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Somehow everything today was like it shouldn't be.
He was used to being bullied at school. It was very clear. In a way, he was even glad that his classmates didn't try to act friendly even for a joke. The pins in his shoes that caused him to stop changing his street shoes for school ones. Stealing his things. Locking him in the closet. Ripping up his notebooks.
It's all familiar. It's as clear to him as breathing - you know what's going to happen and how it's going to happen.
But now he was walking down the street, not making problems with anyone, and then Kacchan ran up to him. Not even to hit him - he put his arm around his shoulder, hugging him with one hand, and was smiling.
"De-e-ku! Why're you sad?"
He... He didn't even look annoyed or angry. Then it was like he was puffing up his cheeks in resentment.
"Well? Why are you silent? Tell me which face I'm supposed to fix, huh?", he sniggered.
"Ka... K-Kacchan, is everything... is everything all right?", he whispered, either answering or asking, looking into his eyes anxiously.
Deku caught his gaze darting back somewhere, but as he tried to turn his head, Kacchan only pressed his hand harder into his shoulder, hugging him tighter, and walked faster.
"Come on! Why are you being like you fell from the moon, Deku?", he grinned. It was even more unsettling. He was too good at playing to the audience.
Who's the audience? What's going on?
"No one had upset me," Izuku exhaled, and Kacchan somehow smiled and patted him warmly.
"There you go. That's right. If someone ever hits you, you tell me right away who to bite their head off."
Deku chuckled nervously, feeling that he was probably the only one who would get his head bitten off, but Kacchan seemed even more reassured by his behavior.
However... he still was looking back occasionally. Then he frowned and suddenly called him again.
"Oh, by the way! Good news for you. I was able to make some money. Let's go to the mall, huh?"
"I'm-"
"Don't worry, we're friends after all!"
Kacchan ruffled his hair, and with each passing second, Izuku felt like it was probably the work of someone's quirk. Or Deku is asleep and this is too nice dream. No way this could be any real.
"Okay...", he muttered, and Katsuki smirked victoriously, leading him away towards the mall.
It got a little easier there. Kacchan became more familiar - frowned more. And shut up. And didn't cling like that, almost collapsing on top of him.
"What happened?", Deku whispered, and Katsuki tsked, yanking him by the arm and leading him away again.
They found themselves in a decidedly quieter place. There were hardly any people in this corridor. Kacchan stood for a moment longer, looking around, before finally settling down, exhaling in relief.
"What was that?"
"Fuck you!", he barked irritably.
Then, apparently regaining his senses, he released his hand from his own. Deku pulled it to him, kneading it, and exhaled.
Kacchan was silent, staring at the place from which they had come. Seeing no one, he leaned against the wall and slided, squatting down.
Deku sat down next to him.
"So... Kacchan, what happened?", he whispered.
Katsuki sighed noisily and ruffled his hair - probably in an attempt to calm himself down? - and turned his head toward him.
"Some bastard was chasing you. Breathing down your back, and you're as blind as a fucking kitten, can't see a shit," he hissed.
Deku pressed his lips together, frowning. He'd heard footsteps, but... he couldn't believe that someone would actually be following him - seriously, out of all the options, it turned out to be a quirkless little boy? Who the hell gave a shit about him?
"Are you... sure he was stalking, not just-"
"Fucking idiot, he saw you at the school gate and followed you!", Katsuki hissed, and Izuku shrank back involuntarily.
Kacchan snorted, turning his head away.
Deku stared at the floor, immersed in thought. Okay, maybe Kacchan really did want to protect him, but why the spectacle? Because of one stalker?
"Uh... Kacchan?"
"What?"
"What were you doing all that for?"
Katsuki stared at him dumbly with a blank stare.
"Deku, are you fucking idiot?"
"I didn't mean it like that! Thanks for saving me, really. It's just... why were you acting like that?"
Kacchan hummed, calming down. It seemed nice to hear the gratitude... He certainly expected receiving it - an encouragement for doing such a good job when he acted like they were best friends.
"I'm... It's not the first time I've seen him," Katsuki almost whispered, turning to Deku. "He's been watching you around school gate a lot. Now he started to stalk you."
Izuku shrank back, lowering his head. God, he's such a idiot! How could you not see a man watching you for days on end?
"Thank you, Kacchan," he whispered.
Katsuki nodded silently, sighing.
Deku didn't know how long they'd been sitting like that. And... Nor did he want to keep track of time. They occasionally glanced toward the exit. Kacchan didn't even get angry when, watching, Deku moved closer for a better look at the wide corridor. It was a little hard to strain his eyes, his head half-empty from the remnants of shock. It was still hard to process the fact that someone was following him. Probably would have attacked. Maybe would have killed.
And Kacchan was watching and keeping him safe. He was his usual self at school. And it would be foolish to expect him to fully guard him from someone like that. Could he be acting normal on purpose so Izuku wouldn't be scared? That would make sense. He'd noticed that Kacchan hadn't been leaving school lately to go out with his friends, instead he'd been sullenly walking home near, or behind, or beside, never letting Deku out of his sight.
How bad was it if he went to the extreme of acting so clingy? Why didn't he tell him right away? Kacchan... Really didn't want to make him unnecessarily nervous?
He sighed, lowering his head. He didn't even think much of it when other's shoulder was moved closer to him - he ducked his forehead in it and closed his eyes. Kacchan didn't even twitch or grumble.
They continued to sit there, against the wall, on the floor in the narrow hallway of the mall, biding their time long enough for the stalker to leave.
The situation about him was bad. But Kacchan, it turns out, was more worried about Deku than he thought. He basically saved him. Going to extreme measures, though he could have just yelled at that man like he usually did.
Maybe they were actually closer than it looked like. And Kacchan still cared about him.