilted his head and Izuku caught his eye. He squirmed a little under the intensity of it, just knowing he'd said the wrong thing from Katsuki's scrutiny.
“...I'm sorry.”
Izuku was startled, eyes wide and he didn't say anything. Katsuki didn't seem to be finished anyway to give him the chance.
“For making you feel like you had something to prove and that it was something worth dying for. It isn't .” He stressed the last part.
Izuku blinked owlishly at him, and he'd swear he was short-circuiting.
“A-Ah...it’s f-”
“It isn't fine. I'd never of said it if I thought you'd actually-...shit.” he mumbled. “I really thought you...ugh, what if you died? And after what I said...I told you to jump. I would have never known it wasn’t because of me...what kind of hero could I ever have turned out to be having told someone to die and then they did? Wh-what if I fucking missed?!”
“Bu- I didn't.” Izuku squeaked, unhelpful, and Katsuki frowned at him for it. Izuku changed tactics and scrambled for something else. He honestly didn’t want to think about how close he’d come to being on the evening news. “I know y-you didn't mean for me to a-actually...do it. I fell on accident. I swear...I-I was lost in thought and the door startled me- it wasn't your fault and you saved me just like a real hero would have, and nothing happened and it's fine . I'm fine...n-now. So uh...apology accepted.”
Katsuki stared Izuku down as if trying to find any deception or wavering and Izuku staring back in earnest before his head fell back down and he let out another sigh. Some of the tension left Izuku. His scowl lessened and his grip was now loose that he wasn't fearing Izuku changing his mind and making a charge for it. Izuku almost felt a sense of loss there. He'd felt an odd sense of security from the hands that had more often harmed than helped him before. Today was just full of revelations.
“...fine. I'm walking you home, though.”
Izuku blushed faintly and didn't argue as he picked up his bag. Katsuki waited for him to get situated before grabbing his hand again, quiet hiss not going unnoticed when he bent his wrist. “Your wrists…”
“‘s find, nerd.” Was all Katsuki grunted in response.
Izuku made a mental note to go by the nurse’s office with him anyway. Least they'd just deal with their scrapes and bruises at their homes. Izuku didn't think he had the heart to explain the mark on his forehead from when Katsuki had initially caught him and he smacked into the side of the building. Maybe...no one had to know what happened. He didn't know if he'd be so lucky that no one saw, even as they were facing the empty back area of the school. Izuku pointedly didn't get near it to look.
Katsuki led Izuku back towards the stairwell door, Katsuki's bag where it had been dropped having papers and pens sticking out of it on the concrete. Seeing as one of his hands was occupied and Katsuki made no move to release it, Izuku knelt with him and picked those up while Katsuki righted the bag. After some minute coordination, Katsuki closed it up and swung it over his free shoulder carefully, gaze neutral.
Izuku was the one to open the door for them and they started down.
Each level closer to the ground made Katsuki feel somewhat better.
On the ground floor they exited out into the empty main hall, the setting sun leaving long shadows. It was silent.
Izuku lead their path in silence, mind still going a mile a minute as Katsuki just... let him.
The shorter boy knocked and peeked into the open nurse’s office door. The light was still on but the young woman with her pain-reducing quirk wasn't there.
Izuku hummed before just deciding to take care of the immediate issues.
Katsuki followed Izuku around the small room as he gathered what he saw was useful. A few cotton balls, antiseptic, a roll of gauze. He hoped they wouldn't be sorely missed.
The whole time, one of Izuku’s hands was occupied by Katsuki's left one, a constant firm weight that already he'd forgotten and yet wasn't used to. It was a little weird, wasn't it? He...he didn't hate it, but what about Katsuki? Was he just doing it for Izuku's sake? He cleared his throat, glancing away as he was about to ruin it for himself, but couldn't ignore.
“...you...y-you don't have to k-keep holding-”
“Too bad, you're dealing with it.”
Izuku looked up in surprise and found Katsuki staring right back evenly before looking away again. Izuku could hardly hold back the tiny smile he had and he nodded slightly, perplexed but definitely happy. He didn't realize how much he'd wanted this...and Katsuki at least didn't mind. He wouldn't do it for the sake of Izuku’s feelings anyway...right?
It was slightly more of a hassle working with one freehand but neither complained. More murmured curses when Izuku ran Katsuki’s wrists under cold water before applying the antiseptic- which yielded louder curses to the walls. Izuku mumbled apologies unconsciously. The ointment gave the blond some relief at least.
Then Izuku moved their bags out of the chair so Katsuki could sit and then Izuku wrapped them gently. Katsuki watched for a while before closing his eyes as Izuku worked. When Izuku needed to tie it and work on the other, he just switched hands they were holding easily, without complaint.
Katsuki's hands and fingers themselves were sore from lack of circulation but would be fine...Izuku worried about the wrists being worse off with how little Katsuki was moving them, favoring his left. Izuku made a passing comment about getting them checked professionally.
Izuku switched places with Katsuki when the other wordlessly prompted. His turn. Katsuki dabbed Izuku's forehead with a damp towelette and then the stinging antiseptic that made Izuku flinch. A slim cotton pad was carefully taped there over it.
Izuku moved to get up, not really feeling like it was worth bothering with his hand, but Katsuki knelt down, much to Izuku's confusion. Then he realized.
Katsuki lifted his pant leg and there was a dark hand-shaped bruise around his right ankle Izuku hadn't realized was there. Katsuki silently wrapped that too, for compression. It took both hands. Surely that'd be sore for a few days. Katsuki finished and busied himself with tossing away everything they'd used while Izuku watched. The other boy walked back over, standing there looking at him as Izuku picked up their bags.
Katsuki took his from Izuku and turned slowly to the door. Seemed he was still sticking to his thing about walking Izuku home.
Hesitantly, Izuku stepped beside him to walk with him. He eyed Katsuki's freehand a moment pensively before looking away. No...that was done. He didn't want to be more clingy and annoying than he'd already been. For them the past hour was enough contact for well over a year, but he couldn't bring himself to abuse the chance to milk it and potentially ruin it. He also couldn't deal with that looming rejection right now, and so he played it safe despite his disappointment.
Exiting the school, Izuku couldn't help but glance up and see how far away the roof was. He'd had plenty of time to look down while he'd hung by his ankle. He gave a small shudder. He'd deal with the trauma of dangling headfirst from a four-story building with no way to save himself from impending death later. He'd never had a reason to fear heights before.
They made their way for their district, the unspoken agreement to walk there since they'd missed the bus and would be stuck waiting for longer than the walk would take. All the more time to stew in their own thoughts. Neither said anything, each lost in the mess of conflicting memories and mixed feelings that was their relationship.
Katsuki’s gut flipped at what might have happened had he not decided when he did to be nosey about where Deku had been sneaking off to. Or maybe what could have been avoided, because what even was this?
Izuku eyed the other subtly, Katsuki's expressions betraying his projected indifference. Izuku wrings his hands uneasily, not wanting to ruin this weird stasis they were in right now. He consciously acknowledged the bizarre place he found himself in yet again. Would it be gone tomorrow? Would Katsuki deny it or get angry once he had time to process it all? Where exactly did they even go from here?
This wasn't a truce, per se, and he was scared of ruining... whatever this was, something he'd secretly yearned for on his hardest days even if he knew he was kidding himself and shouldn't have. But he'd missed this from his childhood friend: just walking the city together in comfortable company rather than whatever unsettled confusion and cluttered feelings they'd become in the past decade. It was more troubling trying to force the piece of Katsuki still caring into the puzzle when Izuku didn't know where it even came from. Certainly not the box of pieces Izuku thought he knew fully inside and out. Where did this fit?
Distressed, Izuku found himself now missing the weight in the hand in his, keeping him grounded in the fact this was all real...he wasn't certain any of it had actually happened now, even with the physical reminders on him. It had taken him nearly dying to spark something again. The irony of the very same person having told him to try it wasn't lost on him. And what had happened on the roof after he'd been saved, oh god, that was something else entirely to stress about for-
“Deku.”
Izuku hadn't meant to nearly trip over his own foot. Had it really startled him that bad? Jerkily trying to play it off, he snapped his attention to Katsuki, nervousness coming off him in droves. The blond considered him with the same quiet look, and Izuku was not used to that stare being void of animosity and irritation with him. Heck, even his gruff tone was far more mellow than usual. Belatedly he realized he never actually answered, but Katsuki took the attention as cue.
“This...I don't know what this is either. We can't just...act like it didn't happen though.”
Izuku shifted off his wrapped ankle uncomfortably, more apprehensive with where this was going. They'd stopped walking for the moment. “What are you s-saying?”
Katsuki ran a frustrated hand through his hair, though it didn't seem due to Izuku. “I just- hell, you almost...died.”
“Uh. Yeah...y-you've said that a lot...” Izuku murmured, looking away absently into the window of a nearby shop.
Katsuki sighed. “I'm saying ...that I don't ever want to be in this fucking situation again.”
Izuku wasn't exactly sure what he meant and so tried not to let it show...why did that statement somehow hurt? Of course Izuku shouldn't of wanted it to happen in the first place, even given all this happening now...he didn't realize all of it was so terrible to him though.
Izuku suddenly felt tired. “Yeah...agreed. Look, we don't have to tell anyone and we can just put it behind us. Call it even and you won't have to worry about having to rescue me again, I swear I'm not going back to that roof again. Just forget it.”
Katsuki flexed his hands carefully all while glaring at Izuku and at least this felt normal again. He didn't know how soon it'd return, but Izuku wasn't surprised. He turned to make himself scarce but he didn't even get a full step before a hot hand latched around his thin bicep. Izuku winced out of habit, looking back warily. Katsuki had a look on his face that Izuku would have called sadness if he didn't know better. He never got that look from his ex-friend.
“That's not what I meant, Deku. I...I can't just forget. I just...things can't...be the same. We’ll figure it out because I'm honestly not sure where to start. But I guess...j-just making up for that at least. Or try to. ...Got it?”
Izuku was facing him again and the intense teen almost seemed stressed about it to him. Izuku relaxed. Even if he wanted to insist it wasn't necessary, how could he deny Katsuki's feelings on it? He gave what he hoped was a reassuring look that couldn't be taken the wrong way. “...okay, Kacchan. I'd like that.”
They finally started moving again and Izuku didn't know why he felt that urge again. He didn't want to look, because that might guarantee failure, but he reached for Katsuki's hand, holding his breath and hoping it wasn't a mistake. They were out in public, anyone could see, wait, what if Katsuki wasn't okay with that-
A hand met his and latched on, fingers threading through his. His heart leapt as that was the last thing he expected. He didn't know what these accepted feelings were, exactly, but he was happy.
The silence was comfortable now, Katsuki being as casual as he could be while holding his childhood friend’s hand. Okay, no, it was bizarre and he was pretty sure ether his or Izuku's pulse was hammering away, easily felt with their joined hands. But if it helped the greenet, he wasn't gonna question it and he didn't deny that he felt... something , from it. It was several more minutes before he said more, once they were walking down their street. Something he felt the need to say.
“...not all heroes have powers they were born with. You don't have to have one you know...to save people. There have been quirkless people before on par with pros...I looked it up. Especially in the early days.”
Izuku was surprised by how much he was getting utterly blindsided today. His look of awe morphed into a hopeful smile towards the blond. If Katsuki was admitting it, maybe hope really wasn't lost and it wasn't all wasted efforts. “Really…?”
“Yeah, nerd,” Katsuki grunted, looking close to embarrassed now."So do you swear you're good? Because if you're lying, I'll fucking know and you'll regret having tried.”
Izuku gave a small but genuine chuckle. The concern conflicted with the words and was honestly too absurd on top of everything. “Ha...yeah, I'm...I'm good. Really.”
Katsuki seemed somewhat placated.
The walk seemed to end too soon, in front of Izuku's apartment. He didn't know how he'd explain the state he was in to his worrying mother. The explosion-quirked teen stuck his hands in his pockets absently and Izuku noticed the slight wince. He reminded Katsuki to take care of himself too as soon as he could as he opened the door. Katsuki muttered something about a trip to the clinic as he gave a small look inside, overcome with nostalgia just from being in the doorway.
Izuku tilted his head, asking if he wanted to come in, but Katsuki turned down the invitation. Maybe on another day, but even he could only deal with so much headway in one day. He didn't have it in him to face auntie Inko right then. That seemed too overwhelming and so he decided to remove himself before she came to see why Izuku was lingering in the doorway so long after being late to get home.
He gave a small nod and a noise that seemed to be his goodbye. Izuku stayed in the doorway, watching him head away and he waved a little.
“Kacchan.”
“Hah?”
The spiky-haired boy looked back at him questioningly, signature narrowed eyes on him and Izuku cracked a smile knowing that he wasn't fooled as they lacked their usual heat. “Thanks.”
Katsuki considered him for a moment, then nodded once, looking away with a tepid look Izuku was glad he didn't miss. “...yeah. No problem.”