Chapter Text
Izuku walked into the observation room to check how much longer Kacchan would be training, there was going to be a change to their partnership and after their latest argument, he was hoping he’d have time to deliver the news in the form of a note and drop it on his so-called partner's desk.
It was a cowardly move but he was still hurt, he hadn’t spoken to Kacchan since he confronted him that morning about the leaked after interview recording. Someone backstage had secretly caught Kacchan airing out his real feelings about Izuku.
Turns out Izuku had been getting the wrong impression about their partnership. He thought they were friends for real now, it had been 3 years since they’d graduated and decided to make a go of it as a duo. 3 years of lies.
The video was being played everywhere with all kinds of stupid and hurtful headlines “Is Ground Zero being held back by Japans sweetheart?”, “Wonder duo, more like wonder what they're duo-ing”, “Ground Zeroes top ten cruelest insults happen all at once directed at hero partner”.
It had all been things Izuku had heard from Kacchan before and had brushed off years ago, it’d been years since he’d heard them and even longer since Kacchan had said them with any sincerity. The sound of Kacchan saying he was useless in such a genuinely frustrated tone had been playing in a loop all day, the videos only saving grace was that it had been filmed from behind so Izuku and the rest of the country didn’t have to see Kacchans face when he said he had wished Deku had died back in middle school right before the video cut out.
Izuku couldn’t even look at Kacchan without feeling like he was being gutted. He’d been nothing but a stepping stone, their friendship a means to an end for Kacchan.
Their spat that morning had been a fairly short one because Izuku just couldn't stand being looked at by him anymore, the idea of any excuses coming out of that vile smirking mouth made him feel bile rise in his throat. They were going to have to take some time apart before Izuku would be able to talk anything out. He wanted to believe that Kacchan had an explanation but Izuku was only going to hear lies and excuses in his current headspace.
So a coward's route it would have to be for now.
*That Morning*
Katsuki was leaning against the back counter and when he saw Deku walk in he felt his face blooming with his best victor's smile, god he was so lost for the nerd. Trying to play it casual he gave a small good morning as he sipped his coffee, only managing to look smug as hell about something.
Deku just stood there unsure of what to do, he wasn’t the aggressive type and hadn’t wanted to punch that face so badly in a long time, but that’s all he felt like doing. Then from behind his back, Kacchan pulled out a second coffee “This morning they started selling that pumpkin garbage that you love so much, got you one of the first ones' “.
Kacchan looked so proud of himself and the gesture warmed Izuku's entire being for about half a second before he remembered that this was all an act, Kacchan had never actually stopped hating him; he had just needed to get better at tolerating Deku to be a good hero. The pride came from knowing he was playing Izuku like a fiddle. Fighting back tears the best he could, only able to choke out a small “why?”
Katsuki felt the smirk fall off his face as he stood there looking absolutely struck dumb, why did Deku look so sad about the coffee. Had he gotten it wrong, did Deku want to buy the first one himself?
“uhh cause you told me and Uraka the other day that you couldn’t wait for this sugar squash monstrosity… I thought you’d be.. uhh excited?” Kacchani glared confusedly at the drink like it had betrayed him personally.
Izuku let out a laugh that sounded more like a sob, Kacchan probably hadn’t seen the news yet, and he wasn’t all that active on social media. Chances were he didn’t even know that he’d been exposed. “Not the coffee, I mean it's part of the bigger question like why all the other coffees, lunches, birthdays, new years, and every other holiday and special event we’ve been sharing these last few years. Why any of it?”
If Katsuki looked confused before he looked entirely lost now, his eyes flicked between a crying muttering Deku and the cup of betrayal in his hands, but two plus two kept adding up to seven. He was too confused to even be mad, which was something altogether new for him, but listening to Deku ask him why he’d invited him to go to that ski resort last Christmas in the same tone that implied he’d killed Dekus nonexistent puppy had him feeling like he’d woken up in the wrong reality. “I..uhhh...I, uuhhhh… what?”
“You were caught on video saying how you really feel about me Kacchan, that our friendship, our partnership is all a farce for your benefit!” For some reason, Kacchans’ confusion was starting to really piss Izuku off.
‘On video...really feel...all a farce’ Katsuki.exe has stopped working, rebooting into panic mode.
He slowly set down the coffees as he tried to absorb the news. Deku knew!!! There was a video of him confessing??? Deku thought their friendship wasn’t real???!!!! Oh god, it was probably from Kaminari’s birthday party, somehow the paparazzi must have snuck in and now there was a video of him berating some poor fake plant for not being half as pretty as the real Deku.
Katsuki was going to drown himself in the closest body of water.
“If you still hate me so goddamn much Kacchan why did you stop me from taking that job in Egypt a few weeks ago?! You know they emailed me last night when the video broke to tell me their offer was still on the table. That's how I even found out. Not like you care but it is humiliating to be exposed as such a fool to the entire world, Kacchan! Why did you ever agree to be hero partners, you would have done just fine without me and I’d have been much much better off without you!” Izuku was up in Kacchans’ face now.
Familiar anger finally flickered to life in Katsuki, it shrouded all the confusion and hurt. He grabbed Deku’s wrists and practically shouted in the other man's face, “What video?! “. Deku was a teary-eyed mess as he struggled lamely in his grasp and Katsuki was in the middle of saying that he didn’t know what the fuck Izuku was talking about and threatening to take him to see a doctor if he didn’t start making sense when the breakroom tv ended its commercial break and the room was filled with the sound of his own voice growling out pure hostility.
“Fucking useless, he never took a hint to get lost, never stopped with the childish nickname even when I wished that he’d just die, I told him to jump off a roof in middle school and he was still dumb enough to want to be partners. At least I wasn’t dumb enough to turn down the offer, look at how far we’ve gotten together..”
Kacchan’s hands had gone completely lax as his own voice exposed him, Deku popped free and ran, he heard Kacchan yell something a few seconds later but he didn’t dare stop running. In no time he was on the streets and dressed as a hero no one gave him a second glance as he sprinted down the sidewalk. He didn’t know where he was going but he knew nothing was going to stop him.
That is until a patch of ice slipped him up, but instead of falling, he was floating.
Three upside-down faces greeted him with sympathetic smiles.
“We heard the news and were just heading to your office in hopes of catching you and letting you know your real friends are here for you… didn’t think we’d have to actually catch you though” Ochaco spoke as she gently nudged him upright and settled him back on the ground.
Before he could say anything he was gathered in a bone-crushing hug from Tenya, “We’re here for you Izuku, always” affirmations of “Absolutely!” and “Yes, always” were heard before he felt more than saw Ochaco and Shoto join the hug. Squished in their warmth and love he hiccupped some feeble sobs. Still, it was the closest to okay he’d felt since he saw the video last night.
These were his real friends, they’d always been there for him and always would be. It was never complicated, never a struggle, from the very beginning they’d loved and appreciated him. Not all was lost, he still had people he could trust, people who were Kacchan, people who had never been like Kacchan.
Shoto was the first to pull back, “why don't we grab some breakfast, then I’ll walk you back to your office. I’m freelancing today so I can keep you company or just keep Bakugo out of sight for you”
“Thank you, I’d really appreciate that, I really appreciate you all being here for me, you didn’t have to” Izuku felt like a child as he wiped his eyes on his sleeve only for Tenya to wordlessly hands him a handkerchief. Izuku couldn’t help but laugh, Tenya was forever playing the dad role.
“It’s not a question of had to Izuku, it’s a wanted to. You are our dearest friend, we would get no peace until we knew you were okay and you knew that we’re here for you”. Tenya squeezed his shoulder affectionately and took the handkerchief back.
“Now let’s go get that food!” Ochako exclaimed as she looped arms with him and Shoto, half dragging them in her hurry as Tenya followed calmly behind them.
Izuku lost someone who doesn't love him, Katsuki lost someone who loved him more than anything. That would have to be revenge enough for Izuku.