Chapter Text
Twenty-Three year old Bakugo Katsuki had finally reached the number three spot in the hero rankings, but that wasn’t good enough for him. Nothing but number one was. So, when he got called to a top secret high class mission, there was no way he would refuse. When he got to the briefing room, he was surprised to find all kinds of heroes there. Endeavor, Hawks, his former mentor Best Jeanist, Fatgum and his dumb friend from high school, Red Riot. He also saw his former teacher Eraser Head along with one UA student, Endeavor’s Brat.
“What the fuck’s he doing here?” Katsuki whispered to Kirishima.
“Kid’s an up and coming big shot just like you were, give him a break.” Eijiro whispered back.
“Nah. I had to actually WORK for what I got.” Katsuki scoffed.
“Common, kid loves you. Big fan.”
“So is everyone.”
“Glad you could all join me.” Lemillion, the number two hero just above Katsuki called the meeting to order.
“This better not be a waste of time…” Katsuki grumbled.
“Wow! Why does everyone look so grim?” He laughed. “This isn’t a funeral!” Lemillion jested. “Yet.”
“Please get on with it!” Endeavor heckled.
“Tough crowd..” Lemillion pouted.
“I THOUGHT IT WAS HILARIOUS SENPAI!” Eijiro encouraged.
“You don’t have to call me that anymore, we’re graduated!”
“YES SENPAI”
“Shut it. And tell us why we’re here.” Katsuki snapped.
“I am curious, myself. I haven’t heard wind of anything out of the ordinary lately.” Hawks questioned. “Been keeping secrets, Lemillion-kun?”
“It’s about a DISCOVERY!” Lemillion clapped his hands excitedly. Then his expression changed to a grim one.
“A discovery?” Fatgum questioned.
“I bet you’re all wondering why he’s here.” Lemillion pointed to Todoroki Shoto. “A UA student, right? Why is he here on a top classified mission?”
“Shoto…” Endeavor wondered, even he didn’t know.
“You remember those highly engineered Nomu that’ve been attacking UA recently.” Lemillion played a slideshow of the Nomu wreaking havoc. “And you remember a few of the students ended up sneaking into the League of Villains hideout, Shoto over there included. Well, before I rescued him and his friends, he managed to overhear some very useful information.” Lemillion explained. “I’ll let you have the floor.”
Shoto nodded before waking to the front of the meeting room.
“What I did may have been reckless…” He began to explain. “…but..I did what I thought was right. While in their base, me and my friends managed to free someone they were attempting to turn into a Nomu…but they ended up dying from the stress shortly after...” He looked truly disturbed and for a moment Katsuki felt pity for the kid. “After discovering the dead body…their leader told Shigaraki not to worry…their search was still on for the perfect vessel..” Shoto explained.
“Search?” Hawks questioned.
“Yes…Shigaraki was upset because he didn’t think it was possible in this day and age..but, they’re on a massive hunt for someone young enough to handle the stress of quirk engineering. 20’s or younger. With one condition. They need to be quirkless.” Shoto revealed.
“A quirkless kid?” Fatgum gawked. “Good luck finding that!”
“They’re practically extinct.” Endeavor scoffed.
“Like out of stock Levi’s…” Best Jeanist pondered.
“Sounds like they won’t succeed anytime soon, right Katsuki?” Eijiro chuckled. “Katsuki?”
A chill ran up and down Bakugo’s spine. Shit. Shit shit shit.
Deku.
Before Katsuki left for UA, there was an annoying little kid in his neighborhood who followed him EVERYWHERE.
“KACCHAN! Wanna play?!”
Midoriya Izuku worshiped his feet. Katsuki’s mom made him help watch the brat because their neighbor was a single mom.
“Buzz off Deku.” 14 year old Katsuki waved the child off after he walked him home from school.
“But Kacchan. Mom’s not home till later!” Izuku pouted. “It’s scary…” He fiddled with his thumbs.
“What happened to your dreams of being a hero huh? Heroes are brave ya know.” Katsuki scolded him.
“Heroes also have quirks…” Izuku pouted. “And I don’t have one yet…”
Katsuki pitied the kid. “Fine. I’ll kick your ass in Mario Kart.”
“Mamma says that ass is a bad word!” The 7 year old said concerned.
“And you just said it..” Katsuki gasped. “Gotta wash your mouth now!” He launched a small explosion in his hand before chasing the kid in the house.
Katsuki was his favorite person who broke his heart when he left for UA’s dorms.
“I’m scared for you Kacchan!” The 8 year old begged him to stay in Aldera.
“What do ya have to be scared for?”
“Mamma said you have to live there now because you were taken away by villains….I don’t want you to get hurt…” Izuku cried.
Katsuki’s kidnapping was still a very sore spot for him. His biggest regret in his life was what he said next.
“And what?! A quirkless little scaredy cat like you is gonna protect me?!” He gawked at the kid who looked like he just had his favorite toy broken before his eyes. “Deku, let me tell ya something. I’m gonna be a great hero one day. And you? You’ll just be protected by everyone else.”
“That’s not true.” Izuku sobbed. “I….can be a hero too!”
“Stop dreaming so big. There’s nothing wrong with living a mediocre life. Take it from me…the real world is a lot scarier than you think it is.”
That was the last thing he said to the kid for the longest time. Katsuki did eventually return to Aldera and apologize after he graduated high school.
“You have nothing to be sorry for Kacchan…” Deku had smiled shyly at him. “But it means a lot that you came back to apologize.”
“Do ya still have those dreams?” Katsuki asked him.
“I dunno.” Izuku giggled after showing him his bandaged up hand. “I don’t think I’ll ever stop having them. But…it’s getting harder to think it’s possible.”
“How’d that happen?!” Katsuki questioned.
“Kids at school are mean.” Deku shrugged.
“Tell me who. I’ll kill them.” Katsuki crossed his arms making the incoming middle schooler giggle.
“That’ll ruin your career! Can’t have that!”
Katsuki crouched down and pet his hair before putting his fist against his chest.
“I’m gonna be the number one hero, Deku. So watch me okay?” He grinned at the young kid who blushed.
“I never stopped Kacchan.”
“And don’t be too far behind okay?” Katsuki encouraged as he stood up. “I look forward to you challenging my rank.”
Izuku’s eyes widened and his heart leapt out of his chest as Katsuki left.
“I-I’LL BEAT YOU KACCHAN!” Izuku yelled to him as he got in his car. “‘I'LL BE NUMBER ONE FOR SURE!”
“YOU'LL STAY NUMBER TWO AS LONG AS I'M ALIVE!” Katsuki grinned wildly at him as the car drove away.
It had been years since that time. Deku was a good kid. This was bad.
“While a young quirkless person might be hard to find,” Lemillion jumped up to explain. “It’s not impossible. And if they DO find someone, they are either going to be put through an excruciatingly painful death, or they will become an even bigger threat than All for One…”
“So it’s simple. We need to find one before All for One does. If there is one out there…we decrease his chance of success if we get to him first, right?” Hawks put the pieces together.
“Correct! We also have to keep this secret…the LOV could have a mole.”
Lemillion explained.
“So…what do you plan to do? If ya find someone quirkless?” Katsuki questioned. “How do you plan to keep them safe?”
“Our safest bet is UA, right?” Kirishima suggested.
“UA’s been attacked too many fucking times.” Katsuki scoffed.
“And it’s still our best bet.” Aizawa spoke up. “After the last attack, the League of Villains are turning all their energy to this search. Plus, they only attack my students off campus. They wouldn’t dare to set foot on campus.”
Katsuki clicked his tongue.
The heroes all discussed the best ways to expand their search and the most discreet ways they could locate and hide a quirkless individual. Katsuki remained deep in thought. There were already too many people in the know of this mission for his liking. Including UA kids. Izuku’s best chance of survival would be if the League of Villains had no inkling this search was happening. But they had WAYS of getting information. Information was so easily leaked. If they did find Deku and keep him at UA, All for One would for sure find out.
Katsuki needed to get to Izuku before everyone and keep him hidden, himself. It was the safest option.
“Here’s where our problem lies…” Lemillion sighed before pulling up a website on the dark web with a bounty worth 300 million yen for the finding of a quirkless person.
“We’re not the only ones looking.”
Katsuki needed to get to Izuku and FAST.
When the meeting was over, he ran to his motorcycle and started it immediately.
“Where ya headed to?” Eijiro asked him.
“Need to shit. Hate public bathrooms. You know that.” He gritted his teeth.
“Of all people at the scene…it was only YOU…timid, and quirkless who acted.”
“You spurred ME into action!”
“…That’s what happened to you back there, yes?”
“You CAN BECOME A HERO”
“Aaaand scene!” Izuku bowed, wearing his All Might costume.
“Brilliant!” The Drama club President, Kento Yuki, clapped with tears in his eyes. “Absolutely brilliant. You were born for this role!”
“At least be a little less biased, Kento-Senpai!” His assistant director, Harada Sakura sighed. “This is an AUDITION!”
“Th-thank you…” Izuku blushed nervously.
“Everyone knows he’s gonna get the part anyway.” Yuki sparkled proudly. “He is my protege afterall. A future STAR in the making.”
“Thanks Midoriya.” Sakura pulled Yuki’s ear. “Cast list will be up tomorrow.”
“Y-yes!” Izuku bowed before leaving and sighing. “I was so nervous.”
“I don’t see why.” Rody Soul, an exchange student from Oseon and Izuku’s only real friend, waited for him outside. “You’re obviously the only one who could pull off that ridiculous costume.”
“I-it’s not ridiculous!” Izuku defended himself. “I made it myself!”
“Of course you did.”
After Izuku changed back to his uniform, the two made their way outside of school to walk home.
“Hey Deku…” Rody asked. Izuku told him about the nickname his babysitter used to give him and Rody liked it.
“Yeah?” Izuku asked.
“Why don’t you actually become a hero, huh?”
“W-what do you mean?” Izuku blushed.
Deku was bullied relentlessly in middle school for his dream. That didn’t stop him from attempting the UA entrance exam, but without a quirk, he expectedly didn’t get into the hero course. Izuku ended up going to a high ranking prep school. It wasn’t too far from Aldera and it was infamous for its many successful alumni. Izuku wanted a complete fresh start so he decided to keep the fact that he was quirkless hidden. Nobody knew, not even Rody. When people asked, he would just laugh and say his quirk wasn’t special.
Regency High was infamous for its clubs. It was required for every student to be part of at least two. Izuku at first chose Hero club and Movie club. Movie club is where he met Yuki who considered him a soul brother and dragged him to Drama club. Turned out, he was good at it.
“It’s just…you’re always talkin’ about hero this and hero that…and it makes me think that has to be something you wanna do, right?” Rody wondered aloud.
“I guess…even I have to be realistic sometimes.” Izuku laughed nervously. “My quirk’s not suited for it.”
Rody looked at him, as Pino, the bird on his shoulder that portrayed his true feelings chirped suspiciously. “You never told me what THAT is either.” He sighed.
“It’s-” Izuku began to speak before motorcycle exhaust and squeals from their classmates interrupted them.
“NO WAY!” A girl’s voice shouted. “It’s DYNAMIGHT!!!!”
“GREAT EXPLOSION MURDER GOD DYNAMIGHT!” A hero otaku near the girl corrected her.
Izuku’s eyes went wide as he ran toward the commotion.
“Kacchan?!”
As soon as Izuku broke through the crowd, he had to catch his breath. He hadn’t seen Katsuki since he was 11 years old other than on TV, and billboards and commercials. His time following him around the neighborhood felt like another life.
He was gorgeous.
Katsuki got off his motorcycle and walked straight up to Izuku who had to do his best to look up at his face and not at his toned pecs that his low cut hero costume showed off.
“Miss me, kid?” The pro hero questioned.
“You know this guy?!” Rody whispered to Izuku.
Rody was new to Japan and didn’t know all the famous heroes other than the fact they were on his cereal boxes, which annoyed him.
“U-um..n-no? I mean y-yes! I mean…what are you doing here Kacchan?!” Deku asked flustered.
“Was in the area, figured I’d give ya a ride home.”
“Y-you can give me a ride…h-home! Yes. Sure!” Izuku was a dizzy, embarrassed mess as his classmates gasped and squealed and envied him aloud.
“What about me?!” Rody pouted.
“Later?” Izuku waved him off as he followed Katsuki in a daze to his motorcycle. “Oh…I’ve never Um…”
“Just hang onto me and you’ll be fine.” Katsuki instructed before plopping his helmet on Deku’s head.
“What about you, Kacchan?” Izuku asked. “Don’t you need a helmet?”
“If I get hit on this thing, I can always save myself with my quirk. It’s better for you to have it.”
Izuku pouted slightly before awkwardly wrapping his arms around Katsuki on the motorcycle.
“Is..this okay?” He asked unsure what to do.
“No. Tighter.” Katsuki instructed. He didn’t want the kid to go flying off. Deku squeezed as tight as he could before yelping as they drove off.
After getting used to the motorcycle and calming down a little bit, Izuku noticed they had been on the road for a long time.
“Kacchan! I think we passed my house!” Deku shouted over the wind blowing in his face. But Katsuki remained quiet and just kept driving.
“Kacchan?!”
After 30 minutes, the motorcycle finally stopped in front of a large skyscraper for luxury apartments in Tokyo.
“The usual spot Bakugo-San?” The valet driver asked him.
“Yeah. And hey. If anyone asks.” Katsuki slipped him money. “I arrived safely home, alone. Got it?”
The driver looked at the small high schooler then at Bakugo and bowed. “Yes sir.”
Izuku watched the whole exchange nervously and was highly confused.
“Kacchan, what’s going o-”
“Shut it.” Katsuki instructed as they got to a special elevator just outside the main entrance. He swiped a key card and they both entered the elevator before it went to the highest floor and opened up to a beautiful stylish penthouse that looked practically unlived in.
“Is this…your apartment Kacchan?” Izuku asked, admiring how expansive it was.
“One of them.”
“Oh…” Izuku removed his shoes and timidly approached his old babysitter. “Um…thanks for bringing me here….I r-really did miss you..and I’ve been watching your career and you’ve been amazing so far..so close to number one…”
“Deku…” Katsuki looked at him sadly. “I wish this was just a catch up on old times sort of visit." He sighed. “Truthfully, I should have visited you more. But…gettin’ to number one ain’t easy.”
“But you can do it!” Izuku encouraged. “If anyone can…it’s you!”
“Let me finish, squirt.” Katsuki pat his head. “This isn’t as casual of a visit to you as I would like it to be. Wish I could be the kinda guy who does things like check in on kids who he helped and inspire and shit…but…this is actually a work visit.” He explained.
“A work visit?” Izuku was even more confused.
“Yah…well..yah and no, the hero commission doesn’t know I’m doin’ this...” Katsuki suddenly froze. How much should he tell Izuku? He didn’t want to freak him out, after all. “I JUST NEED YOU STAY PUT HERE OKAY?!”
“Huh?!” Deku questioned.
“YOU HEARD ME. Yer not allowed to leave!”
Izuku blinked and stared at the pro hero in silence before slinking to the luxury couch in the center of the apartment.
Okay, so maybe Katsuki succeeded in freaking him out.
“Is Kacchan….KIDNAPPING ME?!” Deku panicked.
“DONT MAKE IT SOUND LIKE A BAD THING”
“Kacchan is the number 3 hero..this would surely be bad for him…has he lost his mind? Is he going crazy? If I’m stuck here, what is Kacchan going to do with me? I guess being his slave wouldn’t be the WORST thing..” Izuku mumbled to himself.
“HEY! Stop that! I’m not some creep!”
Izuku smiled big and gave him a thumbs up as if he was trying to quell a crazy person’s ego.
“Goddamnit Deku…” Katsuki sighed. “Look…without going into too many details. You’re in danger right now.”
“Danger?” Izuku questioned.
“Yeah…there’s very bad people after you.”
“Me?!” Izuku pointed to himself. “What would they want with me? That doesn’t make any sense..”
“The League of Villains. You heard of ‘em?” Katsuki questioned.
“Of course.” Izuku looked at Katsuki in concern. “They’re the ones who took you, right?”
“Yeah..them.” Katsuki noted how angry Izuku looked when he confirmed that and smirked in amusement.
“What about them?” Deku pouted.
“They’re on the hunt for someone young and quirkless.” Katsuki informed him.
“Why?” Izuku questioned.
“I don’t wanna tell you this part..” Katsuki sighed. “But if it’ll keep ya inside…You know those Nomu things?” Katsuki relented.
“The ones that keep showing up in all their attacks…they’re really scary.” Izuku noted.
“Yeah well…they wanna turn ya into one.” The pro hero stated matter of factly.
“W…what?”
“A perfect one.”
Izuku began to shiver at the thought.
“The advantage we have is that they haven’t found you yet.” Katsuki explained. “The heroes are looking for you too but…the more people that know, the harder it’s gonna be to keep the LOV from finding out. So right now, I need you to stay.”
Izuku stared at him then down at his feet. “What about mom? And the school? What will you tell them?”
“I’ll make sure your mom is safe…as for the school..I’ll come up with something to have you do home study for now, okay?” Katsuki answered.
“I…was gonna get the lead though..” Izuku said sadly.
“The lead?” Katsuki questioned.
“In the drama club play…I was gonna get the lead role of All Might…I was really excited about it. But…obviously that can’t happen now. Even if I change my dream..my quirklessness gets in the way huh?”
“Whatever happened to beating me to the number one spot, nerd?” Katsuki asked him.
Izuku began unbuttoning his shirt.
“What are you-” Katsuki began to ask before Izuku revealed his arm that was filled with scars.
“Sometimes…reality hits you too many times to ignore.”
Katsuki felt his heart ache at the sight.
“I’ll stay here…” Izuku sighed. “Maybe I can still try out for next year's play..”
“Hey…” Katsuki crouched down and put his fist to his chest. “I’ll be in the front row, watching.”
Izuku smiled at him. “Thanks. For keeping me safe.”
"Anytime dork." Katsuki ruffled his hair. He didn’t really think things through. He just knew he had to get to Izuku before anyone else. But the responsibility was now weighing on Katsuki as he watched the kid quietly watch cartoons on TV.
Midoriya Izuku’s life was in his hands.