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“Kacchan, Kacchan, Kacchan~”
The sing-song voice sent shivers running down his spine. The girl in front of him was dangerous – Katsuki could tell in an instant from the wild, manic look in her eyes and the evil grin. He hated that his stupid teenaged mind kept focusing on the fact that he found her attractive – she was a psycho! He needed to get his mind out of the gutter.
Himiko sauntered forward like a predator approaching its prey. She lazily twirled a knife in her finger, her golden eyes ablaze with amusement. Katsuki was helpless as he sat there bound to the chair, trying his best to act defiant to hide how nervous she made him feel.
“Don’t call me that” he growled.
Himiko giggled as she pulled up a chair as sat right next to him, “Why not? It’s such a cute name! I love cute things Kacchan. Izuku-kun calls you that all the time, doesn’t he? It’s is sooo adorable!” she gushed.
He stiffened, “I don’t need to hear about the damned nerd” he grunted.
“Oh touchy, are we?” she teased as her grin widened, “He’s such a sweetheart, isn’t he? The way he says your name, like you’re so important to him. Kacchan this and Kacchan that. You must be really special to him”
Katsuki was beginning to feel very uncomfortable. This girl was making him want to bolt out the door, “I said shut up!”
Himiko snickered, “It’s funny though…” she tilted her head, “You don’t reciprocate that. You treat him like dirt. It’s sad…I’d kill to have someone treat me so special. I mean, all the times you’ve spent trying to crush him underfoot but even then, he still chases you. He is something else, isn’t he?” she said dreamily.
“I don’t have to tell you shit!” he spat out angrily. It was a testament to how off-putting her behaviour was because Katsuki was beginning to fear for Deku’s safety.
“Oh, but you do” she leaned forward looking far too interested, “After all…we’re not so different”
“Fuck you! We’re nothing alike! You’re a psycho bitch!” he snapped angrily.
“Oh, but we are Kacchan! We’re so much alike!” Himiko practically sang, as if the very idea filled her with joy, “You’re obsessed with Izuku-kun just like me. He’s just so sweet and kind and heroic. I love the way he smiles and tries to so hard to save everyone. I love how good he looks when he’s all bleeding and broken…I’d do anything to have him look at me like I’m worth something. To have him look at me like he looks at Ochako-chan...you know they love each other, right? Of course you do! They're so obvious! I bet Izuku will be all rough and possessive with her!” she giggled as if she hadn't said something so crass.
“You’re sick” he sneered.
“Am I? You’re not better than me Kacchan. You’re obsessed with him too. Always wanting to prove you’re better, always chasing after him. You act like you hate him, but you can’t get him out of your head, can you?”
“I don’t—” Bakugou started, but his words faltered as memories surfaced. Memories of Katsuki hounding Izuku any chance he got and wanting to see that insufferable determination of his die out. Memories of the cruel things he’d said, the satisfaction he’d felt each time Izuku flinched or cried.
Suddenly in front of this serial killer, those memories seemed to bring a whole other feeling of discomfort out. Suddenly he didn’t feel like much of a hero in those.
Himiko leaned closer, whispering in a pitying voice, “You hate him because he’s everything you are not…kind, selfless, strong in ways that you could never be. You push him down because you’re scared – scared that no matter what you do or how hard you try, he will always be better”
“Shut up” Katsuki muttered, his voice quieter and his head swimming. This couldn’t be true!
“You wish you could shut me up Kacchan, but it’s just the truth” she told him with a malicious grin, enjoying the pain she was causing him, “You’re just like me and the rest of us freaks. The only difference is that society lets you have a hero sticker because you’ve got a flashy quirk and a big attitude. You had everything handed to you on a silver player. Me? I didn’t get that chance. The second they saw who I was on the inside, they called me a monster and cast me aside. But you? You can act like a villain yet they’ll cheer for you…doesn’t seem fair, does it?”
Her words pierced into Katsuki’s soul as he began to question his whole existence. But a last fire of defiance remained, “You don’t know me, so don’t fucking act like you do!”
Himiko chuckled, it was dark and full of amusement, “It seems like you don’t even know yourself. Guess lying to yourself is ok in this useless society” she stood up, “You’re as bad as me. I like hurting people too, you know? You just hide it better…but it won’t matter anymore Kacchan. We’re going to tear down this hero society, so that we can all be free. There will be no more heroes or monsters – we can all do what we like. Isn’t that great?!” she said giddily, looking crazier than ever.
She gave him a sharp look, “And once we do Kacchan, you’ll realize what it’s like to be on the outside…” she whispered darkly. He could feel the sheer bloodlust emanating off her – she would not hesitate to kill a person on a whim. She leaned forward and pressed her lips forcefully against his, slipping her tongue between his teeth and wrestling against his. She pulled back with an exaggerated sound as Katsuki spat out in disgust, “Ahhh! That was nice! Bye Kacchan~” she giggled. Just to rub the salt in more, she gagged him with a thick piece of cloth which hurt the corners of his mouth. He screamed in anger into the gag but to no avail as she slipped out of the room.
…but that wasn’t on his mind.
And now he was questioning if he was really any different?
Izuku’s shocked, angry face as he said those cruel words, ‘Why don’t you take a swandive off the roof?’
For the first time in his life Katsuki was questioning his desire to be a hero…were they really not that different?
That question would haunt him for years to come.