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It was a normal morning for 1a. Well, as normal as it can get with Sero taping Mineta to the wall, and Kaminari trying to heat leftovers in a microwave without removing the spoon. But, Izuku digress.
Of course, he saved Kaminari's life. (He pretended not to hear Mineta's cries of help)
Everyone was chilling doing their thing before class except one person-Kacchan, who was on his morning runs. It was about time he returned, Izuku noted.
And speak of the devil, Kacchan busted through the doors of their dorm, heading straight towards the kitchen were Izuku was standing awkwardly ogling his worn out form. It was no surprise that Izuku admired every aspect of his childhood bully, but he was as awkward as they got.
He stepped out of the way, in case he got a good morning explosion as a greeting. (Especially that right now, Kacchan was sweating a lot). However, what he got in return, made him trip over his own feet.
"Good morning, Izuku"
Kacchan then continued into the kitchen calmly as if him greeting Izuku normally was a daily occurrence, ignoring or not even noticing how Uraraka and Tsuyu dropped their breakfast spoons, Kaminari short circuited, and Sero choked. Even Mineta's cries stopped.
Izuku’s reaction, after stumbling and nearly kissing the floor, was immediate. A feeling akin to worry pooled in his chest at the sound of his name from Kacchan after years of Deku. He was concerned, but before he could comment, Uraraka beat him.
"You okay, Bakugou?"
Kacchan's good mood seemed to have broken. And Izuku nearly kicked his best friend for doing this. The scowl everyone was used to was back on his face.
"Ha?? What do you mean, round face?"
Shocked, Uraraka merely stared as Kacchan turned back to Izuku.
"Hey did you eat, Izuku?"
In a trance, Izuku shook his head.
"I'll cook you something, 'kay? And I'll pack us some bentos for lunch"
Turning back to get to work, Kacchan didn't notice the tears that pooled in Izuku eyes.
"Hey guys! Hey Bakubro! Oh shit- Midobro why are you crying?"
By the time for their homeroom class, every single student in class 1a noticed Bakugou's weirdly nice behavior to Izuku in particular. After Kirishima threw a fuss, asking Kacchan was was wrong, and the blonde nearly exploding Kirishima to the moon, no one dared to approach the topic.
That was until now.
"Hey Izuku, pass me a pen. Mine melted."
Aizawa sensei, who had been droning about normal class subject for once, dropped the explanation and coughed. Izuku, wordlessly passed Kacchan a pen.
"Bakugou, are you alright?"
Kacchan snapped.
"What the fuck? Why is everyone asking me that?! I'm fucking fine"
Izuku, against his better judgment butted in.
<span;>"Kacchan, they're just worried"
As if a switch was flipped, Kacchan turned back to Izuku, speaking softly.
"I'm fine, Izuku. Really."
"I think it's a quirk's doing"
Everyone's attention turned back to Shoto. Aizawa sensei looked thoughtful for a moment, before asking.
"When did this start, Midoriya?"
"This morning. When he returned from his daily run"
They all stared at Kacchan, who was glaring at them all.
"And he's like that only to you?"
Izuku recalled how Kacchan nearly tried to explode tthe redhead off when he asked for a lunch bento too.
"Um- yes"
Aizawa-sensei sighed. Now, that Izuku thought about it, this was definitely the work of a quirk. What quirk would Kacchan be under, for him to be nice to Izuku? Like the blonde has never bullied Izuku, and sometimes still did, like they have always been... friends.
And confirming his thoughts, Kacchan spoke.
"Why is it so fucking weird that I'm nice to Izuku?! We're childhood friends!"
Kacchan believed that he and Izuku were friends. No bullying, no rivalry, just friends since childhood.
It made his heart ache. If Kacchan was truly under a quirk's effect, which was the only thing that could explain his weird behavior, then this was temporary, until the quirk wore off. But, Izuku was also glad that Kacchan wasn't in grave danger.
"It seems harmless enough. Bakugou, did you bump into anyone today?"
Kacchan took long enough to answer, but when he did, he sounded aggravated.
"This shitty woman bumped into me this morning, and kept apologizing about shit"
Aizawa tilted his head.
"What did she apologize for, Bakugou?"
"She was saying something about fucking fixing regrets or shit. I was too angry to fucking care. I flipped her off, and returned to the droms"
Fixing regrets? Kacchan said that he thought Izuku was his childhood friend. Did that mean that he regretted bullying Izuku?
Izuku’s heart clenched. He wanted this, God, he wanted this to be true, but he couldn't get his hopes up. He decided right then and there that he would leave this to the Pros. Aizawa sensei had said that it was harmless, and honestly, Izuku wanted to enjoy this as much as he could.
He knew when Kacchan broke out of the quirk's effects, he would definitely murder Izuku. But, all doubts about his decision vanished when Kacchan turned his chair around (when the bell for lunch rang), and set their bentos on Izuku's table to have lunch together in the classroom.
"C'mon Izuku, dig in. I didn’t make it that spicy cause I knew your ass wouldn't handle it!"
Kacchan looked at Izuku playfully, unlike the intense stare he was used to getting from those red eyes, and his heart did a flip.
Yes, he'd enjoy this.
Izuku was on cloud nine.
At night in bed, he thanked the lady, that stumbled into Kacchan during his run, thousand times because she gave him the opportunity to live what he always wanted, a normal friendship with the person he admired the most.
Izuku’s day would start with Kacchan calling him (he didn't even know Kacchan had his number), and asking him what he wanted to have for breakfast, greeting him so nicely and all of that over the phone. After that, Izuku’s content mood would spike. Everyday he happily went about his morning routine, swiftly, so he could start his day with Kacchan's amazing cooking skills.
Izuku and Kacchan sat together during breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. The blonde had made it his duty to become Izuku’s personal cheff, but the greenette definitely was not complaining. He always complimented Kacchan's food with "Kacchan, sugoi!", and his childhood friend would smile, all soft and sweet, telling him "Of course, Izuku". Izuku would then try to swallow the food without choking, despite the huge lump stuck in his throat.
Despite that, Izuku did not remember when was the last time he spent so much time with Kacchan. They sometimes went over homework in the common room together, trained together, ran together, and did everything together.
It was the happiest Izuku has ever been.
However, this quickly shattered when his small knitted group of friends knocked on his dorm while he was cleaning his All Might figures. Izuku took his time to slowly place the limited edition figure in its place before answering the door with the smile that always accompanied him these days.
The smile fell when he saw the dejected looks on Uraraka's, Iida's, Tsu's, and Shoto's faces. Quickly ushering them, he gushed over them.
"You guys are okay? What's wrong? Did something happen-"
Uraraka was the first one to smile awkwardly, but that did nothing to ease Izuku’s nerves.
"Nothing's wrong, Deku-kun! We just wanted to talk to you about something"
Izuku sighed in relief, and nodded absent-mindedly.
"Well, have a seat guys! I'll get us some beverages and-"
"Midoriya"
Izuku’s frantic steps stopped, and he waited for Shoto to continue. Uraraka and Tsuyu made weird gestures towards Todoroki, but he merely ignored them or balantly didn't notice.
"You are too attached to this Bakugou"
"Todoroki-kun!"
"I'm not too attached!"
Uraraka just facepalmed before turning to a very defensive Izuku.
"Did- Did the effects disappear?"
They all shook their head, and Izuku felt relief engulfing him. He'd hate to cancel the movie he promised to watch with Kacchan-
Oh. That was what they meant.
They all looked at him with pity, and Izuku hated it. He knew they were worried, but he had already made his mind to enjoy this no matter what!
"We don't want you to get hurt, Mido-chan"
"Yeah, this is temporary, Deku-kun. Please, remember this"
He felt tears pool in his eyes. He knew it was temporary. He knew that Kacchan will turn back to giving him nasty explosions and stink eyes so he shouldn't get attached, but how could he not?
How could he not when Kacchan was the one chasing after him right now and not the other way? How could he not when Kacchan had finally given him the time of the day?
It had only been three days, but Izuku has already been attached since day one.
Uraraka approached Izuku’s trembling form and gave him a hug, that was when Izuku lost it.
He cried while stuttering things he didn't realize he was saying. This had been what Izuku was trying to avoid all along. He had continued to ignore the alarms blaring in his head, telling him it was all temporary.
"I'm- Happy!"
And he thought that as long as they were happy, everything would be fine. But, the moment kacchan came back to his sense, he would definitely not be happy.
"Kacchan's making me happy"
And he was! He could finally call the explosive blonde he knew since childhood a friend, and not bully.
He choked on his tears and hiccups, gut wrenching sounds leaving him in a broken mess. He screamed, a guttural, agonizing, and harsh sound he barely recognized.
He wished Kacchan hadn't bullied him, then maybe they could have had something like that, but permanent.
Silence ensued after, and he found himself numbly speaking.
"I don't want this to end"
But all stories did.
So saving himself the heartbreak that was sure to follow, he found himself pulling out his phone after his friends left him.
I can't attend movie night. Sorry.
"Izuku! Izuku!"
Izuku pulled the blankets stronger around himself, sinking deeper into the comfortable All Might themed blanket.
"Izuku! Are you sick?! Is that why you ditched movie night?"
Kacchan's voice sounded so worried. Izuku was tempted to rush out there, and hug the spirits out of his blonde friend. But, he gripped the sheets tighter, telling himself that this was the best for him. His future, non-exploded, self will thank him dearly.
The knocking persisted. If this was old Kacchan, the one that wasn't under the quirk effect, he would have exploded the door to smithereens already, then proceeded to explode Izuku.
"Izuku, I brought us soup. Open up. I know you're in there"
But the old Kacchan would never bring Izuku soup.
Before he could kick himself for it, Izuku was already at the door, holding it open for Kacchan to come in. He pretended to not notice how red eyes instantly filled with relief. But, it was so obvious, so obvious how this Kacchan cared for him deeply. So painfully obvious that it hurt too much.
Against his will, he felt tears streaming down his face. Kacchan placed the soup on the nearby desk, and then approached, hugging Izuku so tenderly, so carefully, like he was porcelain that could shatter at any second.
But, Izuku haven't forgotten how many scars those same hands have left on him. Too many bruises, too many heartbreaks, over and over again, he couldn’t have forgotten so easily.
He was used to it, though. He was used to having Kacchan treat him like this. It was the norm, the expected.
It was permanent.
But, this? This was new. This was temporary.
"NO!"
With strength he didn't know he could muster at the moment, he pushed Kacchan away. The look of utter confusion on the blonde’s face nearly made Izuku fall back to his embrace right away, but he needed to stand his ground.
"Izuku..."
Kacchan approached like he was dealing with a cornered animal, and he felt like one.
"Talk to me"
No. No. No.
This was all wrong. Kacchan didn't call Izuku by his name. He didn't look at him like he was worried, and he definitely didn't ask him to to talk to him.
"IZUKU!"
"NO! IT'S NOT IZUKU!"
Kacchan blinked. Once. Twice.
"What?"
However, Izuku was too far into his anxious thoughts. He felt like he would have a full panic attack at any given moment, and he definitely couldn't have that, here, in front of Kacchan.
"Deku. You call me Deku, usually"
Then with a weird expression on his face, Kacchan took a step back.
"I call you useless?"
"Yes"
Poor Kacchan looked so hurt and confused. He tried to reach for Izuku once again, but Izuku flinched out of his reach.
"That- That makes no sense. We're childhood friends!"
Izuku’s heart shattered. He wished. He wished they were childhood friends, it was what he had always wanted. But, the truth was that Kacchan was his childhood bully.
Izuku thought that Kacchan being nice to him would be a dream. He wanted the blonde to become his friend but not like this, not when all of it was temporary, not when Kacchan would be even more angry, more distant with Izuku, when he woke up from this cursed quirk.
"Kacchan, we're not childhood friends. Not anymore"
There. He had said it. Kacchan looked at him ridiculously, though. As if Izuku was-
"YOU FUCKING LIAR!"
The curse word felt familiar. He has not heard it the moment Kacchan got hit by the quirk. The blonde seemed to curse everyone, but not Izuku.
"You call me KACCHAN!"
Tears of frustration filled Izuku’s eyes. This Kacchan didn't understand, he tried to remind himself, but despite that, he felt the words escape him.
"IT JUST STUCK FROM THE TIME WE WERE TRULY CHILDHOOD FRIENDS!"
Kacchan fell silent. But, he wasn’t done.
"You know?! Before you started calling me Deku? Before you pushed me away when you knew I was quirkless?!"
Kacchan's wide eyes should have been enough clue for Izuku to stop, but years of pent up hurt and pain, kept the words flowing, but with less vigor, and more pain.
"Before you told me to take a swine dive off the roof...?"
Keeping his head low, Izuku didn't dare look up to see Kacchan's expression. He couldn't. If he did, he'd waver and falter in pushing Kacchan away right now.
"Get out."
"Izuku wai-"
"GET OUT."
The sound of the door clicking was when Izuku finally raised his head. His eyes connected with the soup on his desk.
He spent all night trying, and failing, to stifle his sobs.
Kacchan was back to normal the next day. Izuku knew when he barged into Izuku’s room with the usual scowl on his face.
He eyed Izuku’s slumped form on the bed, before addressing him.
"Deku"
Izuku.
He willed the memories of nice Kacchan away. Obviously, they were not coming back so why torture himself?
"I'm glad you're back, Kacchan"
"Fucking Liar"
Izuku’s eyes bolted so fast towards Kacchan to find red eyes already seizing him up. The silence was thick, until Kacchan broke it.
"You would rather have the friend not the bully"
Anger flared inside of him. How dare Kacchan look all gloomy and sad when Izuku was the one suffering?!
"Could you blame me, Kacchan?! Well-?"
"Not really, nerd"
Izuku's eyes widened. What was going on? Was Kacchan still under the quirk's effects?
"Look nerd, the quirk was nasty. It gave whoever was hit by it a chance to fix one of his regrets. I'm fucking sure you heard that"
Izuku did, but it slipped his mind. He had immediately stopped his hopes from getting up because there was no way Kacchan regretted bullying him. He still did it. Surely, not like before. But, still there.
On the other hand, Kacchan was clearly telling Izuku that he regretted bullying him. Why would Kacchan lie? He wasn't a liar.
"Fuck, shit nerd. The point is, I fucking regret bullying you, okay? We could have been what we had been these past three days, but I fucked up-"
"But, Kacchan, you still bully me"
Kacchan's eye twitched.
"The fuck?! I don't! Not anymore!"
Izuku stood up.
"You still call me names!"
"I call everyone fucking names, Deku"
At that, Izuku fell silent. Kacchan was right. But still-
"Are you fucking serious? I stop blowing your books, I stop hurting you physically, I stop telling you to take a swine dive off the roof, and you don't fucking think the bullying stopped?"
Izuku only blinked silently as he watched his childhood friend collapse on the desk chair in his room. He knew Kacchan changed. He knew that Kacchan stopped bullying him a long time ago, but he wanted- he wanted Kacchan to-
"Of fucking course, a nerd like you wouldn't get it."
Get what? But before Izuku could ask, Kacchan was already in his face, staring at him intensely.
"Deku, I'm sorry"
Oh. That was what he wanted.
He wanted Kacchan to apologize to him, looking all sincere and sorry, really sorry for not only what he did to Izuku till middle school, but also for ruining the opportunity to ever be friends, to ever have what they had going these past three days.
So before knowing what he was doing, Izuku stumbled into Kacchan's open arms, cherishing the sweet smell of nitroglycerin that always seemed to come off the blonde.
"You wanna have that movie night, nerd?"
There was still a lot to unpack and discuss, but that would come later. For now, Izuku laughed heartily.
"Of course, Kacchan"