Work Text:
Some days, Izuku felt enough.
This was not one of those days. Don't get me wrong, he had been working very hard to overcome his horrible self-perception, going to the expensive therapies his boyfriend had encouraged him to attend. She had worked on it and usually faced each comment or mockery about her nonexistent gift with her head held high.
You are an expert at being what no one wants.
The bullies in his class had told him when he was 7 years old and his Gift had not yet manifested, turning him sooner rather than later into the object of ridicule among all his classmates. Of course, it was more than a person could bear, more than a child should bear, so all the bullying had forced him one day to beg his mother through raw and agonizing sobs to let him stay home instead of going to school. His mother, being the concerned and protective woman she was, decided that moving out of the city would be the best thing.
Since the adults turned a blind eye and did not acknowledge the evident bullying that their child had been suffering, relying on the poor excuse of "they're kids, that's how they play."
That's how, at the age of 7, Izuku also arrived at his new school, where he was surrounded by good friends. His friend Ochako was a really sweet girl, and Shoto, although quiet, was a very loyal friend. But every light attracts darkness, so once again he was surrounded by people who sought to make his life miserable just for not having a Gift.
The first and last time Izuku found himself surrounded and about to be hit was when an explosive 12-year-old blonde jumped to his rescue in an instant. Izuku, who knew very little about life, thought the boy was just like all the brave princes who saved the princess, so desperate to show his gratitude to his savior, he gave him the first thing he could find.
A figure of his favorite superhero, All Might.
The blond's eyes had widened in surprise as an easy and gentle smile formed on his face while he alternated glances between the freckled one and the figure extending towards him.
—It's yours.
Had said.
—B-But you saved me, it's rude not to thank you —The infant had insisted, shaking the figure.
—You know what? You could thank me by being my friend.
And Izuku had lit up so much that he rivaled the intensity of the sun itself.
Remembering his story always made him feel better; the comparison of a prince charming with Kacchan was funny but not far from reality. After all, he had scared away anyone who sought trouble with his sun, whether Izuku knew those facts or not.
They both grew up, and the problems in Izuku's life never returned, because his friend Kacchan took care of eliminating them before they even thought of showing their noses near Izuku.
At least that's how it had been before. Now Izuku, at 19 years old, was studying at the University within U.A as a student in the support department, while Katsuki had graduated and was currently working as a professional hero for two years, climbing the ranks and becoming the Top #1 in no time.
Her boyfriend was busy, and the thought of bothering him made her stomach churn, so she didn't find it necessary to tell him about the subtle nudges she got while walking to her seat, or the laughter that surrounded her every time she did anything, or that one time during lunch when someone accidentally spilled miso soup on her uniform.
There was no problem, as long as those little interactions never exceeded what they were, little. Now, sitting on his bed in front of his full-length mirror, he saw himself groping his neck with obvious dark finger marks around it, almost like a horrible collar.
He had been cornered by students from the heroism class that very afternoon, lured by deceit about a job offer to work on a hero costume when a kick to his knees destabilized him and made him fall into the dust. As soon as he realized someone was trying to suffocate him, he kicked the attacker right between the legs and ran.
Now he was at home, regretting being so stupid, because he could have identified the trap in time and avoided everything. He searched through his closet for a collared coat and put it on just in time, because the door to his room opened, revealing a Katsuki wider and taller than Izuku.
—Hey, did you arrive a long time ago?
Izuku shook his head. —The classes ended early...
Her boyfriend, being so observant, noticed that something was wrong with her baby; his little eyes were somewhat swollen, as if he had just been crying, and his cheeks were marked with barely noticeable traces of dried tears.
"—Don't lie to me, sweetie, was it a bad day? —he extended his arms so Izuku could snuggle between them, he no longer wore his hero uniform, but with or without it, Izuku would always see him as such."
Small sobs escaped from Izuku's swollen lips, the tears found their way down his cheeks once again, but this time ending up staining the black shirt his boyfriend was wearing.
Katsuki wrapped his arms around Izuku's slender waist, lifted him, and settled him on his lap when he found a spot on the unmade bed. She silenced his sobs until they turned into soft hiccups, cradling his face in her palms while using her thumbs to wipe away the small tears her boyfriend couldn't help but shed. He pushed aside her green curls and kissed her forehead, then each cheek: right and left, kissed her nose, eliciting a tearful giggle from Izuku, and ended with her lips, leaving a chaste kiss full of love.
"—Talk to me, baby, I can't know what's happening if you don't tell me," he cooed while brushing her green hair away from her face.
Izuku's eyes filled with tears once again as he recalled the chilling sensation he had felt when the air stopped reaching his lungs.
—They were mean to me, Kacchan —hiccup. —I thought I had overcome all the harassment and that my body would have been able to move when I was in danger... —Izuku pulled the collar of his own coat, exposing the ugly stains they had made on him that day. —But I could barely move.
Katsuki froze, his eyes unable to look away from his boyfriend's neck; he could recognize the marks, his job as a hero forced him to see that and even worse things every day, any idiot with two brain cells would immediately know what it was about. If it hurt as badly as it looked, Katsuki didn't want to imagine how Izuku felt.
"I was so scared, Kacchan. They're supposed to be future heroes, that's why they got into UA and are in that class. Why would they do that?" Izuku hugged his boyfriend, burying his face in his chest.
—Give me names, Izuku.
Her boyfriend denied it. —I don't know their names, they never mentioned them and I hadn't seen them before.
—Alright, alright. Let's put some cream on you, darling. Does it hurt? Give me a number, please —Katsuki whispered to him as calmly as he could upon hearing the news, feeling his blood boil and his teeth grind in anger, people so fucked up and cruel calling themselves the next hero, it seemed like a bad joke.
—It doesn't hurt that much, it would be a three... But they look horrible.
—Okay, come here.
Bakugo Katsuki, a professional hero, the number one hero in all of Japan, only had one weakness that could tear him apart piece by piece, a Achilles' heel that no one but his family and close friends knew about.
That was Izuku Midoriya, her precious boyfriend, her baby, the love of her life, the sun that lit up her darkest days, her cardinal star, whatever you wanted to call him. He was everything to Katsuki, he had been since the day a freckled boy, with hair so messy and a head bigger than his small body, had arrived at his school 12 years ago, stealing his breath and, in the process, the entire will of the blonde with one of his toothy smiles.
Katsuki applied cream and made sure to keep his boyfriend laughing for the rest of the afternoon. They lay down on Izuku's bed when his boyfriend expressed his tiredness just past 10 at night. She lovingly combed each greenish curl and stroked Izuku's forehead to relax him and help him fall asleep.
The next day, Izuku felt much better, of course, his neck still hurt and the memories made him grimace in disgust, but he decided to overcome it and forgive his attackers, not out of goodwill or to prove something, but for his own mental health. She was in her third class of the day when the speakers blared throughout the building.
"Izuku Midoriya from the support department of class 2-A, report to the principal's office."
His teacher dismissed him, and that's how Izuku walked to where he was directed. Upon arriving, he saw his boyfriend wearing his summer superhero uniform, and Izuku's gay heart leaped with excitement as his eyes traced the exposed muscular arms of Katsuki. The summer uniform was by far Izuku's favorite, for obvious and enormous reasons.
—Kacchan!
The blonde turned in his direction and his face softened with affection, he opened his arms and Izuku hurried to return the hug.
—What are you doing here? I thought you had to patrol until late.
—I had something more important to do first.
"The hero Bakugo Katsuki personally came to talk about the misbehavior of some of our hero class students," their director Nezu was heard saying. Izuku remembered where he was and in front of whom he was, so he stepped back and apologized to the director.
—There's no need for formalities, after all, I've known Katsuki for years, he's a very good friend of mine, and therefore you are too. Besides having contributed to the University on multiple occasions, you are truly extraordinary, Midoriya.
Izuku blushed at the proud look Katsuki was giving him. —N-No problem! I love helping in any way I can.
Nezu nodded, smiling as peacefully as always. —As I was saying, we have located the supposed students with such terrible thoughts and they are about to arrive here shortly, do you think you can verify their identities?
Izuku nodded. —What will happen to them?
"They'll expel them, obviously," replied Katsuki, arms crossed. —And once they're out, I'll make sure no hero school ever accepts them, neither them nor their children. It's the least that should be done for what they did.
The door opened and five students stumbled in.
—What are we doing here? We have important classes to take.
"Yes, I don't see any reason why we should be here," another one supported.
—Guys, look. It's Dynamight!
Smiling faces, looks full of surprise and amazement were reflected on each of Izuku's bullies upon seeing him, their shuddering made Katsuki click his tongue in disgust. They were civilians, yes, and his hero code prevented him from harming individuals for personal reasons, but it didn't stop the tingling sensation in his sweaty hands. I wanted to erase their damn smiles. Yes.
—Very extra. Sit down for once, damn it.
Their smiles fell, well, that shouldn't have made him happy. But he did it.
Principal Nezu spoke once the students sat in front of the desk, clasped his paws under his chin, and adopted a serious demeanor.
—The professional Hero Dynamight was kind enough to report your discriminatory attitudes from yesterday.
A boy raised his voice, the leader of the group it seems. —With all due respect, Director, it was an accident. We suspect that Izuku will come to complain after all.
Izuku staggered, almost as if the words had pushed him. —An accident?
The boy looked at him. —Yes, friend. We told you yesterday, come on, we were just playing, it was a game, come on. That's why we didn't want to integrate him with us, director, but we did it anyway, knowing his lack of talent and inferiority complex.
Katsuki was on him in a second, pulling him by the collar of his shirt forward. —Stop lying, damn it.
—D-Dynamight, it was all a game that got out of control!
The grip on his garment tightened. "A damn game, right?" he practically hissed.
—Yes, that's it! You more than anyone should know how these things are, it's not our fault to be stronger than—he gave Izuku a disdainful look. —What people without a Gift.
"That's it," Katsuki raised his fist, ready to hit him, Izuku let out a sound of surprise, and Nezu stopped him.
—Katsuki, it's not worth it.
The director's unflappable voice made it seem like he was absolutely used to the blonde's aggressive attitude, and he was, but they weren't going to know that. The image of the raised fist didn't represent a real threat, for God's sake, Katsuki wasn't stupid, he wasn't going to beat them up.
—What do you mean by saying we aren't worth it? Director, he was going to hit me!
—Unlike you, he didn't. That is the difference between professional heroes and civilians with a superiority complex —Nezu sighed. It seemed like he was carrying kilos and kilos of weight on his back. —That's why I should expel them all from the UA, that way they'll reflect on it.
Everyone gasped, including Izuku.
—He can't be serious!
—Director!
—It was a misunderstanding!
Among those and other phrases were uttered by the students, all desperate to keep their place in the prestigious academy.
—Is it a threat, Director Neza? My father won't like knowing that his son was expelled for being a No-Gift —said the leader, a brown-haired man with an ordinary appearance and the supposed son of hero number 22.
Izuku opened his eyes in surprise, as if he couldn't believe the words he had spoken. Had he really used that card? Katsuki let out a laugh and released the boy's neck. He walked up to Izuku and wrapped his arms around his waist from behind, resting his chin among his boyfriend's curls.
"Tell me, baby, were they playing?" —All eyes turned to Izuku, expectant. —One word from you and everything will be resolved.
Izuku breathed shakily, the situation was stressful.
"If it was a game, as they claim, then everything is resolved and they can return to their classes, their normal days, and their everyday activities," said Katsuki, but Izuku caught the slight change in the word "activities." Doing nothing wouldn't change anything, and they would probably look for someone else to bother. The idea settled his stomach. —But if it wasn't like that, I'm sure the UA wouldn't want to deal with troublesome students.
Seconds passed where no one said anything.
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven...
"It wasn't a game," Izuku said, feeling Katsuki's proud smile hidden in his hair.
—Thank you for your cooperation, Midoriya, we will take care of this situation. By the way, Kinno —Nezu addressed the leader. —It's not a threat, starting today it's your reality. And about your father, do you remember that he studied at UA, right? He surely won't be happy with your attitude.
Katsuki took him out of the office before he could hear the desperate pleas and apologies directed at him; they didn't deserve even a second more of his time.