Chapter Text
*crackle*
Katsuki sneered at the mugger from the alley entrance, as small pops came from his palms. "The hell d'you think you're doin'?"
The mugger had the audacity to scoff from where he stood about halfway down the alley, cornering a young girl around Katsuki's age between the wall and a dumpster. "Mind your own fuckin' business twerp! This is none of your concern."
***
Now, Katsuki had already had a long day given the insistence of those extras in his class on talking to him until his ears could've started bleeding from irritation. He'd taken his frustration out on Deku after it was revealed the nerd had applied to UA, but it hadn't done much to quell his anger. And to top it all off, that fucking sludge villain attacked him. The heroes nearby were too useless to do anything and then Deku jumped in out of nowhere just to get in the way more by putting himself in danger. Fucking attention seeker. All Might had swooped in and saved both of them and Katsuki had been sure to give his statement before getting out of the way from the arrest. He knew it was important to leave the crime scene to the police and not disrupt evidence or whatever, so he got out before he could lose his temper and blow the whole block up. That didn't stop him giving Deku a piece of his mind afterward.
Which all led up to this point. He was still fuming and was on his way to one of his childhood hangout spots to blow off steam before heading home so he wouldn't blow up his old hag, when he heard whisper-shouting from the alley a block away. He had slowed down and listened in as he approached. He was impulsive but he wasn't stupid.
"Give me the fucking money, slut!" Extra number one hissed out through obviously clinched teeth.
"I don't owe you jack shit!" Extra number two retorted.
"Keep your voice down before I cut it out of you."
Alright, that was enough evidence for him. Extra number one was a bulky man, probably in his thirties, and had some kind of sharp weapon, most likely a knife. Extra number two was a young girl and a victim of a mugging. Perfect situation to blow off steam and do something heroic at the same time.
***
"Like hell it's not! You're loud as hell and it's pissing me off! So let the damn extra go before I blow your face off." Katsuki threatened, lifting his hands slightly in warning.
Mugger extra muttered something under his breath before harshly shoving the girl's head onto the dumpster and she fell limp. Katsuki didn't wait for the man to turn around before charging in and letting off a few explosions aimed at the guy's legs. The man cried out in pain as he collapsed to the floor, clutching his now burnt legs. Shit, the hell do I do now?
Katsuki considered calling the police, reaching for his phone, but hesitated. He'd used his quirk. As much as hated it... if he turned mugger extra in, the guy might rat him out about using his quirk, getting Katsuki in trouble as well. If he left now, it was dark enough and he had been far enough that the guy most likely hadn't seen his face. So instead, Katsuki was careful to avoid the mugger as he made his way over to the girl. She wasn't injured from what he could see, but he ran his hands around her head, anyway, like he'd seen heroes do when checking for blood. Nothing. Good, cuz that'd be a total bust if he had to rush her into a hospital and would inevitably have the same result as calling the police.
Well, I can't just leave her here. And if this dumbass doesn't quit whimpering
Alright, he'd made up his mind. He couldn't stand extra number one any longer and it was already dark out so the hag would start calling him demanding to know where he was if he didn't get back within the next couple hours. So, he scooped the girl up and walked out of the alley, leaving the mugger before the guy could get his shit together and get a good look at Katsuki.
At this point, he had to admit to himself he was a bit out of his depth, though he would never let anyone else know that. So, he simply carried on his evening plans as before, albeit with some extra tagging along. Sorta. She couldn't exactly agree to follow him... so it was more like kidnapping... without the nefarious intent...
Nevermind that. He was doing the right thing, damnit! He grumbled to himself the rest of the walk to the secluded forest he had originally set out toward. It connected to a park he used to hangout at as a kid and there were dirt trails for walking and biking running throughout the forest. He usually headed out here after a long day. The park was run down now so no one was around and he was free to let out his frustration as he pleased. Which had been the plan before extra number two and decided to- what? Get mugged? Okay... yeah, that wasn't her fault. Whatever. Katsuki huffed as he set her down, propping her up against a tree and sitting across from her, leaning against his own tree. He watched her for a moment, as if she might suddenly wake up and he could get on his way back home. She didn't, obviously. So, Katsuki decided to blow off steam like he wanted to in the first place. He walked a few paces away from the girl, but not too far as to lose sight of her in case she woke up.
He started a simple workout: pushups, situps, short sprints back and forth. He used a tree for pullups and some fallen logs for vaults. He ran through fighting combos he'd learned both from hero videos and martial arts online. Shadow boxed for nearly thirty minutes, practicing dodging followed up by attacks. He let off a few short explosive bursts and integrated them into his routine. By the time he was done, panting and sweating buckets, it had been two hours. He'd checked on the girl on-and-off during breaks, but she still hadn't woken up. Starting to think this extra might actually need a hospital.
He sighed and sat down against the same tree as earlier. He could bring her in. Say he just found her as he was heading home. But he wasn't a fucking lier and there was still the risk they some how figure it out, so he continued to sit against the tree and stare her down, willing her to just wake up so he could head home with a clear concious. Better tell the hag I'm staying out.
Pulling his phone out of his backpack, he hit the call button on the contact and held the phone a bit farther away. Yes, farther, because he had no intention of getting his ears screamed off.
"WHAT IS IT, BRAT? ARE YOU ON YOUR WAY HOME YET?!? DINNER IS ALREADY MADE SO YOU BETTER BE BACK SOON!" Mitsuki screamed into the phone because he even got a word out.
"SHUT IT, HAG!! I'M STAYING OUT TODAY, GOT IT? CAMPING OR WHATEVER!" Katsuki yelled right back without hesitation. That was just the way the two of them communicated, despite his dad's insistence they speak at 'reasonable volumes'.
"WELL BE SAFE, BRAT! AND YOU BETTER BE BACK TOMORROW BY NOON, GOT IT?!?"
"Yeah yeah, whatever. I got it. Night, Hag." And with that he hung up. He turned his gaze back to the extra who was still completely out despite the yelling and scoffed. At least it wasn't expected to rain tonight.
It was then that Katsuki finally took a real look at the girl he'd saved that night. She was definitely a teenager and she had long auburn hair. Freckles littered right along her blush line and she had oddly pointed ears, almost like an elf from folk tales. Must be part of her quirk. On that note, the girl had pale markings running up the length of her arms, which stood out against her tanned skin. They looked almost rune-like. Katsuki clenched his teeth and looked away. Whatever, she's just some extra. He thought, trying to shake away his curiosity. It had always aggravated him how much he eavesdropped and snooped into other's business. He didn't mean to. Didn't want to either since most of the time everything he heard was useless and just pissed him off more. And then there was Deku's muttering that was just loud enough to constantly catch his attention but slightly too slurred and clipped to comprehend. It was like a bug zipping around his head that just wouldn't stop buzzing.
Katsuki hit the ground in frustration as his thoughts once again flitted back to that insignificant prick. The guy was insufferable, always yammering about being a hero and then doing absolutely nothing to actually achieve that goal. It was like it thought he was above everyone else. Like he was somehow better than Katsuki. Which was absurd considering the boy was quirkless. And that wasn't even taking into account how useless Deku had been before any of them developed quirks, which was the whole reason Katsuki called him that in the first place. A quirk really was Deku's only hope of ever becoming a hero, albeit a pretty useless one like the rest of those extras would be if any of them could be heroes like they claimed they would. He didn't really think any of them would even get close, but at least the other extras had quirks and skills they could fall back on. Deku had nothing. Deku was nothing. So why the hell did he look at Katsuki like some weakling?!? Gah, whatever. The prick would learn his place one day, probably when he got utterly demolished during the UA entrance exam.
Katsuki yawned and his eyes began to droop as he thought how UA and actually starting his hero journey. Eventually he closed his eyes and let himself slip into sleep.
***
Katsuki woke up to the blinding light of the sun. It appeared to be pretty early still, and when he checked his phone it was in fact six in the morning. The girl was still here. Still asleep. Katsuki stretched a bit before standing up and walking over, checking that the extra had a pulse and was breathing. Check and check. Oh what the hell.
Katsuki grabbed her by both shoulders and shook her violently. "Come on, extra! I don't have all day! Wake the fuck up cuz I know you're not dead."
When that didn't work, he grabbed her ankles and dragged her back a bit so that she was lying flat before shaking her legs up and down to get the blood to flow toward her head. He'd learned about that from one of those martial arts videos he watched when someone got choked out and the instructor used it as an opportunity to teach what to do in that situation. Katsuki wasn't sure if this was the same but maybe it would shock her system or something. Just when he was about to give up, thinking maybe it was too late, the girl's eyes shot open and she was yanking her legs away from him.
"The fffuck...?" She asked blinking and holding a hand to block the sun from her eyes.
"’Could ask you the same. You're welcome by the way! I saved your ass last night." Katsuki shot back.
The girl's brows furrowed and she blinked a few times looking around. "Where are we?"
"Yorokobu Park. I brought you here after that extra knocked you out."
"Extra?" She tilted her head and seemed to instantly regret it as she cursed and held the side of her forehead.
"The mugger, extra. Now, are you good? Or do I need to waste more of my time making sure you don't die?" He was already getting frustrated with her confusion and obvious concussion.
"I- Who-" She paused and seemed to remember something as she slid her hand down her face and paused near her cheekbone. Her eyes widened slightly before she schooled her expression and looked up at him and smiled. "Thank you. For jumping in last night. Saved me a lot of trouble."
"Huh? Fuck are you talking about?" He started, before remembering he actually didn't care and just wanted this to be over with. "Ya know what, whatever. You're fucking welcome for saving your ass. I'm gonna go now, cuz I have shit to do."
With that he turned and started back toward the park. Ten steps in however, he stopped. "’The hell're you doing, extra?"
"Following you?" The girl asked incredulously.
"Why wou-" Oh right, she was following him because she didn't know her own way out. "-Whatever."
They walked mostly in silence the rest of the way and Katsuki couldn't help but glance over every once in a while. The main thing he noticed was that the girl was wavering every few steps. It was irritating, because she kept almost crashing into him. So, the next time she stumbled close he grabbed her arm, bracing it with his own. He felt her tense almost instantly.
"Relax, I'm just making sure you don't knock us both down." He explained before she did anything stupid. He felt her arm relax and lean into him for support.
It didn't take too much longer before they reached the end of the trail and passed through the park to the main streets.
"Which way is the train station?"
"Hah?"
"I said, which way is the-" She wobbled, pausing briefly before finishing "-the strain tation?"
"Strain tation? Seriously?" Was she high? Wait no, probably concussed. Andddd now she was glaring at him.
"You know what meant I."
He smirked, "Actually, I don't know what meant you."
The girl gave an exasperated sigh and rolled her eyes, which just caused her whole body to tilt as she threw off her balance. Katsuki quickly slid his hand from her arm to her back, balancing her before pulling back to her arm again.
"Look, I just need to get to the train station and I can get out of your hair, okay? Just point me in the right direction and you can get on with that 'shit' you have to do." She made air quotes with her free arm as she spoke.
"Don't tell me what to fucking do, extra! And ya know what! You're in no state to go anywhere by yourself lest you end up getting mugged again." He growled out. He was getting frustrated and honestly didn't even know what he was saying. "Ugh, I'm going home."
"Fine, whatever!" The girl shouted and... Katsuki actually tell if she was talking to him or the air.
He blinked as she suddenly sat down cross legged and pouted. Fucking pouted. Yeah, he didn't have the patience for this. He grabbed her by the arm, yanked her up, and started dragging her behind him.
"Where're we goin'?" she inquired like a damn toddler in wonderland. Whatever was wrong with her it seemed to be getting worse.
About halfway home, the girl suddenly burst out into hysterical laughter that didn't stop until he was about a block away from his house and she doubled over, clinching her stomach. "I don't feel very good."
"Yeah, no shit." Katsuki pulled her the rest of the way to his house, pulled out his key, unlocked and yanked the door open. "I'M HOME, HAG!"
"WHAT'D YOU SAY, BRAT!?!?" "Glad you're back, Katsuki."
"Yeah yeah, I'll be in my room." Katsuki hurriedly dragged the girl upstairs, holding one hand over her mouth, and slammed the door shut.
Once he was certain his parents weren't coming upstairs, Katsuki let go of the girl and turned her to face him. She was fucking delirious and her eyes couldn't focus on anything for more than a few seconds. He quickly pulled out his phone and turned on the flashlight, pointed it in her face and watched her pupils contract. Well, that's good. I think.
He held up his hand. "How many fingers am I holding up?"
"Three, you retard! Why would you even need to ask me that? Can't you count?" The extra snapped out.
"OF COURSE I CAN!! SHUT UP!!" Just who did she think she was?
"ARE YELLING AT ME, BRAT!?" Mitsuku called from downstairs.
"NO, HAG!" He shouted right back, before turning back to the girl who was now exploring his room like a kid in a candy store. "Hey, extra! You need to get your shit together, alright?"
"Hm?" She giggled lightly before sprinting to his bed, leaping onto it, and promptly passing out.
"What the hell..." Katsuki ran a hand through his hair and glanced at the door to his room. His parents were right downstairs. He could just tell them and stop having to deal with this extra, but-
Saved me a lot of trouble.
What had she meant by that? It wasn't exactly what you would expect someone to say in response to being violently attacked. And the way she said it, like she hadn't really been in danger. Or maybe he was just overthinking it. Gah! Whatever.
"KATSUKI! YOUR DAD AND I ARE HEADING OUT SO DON'T BLOW ANYTHING UP WHILE WE ARE GONE, GOT IT?"
He rolled his eyes at his mother's insinuation, "SURE HAG! WHATEVER!"
He waited until he heard the front door shut and then slid down his door until he was sitting just staring at the extra who decided she could crash in his room. He scoffed and stood up, heading over to his desk and pulling out his homework. Might as well get something done.
He had always worked better when he was pissed off anyway. Had something to do with adrenaline. However, that just made it so that he finished quickly and had to find something else to do after. So he cleaned. It had always been something he fell back on because it was constructive rather than destructive and his mom wasn't a fan of him using his quirk in the house. It had always been oddly comforting too. He practically cleaned the entire house before noon, which just left him with absolutely even less to do.
So after checking on the girl for what felt like the hundredth time, he went down to the kitchen and started cooking, yet another task that kept his focus off of his frustration. This was not what he signed up for! He had just wanted to let off some steam and now he was stuck with some extra he didn't even know the name of! Katsuki took a deep breath and made sure to calm his quirk down before finishing up the curry he was making. He made a bowl for himself before putting the rest in the fridge for later and cleaning the dishes he had used. Maybe I'll just go for a run. The extra isn't going to die while I'm gone and it sure doesn't seem like she has any intention of waking up any time soon.
With that thought in mind, Katsuki finished eating, washed his dish, and sprinted upstairs to change into a tank top and boxer shorts. He took one last glance at the girl before shutting his door and locking it. Can't have the hag walking in and freaking out.
He was out for nearly two hours, having to reroute when some villain got in the way. Some part of him expected the girl to be gone when he got back. But no! She was still right where he left her, even after he took a shower and texted the hag to see when they planned on getting back. Apparently, his parents had decided to spend the night at a hotel for a date or something. It was actually a positive considering Katsuki didn't know when the extra was going to stop burdening him with her presence.
It was when he finally put his phone down that he heard the girl shift and when he looked up she was staring at him.
Tilting her head she asked, "Where are we?"
"My house, Extra. Since you decided to go all crazy on me," he explained.
"Oh. That would be my quirk. It goes haywire during the day," She replied with a shrug. "Guess I should head out now. Thank you for letting me crash here."
He raised an eyebrow and grumbled, "Not like you gave me much of a choice."
The girl laughed, "Well, you could have thrown me out, so my point stands. Seriously though, I owe you one."
She glanced around the room before spotting something and launching out of bed. Katsuki watched as she grabbed a sticky note and pen from his desk and carefully wrote something down, checking it deliberately before putting the pen back and turning to him.
"If you ever need something, you can call or text this number. If someone other than me picks up the phone, tell them you are calling in a favor from Fukuran." She stated almost professionally before tagging on "Or if you just want to chat! You seem chill."
"Hah? The hell're you spouting about? ‘You sure you're not still concussed?" Katsuki was utterly lost.
The girl sighed, blinked a few times, and then proceeded to head toward the door. "I'll just leave that there. I'm sure you'll figure it out if you ever need it."
Katsuki just watched her for a minute as she opened the door and started making her way out. Then he shook his head and started following her to make sure she found the front door. She found it just fine and just as she grabbed the handle, Katsuki remembered something.
"Hey, wait! You haven't eaten in at least twenty four hours and I'm still not convinced you're right in the head."
She stopped and turned around to face him with a smile, "Oh, I most certainly am not"
And with that, she pulled the door open and stepped outside and disappeared down the street.