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Chapter Text

Out of all of the RPG games released in 2015, none hit both the Action RPG and the Visual Novel market as strongly as My Hero Nine: Academia. 

The ninth entry about Superheroes in a world of powers called Quirks, this title followed the exploits of the hero DEKU as he became the newest holder of the One For All Power. This entry, unlike the prior entry that focused on All Might in his adventures in the US and Japan, was squarely focused in one town called Musutafu. And specifically, the UA Academy for future heroes. 

This smaller scale, combined with a lively cast of at least 20 possible party members to join DEKU in his adventure made for a varied and yet grounded storyline. And with all the power options available with both One For All- intentionally designed to be a grabbag power with negative and positive effects- and the powers of your party members- Zero Gravity, Engine, Half-Hot-Half-Cold, Creation, and Explosion to name a few- there was no single correct way to play the game. The goal was to build up a happy school life for DEKU, build the friendships you need to help you fight the villains intending on attacking UA and Musutafu, and eventually face off at the end of the year against recurring series villain All For One and his League of Villains. 

At least, theoretically. 

For a completionist, there are very specific ways to play such a game. Ways that netted you the True Ending, and with a complete roster of all 20 potential party members. Classmates, Senpai, and even a Childhood Friend turned sour Rival, all potential connections for DEKU to befriend, level up, and lead to the end against the League of Villains. 

And if you play blind, as some particular players like to do, this can be a challenge. 

Particularly trying to befriend the Rival, Bakugou Katsuki. 

Bakugou Katsuki’s route is… Tricky, to say the least. Between his caustic nature, his unintuitive reactions to Friendship events- never offer Bakugou help, he finds it an insult, never compliment Bakugou, he gets angry, never ignore Bakugou, he picks fights for attention- and the midway point of the game where he stands a chance of turning rogue depending on his hidden emotional state status, it’s more common for new players to stick to a game guide. 

Or, you can be a particular type of player, say one idiot monkey of a girl who decided to stay up until the wee hours of the morning playing another route once again. Gathering Kirishima, Uraraka, and Kaminari as party members- all people Bakugou finds agreeable- and agreeing to everything Bakugou says, and even throwing your first rival fight against him, just trying to make him like you. Only for him to turn again. 

Because it’s not worth it for him to stay with Shitty DEKU. 

And you can be this idiot of a girl, who should take the day off from school as she’s running on less than two hours of sleep, who texts her best friend in the morning “ Acchan, I’m having trouble befriending the loudmouth bully and making him join my party~ ”, who still gets dressed haphazardly in yesterday’s school uniform because she’s too drained to find a new one, who goes out on a too-wobbly bike, on a too busy street in the mid-morning. Because she’s too focused on what she’s been playing and seeing her friend at school, and not getting in trouble with her parents for staying up playing dumb video games again as frustrating as the situation with Bakugou ‘Kacchan’ Katsuki is. 

She’s so focused, she doesn’t see the car pulling down the road as she crosses, not until she’s flying off her too-wobbly bike, falling to the ground wildly, back of the head first. 

~@~@~@~

Bakugou Katsuki woke up to three things: a mouthful of really yucky pond water, the sound of someone crying, and the worst headache of her six year old life. 

She stared up, confused at the sky, because none of those facts made any bit of sense. 

How was she… Six? How was he outside, on wet green grass and mud off of a river bank, instead of a road full of cars and more cars? 

The back of her head and neck felt too sticky, like jam, but didn’t smell nearly as sweet. It smelled more like… Copper pennies. Well, that wasn’t a good sign at all. Katsuki- that seemed like the right name, she wasn’t sure how even with how masculine and boyish that name sounded, but it seemed right- turned her head slightly even with a wince of pain to the source of crying. 

Oh, the kid was itty-bitty and skinny! Was he a preschooler?! Either way, the little boy, with enormous, green eyes that looked familiar and messy green hair that she could not place and chubby freckled cheeks that really are on the tip of her tongue as to where she remembers them from was sobbing his little heart out. His tiny hands pounded on Katsuki’s chest in what seemed like an attempt at CPR. 

“I-i-it’s gonna be okay, Kacchan-” The little boy sobbed, “H-Hir-Hiroshi and T-Takeru went to get your parents, s-so p-please don’t die, Kacchan!” 

“Who’s… Kacchan?” Katsuki stumbled, confused. Her head was so fuzzy, with the thoughts from before mixed in. Thoughts of being a teenage girl, with a name that won’t stick in her head. Of having two older brothers and a grandma who loved gardening, of being chased by dogs on her way to school and a sweet shy best friend, and playing video games until three or four in the morning even on a school night. 

Especially on a school night. 

Especially on the school night before she died, because she was hit by a car on her way to school.

Katsuki looked over at the terrified green-haired boy who was trying his best to really keep her calm and safe after she clearly had been injured in some way. She might have been an idiot, but she knew that that sticky hot feeling on the back of his head and neck, all of that pain in her skull, and the taste of pond water so close to a pond were not good signs. Oh. This was really bad, wasn’t it? She was really a much older girl, so she should be doing a better job trying to keep this terrified and familiar little boy calm. 

Instead, her eyes rolled in the back of his head, as she passed out for a second time. 

~@~@~@~

The next few days were incredibly fuzzy for Katsuki. 

At one point, she woke up in a hospital room, unsure of the time. For all he knew, it could have been a day, a week, maybe even a year after he initially hit his head. 

There was a doctor standing over him, with green lights warping out of his hands focused on her head at one point. At first, Katsuki started screaming at that, as well as sparking something like fireworks from her hands which made her scream more, because what was even happening? 

But then she had to realize the pain in her head was a lot less. And going down with each of those weird rays from the doctor’s hands. 

Oh. That must have been the doctor’s Quirk. Much like the sparky hands were her own Quirk. 

… Why was she so calm about that realization? 

Still, she couldn’t keep awake even as freaked out and confused she was at that point. Right, back under, let Future Katsuki figure out what all this means. Present Katsuki could take some time to sleep and enjoy not having a headache starting at the back of her skull. 

At other points, still in the hospital, there were other people in the room instead of doctors. A sad-eyed brunette man with glasses and a wispy mustache who held his hand, a pretty blond woman with red eyes who stroked the hair out of his face gently. 

“You scared us half to death this time, brat,” She mumbled, smiling awkwardly at seeing her awake. “Didn’t help you started using your Quirk on the doctors while they were mending your skull. I told you not to abuse your Quirk like that.”

“’m sorry,” Katsuki mumbled, trying to place the faces still. Everything was a mash of two lives still, her life back as a teenage girl, this life as a young child, and it was a jumble even without the headache. Maybe waking up in a hospital would be the best way to deal with this, let her figure out things slowly instead of doing something really dumb, like getting engaged to a stranger or something. 

That apology still drew a shocked look in both adults, the woman’s eyes going wide while the man froze. “Excuse me, did Katsuki just say sorry?” The woman mumbled at that, not so much a question to Katsuki as it seemed like a question to herself and the man. 

“I guess you realize how serious this is, huh kiddo?” The man said, looking between the woman and Katsuki himself. “We’re not mad, and you’re going to be okay. We’re taking you home tomorrow, and going to have the next week off from school to rest a little while longer. You’ve been through a lot… Maybe you just need some time to be back to your rambunctious self.”

Resting at home… That would give Katsuki some time to figure out more of where she was, and what a Quirk was. And at least it gave her some answers as to what was happening with these two. 

These must have been Bakugou Katsuki’s parents. She still could remember his last mother and father, as well as her older brothers and grandmother from her past life, but it looked like it was just two family members here. “Mom? Dad?” She turned her head carefully, to look at both adults. They seemed nice enough, hopefully? At least the brown-haired man with glasses seemed sweet and mild, the woman seemed a bit rougher around the edges in the way some moms could be. 

Maybe she was mistaken on her assumption. At calling them mom and dad, the blond woman started to cry, softly and silently, her eyes wide at that tone of confusion. Right. Confusion. That’s the thing you want your injured child to use when they call you ‘mom’, to be confused about it! 

“Mitsuki, you might be startling him, please keep calm,” The man said, trying to ease her back down. Well, sorry Dad, it was a bit too late for that boat. The only reason why Katsuki was so languid now was partly due to confusion and partly due to feeling so bone-tired. Maybe she could sleep for the entire week when they got back, that would be nice. And homework for a six year old was easy-peasy, so even that wouldn’t be too bad as long as Katsuki remembered to do it! If she had to do it. What with being an injured and all. 

The woman’s eyes were still welling up. Oh crap, did she say the wrong thing already? She tried to sit up, “Did I-” She started to ask, before getting pulled into a tight hug by her mother. 

“You haven’t called me Mom all week before you got… It’s been ‘hey you’, and I’m pretty sure you slipped in a ‘hag’ when you thought I wasn’t listening,” She sniffled, “You must have gotten scared too, Katsuki-kun?” 

“… Yeah,” Katsuki said, leaning into her touch. Wow, she must have been a terrible brat, calling mom ‘hag’ even as a little kid like this! What kind of little goblin was Katsuki before falling from that log bridge? “I guess I was just being really mean out of nowhere…” Wait, had her mother called her Katsuki-kun?

The man stroked her head gently, a very soft touch that Katsuki could barely register from the force of her mother’s hug, “You’re coming home tomorrow,” He said, softly and comfortingly, “The Midoriyas will be coming around too… I think you owe Izuku a ‘thank you’ after what happened at the river.” Midoriyas? Izuku? The names felt like they should have some relevance, but couldn’t stick in her mind. 

Maybe tomorrow, after a little more sleep. 

~@~@~@~

So, there were some immutable qualities of the world he’s figured out so far. 

There are superpowers called Quirks that everyone seems to have. He had been able to stay awake long enough to see more people besides his parents and the doctor with spooky green wave powers that were actually really helpful in hindsight, including a Catgirl Nurse- she did not like being called a Catgirl Nurse either, as Katsuki found out- and people passing by his open hospital door with claws or spikes in their heads or wings. 

He had a Quirk too! He could make little pops and fizzles in his hands! Pretty cool thing to see and play around with, he spent quite a bit just watching his palms and trying to figure out how to make the sparks happen. It seemed connected to how sweaty his palms got too, which was fun to mess with. Until the Catgirl Nurse came in and scolded him for setting off a fire alarm, at least. 

Third thing… He was definitely a boy. He was allowed to go to the bathroom by himself, which finally gave him access to a mirror! 

“… How long- ” Katsuki gripped his hands over his mouth at his own surprised scream, just to keep the Catgirl Nurse from coming in and yelling at him for the third time. 

He looked very much like the woman he called ‘mom’, but tiny and a boy! Blond spiky hair, bright red eyes, a pretty mean smirk for a six year old. Jeez, not only was he a kid, he was a boy too? It didn’t bother him as much as he would have figured, at least not right now, but puberty was gonna suck to deal with all over again. He didn’t know how long it took a little boy to grow up, alright? He never had little brothers, and he had not been a boy in his last life! And boys shot up like beans in middle school, so at least he had height in the future going for him. 

And at least he looked like a strong kid. Hopefully he could still climb trees and hills real good. 

“Jeez…” He muttered, pinching his own baby-chubby cheeks. Thinking about it, he was mostly fine with the boy part, even if the little part was killing him. It’d be better if he woke up as a seventeen year old boy, and could just start at the same point! 

… Alright, but something stuck out, since he started making his list. It rang out in his head, when he was getting dressed, when he was brought back down to his parents’ car in a wheelchair for one last bit of rest on his way out, and when they drove through the city. It stuck out more with seeing billboards of costume-wearing weirdos, all with bright colors and impressive powers- er, Quirks, all splashy and showing off cool tricks. 

Particularly one billboard of a soda brand, with a massive blond man with a champion smile and two golden locks sticking upwards like bunny ears. 

Oh. That was All Might. He recognized All Might straight out, and who couldn’t as anyone who played the My Hero series? He still remembered the last entry, My Hero 8: I Am Here, focusing on All Might’s adventures in Japan, America and I-Island! What a good action game that was too, a little lighter on the social mechanics and romance than he would have liked, but it was still a strong title in the series and a good thing to replay while waiting for Fortune Lover and My Hero Nine: Academia to release. 

… My Hero Nine: Academia…

Which featured… Teenage characters… All going to UA… Including a rival…

… But that couldn’t be the case! He was a tiny little kid! Just a little Bakugou Katsuki, with sparky hands! There must have been plenty of Bakugou Katsukis, and there was probably a teenage one who was a real jerk with an Explosion Quirk, not these little itty-bitty Hanabi-sparklers he’s making!

It was clearly just. A little confusion. He clearly didn’t know what he was talking about after all, he did just suffer a head injury and all, and really what better way to not think about it than not thinking about it with all of his might. 

The car pulled up to a stop in front of a massive lush house. Katsuki’s eyes bugged out at the sight, even bigger than his last family house! It looked more like an expensive office building than a house! And so many trees around it too, probably would be really good to climb on them, especially to get to the awning on the right that looked like it had a mini-patio set up on top! He gawked, even as his parents looked back to him to catch him boggling at this practical mini-mansion. 

“Hey, I know you’ve been in the hospital for a week, but come on Katsuki. You’ve not been away that long,” His mom said, already at his door to let him out of the car seat. From the open door, he could see a pretty green-haired woman with a nervous look on her face, as well as a familiar and tiny kid with a mess of green hair and massive teary eyes. 

Of course! The boy from the river! The boy who called him ‘Kacchan’, who begged him not to die, and saved him! Katsuki already bounded out of the seat, as soon as his mother unbuckled him, running to the green-haired boy. 

The shouts of ‘Katsuki, be careful!’ and ‘Don’t run around, you’re still healing!’ went unheeded, not while he had to catch up to the boy! Immediately, Katsuki tackle-hugged the tiny boy, forcing him to free the balloon string and card he had in his chubby little hands, but it didn’t matter because who needed a balloon or a card at a time like this!? Not when you’re meeting someone who saved your life from a scummy rocky pond!

“Thank you!” Katsuki said, giving a bright smile, gripping the boy tightly close even as he could feel him give a full-body wince to the touch, “Thank you! You saved my life out there!” 

“W-Wha- Kacchan!” The boy stuttered, a panic in his voice. In the midst of the hug, Katsuki could feel wetness along his shoulder, as well as hear the boy starting to sob, “I was so scared, Kacchan! You looked really upset and then your eyes rolled backwards and you fell back, and there was a lot of blood, and I didn’t know what to do-”

“It’s okay! I’m okay, see?” Katsuki said, pulling the crying boy back by his shoulders to spin around. “See, no scars, no blood! The doctor used some kind of weird Quirk, but look, I’m okay now!” 

That got a sniffle out of the boy, a twisty and scared smile along his face. This kid must have been one of Katsuki’s friends, so why did he wince so much at a hug? Why did he look like he was waiting for something, like the other shoe to drop? And come to think of it, what was this boy’s name anyway?

… There was talk about a Midoriya family, right? Maybe these were the Midoriyas? Only a mom and a kid, and by process of elimination… “Izuku?” Katsuki asked, pointing at the green-haired kid. 

There was a weird relief along his shoulders at that, “… Y-Yeah. Yeah, that’s right, Kacchan.” Izuku said, not noting the weird behavior from Katsuki on that. Really, he just looked happy to be called ‘Izuku’, even with how nervous he looked around Katsuki. 

From behind them, he could hear the mumble of their parents. “He’s been incredibly confused and fuzzy on details, even after the Decompressive Healing treatment.”

“Poor thing, especially with what Izuku said about his accident…”

“How is Izuku-kun handling this? We know he’s a gentle boy, and it must have been quite a scare to see.”

“He has the next couple of days off too, and I’ve been talking with his pediatrician to have him start seeing a therapist… Really, I should have gotten him one after his diagnosis last year.”

“It can’t be helped, Inko. It’s just good he was there and was able to pull Katsuki out of the pond before he… I just don’t even want to think about it.”

“Even with getting out so quickly, I think he’s still confused about what’s going on. He kept calling one of the nurses a ‘Catgirl’, and I’m not sure what he meant by that?”

“Still, at least it looks like he recognizes all of us… He seems to recognize All Might too, considering how much he was gawking at some of the billboards on the way home.”

Katsuki gripped his hands tight as he eavesdropped. They weren’t wrong about everything being so confusing, but he couldn’t explain why… And what was up with Izuku, if he needed a diagnosis? Maybe because of how tiny he was? He really did think he was four or maybe even three when Katsuki first saw him. 

“… Are you okay, Kacchan?” Izuku asked, a small stutter forming in his words, “Y-You look like you’re getting mad.”

“I’m fine,” Katsuki tried to give a bright smile, as bright as he could. He wasn’t sure what he could do to play with a little kid like Izuku, to be honest. Maybe climbing a tree? But he didn’t think his parents would let him, not while he was still ‘recovering’ and ‘fuzzy’. Maybe Izuku would like to see the Hanabi-like-sparks Katsuki could make? 

First though, Katsuki’s attention fell to the floor, where a handmade card laid on the ground. “Ah! Right!” Izuku said, quickly grasping it to hand the card over to Katsuki, “I made this for you, as well as got you an All Might balloon! Oh, but the balloon went flying before… B-But the card is still good, and my mom even helped me with the characters inside!” 

The card, a bright red and blue deal with a glittery M emblazoned on it, was adorable, the cutest thing that Katsuki could remember seeing in either life. Would it be weird for a six year old boy to squeal at how cute something was? Or maybe hug Izuku again? Maybe not the hug, the last hug looked like it scared the living crap out of Izuku the first time around. Still, he opened the card, grinning madly at the sight before a terror clenched his stomach. 

‘Kacchan,

Please get better soon. You’re very strong and tough, and we know you will be okay. I hope to see you at home and at school! 

-Izuku’

It wasn’t the content of the card that gave Katsuki a fright. Rather, it was the characters in Izuku’s name, the specific kanji, one that he remembered so well for an alternate reading. Yes, an alternate reading that he had seen back when he was a high school girl, and played My Hero Nine: Academia multiple times, seven times including two full plays and five aborted plays. 

A set of kanji, that was used for the name of the main character, in lieu of a proper name so players could select one as they wanted. 

A name that confirmed what Katsuki was fearing. That this wasn’t just a world of Quirks and Heroes, this was the world of the My Hero games, and specifically, what would lead up to My Hero Nine: Academia. 

This all too familiar boy wasn’t just ‘Midoriya Izuku’, not with those green eyes and wild messy hair and all too scared disposition. And no wonder why he was scared! This wasn’t a childhood friend he saved, but a bully and a future rival.  

He was Bakugou Katsuki, the rival of the game, constant bully, and in all bad endings, due to become a major member of the League of Villains as the nemesis Ground Zero! 

And that meant this sweet and gentle boy who saved his life was none other than- 

“DEKU?!” Katsuki screeched out. The shock on all of the adults' faces, as well as the horrified look on Izuku’s eyes would have sickened him into silence, if he didn’t immediately pass out at the revelation, his headache surging back at full force.

Chapter Text

For the game ‘My Hero Nine: Academia’, Bakugou ‘Kacchan’ Katsuki was one of the most divisive characters in the fandom. 

Initially a childhood friend of the player character, their relationship turned downright caustic following an event involving Bakugou falling into a river and being pulled out by DEKU. As a result, his vicious nature was directly squarely at the player from then on. The first tutorial fight designed to show the combat system at all was against Bakugou and his two goons as a kid, as was the first non-tutorial Boss Battle during the ‘Heroes Vs. Villains’ training session. And that was ignoring the constant stream of insults.

Theoretically, he could be a party member. Aa-chan had been able to get Bakugou in her third playthrough, and he was truly a powerhouse with his AP Shot and Howitzer Impact, as well as the strongest STR and Quirk Point skills in the game. 

But the standard routes most players got, especially a player going blind? 

In the main plot of the game, Bakugou would always be captured on the last day of the Training Camp by the League of Villains. Players would have a week’s time to gather a party and aid from Momo ‘Creati’ Yaoyorozu, and go on a rescue mission in Kamino ward, all the while avoiding All For One’s secret forces and any minor villains that stood in the way. 

There was a way to rescue Bakugou, bring him back safe and sound and have him join your party member roster from there on. Katsuki had seen that himself, especially seeing a single battle with Bakugou that Aa-chan showed him back when he was a nerdy teen girl instead of an incredibly confused little boy. 

But that’s never how it worked for Katsuki.

In a ‘Neutral’ run, Bakugou would break. Renounce his belief in the Hero system, and fight the party in a massive combat while the battle of All Might and AFO raged on in the background. It was vicious, violent, and a good chance of losing a party member permanently on top of Bakugou leaving depending on if you didn’t have any revival items and people were still downed by the end of the battle. She had lost Aoyama and Kirishima in her first playthrough as a result of the AP Brutality Impact finisher. 

In the ‘Bad’ run, Bakugou would… Not survive. He would never be rescued. The last you’d see of him is turning into dust within Shigaraki’s fingers, as you reach out for someone, anyone at all, to save him. Bakugou would never reach out in return, and it was a stark reminder that he would die rather than accept help from pathetic weaklings. 

Death or becoming a Villain. Those were the only two choices Katsuki was ever able to get in life, with all five playthroughs. And even with the knowledge of the ‘Good’ path, it seemed so far away especially with the inevitability of the Training Camp from Hell and his future kidnapping.  

“It… Can’t be…” Katsuki muttered, over his notebook. 

Every hero name he could possibly remember from the game lined up. All Might, Endeavor, Best Jeanist, Midnight, Present Mic, and even rumors of the underground hero Eraserhead when he finally started going to Hero Boards and 3ch in this universe. UA existed, and was the most prominent Hero School in Japan, with a world-famous Sports Festival every May, and a Principal that Aa-chan once theorized was a stoat. Idaten, and therefore the Iida family, existed. Yaoyorozu Zaibatsu, and therefore the Yaoyorozu family, existed. And the Todorokis absolutely had to exist, with Endeavor’s big dumb glowering face all over Pro Hero boards. 

It lined up. Everything lined up, even the ages and dates. He could barely find any information about anyone else in the class, after all the entire class should still be elementary schoolers, but he did see one of the articles about Endeavor confirming his kids including ‘promising young Shouto’, age six. 

For a moment, Katsuki’s hands started to spark again, before he threw the pencil to the side and clapped the sparks away. Bad enough he was grounded for the next month for calling Izuku ‘Deku’, and had to go back to the hospital next week to check his head considering his ‘confusion’. He didn’t need to add ‘accidentally set my house on fire with my Quirk’ to the pile. 

Internally, a meeting was called to order. 

A council of five Bakugou Katsukis surrounded a lux table, surrounded by an array of Heroing gadgets and gear. Not anything that Katsuki himself would be able to name, but every computer looked important, as did the high-backed futuristic chairs and matching table, and the cases of multiple hero costumes all from prior iterations of the My Hero series. 

Chairman Katsuki called the meeting to order. The only thing that let him stand out from his four compatriots was a clearly fake white mustache and monocle, as well as a judge’s robe awkwardly fitted over the child version of Bakugou’s future ‘Hero’ costume. “We will now commence the first meeting to discuss strategy to avoid becoming a Villain or a victim in the kidnapping event! Does anyone have a good idea where to begin?” 

“Well clearly, we need to never become a Villain!” the Fearless Katsuki started up, “And to that, we need to pledge ourself to becoming an actual Hero instead of becoming one just to fight guys and be strong!” 

The Katsuki across from him, Surly Katsuki, snorted, “Alright, we know not to become a villain. That’s not the hard part, since we’re just six and have tiny hanabi sparklers. But eventually, we’re gonna grow up and get big and strong, especially if we’re gonna become a Hero. What’s gonna keep the League of Villains from targeting us anyway?” 

“Well, we’re in a modern-ish world… So let’s not become a Hero instead!” Happy Katsuki said, practically jumping from his seat in glee at being able to participate, “If we just be a normal guy, like become a lumberjack or a mangaka, then we won’t ever get super-buff like the game Bakugou. That way, the League of Villains will never want to kidnap us!”

“But then what happens with DEK- I mean, Izuku?” Fearless Katsuki asked, “The fact ‘Kacchan’ was there to be a goal helped push him into being a Hero, didn’t it? He even says as much if any of the party members ask him why he was so obsessed with saving Bakugou during the Kamino Ward arc.” 

“Additionally, we still have a powerful Quirk, and one best suited for combat scenarios,” The Studious Katsuki added, shoving his glasses high up his nose. A hologram powered up, showing a memory of Katsuki manifesting his Quirk for the first time in preschool, the impressed classmates and teachers all fawning over the sight of the sparks. With a push of a button, the image flashed forward to Katsuki’s memory of the in-game Bakugou, a terrifying brute of a boy, all muscles and rage and explosive force roaring through battle, “And this Quirk will only grow stronger as we get older. It makes the best sense to become a Pro Hero, partially so we can get training to best control it, and partly so we can do some real good with this Quirk.”

“Real good would be really good!” Fearless Katsuki chimed in, “We really could help a lot of people with these kind of powers!”

“And we can take out a lot of bad guys too!” Surly Katsuki’s grin was much more feral at that addition, “After all, who would be mad at us for beating up Villains?”

“Speaking of beating up,” Studious interrupted, getting a huff from Surly at that, “We should focus on not beating up Izuku. Or bullying him for that matter.”

“Maybe we can become his best friend again instead?” Happy asked, “After all, he did make us that super-cute card and got us an All Might balloon that we lost as fast as we got it. And he saved our life too!”

“Problem is,” Surly said, crossing his arms across his chest, “We already did just call him Deku in front of his mom and our parents. And we’ve already been bullying him awhile now, even if it’s not as bad as it got in the game. He’s scared of us, so we’re gonna be in an up-hill battle to become friends again.”

“How could we be so cruel!? He’s just a tiny boy, and really sweet!” Studious cried out. 

“And he’s brave too! Were we always meant to be the baddy after all?!” Fearless shouted, “I don’t want to be a bad guy!” 

Chairman bashed his gavel, with an additional spark of Explosion to bring the focus back to the table. “Everyone, calm down!” He said, “We need to come up with a plan, instead of going off the rails!” 

“… I think I’ve got it,” Happy offered up, “We’ll go into the Hero course, but we’re also going to set up for Support course too.”

“… Support course? Like the item seller, Mei?” Chairman asked, tilting his head at that. 

“Our dad is a fashion designer and our mom is a chairman of a major fashion house,” Happy explained, “So, we’ll start learning about fashion and more importantly, Costume Design. Heroes always need a really cool, strong costume, and it’s something UA would definitely want to teach as well.”

“Plus maybe we can give Hagakure some invisible pants,” Surly interrupted, “Seriously, the ‘she’s naked’ joke got super old in the first third of the game…” 

“We’re also going to keep getting stronger, learn how to fist-fight and use our Quirk really well!” If Happy noticed Surly’s interjection, he made no comment about it, “So that way, we can keep being a goal for Izuku, and if we get in trouble with a Villain, we can fight back. But if things look like we’re going badly in UA, and we’re gonna be kidnapped, we can drop out of the Hero course and go to Support course, so we’re still helping people but now we’re not a good target for kidnapping anymore. We’re not a Hero, we’re just a designer.” 

“… We should also plan for if we’re in the camp by the time we realize we need to drop out,” Surly added, “Aizawa was a toughie. He wouldn’t let us bus back to UA just because the camp’s too hard…” He went into deep thought, trying to consider additional options. 

“… The canon Bakugou liked hiking and camping,” Studious offered up, “It’s not as enriching to us as climbing trees, but we can start learning how to camp and hike as well as getting into mountain climbing. We can run into the woods and escape our kidnappers by getting literally lost. Additionally, it will make us even stronger, and we can look into becoming a Rescue Hero like Tsuyu instead of a powerhouse hero like the canon Bakugou.”

“Then we’re in agreement?” Chairman asked the Council of Katsukis, “We’re going to improve our strength and skills, but also have mountaineering and fashion as back-ups so we can step away from being a Hero at any point?” 

All of the Katsukis had to agree on that. The idea of learning how to climb mountains sounded like a great step up from tree-climbing, as well as the mountaineering skills and fashion design. It was slightly out of Katsuki’s wheelhouse in life — after all, he was more of a tomboy and preferred plain simple clothes or nerdy shirts and shorts instead of anything fancy — but he could work towards getting good at designing and fashion.

And it might be a good way of working on an apology for Izuku, making him his own Hero Costume as a child. 

~@~@~@~

“A costume for Izuku?” Mitsuki had to raise her eyebrow at that. Things were not getting any less bizarre. 

It was bad enough when Katsuki had taken a header and fallen into a river head-first. Thank god Izuku-kun had been there to pull him from the water and start trying to perform CPR on his friend with all of the skill of an untrained, scared first-grader who saw an All Might First Aid video that week. Thank god Katsuki had woken up in the hospital two days later, alive and healthy and with his concussion healed carefully. 

But then he called Mitsuki Mom . 

That should have made her happy, and to be honest it did! She was so ecstatic he was being sweet again instead of the bratty attitude that had been rearing it’s ugly head since preschool and his stupid-awesome Quirk came in. But he sounded so lost and confused as he called her that, as if he was trying to figure out who she was at all… The same for Masaru too. 

And then he called Izuku-kun Deku of all things! Right after he got back from the hospital, after Izuku had saved his ass! 

The only reason why Mitsuki didn’t beat his little butt was because he immediately fainted with a mild fever for the rest of the day. Inko and her boy made a quick exit after that, not that Mitsuki could blame her for it. They both really hoped their boys would be friends, and for a while it looked like that only for Katsuki to develop an amazing Quirk and shitty attitude to match and Izuku to… Not. 

… It had to be hard, raising a Quirkless kid nowadays. She knew the other moms were pretty horrible to Inko, with a lot of rumors about what she must have done wrong during her pregnancy or if she actually did have a Pull Quirk herself. Mitsuki had done her best to push back on that, ripped a lot of those bitches a new one and tried to aid Inko the best she could with an open door policy to her and Izuku-kun. But that didn’t matter when her own son was one of Izuku’s worst bullies, at least as much as she could get their elementary school to confirm. 

At least he seemed properly ashamed of that, and accepted the massive chewing out she and Masaru both gave him when he woke up. He offered to call Izuku-kun, but Mitsuki didn’t want to bother the Midoriyas. 

And she also didn’t want to admit she felt too ashamed to call Inko since, only queuing up her number or writing half a text only to delete it. 

That should have been enough, honestly. Just a sad little friend breakup, and probably an awkward day next time Katsuki went back to elementary school. Maybe he’d stay confused and sweet, maybe he’d got back to his bratty self. It was too hard to tell so early on. 

Then he got strange . 

Where did a six year old learn about those creepy websites like… 3chan or something like that? Or the hero boards for that matter! And of course, she saw his note book, with lists of Pro Heroes. That in itself shouldn’t be weird for a little boy, but it wasn’t like a list of his favorites or who had the coolest powers. Honestly, from what little she saw, until Katsuki took the book away screaming about his secret diary, was a mishmash of random heroes. 

Who even was Eraserhead anyway? 

Now here Katsuki stood, holding a mangled t-shirt in one hand and a pair of scissors in the other, surrounded by a mass of fabric all over his room. There were strips of black and grey on his bed, as well as a pile on the floor in front of his toy chest. She had the general sense he was doing some kind of mischief — after all, she had to pull him out of the tree next to the house three goddamn times this week — but this was not at all what she was expecting. 

“Of course!” Katsuki chirped, one more thing to add to the ‘ways my son has become strange since he hit his head last week’ basket. He held up the forest green t-shirt, one of Masaru’s old workout shirts that now had the sleeves cut off and what appeared to be cut-lines for shorts done by someone who had no idea what they were doing except ‘pants legs but from a shirt’. “I know I hurt Izuku really badly, and I wanted to thank him, and I know the thing he loves most is Heroes!” 

“Well, makes sense so far,” Mitsuki said, crouching down to be able to speak to Katsuki face-to-face. “But it’d be easier for us to get him a pre-made Hero costume at the shop instead. How about we go put this down-”

“Wait, it’s not meant to be someone else’s hero costume, but Izuku’s!” Katsuki explained, waving the shirt and grasping the fabric in his hand. “Since he wants to be a Hero, and I want to start designing Hero costumes, I thought it’d be great to do both and make him feel like a real Hero.”

“… Katsuki,” Well. This was going to be an awkward conversation. Mitsuki placed her hand on Katsuki’s shoulder, trying to phrase this delicately. “Izuku… Did an amazing thing with saving your life. And he can do almost anything with his future, he can be a great doctor or paramedic with his skills. Or he can become a police officer, or a lawyer, or any other job that can help people.” 

“But he doesn’t want to do any of those,” Katsuki’s smile didn’t waver, as he spoke, “He wants to be a Hero.” 

“That’s the thing, Katsuki-kun, he’s…” This was not a mindset she wanted to encourage in Katsuki, considering the ‘Deku’ incident, but it was how Inko felt too. And it was very much the truth, especially considering how small and gentle Izuku-kun was for his age. Mitsuki took a breath, before continuing, “Izuku is Quirkless, Katsuki, do you remember that?”

“Yup,” Katsuki nodded, absolutely steamrolling her response. Maybe he wasn’t getting the gravity of the situation, considering. That second visit couldn’t come soon enough. Katsuki was a bit ditzier than he used to be, even if his homework was still crazy-good and he clearly understood elementary school concepts.  

“… That means he doesn’t have any way to defend himself against a Villain,” Mitsuki tried to explain, “Or he can’t do much to help by himself, in case of an accident. He doesn’t have any special skills or powers to keep him safe and save others, so he’d be in a lot of danger. He can’t be a Hero, Katsuki. Not the sort you’re thinking.”

Katsuki’s expression went blank, before he grew a cattish grin, “That’s not true, Mom.”

“I wouldn’t be saying something like this, if it wasn’t. He’s still a very good boy, and you should be nice to him, but you can’t encourage him to be a Hero, it’s just gonna break his heart,” Mitsuki said, pushing down Katsuki’s hand with the hero costume. It was better this way. Just accept what Izuku-kun can do, and encourage him to be somewhere safe. 

Katsuki pushed his hands back up, displaying the forest-green shirt. “But I know you’re wrong Mom! If he can’t be a Hero, then how did he save me?” 

Mitsuki went quiet, the thought piercing through her heart. 

Of course. When all the other kids ran, with only Hiroshi and Takeru running to get help, it was little Izuku to pull him out of the water, get him breathing and safe on land instead of potentially drowning. Why wouldn’t he think of Izuku as a hero after something so brave, and so difficult considering Izuku’s size and strength? 

“I know he’s Quirkless, but I know he’s brave and kind! And smart, smarter than I can possibly hope to be!” Katsuki was convinced, looking down at the shirt fondly, “And I know it should matter, but him being Quirkless doesn’t. Not to me, and not to kids like me in the future. He’s going to be the greatest Hero Mom, I just know it, and I want to let him know I don’t think he’s a Deku. I think he’s great.” 

Mitsuki kept quiet, staring at her son and the dark green shirt in his hands. 

It was such an innocent and heartfelt belief. More importantly, it was correct. If it wasn’t for Izuku, she wouldn’t be talking to her son right now but instead be staring down at a tiny urn and planning for when he’d be interred at the family plot. 

Even if Izuku gave up on it, and decided to become a doctor, or a police officer or lawyer or anything else that’d be safe for a Quirkless person, he would always be a Hero to Katsuki. And a hero to the entire Bakugou family as well. 

“… Ah! Mom, you’re crying!” Immediately, Katsuki’s eyes sprung open in surprise. He turned, grasping a piece of black fabric off his bed, “I don’t have a tissue, but you can use some of this scrap fabric for your eyes instead.”

“I-I’m fine,” Mitsuki said, calming her voice immediately. No need to let Katsuki see her like this after all. He was becoming such a sweet boy again, and she had to be proud of that. “I’m not one for actually designing fashion though, that would be your Dad. How about we talk to him about that, and maybe make a shirt for Izuku-kun instead of an entire jumpsuit instead, so we don’t have to worry about his measurements?”

“That makes sense…” Katsuki said, nodding at that. “I should have double checked if it was you or Dad who was a designer before I started too… I was pretty sure it was Dad, but it made sense to ask you first since you’re home.”

“Should have double checked?” Right, Katsuki was still confused about very strange points of his life. He knew how to get to creepy internet websites, but he didn’t know he was lactose intolerant or that his father was deaf in his left ear due to a Quirk mishap.  Hopefully the doctors could say something about this. All things considered, the fact Katsuki started on this was already a concern. She didn’t think there was that much scrap fabric in the house. 

Mitsuki looked at the strip of black fabric Katsuki had dried her tears with and balked. Oh. She knew what this was. Specifically, she knew this brand, and what the black fabric came from. 

“… Katsuki,” Mitsuki’s tone darkened obviously, a sense of doom filling the air as she spoke. She could hear her son squeal in terror, good because he was really about to get it now. “Did you really use my original production, thirty-thousand yen Uwabami Design Works summer top for your Hero costume project?”

“… Is that what that was?” Katsuki nervously chuckled, all color leaving his body at the realization. “I-I mean… It… Might have been that… There’s just so many black shirts in the closet, and maybe I picked a really soft one… Without… Checking…” He swallowed deeply, “I’m dead, aren’t I?”

“You’re very dead,” Mitsuki said, before the torrent of running, screaming — half from Mitsuki’s rage and half from Katsuki’s terror — and punishment began. 

~@~@~@~

Katsuki found himself practicing stitching after Dad showed him how to make the shirt. It wasn’t the design Katsuki had originally envisioned — a child version of Izuku’s ‘Deku’ costume from the My Hero Nine: Academia game — but it was something that would be very suiting to Izuku’s tastes as a little child who lived and breathed All Might. Instead, it was a blue and yellow shirt emblazoned with a small red hoodie that almost looked like a cape from the front. 

The entire thing screamed All Might in bold words, but hopefully it would scream ‘Izuku Midoriya’ even more! 

It’s a pity the green shirt design didn’t work out, since it didn’t fit Izuku yet. Soon enough though, when he got to UA and got One For All! Additionally, Dad seemed really impressed with how Katsuki had ‘designed’ out the costume, even if what he really did was remember all of the details of DEKU’s character design and replicated it as best as he could. 

But it wasn’t like he was gonna get in trouble for copyright infringement here! He could use any pre-existing designs he wanted, as long as he learned how to sew them! 

Either way, it was enough for Dad to show him some initial stitches, as well as more complex options. Alright, one step down with learning how to design, now he’d have to get them hiking this weekend and start getting good at mountain climbing and camping! Oh, he was going to be so prepared for UA, and he was not going to die young this time or become a real jerk either! 

… Too bad the hike couldn’t be today though. It was going to be his first day of class since getting hurt. 

Argh. It wasn’t the classwork that worried him, he was still originally a teenage school girl after all! He knew elementary school work like the back of his hand, especially something for first graders! Multiplication, done! Chapter books with images on every page, boom! Doing a front roll? How about three! He was super prepared for school for once, and for anything any teachers asked him!

It was not the teachers that worried Katsuki though so much as the… Students. 

… He didn’t know any of these kids, besides Izuku.

He got a call the day after he got home from Hiroshi, at least, although he ended it very quickly with how happy and confused Katsuki was. Nothing from Takeru or… Tsukasa? Tsubaru? Tsu-something. The wing kid. And that was the three friends from the neighborhood from the flashback cutscenes! He didn’t know any of his other classmates at all! 

Ugh. And it didn’t help that he was probably bullying Izuku for a period before this, considering how scared he seemed to be and how he looked at Katsuki when he called him ‘Deku’. He knew one person that he wanted to desperately be friends with, because he’s a good kid who saved him and because being friends with the Hero DEKU might keep him from being turned into a Villain, and he already burned that bridge before he got to it!

Thanks, past Katsuki. 

“… You think you’re ready for this, brat?” Mitsuki asked, standing outside the entranceway to the elementary school. He asked her to walk with him this time, which led to some strange looks from other kids. Bakugou Katsuki might have been independent and this school might have been less than ten minutes from his house, but he wasn’t really… Himself, after all. The head injury still gave him plenty of excuses to be a little weird, at least. 

“… I need to go in,” Katsuki gripped his backpack close. If nothing else, he had to give Izuku the shirt and apologize. Mom didn’t want to call Auntie Inko after the ‘Deku’ thing, and Dad wouldn’t go around her back to do it. And something told Katsuki she’d just hang up if he was the one calling for Izuku instead. So, the only option left? Giving the shirt in person as an apology! Katsuki looked up to Mitsuki, “I want to see Izuku. And I’m okay for school! It’s getting a little boring just doing the homework packets and sitting around at home all the time.”

Mitsuki nodded, before ruffling Katsuki’s hair, “Don’t get in any trouble, okay? And listen, I know you trust Izuku-kun so much but… You really did call him something nasty. So if he’s not ready to talk to you, give him space, alright?”

“Well I don’t want to push him. That might just make it worse, and I don’t want to be a Villain after all…” Katsuki said, mostly thinking out loud. 

“You- You’re not a Villain, Katsuki,” Mitsuki blinked in surprise at the statement, “You can be a little shitty sometimes-”

“ Wow , thanks Mom,” Even Katsuki had to deadpan at that. Bakugou Mitsuki was great at a lot of things, but comforting was not one of them. She flicked Katsuki’s forehead for the sass. 

“Quiet you. Anyway, you’re not a Villain. You just need to do a little better, you know? But I see how hard you’re working on that and how you’re trying to be nice, so I’m proud of you,” She smiled gently at Katsuki, “Just don’t go getting a big head about your Quirk anymore, alright? Just because it’s cool doesn’t mean you get to pick on other kids for their Quirks or bully around people.”

Katsuki smiled as he nodded. Of course he would not do that! It was the bare minimum he needed to not do, just to avoid becoming a Villain again after all! And honestly, it did help his heart to hear his mom trusting him to not be evil. He might have been a little bad before — and might cause problems by not thinking his plans through — but she knew he wasn’t a Villain and he planned to keep it that way. 

~@~@~@~

Kacchan was being scary.  

It wasn’t that Kacchan was being mean. That would be one thing. Izuku was used to Kacchan being mean nowadays, as sad as the thought made him. Last spring he started calling Izuku ‘Deku’ and getting the other kids to do it. Then he started calling Izuku useless and stupid whenever he’d get something wrong or drop something. And then he’d point out when Izuku got something wrong to all the other kids, so they’d get a chance to laugh at him too. 

Or push him. Or use their Quirk on him when no one was looking. 

Kacchan hadn’t done that last one yet and the fact Izuku had to think of it as ‘yet’ just made him even more sad and scared. 

Because Kacchan was acting really weird and Izuku wasn’t sure if Kacchan was playing a game or not. 

Kacchan’s eyes lit up when he saw him in class! Which made Izuku feel a little better at first, until all of Kacchan’s friends gathered around him. Well, almost all of them. Takeru, Hiroshi and Tsubasa were staying aside, just watching Kacchan, Tsubasa punching his fist when it looked like Izuku was getting too close. Maybe they had something planned… Like the time they all said they were gonna go to the milk tea shop that opened up around the corner after school and got Izuku super excited to join them. 

Only there wasn’t a milk tea around the corner. Izuku knew, he walked around for an hour looking for it until a shopkeeper told him to go home and give up. Kacchan promised they’d both try something together and he seemed so nice that day until he wasn’t. 

And now he was nice again. And Izuku was honestly not sure if he could believe it this time. 

“Izuku!” Kacchan shouted over the crowd of students around him, trying to wave him over. “Hey, I need to talk to you! I have a gift for you!” 

That couldn’t be right. Not after Kacchan called him Deku in front of his parents and Izuku’s mom. Not after he glared at him with death in his eyes after the fall only to fall backwards with his eyes rolling up in the back of his head. And not after all of the little jokes, and tricks, and milk tea shops that didn’t exist or katakana that could be read as an insult or comments about how Quirkless, worthless and useless Izuku was. 

“I-I-” Izuku stuttered, not wanting to come any closer. He could see the other students glaring at him, angry at his fear in this situation. Already, the tears were starting to pool in his eyes, coming from his nervousness as well as how much the other students were glaring at him.

“Keeps tagging along all the time, and yet when Katsu-kun wants him around, he cries like a little baby,” One girl, Emiko, growled as she stared back at him. 

“Hey-” Kacchan tried to interrupt.

Tsubasa grunted in return, “He’s too dumb to even have a quirk, let alone know when he’s wanted and when he’s not.”

“That’s not… Hey, stop it guys-” Kacchan was… Arguing for him? Could it be true that Kacchan wanted to speak to him? O-Or maybe it was a long con and he was really planning something mean? His friends weren’t getting any closer, and they were in perfect Izuku-whomping range if he moved in. 

“He’s a Deku, just like you said Katsuki!” One of the tallest boys in the class, Keigo, laughed bitterly at that, “Just a brainless dummy who’s not able to do anythi-”

“ That’s enough! ” With that, the Explosion went off. Kacchan clapped his hands, sending a big cloud of smoke and sparks all across the class! Everyone surrounding him started screaming, as then the teachers finally got involved, one going to the center of the cloud while the other immediately went to grab Izuku. 

“What did you do, Midoriya?” The teacher asked, glaring at him, “You know you’re always setting Bakugou-kun off, and we can’t let you keep doing this kind of thing!” 

“I…” Izuku looked around, between the host of screaming students and clouds of smoke, the teacher opening all the windows to try and waft away the effects of Explosion, and Kacchan in the center. He stared back at Izuku, eyes wide and filled with the same absolute horror last week when he called Izuku Deku. “I didn’t do anything…”

“Well, we can go and see the principal, young man, and really make sure you’re telling the truth on that.” The teacher grasped him, tight enough to make Izuku yelp, as she dragged him along. Izuku could only watch back, watching as Kacchan tried to run after him, grabbing his backpack and trying to open it before Izuku was dragged off. 

Well, it was going to be a normal day with Kacchan in class after all. Maybe if he just kept quiet and kept to himself, Izuku wouldn’t be blamed for any more problems today. 

~@~@~@~

Okay. Maybe it wasn’t just Aldera Middle School that sucked. Maybe it was also the Aldera Elementary school on top of it. 

Katsuki had to glower, after getting an all-too-mild scolding for using his stupid Quirk in the middle of the classroom. Not that he meant to use it at all, he was trying to clap and get everyone’s attention so they’d stop picking on Izuku! Instead, his clap just… Kind of ka-boomed all over, before he had a chance to do anything about it. 

… He should have been the one who got in trouble for that, right? Or even the three kids that were picking on Izuku before he finally snapped, and then crackled and popped! But instead, Izuku got dragged off to the principal, while the other teacher in the classroom was making sure Katsuki was okay and it wasn’t a case of his head hurting or him still not being well after his accident. 

At least the other students stared at him like he did something wrong. Some of the bullies looked afraid of him. Admittedly, it sucked because even if they’re crappy kids, they’re still tiny little kids. He didn’t want to bully six and seven year olds either! He just wanted them to be nice to Izuku and stop calling him useless, Quirkless Deku!

Like he probably used to call Izuku. No… Not probably, but definitely. 

The rest of the class gave Katsuki a wide berth for the rest of the day, even his three friends. They seemed to be chatting to themselves, looking at him every so often, but they wouldn’t let Katsuki in on the big secret. Maybe they were mad with how much attention he was paying to Izuku? But he did thank Takeru for saving him, or was it Hiroshi he thanked? It wasn’t Tsu-something, that kid just ran off it sounded like, which he couldn’t really be mad about because Tsu-something was six but it was still kinda sucky. 

Maybe it was the fact he couldn’t tell two of those guys apart, and called the third one Tsu-something. 

Not that Katsuki wasn’t trying to be friendly, to everyone especially Izuku! But that just seemed to make things worse, with the other kids scrunching their noses at him or calling him weird for it, while Izuku just trembled and kept trying to hide away. 

At this rate, he was never gonna get to give Izuku the shirt to him until he was too big to actually wear it! 

Also, he’d absolutely end up as a Villain, because everyone in UA would think he was trying to harass Izuku and bully him! 

This couldn’t go on. He couldn’t let it end like this, both Izuku’s heart and Katsuki’s life depended on Katsuki fixing this friendship, and he swore he would do that! 

The final bell rang out for the day. Okay, he could work with this. He could just follow Izuku, stalking him in the shadows quietly, until he got to Auntie Inko’s house where Katsuki could immediately go into dogeza and apologize to Izuku for calling him horrible things and then give him the shirt! That could work. Maybe if he did a good job at it, he might even get to try Auntie Inko’s cooking. The games really made her Katsudon sound really tasty after all. 

“Hey Katsuki,” Tsu-something called out to him, “Hang back for a bit, we want to talk to you after school.”

“… Okay?” Katsuki said, perking his eyebrow at that. “Is everything okay? I mean, I know I’ve been super-loopy today, but I’m just trying to-” Wait, these guys also bullied Izuku too, right? He knows Tsu-something called Izuku ‘Deku’ earlier! If he talked about the shirt, that might make Izuku even more of a fluffy, green target unless he made them for all of his buddies and really, he didn’t know what heroes they might like. “… I’ve been trying to do. Cool guy stuff.” That sounded right, for a tough six year old boy.

Tsu-something snorted at that, “Yeah, sure Katsuki,” He tilted his head up as he rolled his eyes overdramatically, in an overwrought version of elementary school sarcasm. Well, that was rude. Still, he threw a thumb over his shoulder, “Me and Takeru figured you just needed a quick pick-me-up, get you to stop acting like a real wussy. So we went and set up your favorite game, and even Deku-”

“Izuku,” Katsuki interrupted, “His name is Izuku.” 

“Whatever, you’re the one who came up with it,” Tsu-something shrugged, “Anyway, even Izuku is getting in on it too, so come out and join us. Maybe you’ll be back to your ol’ boss self in no time.” 

A game with Izuku and these guys? Maybe it was something like dodgeball or some sort of brutal tag. They seemed like the kind to play way too rough. Well, in that case, he could join Izuku’s side, and make sure it’d be a fair two-on-two match! Maybe that might even make Izuku feel a little better, which made Katsuki beam at the thought. Who wouldn’t like a game of dodgeball with their friends? 

As Katsuki went out to the sandy, warm playground, he immediately balked at the sight. 

The playground was absolutely barren of kids at this time, save for three. Not playing on any of the equipment or climbing those beautiful big trees surrounding the play area, or even sitting on the bench and trading Hero cards like he saw during lunch. Instead, there were two sobbing kids, a little boy in red shorts, holding his tummy while sobbing wildly, and a terrified Izuku. 

Takeru, the kid with the long fingers, looked back at Katsuki with a smirk, “Been waiting for you all day, Boss!” He grinned, “And I even got your favorite game all set up for you.”

“W-What- What the hell?” Katsuki muttered in horror, staring out at both terrified boys in front of him. He jumped, feeling Tsu-something flanking him to his right, while Takeru walked to his left. 

“Don’t you remember ‘Punch The Minion’?” Tsu-something said, “It’s super easy… You pick the kid with the crappiest Quirk on the play to be the Minion and you punch him!” Tsu-something's fist punched against his hand, with much more force than Katsuki would have ever expected from someone this young. What the hell happened to kids in this school ?! This was really not okay at all! 

Katsuki looked back to Izuku, a look of horror lingering in his eyes. “I-I-” Izuku stuttered, “I knew you were gonna be mean today, Kacchan, I just knew it!” Katsuki could feel his heart crumbling at how heartbroken Izuku sounded, as well as the well of fear at his inevitable fate as a Villain spring up in his heart again. Izuku slid into a fighting stance, wobbly, weak and trembling but still solidly in front of the crying boy, “I-If you’re gonna hurt him I’ll… I’ll… I’ll stop you myself. ”

… He remembered this. The very first cut scene of the game, the cut scene that established DEKU was Quirkless and what that meant in this current game world. And how he would end up getting pulverized by Bakugou as well as his two goons, Tsu-something and Takeru. This was when Izuku learned how unfair the world was for the Quirkless, and where he first learned what he was lacking to be a hero. 

Katsuki could hear the snickering of Takeru and Tsu-something beside him, the sound of wings unfurling as well as fingers growing like massive branches. He knew what Bakugou did, punch his own hands and let off an explosion. He knew what Bakugou said, “ Want to pretend to be a hero? ”

“ You don’t stand a chance without a Quirk, Deku. ”

Katsuki didn’t want to be a Villain. He didn’t want to die, miserable and despairing in the crumbling League of Villains hideout. And he didn’t want Izuku to suffer a lonely, bullied childhood where his only happy memories were video clips of All Might. 

“… You have some real guts you know,” Katsuki muttered darkly, a flash of cruelty in his eyes. He could see Izuku jumping back, absolutely terrified out of his mind. With that, Katsuki started to walk, “Standing up to a bully by yourself, that’s the kind of bravery I expect from you Izuku.”

“Wait- What do you mean Izu-” He heard Takeru start talking, only to stop when Katsuki held up a hand to block him back. The small hanabi-sparks were enough to cause him and Tsu-something to jump back, giving him enough space to walk up to stand beside Izuku and slide into a fighting stance next to him. 

“But let’s make this fair,” Katsuki snarled, looking back at his former friends, “Two on two, you chumps versus me and Izuku! We’ll smear the floor with you guys!” 

Takeru and Tsu-something starred in absolute confusion. Even Izuku stared at Katsuki as if he grew four more heads. Still, he would stand here and defend his friend! After all, he was a strong kid with a great Quirk, and he could definitely wipe the floor with these two jerks! With that, both Takeru and Tsu-something grew nasty, bitter smiles. 

“I don’t believe it! Hiroshi was right!” Takeru laughed, pointing a finger at Katsuki, “You really did become soft in your brains after your fall!” 

“Wow, so you’re joining the Deku Squad too, Katsuki!?” Tsu-something cackled as well, before baring his shockingly sharp teeth in a caustic smile, “Guess it’s time for us to figure out a new pecking order for the neighborhood, huh?!” 

“Only thing you’re gonna be picking is your teeth, and you’ll be picking them up!” That… Wasn’t as threatening as he hoped. Katsuki was never super good at threats! But how hard could beating up two six year old bullies be? He felt a tug on his shoulder from Izuku, “I’ve got this, Izuku. We’re gonna beat them together, you and me.”

“Kacchan…” Izuku sounded incredibly concerned, “Do you remember how to fight?”

“… We’ve got this, you and me.” Katsuki repeated, trying to keep the look of panic off his face. Ah crap. He was never in a fight in his last life! The closest he ever got was running from dogs! Still, no time like today, no need to give up yet. He could definitely take on two little kids with weird super-powers. 

Because he too! Was… A little kid. With weird super-powers. 

… The last thought Katsuki had, as Tsu-something flew at him, aiming his knee directly for Katsuki’s nose, was “Okay, maybe I should have planned that out a bit better.” 

~@~@~@~

Ow. 

Katsuki was sprawled out on the floor, with the taste of blood still on his lips. Thankfully, the bloody nose stopped quickly, but that didn’t make the mess any better. Or any of the bruises all over his body any less painful. He could barely open his left eye, and he sure as heck wasn’t going to be closing his left hand any time soon. Stepping on people when they were down just seemed cheap. 

He pulled himself up to his elbows to look at Izuku. Katsuki winced at the sight, realizing he didn’t fare much better. Somehow, even his hair looked beaten up, with his body littered with bruises. The only consolation was the lack of despair in his eye, compared to that opening animation clip. Oh, Izuku didn’t look happy to be beaten up and he was still tearing up a bit, but he didn’t look like he wanted to die at least. 

“… Kacchan…” Izuku mumbled, turning his head slightly to look at Katsuki. 

“… Yeah?” Katsuki curled up to sit, scrubbing at the blood on his face with the back of his hand. It was already all over his shirt. Oh man, Mom was gonna freak out when she saw him. She would probably want to take him to the doctor again right away and yell at him the entire time! 

“They didn’t… Hit your head again, right?” Izuku asked. Katsuki could see the tears welling up more at that question, and the shaky fear in Izuku’s voice.

“What? No, no no… I mean, that Tsu-guy-” 

“Tsubasa,” Izuku helpfully added.

“Tsubasa? Oh right. Wings, I should have figured that out myself… But yeah, he got me real good in the nose, but it didn’t scramble my brain again. At least, no worse than it’s already scrambled,” Might as well lean into the head injury at this point, after all. Katsuki sniffled, scrubbing more at his face. He had to admit, he was also tearing up. This was meant to go so much better, it was supposed to end with Izuku safe! Not with both of them beaten silly! “’M sorry, Izuku.” Katsuki mumbled. 

“You’re sorry?” Izuku pulled himself up to his elbows. “Kacchan… You tried to save me.” 

“Yeah, and we both got our butts kicked,” Katsuki pouted at that. His punches went way too wide, and he didn’t make contact with any of his hanabi-sparklers. Well, yeah, they were still tiny explosions and that would hurt a lot and he really didn’t want to beat up some little kids. Not really. 

“But you tried!” Izuku forced himself to sit, and turned to look at Katsuki face to face. “I really, really thought you were gonna beat me up, and instead you tried to protect me and another kid!” Looks like the other kid made his escape while they were both getting a pounding, so one less person to see that embarrassing display. 

“… What kind of hero would I be,” Katsuki asked, remembering what drew Izuku to have hope in Bakugou for so long in the original game, “If I didn’t try to help people? Being a hero is not just about fighting bad guys and winning. It’s about helping people, like you helped me.” 

Izuku’s eyes widened, shiny with tears upon hearing that. He kept quiet, chewing on what Katsuki said. After all, he must have been aware of how he saved Katsuki’s life at the river. If nothing else, he had that going for him as proof of his heroism. “… I’m still gonna be Deku though,” Izuku mumbled, “To the rest of the class, I mean. I know you don’t mean it anymore, Kacchan, b-but…” With that, Katsuki heard a fairly loud sniffle from Izuku. 

He couldn’t leave this alone. Clearly, he needed to try to help Izuku feel better about being Deku, and remake Deku into something that Izuku could be proud of for as long as the other kids at school said that to him! 

“… Dekiru ,” Katsuki muttered, drawing Izuku’s eyes back to him, “It sounds like you’re saying you’re capable, like you can do it!” Katsuki got to his feet, gripping his hands into fists, trying his hardest to fire up Izuku.

“De-Dekiru…” Izuku stared at Katsuki, still sitting on the ground. He held out a shaking hand, tentatively at first to ask for Katsuki to help pull him up. It wasn’t like Izuku weighed much to Katsuki, so a quick pull was enough to get them eye to eye or close enough to that. 

“I know it’s my fault that everyone calls you Deku, and I’m sorry. I wish I could change that,” Katsuki said, before giving a dazzling smile, “So instead, when they call you Deku, think of it as me cheering you on!” 

The luminescent blush on Izuku was adorable, as was the quiet smile he had that stretched to a wild grin. That’s the kind of face he wanted to see from Izuku from now on. Not that mousy fear, but a happy little kid who felt strong and safe, and would one day be the hero that Katsuki knew he would absolutely be! 

… Hero! That reminded him! “Oh! I’ve been wanting to give you this all day!” With that, Katsuki ran over to the side, where he threw down his backpack before the fight. Ah good, Tsubasa and Takeru didn’t screw around and throw it in a koi pond or something! There was the shirt, all gold, and red and blue just as he and his dad designed it! With that, Katsuki ran over and immediately jabbed it into Izuku’s hand, “I’m sorry I called you something horrible. I know you can be a Hero, and here is your first Hero costume, just for you.” 

Izuku stared, holding the shirt in his hands as if it was made from tissue paper and gold. The tears started welling up, with Katsuki almost panicking because he didn’t want to break their friendship up just as soon as they fixed it. But still, that dazzling smile remained, even with Izuku wiping his face. “I don’t think it’s horrible, not from you Kacchan,” Izuku said, beaming up at Katsuki, “Because I know it means you believe in me.” 

Chapter Text

“Izuku, Katsuki, oh my god what happened to you two?!” Auntie Inko screamed in panic. 

Izuku’s apartment was closer than Katsuki’s house, so they had left together. Maybe he should have called his mom to ask her to pick him up from school, like she told him to, but Katsuki wanted to make sure Izuku would be okay! And keep him from being jumped by any more kids on their way back! 

Well, not that he was any better at fighting, even with his Quirk... But still! It was the thought that counted, right? 

Still, he should have remembered how bad they both looked before they reached Auntie Inko’s door. At least Izuku was covering the bruises on his arms with his brand new hero hoodie, but Katsuki’s shirt was a mess of blood from his bloody nose. As well as what was probably a black eye, with how badly his left eye hurt. And his left hand was still pretty weirdly twitchy, after Tsubasa (hah, he remembered the wing kid’s name now!) stamped on it, and he was having a hard time actually closing it. 

Oh. Maybe he should have called his mom first. Whoops. 

“Hey mom…” Izuku mumbled, as he slid in front of Katsuki to kind of block him a bit. Not that it helped much, with Katsuki’s spiky blond hair sprouting up right behind Izuku’s head like a glowing explosion, but it wasn’t like Katsuki’s attempts at helping today went any better than his. Jeez, it should have been easier, being a little kid again! Or having superpowers! 

Auntie Inko stared in horror at the two boys, particularly trying to get a better view of Katsuki’s face and shirt. Oh, she was going to call his mom. His mom was going to freak out and possibly kill him for getting into a fight. It didn’t help Auntie Inko’s looks of horror were squared on Katsuki, as she pulled Izuku a little closer. Not that she left him in the apartment walkway, as she brought both boys in with a squeal of, “Get inside, right now- Boys, please, you’re both hurt!”, but she did stand between Izuku and Katsuki.

… Oh right. Of course she would. Seeing as Katsuki had been bullying her son before the fall. And even called him ‘Deku’ to his face after he got out of the hospital. She probably thought he was the reason why Izuku was so beat up at this point! 

And to be fair, he was, but probably not in the way Auntie thought.

“Boys,” Inko said, as she brought them both into the dining room. She pulled out two chairs, prepping them to sit and start getting cleaned up, even with the worried looks to Katsuki all the while. Oh, he used to be such a terrible brat! And now she was mad, and definitely had a point in being mad! She sighed, coming down to one knee in front of the pair, “I’m going to get a first aid kit, alright? I’m also going to call your mom, Katsuki-kun, and she’ll be over right away.”

Katsuki winced. Well, at least he was able to apologize to Izuku and tell him he could be a hero. Maybe he’d be allowed to play with him again eventually. And either way, this had to be enough to push away some of the Villain doom flags hanging over his head, even if he was still going to be Izuku’s enemy-

“B-But he didn’t do anything wrong!” Izuku shouted, snapping Katsuki out of his doom spiral. He glanced over, to see Izuku standing on his chair, tiny fists balled up in determination as he argued with his mother, “Kacchan saved- he tried to save me so hard, Mom! He stood up to his old friends, and was like ‘you have some real guts, Izuku’, and he called me Izuku Mom , and apologized for calling me Deku, but he also tried to make it better because of Dekiru, and how it means I can do it!”

Izuku scrubbed at his face, trying to wipe up his freshly flowing tears with each word. It hurt to see at first, but Katsuki realized, staring at how solid and proud Izuku’s face was, he wasn’t crying because he was heartbroken or scared. He was crying because he was so happy about what happened out there! Katsuki glanced to Auntie Inko, who watched Izuku’s reaction with bafflement, gripping her chest over her heart with each word.

“I-” Izuku hiccuped, “I know Kacchan used to be really mean, but he’s sorry Mom! And he’s trying to be good now, and he believes in me! P-Please don’t tell Auntie Mitsuki he was bad and got into a fight, it’s not his fault-” With that, Auntie Inko patted Izuku on the head, stopping his sobs dead in their tracks.

“Izuku…” Inko murmured, her voice so sweet and heartfelt, the look on her face gentle, “I’m not mad at Katsuki-kun. I wasn’t planning on calling Auntie Mitsuki to get him in trouble or send him away. I need to call Auntie Mitsuki because he just got out of the hospital last week and he got very hurt again, so he needs to see a doctor to make sure he’s okay.” 

Oh. 

Oh. Yeah. That was a really good point! Especially with how his hand wasn’t closing all that great, and how his head and eye hurt since the fight. That would really be something he’d need to go back to the hospital for, wasn’t it? Katsuki leaned back in his chair with an annoyed sigh, that was the last place he wanted to be!

“Y-You promise?” Izuku sniffled, wiping his face to scrub away the last of the tears, “B-because Kacchan’s really good and heroic. And he tried his best to save me. And he made me a hero costume, just for me.” With that, Izuku motioned to the hoodie Katsuki and his dad made him, with the vibrant blue, red and gold but the same patterning as Izuku’s hero costume in the future.

“I promise, Izuku,” she kissed her son on the top of the head, before flipping the hood part of the hoodie on, “Katsuki did a very good job on it… You both should be proud, I didn’t think you’d be able to design something like this especially, Katsuki-kun.”

“M-my dad helped,” Katsuki said, teasing the edge of his shirt. Honestly, his dad had to do most of it, besides what cutting and sewing he let Katsuki do, as well as the initial design sketch Katsuki did in a drawing book. Even when he was a teen girl, he didn’t really do things with fashion, always preferring video games (especially otome games), manga and climbing as his hobbies. Well, her hobbies. Becoming a different gender was confusing at times, if you don’t intend on it. Still, it was embarrassing to hear praise for it, even if it was a good sign. He could do this, becoming a costume designer and a good person. He didn’t need to be stuck as a rival and future villain. 

~@~@~

Waiting in Katsuki’s hospital room for either Mitsuki and Masaru to arrive or Katsuki to come back from his most recent CT scan, all Inko could do was sit and drink the second can of corn soup she purchased from the vending machine.

It was always a problem for her, when it came to her anxiety. And she knew she gained more than seven kilos in the past year, between Izuku’s… Doctor visit last year, and the bullying he was receiving at school as a result. There was so little she could do, with trying to pull him from the Aldera school system and put him in a more supportive school for Quirkless children, but even working full-time as a nurse as well as the child support from Hisashi wouldn’t cover the costs for putting Izuku into private school. 

Finding out her best friend’s son was his biggest bully and the ringleader did not help, especially with how much Izuku adored Katsuki since they were toddlers. Poor sweet boy must have been so betrayed when he started getting called that name. At times, in her darkest moments, Inko wished for anything to happen so Katsuki would stop being such a horrid little brat, which added to that gnawing sickness in her chest when she found out the poor boy received a traumatic head injury and nearly drowned due to falling in a stream.

She downed the corn soup in one gulp. Gods, she felt horrible. She was horrible, thinking such things about a little boy… A little boy who went and got injured again for her son! Who stood up to his bully friends, and encouraged Izuku into thinking he could be a hero! Who not just apologized for that horrid nickname but made it something kind, changing it from ‘useless puppet’ to words of encouragement!

… Had Inko ever encouraged Izuku’s dream? She knew she apologized for him being Quirkless, and she tried her best to be a kind, gentle mother, but that wasn’t support, was it?

Then again, with seeing her tiny, gentle son so bruised up as she dropped him off at the Koikes, holding an ice-pack to his freckled cheek, it was hard to feel like she could support him in this. She wanted Izuku to be happy, but she also wanted him to be safe . And it wasn’t a very safe world, even with heroes like All Might doing their best to defeat villains and criminals, especially for tiny, lonely, Quirkless children. It wasn’t the first time he came home banged up and crying from school, but it was certainly the worst. 

Then again, if someone as powerful and strong as little Katsuki was just as likely to be bullied, maybe the Quirks just didn’t matter at all. Maybe it just came down to Aldera’s school system being toxic. Lord knew she heard stories about the middle school that made her heart jump into her throat.

Inko checked her phone again, no response from the Bakugous yet, from their last text about arriving and parking. Part of her wanted to head down to the vending machine again, but she already had two onigiri, two cans of corn soup and a snack cake, all of it tasting like cotton or chunky water in her mouth. It wasn’t hunger so much as Inko needing to do something, and sometimes ‘something’ came down to putting food into her mouth.

The sound of rapidly clicking heels down the hall and hospital staff shouting “Ma’am, you can’t run in the hall” or “Please, stop and be careful!” caught her attention. It shouldn’t be possible to feel both relief and trepidation, yet here she was, coming to her feet just as Mitsuki ran into the hospital room, with Masaru lagging a few meters behind.

“ Katsuki- ” She already belted out, before stopping in her tracks, eyes starting to water at the empty room. Mitsuki was always the ‘peppy’ one of the two of them, so seeing how her shoulders trembled, the tears running down her cheeks and how unkept and wild her hair became from just the sheer amount of running and rushing she had done broke Inko’s heart. Inko knew she deserved whatever lashing Mitsuki would give her, bracing for her response.

It hurt so much the response was so quiet, Mitsuki shuffling to Inko, wild eyes scanning the room. “Where is he? Inko, i-is…” Her words caught in her throat, Mitsuki blinking back tears.

Inko shook her head. “He’s currently getting a CT scan, making sure there wasn’t another concussion after the fight. Thankfully, it’s mostly bruising and minor contusions but the doctors wanted to make sure the injuries didn’t aggravate his…” Inko inhaled, not wanting to bring up Katsuki’s last TBI, “... Additionally, they have a Quirk-based healer on staff, who’s working on his hand. He has cracked phalanges-” with the frightened twitch Mitsuki gave, Inko added, “The bones in his hand that make up the palm, sorry- but he shouldn’t have permanent damage by the time they’ve completed the healing.” 

At least the tension in Mitsuki’s shoulders eased, even if she couldn’t cut back the little panicked sob that slipped from her lips. Masaru remained to the back of the room, waiting for a moment as he watched the two women. Inko went to wave him over, to explain any details he might have been missing, but at that moment the medical practitioner working Katsuki’s case popped his head into the room.

“I heard the Bakugous just arrived,” Dr. Yoshinobu said, holding up a chart, “We’ve been waiting for you both, and Midoriya-san has been updating us on when you’d arrive… Katsuki-kun’s currently finishing up his CT scan, if either of you would like to speak to me in regards to his treatment.”

“Right,” Masaru said, looking back to both women. He nodded, assessing the pair for a moment, “I can take care of this, dear,” he said, specifically to Mitsuki, “I think you two need to have a chat… If anything happens, I’ll come right back and get you, Mitsu.”

He wasn’t wrong. This talk was long overdue, even if they really could have had this in much less dire circumstances. Mitsuki nodded, mouthing a soft and gentle, “Tell him I love him, Masaru,” before her husband left. For a moment, Inko almost forced Mitsuki to leave as well, go and spend time with Katsuki - it must kill her to stay here, just to watch Inko ramble uselessly when her son was in the hospital for a second time - but before she could say anything, Mitsuki stepped back.

Then Mitsuki bowed the deepest Inko had ever seen her do, in their twenty-year-long friendship. 

“Katsuki-” Mitsuki’s voice cracked, catching on a sob still in her throat, “Katsuki has… Not been a kind child for a long time.” She didn’t call him ‘shitty brat’ or ‘fucking gremlin’ or any of her normal comments for Katsuki’s newfound brattiness, Inko noted. With that, Mitsuki continued, “He’s been cruel, and using his Quirk as an excuse to be a bully, especially to Izuku-kun. And people fawn over him all the time for being a smart, powerful kid who could do anything, but… I’ve not stepped in enough to break his shitty habits.” 

“Mitsuki…” Inko wanted to kick herself, only able to say so little while watching her best friend tearing herself up so much emotionally. She was angry at Katsuki-kun for the bullying, and beginning to resent Mitsuki and Masaru for how little they did, yes, but this was not how she ever wanted an apology to happen. 

Mitsuki came up from her bow, the tears no longer falling but eyes still rimmed red and bloodshot, “I should have stepped in earlier! If I could get it into his head that he was being a brat, maybe Izuku wouldn’t have been bullied so badly! Maybe Katsuki would have been more careful and not gone wandering in the woods past the fence, a-and… And-” 

This was never how she wanted this apology to happen. Not because Katsuki was suffering like this, and Mitsuki was clawing her own heart out, convinced that this was all due to her. Even in her angriest moments, all Inko wanted was things to be right with their families again, never such a horrific bout of suffering! 

Inko’s hands moved on their own. 

She gripped Mitsuki’s upper arms, shaking her as firmly as she possibly could, “What happened to Katsuki isn’t your fault!”

Mitsuki stared at her wildly, before her eyes started welling up again, “B-But… If I stepped in sooner -”

“It’s still not your fault!” Inko snapped, “Izuku went to the woods as willingly as Katsuki, as did all of Katsuki’s ‘friends’! So have many other kids in our neighborhood! He’s been cruel and a bully, but him falling into the river wasn’t some divine punishment for that, it was just an accident. Him getting attacked by his former friends at school wasn’t your fault, he was trying his best to correct what he did wrong.” Inko stilled, trying to stop the shuddering in her breath, as well as staunch her own watery eyes, “He’s trying so hard to correct this, and Izuku’s forgiven him so quickly… I don’t want to hold it against him, if Izuku’s so sure Katsuki’s changed. And I don’t want to hold it against you, either.” 

If Izuku could take the past year of bullying and name-calling and a beatdown, and transform it into a reason to love Katsuki so much, what kind of mother would she be to keep holding the grudge? 

Especially knowing how badly Katsuki was beaten trying to protect her frail, small boy? 

Mitsuki’s arms reached up slowly, even with how Inko gripped her, before reaching back to pull Inko into a hug. She whined, trying so hard to bite down on her own tears - Mitsuki didn’t need Inko crying her eyes out right now, not when she was the one in pain - as Mitsuki drew her close. And maybe she wasn’t doing a very good job of that, the tears beading down her cheeks and onto Mitsuki’s green sweater, but by god, Inko was holding back so much. 

“Izuku’s a strong kid,” Mitsuki mumbled against Inko’s shoulder, “Even after being bullied so much, he still saved Katsuki’s life, and wants him around… Not enough people realize how strong and courageous he really is.” 

Inko winced, thankful Mitsuki couldn’t see her face. Mitsuki was right, in more ways than she could possibly know. 

~@~@~

Katsuki honestly thought being isekai’d would be more interesting than this, to be honest.

Technically, this was a kind of isekai. He was indeed in another world, different from his own, living a brand new life. And yeah, it was pretty similar to the original life he had, gender and Quirks notwithstanding. Honestly, that was kind of the boring part though, the similarities. He might as well just still be in modern Japan - well, maybe slightly less modern Japan, like Japan ten years ago? Either way, it was the kind of world where he would get zoomed to a hospital if he was sufficiently hurt and had to deal with scans and IV bags and casts on his arm.

The arm cast especially sucked since his hand stopped hurting as soon as the doctor used her Quirk on his hand! But apparently the bones were still too soft, and he needed to be in a cast for the next forty-eight hours, minimum?!

Ugh. To think, he had so many other games he could have ended up in, instead of My Hero 9: Academia. He could have ended up in Fortune Lover, maybe been… Mary Hunt or Sophia Ascart, both of them seem like good choices? Or maybe Prince Alan or Keith Claes, if he was always going to be a guy? 

Good god, at least he wouldn’t have been Catarina Claes, which was only slightly worse than being Katsuki ‘Ground Zero/Dynamight’ Bakugou! At least there was a way for Katsuki to end up not a villain, even if he didn’t know how to do that yet! 

Still, he flopped back into his hospital bed. His mom was talking to the doctor, while Auntie Inko and Dad had left to go home a while ago. Mom wanted to spend the night as well, and was doing her best to get a cot and get stuff set up with Dad, extra clothes and a game system for Katsuki to play on while they waited. When he asked about homework, she gave a pinched look before answering “We’ll need to talk about that later, okay Kacchan?”

… Okay, little kid homework was easy-peasy, but he couldn’t say he minded not doing it. Even if sitting around, watching TV was pretty boring. Not like the nurses would let him walk around or do anything, even if he could walk just fine! It was his stupid hand that was broken, not his feet! And the nurses got real mad when he tried to amuse himself by practicing his Quirk with his not injured hand on top of it… As did mom, who pinched his cheeks super hard for that.

“In other news today, Number One hero All Might is at it again, after taking out no less than ten villains in an hour’s span! While this doesn’t beat his existing record of twelve separate villains within an hour span, we still have to congratulate him on his hard work, in our news report of this Heroic Hour!” The reporter said, never breaking her gleaming smile as she went on. At least the All Might clips were really cool to see on their own - and it was interesting to see what Detroit Smash and Carolina Smash actually looked like instead of All Might running at the enemy and a flash of light striking them as he moved. Still, the news was so boring to hear droned on about.

As he started changing the channels aimlessly again, he could hear another person being wheeled in, with a nurse and a very deep-voiced and grumbly man speaking. Oh! He was getting a roommate for the night as well, thank goodness! Maybe they’d be a slightly older kid and someone Katsuki could relate to a little better… Or maybe another nice little kid, like Izuku, and they could play some sort of word games while hanging out. 

Too bad the curtain was still drawn, so he couldn’t see what was happening on the other side. But he was really bored… And maybe a little nosy, considering everything that happened. Katsuki turned the TV down a bit, trying to hear the conversation secretly. 

“The best news we can offer is that his eye wasn’t affected by the initial scalding damage, nor the application of ice after the ‘incident’. Even with the severity of the burn, his eyesight should remain unaffected.”

“But will he remain marred by this? Are none of your specialists able to remove all signs of the physical damage?”

“Unfortunately, with this level of damage, it will be a while before we can deem the severity of the scarring. However, the burn area has been minimized, and once Shouto is old enough, we can discuss the option of plastic surgery in regards to the burn area.”

That drew a pause from Katsuki. Shouto. A burn scar, sounds like over the eye. 

… That can’t possibly be who he thought it was, right? There was no way that this was indeed the same, and it had to be a completely different Shouto who had a burn over his eye, right? Katsuki stared at the curtain, not noticing the remote was shaking in his hand or the amount of sweat he was producing. Or the sparking in his palm for that matter, until he smelt the slight twinge of burning plastic, oh crap!

“Er… Is something burning?”

“I accepted this was not a single-occupancy hospital room, but I was at least under the impression his roommate was under control. I will not be allowing any more mishaps to affect my heir,” the deeper voice, the voice of Number Two Hero Endeavor of all people, intoned as he started exiting the curtained segment of the hospital room. All Katsuki could do was balk, before immediately slapping at the remote, followed by shoving it under his pillow. 

It wasn’t a surprise Endeavor was enormous. After all, his character art loomed over DEKU, with most fans speculating he was at least as tall as All Might in his prime. At least. The permanent scowl on the man’s face did not help ease this at all, nor did the ever-present licking of flames on his beard and mustache. For a moment, all Katsuki could do was stare in wide-eyed horror, really wishing his mom was here right now. Or literally anyone else besides Endeavor himself.

The Council of Bakugous called an emergency order at this.

“Everyone, please remain as calm as possible, I repeat remain calm!” Chairman cried out, as he banged on his gavel, trying to calm the sparking, terrified legion of Bakugous down even with how his gavel crackled around his sweaty palm.

“Oh, this is the worst! This is way worse than anything else that could have happened, save for maybe All For One attacking the hospital right now!” Happy panicked, face in his hands, “And even then, that might be better in the long run, since then Endeavor would be focused on beating bad guys!”

“I-I-I mean, we’re just a little boy, right?” Fearless stuttered, trying so hard to keep a brave smile on his face, “H-he’s supposed to be a hero, right? He wouldn’t be that much of a jerk to hit us or kick us out of the hospital room we’re supposed to be in, right?”

“I mean, he’s enough of a bastard to punch his kid until he puked,” Surly muttered, even if he was half-ducked under the table, “Plus didn’t he abuse Todoroki’s mom before she snapped and flung a teapot at him? If he’s willing to hurt his family, he would definitely be willing to hurt strangers!”

“N-not necessarily,” Studious said, even with the shaky grasp he had on his glasses frames as he adjusted them, “H-he treated Todoroki and his mom like things he owned, more than their own people. We might be in the clear because we’re a stranger, and it doesn’t look good if Endeavor beats up a child at a private hospital for being scared and hurt.”

“H-He… He has a point,” Chairman said, before allowing the tension to ease from his shoulders. The rest of the Council sat back up properly, Surly and Happy no longer hiding under the table, Studious no longer trembling, and the cocky smirk on Fearless looking a little more real this time. “S-still. We all do agree this is really bad, right?”

“Oh, it’s absolutely the pits! This is the day Todoroki-kun got attacked by his mom, and he’s being forced to deal with Endeavor after that!” Fearless agreed, palming his fist in emphasis.

“... At the same time, he’s not a doom flag,” Studious said, the slightest twinge of shame in his voice, “Not for us anyway. He’s a bigger part of Todoroki’s relationship route, and helping him deal with how dysfunctional his family has become as a part of his father’s obsession is what helps him go from standoffish and angry to a lovable party member with one of the best Quirks in the game.”

A TV screen rolled from the ceiling, already displaying various clips of Todoroki’s skills. Both his physical skills as well as his roster of Quirk abilities: Glacier, Frost Wall, Frost Spike, First Flame, and Flashfire all came up with quick shots of the screen filling up with 3-D rendered ice and flame effects. Considering how different Katsuki’s own Explosions looked as well as All Might’s Smash attacks, he couldn’t even guess how they would look in actual life. It didn’t hurt the TV switching to one of Todoroki’s conversation scenes.

“Whenever I get involved with something, someone always suffers… Is something wrong with me?”

“[Selected text] I’ve told you, Todoroki, it’s no one’s power but your own. You’re the person who decides what to do with it.”

“No, not that. I mean your hands and Iida’s.” There was a pause, Todoroki’s character model clenching his fist, “It’s like… I’m the Hand Crusher.”

“... Oh, he’s such an airhead,” Happy cooed lovingly, watching the dialogue clip. All of the Bakugous beamed up at Todoroki’s worried face, and his admittedly bizarre dialogue tree. “He deserves so much better than… Well, everything that happened to him in his backstory, that’s for sure!”

“... You know, we really can’t do much,” Surly said, pointing at the group as soon as the light joy at Todoroki’s gap moe melted away, “It’s the worst night of Todoroki’s life, and after tonight, we’re not gonna see him again until UA. What can we even do to make this better for him?”

The snap of fingers drew Katsuki back to reality sharply. Doing his best to suppress a shiver, he stared upwards, at the hulking form of Endeavor once again. As he stared up, he could feel his tongue going dry, his stupid poppable hands getting drenched with terror-sweat. All he could do was ball his uncast hand into a fist, staring up at him.

“Boy,” The man grumbled, voice loud and rumbling like a freight train that does bad things to it’s train children and train wife, because Katsuki was never very strong on metaphors. Katsuki’s spine went rigid, staring up while trying his best to suppress his fear, “You know you’re in a hospital room with others. I am sure your parents would expect you to act with dignity, not destructively.”

“Y-Yes sir!” Katsuki squeaked out, “Sorry sir! I-I-I just- I heard you were here, and I got- surprised, and m-my Quirk just came out-” He pointed at the slightly burnt remote, before holding up his scrunched up fist, “B-but I’m good now, s-see!? As long as I don’t get sweat everywhere, I don’t make things explode! So I’ll be good, and not cause any more problems for Shouto!”

“Shouto?” The man’s eyebrow perked up, shock spreading over his face, “So you heard what was happening?”

“Er- I mean- I am a real Hero fanboy!” Katsuki winced at that, sure he felt a small chill from Shouto’s side of his curtain. Not that he liked Endeavor - even as a teen girl, she found him too cruel to his family and just too mean of a character to enjoy, and now he was here scaring the everloving shit out of him personally - but it made sense to play it up as an explanation. There were, after all, articles about him and his family, and at least one that talked about Shouto directly. “A-And I didn’t hear very much, but I heard your voice, and a bit about a Shou-something, so it’s a fair guess?”

God, it would have been easier if Katsuki had isekai’d into Midoriya instead of himself. He sure as heck sounded like Midoriya right now.

Endeavor seemed to ease up at that. Crap, he didn’t want to make him happy with Katsuki, especially with how it would make Shouto feel! As the flames eased, into the tiniest of licks along his beard and mustache, Endeavor tilted his head at Katsuki. “So… A fan you sa-”

“I LIKE ALL MIGHT!” Katsuki blurted out.

… It seemed like the best idea at the time, to nip this in the bud before it really went out of control. And considering how immediately Endeavor stilled, the flames freezing in place as the soul left his body, it wasn’t the worst idea. Especially at the soft chuckle from the other side of the curtain, the first time Katsuki heard Shouto laugh during any of this craziness.

“Mn,” Endeavor grunted in response, still as he loomed over Katsuki’s bed. Then, he turned around to head back into the curtain. From there, Katsuki could hear his next question “And you are absolutely sure there are no more single-unit private rooms within your facility. Or another less troublesome roommate for my son?”

“I am sorry, but we’re still taking in emergency patients from today’s raid and All Might’s villain-busting spree,” The other voice, presumably a doctor or nurse, said, “We just do not have the facilities at this time. That being said, we should speak in private, there are matters involving your son’s case that would be good to make sure certain people are not privy to.” Well, less things for him to eavesdrop, but that might be for the best. Especially with the cold glare the nurse gave him as he and Endeavor left the room, leaving him by himself with Shouto beyond the curtain.

Katsuki sat on his bed, his heart still in his chest. For a moment, it looked like he was about to activate a death flag, nevermind all of the villain flags or doom flags he had to avoid. He wiped his hand on his bedsheets, trying to dry off as much as the nitroglycerin sweat he could even if he wasn’t sure if that was safe or not. Oh well, better than lighting his hands on fire? Quirks made things very difficult sometimes. As he went to grab the remote, the sound of feet tapping the ground caught his attention.

The voice on the other side of the curtain was so soft, so broken as it came close. “Excuse me,” Shouto mumbled, barely loud enough for Katsuki to hear him. “I heard… You’re an All Might fan,” probably also heard how Katsuki launched those words at his father’s head like a brick. “And… You sound like you’re my age.”

Katsuki nodded, giving a noise of affirmation. He didn’t need to say he was definitely Shouto’s age, of course, but it was fair enough to guess, “I’m in first grade! My name is Katsuki Bakugou!” He debated on asking Todoroki his name, but it seemed like he already guessed it, “A-are you in the first grade too?”

“I… Don’t know. I have a private tutor,” Shouto admitted, embarrassed. “I don’t get to see people my age very often. I’m not even allowed to play with my big brothers or sister.”

Oh god, of course he was still as heartbreaking and as open about that as in the canon. Katsuki gasped, only able to achieve a soft, “Oh- Todoroki-kun-” really quickly.

“... Sorry. I know I say too much,” Shouto said, starting to shuffle back to his bed, “I just wanted to say hi, and that I like All Might too.”

Well, there was no way Katsuki could leave this alone, at this point. Not if being nice to Todoroki wouldn’t be a doom flag for his future, and certainly not knowing this was one of the worst days of Todoroki’s life. He kicked himself out of bed, dashing over to the curtain of Shouto’s bed, “Hey, I’m not mad about it! O-or even sad, except that sucks a lot to hear-” He gripped the curtain, only just stopping himself from opening it. Right, Shouto was used to people pushing him around, especially his dad. He shouldn’t push him too hard, he should let Shouto make the choice, “... I mean, you seem like you’ve had a really bad night too. And I know there’s a special on All Might later on TV, my friend told me about.” Izuku chirped about it as they were walking back to Izuku’s house, in between asking Katsuki if his head felt okay and if he needed to sit down again. He had hoped to watch it with Izuku but… Well, he was in the hospital again, and probably here for the rest of the night. Stupid bullies.

Shouto remained quiet, even as he walked closer to the curtain. That was a good sign, at least, something they could do quietly. Katsuki thought about it, thinking of other options, “My mom is coming back later too, with my console! And like, paper games like Mad Libs, that we can play too!”

“Mad libs? Console?” Shouto sounded so confused about these things. When was the last time he ever got to play? He went quiet, before the curtain pulled away, allowing Katsuki to see Shouto Todoroki for the first time.

He was so small. He might have been as small as Izuku, but also just so tired with how his hair hung over his eyes, Shouto trying his best to cover up the bandage wrapped around his face. Subconsciously, he tapped at the bandage, the eye that Katsuki knew his mother burned, while actively looking down at the floor. Poor thing looked like he was swimming in his hospital gown, on top of every bad thing that happened to him during the day.

Katsuki looked at the bandages around Shouto’s eye, before latching onto an idea. He took Shouto’s hand with his own free hand, drawing his attention. As soon as Shouto looked up, Katsuki pointed at the bandage around his own head, meant to help with little scrapes on his face, as well as the still-present black eye. “See? We’re both head bandage buddies now. You don’t need to feel bad about yours, because I’ve got one too!”

Shouto stared at him, his visible grey eye shining in the hospital lights. For a moment, Katsuki was sure he said the wrong thing, before a small smile grew over Shouto’s lips, up to Shouto’s eye. “Right. Head bandage buddies.” 

Chapter Text

Somehow, this was both the best and worst day of Shouto’s life. 

“So that one is called a Big Katsu,” Katsuki rambled, pointing at the flat and oily-smelling patty now in Shouto’s hands. It certainly didn’t look like any form of katsu he ever had in his life, even if he was supposed to be on a strict diet. And it didn’t smell like chicken or pork, or even like any sort of good fish smell like salmon. He stared back at Katsuki hopelessly, not sure if this was meant as some kind of trick. 

“It feels hard,” Shouto said, trying to bend it. It wasn’t completely immobile, but it certainly took more effort than he would have expected a katsu patty to take, and more importantly looked like nothing but a single layer of fried batter. “I think they forgot the meat inside it.” 

Katsuki chuckled, as he took his own half, “Nah, they’re supposed to look like that! It’s just really thin, I think? I don’t know what’s inside it, but it’s not meat! Oh, and they’re also a little hard to chew!” With that, he took a bite from the questionable slice of katsu, gnawing for a second before chewing it off. “It’s really salty and oily, so it’s worth it, but you gotta really work hard to eat it!”

“Katsuki…” Katsuki’s mom mumbled, her hand covering her face, “Telling people something tastes oily and it’s hard to eat is not a way to convince them to try eating it.” She glanced down to Shouto, “It’s just flattened surimi paste. You don’t need to try this one if you don’t want to.”  

“I know, ma’am,” Shouto nodded. She gave him that caveat for every snack he tried, but he was still willing. And most, like the squid jerky and the milky candy, were really tasty! Screwing down his resolve, Shouto took the patty up and bit down hard, eyes going wide at the explosion of flavor, something so bizarrely artificial and yet so familiar in a way that made him twitch. He could see how Katsuki’s mom immediately grabbed a trash can by the hospital bed they were sitting at, not at all expecting Shouto to actually swallow it down. 

Katsuki sat in front of him, eyes and grin wider than he expected, holding up his own half of the snack. It took so many seconds of chewing, Shouto having to absorb the overall saltiness and crunch, before he could finally speak. 

“... It’s very crunchy!” Shouto chirped. He liked it! It was oily and fake and weirdly fishy, and all so bad for him, so Shouto was resolute in his decision! “I like Big Katsus as well!” 

“You like every snack!” Katsuki pointed at the small pile of wrappers growing between them, the boxes of chocolates and cakes, the fish jerky, milky candy, the thing that neither of them liked but Shouto still did because it was something bad for him that he ate with a friend, but either way they still gave it to Katsuki’s mom because it tasted like coffee, and now the wrapper for the Big Katsu. “We need to try better ones though… Oh, we still have more from the vending machine–” 

“Yeah, no,” Katsuki’s mom held up her hand, “It’s already eight and you two have eaten like a kilo of sugar and junk. I’m not gonna let you both eat yourselves sick when you’re already at the hospital.” Shouto nodded in acceptance, even as Katsuki whined softly as soon as Katsuki’s mom turned them down. As she tossed the wrappers away, leaving them with the last of their precious snacks, her eyebrow cocked, “Anyway, normally you don’t like this many sweets.” 

“Er–” Katsuki balked, before glancing away with a tap of his fingers, “Well… I mean, I did get really scared when I fell in the creek and Izuku saved my life… I guess I had a chance of heart, and want to be the best boy I can possibly be… And I’m sure you’re very happy I’m okay now, safe and sounds, like nothing happened at all–” 

His mom snorted. “Yeah, nah, that’s cute but you’re still not getting any more junk for the night.” As soon as Katsuki squawked again, Shouto could only laugh. “You can get video games or TV, and that’s it.”

Honestly, that still seemed amazingly indulgent. A chance to watch TV was always one of the things that made Shouto happiest, and he never got to play a video game. He wasn’t even sure if his siblings had something to play on or ever even got to play with something like that, considering he only ever got to see them in passing when they were playing outside. “I’ve never played a video game…” He mumbled, drawing a gasp from Katsuki.  

“What!? Never ever? Not even Mario?” He asked, rapidfire and incredulous, as Shouto wasn’t able to do anything but blink in confusion. “Oh– Mom, you brought the Switch right? We need to correct this, and you need to try Mario Odyssey!” 

“I’m not sure who Mario Odyssey is,” Shouto said. Strange name for someone, but then again his favorite hero was All Might. Maybe Mario Odyssey was a hero too? Immediately, the long tablet with neon-bright handles was placed in Shouto’s hands, screen showing a chubby little man in bright red and blue overalls, with eyes on his hat. It didn’t take long for Katsuki to explain how to activate the man’s Quirk – that was, Jump – and how to go about saving a princess from a horrifying monster with fiery breath and a cruel, snarling face.

“Don’t worry, Shouto, that’s just Bowser,” Katsuki said, pointing at the snarling, flaming monster who leered over Princess Peach and tossed Mario Odyssey aside like he was nothing. “I know he looks like he’s a tough guy, but we can totally beat him up, and he’s not scary in other games. Like, in Mario Sunshine, he’s just trying to take his son on vacation!” 

“He has a son?” Shouto’s tone went dark as he asked, his bandaged eye starting to ache. What was worse was seeing this monster, flaming and massive and mean, and pushing a princess around, and knowing that he was a father. 

He took his son on a vacation, in a game. Did that mean he was a better father than Shouto’s own? Or was he better at covering it up, like how many of the nurses said he was a kind father for making sure Shouto was safe and being cared for so quickly?

Thinking about it would make his eye hurt worse under all of the gauze and medicines, as well as where the nurses stuck the IV on his hand. And he deserved it, of course. He wasn’t strong enough to save Mom, and he had that hair and those eyes, just like Father’s. It would leave him quiet, trying his best to keep his tears from flowing, because they would make his bandaged eye sting worse, and almost assuredly Father would not approve. And if he didn’t approve, then he would make Shouto work harder until he approved again, which left a burning sour pit in Shouto’s stomach to think about. 

He tried to hold back the sniffle, as he stared at the vibrant screen of the tablet, watching the chubby little man continue to run along, trying to avoid the barking sphere with teeth long enough to grab a moon. It had been so fun until he had been thinking again, and suddenly the fun stopped and the day went back to being the worst. The tablet was pulled out of his hands gently, as a cheerful blond face peered up from his lap. 

“Shouto-kun, are you crying?” Katsuki asked quietly, “I can switch the game to something else instead of Mario, like we can play Animal Crossing instead?” 

“I don’t think it’s the game that’s bothering Todoroki-kun, Katsuki,” Katsuki’s mom admonished, reaching down to pat Shouto’s back gently. He stiffened, even if he could prevent the shudder from running down his spine at the all-too-similar touch. His mother was just as gentle, every day until today when she stared at Shouto like… 

The sniffle hit a little stronger. “Is it too much, kiddo? Do you want to head back to bed?” Katsuki’s mom asked, all too suddenly apprehensive although thankfully not pulling away. Not yet, not today. 

“N-no, ma’am,” Shouto shook his head. “I–” He rubbed his free eye with the ball of his hand, “I miss my mom… And you and Katsuki are being so nice to me, b-but…” He didn’t deserve kindness. He had his father’s eye and hair, and he wasn’t strong enough to keep his mom safe, so she snapped and grabbed the tea pot–

A small arm curled around his shoulder, snapping him out of the tears again, as he was pulled into a hug. “Shouto-kun… You didn’t do anything wrong,” Katsuki spoke softly, patting his head gently. Another pair of arms wrapped around him on the opposite side, Katsuki’s mom stroking Shouto’s back, all so much like the mother he was missing, the mother who wouldn’t hurt him with boiling tea water, and just made him all the more confused. He looked up, staring back at Katsuki who was watching back with confusion and concern, trying to think of anything to say. 

“B-but if I–” Shouto sniffled, before immediately stopping himself. No, he couldn’t say it, the words catching in his throat. Katsuki and his mom were so kind to him, but he wasn’t stupid, he could hear how scared Katsuki was of his father. And he knew that his father was the number two hero in all of Japan, no one would believe him if he said what happened, how he hurt Mom and Shouto and made everyone stay away and scream with Touya every night horrible things until Touya would give up. 

Even Bowser, as scary as he was, was seen as ‘not that bad’ because he could go take his family on vacations. 

Katsuki breathed gently, before pulling back to hold Shouto’s hands in his own. “I’ll believe you,” he said, serious and soft. “If you have something horrible to say, no matter what happened, I’ll believe you.” 

It sounded so good to hear… It sounded impossibly good, but what was this? After the worst thing ever, meeting someone gentle, who wanted to make him happy and eat so much trash and play games and just be nice to Shouto? Even telling his father he liked All Might, despite being scared of him? He opened and shut his mouth, rubbing the tears from his eye before he could speak. Even Katsuki’s mom watched in concern, not sure how to respond, but listening. People were listening, for once. 

“My father–” 

“Shouto.”  

In an instant, Shouto’s blood turned to ice. 

Standing in the doorway was his father, glowering down at not just Shouto but Katsuki and his mother, eyes intense with rage. “You should be taking a rest, Shouto. What are you doing up and about ?” his eyes focused on the half-eaten katsu still beside Shouto where he placed it while playing the game. “And what is this garbage?” 

“Oh, excuse me,” Katsuki’s mom tried to take the lead, scooping up the treat immediately, “My son wanted to try some of the snacks in the vending machine, and it didn’t seem right to just leave Shouto-kun out–”

“So you fed my son this filth? ” Father growled, the flames flickering subtly. Katsuki’s mother silenced, freezing in mid-gather, “Shouto is meant to remain on a strict muscle-growth diet, to aid in his training and health as he prepares for UA. There is no reason to be loading up someone else’s child with this much useless carbs and sugar, especially without my permission.” 

“It’s– First of all, sir, ” Katsuki’s mom rebounded, lip curling up in a borderline snarl, “I don’t think a single evening of candy and jerky will ruin your son’s ‘diet’ or his chances at UA, especially since he’s not even seven.”

“And it’s that kind of wayward, indulgent thinking that will lead Shouto astray at this rate,” Father stomped over, all too quickly at Shouto’s side. “You may spoil your son as you like, considering the impression he’s been leaving all around. However, Shouto is my masterpiece, and I would care to keep him prepared and training for his future role.” 

“A masterpiece?” Katsuki’s mom snarled, “He’s your child, not a goddamn portrait! Children can’t just be forced into dieting and overwork until they snap, and he was a lonely little boy who desperately needed someone to comfort him, not that you weren’t here to do that–”

“Enough!”  

The room went blistering hot, Father’s flames fanning out in an all too familiar burst, sickening, cloying, and always choking. That was enough to cow Katsuki’s mother, the woman’s pupils shrinking as she stepped back to the bed. Father loomed over all three of them, more than a head taller than the woman and three times as thick before the fire, his glare seering down with withering force. Even Shouto could see how she trembled, how her fists shook under the large sleeves of her cardigan. 

Father’s tone went to a near whisper, as he growled, “It would do you poorly to continue this, Bakugou-san. After all, considering your son is also here for head trauma, it would not be difficult to ask child services to investigate what has happened with him, and what kind of mother would not just let this happen, but harass the family of a Pro Hero in the middle of a family crisis.” 

She said nothing, deep frown painting her face even as she trembled. It said a lot how she didn’t even wince as Father leaned closer, “I will be taking my son now. It seems this hospital has proven they’re not cautious to Shouto’s needs, and it would be for the best if you let this go so young Katsuki could continue to recover.” 

“I…” Katsuki’s mother stumbled over her words, before shutting her eyes, Shouto’s heart breaking all over again. It shouldn’t hurt this badly, after all he wasn’t her son. And she had to protect Katsuki from Father too, Shouto could understand the threat at least. Even then, thinking that didn’t help how his chest cracked, as Katsuki’s mother moved aside, closer to Katsuki and leaving the space clear for Father to pull Shouto to his feet. “I understand… sir. I was out of line.” 

“Indeed you were,” Father said, his glower not moving an inch as he brought Shouto close. His massive hand on Shouto’s head brought him a sense of revulsion, doing his best to not whimper. “But I will look away from this. Be thankful I have greater issues to worry about.” 

“Yes… sir,” the word looked like it hurt for her to say, as much as it hurt Shouto to hold back cries of ‘please, fight for me, don’t let me go, I don’t want to go with Father. He hurt me, and he hurt my mom! He made her hurt me!’ dying in Shouto’s throat. 

But fighting would make it worse for them, as it made it so much worse for Mom and always made it worse for Touya, didn’t it? 

He didn’t even hear what Father said, something about how his things would be arranged to be sent home and ‘Aoba Chiba hospital’, but the words felt muffled compared to how his head pounded. Don’t make me go, don’t let him take me away, please, please, please.

“Wait!” A voice snapped out to him, just as they were entering the hallway. The sound of bare feet running on the hospital floor caught up to him as well as a second pair and another voice screaming. 

“Katsuki, stop!” Katsuki’s mom grabbed him as soon as he reached the doorway, keeping him from reaching out to Shouto, as Katsuki tried to reach out. 

He wriggled in her grasp, hands open before pointing right at Endeavor. “Address! I want your address! Please, Endeavor-san!” 

Father scoffed, “Don’t you think you’ve done enough tonight, boy? You should listen to your mother.” 

“Then you have a fanmail account, right? I can send them to that!” His gaze turned to Shouto, “I’m going to write to you! Every single day, okay? A-and I’ll send you snacks, healthy ones, and tell you about everything I can think of, I’m not forgetting you, I swear!” A wobbly grin stretched over his lips, “Because we’re head bandage buddies!” 

He… Wasn’t forgetting Shouto. He couldn’t save Shouto, neither his mom or Shouto’s own mother and siblings, no one could save Shouto now. But he wasn’t forgetting Shouto. 

That had to count for something. 

Shouto nodded, tears deeply suppressed so as not to anger Father in public any further. Instead, he nodded, not able to suppress the grin before he was dragged away. “Head bandage buddies. I’ll look forward to your letters, Katsuki.” 

~@~@~

The next few days were less… Scary. 

No, Katsuki was going to be honest, that was all very scary. The idea of being pulled away from his parents and sent to an orphanage or wherever they’d send parentless kids in this world was sickening to think about. Heck, they might not even send him anywhere! Wasn’t part of Shigaraki’s backstory him wandering around with his dad’s hand on the streets until All For One found him? Not only would his life be so much worse, there would be no way to avoid being a villain if All For One or another bad guy found him as an orphan! 

Not that he regretted trying to make Shouto’s day better. Not one bit! Even if that nearly set off so many doom and even death flags on their own, he couldn’t regret it. Shouto had a miserable, lonely childhood, and this was the worst day for him. 

If nothing else, Shouto deserved to play some video games and eat candy for once. 

And he would certainly sneak so many candies into the letters once they started going out! 

The hospital door slid open, drawing Katsuki out of his thoughts. “Kacchan!” Izuku cheered, immediately running into the room with the gift bag in his hand. “You’re okay! We got you a present too!” 

“Not causing any more problems today, right Brat?” Mom said, following behind Izuku slightly. She still didn’t seem okay, after Endeavor took Shouto away… Not that he was great either, but he really expected Mom to chew him out and probably beat his ass for trying to piss off the number two hero of Japan. 

Being held in a hug and feeling her tears running down his shoulder was not what he expected, even if that’s what she did instead. As it stood, she still seemed more super-worried than her usually tsun-tsun grouchy self, which was starting to weird Katsuki out on some level. At least she was smiling today, and calling him brat again! Katsuki playfully stuck his tongue out at her for that, as she and Izuku sat down. 

“You’re getting the all-clear to head home at this point,” Mom said, patting his no-longer-bandaged head. The scrapes on his forehead were healed up as were most of the little bruises, and while his hand was still in a sling it would only be until his next check-up. “We just need to wait for the doctors to sign off on it, and we’ll be back. Of course, your biggest fan wanted to come pick you up too.” 

“Yup!” Izuku said, shoving the gift bag at Katsuki. “I got you a present too, since you were in the hospital again. Oh! But no All Might balloon this time!” 

Oh dear god, Izuku was so cute! How on earth could anyone be mean to something this sweet and good natured!? He was like the little brother Katsuki always wanted back in his old life, with a spike of nerdiness that just added to the cuteness! “You really are my best friend!” Katsuki grinned, already seeing the card wrappers sticking out from the very top. As Izuku got close, Katsuki ruffled his hair, nudging over enough to make space for the tinier boy to sit next him. “Come on, you can help me open these!” 

As the boys started picking through the bag of card packs – wow, and it was five of them! That must have been all of Izuku’s allowance for weeks! He absolutely had to make sure Izuku was going home with any All Mights they found in this! – Katsuki could see one of the nurses coming to the open door, waving his mom over. “You might be ready sooner than I thought,” Mom mumbled, before looking at the boys, “Don’t leave or cause any problems, alright? I’ll be right outside the door.” 

“Yes Auntie!” 
“I’ll be good!” 

As soon as she left, turning around the corner to talk with the nurse about medical things Katsuki barely understood, Izuku held up one of the packets. “You get to open this one first, alright? It’s your present, after all.”

Katsuki nodded, before peeling open the foil. Sadly, no candy or gum in these, although they normally came with a holographic sticker which was almost as good even if his parents weren’t happy with him slapping them on his desk or door. And the cards themselves helped, listing Heroes that he never saw in the canon games or only saw in a few cut scenes. Pet-Pet, Atomizer, The Great Horned Owl… Between the stats and Izuku being willing to explain every Hero he pointed out, he felt like he knew a bit more about the world than he used to. 

And at least he could recognize Present Mic and Fatgum. “Oh! He just got a radio show!” Izuku pointed out the Present Mic card. “I heard some clips on HeroTube but I’m not allowed to stay up that late to watch it normally. Oh, but Mom says if I’m good this week, I’ll be allowed to listen on Friday!” 

“Just started?” Katsuki asked, “I thought he had one for a long time…” He immediately covered his mouth with his hand, realizing the spoiler information he was dropping and Izuku’s confused glance, “-I-I think? I dunno, things get fuzzy sometimes, y’know?” 

“Oh… Oh, you might be thinking of Last Bravo!” Izuku said, “Present Mic took over for him, and they’re both blond and have em… Emitter Quirks, I think? I need to check Heropedia for that later…” He pressed his fingers together, as he trailed off. “... I’m sorry things still get fuzzy, Kacchan. I wish I could help more to help it stop.” 

“You already do a lot, with explaining when I don’t remember something! Don’t worry, okay? I’ll get better eventually, it just takes time,” Katsuki said, smiling at Izuku to help put him more at ease. Hopefully he’ll get to a point where he’s close enough and people will stop worrying about him… It was going to be hard to admit that he wasn’t really Katsuki anymore, even if he couldn’t remember his old name at this point. 

… That should be more worrying than it actually was, when he thought about it… 

As he splayed the cards in his hand, he balked at the holo-foil special in the pack, an all too familiar flaming jerk showing up. Izuku beamed, “Wow! You’re so lucky, an Endeavor holo-foil! He’s almost as cool as All Might!” 

That got a rueful snerk from Katsuki, as he picked up the card between two fingers like holding a bag of dog dookie. He glanced at Izuku, squashing the idea of just offering the card to him before deciding on explaining the truth. It seemed mean now, but it wasn’t like it was All Might Katsuki was hating on, and it wouldn’t be bad for Izuku to know, right? Especially when he got to UA and got to meet Shouto as well. “Hey… Izuku?” 

Of course, this was opening another can of worms. 

How do you explain to a six year old Hero Fanboy who found comfort in heroes and the very idea of Heroism that one of the biggest heroes in the world was… Not? 

“... I met Endeavor a few days ago,” Katsuki admitted. The squeal from Izuku was short-lived, going from excited, overwhelming joy to realizing how muted Katsuki was and how much he was frowning at saying that. 

“That’s… Good, right? Like, he’s the number two hero, and has one of the best rescue records in all of Hero history,” Izuku explained, all so sure maybe Katsuki wasn’t realizing how big this was. Oh, the game made it clear how much of a big deal Endeavor was, and that was the problem! Still, he continued onwards, “I mean, was he hurt? Was he bringing in a bad guy?” 

“His son was hurt,” Katsuki said. He didn’t realize he curled up into a ball, but it felt better to wrap his arms around his knees, focusing less at Izuku’s confused, massive eyes, “And… I think he was the reason why, or at least part of it.” It was hard to explain what happened, how scared Shouto was, how he had no idea what Mario was or ever ate candy and Big Katsus before, and just that moment between his mom and Endeavor. 

Even thinking about that made his chest hurt. 

Still, he couldn’t bear to look at Izuku as he explained, not wanting to break the little kid’s heart yet needing to warn him, wanting to keep Izuku from collecting Endeavor toys or even think about that creep around him and his mom. It might have been selfish, but Izuku would never want to support a guy like that, not unless he was trying to be better, right? And Endeavor didn’t seem like he’d improve any time soon. 

“... And I know he’s supposed to be the number two hero,” Katsuki mumbled, staring at the holofoil sitting on the bed where he dropped it, “But he’s not a good guy, and I’m really worried about his son… I really think Shouto-kun needs friends, and Endeavor doesn’t really let him have that.” 

“... That sounds really scary,” Izuku mumbled. He reached over, squeezing Katsuki’s hand gently, “I’m sorry he was mean to you and Auntie, and Shouto-kun… I didn’t think a hero was allowed to be mean like that.” 

Katsuki laughed bitterly, “I don’t think he is. But because he’s so strong and everyone thinks he’s a good guy, they don’t do anything to stop him.” 

“... What if we ask All Might?” Izuku asked, “We can write his fansite, let him know Endeavor’s a bad guy and hurt his son, a-and tried to hurt you and Auntie! All Might’s a good guy, right?” Actually, that was a really good plan! They just needed to get All Might to know something was wrong, and then he could do something about it! He had a lot more sway than Endeavor did and he wouldn’t be able to push All Might around! Before Katsuki could agree, he could see how Izuku wavered for a moment, “R-right?”

Oh crap. 

He gave Izuku distrust in the very idea of Heroes!? 

“Of course All Might is a good guy!” Katsuki shouted, coming up to his feet and standing on his bed. He balled his hands into fists, “All Might would never hurt his family! You saw that twenty-person carry he started with! And all the people he helps!” The light was coming back to Izuku’s eyes, his smile returning in full sunshine-y force, as Katsuki continued, “He’s not like Endeavor, who only does it so he can be rewarded and calls his kids ‘Masterpieces’! He’s a Hero of Peace, for the people instead of himself!” 

“You’re… You’re right!” Izuku joined him, standing on his chair with his fists in the air too. “It’s All Might! He’s the best hero in the world!” 

“The whole world!” Katsuki cheered in return, before he started in the namesake chant he remembered so well from the eighth My Hero game, “It’s alright!” 

“Because I am here!” Izuku completed, the pair falling into peels of over-dramatic laughter, trying their best to grin like All Might himself. 

“ Boys, ” And immediately, reality snapped back. Katsuki shivered as he turned to face his mother, staring at the pair along with the nurse in abject confusion. She opened and closed her mouth for a moment, before finally deciding on, “Seriously, why are you like this?” 

~@~@~

Context helped a lot, on the second trip back. Thanks to Izuku, Katsuki was able to name at least half the heroes on the banners and advertisements as they drove through Musutafu. Maybe not everyone, but enough where he didn’t stand out as they drove back to his house. Still, as they were on the way back, something felt… Weird. 

As they entered the house, Izuku carrying Katsuki’s backpack with an intensity comparable to someone lifting a car off their child, Mom started heading to the kitchen. “Well boys,” she said, rolling up her sleeves, “We’re having onigarazu for lunch today, but it’s a surprise what the fillings are… Mm, unless Izuku-kun remembers what we did before we went to pick you up?” 

“Spicy tuna for Kacchan!” Izuku said, pumping a fist in the air with excitement, “Teriyaki tuna for Auntie! And fried eggs for Izuku!” 

“And fried egg for Izuku, right on all accounts!” She grinned, pulling out the pre-wrapped sandwich-like musubi from the fridge in both hands. As she settled them down in front of Katsuki and Izuku, that confusion finally cleared up. This was lunchtime! On a Thursday! And yet, sitting next to him, studiously unwrapping his own nori-wrap, was Izuku who should definitely be at Aldera Elementary school today! 

Katsuki was sure he didn’t lose track of time, there was no way it was later than Thursday, and it wasn’t even Golden Week or some other day off! Unless Mom let Izuku play hooky for the day, in which case Auntie was going to be so mad, and he would have to cover that up so Mom and Izuku didn’t get chewed out. As he looked down at his wrap, he considered the best way to ask this before going for the direct option. “So… Did you skip school?” 

“Bffm-mphm–” Izuku swallowed down his bite awkwardly, before finally speaking again, “Sorry Auntie, talking with a full mouth is rude–” he turned to Mom first, before turning back to Katsuki, “I haven’t been going this week. Mom says I’m not going to Aldera anymore.” 

Wait. What? 

What happened to Izuku going to Aldera?

Katsuki looked over to his mom in confusion, as she sat down to join them. She sighed, “I was hoping to explain that when your Dad got home, but yeah. You’re not going either, don’t worry.” 

That hadn’t been his worry, although it was good to hear. The idea of being alone at a place like that, especially after losing a massive fight between himself and his three former friends… Even if he had a Quirk, he had no idea how to throw a punch! Let alone how to throw an explosion! The game made it pretty clear what being the sole victim of a place like Aldera would do to a person, poor canon DEKU had it rough. 

Still, that had to cause some sort of problem, right? The whole beginning of the game dealt with Aldera and Izuku being upset. Because Katsuki was bullying him and destroying his things. And telling him he couldn’t be a hero. 

Huh.

… Well, that plan wasn’t going to kick off anyway, not if he had to avoid being a bully and a villain, but still that was going to be a big change. Biting into his onigarazu – ooh, spicy actually tasted really good, he didn’t like spicy meaty things as a girl much, but like this it was almost as good as cake – Katsuki continued, “Buphff– Mhm, but–” 

“Katsuki,” Mom sighed in disgust, “You should take lessons from Izuku, and don’t talk with your mouth full.” 

Right. He swallowed properly first, “... If we’re not going to Aldera, where are we going to go? Oh, is Auntie going to be homeschooling us?” 

“Auntie is busy at work too. She’s a nurse, remember?” Mom asked, a hint of concern peeking into her words, “Next week, you’ll both be starting at your new school. We wanted to make sure you boys got the best to make up for being in that hel–” She corrected herself, looking to Izuku, “ Heckhouse, I said heckhouse, okay Izuku-kun?” 

“I won’t tell Mom if you say bad words, Auntie,” He said, “She says a lot of bad words about Aldera too.” Katsuki snickered at the thought of sweet, gentle Midoriya Inko unleashing some foul language when it came to Aldera. 

“Well, that’s something to keep in mind,” Mom’s grin took a wicked bend for a second, before she continued, “Us adults will be taking care of everything with Aldera, especially since we failed you both so badly. But even before things are settled, we want to make sure you have the nicest education we can get both of you. You already should know what’s happening next week, Izuku-kun, but Katsuki, you both will start attending Soumei Boy’s Academy.” 

“Soumei Boy’s Academy?” Katsuki asked? The name lingered in his head, sounding… Familiar, some kind of throwaway line that he couldn’t place. There was something there, but it wasn’t a Star Wars joke like most places of note in My Hero Nine. Really, it was probably something from her old life – which got a little more fuzzy every time she thought about it. The solid points, her grandmother, her brothers, A-chan, they all seemed solid, but her own image felt too fuzzy compared to his image. 

He was Bakugou Katsuki.

She… Didn’t have a name anymore, did she? 

It helped the fact they were eating. He could quietly think to himself, trying to remember what she was once like was easier to hide, with a mouth full of onigarazu and listening to Mom and Izuku talk about what their new school would be like. 

~@~@~

It wasn’t fair! It just wasn’t fair! 

Four years of this, and suddenly he was free! Back in elementary school and free to wear shorts and t-shirts every single day! Only he went to an evil and crappy elementary school that abused kids, where he nearly got his head cracked a second time, and now here he was, once again forced into wearing a school uniform. 

And it wasn’t even breezy like a seifuku could be either, but a boy’s uniform with long pants and a little tie! Katsuki had been frowning comically, still futzing with his tie on the entire train ride with Izuku and Auntie Inko. “Do we really need to wear these?” He asked, once more. 

“I’m sorry, Katsuki-kun, but yes ,” Auntie Inko’s tone was not apologetic so much as quietly suffering to herself, sitting beside them as they neared their stop. “At least you boys get to wear the summer uniforms first, so you don’t need to worry about the blazers yet.” Ugh, they’d have to wear blazers soon too? Maybe they should have gone to the second best school instead of Soumei. Izuku didn’t have much better luck with his tie, considering how he was trying to re-tie it a third time, leaving it as the puffy little knot he had in the games. 

“I don’t think… Does it look any better this time, Mom?” Izuku asked, holding up his newest effort. 

She smiled sympathetically, tugging it a bit to at least move it in place. “It just takes practice, that’s all. How about we ask Uncle Masaru for his help next weekend too, so you’ll be able to be all fancy and nice for your new school.” 

“Uncle Masaru? That would be… Nice…” Izuku frowned a little bit, looking down at the tie. Katsuki didn’t really understand, to be honest, although considering how Auntie’s expression softened, and how she ran a hand through his hair, it might have been more tragic than he realized. After all, Izuku just had his mom. And it didn’t seem right to ask about what happened to Midoriya-san at this point, even to his mom and dad. 

The train began to slow, as their stop was announced. “Ah, this is where you boys need to get off!” Auntie said, hopping to her feet to help them along. “You’re going down two blocks, and heading for the blue school building with the Soumei Academy sign in front, alright? If you get lost, there’s a police box and Heroes patrolling down your path! Izuku, don’t get distracted and start asking the local heroes about their Quirks and jobs, and Katsuki, please don’t eat a cookie off the floor again while you’re at school?” 

“Yes mom, I’ll leave the heroes alone on my way to class,” Izuku said, clearly planning for after school instead. 

“That happened once, auntie,” Katsuki said, clearly planning to disregard that as long as the five second rule applied.

As both boys stepped out, Izuku waving back to Auntie until the doors closed, they could see the school building from where they stood amongst the high-rises. It wasn’t far of a walk, with trees lining the path leading up to the academy. Everything about the area felt fancy with how all of the boys around them – not just elementary school boys, but middle school as well – looking well-to-do and rich. 

… Shouto wouldn’t be here, Katsuki couldn’t hold out hope for that even with sending out his first few letters over the past few days. But he still had at least one older brother, maybe two depending on when Touya was supposed to snap and go up to the mountains! Surely, if they were going to an academy, it would be something this expensive! 

“It’s really fancy,” Izuku mumbled beside Katsuki as he held his hand a little tighter. “Do you think they’ll be nice here?” 

“I’m sure it’ll be better,” Katsuki said. “Actually… If we’re lucky, I might know someone here.” He nodded, sure of it, “I’m sure there’s the kid of a pro-hero that comes to this place!” 

“Really?” Izuku’s eyes widened for a second, “But– How would you know?” 

“I… Dunno,” Katsuki had to admit. Even if they were also at Soumei, Natsuo and Touya were way older, like Touya might even be in the middle school portion! They’d have to find him as they attended. “I just have a good feeling.” 

“Like how you had a good feeling about the cookie?” Izuku said, smiling slyly. Katsuki barked out a laugh, poking him in the ribs while they went up to their class.