Work Text:
Katsuki Bakugou. He can do anything.
Except maintain a perfect attendance record.
“I keep telling you,” Katsuki growls, leaning back in his chair and kicking a foot on the desk, “it was a matter of national security.”
“And I keep telling you that there's only so long these excuses will last! I’m not denying the good you do, I’m just saying there’s got to be a better alternative to save the world than a high school jock!”
“What, you want me to leave it to Deku???”
His partner Izuku Midoriya. He can’t do anything.
“That is not even remotely my point and you know it!” Mister Aizawa pinches the bridge of his nose and lets out a deep sigh. “Look. I’m not talking about extensions for homework and projects. Those are understandable. But you can’t keep skipping out on exams for stuff like this. Not to mention the frequent absences and lateness. I’m all for saving the world but surely as a teenager you can do your best to keep it to the weekends can’t you?”
Katsuki seethes, “are you fucking serious right now??? I don’t pick my assignments! I get called in when Shigaraki does something stupid!”
Doodoodeedoo
“Case in fucking point!”
“We’re not done with this Bakugou! One of these days–”
“Yeah yeah,” Katsuki flips the teacher off with all the audacity of a student who has the full backing of the principal and flips open his communicator. “What’s the shit, Mei?”
“Shigaraki is on the move!” Mei shouts with way too much excitement for the news she’s passing on. “He just robbed an electronics shop of its entire robotics department including some kind of master controller!”
“And he managed to get in and out before anyone noticed???”
“Yeah!” she crows sounding practically enthused, “he’s got a new sidekick, some guy in a half red half white suit with hair to match! Word on the street is the guy's not only competent, he’s practically a pro!”
“Well then, we’ll just have to serve him a slice or two of justice! How soon can you get us there?”
“As soon as Izuku finishes his math test.”
“That fucking nerd!”
***
“Thanks for the ride Mister Kaminari!” Izuku beams at the man flying the helicopter. “We really appreciate it!”
“Speak for yourself,” Katsuki grumbles still pissed he’d had to wait instead of leaving school immediately.
“It’s the least I could do after Bakugou tutored my son. Denki’s grades have improved immensely!”
“KB really is amazing isn’t he,” Izuku crows, “to have helped your son improve in only one session!”
“You kidding? Denki was so scared I’d hire Bakugou again, he improved all on his own! He’s really buckled down! My wife and I are so grateful!”
“Oh, I see! KB is so incredible even as a motivator for—“
Katsuki swats him.
“—shutting up.”
Mister Kaminari flies over Shigaraki’s new hideout and Katsuki and Izuku pull on their modified backpacks.
“Ready nerd?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
They jump on three.
As expected Izuku pulls his parachute too early, dragging him wildly off course.
Katsuki sighs and fires a grapple from his watch to sever the ropes keeping Izuku aloft. He reels the line back in and angles his body towards Izuku as the latter begins his usual shrieking. They collide in midair and Katsuki calmy lashes the screeching nerd to him with one of his loose lines before releasing his own parachute.
They land on the beach like they always do, Katsuki the picture of grace as he unclips the harness at the last second to roll into a crouch, Izuku an image of clumsiness as he lands face first in the sand.
Katsuki rolls his eyes. This is all just so predictable he’s almost getting bored.
“Thanks for the help, Kacchan!”
“Yeah yeah, I don’t even know why I bring you along Deku.”
“Aw come on KB. Without me there’d be no one to calm down the people we save. And who else would stop you from actually killing Shigaraki instead of just defeating him?”
Katsuki grunts. The nerd’s got a point there. Not that he'll ever admit it. “Whatever let’s just break in before Shigaraki decides this hideout is too ostentatiously obvious and actually goes to ground after a heist.”
Sneaking in is easy.
A little too easy.
A laser fires at them from a wall mount as soon as they cross the threshold to Shigaraki’s lab.
Katsuki leaps sideways and rolls onto his hands, leaping back up onto his feet with his water bottle at the ready.
Izuku trips, avoiding the worst of the hit by pure luck but losing his belt to the attack.
“Katsuki Bakugou!” Shigaraki laughs, all mad glee and hyper excitement. “You’re just in time to feel the sting of my latest creation!”
“I’m here too,” Izuku groans, getting to his feet now sans pants.
Both pairs of red eyes stare.
“What the fuck are you wearing Deku???”
Izuku tilts his head. “These? They’re swim trunks.”
“I can see that! W hy are you wearing swim trunks under your pants!”
Izuku frowns. “They’re not under my pants anymore Kacchan. And obviously it’s so I wouldn’t be reduced to fighting in my underwear. Also, it's so I’m ready for when Shigaraki drops me in the moat again.”
Katsuki pinches the bridge of his nose. “Deku,” he says slowly so he can enunciate every word, “there are alligators in there.”
“Crocodiles actually,” Shigaraki sniffs disdainfully, “way more aggressive than mere alligators.”
“They’re also cheaper,” Izuku notes.
“That’s none of your business sidekick boy!”
Katsuki shifts forward just enough to draw Shigaraki’s gaze. Izuku always claims it's not a big deal because he’ll just do his signature move of going for the eyes and he even keeps a ruler up his sleeve on missions ever since, but Katsuki still doesn’t actually want the nerd to die contrary to what he’s always threatening so it’s better for Shigaraki to forget about Deku for now till they’ve moved on to a safer topic of conversation. Like, “Surrender Shigaraki! You’re outmatched!”
Shigaraki laughs and lifts what looks like a heavily modified game controller with both hands. “On the contrary Katsuki Bakugou. I think you’ll find that it is you who is outmatched! You and your sad little sidekick!”
Izuku’s indignant “Hey!” is drowned out by the sudden sound of beeping coming from—
Is that a microwave?
A boy with half red and half white hair hops off the stool he’s been sitting on and makes his way around the kitchen area like he owns the place, gliding near silently from cabinet to drawer and back again.
Katsuki blinks at the boy’s outfit, a skintight suit that goes all the way up his neck and turns into boots at the bottom, all in alternating bright red and stark white in a way that makes Katsuki’s eye twitch. It’s an eyesore, an abomination, and looking like this the boy can only be–
“Ah there you are! Katsuki Bakugou! For a long time now I’d been content to fight you and your…” he trails off as they both watch Izuku scramble on the floor to pick up the contents of his now split backpack. “...friend…”
Shigaraki snaps back upright with a grin and points a finger at the half and half monstrosity. “But now it’s my turn to have a sidekick and I assure you mine is leagues above yours! Shougo! Attack!”
The boy blinks from where he’s in the process of sitting down in front of the ceramic plate he’d taken from the microwave. “...I’m on my lunch break.”
Shigaraki starts screaming, stomping his foot and waving that damned controller in the air and Katsuki decides ‘fuck it.’ If they aren’t going to attack him then he’s not about to sit around chatting. He’s missing football practice for this and damn it he’s the team captain and he will wrap this up in time to get back there or his name isn’t Katsuki Bakugou!
He flicks the cap off his water bottle and raises his now activating lightsaber. “Bring it Crusty!”
The electronics Shigaraki stole are grades better than his usual stuff but they’re no match for Katsuki. He bats the laser beams away, taking care to eye the depleting energy gauge on his weapon’s side. It’s a bitch to charge and he’s only got the one battery pack but Katsuki knows how to make it count. In a pinch he’s got his book and pens but they’re not half as fun as the water bottle which is cool as heck and has the added bonus of making Shigaraki scream about cheats and hacks— a real win win.
Izuku lets out a yelp as a giant robotic arm grabs him, tossing him clear across the room where he goes sliding across the long counter that separates the kitchen area from the lab. Magazines, coffee mugs and napkins all go flying as he screams past and Shougo simply lifts his plate out of the way and then goes right back to eating.
Katsuki’s lightsaber dies and he chucks it at Izuku to pack away. Shigaraki immediately goes for it like the man-child he is and Katsuki fires his grapple watch at the master controller in the villain’s hand.
Izuku makes himself useful for once and hits said hand with the dead water bottle making Shigaraki let go of his only weapon right as Katsuki’s line snags it.
“It’s over Shigaraki!” Katsuki grins, “Put your hands where I can–”
Katsuki narrowly avoids the red blast coming at him, dropping behind a table in the nick of time, and it's so close he can feel the heat off what looks like a flying ball of red energy.
Katsuki glares at where the shot came from. Shigaraki never had anything like that before so what…
Standing up from his seat, white gloved hand holding a napkin to his lips, red gloved hand still outstretched is Shougo.
“I thought you were sitting this one out??” Katsuki snarls, shoving the stolen controller in his bag and grabbing for his book.
The napkin falls to the floor as Shougo tilts his head. “Break time’s over.”
He steps on the napkin deliberately, almost grinding it with his heel. “Let’s play.”
“No no no that’s my line!” Shigaraki yells from where he’s still wrestling with Izuku. “You’re supposed to say ‘let’s turn up the heat!’”
Shougo shrugs, lifting his white hand in Katsuki’s direction. “It seemed a bit heated in here already. Why don’t we cool down a bit instead.”
Shigaraki shrieks, something about not showing up your boss, but Katsuki is too busy dodging ice blasts to bother with it. He jumps over a console and the blast freezes it solid, he slides under a table and feels the chill arc past him. “This is bullshit!”
“My lab!” Shigaraki screams, “If you can’t hit him from far, get him in close range! And whatever you do, don't break my controller!”
Shougo gives that casual shrug again and then he’s crouching before leaping forward to tackle Katsuki to the ground.
Well sucks to be him because Katsuki is not just the football captain, he’s also a reserve on the wrestling team— which would be way more helpful if he didn’t need to keep Shougo’s hands from fucking touching him holy shit!
Izuku falls to a punch from Shigaraki but he’s curled bodily around the water bottle and the villain finally gives up trying to take it.
Instead he turns to run.
“KB!” Izuku coughs, “He’s getting away!”
“Kinda busy here Deku!” Katsuki snarls back, opening his book to the center and making sure to catch Shougo’s hits on the almost glossy pages. “Stop him yourself!”
Shougo pulls back with a thoughtful frown, hands blazing with white and red respectively. “What are you doing?” he asks in a tone that seems to actually expect an answer.
“Catching up on my reading– what does it look like, Dipshit!”
Shougo’s frown deepens. “There’s no need to be rude.”
He lunges forward then, swiping at Katsuki with a hand glowing with fire and it’s all Katskuki can do to block it with the open pages of the book. Along the spine where Shougo can’t see, an energy gauge slowly creeps upwards.
“Oh wow that’s so cool!” Izuku suddenly bursts out, appearing beside Shougo in that almost instant way he does when he’s actually interested in something. “Is it your gloves or a superpower? Can you swap them or is it always fire on the left and ice on the right? I’d assume it stays the same considering your hair but then again it could always be dyed to match the costume and not actually be natural– is it? And if it is dyed, how do you get the split so even? And if it is a superpower, are the gloves special to withstand your abilities or do your abilities allow you to control what gets affected? Do the gloves need to stay on their correct hand or is swapping them to throw people off an option? What would happen if you put your hands together?"
Shougo blinks, slowly putting his hands together. “I’ve never tried it.”
Katsuki curses and fires a grapple to yank himself out of the way of a massive pink blast that would definitely overload his book as he screams, “Don’t give the villains fucking ideas Deku!!!”
The sound of a helicopter is suddenly audible, and Shigaraki leans out the window to shout, “Shougo! Time to go!”
The boy immediately leaps backwards, flipping onto a table and snagging the rope ladder trailing from the getaway chopper. “See you next time Tsuki,” he calls, waving with his free arm, “and thanks for the tips, Sidekick.”
Katsuki glares and grabs the nearest electronic off the table, throwing it at the retreating villains with startling accuracy and a shout of “Die!!!!”
Shougo laughs, blasting the attack into pieces with his left hand before finally turning to climb up the ladder.
“Call me that again and I’ll kill you!” Katsuki roars, drowning out Izuku’s cheerful “Bye!”
Katsuki kicks a chair and curses.
Izuku smiles. “I like him.”
Katsuki sighs. "You would."
Well fuck. At least they recovered the controller.