Chapter Text
It was supposed to be a normal, solo patrol. Roaming the rooftops, keeping an eye out and reporting anything big to his agency while taking care of anything small he came across. But when was anything ever normal for Izuku Midoriya? Even after fighting in two wars and being well on his way to being a pro while still in school, life still liked to throw him a curveball from time to time.
Today was one of those days.
“This where you come to cry, Omori?” A voice below him taunted. Izuku knew that tone. It had been all too familiar a few years ago.
“Can’t you leave me alone for one day, Takao?” A small voice asks.
“Nah. Fuckin with you is too much fun. Not like you can do anything to me anyway. That quirk of yours don’t work on me!” The bully sneered.
Izuku had heard enough. Without thinking about it, he jumped down from his perch on the short rooftop and landed directly in front of the smaller of the three boys in the alley, full cowling quickly dissipating as soon as he landed.
“Shit!” The one called Takao shouted before instantly booking it, dragging his accomplice with him.
“Some bullies they were.” Izuku muttered, clenching his fists. “Sorry I couldn’t do more before they took off. Are you al-” His voice cut off with a ‘poof’ of smoke as a hand reached out to touch his shoulder. When the smoke cleared, a younger version of the hero was left standing there in a baggy uniform.
And he had no idea where he was or how he’d gotten there.
“Oh shit. Hero Deku?” The boy, Omori, asked. Izuku jumped and hid his face behind his hands, looking around frantically.
“W-Why did you call me that!? Only K-kaccan calls me t-that.”
“That's…” Omori looked confused, but he was smart enough to realize that the name must have meant something very different to a 14 year old Deku.
“I uh. You saved me from some bullies. You’re older. And I accidently used my quirk on you, so you’re my age now! What’s the last thing you remember?”
Izuku frowned, thinking hard.
“I was…on my way home from school. K-Kacchan was extra mean today, and he threw my notebook out the window after blowing it up. Where's…” He started looking around, and then looked down.
“This really isn’t where I’m supposed to be, i-is it?”
“N-no. I’m sorry. Sometimes it’s just their bodies, sometimes it’s their memories too. I accidentally made you the same age as me, I guess. What’s your name?” Omori asked. “I’m Neji. Neji Omori.”
“Izuku Midoriya.”
“Okay. Midoriya.” Neji frowned. “Do you have a phone on you? Maybe someone on there knows you and can come help.”
Izuku patted down the baggy costume, and ended up finding one in one of the red pockets at his waist. Luckily, future him and past him had the same code to unlock it. He didn’t recognize the background picture; it was simple, just a large grenade looking thing next to a glove, sitting on a ledge or rooftop at what appears to be sunset, but it comforts him slightly to realize that the glove is the same as the one he has on. He silently passed the phone to Neji, afraid to mess with the device that may or may not be his.
Neji is brave enough to find the emergency contact button and dial.
“What is it now, Problem Child?” A gruff voice asked. Neji is almost too nervous to answer back, but he manages.
“Um, hello. Yes! D-I mean, the person who this phone belongs to, he saved me and accidentally got turned into a middle schooler because of my quirk. Is there anyone who can come help? He’s really confused.”
There was a long pause at the end of the line, like whoever had answered was rubbing his temples before answering with a soft sigh.
“Where are you located at the moment?” Neji told him their location.
“There’s a bakery right next to you. Go inside, and tell them that Pro Hero Eraser Head told you to wait for him there. I’ll call ahead so they know why you’re there. Grab something to eat and drink if you two want and he’ll handle the tab when he gets there. And whatever you do, stay out of trouble and do NOT mention Midoriya’s quirk. As far as you know, he doesn’t have one. Just go along with it if he says he’s quirkless. “ Aizawa paused for a moment to take a deep breath. “And kid? You did the right thing by calling.”
“It’s the least I could do since he scared off my bullies.” Neji mumbled.
“Get to the bakery and wait for Eraser Head. If your bullies come back before you get there, you use this line again.”
“Understood, sir.” And the line went dead with a click.
“Do…do they know who I am?” Izuku asked, looking pretty apprehensive. He’d tried to follow the conversation as best he could, but he didn’t understand much of it. At least not from what little Neji had told the mysterious person on the phone.
“Yeah. They’re sending Pro Hero Eraser head to get you. Come on. He told us to wait at the bakery right around the corner. Are you hungry?” Neji started to walk, and luckily Izuku had enough sense to follow.
He frowned, as if trying to figure out what his body wanted. “Yeah, I guess I am. It was just a regular school day but I feel like I’ve been running a lot.”
“I guess that makes sense.” Neji had to stop himself from saying ‘ Yeah, you were just on patrol’ because that would probably lead to questions about the boy in front of him being a hero and what his quirk might be.
The lady behind the counter was just hanging up a phone as they walked in.
“Are you two the boys the ones Eraser just called about?”
“Yes Ma’am. “ Neji told her.
“Here. Come pick what you want and take a seat anywhere you’d like.” She was a larger woman, with bright pink hair and a kind face.
The boys grabbed a bag of chips each and their chosen baked goods, and plopped down in one of the booths. Neji could not get over how the shy, nervous looking boy in front of him had been Hero Deku not fifteen minutes before. They sat in silence for a good five minutes, before Neji was brave enough to ask Izuku who his favorite Pro Hero was and managed to get him to ramble on about All Might and a few of the other pros. Neji knew better than to mention a few of them had been killed in battle recently, and simply asked a question or two here and there or agreed when needed to keep the other boy talking.
A bit later, Neji’s eyes went wide when he spotted a grumpy looking figure walking in the door. Izuku turned to look and his eyes went wide.
“I-it really is him! Pro Hero Eraser Head!”
Aizawa turned, a faint look of relief crossing his face when he realized Midoriya was all in one piece. He quickly went and took care of their snack bill before pulling a chair up to their booth, spinning it around to sit on it backwards. But before he got comfortable, he pulled a plain black bag that had been half hidden under his capture weapon and handed it to Izuku.
“Here kid. Change into these and throw your hero costume in here. We’ll take care of it once we get you back to campus.”
“Y-yes sir.” Izuku said quietly, head down as he took the bag and slunk off to the restroom. Aizawa turned to the other kid now. “Neji.” He pulled out a business card. “Under normal circumstances, I’d stay here and interview you for the incident report. But given the nature of it, Endeavor's agency has agreed to take a bit more of a relaxed approach. If you’ll call this number here and give them your statement, we’ll handle anything else on our end when Midoriya is back to normal.” Neji nodded his head, taking the card. “I’ll call them right away as soon as I make it home. He should ah…he should be back to normal within 24-48 hours.” He looked a bit sheepish. “I normally wear gloves but they got ruined earlier and I forgot about it when I went to hug him after saving me.”
“Not the first time, nor the last that something like this has happened to him. You’re fine, kid. You aren’t in trouble. I don’t think I need to tell you to be more careful in the future.”
“Right. I’m sorry. I’ll start carrying an extra pair of gloves with me.” Neji looked down.
“You did good kid. Thank you for watching over him until I could get here.”
Aizawa stood as soon as Midoriya came out, dressed in a pair of black track pants with a red stripe going down each side and a baggy black Dynamight hoodie with an orange T-shirt underneath. Complete with a pair of simple black slides that were just a tiny bit big, but they’d work.
“Come on, kid. Let’s get you back to campus. “
“C-campus?” Izuku asked, confused.
“I’ll explain on the way there.”
“Oh. O-okay.” Izuku gave one last shy wave to the other boy, who was getting up to head out as well.
“B-bye Omori-kun. Thanks for your help.” he said quietly.
“Goodbye Midoriya! I hope I get to apologize again when you’re back to normal. “ Neji gave him and Aizawa both a shy smile and wave before taking off down the sidewalk.
- - - -
Aizawa didn’t start to talk until they were safely in his car and headed towards the school. Izuku was silent, keeping his head down and only lifting it just enough to watch where they were going out the window. He had a million questions running through his head, but between Kacchan’s outburst earlier today and this whole quirk incident, he was hesitant to ask any of them.
“We’re headed to UA.” Aizawa said finally. “You’re one of my students, in the hero course there, in your third year. “
“H-hero course? But I’m-!” Izuku pursed his lips together, looking upset to even mention the word. “You may be now , but you won’t be for long. What’s the last thing you remember before waking up in that alley?”
“I..I was on my way home from school. Aldera Middle School.” His shoulders dropped even more, and he was trying hard not to completely curl in on himself.
“Kacchan, my-m-my classmate, was a lot meaner today than he usually is. He um. Said some stuff. And threw my notebook out the window after burning it.”
“You don’t remember anything after that?”
“No sir. I was…I think I was just leaving the school when I woke up next to Omori-kun.”
Aizawa ran a tired hand through his hair, sighing. “Of all the places to send you…”
“Sir?”
“It’s fine. Just try to keep an open mind. Your classmates have been through a lot. They’ll take good care of you while you’re like this.” He was texting someone with one hand while he drove with the other, barely glancing at the phone while he tapped away and kept his eyes firmly on the road ahead.
They arrived at UA minutes later, and Aizawa led him to the dorms.
The moment Izuku spotted the aggressive looking blonde standing in front of the building, he froze and stepped slightly behind Aizawa.
“Relax, Midoriya. I asked him to meet us.”
“But that’s….”
“Yes. You and Bakugo both ended up making it into UA’s hero course. I’ll explain more in a moment, but I need his help with something first.” As he spoke, Shinso slipped out the doors, headed towards them. Aizawa reached back and placed a protective hand on Izuku’s shoulder, even as Katsuki trailed a few feet behind Shinso.
As they approached, Aizawa spoke again.
“Midoriya, I’d like to introduce you to your classmate, Hitoshi Shinso. I’ve asked him to come help me suppress your quirk until you return to normal.”
Izuku’s eyes widened, and he couldn’t help but start to ask.
“My quir-” Izuku cut off mid word as Shinso took loose control of his mind.
Katsuki stepped forward then, and leaned down until his eyes were level with Izuku’s and put a gentle hand on the side of the boys face, closing his eyes and concentrating.
Orange lightning crackled and danced along his heavily scarred hand and forearm, turning green as it surrounded Izuku’s face.
- - -
“10th, what are you doing here, brat?” A voice asks in Katsuki’s mind. He can’t see their realm, as disconnected as he is from it in general, but he can hear them. He doesn’t waste any time on pleasantries as he responds to the 2nd user.
“Deku’s been hit by some age regression quirk. He’s 14 right now. Is he in there with you guys?”
“His body is here, but we can’t speak to him.” 2nd confirms.
“But we can keep him here if we need to. “ That was Nana Shimura, the 7th talking now.
“Yeah. I need you guys to stay inactive while he’s like this. His body can’t handle it. Like, any of it. I took a risk by coming here, but Eraser can’t stare at him while we wait for it to wear off in a day or two.”
“We will withhold our power until Midoriya calls for us again. “ The first user promised. “So long as you ensure no harm comes to him while he’s powerless.”
“Ask the grumpy fucker. Ain’t nothing gettin through me while the nerd is quirkless.” Katsuki could just imagine the 2nd user’s eyes, nearly identical to his own, flashing as he said it.
“He’s all yours, 10th. Do NOT disappoint us.” 2nd warned.
And with that, Katsuki faded back into his own body, thumb brushing Izuku’s small freckled cheek before the younger boy has a chance to wake up. Terrified green eyes stare into his own before he has a chance to move back, and the fear there sends a pain straight through his patchwork chest as he moves back.
- - -
When he came to, Izuku found himself staring into a set of all too familiar ruby eyes. These didn’t smirk or glow in anger, but the sight was still enough to startle him. He flinched and ducked back behind Aizawa, not saying a word.
“Thanks for bringing him back to me in one piece, Sensei.” Katsuki muttered, straightening up and taking a few steps back.
“W-what was that?!” Izuku sputtered, finally finding his voice as he looked between Aizawa and the other two boys, making a point not to linger on Katsuki for too long. Everything had just gone dark and he remembered hearing a couple of mumbling voices, but nothing else. He couldn’t hear what they’d said, only that one voice in particular seemed to sooth him more than the others.
“Your quirk’s unstable. Mind fuck here and me had to come make sure it doesn’t activate on accident and kill you, since your body isn’t strong enough to handle it right now.” Katsuki told him simply, as if it wasn’t the strangest thing Izuku had ever heard. His voice was deeper, more rumbly than Izuku remembered, but still undoubtedly Kacchan.
Izuku looked to Aizawa for confirmation.
“I…I really have a quirk?”
“Yes, you do. And while Bakugou could have phrased it better, he’s right. It’s too dangerous for me to leave you here without taking some precautions. Now, listen to me carefully.” Aizawa turned now, kneeling down so that he’s eye level with his nervous student.
“I’m well aware of your history with Bakugou. In fact, know exactly what he said to you that day-today, -” Izuku’s shoulders drooped even more just thinking about it. “-But. That being said, I don’t trust anyone else here to keep you out of trouble. This Bakugou is NOT the same one who hurt you a few hours ago. Try to give him a chance, Midoriya.“ Aizawa reached out and ruffled his hair.
“If nothing else, trust the fact that I’m a Pro Hero and a teacher at the end of the day and wouldn’t do anything to put one of my students in danger. You and Bakugou are both my kids, whether you remember that or not.”
“D-didn’t you expel an entire class one time?” Izuku asks, a bit hesitantly. Aizawa sighed as he stood back up.
“I’m never going to live that down, am I?” he muttered, before looking behind him.
“Bakugou.”
“Sensei.”
“You’re excused from classes until he’s back to normal. Have him call me as soon as he’s back so we can follow up with the incident report.”
Katsuki gave a huff of acceptance. “Do they know I’m missing patrol tomorrow?”
“No, but you can tell Endeavor himself that I am the one who’s keeping you here.”
“Icy Hot is gonna love rubbing that in his face. “
“Endeavor can call me if he has an issue. He should be used to this by now. But I need to go.” Aizawa looked down at Izuku, who was watching Bakugo nervously.
“Run along, Problem Child. I’m sure your classmates are anxious to get their hands on you. I can feel them through the door.”
“They won’t…. hate me because I’m quirkless, will they?” The class he knew now wouldn’t give him the time of day. Even if he had a quirk now, what was to keep them from treating him the same if he couldn’t use it?
Katsuki groaned.
“We’re past that, nerd. Your fucking squad will kill me if I so much as look at you wrong. Now come on before I pick you up and carry you inside.”
Izuku gave Aizawa one last nervous look before starting forward to follow the other two inside. But just as Katsuki turned, the younger boy finally caught a glimpse of the scars on his face that had been hidden by his hair. The ones on his arm were covered by a full length compression sleeve.
“K-Kacchan…!” He gasped.
“Wha-? Oh. This?” Katsuki touched his hand to his face for a second. At Izuku’s nod, he rolled his eyes.
“Remind me to tell you about it before you change back.”
“You don’t…mind?” His Kacchan from before would scold him for even thinking about asking a question.
“Fuck no. If that’s what it’ll take for you to stop being so damn scared of me, I’ll show you every fuckin one.” As he spoke, he finally opened the door to their dorm building.
“Alright fuckers, listen up!” Katsuki shouted, ignoring the way Izuku cowered at the door between him and Shinso. Half their class had been gathered there, waiting.
“The nerd’s been quirked. He’s 14, doesn’t have any powers, and doesn’t know me. He also doesn’t know his hero name, so fuck off with calling him that until he’s back.”
“Wait why…?”
“Cause I fucking bullied him, round cheeks, remember?”
“Oh. Right.” She frowned. “But why didn’t Aizawa put one of us in charge of him then? Even if it’s just this once?”
Katsuki just stared, with a faint expression of hurt crossing his features. “Because the nerd would do it for me if the roles were reversed. Now come introduce yourselves and don’t fucking smother him. I’ve got to get dinner started.” He glanced back at Izuku.
“You tell one of these extras to grab me if you need something. I’ve got a key to your room when you’re ready.” And with that, he stormed off towards the large kitchen at the other end of the room while a handful of people rushed Izuku. Shinso had slipped away during Katsuki’s speech, leaving Izuku to take the full brunt of the excited classmates who rushed to greet him.
“Hi there. I’m Uraraka. I never realized you were this cute when you were younger, Midoriya!”
“You are rather small. Are you sure you’re 14? I’m Tenya Ida. You can call on me if the class gets to be too much for you.”
“Can we get him away from the doors? Ribit. Come on Midoriya-chan. There’s more room over by the couches. “ Tsuyu came forward and grabbed his arm and began to gently tug. Overwhelmed, Izuku could do nothing but follow. He was grateful for the rescue though.
“I’m Tsuyu Asui, by the way. But you can call me Tsu.”
“Are…are you all my friends?” Izuku finally asked, once they had him plopped down on one of the couches. He was trying his best to remember all of their names, completely thrown off by the excited energy he could feel coming off of them. And not an ounce of it felt malicious.
“Yep! The whole class is, but you usually hang out with me, Ida, Tsu and Todoroki when you’re not with Bakugo or the other guys.” Ochako chirped.
“Kacchan and I…hang out?” Izuku asked, completely unable to wrap his head around the idea. The words felt weird in his mouth, even.
“Oh all the time! I’m Mina Ashido, by the way. “ Mina told him, leaning over the back of the couch as she introduced herself.
“You and Blasty both intern at Endeavor’s hero agency with Todoroki. Don’t let his growling get to you. That bit hasn’t changed since you guys were young but I swear he’s a big softie now!” Since when did Kacchan let anyone call him anything other than his name? Izuku wondered. He actually mumbled the question under his breath, but no one seemed to notice.
“Oi! Pinky! Stop talking shit about me like I aint right here.” They all watched as Izuku flinched at Bakugo’s outburst from across the room.
“Maybe if you’d actually try to be nice to him we wouldn’t have to!” Mina stuck her tongue out at him while Izuku just watched with wide eyes. He was having a hard time believing what he was watching.
“I don’t think there's anything soft about Kacchan.” He said quietly. “Except maybe his hair…?” It was when they were kids, anyway.
“That’s just because you don’t know our Bakugou. Yours might be pretty mean, but ours is different. I’m sure he’ll tell you about it later. He’s just a bit shaken up to see you like this right now.” Mina told him gently.
“I guess…” Izuku looked down, trying to bring himself to finally ask them all something.
“So um…how did I, we, end up at Endeavor’s agency?” He had so many questions, but seeing how Endeavor had been mentioned a few times already, he decided to start with that.
“Both you and Bakugo lost your internships at different agencies because your mentors got hurt. So Todoroki offered to help get you in with his dad! Isn’t that cool?” Mina beamed.
“Wait, I’m friends with Endeavor’s son!? “
“Is that a problem, Midoriya?” Shoto wandered over from the elevators with a towel around his neck and slightly damp hair. The group chat had been updated minutes after the quirk incident had happened, so he wasn’t surprised to see the younger version of his friend in the middle of their common area.
“N-no! I just can’t imagine anyone like that wanting to hang out with me, that’s all!”
“Like what?” Shoto frowned. “Is there something wrong with me?”
“Wait, you’re Todoroki? You um. You don’t look like your dad at all!” Izuku blurted out, looking embarrassed now. But it got a smile out of Shoto.
“Wow. I wish we had been friends sooner.”
“Does that mean you have your dads fire quirk?” He was brave enough to ask.
“Yes and no. I got both my father’s fire and my mother’s ice, so I have two. See?” Shoto sat beside him and formed a small ice crystal in one hand and a flame in the other. It made Izuku’s eyes sparkle.
“Oh wow! That’s amazing! I wish I had one of my notebooks to write it all down. What are all of your quirks?” He asked, looking at the small group that was still gathered around him.
Someone ran off to find him a blank notebook while the rest proceeded to show off and entertain him while Katsuki kept quiet in the kitchen, always listening.
- - -
“Are you really not going to join them?” A quiet voice asked him a bit later. Jirou had wandered in, leaning against the counter to watch him cook but keeping a respectful distance. No one was allowed in the kitchen while he cooked except for select individuals; Jirou was one of the few who respected his need need for space, so he allowed it.
“No. He’s terrified of me. I’ll talk to him later when things calm down.” Katsuki murmured. He did his best to keep the gloomy look off his face, but most of class 3-A knew how to read him by now.
“Maybe you should join us after dinner. You know. Warm him up to it. He’s just going to be even more scared if you corner him later.”
“Fuck off, ears.“ He told her, knowing damn well that he’d already planned on it.
“Is that Katsudon for all of us this time, or just him?”
“I’ve made enough for everyone. Fucking Pikachu’s been up my ass about it lately.”
“Uh huh. You had something totally different planned, didn’t you?”
“Yeah. It’s not even my turn to fucking cook tonight. “
“Does he even know you know how?”
“Probably not. I just thought…fuck. You know how it is.” One of Katsuki’s hands balled into a fist at his side, a tell-tale sign that he was upset and not sure how to deal with it.
“Yeah. I do.” Jirou grinned. “We’ll bust out the Wii later. It’ll be fine. You’ll see.” She hopped down from her perch and headed for the living room. “Better hurry though. We’re getting hungry!” She called over her shoulder.
- - - -
A short time later, Katsuki finally put the finishing touches on the two servings he’d already dished up and called over his shoulder to let everyone know dinner was ready.
“Yay! You’re in for a real treat, kiddo. Blasty’s food is the best!” Mina had her hand on his wrist, dragging him.
“Kacchan cooks?” Izuku asked, already feeling a bit more comfortable with the group of rowdy classmates. He had his new notebook clutched in his hands like a lifeline.
“Of course! Oh, well, I guess you wouldn’t know that about him back then, huh? We found out during a training camp in our first year.”
“Kacchan made Katsudon?” Someone had texted Kaminari, and now the electric blonde had dashed to the front of the pack.
“It’s almost worth Midoriya getting messed up if it means we get fed a decent meal every now and then.” The electric blonde teased.
“Fuck off, Pikachu. And don’t call me that!” Katsuki growled as he stood firm, blocking off the kitchen.
“The nerd sits. The rest of you can get your own from the stove. “ He finally stepped aside, holding two bowls and a handful of other things. Mina shoved Izuku into a chair at one of their communal tables with a promise to join him as quick as possible and took off to join the rowdy bunch in th e kitchen.
“Here.” Izuku’s eyes went wide when a bowl was shoved in front of him, along with a bottle of water. But he gave Katsuki a nervous glance when the blonde took the seat across from him with his own bowl and dumped in a liberal amount of chili oil from a jar he’d brought with him.
“Eat, Nerd. S’not poisoned. “
“I um. Didn’t know you could cook.” Izuku said hesitantly, picking up his chopsticks and taking a tentative bite. His eyes lit up a bit as he chewed. “Wow. It’s really good! You really made this?”
Katsuki grunted.
“Your mom used to make it when we were little. I got the recipe from her a while ago and just touched it up a little.”
“O-oh. I see.” They fell into silence, just enjoying the food.
“See? I told you!” Mina sang a minute later, plopping down next to him. They were soon joined by Ochako, Kirishima, Kaminari, Tsu, and Shoto, who pulled up a chair on the end and refused to be left out of their little group.
“Y-yeah, it’s really good!” Izuku agreed. “Does he always cook for you guys?”
“Only like, twice a week. We take turns!” Kirishima told him, grinning.
“And of course, we get Katsudon whenever you’re involved. Bakugou only breaks it out on special occasions!”
Izuku’s eyes went wide.
“Because of me?”
“Yeah. You two are like, best friends dude. “ Kaminari, bless him, took one for the team as he reached over to put Katsuki in a head lock and ruffle his hair. “He’s just bad at showing his feelings!”
“Die, fucker!” Katsuki growled, shoving him off.
“Bakubro is all bark and no bite. You’ll see!” Kiri told him confidently. “You just gotta learn how to read between the growls. Out of all of us, you’re probably the best at it.”
Izuku’s shoulders drooped.
“Are you guys sure I didn’t fall into some weird alternate reality? I mean, you all are really nice, but… Kacchan hates me.”
“OI! I made you Katsudon, didn’t I?”
“I mean, you guys didn’t get along at all when we first got here! But that was like, two years ago. You’re better now! “ Ochako told them.
“You used to fight a lot, Ribbit. And you still argue sometimes. But after one of your bad fights, you two seemed to understand each other better and things started to change from there. Now people call you the Wonder Duo because you two are unbeatable when you’re together!” Tsu told him.
“Yeah. We’ve tried tag teaming you guys during training, and even against four or five of us we can’t land a single hit against the two of you. It’s insane! I wish you could see it.” Kaminari told them, groaning a bit at the mention of not being able to beat them.
“Yeah, but kitty kat doesn’t want you seeing your quirk in case it activates. We’ve had a few accidents during training and most of us don’t exactly feel like evacuating the dorms tonight.” Mina giggled.
Izuku just looked down at his rice now, pushing it around with his chopsticks as he tried to absorb what they were saying. It still sounded so far fetched to him, especially when Katsuki was still just as loud as he always had been. But to be fair, he hadn’t touched him at all, or even tried to hit him. Not since that weird part earlier when he’d been holding onto Izuku’s shoulder…
“Its okay to not like him, Midoriya. “ Shoto told him quietly. “Bakugo is still hard to understand sometimes. He always tells me we aren’t friends, but still hangs out with you and I all the time. His actions speak louder than words, most of the time.”
“I guess that’s what I’m having trouble understanding.” Izuku murmured. “I mean, he was nice when we were kids, but now…I mean, the now I’m used to, he’s always….”
“Always what?” Ochako asked quietly, shooting Bakugo a dirty look.
“Wait.” A thought suddenly crossed his mind as he thought hard about what had happened that day. “Your shoulder isn’t hurt,is it? The burn?” Bakugo asked, with an expression close to horror crossing his face, remembering exactly what he’d done that day.
“Um…”
“Izuku, seriously. I didn’t know. I didn’t back then, and I didn’t know now.”
“....You son of a bitch!” Shoto jumped up and tackled Katsuki out of his seat and the pair began a brawl right there next to the table. Ida was suspiciously absent, so not one bothered to even try stopping it.
“W-wait! I…” Izuku wanted them to stop, but he didn’t know what to say to calm down this apparent friend that he didn’t even know.
“We knew he bullied you, but we didn’t know it was this bad.” Ochako told him quietly. “Is there really a burn on your shoulder?”
“Kinda. It’s not bad, but it’s definitely red where he p-put his hand on me. It burned through my clothes.” Izuku admitted sullenly. His shoulder was a little sore, but with everything going on he hasn’t really been thinking about it. There was a faint sting now, since it was covered with the shirt and hoodie he was wearing.
“Does Aizawa know?”
“I don’t think so. He just told me knew what Kacchan said, not what he did.”
“It still needs to be treated. How’s it feeling?” Mina asked him.
“It just stings a little. Like a bad sunburn. I guess it’s not too bad.”
“I’ll run grab Bakugo’s first aid kit. He’s got all sorts of stuff for burns in there! I’m sure he won’t mind helping you with it. “ Kirishima jumped up, tossing his empty bowl in the sink before taking off towards the stairs.
“I…I mean, I can treat it myself. I don’t want to worry anyone.”
“Too late for that, Mido! We’re all one big family here, so just let us worry about you!” Mina beamed.
“Totally. You’re always helping us out. Now we finally get to return the favor!” Kaminari grinned.
“Come on Sho. Let him up.” Sero gave the smaller man a nudge with his foot as he walked towards the kitchen from one of the other tables, having finished his own bowl of food.
“Bakubro can’t make amends if you beat him up too bad to help Midoriya.”
“He shouldn’t even be near him.” Shoto had Katsuki pinned to the ground and had an iced hand raised like he was trying to figure out what his final blow would be. Katsuki just laid back and growled, like he was too afraid of breaking something to continue fighting back.
“I think Sero’s right, Todoroki. “ Ochako sighed. “Maybe Aizawa will pair you two up for training next week. But for now I think you should let him go. He’s not even fighting back!”
“Fine.” Shoto shoved Katsuki into the floor one last time before getting up and going back to his food. “But if he so much as looks at Midoriya wrong, I’m taking him outside.”
“You extras realize this is shit that happened like, three years ago for me? What’s the use in beating me up over it now when he’ll just kick your asses for it when he wakes up?” Katsuki grumbled, wincing as he sat up and wiped a spot of blood off his lip.
“It’s never too late to pay for your crimes.” Shoto shot back, with a dark look in his eyes as he thought of Endeavor.
“He’s got a point though, Todoroki. Midoriya’s pretty attached to him. At least, older Midoriya is. I mean, we can keep this cutie away from him all we want, but he’s gonna change back eventually. Why not try to let Bakugo make amends?”
“Because I don’t trust the bastard.” Shoto muttered coldly.
“Fuck off, Icy Hot. I’m not gonna hurt him. You weren’t there.” Something unspoken passed between the two for a long few minutes as they stared at each other, until Kirishima broke the silence with a loud- “Got it!” as he darted back into the room with a neon orange first aid kit in his hands.
Katsuki took it from him and looked back at Izuku, who had been staring down at the table while trying to sneak glances at him here and there. The kid looked like he was trying to figure something out, but was unusually silent. Just like he’d been all afternoon.
“Come on, nerd. Let me patch you up and make up for being a dick.”
Izuku seemed to think about it for a long couple of seconds.
“Are you really Kacchan?” He asked, finally. The room had gone silent, waiting for Katsuki’s answer.
“Yeah, kid. I am. I’ll prove it to you later, but let’s get you patched up first. I’ve hurt myself enough with my own quirk to know your shoulder can’t be comfortable under all those layers.” Katsuki held out his hand to the smaller boy, waiting.
Izuku just looked at Tsu, who he’d kinda gravitated towards since she rescued him earlier. She nodded at the unspoken question.
“You can trust him, Midoriya. I promise. You’ll feel better once you two talk.”
“O-okay.” He tentatively reached up and took Katsuki’s hand, bracing himself for the sting he associated with anything Kacchan. Instead, the large calloused hand was warm as it swallowed his much smaller one and tugged, forcing Izuku to get up and follow.
They didn’t go far. Instead of going up to the rooms, Katsuki ended up sitting the smaller boy on a stool in the first floor baths. Izuku’s face was flushed as he stripped off the hoodie and shirt, but luckily the older boy didn’t seem to notice. Or care. Izuku sat with his back to the older teen.
“Fuck I forgot you were this small.” Katsuki muttered, staring down at him.
“R-really? What…what am I like now? I mean, the me you’re used to?” Izuku asked, unable to sit in just silence any longer.
“Just…bigger. You’re still shorter than me, but not as much. And you’re nothing but muscle. You can’t bulk up as much as me but you’ve got some killer thighs that you use to kick my ass all the time. And you’re fucking heavy. As you are right now, I could probably toss you around as easily as a pillow or something.” Katsuki mumbled as he messed with the first aid kit, digging around for his supplies.
“Fuck. Younger me really was an asshole, wasn’t he?” He asked, looking down at the vague red hand shape on the younger boy’s shoulder.
“N-no. He’s right, after all. Quirkless kids can’t become heros, right?” Izuku sounded sad, despite the fact that they’d spent all afternoon telling him how he IS a hero. But that’s the thing. He’d somehow gotten a mysterious quirk. As he was right now, there was no way a scrap like him could have ever become one. He knew something else had happened to turn him into one, but for the life of him, he didn’t know what. It all felt so surreal.
“Even without a quirk, I think you would have found a way. “ Katsuki muttered. “Bout to touch you now. Don’t freak on me. It’s just burn cream.” he warned, before using two fingers to gently rub in a burn cream. Izuku was proud of himself for not flinching, and his shoulders seemed to drop a bit as he relaxed into the light touch. The sting immediately started to lessen, and he was grateful Katsuki had warned before touching him.
“Bandage next. And leave that hoodie off. That ugly ass orange shirt will feel better than that bulky fabric. Or I can grab you something with sleeves if you’d rather. My compression shit will be big on you and the material is lighter too.” Katsuki muttered as he worked, and something about it reminded Izuku of himself.
“T-the clothes are fine. Thanks for asking though.” Izuku fell silent, fidgeting with his fingers while Katsuki worked. But he was finally brave enough to speak again.
“You’re um…really good at that. Patching me up, I mean. It already feels better. “ He told Katsuki, moving his shoulder around a little once the bandage was on.
“I should. We’re required to know the basics as heros. Plus Deku’s always getting himself into trouble, so I’m constantly having to patch his clumsy ass up.” Katsuki was packing up his first aid supplies while Izuku put his shirt back on.
“So you DO still call him Deku.” Izuku muttered, sounding defeated.
“Only when he’s being a little shit. “ Katsuki snorted. “I’ll stop hiding it from you. Your friends ended up taking the name and running with it. Gravity girl uses it more than I do, and you picked it for your hero name. But he’s been Izuku to me ever since he ran off and tried to win a war on his own without me. Look kid.” And at this, Katsuki ended up getting down on one knee in front of the boy, to make sure he got his point across.
“I was a brat when we were young. A legit bully. I’ll be the first one to admit that. I never should have given you that name. But you’re as stubborn as they come, and I swear it gets better. My Deku took it and made that name something to be proud of, and even if I don’t agree with it anymore, the name fucking stuck. I stopped beating myself up over calling him that when we started working in the field together and I had to freaking use it since he went and made it his fucking hero name. “
Izuku just stared at him, in awe. This was probably the longest conversation he’d ever had with Katsuki since they were kids, back before one quirk came in and the other didn’t. Back when they were best friends. Instead of replying to anything the older teen just said, Izuku ended up blurting out the question that had been on the tip of his tongue all afternoon but he’d been too nervous to ask:
“D-does this mean I can still call you Kacchan?”
That got a soft smile out of Katsuki, who reached over and ruffled his hair. Izuku ducked his head a bit at first, but that didn’t stop the action from happening. He was proud of himself for relaxing after a second.
“Wouldn’t have it any other way, kid. “ Katsuki stood up, removing his hand from Izuku’s hair.
“Pikachu only get’s yelled at because he does it to piss me off.” He smirked. “Even when I hated your guts back in our first year, you still used it. No reason to change all that now.”
That earned him the first real smile he’d gotten from the younger boy all day.
“Thanks, Kacchan. Um…” He lifted the discarded hoodie with a question in his eyes. The orange t-shirt he had on had a black ‘X’ on it, matching the red one on the hoodie.
“Here. I’ll hang onto it. Common room gets cold sometimes. You ready to get your ass beat at Mario Kart?” Katsuki took the hoodie from the kid, who’s eyes lit up at the mention of video games.
“You’re on, Kacchan!”
And together, they headed back out to face the rest of their classmates who had gathered around the TV in the common room, waiting.
- - -
“Feeling better, Mido?” Mina asked as Izuku shyly took a seat next to her. Her open, friendly personality really helped him feel like he was part of the group and he’d naturally started to gravitate towards either her or Tsu. Katsuki had run off to put his first aid kit away.
“Yeah. Kacchan did a really good job on my shoulder. And he um… apologized for it.” He had a small smile on his face while he fidgeted with his hands.
“Told you Blasty’s a good guy. Just you watch. He’ll get annoying about it the longer you’re like this.”
“It’s still weird to think that he and I are friends now. I mean, I always thought he was cool, even while he bullied me. But the way he talks about older me…kinda reminds me of the way I think about him.”
“Wow Mido.” Mina smiled. “You really are a smart kid, huh? You’re a lot more like your older self than you think. You still talk about him like that. Only now it goes both ways, ever since the war in our second year. “ She sighed. “You two are like peas in a pod. Always joined at the hip.”
Izuku scrunched up his face.
“Mina, if I didn’t know any better I’d think you were telling me Kacchan and I were…” His face actually started to go red, and he couldn’t make himself finish what he’d been thinking. But the alien queen herself grinned, knowing EXACTLY what he meant.
“Daaaw. Does our little Mido have a crush?”
“N-no! I-I was j-just s-saying…”
“To be honest, I don’t really know what you guys are. I’ve got my guesses, but you two are kind of your own thing. “ She sighed, sounding positively unhappy about it. “Bakubabe won’t tell me, and older you just brushes things off and tells us all you’re just friends. You guys are just…you. Locked in your own little world, while the rest of us exist around it.” She gave him a bit of a smile at that. “Most of us have stopped questioning a lot of what goes on between you two. You could walk in tomorrow holding hands and the rest of us wouldn’t bat an eye.”
“Mina, they’ve already done that. I caught Bakugou holding Midoriya’s hand in the library two weeks ago.” Kaminari groaned from one of the couches near theirs.
“Nah. Bakubro was just looking at Mido’s scars.” Kiri pipped in. “He’ll have to show you, Mido! I bet one of you has pics. Your entire right arm is covered in em from our first year. Really gnarly looking.”
“That sounds…painful.” Izuku couldn’t help but wince as he looked down at the smooth skin on his own arm.
“You’re used to them now. They bother you when it gets cold or rains, but it’s not as bad now as it will be when we’re older.” Katsuki told them, slipping around the back of the couch to flop down next to Mina.
“K-Kacchan!” Izuku’s face was red at having been caught talking about the blonde, but no one else seemed to pay any mind to it. Just another normal day for the rest of class 3-A.
“We gonna get this gaming shit started or what? I wanna kick Sparky’s ass for calling me that stupid name earlier.”
“As you wish, King Kacchan!” Kaminari grinned as he grabbed the controller Sero handed him as he set up the TV and the gaming system.
“I TOLD YOU NOT TO CALL ME THAT!” Katsuki snarled, standing up with sparks in his hands, glaring daggers at the smaller blonde.
The sparking palms immediately triggered Izuku. As he watched, he couldn’t help but let out a small “eeep!” as he curled in on himself and into the arm of the couch. Mina immediately went to hug and reassure him, looking over to glare at her boys.
That small sound was all it took for Katsuki to glance over and let the fire in his hands die completely. “Shit! Shit. Sorry Izuku. “ He flopped back down, burying his hands in his armpits. “They’re out now. You’re safe, nerd.” he muttered, refusing to get up and switch seats but still trying to stay as far away from the boy as the couch would allow.
“Here. Move over.” Shoto had gotten up from where he was sitting nearby and was now squeezing his way onto the same couch.
“If he tries to use his quirk again, I’ll freeze his hands.” There was a feral promise in his voice.
“D-don’t hurt Kacchan. “ Izuku muttered, finally sitting up. “I’m just a little jumpy still. That’s all.”
“Lets get this gaming marathon on the road then. You’ll feel better once we get into a game and he just starts yelling insults at everyone like you’re used to.”
“I guess…sorry Kacchan.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll let someone else take the first few rounds so you’ve got time to calm down.” The blonde muttered, refusing to look at the younger boy.
“Here. Mina, race me while Sho protects Midoriya. “ Sero told them, stealing Kaminari’s controller and tossing it to Mina. “Denks can join us later.”
“Sounds good to me! You’re so going down, Hanta.” Mina grinned, jumping up and going to plop down on the floor right in front of Midoriya so she had more room for her arms.
Slowly, as the night wore on, Izuku slowly came out of his shell again and began to interact with the rest of the group.
A few people were in and out; Jiro came in and played a few rounds, as did Ochacko and Tsu. A few others who hadn’t been part of the mob earlier came in and said their hellos, but for the most part, it was mostly Bakugou’s usual crew plus Izuku’s closest friends.
Come 10 pm, Izuku was sound asleep, having curled up on the couch next to Katsuki and Shoto, using the hoodie from earlier as a pillow. Shoto had covered him with a blanket an hour ago, but they were all starting to feel the strain of the day catching up to them. It was a school night, after all.
“Want me to take him?” Shoto asked Katsuki as they both stood up and stretched. The blonde shoot his head.
“I got him. Aizawa left me in charge of him, after all. But thanks.” He muttered. Carefully, so he didnt wake the nerd and scare him, Katsuki scooped the kid up and held him close as he headed for the elevator.
Silently, without being asked, Shoto followed to help with the buttons and the door. But he left once they made it to Izuku’s room and got the door open.
With a muttered “Thanks” (a rarety for Katsuki; he would have been fine on his own, but he still appreciated the help and Half n Half didn’t smother him) the blonde gently tucked the smaller boy into his bed.
He didn’t know how long he sat there, just watching him sleep, before he flopped down on the floor to the sleeping bag and pillow he’d put there earlier. His body would ache tomorrow, but it would be worth it when the nerd woke up lost and disoriented in the morning.