Chapter Text
"TEXAS SMASH!"
All Might's fist swings through the sky in a wide arc, the wooden defense created by the villain shattering on impact.
'Dokufu - an infamous villain with a nature-based mutation quirk, she's evaded capture for over two months. Her high IQ paired with her intrinsic knowledge of her quirk allows her to find the quickest escape route at every fight she's had. A body made of wood, hair threaded with leaves, and flowery vines covering her torso, she's impossible to ignore.
Her quirk allows her to manipulate her wooden limbs, their size ranging from that of a sapling to the strength and width of a sequoia tree, From her gnarled fingers, she can shoot poisonous gas at her target, and the glowing crevices of her eyes show her their life force. Adept at ranged as well as close combat, she's an unstoppable force who leaves death and destruction in her wake. Pros that went after her were lucky to make it out alive - Kamui Woods had been placed in the Intensive Care Unit of Musutafu Private Hospital just two weeks ago, Dokufu having a far more skilled hold of her quirk than the rookie hero.
Calling All Might was a no-brainer, he even cut his visit to the USA short the same day Dokufu succeeded in killing two Pro Heroes within minutes of each other. And that was just yesterday!
All Might will certainly win the fight, there's no question about it. His strength is unparalleled, and the years he's spent on the field allows him to dodge and counter-attack the nature villain with ease. In fact, a single Carolina Smash should be able to knock out the villain-'
"Quit your yapping, shitty Deku!" Bakugou yells, landing a chop to the back of Izuku's curly green head. His mouth is pulled into a scowl that could make the devil shit their pants - god knows it makes him want to -, and Izuku can practically hear the blonde's teeth grinding. "Why the hell did I have to get stuck with you, huh?! Aren't you grounded for sneaking out to watch these fights?!"
Izuku winces as he rubs his reddened nape, his scratchy old uniform cold in the face of the Autumn winds. He had, in fact, been grounded by his mother for doing exactly what he was doing right now - sneaking out to watch Pros fight. A quirkless person had no reason to be so close to the frontlines of battles that were dangerous at best, and downright deadly at worst - forget a quirkless child!
His mother had been besides herself with worry when she'd seen him in the background of a news cast two weeks ago, gaping at an unconscious Kamui Woods being carried away on a stretcher, a small cut on Izuku's cheek from flying debris. She cried so hard when he had finally gone home that their downstairs neighbors complained about leaks. His mother then proceeded to forbid him from being so close to such violent fights, and asked him to return home by 6:00 pm latest.
In his defense, Izuku has adhered to her rules for two whole weeks!
"I know that, Kacchan!" He says sheepishly as he rubs nervous circles on his palm, his shoulders pulled up to his ears, "But- but this is All Might we're talking about! How could I not come out to see him?"
All that earns him is a mocking laugh from Bakugou before the perpetually angry teen turns back to watch the fight, shoving his hands into the pockets of his uniform. "Whatever, dumbass. Just you fucking wait! One day your mother's gonna ask me where you are, and I'm gonna have to tell her that your quirkless ass got crushed by some no-name villain!"
"Aww, Kacchan, you're saying that you'll be with me when I-!"
"DIE, NERD!"
Izuku narrowly manages to avoid Bakugou's explosion, jumping to the side after years of acutely honed reflexes. Trying not to laugh, he turns back to the fight too. In the few seconds they'd been talking, All Might has managed to pin Dokufu to the ground, rubble surrounding them as he pulls his bulky arms back and lands a Carolina smash straight to her face. Izuku pumps his fist in delight, and if he was a little bit braver, he might have muttered an 'I told you so' to the explosive boy next to him. Unfortunately said boy is, well, explosive.
Cheers erupt from the crowd as All Might stands with a wide smile, nothing more than a purpling bruise on his jaw. Years of meticulous observation (stalking, as Bakugou calls it) tells Izuku that the Symbol of Peace seems worse for the wear, but he can't seem to figure out why and it irks him to no end. Maybe the villain landed a strong hit while Izuku looked away?
But there isn't any time to loose focus on strange thoughts as All Might strikes his signature pose, his fist rising in the air as the crowd chants his name. Bakugou glances at the greenette from the side of his eye and scoffs when Izuku reaches into his bright yellow school bag, pulling out the camera his mother bought for his thirteenth birthday three months ago. Usually, the angry blonde would have found some way to ruin it within a week, but damn it, the camera is full of pictures of their favorite hero, and with a gun to his head Bakugou might even be convinced to admit that he thinks the pictures are good
Probably.
The villain is carted away as All Might unsuccessfully tries to avoid paparazzi. By now, it's far past Izuku's curfew, and dread curls in his gut as he thinks about his poor mother, worrying and waiting for him to come home - wondering if he's even going to make it home in the first place. Izuku risks a glance at his cracked old phone, that case worn and hanging.
52 messages from "Mom Might"
10 voice notes from "Mom Might"
25 missed calls from "Mom Might"
The last call was placed five minutes ago.
"I'm so screwed," Izuku mutters. He pockets his phone and slings his bag over his shoulder, wincing as it landed hard against a particularly bad bruise, and wonders if he should find a plot of land to bury himself for after he faces his mother. Not that she'll kill him, no - he's just going to feel so incredibly guilty for worrying the poor woman that he's sure he'll want to crawl into a hole and either away.
7:30 pm... Eh, what' another half hour, right? Surely his beloved mother cannot grow more worried than she already is? Besides, he still has an errand to run before he can head back.
Izuku follows Bakugou as they walk away from the scene of the fight, the blonde pushing through the crowds with a grimace. It's one of his calmer expressions, Izuku thinks. At least one that didn't make him want to duck for cover. Bakugou looks contemplative, in fact, and Izuku wagered that he had seen the same flash of discomfort on All Might's face as him.
"Kacchan, wait up!" Izuku tries to keep his voice level and bright as he calls out, jogging to keep up with Bakugou. The aggressive teen is the perfect shield against such large crowds.
Though on second thought, it might be better to use the crowd as a shield against Bakugou.
"Stop following me, damn Deku!" Ah, speak of the Devil and all. Bakugou snarls as he walks faster to keep in front of Izuku, his hands shoved deep into his pockets as he hunched forward.
'Terrible posture, Kacchan.' Izuku wishes he could say, a sigh escaping his lips as he looks up at the sky accusingly. 'See what I have to deal with?'
At the same time, Bakugou's red eyes glare at the pavement like it insulted him. "What, you fucking stalking me like always? Damn Creep!"
Izuku frowns. 'Turn back,' his brain tells him, 'turn back before you step on a mine, 'Zuku, you can't take another bruise right now'. One wrong move, and he might end up like Dokufu... though Bakugou has never gone that far. Yet. Izuku shakes his head, his curls bounce and fall into his eyes. He doesn't brush them away.
No way, he's already out past curfew, he'll be damned if he does not finish the one task his mother actually asked him to get done.
"It's - It's not that, Kacchan, I swear!" Izuku insists, tugging on the ends of his too-short sleeves. He curls in on himself, pulling his arms to his chest as he stutters his way through his words. "I just - I just need to give your mom a - a - a package and, um, I mean - Mom and I made some cookies and she asked me to- asked me to-"
Bakugou's left hand had brushes past his face before Izuku can react. It explodes the air beside his hair, singeing the ends a burnt brown.
Shrill bells ring in Izuku's ears.
...
..........
.......................
'Fuck.'
The blonde's face fills Izuku's view as Bakugou leans down in front of him, a familiar scowl back in place. "Why don't you ever shut up when it's good for you?" He sneers as Izuku's hearing returns and wipes his hand on the greenette's shoulder before turning back to the road. "Goddamn Deku. Whatever. Just get your work done quickly, got it? I don't want to see your ugly mug any more than I have to!"
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"Katsuki, you better walk Izuku back home, got it?!"
"What? Why the hell do I have to do that, Old Hag?!"
"Who're you calling 'Old Hag', huh?! Just do as I say! 'Zuku was kind enough to bring us home-made cookies, the least you could do is make sure he gets back safely! Besides, you know how dangerous it is for Quirkless people to walk alone at night! What are you gonna do if he gets hurt, huh?!"
Izuku hides a grimace between hunched shoulders. He's not a child, damn it, he can walk home by himself - it only took 15 minutes if he jogged! Had Izuku developed a Quirk instead of an extra toe joint - even an unimpressive one - this conversation would never be happening. Seriously, does a guy with long fingers somehow have less of a chance at getting kidnapped than someone without a Quirk? At least Izuku's been analyzing All Might's fights for years, enough to throw a decent punch if he needs to - 'Shitty Fingers' can barely hold his pencil right!
Aunty Mitsuki is too overprotective for her own good. She only has Izuku's best interests at heart, but all he can think about is how tired he is of the constant coddling his Quirkless status has brought on. Either he's sheltered and fussed over, treated like a porcelain doll; or he's kicked and mocked, treated like a defective cog in this messed up machine of life. There's never a middle ground for him to just be.
Even so, Izuku had been raised to be a polite boy. He smiles politely as Aunty Mitsuki pinches his cheek and kicks him and Bakugou out of her house.
He's tempted, just for a moment, to barge right back in and tell Aunty that the biggest threat he's facing is her son. Unfortunately Izuku does want to live long enough to get into U.A., so snitching is out of the question of he wants to live long enough to do that.
To Izuku's happiness, their walk to his house is quiet. Both boys are doing their level best to avoid each other, which amounts to them walking on opposite sides of the road.
Years ago, many, many years ago, the two had run down the same road laughing their little hearts out. Neither of their quirks had come in back then, they had been just four years old, not Bakugou and Deku cultivating a tense silence, but Kacchan and 'Zuku, playing heroes and chasing each other down the street as their parents laughed after them.
Izuku's shoulder throbbed.
They both know that the blonde is only walking him back because Aunty Mitsuki always demands a report from the greenette's mom about whether her son actually dropped Izuku off or not.
By now the sun has set completely, a glaring white 8:30 pm staring at Izuku accusingly as he checks his phone with trembling fingers. His mother has not called since 7:25 pm, which can only mean that he's really going to be in trouble when he gets home. Once the water works end, that is. Maybe his wonderful mother will go easy on him if he tells her that Bakugou's been with him nearly the entire time? She trusts the explosive teen. After all, Bakugou has such a strong Quirk.
Izuku finds himself sighing bitterly a lot more often these days.
His nose twitches, the ever-familiar smell of smoke permeating his nostrils. He doesn't even bother to look up as he tugs off his bright yellow bag and hides his face behind it.
"Kacchan, I didn't even do anything this time! Why are you activating your Quirk again?" Izuku groans, already tensing his legs so he can jump away at a moment's notice. Bakugou's response makes him frown.
"The hell are you talking about, Deku?" The blonde grumbles. "I'm not doing shit. Someone's probably grilling some fish or something-" Bakugou slowed down. The boys came to a halt. "Hey, shitty Deku," If Izuku was anyone else, he wouldn't have noticed the slight tremble in his childhood friend's voice. "Is it just me, or is no one home?"
A street light flickers. Then another. And another. They are the only source of light illuminating the streets.
Not a single house has a light on.
Not a single bird is in the sky.
The smell of smoke grows stronger.
"Uh, Kacchan - Kacchan, we should - we should call the police, right? Right?" Izuku gnaws on the zip of his backpack, his fingers clawing into the fabric as he steps closer to Bakugou. The blonde tenses, immediately pushing forward with a cuss.
"The hell we are. Don't make this a big deal, alright nerd? Whatever it is, I'll deal with it. You just sit back and watch!"
It takes a good moment, but Izuku follows after him. Like always.
Bakugou's voice does not inspire much confidence, not even when he activates his powerful quirk, sparks popping around calloused his palms.
'There really shouldn't be a problem,' Izuku reasons. I mean, it's nearly 9:00 pm on a Thursday night, a completely normal, fun day of getting beat up before sneaking away to watch Pros fight. Nothing's suspicious about the silence surrounding us! Maybe all my neighbors had gone out for dinner? All of them. At the same time.' Izuku slaps his cheeks lightly and takes in a deep breath. 'Let's think about this reasonably. If something was wrong, surely a Pro would have been dispatched by now!'
'Right?'
Izuku pushes past Bakugou.
The yelling and cursing is easy to ignore as the blonde chases after him. Bakugou's hand brushes against the back of his uniform, but Izuku is faster. He's always been faster.
He's not fast enough.
The pit in Izuku's stomach grows with every step. He can hear the fire. Flames crackle, smoke grows thicker. His apartment. It's coming from the direction of his apartment, from the flat he shares with his mom, oh god oh god oh god oh god-
His mom. His mom is still at home, why didn't she call him? No, she had called him. He just didn't pick up.
'But- but she would have mentioned in a message, or her voice notes, or - or - or anything-'
Izuku calls his mother.
Nothing.
He tries again.
Nothing.
Again again again nothing nothing nothing.
Izuku Midoriya runs into the flaming remains of his home.
Bakugou Katsuki calls the police.