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Izuku isn’t ashamed to admit that when he first saw the announcement, he screamed. Out loud. So much so that both his next-door neighbor, Aoyama, and his upstairs neighbor, Iida (who must’ve been hurtling down those stairs) break his door down within seconds of the exciting news appearing on his screen.
“Monsieur, are you all right?”
“I heard a concerning noise coming from your room. Are you okay, Midoriya?”
But Izuku hardly hears them, too caught up with the tweet on his timeline that came from the official hero news account. Official! That must mean this is legit, right? But how did they get their hands on such a precious relic? Was it donated? And why would anyone want to give it away? Would the ad revenue from the website that millions of people were about to flock to really pay more than just selling it at an auction? And if this really was real, then did Izuku have the brains to compete? He’s been so focused on his recent English assignment that maybe some of his hero knowledge had fallen through the gaps, what would he do then? He couldn’t lose, and miss this opportunity of a lifetime- how could he? Especially when the certificate of authenticity seemed to be real enough…
“Midoriya!” exclaims Iida, one hand pinned straight by his side and the other chopping through the air, “Would you care to explain why you were being so loud despite curfew ending hours ago?”
That got Izuku to turn around, face to face with his two worried friends. He quickly glances at the clock beside him, which reads 1:32 AM. Oops.
“Oh, I'm sorry guys, I didn’t see what time it was! I'll keep it down, and I'm all right, I promise!” Izuku pleads, embarrassed.
“Are you sure? That was a rather loud sound that you were making,” Iida says, a note of concern appearing in his voice.
“Oui, we just wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“Thanks, guys, I really do appreciate it. It was just some hero news, ha, ha…”
“Well, if you’re certain, then Aoyama and I will be making our way back to our beds, just like you should be. After all, we should be ready for the workload ahead tomorrow!”
Well, technically, today.
“O-oh yeah, of course, Iida! Goodnight, guys!” Izuku says, waving them out. He does not go to bed that night.
-
The figure was a Silver Age All Might figure that had been featured in the third All Might film, from a little over 20 years ago, and had been used to launch All Might’s Silver Age as a whole. Because the figure being given away had been used in a movie, it had paint chips in its lower left thigh (right near its knee) where he had landed on some gravel after an explosion, making the figure super valuable and the ultimate collector's item and different to the figures modeled after it! Izuku had lusted after that figure ever since he saw it in the movie, and although he has a replica, it just wasn’t the same; the figure had been touched by All Might! His mother’s financial situation has meant that the most expensive piece of merch he owns is his All Might 10th Anniversary poster (that Nighteye had given him in his will, and he had not stolen). In short, Izuku needs that All Might figurine.
The next morning, after the school day ends, Izuku does more research on the upcoming figure giveaway. @Hero_News_Official had tweeted that the following Saturday, at 2 PM, they would email a link to a quiz about heroes and hero society, where one lucky person could win that All Might figure (with free shipping as well), to those who had registered. In order to enter, Izuku has to retweet the announcement and follow a link to register, giving an address where he would like the figure to be shipped (should he win), a screen name to be called on the leaderboard during the quiz, and an email address. Both of these steps Izuku does immediately, and is then told that he would receive the email link to the quiz on Saturday.
Izuku is so excited that the anticipation coursing through his veins is like a 25% full cowling. He spends every single day until Saturday either talking about the quiz to anyone who would listen, as well as the importance of the prize, or studying for the quiz and neglecting his school work (don’t tell Iida).
“But guys! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Who knows when a figure this rare will be the next one to be up for grabs like this! I spent so long refreshing my hero knowledge last night that I spent this morning before school correcting hero wiki pages, because like who would ever think that Fourth Kind was a part of the mission to take down the Dark Trilogy, when it’s common knowledge that the mission took place two months before he had even debuted-”
“Please remember to swallow your food, Midoriya.”
“Ahh, thank you, Todoroki…”
-
And then Saturday actually came . Izuku is barely able to sit down in the common room, laptop shaking, as 13:54:58 turned into 13:54:59. Uraraka, Iida, and Todoroki are all sitting next to him on the big couch, leaning over his shoulder as he frantically refreshes his inbox.
Ding!
There!
Hey!
Please click this link to join the ultiMIGHT quiz of a lifetime!
The email was short and to the point, likely knowing that 99% of what they put wouldn’t be read anyway. Once Izuku has read the link, it leads him to a website where he has to fill in his screen name, small_m1ght (he can feel his friend’s judgemental stares when he enters that in), his email, and his address. Finally, the website lets him know that it was waiting for other registered users to enter and that the quiz would start at 14:00 exactly, and that there will be 50 questions. Izuku glances at the clock, 13:57, three more minutes, uh oh.
“Hey Deku, you got this, okay? You know the most about heroes out of anyone I’ve ever met. If anyone’s going to win this quiz, then it’s going to be you,” says Uraraka, placing a hand on Izuku’s shoulder. He takes a second to breathe, in and out, as both Todoroki and Iida agree with Uraraka’s encouragement.
“Thanks guys, I really appreciate it. And you’re right, I have got this. That All Might figure is going to be mine," he says, determined.
Numbers started flashing on the screen as the time quickly approached 14:00.
3
2
1
Start!
Question one: Name all of All Might’s costume evolutions in order from his debut onwards.
Izuku almost laughs out loud. If this was the level of every question, then he will be finished in no time. A thirty-second timer counts down as he hurriedly types: golden age, silver age, bronze age, modern age, before pressing submit. The next page shows where he is on the leaderboard while he waits for the timer to run out.
“Hey, Deku, look, you’re in fifth place!” Uraraka grins, pointing at the screen. And there he was, sandwiched between MyMightyMuscles62 and VILLAIN_DESTROYER_420 on the leaderboard, fifth out of 134,293.
The next few questions are at a similar level, but do branch out further than just All Might. It isn’t until the halfway mark that things started to get a bit trickier, especially since where you place on the leaderboard not only depends on the right answer, but also how quickly you submit that right answer. He has a few stumbles, such as when he spells the name of one of Gang Orca’s sidekicks incorrectly, but on the whole, he sticks to the top five, along with another stubborn player. Everyone in the current top five had changed multiple times, same with the top ten, even VILLAIN_DESTROYER_420, who remains stuck on Izuku’s tail, sometimes even answering faster and straying above him. Whoever they are, they’re pretty difficult to shake off.
Finally, only one question remains, and Izuku is currently in the top spot with 55690 points, and VILLAIN_DESTROYER_420 is breathing down his neck in second place with 55675 points. Not only did Izuku have to get it right, but he has to get it right fast .
Question fifty: Which THREE international heroes played minor roles in All Might’s fourth movie?
Yes! He knew this one! The fourth All Might film had been Izuku’s secret favorite since he first watched it at age 8 due to how it didn’t make up fictional villains for All Might to fight, or tried to recreate some of his old best moments, but instead took a look at his time in America, and although it took heavy liberties with the actual timeline, it gave the public its first glimpse into All Might’s early career. Izuku can practically quote the movie backwards.
However, just as he’s typing the name of the third and final hero, Clair Voyance, his hand seized and started cramping up. No no no no no shit shit shit shit shit not right now …
But, by the time he had manages to type it in, a lot slower than he had meant to, the damage has already been done.
Congratulations to our winner: VILLAIN_DESTROYER_420!!!!
Shit.
“Midoriya, what happened? Are your hands okay?” Uraraka says sullenly.
“Yeah, they just cramped. I lost,” Izuku replies, flexing his hands and frowning. If only they had just cooperated for just five more seconds , but now that all the adrenaline has faded, Izuku can feel how much they ache.
“Well, cut yourself some slack, you have been typing pretty furiously for the past half hour,” Iida correctly remarks, “and I know that Yaoyorozu has some tea that will help your hands feel a little better.”
“Yes, tea sounds good right around now,” says Todoroki, getting up from the sofa and wandering over to the kitchen.
“Thanks, guys, you’re all really good friends,” Izuku smiles, joining Todoroki, who is already talking to Yaoyorozu and helping Iida look through her cupboard. Izuku may have lost, but at least he has his friends.
-
Almost a week later and Izuku has already tried his best to forget about the whole thing, distracting himself with studying for Ectoplasm’s math test the following Tuesday. Today, Thursday night, is his weekly study-with-Kacchan session. After a grueling week of hero work, both like to take a break from exercise before going to the gym on Saturday, and now that they were nearing the end of their second year, they could finally hang out together, unsupervised, without biting each other’s heads off (almost). Ever since Shigaraki had been defeated, both Izuku and Katsuki had gotten undeniably closer. Through both Katsuki’s apology and their final fight, both knew with complete certainty that they had absolute trust on the battlefield and could count on each other where it matters, and, despite their contrasting personalities (including how difficult Katsuki could be) they actually got on and could work well as a team outside of hero work. In short, they were actually friends.
And yes, Katsuki always insisted that he needed music to study, preferably some with heavy drums, and yes Izuku preferred to work in silence- especially as it would inevitably lead to Izuku singing along, resulting in Katsuki asking him who sang the song and once Izuku answered, Katsuki would tell him “let’s keep it that way, shitty nerd”. But being the 3rd and 4th in the class academically (with Yaoyorozu and Iida still above them both), if one didn’t know the answer to a question, the other did. It was a nice end to his week that Izuku looked forward to, and a chance to hang out one on one with his childhood friend/rival.
Knock knock.
“Yeah, yeah, come in, Izuku,” he hears from inside Katsuki’s room, muffled by the loud music he’s playing. Izuku opens the door and plops his stationery and math worksheet on the desk, right next to where Katsuki is sitting, before taking a chair and sitting next to him and beginning to focus on his work, silently. The couple of hours before Katsuki’s strict bedtime is more than enough to get it done.
An hour and a half later and Izuku has finished, and is packing his stuff up and ready to leave. Luckily for him, he hadn’t needed too much help, suggesting that maybe Tuesday’s test wouldn’t be so bad after all, even if math wasn’t his strongest subject. Katsuki has been pretty quiet, likely tired out by the long day and also preoccupied by the upcoming test. All in all, Izuku counts it as a success and another step forward to becoming even closer friends. But it appears that Izuku has spoken too soon, as just as he is leaving, he happens to look to the top corner of Katsuki’s room, on the top of his bookshelf, which has a specific All Might figure standing on it.
An All Might figure that is about ten inches tall, in his Silver Age costume, and has chipped paint on its lower left thigh…
“You’re VILLAIN_DESTROYER_420!” Izuku yells, immediately turning towards where Katsuki is putting away his work. At first, Katsuki’s face twists in confusion, but when he catches Izuku glancing back up to the figure on his bookshelf, a smirk unfurls on his face, as he crosses his arms over his chest, looking down on Izuku. And oh no, Izuku should’ve known. He spent so much time being annoyed, thinking that he had gotten beaten by a stoner, that he hadn’t paused to consider the other possible meaning of the number 420, Kacchan’s birthday . The fact that Katsuki would never jeopardize his hero career through something like trying drugs meant that he had never considered him to be the winner of the quiz, but the proof was right there in front of him.
“Hah, I should’ve known you were that little twerp small_m1ght, though I expected better from someone who should’ve been able to name the three international heroes in All Might’s fourth movie in under 20 seconds,” Katsuki gloats, unable to keep the glee out of his voice from unknowingly beating Izuku, who feels an all too familiar rage bubble up inside of him.
“Hey, my hand cramped, okay. It wasn’t my fault.” Izuku knows he sounds desperate, but it was true, and he isn’t going to let Katsuki think he really won like this.
Katsuki just rolls his eyes. “Tch, so now you can’t even accept that you lost? I obliterated you in that quiz completely fairly, so go back to your room and cry about it to all your second-rate merch.”
“Fair? You know that I know every All Might movie inside out, and you know that I was in first place before the fiftieth question, so if my hands hadn’t frozen up, I could’ve beaten you, you just don’t want to admit it, do you, Kacchan.” Katsuki just glowers. Izuku knew that the only thing that Katsuki hates more than losing is winning an unfair fight. “So, I challenge you to a rematch, to fight over who really deserves that figure.” Izuku can feel the buzz of One For All under his skin grow as he got more and more worked up; he is not going to let this go.
“Oh, you want a fight, huh?!” Katsuki growls, punching his fist into his open hand, sparks flying, “Get your ass down to Ground Beta in thirty minutes and I’ll show you a rerun of fourth period, nerd!”
“Not a physical fight -”
“What are you, a coward?”
“-A rematch, another quiz, we can ask our friends to make one!”
Katsuki puts his arms down, calmer, and looks at Izuku with slight suspicion, “And why would I do that when I could just keep the figure?”
“To prove that you didn’t need luck to win.”
“Whatever…”
-
That evening, both Izuku and Katsuki run down to the common room to see who will help. Obviously, neither of them can make up the questions even if they knew the other would play fair; it is just too much of a risk. Plus, with the League of Villains defeated, Izuku knows that his friends would likely appreciate something to do that wasn’t the usual monotony of school work, hero work, and the reconstruction effots, even if a hero trivia quiz was hero-related.
The scene in the common room was its usual one. Yaoyorozu, Iida, Aoyama, Todoroki, and Ashido have a small study group going on the kitchen table; Kaminari and Kirishima are playing games on the TV, while Sato occupies the kitchen, and Uraraka and Tsu are doing each other’s hair and nails on the sofa. Everyone else is either in their rooms or crowding around Kaminari and Kirishima to see who will win in whatever racing game they’re playing.
“Hey morons!” Katsuki screams, firing off explosions into the air, “I need your help to fight Izuku.”
The rest of the class turns round to face both of them slowly, with increasingly perplexed and concerned looks on their faces.
“Bakugo, I would have to advise that fighting Midoriya right now would not-” Iida starts.
“Thanks, Iida, but Kacchan means a non-physical fight, a verbal fight,” Izuku remedies.
“Like a roast battle?” says Kaminari, “Because I think that Bakugo would win that, sorry Midoriya.”
“ No ,” Izuku says, exasperated, and then looks over to the general direction of Iida, Uraraka, and Todoroki. “Remember when I did that quiz last week, about the hero trivia to win that All Might figure?” When they all nod, Izuku continues, “Well, guess who won that quiz.”
Iida looks between both of them, likely noting Bakugo’s victorious smirk, “Ah, Bakugo, if your pseudonym is to be believed, then I might have to report you to Mr. Aizawa for inappropriate drug use-”
“420 is my birthday, dipshit.”
“ Anyway ,” Izuku interrupts, trying desperately to get the conversation back on track, “I was wondering if you guys would make a quiz for us about hero trivia, to see who actually knows more and therefore find the rightful owner of the All Might figure. Oh, and I was thinking that we could use buzzers instead of typing, so that I don’t have to worry about my hands cramping again.”
“That sounds like a great idea, Deku, I’m totally in!” Uraraka grins, pulling her hands out of Tsu’s newly braided hair.
“So am I, ribbit.”
“And me,” both Todoroki and Iida say, practically in unison.
Kaminari’s hand shot straight into the air, “Can Kiri and I be the hosts? Please?”
“No way in hell-” Katsuki starts.
“Yes, of course you can!” Izuku exclaims.
“Thanks, man,” says Kaminari, completely ignoring Katsuki, who was already rolling his eyes.
“No problem, we really appreciate this guys!” Izuku gushes. And that was it, Class 1-A resolved to sort out the quiz and said that it would be ready by Saturday evening. Todoroki, Iida, Uraraka and Tsu said that they would create the questions; Yaoyorozu said that she would create the buzzers; Kaminari and Kirishima say that they would host and Shoji and Jiro agree to listen out to see who buzzed first if it was a close one, as well as writing down the scores.
Finally, Izuku has a chance to claim the figure that he knew was his. He knew he could beat Kacchan, after all, what else were those ‘Hero Analysis for the Future’ books for?
-
Saturday evening comes, and after a quick trip to the gym that afternoon, Izuku is settled down on the sofa in the common room, ready for Katsuki to make an appearance.
Kaminari and Kirishima have taken their jobs as hosts very seriously, bringing in one of the dining tables, which had two buzzers in front of two chairs, to place in front of the TV, where a PowerPoint titled 'The Great Midorikugo Hero Off' complete with photos of both Izuku and Katsuki as well as stock images of green lightning and explosions. Next to the TV was a whiteboard that had both of their names on opposite sides, underlined where Izuku assumed their points would be placed.
"Hey losers, why is his name first?" Katsuki roars as he enters the common room.
Kirishima and Kaminari glance at each other, kitted out in their matching black suits with a red tie and yellow tie, respectively.
Kaminari shrugs, "Well, because Midorikugo sounded better than Bakudoriya, sorry Kacchan."
"Yeah, it rolls off the tongue better, bro," adds Kirishima.
"Um, I'm not too sure of that, sorry guys, I'm team Bakudoriya," Sero interjects
"Seconded!'' shouts Hagakure from across the room, and Ashido hums in agreement.
"Well it's too late to change the PowerPoint anyway, sorry guys you'll just have to suck it up," yells back Kaminari, finishing the debate.
"Could the two competitors sit behind a buzzer while the audience takes their seats so we can begin!" Announces Kirishima.
After following Kirishima's instructions, Izuku is ready. He has done a little extra studying for this quiz, though he doubts that his friends could surprise him with any hero trivia that he hasn't heard before. However, he has to be quick. Kacchan was a formidable opponent last time, and this was his final chance to get his hands on that figure. Izuku takes a deep, steadying breath, glancing at Katsuki, who is leaning back on his chair, looking as unimpressed as always. But Izuku can see his fierce determination simmering underneath, only making appearances with the twitch in his eye and the slight downturn of his mouth. Katsuki is taking this just as seriously as Izuku is.
“Now, a few house rules before we begin,” starts Kaminari. “First: don’t try to shout the answers, the person who buzzes first will get to answer, and even if you shout it, if they answer correctly, they will get the point. Second: if you press the buzzer and fail to answer after five seconds, the floor will open up for the other person to then press their buzzer and answer, so don’t just press your buzzer so that the other person can’t answer if you don’t know! And finally, the third and last rule is no kicking, punching, or any other kind of physical fighting. Midoriya was right when he said that this will not be a physical fight, and we know how you two get. You guys understand the rules?”
Izuku nods enthusiastically. “Yep, I'm ready!”
Katsuki just rolls his eyes. “Whatever, just get on with it, morons.”
“And we begin!”
-
The first few rounds are neck and neck; every time Izuku gains a point, so does Katsuki, and vice versa. Both of them are constantly kept on their toes. One simple mistake and the point would go to the other competitor. And it wasn’t as though they can count on the questions being easy, somehow, their classmates have dug to the very depths of the most obscure hero wikis out there and had managed to procure the most random questions ever- because who can tell you off the top of their head what clothing brand Backdraft had been wearing during his second official fight as a hero? Although Izuku hasn’t owned the title of ‘fanboy’ since he was a kid, just to lose to Katsuki of all people, the person who made fun of him the most for being a nerd (hypocrite much?).
“True or false, Kamui Woods saved nine children in the fight against Miss Spider three years ago!” Yells Kirishima.
BUZZ!
All eyes turned to Katsuki. “True!” He huffs, smirking down at Izuku, as Jiro prepares to add another point onto his side of the board. Izuku just grins.
“Nope! That’s false, I'm afraid, dude.” Kaminari then turns to Izuku as Jiro takes a step back from the board. “Now, Midoriya, if you can tell us why the answer is false, then you can have the point!”
Now it was Izuku’s turn to smirk at his rival. “Not only was the fight four years ago, instead of three, but Kamui Woods saved ten children, not nine.” Rookie mistake, Kacchan . Izuku remembered the day when Miss Spider was put in jail, which was during his first year of Middle School, instead of his second.
“Whatever, I’m still ahead,” said Katsuki, rolling his eyes.
Not for much longer!
Katsuki’s lead wasn’t a strong one. It was only one point, and that had arguably been Izuku’s slip-up instead of Katsuki’s win, as Izuku had spent the whole five seconds given to him to answer muttering, automatically meaning that Katsuki got a chance to answer instead of Izuku.
But with every point that Izuku earned, getting further and further ahead, Katsuki wasn’t far behind, just like in the earlier quiz. Just one slip-up and Izuku would be left in Katsuki’s dust. And soon, there was just 5 questions out of the 50 left. Katsuki had almost closed the gap, and now the score was twenty-three to twenty-two to Izuku. Whatever the final score was going to be, it would be a close one, though Izuku knew that before starting the quiz. Defending the title of being the ultimate hero fanboy was hard work.
“Which hero holds the rank number 222, and how many years have they held that rank?” Kirishima asks.
BUZZ! BUZZ!
All eyes turn to Jiro and Shoji to decide who buzzed first, tense in anticipation. The two look at each other, nod, then say in unison: “Midoriya.”
“The Normal Hero Manual has held the hero rank of 222 for three consecutive years!”
“And that is correct! Another point for Midoriya, which brings his total up to twenty-four to twenty-two, with only four questions left! Looks like you’ll have to do a little better, Kacchan…” Kaminari snorts. Katsuki’s face turns red, steam pouring out of his ears. Izuku can tell that he’s holding onto his last thread of patience with the small pop pop pops he hears emitting from Katsuki’s palms.
Only four questions left, Izuku could do this. It isn’t like last time, when he had to rely on his overworked hands. He had basically won last time anyway. The figure will be his, and there is nothing that Kacchan can do about it. Izuku started thinking about all the places where he can display his new figure in his room, not too near the window so that it wouldn’t get sun damaged, but not in a corner dark enough that it couldn’t be appreciated, maybe on the bookshelf with the rest of his figurines. It would have to be in the center, though, so everyone could easily see it.
“It’s now time for question forty-seven! Name five of Miruko’s Ultimate Moves!”
BUZZ!
No, no, no, no, no! Izuku knew the answer to this question- he loves Miruko! But before he can even touch the buzzer, Katsuki is answering the question.
“Luna Ring, Luna Fall, Luna Tijeras, Luna Arc, and Luna Rush.” Katsuki grins, counting them off on his fingers.
“Correct! Will Bakugo be able to catch up to Midoriya’s score? It’s looking more and more likely-”
“This isn’t a game show, Shitty Hair!”
“- so let ‘The Great Midorikugo Hero Off’ continue with question forty-eight: how many years has the hero Burnin been Endeavour's sidekick?”
BUZZ! BUZZ!
Once again, everyone looked over to Jiro and Shoji to tell them who had pressed their buzzer first, but this time, they announced Katsuki as the quickest buzzer.
Kacchan again? No! Since both Izuku and Katsuki knew Burnin personally, this was an easy question, one that Izuku should’ve been quicker on. Burnin had joined the Endeavor agency within one year of graduating with her pro-hero license, and now that she’s almost (but not quite) twenty-seven, that would make it-
“- Six years!” Katsuki says triumphantly, sitting back in his chair with an air of satisfaction around him. He has leveled the score with just two questions left. Izuku knows that a streak like that will be hard to break with Katsuki’s confidence increasing and Izuku’s plummeting. He knew those answers, goddammit! Izuku just needs to be quicker.
Kaminari’s announcement of “Correct!” just rubs salt into the wound.
Now, in order to win, Izuku will have to get the final two questions correct. That last question would be the final one Kacchan would get right. Izuku had had a lead earlier. He just has to take it back
Kirishima’s drum roll for the penultimate question refocuses Izuku’s attention back to the task at hand.
“This second-to-last question will be tricky, and to stop a tie from being possible, it’ll be worth two points!”
Two points?! Whoever got this one right would essentially take the game now that it was all tied up! This is basically the final question! Focus Izuku, focus , he tells himself as his hand trembles while it hovers over the buzzer. Katsuki leans forward and narrows his eyes, having clearly gone through the same thought process as Izuku did.
“What was Present Mic’s original name for his radio station, AND when did the name change?” Kaminari asks while he switches the PowerPoint to the next slide.
BUZZ!!! BUZZ!!!
Once again, both Jiro and Shoji call out Izuku’s name, and he prepares for his victory.
“Originally, Present Mic’s station was called ‘Surrender to Dance radio’, but the change was made when… when…..”
Oh no, oh no, oh no! Izuku remembered clearly the first time he heard Present Mic exclaim to ‘Put your hands up for Put Your Hands Up Radio, Yeah!’. He knew he had been diagnosed quirkless by that point, and it was before middle school, but any other markers of what year it was eluded him. Izuku thinks that he was wearing his red and yellow All Might t-shirt, which his mom had thrown away when he was eight, almost nine, but the shoes he remembers wearing he didn’t get until he was about ten!
“Your five seconds are running out… only two left!” Kaminari says frantically.
“Wait, was it 2XXX?” Izuku is going out on a limb here, that year would be when he was nine, right in the middle of the group of years it could have been.
BUZZ! Katsuki grins as he presses his buzzer.
Kirishima grimaces, “I’m afraid you’re wrong there, Midoriya. Bakugo, do you know the answer?”
“It was 2XXX, obviously, Deku!”
Aaaahhhhh! Of course! The shoes that Izuku so clearly remembered getting when he was ten were actually identical replacements to ones he had gotten for his eighth birthday!
“Well since you both got one element of the question right, that will be one point each!” says Kirishima, pointedly ignoring a seething Katsuki, who clearly believes he deserved both points.
They were still neck and neck with 25 points each, and with one question remaining, Izuku couldn’t afford to mess up again.
“Since you’re both once again tied, this final question will be the true tie-breaker! The person who can get this question right will walk away with the coveted All Might figure and eternal bragging rights-”
“Just get on with it, Dunce Face!”
“-and so the final question is… which member of Team Lurkers was born in Hokkaido!”
BUZZ!
“Mount Lady!” They both yell at the exact same time.
Everyone looks over to Jiro and Shoji.
“That was genuinely at the same time,” Shoji says, while all of his dupli-arms have ears pointed at Izuku and Katsuki. A quiet murmur breaks out before Shoji adds, “But it doesn’t matter anyway since Midoriya was the only one who pressed his buzzer.”
Victory! Izuku can't believe it. He rushes over to celebrate with Uraraka, who's floating, Iida, who is also floating, and Todoroki, who is clapping politely. But before the real victory lap starts, he turns around to where Kacchan is still standing, hoping to say something congratulatory that isn’t too condescending. However, while he's turning around, his now muted version of danger sense gives him a nudge and gives him 0.2 seconds of warning before he unfortunately gets a howitzer impact to the face.
“ DIEEEEE!!!” Katsuki roars while winding up an explosive fist to punch Izuku, who desperately tries not to use up the few embers of One For All that he has to escape the sore loser. Izuku dodges and tries to kick Katsuki’s legs from under him, but his moves are too obvious, and Izuku finds himself being the one who’s off-balance instead. Pretty quickly, they disappear into a cloud of smoke and yelling, trading hits and kicks that hurt more than either would admit after their gym trip earlier. Over the racket of their fighting, Izuku can hear the faint calls of their classmates asking them to stop, and just as Izuku starts anticipating floating, or being tackled to the ground by Iida or Kirishima, he feels a familiar cloth wrap around his limbs and pulling him and Katsuki apart.
Looking down at him is a very disgruntled Aizawa, whose pink sleeping mask has sparkly anime eyes, giving Izuku the feeling that he’s being stared down at with twice the force than usual.
“Now what ,” Aizawa snaps, before likely stopping himself from using a few choice words, “is going on here.”
“Izuku cheated -”
“Well, we both wanted this All Might figure and-”
“- So I took back what was mine IN THE FIRST PLACE-”
“- at the beginning of the quiz, the rules were set up at the start-”
“- and exploded him to hell where he belongs since-”
“- Kacchan really did start the fight this time and-”
The capture cloth winds around their mouths, leaving both Izuku and Katsuki to make unintelligible sounds as Aizawa turns to Iida and says, “Well?”
Iida pushes up his glasses and explains, “It was supposed to be a peaceful competition to determine who out of Midoriya and Bakugo would have an All Might figure after Izuku lost the official competition due to his hands cramping up. However, when Bakugo lost this quiz, he attacked Midoriya.”
Aizawa pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed deeply, pausing to take a few calming breaths before continuing, “And what made this figure so special to cause this reaction?”
“ Mmhmm! ” Izuku starts to say, before realising that he still has the capture cloth around his mouth. When no one in Class 1-A answers, Aizawa begrudgingly removes it, but still keeps the binds around his arms and legs in place.
“It’s special because it was used in one of All Might’s films that he acted in! It’s basically the original Silver Age figure, and All Might touched it himself!” Izuku answers.
“All Might is your teacher. He touches your homework himself,” Aizawa replies in his usual deadpan delivery.
“Yeah, but-”
The cloth goes around his mouth again.
“If you can’t decide which of you owns the toy, then you will have to share it.”
Both Izuku and Katsuki immediately start protesting, despite the capture cloth in their mouth, but Aizawa glares at them until they’re silent again.
“Bakugo, you’ve had this figure for how long now?”
“A week,” Katsuki grumbles.
“Okay, from now on, every Saturday, you will swap whose turn it is to have the toy. The swap will take place at” Aizawa checks the clock on his phone “6 PM. Midoriya, it is your turn for the next week, and next Saturday at 6 PM, you will give the toy to Bakugo, who will give it back to you the week after, and so on. Happy?”
No, not really. But Izuku knew the deal was fair. The thing he was most annoyed about was that Aizawa called the figure a toy . Since they’ve stopped struggling, Aizawa releases them, and Katsuki immediately stomps up to his room without saying a word to anyone. Once he comes back, he shoves the figure into Izuku’s chest and stomps back to his room, slamming the door behind him.
Well, that could’ve gone better…
-
After a luxurious week of having his prized figure proudly mounted on his bookshelf, it’s finally the dreaded day that Izuku will have to give it back to Katsuki. Luckily, the battle they had over the figure hadn’t really hurt their friendship. The biggest fight they’d had in the past few months actually only happened a few days ago, when Izuku had used a bit too much of One For All in order to save a little girl from a villain. After the villain was caught, Izuku tearfully told Katsuki that he didn’t know if he would graduate with any embers, which had pissed Katsuki off so bad that it had turned into a huge shouting match where Katsuki called Izuku “stupid” and “reckless”, while Izuku countered that the girl wasn’t going to save herself and that he couldn’t not save her just so that he could save someone else in the future. Even though he hated it, it felt strangely good to fight with Kacchan, normal , almost. It was certainly better than those pitiful and grieving looks that Katsuki sent him when he thought that Izuku wasn’t looking, ever since Izuku told him that he would no longer have One For All. It was almost as though Katsuki was mourning Izuku’s loss harder than Izuku was himself, even though the dream that Katsuki had lost, he’s only had for around a year, whereas Izuku was losing his dream of fifteen.
They are both such intense people that their relationship thrived under the life-or-death situations being a fledgling hero threw at them. Being forced to communicate or die in battle was a very effective method in healing their friendship. But now that the worst was over, they had to talk normally, and so Izuku had felt that their relationship was becoming stagnant, and he wasn’t sure how he felt about that. Izuku knew that they would unquestionably die for each other in the heat of battle, but not if Katsuki wanted to eat lunch with him, which was a strange feeling to have, but Izuku didn’t know what to do about it.
At 5:55 PM, Izuku leaves his room to go upstairs to Katsuki’s. He gets there at 5:57 PM, a bit early, but Izuku can wait a couple of minutes. However, as though Katsuki has some kind of weird Izuku-sense, he opens the door. Izuku would’ve thought that Kacchan heard his footsteps if it weren’t for the loud music coming from his room. They stare at each other while Izuku holds the figure behind his back.
“It’s still 5:58, Kacchan! Not your turn yet.”
Katsuki just rolls his eyes. “I know,” he says, as they continue to stare at each other in silence on Katsuki’s doorstep. Izuku’s eyes dart around, looking anywhere but the person in front of him, not that anything is interesting in the hallway of the dorms, anyway. At least the music from Katsuki’s room helps the silence not be so loud.
“So, how’s your week been?” Izuku blurted, refusing to stand still like this for another minute.
“You’ve seen me every day this week, nerd.”
“Yeah, but-”
Luckily for both of them, Izuku was cut off by an alarm ringing from Katsuki’s room, signaling 6 PM. Katsuki holds out his hand, and Izuku hands over the All Might figure. Once the swap has taken place, Katsuki hesitates for just a second before closing the door softly, with a murmured “Goodnight.”
-
It’s near the end of their second year, and nowadays Katsuki only knocks once before barging into Izuku’s room to place the All Might figure on his bookshelf before dragging Izuku out of his room for their weekly spar- quirkless, of course. Despite Izuku knowing that he won’t be a hero after he graduates, Kacchan refuses to let him “get weak”. They walk side by side on their way to the gym, but don’t talk, which is unusual for them. Izuku is used to these walks being filled with conversation about their most recent class exercise, or gossip about which of their classmates they think like like each other, but ever since Izuku told Katsuki about his idea of being a teacher, there has been an awkward tension between them. Looks of annoyance and impatience have replaced the pitying looks, and Izuku is starting to wish that Katsuki would just yell at him like he used to.
They’re still silent by the time they’re in the gym and standing across from each other, ready to go.
“Best of three?” Katsuki grunts, the first words he’s said to Izuku all day. Izuku just nods in return. They both charge forward. Fists are flying and legs are sweeping. As per usual, Katsuki uses his right hook to make Izuku overthink, but Izuku refuses to get distracted and kicks before his right hook can land. Their fights are more like mind games at this point, as they know the other’s fighting style so well that the other is aware, and it’s difficult not to second-guess if each twitch or shift in movement is a move or just a feint.
Izuku normally lives for the chess-like back and forth their spars have, the excitement of having a worthy rival, and the euphoria of a possible win normally pushes him to his best, but today, he’s tired. Over the summer, everyone, including Katsuki, has hero work studies with the top ranking heroes in Japan, whereas Izuku is helping the Wild, Wild Pussy Cats in a quiet town while doubling as an assistant for the now quirkless Ragdoll. Usually, he would jump at any hero work, no matter what it was, but knowing that his work study is just so that he can put in enough hours to stay on the hero course, while also keeping enough One For All embers to graduate, is demoralizing. Furthermore, as much as he admires Ragdoll, watching her stay and do office work while her team members fight villains will likely be a depressing view of his own future.
Knowing that he still has to do a whole year of stretching out the inevitable while he watches his classmates become stronger and achieve their dreams while he leaves behind his sucks the fight out of him and before long, Katsuki has won the first two spars. Sparring with Kacchan used to be a way to get stronger and run towards his future, but now it’s just so that he doesn’t become weaker than he already is.
Once the second spar ends with Katsuki’s arm across Izuku’s throat and all of his limbs pinned down, Katsuki stands up and grabs his water to chug it, not even looking at Izuku or offering a helping hand up. A dark, ugly feeling unfurls in Izuku’s chest as he helps himself up and scoffs at how Katsuki pointedly refuses to look at him. Izuku’s fists clench as hot tears surface in his eyes, and he hurriedly blinks them away. This helpless feeling against the person he calls his best friend, the defeat and vulnerability that permeate his very core, all bring him back to Middle School, a place that Izuku sometimes wonders if he ever escaped.
After using his towel to dry his forehead and making sure he’s rehydrated (and wiping away a few stray tears), Izuku turns around to a Katsuki who is already waiting for him.
“You ready to lose again?” Katsuki taunts.
And that’s what does it. Feeling like a kettle coming to boil, Izuku lets the nasty emotions bubble up inside of him as he glares while saying, “Oh, so now you feel like talking to me?”
Katsuki just rolls his eyes and replies, “Well, it’s not like you would listen to anything I have to say.”
He thinks I don’t listen to him!? While Katsuki’s words used to be the soundtrack to his childhood failures, now that they’re friends again, Izuku holds every word that Katsuki says to him close to his chest. Izuku ignoring Katsuki is so unfathomable that it makes him feel insane. He thinks of their recent past arguments and Katsuki’s insistence on Izuku taking more care of One For All, as if there is any possibility of Izuku regaining his old power.
“I listen to you, Kacchan, I just think that what you have to say about One For All is dumb and irresponsible,” Izuku yells between gritted teeth, running forward to throw the first punch.
Too many times has Katsuki insisted on Izuku rationing and saving his power even more than he already has. Too many times has Katsuki tried to force Izuku into a class exercise where his lack of power would just be something for someone to worry about instead of any actual use to the team. He’s more than happy to help strategize and be a hero from the sidelines, but pretending that he has power he doesn’t isn’t going to help anyone, as much as he wishes that he could be by everyone’s side. Too many times has Katsuki just scoffed and rolled his eyes when Izuku was being realistic about his limits.
Of course, Katsuki dodges. Izuku knew that the punch was made out of anger instead of any real plan. Katsuki retaliates with a jab to the stomach, which connects, and Izuku jumps backwards while Katsuki leaps forward.
“ I’m being irresponsible? ” Katsuki howls, throwing punch after punch to the point where all Izuku can do is block. “You’re the one who used half of your embers on that girl! You’re the one who lost One For All in the first place! And now you refuse to fight for your dream anymore!” He kicks Izuku in the gut before shouting again. “You’re going to spend the whole summer as a glorified secretary and then the rest of your life holed up in a classroom, when you should be out there!”
The with me goes unsaid, but Izuku picks up on it anyway. And as much as that idea warms Izuku's heart, the accusation that Izuku was careless enough to just give One For All away, as though that wasn't the hardest decision of his life, hurts more than any of Katsuki's punches.
Fueled by Katsuki's words, Izuku tackles him and they both fall to the ground, rolling around as each of them try to take charge.
“I didn't lose One For All, I gave it away so that I could defeat Shigaraki. I thought you knew that but I guess you've only been thinking about having someone around that can actually kick your ass!” Izuku screams, sweat pouring down his brow as he wrestles with Katsuki on the floor.
But Katsuki isn't finished.
“It's like when you have that quirk away, you also gave him your fight, your spirit. Where's the nerd who wouldn't take no for an answer? Where's the shithead who snapped at my heels, who pushed me to be better? Who was going to surpass me and All Might”
Exhaustion catches up with Izuku as Katsuki begins to pin him down, but before he succeeds, Izuku kicks him in the chest.
“He's still here!” Izuku shrieks. “Just because I won't have a quirk anymore doesn't mean I've given up-”
“You're certainly acting like that,” Katsuki snaps.
“-You just think that not becoming a hero is me just throwing away my dreams, but it's not. I doubt I'll have One For All by this time next year , Kacchan. I have to be realistic. With each generation, quirks get stronger, and I'll just save more people by being a teacher. By shaping the next generation, I can make sure that Japan's next heroes are good ones. I'll save more people than I ever could by being a hero.”
Without realizing it, all the emotion had led Izuku to power up the few dregs of One For All you had left, and while Katsuki is distracted by the green lightning surrounding Izuku, Izuku isn't, meaning that his next punch launches Katsuki into the wall behind him with a huge CRACK!
All of Izuku's anger immediately disappears like an ice-cold bucket of water dumped over his head.
“Kacchan!” says Izuku, rushing over to where Katsuki is slumped against the wall, surrounded by the small pieces of concrete his impact had broken off the wall and holding his ribs. “Oh no, are you okay? I didn't mean it! Well, I meant what I said, but not to throw you into the wall! I'm sorry, this was meant to be quirkless sparring. I know you planned to go work out tomorrow, and now you'll have to sleep in because of a trip to Recovery Girl! We can count this as your win, as technically I cheated-”
Izuku trails off as he realizes that Katsuki has started to giggle, which then turns into roaring laughter. He wonders if his friend has hit his head and has now got brain damage. Once Katsuki has quietened down and Izuku has finished assessing his head, Katsuki states, “You finally fought back.”
Izuku huffs and crosses his arms, “I've been fighting back this whole time,” he whines. But he knows what Katsuki really means. That this time he fought back not just to spar, but with the intention to win.
Katsuki takes the hand that Izuku holds out and pulls himself up, while wincing and holding his ribs. “I think one's broken,” he groans.
Giggling, Izuku replies, “I think Recovery Girl is sick of us.”
Before Izuku can put his arm around Katsuki to lead him out of the gym, though, Katsuki turns to look Izuku in the eye.
“I’m sorry for saying you were being irresponsible and that you lost One For All,” he says seriously. “That's not true, like always, you're making the best possible decision. I'm just pissed off because it's not fair. I'd say if anyone deserved to be a hero, it would be you, but you already are one. You're gonna be a great teacher, Izuku. I'll just miss you like crazy out on the field.”
The tears return, but this time not in anger. Izuku’s lip wobbles as he takes a few deep breaths so that he can apologize, too.
“I'm sorry as well. Not putting in the effort I used to because I won't be a hero after graduation isn't helping anyone; it's just hard to find the motivation, you know? I think I just need a new mindset, and to think of my schoolwork in a way that I could help my future students. I'll never regret giving up One For All, though, but don't get me wrong, if there was a way that I could have the full power of One For All back, I'd take it and become a hero again. But I can't. And being a teacher is another way I can be a hero.”
Katsuki nods, smiling sadly, and lets Izuku help him to Recovery Girl's office, talking and gossiping the whole way there.
-
When Izuku wakes up on a Saturday, most of the way through his third year, something feels off, but he can't quite figure out what. He's done all his homework and all his limbs are intact, so it's easy to forget the feeling. While going through the motions of the day, the feeling that something is strange, that he's forgotten something, momentarily comes back to him, only to be forgotten again. It's not that Izuku isn't trusting his gut or something, it's just that it doesn't feel like Izuku should be worried about whatever it is. So he doesn't.
It hits him around 3 PM, three hours before he gives the All Might figure back to Kacchan. When they first started with their custody arrangement, Katsuki would occasionally find some way to ask about the status of Izuku's embers offhandedly. It wasn't until a couple of months ago that Katsuki noticed Izuku get really sad when he asked when he stopped. Izuku wonders about what he would tell Kacchan today if he asked, and that’s when it clicks. He doesn’t have One For All anymore.
The final embers are gone.
Grief hits like a truck, making it feel as though his chest has caved in as the shock fades. Izuku knew this day was coming; he just didn’t realise that it would be, well, today. When he would think about what losing One For All would feel like, he always thought that he would be able to feel it instantly, to know that it was gone. He thought it would feel like a gaping hole and that its absence would feel tangible, like a missing limb. Instead, it feels as though he’s trying to listen to one of those songs through earphones where the audio bounces between each ear, but one of the earphones is muffled or clogged, so one part is a bit quieter, noticeable, but only when it gets to that part of the song.
Logically, Izuku knows that he has been expecting this day, that he has been grieving it for a long time, that he already knows where his future is headed, and that his use of One For All had lessened so considerably in the past few months that Todoroki had recently asked if he still had it. But that doesn’t take away the deep ache of loss now that the day has finally arrived. It’s one thing to prepare to be shot in the stomach; it’s another to experience it. The realization, followed by the pain, and then watching the blood seep through your clothes as dizziness overtakes you. Realizing that he didn’t figure out that he no longer had One For All, despite it being gone for hours at this point, makes him feel silly and unworthy. Did he not care enough about One For All to realize its absence? Why didn’t he know that when he used the power only yesterday, it would be the last time? Did One For All fade immediately after or during the middle of the night? There was no way now to know.
Izuku doesn’t know if he can face All Might right now. Despite spending months reassuring Izuku that they would remain successor and predecessor, Izuku knows that he would break down in tears as soon as he saw him, the one tangible thing that connected him to All Might, gone. It’s weird to think that initially once the war had ended, while Izuku still lay in a hospital bed, that he hadn’t cried, or fought, just accepted his future as a quirkless one (it was Katsuki who did all the crying), and now he feels so full of pain that it hurts. However, Izuku ultimately feels at peace. That doesn’t stop him from going straight to Katsuki’s room, though, with the All Might figure in hand.
He doesn’t knock anymore. Izuku knows that Katsuki is expecting him soon and knows to go straight in. When Izuku enters Katsuki’s room, he sees Katsuki on the floor, tinkering with one of his gauntlets while loud music blasts. Upon Izuku’s arrival, Katsuki turns the music down and looks up from his work while saying, “A bit early, aren’t ya?”
Smiling to himself, Izuku just responds, “Yeah.”
If Katsuki is confused by Izuku’s lack of usual muttering and overexplanation, he doesn’t show it, as he goes back to taking apart some of the outside plating of his gauntlet while Izuku sits down next to him.
“What are you working on?” Izuku asks.
Without looking away from his work, Katsuki replies, “I think some of the outside parts are coming a bit loose due to how much I’ve been using them. They rattle a lot whenever I make a big blast, and I don’t want them falling apart on the field.”
Izuku just nods, and Katsuki glances at him, clearly a little worried, but is likely letting Izuku talk to him instead of trying to worm it out of him. Katsuki must know that Izuku wouldn’t have come to see him if he couldn’t talk about it. They sit in silence a bit longer and while Katsuki starts screwing his gauntlet back together, Izuku stares at their All Might figure, looking him in the eye. When All Might lost the final ember of One For All, it was treated like a national tragedy; his final, triumphant moment aired on every TV in the country, but Izuku would probably only tell his friends, teachers, and his mom. For All Might, losing One For All meant retirement, but for Izuku, his life was just getting started. It was one of their many different experiences with the quirk, and Izuku doesn’t know how to talk to All Might about it. He wishes he just had one more day, his own final triumph with the quirk, though he guesses that it’s a good sign that he didn’t lose it defeating one of the worst villains of all time.
“It’s gone,” Izuku whispers, barely louder than the music, which has already been turned down.
“Huh?” Katsuki grunts, face screwing in confusion. He hadn’t heard him.
Izuku takes a deep breath and tries not to think about the first time he told Kacchan he was quirkless. It’ll be different this time, and although he knows this logically, Izuku also knows that a lot of their new friendship was built on Izuku having a quirk and being able to compete with Katsuki at every level. Being quirkless again is going to change their relationship; that’s a fact Izuku cannot escape, but he’s also safe in the knowledge that their friendship will survive it.
“One For All is gone,” Izuku expresses, louder this time, “I’m quirkless again.”
Katsuki’s breath stutters as both of them stay so still that Izuku feels as though he’s in a movie someone has put on pause.
“Okay,” is all Katsuki says. Even though last time Izuku said those eight words, Katsuki broke down in tears, they’ve talked about the topic so at length that okay is all that’s left to say.
“It’s kind of a weird feeling now that it’s gone. I always knew that my time with this borrowed power was limited, but I still feel as though I’m in shock that it’s gone,” Izuku explains, turning the All Might figure over in his hands.
Katsuki stands up, placing his gauntlet gently on its side, moving so that when he sits down, he is facing Izuku directly. He flicks Izuku on the forehead.
“ Ow! ” Izuku squeaks, rubbing right where Katsuki’s fingers hit him, though it doesn’t even hurt that much.
As Katsuki glares at him, he looks fed up. “Stop calling that power borrowed, dipshit! All Might didn’t make you sign a lease, or ask you to give it back, it was always yours.”
“But All Might-”
“Gave it to you. To stop All For One’s legacy and to do what you wanted with it, because he trusted you as his successor. Once you started using Full Cowling and all that other crap, it became almost unrecognizable from All Might.”
Izuku shrugs, “Yeah, I guess.” But even from the moment he inherited the power, it was as though Izuku could sense that he was on a time limit, that somehow, some way, this dream wouldn’t last. He knows that he managed to make One For All his own, but maybe he likes thinking of it as All Might’s quirk, and knowing the connection he shared with his idol. That didn’t help Izuku think about what was once his quirk the way that Katsuki, Uraraka, Todoroki, or Iida did, however.
“Think of it this way,” Katsuki suggests, “That stupid figure isn’t any less mine just because you have it in your dumb room every other week. It’s mine and it’s yours. They’re not mutually exclusive. One For All can be your quirk, and All Might’s quirk at the same time. So stop thinking about that quirk like it’s a library book you had to give back.”
“Wow, I never thought about it that way, Kacchan, you’re pretty philosophical, huh?”
“Shut up,” Katsuki demands, rolling his eyes and returning to his original position to start working on his gauntlet again.
“Speaking of the figure, we’re gonna have to fine-tune a schedule so that we can still swap him between our future homes once we graduate. That means you can’t move too far away from me, Kacchan! All Might Junior will miss you, and I’ll make you pay child support!”
Katsuki whips his head to turn to where Izuku is grinning cheekily. “That hunk of plastic is not our stupid kid, Izuku!” Katsuki rants, steam coming out of his ears. Izuku just giggles while imagining Katsuki tucking the figure into bed while reading it stories and trying to play catch with it. Once Katsuki calms down a little, he adds quietly, “Plus, I already told you that I was gonna stick around in Musutafu for a while.” And that makes Izuku’s grin grow even wider.
After that, Izuku stays in Katsuki’s room for a while, just to talk about silly stuff that doesn’t matter, like losing the quirk that got you into hero school in the first place. They laugh at Kaminari’s recent attempts at cooking, a hobby he had gotten into after realizing that, after graduation, he would no longer be able to steal Katsuki’s food and gossip about which first years are going to try to confess to Todoroki before the end of the year. It’s 5:30 PM when Izuku gets up to leave Katsuki’s room to go make some food and think about telling everyone about how One For All is finally gone.
“You can have him early this one time,” Izuku insists, already halfway out the door after placing the figure on Katsuki’s bedside table where he usually keeps it, reflecting that despite the obvious, in the past few hours, nothing has really changed.
Nine years later…
Funnily enough, it’s a Saturday when Izuku moves into his and Katsuki’s apartment. Now that Izuku is only a teacher some of the time, they’re bona fide hero partners with their own agency and everything, so it just makes sense to move in together. Their agency is right across from Todoroki’s, meaning that all three of them team up more often than not. They’re still in Musutafu, so that Izuku is within commuting distance to UA (and still close to All Might), but now that they have two top hero’s salaries, their new apartment is way more luxury than they’re used to (especially as Katsuki isn’t sending anymore of his paycheck off to pay for a state of the art hero suit).
Ochako helps float in the mishmash of furniture that Izuku and Katsuki have somehow accumulated over the years through the door, while Todoroki keeps the things that need to go in their new fridge cool, and Katsuki finishes organising the kitchen.
“Hey Bakugo, Midoriya, where do you want me to put this?” Kirishima calls, holding up a very familiar and very precious All Might figure.
When touring apartments, one of the first things they discussed was where All Might Junior would go. The great thing about this apartment in particular was the large mantlepiece that sat between the two rooms that Izuku and Katsuki had each taken as their bedroom, and above a cozy electric fireplace.
“Right in the middle, if you would, Kirishima!” Izuku answers, pointing to the mantlepiece where they would put one of their most prized possessions.
The Saturday Swap was one of the things they made sure happened every week. Even if it wasn’t always at six, and even if they didn’t see each other for very long, the All Might figure always swapped houses on a Saturday. It was the way they forced themselves to keep in touch and preserve their friendship, even when life and adulthood got in the way. Izuku always knew that even during the very worst weeks, he would be seeing Katsuki on Saturday, which was sometimes just enough to help him power through. It feels almost bittersweet to think that Izuku will no longer knock on Katsuki’s door, or have Katsuki knock on his, just to keep up the pretty childish tradition of giving over an action figure.
But knowing now that he gets to have that figure every single week, with Kacchan, is a future he’s thoroughly excited for.