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Despite the apartment being the Bakugou household, notoriously known for its loud ruckus and overwhelming atmosphere, the dinner started out quite nicely. The smell of the nabeyaki udon filled the room and the lighthearted beginning chatter of the three adults was all one needed for a comforting beginning to a meal. Izuku felt the need to emphasize that feeling to himself, seeing as though it had been some time since both he and his mother had dinner with the Bakugous, let alone had dinner with them.
It didn’t come as a surprise to Izuku when he’d heard that the dinner had been Mitsuki’s idea. What was surprising was the fact that Kacchan had told him about the invitation at school. Granted, he did so privately, though the sheer knowledge that Kacchan went out of his way to let Izuku know he’d been invited to his house for dinner later that day seemed surreal. Rather, it would have felt surreal had it not been for the obvious reason why Mitsuki had planned the dinner in the first place. The tone Kacchan held in his voice when inviting Izuku was evidence enough that the two stood on the same knowing ground for the dinner.
Mr. Toshinori’s death still loomed over the air, that being evident in not only the tension between Kacchan and Izuku recently, but with Izuku’s recent adventurous escapades -not that anyone in the room had been entirely aware of those. While he was proud of himself for finally having caught Mr. Toshinori’s killer and giving him to the police, there was still an itching clutch inside of Izuku. Something that told him he needed to do more than just send Mr. Toshinori’s killer to the police; something that said that wasn’t enough to bring justice to his death.
“Izuku?” Izuku broke out of his thoughts at hearing his mother’s voice, her hand resting on his shoulder. “Are you liking the food?” She asked.
Izuku looked up toward Mitsuki and Masaru, the two holding expectant and smiling looks toward the boy. “Oh, yes!” Izuku said, shooting a quick glance in Kacchan’s direction, who held the same expectant look in his eyes even though he wasn’t smiling. “It’s really good!”
“Glad you like it,” Mistuki said. “Katsuki here actually took over when he claimed I was doing something wrong.” Mitsuki commented, eyeing her son.
Kacchan poked at the food with his chopsticks for a moment. “That’s ‘cause you were, old hag,” He muttered, shoving a handful of udon noodles into his mouth.
Mitsuki rolled her eyes at Kacchan’s usual behavior, Izuku being slightly surprised that she hadn’t slapped him lightly. Perhaps that meant that she was admitting to having done something wrong in preparing the dinner. Izuku made a note to try and ask Kacchan about it later, though also knew that it was more than likely he wouldn’t be getting an answer.
Inko chuckled a bit at the sight of the interaction. “So, Mitsuki, how has work been recently?” Inko asked.
“Eh, same as usual, but at least now we’re getting a little action,” Mitsuki said, taking a bite of her food.
“I’ve heard about some criminal going around the city,” Inko mused, poking at her food for a moment. “Something about harassing civilians?”
“Sketchy civilians,” Mistuki corrected, covering her food-filled mouth until she quickly gulped it down. “Just this morning, the guy sent one tied up over to the police station.”
“The green guy?” Masaru asked.
Izuku paused at eating his food, slowly glancing up in Mitsuki’s direction.
“Who?” Inko asked.
“You haven’t heard?” Mitsuki asked, and Inko shook her head. “There’s a criminal in a weird green suit who’s been assaulting civilians in the dead of night,”
“What?” Inko asked, shocked.
“I know,” Mistuki said. “He’s a messy amateur who leaves clues around, but somehow the guys at the police station haven’t been able to catch the guy,” Mitsuki continued.
“How do you know it’s a 'he'?” Izuku asked, suddenly. He flinched in embarrassment realizing that he’d said that aloud.
Kacchan gave Izuku a look from across the table, one that made Izuku crouch down into the chair, something inside of him thinking he would be able to turn invisible if he leaned back far enough. “There were witnesses,” Kacchan spoke.
“Yeah,” Mitsuki agreed. “And the guy might be an amateur, but he’s still dangerous.”
“A person in a green suit assaulting people…” Inko muttered a bit to herself, attempting to recall the image. “Hold on, Izuku wasn’t that the guy from the video we both saw on the news earlier?” Inko asked, looking up toward Izuku.
Izuku felt his heart skip a beat, turning down to look at his food so as to avoid his mother’s gaze. “Uh, I’m not sure. Maybe?” Izuku answered, stuffing his mouth with food.
Inko looked back down at her food. “Well if it is, I sure hope you’re able to catch him, Mitsuki,” Inko said. “I think I remember some of my colleagues at work talking about how scary that guy is, and it’s just shady to me how he goes around at the dead of night,” Inko then looked back toward Izuku, pointing her chopsticks in his direction. “This is exactly the kind of stuff I get worried about when you get home late.”
Izuku smiled nervously at his mother’s comment. He looked up in Kacchan’s direction, noticing the pensive look he held on his face before going back to looking down at his food.
“You want to know what’s worse?” Mitsuki asked. “People are actually thinking this guy is some kind of hero.”
“Why?” Inko asked.
Mistuki shrugged. “It’s because most of the civilians he attacks have criminal backgrounds, too,” Mitsuki responded. “Minor criminal backgrounds, some more than others, but still.”
Inko shook her head in disappointment, eyebrows furrowing in frustration. “That’s ridiculous,” She muttered.
“What’s even more ridiculous is that the guy he sent in this morning was apparently the guy who shot Mr. Toshinori.” Mitsuki said.
Kacchan paused at eating his food.
Izuku felt his blood drop, head feeling fuzzy for a moment. He sat in such shock that he hadn’t noticed that his hands were shaking so much, causing his chopsticks to drop to the floor, all attention turning to him. “Sorry,” Izuku apologized, bending down to grab his chopsticks, his heart beating wildly in his chest.
“Would you like some new ones?” Masaru asked.
“Yes please,” Izuku said, handing over the fallen chopsticks to Masaru, who stood up and walked over to the pantry to find Izuku some clean chopsticks.
Inko looked at Mitsuki with shock in her eyes. “You’re kidding.”
Mitsuki shook her head. “It’s true,” She said. “I was just as surprised as you were when I saw it.”
Inko continued to hold her look of shock, trying to process the information she had just been given, and Izuku could understand why she felt that way. If he were honest with himself, he knew that if he’d heard that Mr. Toshiniori’s killer had been caught he would have felt just as distraught and in shock as his mother was. In fact, he was sure that if he weren’t the one who caught the killer, there would have been a part of him that would have felt like the capture wasn’t enough. That it took too long to find the killer and put him behind bars for the crime he committed. That they should have caught them right then and there at the scene the moment the bullet went through Mr. Toshinori.
That they should have done something instead of nothing.
“Are you alright?” Mitsuki asked, breaking Izuku and his mother out of their shocked trance. Izuku noticed that he’d been tightening his hold on the chopsticks, loosening his grip before he gained any grip marks on his fingers.
Inko took a sigh, holding a hand to her cheek as her expression grew somber. “I just can’t believe it,” She said. “I mean, I feel a little safer knowing that he’s been caught, but to what extent?” Inko asked.
“That’s what I was thinking,” Mitsuki said. “It’s things like this that damage people’s view on what a good hero is.”
Izuku slowly looked up toward Mitsuki. “You don’t think what he did was good?” Izuku asked.
“Well, I can admit that it kind of helped us out, but it’s not his job to go around assaulting people when you can just call the police.” Mitsuki said, taking a bite of her food.
“I agree,” Inko said. “It’s one thing to catch a killer and help put him behind bars, but just how many civilians need to be assaulted for that to be heroic?”
“It’s just that,” Izuku chimed in, putting his chopsticks down. “In the video they posted online, to me it looked like he was just trying to help people.”
Inko took a sigh. “Social media twists the truth, you can’t always trust what people say or show.” Inko said.
“The video isn’t even a minute long,” Kacchan muttered, still looking down at his plate.
Izuku glanced at his direction for a moment, then turned back toward his mother and Mitsuki. “I just think that if he’s able to stop crooks and killers, who’s to say he’s not helping people?”
“Assaulting people in the dead of night isn’t helping people, it’s scaring them,” Inko said, looking up towards her son with a firm expression.
“But if they’re criminals-”
“It doesn’t matter if they’re criminals, you don’t go around assaulting people and claim you’re helping others.” Inko said, her voice strict, as if warning Izuku that he was walking on a fine line.
He knew he was. It was a thin tightrope that was only visible between Izuku and his mother, but was otherwise invisible to all those around them. If he wasn’t careful, he would trip himself over the rope, and not only would he end up crashing down to the ground, everyone would be able to find the rope. All its intricate details being presented to the world for all to see, the secret of its creation being spread to those who needed only to look to know how.
Even so, Izuku continued to walk along the line. “I think that from what I saw from the video, it seemed like he was giving a public service.” Izuku said, slowly and almost hesitant.
“Let’s put it this way, Izuku,” Mitsuki began, calmly. “If I wanted those crooks off the street, they’d already be off the street.”
“Then why weren’t they?” Kacchan asked, still not facing up from his food.
Mitsuki looked at him with the same warning look that Inko had given to Izuku. “Well, if I may illuminate you both, all those crooks that the guy has been beating up are part of an operation,” Mitsuki explained. “A six month long sting operation they’re calling ‘Strategy’, and us at the police force have been tracking them down.”
Izuku nodded at the information. It made more sense to him now, how he would find the same people at times during his escapades. At first he considered it a coincidence that he’d come across the same thiefs two nights in a row, thinking it was laughable that they’d attempted to commit the same crime regardless of their embarrassing loss to Izuku. Eventually, however, the appearances became repeated, making Izuku wonder if there was more going on behind the scenes than he’d initially thought. With the information Mitsuki had given, now all the dots were connecting, each string having a place to go.
Even so, had Mitsuki not said anything, Izuku wouldn’t have even known that there was a bigger plot amongst the criminals. A part of him felt that his actions should have still been commended, especially since he hadn’t been aware of the operation, let alone came across his mind.
“Shut up,” Kacchan muttered, kicking Izuku’s leg underneath the table.
Izuku snapped out of his thoughts, realizing he’d been muttering his thoughts aloud. He desperately needed to get rid of that habit. “Sorry, I didn’t notice,” Izuku apologized.
“You don’t say,” Kacchan said.
Izuku gave a small nervous smile in Kacchan’s direction, silently hoping that he hadn’t caught anything he might have said.
Mitsuki eyed the two boys with a knowing smirk. “You two are pretty interested in this case, aren’t you?” She asked.
Izuku tensed, as Kacchan continued to eat his food without a care. “Just curious,” Izuku said quietly. “The video made that guy look like he was doing something good, so I was just taken aback, I guess.”
“Videos can make anyone look like a hero.” Inko commented, the same firmness in her voice.
“I’m not saying he’s a hero, I’m just saying that it looks like he’s doing something that the police can’t.” Izuku said without thinking, and eyeing toward Mitsuki.
Mitsuki raised a brow in his direction, smirk dropping. “Something the police can’t?” She asked.
Izuku immediately began to panic, raising his hands in surrender. “No, no, I just meant that- He’s standing for what you stand for, right?” Izuku began to try and make his point. “He’s protecting innocent people from bad guys.”
“Law and order and protecting the people can blend together, but they’re two different things,” Mitsuki said, her voice growing defensive.
“No, no, I know, I’m just saying that he’s trying to help people, same as you,” Izuku pointed, a surprising confidence in his voice as he let out each word. “Just because he does things differently than the police, that doesn’t make him a bad guy, he’s still helping people.”
Inko put her chopsticks down on the table. “Izuku,” She called, Izuku turning her head towards her. “Stop it.” Inko demanded. “This man you are trying to defend is not a hero. He wears a mask like some kind of outlaw.”
“But-” Izuku tried to interject, though Inko raised a finger to stop him from talking.
“All the people he’s attacked look the same.” Inko continued. “It’s almost like a scary, personal vendetta, and just because these people have some criminal record, that pattern alone makes him suspicious.” Inko said. “He’s not protecting people, Izuku.”
Izuku looked at her with worry. Her eyes were fierce, confidence unwavering.
There was a tension that loomed in the air as Izuku and Inko simply stared at each other. The tension was enough to let Izuku know that he’d not only tripped himself over the line, he tumbled, arms flailing when he attempted to get a grasp on that rope. However, any attempt that he made to grasp the rope would be met with a force that brought him down to the concrete ground as the rope dangled above him from high in the clouds.
Inko took a sigh through her nose, understanding that she’d made her point. “Now apologize to Mitsuki,” Inko demanded, raising her chopsticks and motioning them in Mitsuki’s direction.
Izuku took a moment to shift his gaze from his mother’s expression to Mitsuki, who held a look of indifference, as if she hadn’t witnessed the scene Izuku caused for him and his mother to make. He lowered his head when he turned to Mitsuki’s direction. “I’m sorry if I insulted you. That wasn’t my intention.” Izuku apologized. He winced at the flatness in his voice, trying his best to sound as sincere as possible.
Mitsuki simply waved a hand. “It’s all good,” She said. “Katsuki here’s always arguing with me about the same stuff, so I don’t mind.”
Kacchan let out a low grunt at Mitsuki’s comment. He put his chopsticks in what Izuku noticed was now an empty bowl, standing up from his seat with the bowl and chopsticks in hand. “I’m done,” Kacchan said, leaving the table.
Inko smiled fondly. “You always were a quick eater,” She recalled, nostalgia in her voice.
“He shoves it down like he’s got somewhere to be,” Mitsuki commented. “Honestly, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say he was the masked vigilante.”
Inko giggled at the joke, Masaru giving a soft chuckle, while Kacchan rolled his eyes, heading toward the kitchen and placing the tupperware in the sink. Izuku managed to let out a small chuckle, the corners of his mouth perking up into a shy smile.
“I’m going outside,” Kacchan announced, walking away from the dining room.
“To where?” Mitsuki asked.
“To the rooftop, where else?” Kacchan said.
“You just said you were going outside, that doesn’t just mean the rooftop,” Mitsuki said.
Kacchan groaned, rolling his eyes again. “Whatever,” He said, turning and heading towards the door for the rooftop.
“Take Izuku with you,” Mitsuki said.
Izuku looked up in confusion.
“Why? It’s not like he’s done eating,” Kacchan responded, looking to Izuku’s unfinished and slightly untouched dinner.
Izuku looked down at his food, knowing that he hadn’t been finished with it, although with all the tension that arose between him and his mother, he didn’t feel as hungry as before. “Actually, I think I kind of lost my appetite.” Kacchan let out a ‘tsk’ noise at Izuku’s response, though Izuku didn’t pay much mind to it. He knew that if anyone could see through his excuses, who would know better than Kacchan?
“You and Katsuki go outside for a minute,” Mitsuki said.
Izuku nodded and got up from the table with his plate, taking it to the kitchen to put it in the sink.
“Katsuki, take Izuku’s plate, would you?” Mitsuki asked.
“No, it’s ok, I can take it,” Izuku assured.
Soon, Izuku felt the plate get taken out of his hands. “I got it,” Izuku heard Kacchan say, watching as he took Izuku’s plate to the kitchen and into the sink, throwing out the leftover food into the trashcan and cleaning out the food stains on the plate with water. Once he was done, he walked over toward Izuku and then brushed past his shoulder. “Come on.” He said, motioning for Izuku to follow him.
“Be careful up there!” Masaru called.
“Don’t get too close to the railing!” Inko added.
Izuku waved a hand of reassurance while Kacchan grunted. “It’s the rooftop, not a cliffside!” Kacchan called, as he and Izuku made their way up the stairs to the rooftop.
The climb up the stairs didn’t last long, though the memory of racing up the stairs to the rooftop alongside Kacchan washed over Izuku’s brain like a sudden wave. The smell of the concrete drifted Izuku away back in time, his legs nearly picking up the pace with each step they’d climbed. He could hear Kacchan’s teasing taunts from when they would race each other up the stairs, Izuku often falling behind because he’d been scared of tripping over the steps. There was only once that Izuku could remember having won against Kacchan to reach the rooftop, though he was sure that the win was out of pity for having lost every time before. Just as it was rare now for Kacchan to openly demonstrate sympathy to any of his friends, it was rare back when he and Izuku were children.
As Izuku was lost in his thoughts, he soon realized that the two had reached the rooftop. The view of the city was as grand as ever, every city light visible from the height. The light of it all made the stars invisible, the sky becoming an everlasting dark blue blanket that stretched for miles, with its only source of light being the moon. Even so, Izuku stood in awe at the spectacle of the city that stood before him. It had been quite some time since he had been up on Kacchan’s rooftop. Izuku had nearly forgotten how much he’d enjoyed being up on the rooftop, the memories of him as a kid begging his mother and Mitsuki to go up to the rooftop before he’d left.
“You sure caused a scene back there,” Kacchan spoke, suddenly, walking up toward the railing and resting his arms.
Izuku followed next to him, continuing to stare out into the distance of the city. “Sorry,” Izuku apologized. “I got caught up in the moment, I guess.”
Kacchan glanced in Izuku’s direction but said nothing. The two stared out into the distance, the sounds of cars and bustling crowds from down below surrounding the silence. There was a single star that Izuku could have sworn he could have seen, however, it only ended up being an airplane; Izuku felt a pang of embarrassment and disappointment strike him at the realization.
A smile formed on Izuku’s face. “I missed the view.” Izuku said softly.
“It’s not that special,” Kacchan responded.
Izuku shrugged. “I guess, but I still missed it,” Izuku repeated, then a chuckle came out of his mouth. “You know, when we were climbing I remembered all those races we made with each other. The ones to climb up the stairs.” Izuku said.
Kacchan looked at him for a moment, then shrugged as he looked back to the city. “You mean the ones I would win?”
“Yeah, that, too,” Izuku said with a chuckle.
The two continued to stand in silence, staring at the view. Izuku searched his mind for topics to discuss with Kacchan, though was unsure if any of them would make for good conversation -or rather, one that would last long enough without any form of argument. There were a few topics that came to Izuku’s mind, although they would all get shaken away by the wind when it came to how Kacchan would respond to them.
If he were to respond at all.
That had been the other point of concern that ran across Izuku’s mind as he thought of things to talk about with Kacchan. The worry about whether or not Kacchan would bother to respond to anything Izuku had to say to him. Izuku would most likely receive an eye roll or annoyed grunt from Kacchan rather than gain a verbal response. However, the two of them were alone on the rooftop, so perhaps there was a chance that Kacchan would respond. He had just commented on Izuku’s awe at the city view, did he not? It was a very small thing to focus on, though Izuku had gained a response from Kacchan nonetheless.
Although what were the chances of Izuku saying something so simple and being able to attract Kacchan’s attention? Slim chances, that was what they’d been. Even on a rooftop, alone together with the brilliant city view in front of them, anything Izuku had to say was bound to annoy Kacchan in some way. Izuku could only wish that Kacchan would be interested in what he had to say in the same way Izuku was interested in all that Kacchan would say.
Well, almost all that Kacchan would say. There were plenty of things that Izuku would rather not listen to Kacchan discuss, especially when it came to the complicated things about Izuku. However, when it came to discussions about school assignments, video games, television shows, and all the wonderful things that Kacchan was so passionate about, Izuku couldn’t help but listen in. If given the chance to record any of Kacchan’s discussions, Izuku would take it in a heartbeat, wishing that he could turn the audio of the recording into simply its audio file so that he could listen to it every day. He would have to turn Kacchan’s discussions into an audio file, for Izuku would be too lost in Kacchan’s eyes to pay attention to anything he was saying.
Eyes that said more than anything Kacchan ever said aloud, held so many secrets and topics that were never dared to be let out into the wind. No, Kacchan’s words were meant for the truth and all the different kinds of things he enjoyed speaking about, and his eyes were what held all of his deepest desires and dreams. The only way one could even notice was if they’d stared long and deeply enough into them the way Izuku would.
The way Izuku was.
Was.
Kacchan turned and made eye contact with Izuku, catching his apparent stare. Izuku’s eyes widened at the realization that he’d been staring at Kacchan, wondering when he’d even begun to do so. Why he’d begun to do so. The reason was in all the scrambled and strange thoughts he’d conjured up mere seconds ago, though they’d all slid down into the depths of Izuku’s mind before he could accurately pick them apart.
“What happened to your face?” Kacchan asked suddenly, breaking the silence.
Izuku tilted his head in confusion at first, then realized what Kacchan was talking about. “Oh!” Izuku recalled, lifting a hand to the bruise above his cheek. “It’s, uh… Accident.” Izuku lied.
“Mine?” Kacchan asked suddenly.
“No, no! This wasn’t you!” Izuku assured, waving a hand in the same assurance.
“Who was it, then?” Kacchan asked.
“No one,” Izuku lied. “Just an accident.”
Kacchan’s eyes darted up and down at Izuku, studying his body and locking his eyes at certain points. Points with healing bruises. Izuku did his best to hide them from Kacchan, hoping he would forget about them and they could move onto a different subject.
“You’ve been getting a lot of those lately,” Kacchan pointed out, looking back out into the city.
Izuku began to tense, shoulders rising to the corners of his face. “It’s nothing,” Izuku attempted to avoid once more.
“You keep getting more of them, so it’s not nothing,” Kacchan responded, seemingly not buying into Izuku’s avoidance of the subject.
Izuku chose not to give a response. If he did it would only further the conversation, leading into things that Izuku could not and would not be able to talk about. Not without risking Kacchan’s safety. Not that there had really been any risk on Kacchan’s safety if Izuku were to tell him, though what if there came a day that his safety was in jeopardy because he knew of Izuku’s secret? Izuku couldn’t risk that. He didn’t want to, and there was no need for anyone to know, especially Kacchan.
Out of all the people in the world, Izuku felt better if Kacchan would be the last person on earth to know about his powers and semi-double life. What good would it do to tell Kacchan in the first place? There were many things in which Izuku couldn’t be sure how Kacchan would react, no matter how simple it was, but this… This secret that had been weighing on Izuku for less than a month. This secret that Izuku had been bearing alone. This secret that he built upon himself, making himself believe that it was all for the best.
To a vast extent, this secret and reason behind it were all for the best. He’d managed to not only stop crooks across the city, but he’d stopped nearly all the members that formed a sting operation right underneath the city’s noses. It still stood true that Izuku hadn’t even known that the operation had been occurring in the first place, yet his own plan to go to action managed to stop them all in less than a month. Meanwhile, the police force had been on the case for six months and hadn’t caught a single one of the sting members.
Izuku thought that they would all ought to be grateful for his help. That they would praise him with all sorts of compliments, news stations broadcasting their wonder for the vigilante who went around helping the community. Your friendly neighborhood Izuku.
But the police didn’t think that way about him.
They did not praise his efforts. He didn’t ask for it or really want it, though a simple ‘thank you’ would be enough.
Not even his own mother thought that what Izuku was doing was good. Granted, she had no idea that it was Izuku committing these actions, although Izuku’s heart still panged at knowing the distrust his mother held for this masked vigilante. The fear she had for thinking that there was a dangerous criminal assaulting civilians. The agreement she, Mitsuki, and perhaps even Masaru had in believing that it would be better for everyone if the masked vigilante was put to a stop.
Kacchan hadn’t thought that way. At the very least, he’d commented about how the police hadn’t been on top of the sting operation. Mitsuki had also said himself that Kacchan would argue with her about the same subject Izuku and his mother were arguing about. That must have meant that Kacchan believed that whatever Izuku -or rather, the masked vigilante was doing was good. That he believed it was helpful.
Izuku looked up toward Kacchan. There was a string of hope being played in his heart; a hope that made him believe that maybe, just maybe, it would be alright to tell Kacchan. That if Kacchan knew his secret, it would take off the weight on Izuku’s shoulders -at least most of it.
If Kacchan knew his secret, maybe, just maybe, it would be ok.
Izuku took a deep breath and straightened himself up. “I have to tell you something.”
Kacchan turned to his direction. “Ok,” Was all Kacchan responded with.
Izuku took another breath, hands gripping onto the railing as he stared deeply into Kacchan’s eyes. The red, crimson eyes that Izuku had made paragraphs for in his head. A thought in Izuku’s head told him that if he continued to stare long enough, that if he just kept his eyes on Kacchan, he would be able to have confidence in himself and tell him what it was he wanted to say.
For some reason, all that grew inside of Izuku was pure and utter nervousness. Even with the strong grip that Izuku had on the railing, his hands were shaking, sweat forming on his palms even through the cold night. His legs were shaking so much that he was sure they would have given out in mere seconds if he didn’t look away from Kacchan’s eyes right that second.
“Ok,” Izuku breathed, breaking eye contact and taking another breath. “Ok, ok, ok, ok,” Izuku repeated to himself, trying to regain his composure, looking back toward Kacchan when he felt ready again. “I just have to tell you this one thing, one thing, that I think you should know after everything that’s happened.”
There was a silence as Kacchan simply continued to stare at Izuku. He stood from the railing and took a small step closer to Izuku. “Ok,” Kacchan said.
“It’s just…” Izuku attempted to say, looking in Kacchan’s eyes. The same nervousness from before creeped up inside of him again, causing him to break eye contact once more. “It’s about the, uh… The vigilante guy and the car thief.” Izuku let out quickly, thinking if he spat it out quickly he could get it over with.
There was another moment of silence. “What about it?” Kacchan asked.
Izuku stretched out his hands on the railing, releasing their grip and drying the sweat. He broke away from the railing, placing his hands at his sides and wiping his hands on his pants. “Ok, so…” Izuku looked up to Kacchan’s eyes.
The expression in them changed.
What was once an expectant gaze turned into one of slight disappointment.
“What?” Kacchan asked.
“Right, uh…” Izuku tried to find the words to explain. “I, uh… I don’t know how to explain it really, it kind of just happened before I could do anything about it.”
The expectant gaze that Kacchan held before returned, in a surprised way this time. “Ok.” He said, slowly.
“And, um…” Izuku scanned his brain for a way to explain it all. Explain his secret without sounding like a lunatic or scaring Kacchan away. That was the last thing Izuku wanted to do at that moment. He turned away for what felt like the hundredth time, and took another deep breath. “I don’t know how to say it.”
Kacchan groaned. “Deku, I really don’t have the patience to deal with this right now.”
“I’m sorry, it’s just…” Izuku grunted, not being able to find his words. “I don’t know how you’ll react.”
Kacchan raised a brow, then let out a grunt as he rolled his eyes. “You won’t know if you don’t bother spitting it out already.”
“I would but I-...” Izuku attempted to form the words again. Saying that he was the masked vigilante. Explaining his powers to Kacchan. Letting Kacchan respond.
Not knowing how to say any of it.
Not knowing how Kacchan would respond.
Izuku grunted, and buried his face in his arms, the cold of the railing stinging his cheeks.
Kacchan let out his own grunt, stepping back from Izuku. “Damn nerd,” He muttered for the first time since Izuku’s arrival at his apartment. “Wasting my damn time acting like this.”
Izuku grunted and lifted his face from his hands. “Nevermind then, if that’s how you see it,” Izuku spat. He hadn’t meant to, but somehow letting that out was much easier than what he originally wanted to say.
“Whatever, as if I actually give a shit for anything you have to say.” Kacchan retorted, walking away from Izuku.
But he couldn’t walk away.
Not yet.
Izuku lifted his head from the railing.
He stretched an arm out to Kacchan’s direction and released a Black Whip, wrapping it around Kacchan’s waist.
Kacchan stopped in his tracks and looked to see Izuku’s Black Whip. His eyes widened, pupils piercing at the sight.
Izuku detached the Black Whip from Kacchan’s waist, causing him to spin over to Izuku, tripping over his feet and hands clutching onto Izuku’s arms with a cry. Kacchan looked down to where the Black Whip was, the same shock in his eyes, along with a small addition of panic as he stared into Izuku’s own eyes. He panted a few times, studying every inch of Izuku’s face; the thought made Izuku’s face flush.
Kacchan pulled away from Izuku, shoving him away. “What the hell?” Kacchan called. “You just- How did- What?” Kacchan was too much in shock to formulate a question, though Izuku knew the basics of what was going through his brain. Or might have been going through his brain.
“It’s, uh… My power?” Izuku asked, more than he explained. “I don’t really know how it happened, but, uh…” Izuku continued to try and see if he could come up with a simple explanation, seeing as though he’d demonstrated one of his abilities to Kacchan. Words seemed to continue to fail him, his brain short-circuiting at every possible attempt to give a verbal explanation to Kacchan.
Izuku grunted in frustration, hitting a fist to his forehead, then releasing another Black Whip and bringing Kacchan back up to him. Izuku wasn’t sure why he’d repeated the action, but something about it seemed easier than letting out words.
Kacchan once again tripped over his feet at the action, hands latching to Izuku’s arms. He looked up toward Izuku once again, the shock from before still present, though the panic seemed to have lessened. “I don’t know how, but I thought…” Izuku’s hands made their way down to meet Kacchan’s. They were clammy but warm. “After everything, I just… Felt like I needed to tell you,” Izuku said shyly, avoiding Kacchan’s gaze as he spoke. It was easier that way. “I don’t know, I guess I’m just tired of keeping it all in, you know?” Izuku felt tears form at the corners of his eyes. He squeezed them away before they could fill his vision, for he did not want to cry in the cold. That would have been far worse than crying in front of Kacchan.
There was a moment of silence between the two of them, as they held onto each other for unneeded safety. They were close to the railing of the rooftop, but not too close to need someone to hold onto. Izuku wondered for a moment if it was because he needed someone to hold onto.
Or if maybe Kacchan needed someone to hold onto.
Before Izuku could shake the thought away, Kacchan gripped his hold onto Izuku’s hands. “Is there anything else you want to tell me?” Kacchan asked, his voice low and somewhat shaky. That was more than likely Izuku’s imagination playing tricks on him, making him believe that if he was being vulnerable then it meant Kacchan was being vulnerable in response.
Izuku chuckled dryly at the thought, shaking his head to shake it away. As he did so, he looked up at Kacchan’s expression. It was serious. It wasn’t the expression he would make when he’d been trying to tolerate whoever would be talking to him. It was a genuine serious expression, meaning that the question he’d asked had come from a genuine place. No, that perhaps still wasn’t the truth, it couldn’t be. Any time that Izuku would be vulnerable with Kacchan it would always end up with Kacchan teasing him or dismissing whatever it’d been that Izuku said. He would hardly ever treat Izuku’s feelings with sincerity, at the very least he would do so very rarely.
But then, Izuku began to stare into Kacchan’s eyes. Eyes that said more than words ever could, no matter how hard Kacchan would try to hide it. Red, crimson eyes that sparkled with the city lights in a hue that pulled Izuku down into a maroon haze surrounded by a fire that could burn if you went too far, but was warm and gentle when standing close. A fire that burned Izuku many times before, often on purpose, with the many accidents that were not met with any apology. Yet even so, Izuku found himself forgiving all the burns that were given to him because he knew the fire did not mean to burn.
It meant to shine. It ignited itself with all the brilliant, amazing passion that it gave itself. And it would send burns, but they learned to be gentler now. Learned to be strong but not fierce. Warm but not hot.
At some point, Izuku realized that he’d been staring into Kacchan’s eyes for too long and that it was getting a bit weird. But would it have been considered weird if those eyes were staring back in the way Izuku could only imagine he’d been staring?
Izuku found himself subconsciously leaning into the space that stood between him and Kacchan, his face close enough to feel Kacchan’s small breaths. “I, uh…” Izuku closed his mouth, not having meant to speak just yet. He backed his head away slightly, knowing it wasn’t the best idea to be this close to Kacchan.
However, Kacchan began to lean into the space as well, closing into the leftover proximity that was left between them. “Mhm,” Kacchan nodded, nose brushing against Izuku’s with the movement.
Izuku relished the feeling for a moment, heart fluttering at the closeness. He felt Kacchan brush his thumb over his hand, a gesture that Izuku would have never imagined happening to him. Suddenly, Izuku felt a coldness surrounding one of his hands, soon realizing that it was because Kacchan let go of it. Strangely, Izuku’s heart twinged at the fact, not wanting Kacchan to let go just yet. However, his heart quickly continued its fluttering, as Kacchan brought his hand up to Izuku’s cheek, brushing it slightly with his knuckles. Izuku tilted his head to the touch, eyes closing at the small warmth.
Izuku then lifted his head and closed the inch that remained in the gap between the two, his lips crashing into Kacchan’s. It took no more than five seconds for Izuku to realize what was happening, and it took no less than three seconds for Kacchan to kiss back, hand traveling up into Izuku’s hair, entangling his fingers in the curls. Izuku’s heart pounded wildly in his chest, his chest and stomach filling themselves with aggressively fluttering butterflies that spread their wings wildly at the touch.
A small part of him at the back of his mind told him to pull away, that this was too much so suddenly. But every other part of Izuku melted into the kiss, let himself be succumbed to the warmth of Kacchan’s fire. The fire that managed to warm Izuku with a single touch, melting him away with the simple contact of their lips. Except, the contact wasn’t simple. It was far from simple. Just a few seconds ago the mere feeling of Kacchan brushing his thumb against Izuku’s hand was one that would have sent Izuku soaring up into the clouds. Now, in less than five minutes, the feeling of Kacchan’s lips against Izuku’s was enough to blast him out of the galaxy, letting him float around the maroon haze that Kacchan surrounded him in.
Izuku wrapped his arms around Kacchan, his hands brushing the back of Kacchan’s hair, pulling him in closer. Every part of him flew higher and higher as the kiss deepened, feeling as though he could melt away and dissolve at any given moment, and Izuku could see no other greater way of going down. It was a tragic imagination, though a romantic one; Izuku dying in Kacchan’s arms during a kiss, making it the kiss of death. The kiss of death in Kacchan’s arms. The kiss with Kacchan. Kacchan.
“Katsuki!”
Izuku broke away for oxygen for a moment, quickly leaning back into the kiss, more passionately this time, as if he were afraid this was just a dream. If it was, he prayed that he wouldn’t wake up just yet.
“Katsuki!” Masaru’s voice echoed through the rooftop, Izuku and Kacchan quickly breaking away from each other, only to see Masaru standing at the door with a surprised expression.
Izuku’s legs stumbled to turn around, hands gripping tightly onto the railing, taking a shaky breath to calm himself down. Kacchan stood next to him, hands in the pockets of his jacket, looking away from both Izuku and Masaru.
Masaru cleared his throat before speaking. “You’re, uh… Mitsuki and Inko are calling you both back inside,” Masaru informed.
Izuku nodded.
Kacchan nodded in unison. “We’ll be down in a minute,” Katsuki responded.
“Inko says she plans on leaving soon,” Masaru pointed out.
“In a minute!” Kacchan called once more.
There was a small moment of silence before Izuku could hear Masaru say, “Ok,” And leaving the two alone once again.
Izuku continued to grasp onto the railing, taking deep and shaky breaths, his brain processing the memory of what had just happened. What just happened. Izuku and Kacchan. They kissed.
Izuku and Kacchan kissed.
Izuku lifted a shaking hand to his lips, the cool breeze of the night rasping away at any warmth that had been there before. He turned his head hesitantly toward Kacchan, who looked down at the concrete floor with his eyebrows furrowed, cheeks holding hints of pink. Izuku would have liked to say that it was the cold, though knew the grasp of the second possibility all too well.
“So,” Kacchan spoke, making Izuku flinch. “You’re the masked guy, huh?” Kacchan asked.
Izuku took a moment before nodding his head, wanting to give a verbal response, though all he managed to let out was a high-pitched, “Mhm.” To which Kacchan nodded his head.
More silence.
Izuku tried his best to make his eyes stare out at anything other than Kacchan, but he would only find himself sneaking glances at Kacchan. He shook his head, wanting to bury his face in his hands so that he wouldn’t be able to see anyone or anything for the rest of the night -perhaps even his life.
Kacchan then let out a grunt, walking away from Izuku. “Let’s go.” He said.
Izuku nodded his head, letting go of the tight grip he made on the railing. He winced at the sight of a dent he’d created with his grip, hoping that nobody else who came up the rooftop would notice. Izuku turned from the railing and followed Kacchan to the stairs, his eyes glued to the ground as his heart pounded wildly with each step closer he was to Kacchan.
And then there was a sting in his head.
Izuku turned his head back out into the city. There were the sounds of sirens in the distance.
Cries. Yells. Panic. Fear.
Something was wrong.
“Hey, Deku!” Kacchan called. “Come on, let’s go!”
Izuku turned to look at Kacchan. He knew he needed to get inside. His mother said that they would be leaving soon.
But there was something bad happening.
Something that Izuku needed to stop.
Izuku clenched his fists and ran up towards Kacchan, head spinning as he did so, which perhaps could have been the best explanation for why he’d taken a hold of his shoulders and planted a quick kiss on his cheek. Kacchan stared at him with shock, cheeks turning pink. “I’ll be right back!” Izuku said, then ran off to the railing.
“Wait, Deku!” Kacchan called, chasing after him.
Izuku climbed up the railing and jumped off, quickly letting out a Black Whip to swing him up off the ground before his legs could meet the ground. He looked back to see Kacchan standing at the railing, looking out in shock and frustration. Admittedly, it seemed more like frustration than anything.
“Cover me! I’ll be back before anyone knows I’m gone!” Izuku called, swinging away to another rooftop.
From afar, Izuku could hear Kacchan call out, “Damn nerd! If you die, I’ll kill you!”
Izuku managed a small smile as he swung from rooftop to rooftop. After a kiss like that, he swore to himself that he wouldn’t die before being able to get another one.