Chapter Text
It all started with the drop of a crumpled, burnt up notebook with the words “Hero Analysis for the Future No. 13” written at the top, and a sudden rush of adrenaline, an undeniable need to move and free and tear at what was ahead of him, no matter the cost. It was all he could think about when the rapidly decreasing air in his lugs practically thrusted him into action and his blood overflowed with the driving need to help. I guess, even after all these years, he just didn’t know what type of face to put on in the midst of evil.
It hadn’t even been that long ago when he’d been the one being bullied, the one being choked by the world’s own cruelty, the one having his dreams crushed before his eyes as the veil of hope was pulled from their sights. The one who needed a hero.
But even All Might said it, didn’t he? I can’t be a hero…Not without a quirk, anyway. I mean, who was he kidding? Of course he couldn’t, not when he would be pitting against villains with amazing powers. It just didn’t make any sense, and yet…?
His heart pounded in his ears as people gasped and shrieked at his sudden rush towards danger, their concerned and shocked voices carrying him through the rubble in a blur as he dodged around the fire and obstacles around him with a blind fervor. At the force his feet pushed back against the asphalt, he felt his eyes dry despite the tears beginning to overflow them as fear settled in anew and with more urgency than the previous seconds had him witnessing. The time ticking before his reckless move had all morphed into a distorted slow motion. He hadn’t even realized it, but he had been calculating every step he’d be taking, every breath he’d be wasting as he dashed towards a shopping cart left astray and hopped onto it, giving it a momentum that whipped the air around it with a ferocity only matched by the monster’s cries. Bursting through the wreckage on screeching wheels, he slipped off his backpack hastily as he recalled the left-behind journal and prepared to aim it at the right interval of time.
Page twenty-five, right!!
“Kachaan!!”
Crimson eyes snapped open and watched blearily as the sludge villain abused his quirk mindlessly towards a boy despite his demands. But that didn’t seem to deter the kid for a second. The small, thin figure raced towards them with a fire in his eyes he’d yet to see on anyone. No…He’d definitely seen those eyes before. They were the same eyes he’d worn the day he’d defied him and dared fought against him despite the obvious fear boiling inside him. Those eyes…that unbelievably stupid voice…that shout of his ridiculous nickname…they could only belong to one idiot.
De…Deku?
Izuku road on ahead whole-heartedly, never backing down as he caught an opening to the monster turning to face him head-on. Slamming the backpack right into one of its eyes, he saw where the villain’s grip loosened and ducked the frantic explosion headed his way, narrowly missing it and only charring his uniform’s left sleeve before he impaled the cart into the villain, centimeters away from jarring it into Katsuki as well before he whipped his arm out and dragged him along into the impact.
Ignoring the mop of green hair’s ragged breaths, the ashen blonde gasped harshly as his upper half was released and coughed out a throaty, “What the fuck are you doing!?” eyes squinting in a mixture of anger, pain, and disbelief as the cart began to lose its momentum gradually where the green substance started to fill the area in-between the wheels. Slowly, the force of it was pulling him out of the slime and he flinched as a sharp pang jolted at his hips where his left leg was currently caught.
Clutching onto his arm tighter, Izuku fought against the pull of the liquid on Katsuki desperately, like he’d be the one to die if he didn’t. At this, the blonde bit his lip painfully as the hold on him started to tighten again, and he held in a groan from the agony as his arm and leg were stretched. “Kachaan,” Izuku rasped, unrelenting, only then realizing just how badly he was crying as he felt the hot tears frame his flaming cheeks. “I couldn’t just stand there and watch you die!”
Clenching his jaw viciously, Katsuki turned away and bellowed out a “Get the hell off me!!” before managing to use his quirk to thrash his way free fully and next to Izuku on the cart. Katsuki exchanged a quick, hard look with the other and Izuku flashed him an encouraging, albeit nervous smile through his sniffling. As the cart fought against the friction caused by the resistance in the liquid of the villain’s quirk, Izuku looked around madly for something, anything that would keep them going.
“Not enough heat!” Izuku yelled at himself then, hopping off the cart and running forward against the push of the green goop beginning to pool at his feet, mumbling out a spiel of frantic jibberish as far as Katsuki could tell. They hadn’t managed to make it as far as he’d hoped, and were about only a quarter of the way through the villain’s body. Not to mention that the friction of the cart’s wheels was rapidly increasing, and his legs wouldn’t be able to keep up forever. And, if they turned back know, they would surely be caught up in the monster’s wrath, so the only option they had was to continue to force their breakthrough.
Turning to Katsuki swiftly and without precedent, he shoved him as hard as he could forward without letting go of his arm. Katsuki plunged forward as Izuku shrieked, “Forgive me, Kachaan!!”
The blonde gave a startled grunt at the sudden move before cursing loudly and emitting an urgent explosion once his face got impossibly close to the shopping cart’s front side, managing to light the rubber wheels and metal on fire before bouncing back from the force.
“What the hell, Deku!?! I’ll fuckin’ kill y—” His feet had barely managed to tap the cart when the friction began to let up again. Izuku hopped back on in that same millisecond with a last, mighty push, and the duo was sent blasting off, ripping through the liquid as easily as jumping through thin paper. They both yelled hysterically with one hand crushing the handle bar beneath their clenched fingers as the other clasped onto each other’s arms with vice-like grips. It didn’t seem like the shopping cart had any plans on stopping its vicious trudge onwards any time soon, and it bounded towards the crowd of civilians on the other side of the boulevard with a menacing speed.
“How the hell do we stop the cart!?” Katsuki bellowed and Izuku found himself mentally slapping himself in the head as his common sense started to kick back in.
“I didn’t think that far ahead!!” He managed to leave out the, When you’re desperate and in the face of death, you tend not to, part and instead forced it down with a loud gulp. “And if you try to use a blast, you could hurt them! After an attack like that, your arms will be disorientated! There’s no way you’ll have full control over the radius of your explosions right now!!” Izuku screamed, realizing it along the way as Katsuki actually took the time to look incredibly indignant.
“Ex-fucking-scuse me!? Wanna bet on that shit!?!?” The angry teen growled threateningly as he flung his arm out in front of them in a readying stance, his hair whipping around wildly as sparks began to fly. Izuku could see from the corner of his eyes that the Pro Heroes were already rushing to their rescue but at the speed they were going, he doubted they’d make it. He bit his lip as he pushed his fear aside.
At the last moment, with an utter finality in his actions, Izuku swung out and directed Katsuki’s hand downwards. A blast large enough to engulf them had them flying up into the air and singed within nanoseconds of impact. There was a plethora of frightened yells and cries as the two teenagers soared through the sky before quickly rushing back down, having been burnt through enough that they displayed an array of angry red marks from head to toe. Izuku tried hard to not to give him an, I told you so, look, but it was almost impossible to ignore the scorch marks that were currently throbbing all around him like added heart beats at every joint.
“Shut up! I meant to make it that big!” Katsuki barked, ignoring the disbelieving—and stupidly concerned—look Izuku shot his way as he stared at Katsuki’s hand drip blood down into the fabric of Izuku’s Gakuran.
“I said shut up!!!”
“But I didn’t say anyth—”
“You were saying it with your stupid face!!”
Izuku didn’t object to that. Guilty as charged.
“Oh, and great fucking job, by the way! Now we’re gonna die on impact instead, you dumbfuck! I bet you didn’t think that one through either!!” The blonde growled, pulling him forward by the arm he still had in his grip to grapple him with his other as well. Shaking him like a mad man in the air, Izuku simply complied and smiled crookedly at him, tears still flowing from his eyes but nonetheless conveying a feeling of security in them, which was pretty damn impressive considering how his cheeks were being pinched painfully now out of pure spite. Don’t give me that look, asshat. I don’t need your wimpy, quirkless ass to save me!
“It’s gonna be okay, Kachaan, I promise.” He replied shakily, his voice almost imperceptible amongst the commotion from below, but for Katsuki, his uttered words had been as loud as a gunshot.
As gravity continued to excel the speed of their descent, Izuku searched for and fisted his hands into the front of Katsuki’s Gakuran firmly in fear of being separated. Despite the confidence in his words though, he closed his eyes tightly in a moment of doubt as a large, calloused hand flung forward and stopped them both just in time from their impending doom.
As something hastily linked hands with him then, the last thing either one of them saw was a swirl of yellow and white before they were knocked unconscious by the force of a hurricane whirling around them, the feeling of fingers tightening their hold on him making Izuku feel safe despite it all.
The two had been left lying on stretchers, limbs having found their way from their arms and wrists down to their hands in the midst of the chaos. When they had come to shortly after, they’d used each other’s weight to sit up slowly. Regaining sentience and seeing them hand-locked, Katsuki instantly made a noise of disgust before roughly shoving Izuku’s hand the opposite way, eliciting a yelp from the green-haired boy as he struggled to keep balance. He seemed a bit slower in realizing what was going on or where his anger had come from when finally, he had the decency to look sheepish as he pulled the pieces together at long last, shooting him an apologetic look that the blonde had returned with a growl and an evasive gaze.
All Might had managed to knock out the bad guy in one hit, and the Pro Heroes who had gathered came forward to help with the aftermath. But Katsuki remained quiet throughout the rest of the event, even as they praised him into the heavens for his valiant efforts, his pensiveness being confused as shock by the paramedics. In contrast, as he got lectured by the very heroes who’d fawned over the blonde, Izuku found himself too bothered by his sudden change in character to really take to heart the urgent words of the heroes whose jobs he’d put on the line.
And it had haunted him all the way on his trek back home.
Was he mad? Probably. After all, Katsuki was never the type to admit needing help from anyone, and yet he knew his face had conveyed just that. In that moment of weakness, trapped between the sludge-monsters suffocating grip, he’d never seen anyone so distraught in his life. He blamed his weak will on it all. Surely, Katsuki could’ve lasted the extra minute it took for All Might to come onto the scene, couldn’t he have? So him stepping in and “saving” him was really all for naught. He’d been stupid to try. Not to mention this whole mess had been his fault to begin with.
Speaking of which, I should apologize to All Might sometime later…maybe I could leave a message on his website?
Izuku sighed. I should probably apologize to Katsuki as well, if he doesn't self destruct when I see him again. After all, I did cause more of a scene when I acted impulsively like that.
Feeling a wave of depression hit him, he slouched over and bowed his head. I guess Katsuki was right. He shut his eyes tightly before grinding his teeth in shame. I am just a Deku who can't do anything right!
He was abruptly brought out of his pessimistic thoughts though as angry footsteps pounded inauspiciously close. There was a huff of heated breath at the back of his wilted neck, practically demanding his attention and making the hairs on his nape jump as well as Izuku. But before he could register if this was another villain attack or just a certain livid pineapple, he turned around slowly, only to be met with the same blood red eyes that had lulled him into action that very same day, 46 minutes ago approximately. Not that he’d been counting or anything…
“K-Kachaan..!” Izuku stuttered, lips forming a bubbly little smile that threatened to betray the fear inside him as he got no response from the other other than a glare promising a world of hurt (probably). He wondered briefly if he had said the pineapple part out loud. After all, that would explain the look but… He shook it off. If he had, he’d be eating asphalt right about now.
When the silence stretched unbearably long with nothing more than a staring contest to quench each other’s thirst, the freckled teen scrambled for something to say. When he finally did blurt out something, he immediately regretted the slowly dying words in his throat. “How are you…doing?” Izuku wanted to bang his head against a wall. He had instinctively asked that because he was genuinely worried for his welfare, but he knew better than to ask Bakugou Katsuki such a question. And yet he had. He would no doubt take it the wrong way and—
“The fuck do you mean? Perfect as always, shitty Deku.” The blonde growled, seemingly snubbed by the inquiry. Izuku sighed. Despite how obvious it was that he wasnt at all "perfect"―judging by his burnt up complexion and all―he knew Katsuki would take his words to a whole 'nother level and react badly. He was about to bite his tongue from trying to explain just that, but was stopped mid-bite by the sudden soft gravel of words that were ushered and seemingly carried away into the wind.
“...Because of you.”
Izuku stayed planted in his spot as he tried to process what that meant. Katsuki was avoiding his gaze, both hands and teeth clenched while he had said it almost indignantly, as if those words had burned him to say them. And honestly, knowing him, they might have....but....
Was this some sort of half-assed thank you? Was Katsuki actually accepting his help? And then thanking him for it?? Was this actually meant to be a tHANK Y—
“Ouii, shitty nerd!” Katsuki reached forward to smack Izuku on the back of his head and out of his increasingly louder mumbling reverie before he lost him for good. The pale boy staggered back into reality again, giving him a pout. “Don’t go giving me that stupid constipated look. I don’t need your shit right now. Fuck, can’t you even have a conversation like a normal person?”
As Izuku blinked out of his pout, he gave the blonde a sudden look of incredulity. Before he could stop himself, he blurted out, “That’s kinda funny coming from you, considering how I can’t even get in a full minute without being abused by—uh oh.”
Katsuki’s palms were sparking again and Izuku choked out a high pitched scream before running towards his house, which luckily wasn’t very far. Except, the joke’s on him, because Katsuki was always more athletic than his noodle body could ever hope to be. So having caught up to him within seconds, after having given the useless nerd a head start, the blonde pinned the freckled boy to the side of a house, aiming his hand at him threateningly as small explosions detonated across his palm.
“Wanna run that by me again, fuckmunch?”
Funnily enough, he couldn’t even if he tried because Katsuki’s other, non-exploding hand had come up to cover his mouth, but he figured that his best option was to ignore that as he shook his head energetically—Even if he had just proven his point. Katsuki instantly relented his hold and leaned back again, giving him his space as he coughed abruptly.
“Sorry, Kachaan,” he coughed again and the blonde clucked his tongue in annoyance, not really seeming to care either way anymore. “I didn’t mean to offend you.” He responded sincerely, fingers nervously fiddling with each other when the other made no move. “I’m just glad that you’re okay.”
Katsuki met his eyes with a frown then. “Damn right I am, but you’re not.” He gestured lazily to him before looking away. It almost looked as if he was ashamed. “You’re a fucking mess, Deku.” As he said that, Izuku looked at himself worriedly as if just realizing how many problems that could pose. The good thing was that there hadn’t been any reporters in the mob yet when Izuku had rushed in like a madman to help Katsuki, but they did manage to arrive soon after All Might, which means they still could’ve caught him on the scene at least. Even if he didn’t show up in the background at any point, his mom would worry at the sight of his torn clothes and burnt complexion just as much and would probably be able to connect the dots.
“You should worry more about yourself, nerd.” Deku broke free from his musings as an arm reached out to him and mildly squeezed. When Izuku yelped from the pain, Katsuki narrowed his eyes dangerously at the other and gently released his hold on him. “Just like I fucking thought. Your mom is gonna burn me alive if she sees you like this.”
Rubbing his arm anxiously, he gave him a fearful look. Fearful of him? “I wasn’t planning on telling her that it was you, y’know. Not that it was really your fault either…” Izuku confessed softly, but suddenly straightened at seeing the sharp look the blonde sent his way at his words. It reminded him of the many times Katsuki had looked at him like that before leaving him for dead, but with punches rather than scorch marks. He was careful not to burn him in case anyone ever found out about the abuse, and as far as Izuku was concerned, that had been just fine. It made it easier to lie when his mother asked him about it. I slipped and fell over the rocks in the river bank. Sorry mom. Or We were playing in the woods and ran through the bushes, mom. I’ll be more careful next time. He’d done it because no matter how many times Katsuki rejected him, he still believed in their friendship, that what they had could be fixed. In fact, he still believed that. That’s why he’d never rat Katsuki out, never could.
“Besides, my mom isn’t like that, Kachaan. She’d never do that.”
That made him snort. “You’re right, that sounds like something my mom would do.”
At the mention of Katsuki’s mom, Izuku couldn’t help but smile. The strong-willed and confident woman could be just as hot-headed as her son, but she radiated this feeling of safety Izuku came to enjoy quite a bit while in her presence. Maybe in part it was due to how she seemed like the mediator between Katsuki and his anger. Or maybe it was simply because in front of his mom, Katsuki was too afraid to actually pull anything. Whatever it was, the fact that she could tame Katsuki like a trainer would their rabid dog was quite frankly consoling. Not to mention how it had always been funny to see her act so nice to him in contrast to Katsuki, who usually just bickered with her back and forth while they argued about trivial things from why he couldn’t close his door up to why the shampoo she bought him was always the stupid pink strawberry shampoo. That shit is for old grandmas like you. Just thinking about it made him laugh all over again. Especially once he remembered that she’d punished that comment about her age with slipping pink dye into his shampoo just for added measure.
Katsuki had been devastated with that pastel hair color for an entire week before it started going back to its original ashen shade. The amount of times Izuku’d had to slap a hand over his mouth to stop himself from laughing at that time was lost to him due to the pain of the pent up laughter. No one dared to say anything because they knew that the laugh wouldn’t be worth the ass-kicking they’d received if they’d tried. Though that didn’t make it any easier on them when they were at the mercy of a Spicy Pink Pineapple known as Bakugou Katsuki.
“I like your mom. She’s tough, but she’s nice.” He chirped, the memory of it making his giggles inevitable.
The blonde scoffed. “To you, she is, but that’s only because she likes you too.”
“Oh, r-really?” That comment had Izuku’s heart fluttering pleasantly. He was glad that Mitsuki liked him as much as he liked her. It made him hope that maybe he could even come swing by their house again someday, just like he used to when he was a kid.
“Yeah, so does my dad. They’re always asking me stupid shit like why you don’t come over anymore and stuff like that. Sometimes I think they like you more than they like me.”
By now, Izuku was a stuttering mess as he realized Katsuki was telling him all this willingly. Not to mention that this was probably the closest they’d been to a civilized conversation in years. “I-I’m sorry!” Izuku said simply. He wasn’t sure if it was for making Katsuki feel less loved or if it was for worrying his parents. Probably both. But they both knew exactly why Izuku never came over anymore, and Katsuki seemed to be in denial of it.
“Whatever, you can tell them that yourself once we get there.”
Izuku suddenly paused in his thoughts to stare at him stupidly. “W-where?”
“My house,” Katsuki said matter of factly, like it was the most normal thing in the world—and maybe it would’ve been had it not involved the two of them—but Izuku didn’t think his heart could handle much more. Sure he’d said that he’d wanted to visit his parents again. Heck, he’d even said he liked them. But he sure as hell wasn’t ready for all this now! Besides, wasn’t Katsuki upset with him?
“U-uh, w-why?” Izuku stumbled in his steps once Katsuki whipped around to look at him irritably.
“So that I can help you, you shit nerd.” Despite his—what was this? Kind??—words, he looked about ready to set fire to the world, making Izuku even more confused than before. What kind of help was he supposed to expect with an expression like that!?
“W-hat help? I don’t need help? I just want to go h-home?” He closed his eyes in embarrassment. Great job, Izuku. You don’t sound like you’re convincing, much less like you even know what you’re doing anymore. He’s gonna think you hit your head or something. Have some nerve at least when you say things!
“What? You hit your head now too or are you just always this stupid?” Izuku would’ve sighed exasperatedly at having nailed that, but was actually kind of too impressed with himself at the moment to really go through the motions of it. Wow, am I psychic? Hey! Maybe that’s my quirk! Nah, wait. If that was true, what about that extra joint in my toe?
At this rate, the blonde’s patience was wearing thin. He had just witnessed the freckled teen go from awed to contemplative, to depressed, all within three seconds of having accused him of hitting his head. Was that normal? He realized that the more he thought about it and came up with a “No.” every time, he just got angrier. Of course it wasn’t. What was he trying to play at?!
This fucking nerd, is he trying to drive me nuts?
“Deku!!” he griped.
“Yes!!” Izuku hollered back, like he was accepting a marriage proposal. It took all of Katsuki’s self-restraint not to face palm Izuku’s face from the second-hand embarrassment this idiot was giving him.
“Will you keep your fucking voice down!? Fuck, Deku!”
“Sorry!!” the green haired boy piped back automatically, exceptionally quieter. He squeezed his eyes shut, but this time out of fear of what Katsuki’s face looked like in that moment.
The blonde took advantage of that and grabbed his wrist to drag him away. Gasping, Izuku opened his eyes abruptly to fall in step with him awkwardly.
They didn’t really talk much after that, but it didn’t matter too much since Katsuki’s home wasn’t very far either. When they finally did get there, Katsuki swung the door loud enough for the entire block to hear, and his mom instantly came stomping over. Huh, they even walk the same, Izuku couldn’t help but smile to himself.
“Katsuki, why the hell haven’t I received a call from you!?” came the increasingly louder yells of the woman pounding her way towards them. “You were attacked by a goddam villain and you can’t even bother calling me to tell me how you are? What the fuck is the point of giving you a damn cel—oh! Izuku!” Her fiery eyes instantly fell over his battered form, and she frowned, their sights in particular tracing the shreds of his would-be school uniform. “Whoa, what the hell happened to you, kiddo?”
Izuku had turned beet red under Mitsuki’s prompting gaze, wishing desperately that he had been at least a little more presentable for his first time coming back in a long while. And while knowing it was futile—seeing as how she’d already spotted him and looked her fill—he side-stepped back behind Katsuki shyly. “I-I—”
“He got mixed up in the fight with me and the villain.” Katsuki explained briefly, saving Izuku from his oncoming stuttering fest. “And he helped me…get free, so…” He grumbled and Mitsuki shot Izuku a soft look then, but not before sending Katsuki one too.
“Does your mom know about this, kid? As far as I can tell, you haven’t come out on the news at all so it’s not like she’ll be able to tell from just that.”
Feeling his shoulders relax a little at that and her warm look, he shook his head. “N-no, b-but I promise I’ll call her right away! Except, I’d rather not have her know about…the attack, if possible?” Izuku replied meekly, squeezing an eye shut in preparation that she’d burst out in anger like Katsuki usually did, but he should’ve known better. Even with all their similarities, Mitsuki wasn’t Katsuki.
Instead, she seemed to contemplate his thought process as Katsuki ignored the two in favor of shucking his shoes and stalking off into the house. She gave her son a funny look before turning back to the small, frazzled boy at her doorstep with concern written in her hard features. “Look, I don’t agree with what you’re doing here, but I also know how much of a worrywart your mother can be, so… if you’re worried about me telling her, don’t be. It’s none of my business what you decide to tell her or not. Knowing her, it’s probably for the best that she doesn’t know, actually.” The blonde woman agreed and Izuku sighed in relief.
“Thank you so much.” He bowed deeply and Mitsuki shook her hand at him dismissively.
“You take damn good care of your mom. You should be proud.” She said then, giving him a broad, mischievous smile while ruffling his hair. He blushed and hunched his head timidly, her words and kindness only fueling his bashfulness tenfold. He whispered out a small “Thank you,” before she stepped back to let him into the house. “But how about you come inside already and let me help you out of those clothes. I can sew ‘em up real quick for you so that your mother doesn’t go around asking any questions.”
Izuku began to sputter out a spiel of protests of, “No no! It’s fine! Really! I can’t impose!!” but she was quick to continue.
“You can borrow some of Katsuki’s in the meantime. You’re a bit shorter than he is, but it should be fine if it’s only for a little while.”
Right then, as Izuku tried not to gape and simultaneously absorb what was being said, Katsuki had returned with a white box in his hands. He rolled his eyes, gesturing towards him apathetically. “C’mon, Deku. I don’t have all fucking day.” He grouched, and Izuku snapped back to attention, only ducking in carefully then and removing his shoes, placing them neatly next to Katsuki’s.
“Pardon the intrusion,” he replied politely as he gently pushed past Mitsuki and her amused smile to follow the impatient teen up the stairs leading to his room on the second floor. He traced the blonde’s path with nostalgia hitting him at every corner. From the feel of the carpet under his socked feet to the pictures on the walls… Even the smell reminded him of Katsuki and childhood memories. It was a light scent of detergent and home cooked food that always made him feel nice and warm on the inside.
As they reached their designated area, Katsuki turned towards his drawer to pull out a plain white tee and some plaid draw-string pants. Pajamas, Izuku thinks before they’re suddenly chucked in his direction.
“Go get changed, nerd.” Is all Katsuki says and Izuku can practically feel his feet stay glued to the floor.
When a moment passes and the green-haired boy still hasn’t made a move, the blonde huffs in exasperation. “What? Don’t tell me you forgot your way to the bathroom.”
Izuku shook his head aggressively. “No! I, uhh…just feel bad about this! These are your clothes, and I know that you hate me and all and yet…I mean, are you sure you want me wearing your clothes? I could always just go home like this and, I don’t know, lie to my mom about—”
“If I wasn’t fucking sure about it, than you wouldn’t be here. Besides, there’s no explanation for those burns, so either get dressed and sit your ass here, or I’ll make sure you’ll regret it.”
Izuku tried to ignore how Katsuki had avoided answering the part where he hated him and instead focused on why he was being treated so nicely now. Err, well as nice as Bakugou Katsuki can be. I mean he did just threaten me…but it was for a good cause, he supposed. He managed to whisper out a small, “Okay,” before finally feeling his feet dislodge themselves from the carpet floor of Katsuki’s room. He spun on his heel to go the bathroom down the hall, near the steps leading to the entrance, but before he did, he muttered out a quick, “Thank you, Kachaan.”
As Katsuki turned to regard him, he realized that the green-haired boy was already gone, the only thing left of him being the distant sound of his feet quickly trotting to the bathroom. He let out a frustrated sound now that he was alone again and gripped at his hair tightly, raking a hand through it before resting back against the headboard of his bed and closing his eyes. “Fucking useless Deku. You really fucked up this time.”
Izuku stared at himself in the mirror with lips drawn into a nervous, thin line as he got used to the foreign cloth around his body.
She was right, they do fit me big.
Except, he hadn’t expected the difference to be this big. The shirt alone exposed a lot of his shoulders and was at mid-thigh in length, and the pants weren’t all that better. He was honestly afraid he’d be tripping with every step he’d take. It made Izuku come to the realization that under his Gakuran, Katsuki was a lot more built than he looked. Otherwise, why would the shirt be so wide? That being said, it wasn’t like he hadn’t noticed. I mean, they changed in the same locker room as everyone else and stuff so it was hard not to, but he’d never managed to look further than a glance. He was usually more preoccupied with finding a place to hide while changing because he desperately wanted to cover the marks on his body caused by bullies and Katsuki alike. And as if his lanky, squishy body wasn’t enough, the bruises only made him more self-conscious about his appearance than ever.
Finally sighing and retreating from the bathroom, he closed the door behind him softly and gripped the neatly folded, charred clothes in his hands with terror seeping into the very fibers of his skin. He had called his mom before changing to let her know he’d be coming home a little late, saying that he was staying afterschool for some extra study-time. The good news was that she sounded like she had believed him, but that bad news would be that she probably wouldn’t anymore as soon as she saw his appearance. His uniform really was a mess, and so was his skin. How was he gonna convince his mom that there was nothing to worry about? There’s no way she’d believe him this time if he came home with patched clothing. She was gonna suspect him and he wouldn’t have a good enough explanation for her. It would only lead to her making him strip, and then she’d catch his wounded body and fret. Last thing he needed was to make his mom cry at his own incompetence.
He closed his eyes and slumped against the bathroom door, banging his head a little as early repercussion for what was to come. He was gonna have to sneak in as quietly as possible and hope to All Might that she didn’t catch him sneaking to his room like some suspicious creeper. That would just make it even more obvious that he was keeping secrets from her.
Just as he was thinking it, Mitsuki was coming down the hall from the direction of Katsuki’s room with a laundry basket in her hands. When she noticed him parked out of the bathroom door, she called out to him. “Hey, kid. What’s the matter?” She propped one of her hands on her hip and Izuku gave her an anxious smile.
“N-nothing!” he insisted and she flicked his nose. Izuku scrunched it up as soon as she did, giving her a very deer-in-the-headlights look. He didn’t miss her soft glare and briefly felt himself relax a little at the playful gesture.
“Sure, if you say so.” Was all she replied with before tugging the clothes out of his slack grip with ease. He anxiously watched as she made her way down the stairs like she hadn’t just admitted that she knew he was lying to her, and was afraid to make the first move. Once she’d stopped at the bottom of the stairs, he stiffened, unsure of what to predict sense he wasn’t as familiar with her actions as much as he was with Katsuki’s.
“Y’know, I’m not blind, kid. I know you and Katsuki don’t get along that well anymore, and I know that you try to protect your mom as well as everyone else around you. But don’t you think it’s time you learn to let others help you?” she raised her eyebrows at him accusingly and he felt himself flinch at her accuracy. Did he really not let himself get help? Was he doing this all wrong? Should he tell his mom the truth after all? What did Mitsuki mean by that?
“For what it’s worth, you and Katsuki do have one thing in common.” Her voice drew him back momentarily as her words rang curiously in his ears. What? He’d meant to say, but the words were stuck in his throat in anticipation. The thought of them sharing something in common seemed unrealistic to say in the least, other than maybe the fact that they both wanted to be Heros, but…? She lifted her chin up knowingly. “You both don’t know how to ask for help.”
With that she threw a knowing smirk at him over her shoulder and Izuku felt himself flush. He didn’t have the time to ask her about it though because she was already making her way towards the basement to wash their stuff, and he soon lost the nerve the further she moved away. Man, Katsuki really does take after his mom. I could’ve sworn I was looking at him for a second there, he gulped. Shaking his head, he turned back towards the corridor. He needed to get back to Katsuki before the blonde started thinking he’d bailed on him, and with his clothes, no less. That would definitely conjure up a weird story in his head, and he would like to avoid any misconceptions of that nature if possible.
When he stepped hesitantly into his doorway, he noticed that Katsuki must’ve changed as well while he was gone, because he was now in a black V-neck and grey sweats, legs crossed over his comforter as he stared at the floor petulantly. Is he waiting for me? Izuku thought worriedly then, afraid he’d made him wait too long, and as a result, about to earn himself an earful. Cautiously edging closer to him, he wasn’t sure if to speak or just wait for him to finally notice his presence. After all, right now, in Izuku’s eyes, Katsuki was the equivalent to a wounded animal.
Luckily, it didn’t take long for Katsuki to get tired of his nervous shuffling and snapped. “Sit down already, you fuck!”
Instantly, he sat, and that seemed to bring Katsuki back to his as-good-as-it-gets graces. He lazily shifted his body to face his, one leg crossed on the bed as the other anchored him to the ground. His blood red irises instantly landed on his messy form and his semi-exposed shoulders with a snort. “Fuck you’re a twig.” He responded then, eyes skimming over his freckle-splashed shoulders where there were mild lacerations littered from his quirk. There was a particularly nasty one on his left shoulder. He felt his tongue dry as he vaguely recalled it as the one that the villain had aimed when he had driven the cart into the bastard. The same asshole who’d used his quirk without his consent, and then subsequently abused it. He’d never admit it, but his arms ached from all the mindless explosions he was made to give. “You look ridiculous.”
Izuku looked down at his feet shyly, feeling pretty stupid himself at the moment. “Not many people come out looking all that great having faced a villain, y’know?”
That’s not what he had meant, but he was appreciative in the direction Izuku took his offhand comment. If he had realized he meant it concerning the way he looked in his clothes, he probably would’ve gotten all shitty and self-conscious. “Yeah, I guess not.” He played along, his voice gruff, but soft in a way that Izuku was yet to familiarize when it came to Katsuki. He was covered from head to toe in soot and wounds as well. Perhaps that was why he hesitated in clenching his fists? The movement hadn’t escaped his eyes, and Katsuki made it obvious he didn’t want to talk about it once he moved his hands behind his back carefully at Izuku’s imploring gaze.
“Give me your hand.” It was an order, but Izuku was much too preoccupied with his own.
“Show me yours first,” he bit back.
Katsuki looked at him dangerously then, slightly taken aback at the random backbone he seemed to have grown all of a sudden. “Like hell I will.”
“Katsuki, what happened…?” Izuku’s frown displayed genuine concern, but that only made the blonde hesitate further. “Did you hurt your—?”
“It’s none of your damn business! So give me your stupid hand right now or I swear—”
Both you and Katsuki don’t know how to ask for help.
The words echoed so clearly in his mind and he bit his lip. He might’ve been one of the biggest pushovers he knew, but he wasn’t gonna let Katsuki get away with this of all things. It was obvious neither was willing to relent, so Izuku lunged forward and reached for his hand gingerly, which was hard, considering Katsuki’s unwillingness to be touched by him. He snatched his hand away like he was fire and he’d burn him, and Izuku gave him a pout.
“Let me see, Kachaan!” he pleaded, and the blonde hissed back.
“Why the fuck should I?”
“Because if you’re hurt, I wanna help!!” Izuku insisted, and Katsuki gritted his teeth.
“Don’t you think you’ve helped plenty enough already?” he spat, and there was a certain venom in his words that made Izuku halt in his crawling as the blonde refused to scoot away lest he be cornered.
“W-what do you mean?” Izuku asked uncertainly, and the blonde scoffed.
“Don’t pretend like you don’t know.”
“I don’t, Kachaan!”
Katsuki laughed bitterly. “The fucking villain incident, Deku! You…you…!” Katsuki seemed to be in conflict with himself as he bit back his aggravation. He hesitated before whispering angrily under his breath. “You saving my ass…”
Izuku wasn’t sure he even heard that right. It was the encounter in their neighborhood all over again, as he felt swamped by emotions all because Katsuki, compassionately lacking Katsuki, chose some choice words to throw his world upside down. With his head spinning, Izuku managed to breathe out a disbelieving, “What?”
“You heard me, fuckmunch. You…saved my ass and now…how the fuck am I supposed to deal with you now?! You’re supposed to be useless! A quirkless, hero-wannabe loser! Not an idiot that saves me without even using a damn quirk! That’s not how this is supposed to work!!” Katsuki shouted indignantly as he stood up, eyes burning as his bottom lip trembled. But with what? Anger? Fear? Sadness? It was likely it could even be all three.
Regardless of what it was, Izuku felt puzzled at his sudden outburst. “Wait a minute! What does that matter? Sooner or later, All Might would’ve come to save you anyway, and everything would’ve been exactly the same!”
Save for you getting hurt and rescuing me, was the immediate response the blonde had trailing on the tip of his tongue, but he decided not to say it, because he could see it in Izuku’s eyes that he was thinking the same thing. They both knew that made a world of a difference when concerning the two, but neither wanted to outright admit it.
If it had been All Might, it would've been better; he could've salvaged his ideals and simply admitted that his opponent was too strong for anyone to handle other than the number one hero. If it had been All Might, he could've at least retained some of his pride and know that as he slept tonight, the world still made sense, and all was exactly as it should be. If it had been All Might, it wouldn't have been useless, quirkless Deku.
If it had been All Might, right now, he might've been... A cold shudder ran through his spine, and he shook it off.
“But he didn’t.” Bakugou bit out slowly. “He didn’t.”
Izuku felt his breath hitch at the implication of that statement, but ignored the guilt that was gnawing at him from the inside. “Are you mad it wasn’t All Might?” Izuku asked just as softly, as if fearful that what they had right now would break otherwise.
“Yes,” he immediately ground out. “No,” he deflated, the exasperation on his face evident. They were both true. A part of him loathed that he’d been rescued by the kid he hated most, but another part of him knew better, the rational part of him realized…No. “I fucking hate you.” That’s not it.
Instantly, the blonde watched as Izuku’s eyes trailed down to his lap in silent resignation, as if accepting what was really only a partially true declaration.
Hate me why? It looked like he wanted to ask.
Hate that you fucking make everything complicated, is what he would’ve answered.
“Sorry,” Izuku mumbled instead, voice dripping with disappointment, and Katsuki sent a chastising arm to whack him on the shoulder. The shorter boy winced as it made contact with a bruise and the blonde had to stop from making a pained expression himself as his arms were still highly sensitive as well.
“Stop apologizing. It’s annoying.” He grumbled, cradling his arm subtly in his lap. Again, that was only half true.
When Izuku opened his mouth to say sorry again on instinct, Katsuki gave him a glare that promptly shut him up. “Yeah, okay.” Izuku nervously stuttered out instead. The older boy gave an approving nod before reaching for the white case he’d returned back with when Izuku had still been at the entrance. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that it was a first aid kit.
That’s what Katsuki meant by help? Finally, everything made a little more sense. When the ash blonde reached for him again, this time not even giving a heads up, Izuku pulled back slightly, much to the other's annoyance. “Wait,” he breathed and Katsuki tapped his foot impatiently.
“What the fuck do you want now, Deku?” he growled, and the freckled teen avoided his gaze with an apprehensive look.
“Your hand was bleeding…” Izuku finally remembered, his memory suddenly jogging as he caught a glimpse of dried blood on Katsuki’s hands when he had reached for him just then. “Was it from using your quirk so much?”
Katsuki watched as Izuku’s eyes shifted around nervously, head hanging low as if afraid to have asked. It was probably a good thing though because it made it easier for him to hide his expressions from the other boy whose hand had suddenly come up to touch his carefully. He suppressed a shiver and surveyed stiffly as pale, freckled skin turned his hand over to inspect it, fingers skimming around gashes and broken skin gently.
It was when his skin began to tingle weirdly that he decided, Okay, that’s fucking enough.
The momentary truce was broken when the blonde ripped his hand back harshly from his grasp. “So what? It’s not that rare. Nothing a few bandages can’t take care of.” Katsuki insisted, but Izuku frowned so pathetically, it even made him feel a little bad. He chided himself at the thought, because No, no I don’t give a fuck whether his feelings are hurt, what the fuck?
“Kachaan, why don’t you let others ever help you?” Izuku asked quietly, and Katsuki gave him a hard look.
“Because I don’t need it.” He grit out simply, confidently, hand still burning, crawling, from where Izuku had touched him. “I can help myself.”
Izuku felt a weird confliction in his words despite their firm tone, and just like before in their earlier incident, there was that same, fleeting doubt in his narrowed eyes, the same falter in his determined but trembling frown, the same quirk in his oddly furrowed eyebrows that were a little too high to be read as only anger, and knew instantly that it was all just Katsuki's bravado on full display. He always knew that his friend was strong, reliable, independent and confident by nature. He also knew that he lived up to and played the part just as well, but he also knew that he was human, vulnerable, and above all, susceptible to the world's ever changing current of madness that flowed through life like it did on a daily basis. He knew that he could get hurt just as easily as anyone else. All it took was some initiative and it could all be over in a matter of seconds. Izuku knew that Katsuki was starting to realize that too, and a part of him ached to know, because it meant that Izuku wasn't the only one who's world was crumbling today; so was his.
“You’re lying,” Izuku whispered austerly, and somehow, he'd felt something crack, like the familiar beginnings of an oncoming storm.
He was not dissapointed becase in that same moment, face contorting with precipitated outrage, that’s when Katsuki snapped.
“Bastard!” He roared, his less injured hand shoving him back onto the mattress so hard his body bounced back briefly, and he grappled the front of his shirt viciously. He had the smaller boy pinned, but Izuku, seemingly unphased, refused to look at him and had his eyes almost entirely hidden underneath his tousled green bangs. By now, he was usally a whimpering mess of fear, so to see him so calm now of all times only fuled his anger like it never had before. There was a crack in his voice as he shouted hoarsely, but he just didnt care anymore. “You don’t fucking know me! You never knew me!! No matter how many times I try to drill it into your stupid little brain, you just never get it, do you!?” he spat, unsteady grip tightening around his shirt as a usual scare tactic, but the effect was lost on the other sense it fit him so big. If anything, it just made it glaringly obvious how small he'd always been in comparison.
Despite the lack of fear he’d shown, there was a sudden choking sound coming from underneath him, and Katsuki almost jerked back in surprise, facial expression momentarily faltering as he tried desperately to meet eyes with him. It wasn't the usual satisfying choke that Katsuki was accustomed to, and it felt more frightening than before, like he'd made a mistake instead of winning a prize. Izuku’s body began to tremble lightly, and the blonde briefly wondered if he was seriously hurting him. It was scary to know how well he could detect the differnce in his mannerisms, but he supposed it was only natural when he'd been bullying him for years, so even though he knew his shuddering was rooted in fear, he knew it was different. Like a damn thats been precariously holding finally breaking.
Thats when a heart-breaking sob filled the room and stained it bitterly.
“K-kachaan…” Izuku mewled mournfully, and the older boy’s heart hammered hard and horrified in his chest, eyes softening with sudden apprehension as he felt his twisted fingers loosen. His snarl vacillated as his burning eyes caught the tears rolling down Izuku’s pink cheeks, leaving thick, glittering trails behind in its wake. “I t-thought…After watching y-you today in that m-monster’s grip…” The small boy paused, and Katsuki observed as he took in a shuddering breath that made him freeze at how pitiful it was. It wracked his whole body with the force of it, and suddenly, he was really dreading the words that were on the verge of spilling on his lips.
“I thought that maybe, today would be the last day you yelled at me.” Izuku looked up at him then, green eyes shimmering with watery stars, as the galaxy inside them spilled over his freckled cheeks anew, like a never ending fountain of wispy silver. It was a sight that should have never been witnessed by him and he knew it the instant he felt his heart drop low and sickeningly. He felt his whole body go numb as the small boy beneath him voiced the words and inner turmoil he'd been too afraid to say. Suddenly and slowly losing his grip on the boy, he regarded him with wide and terrified eyes, and he watched as Izuku brought his arms up to hide his burning face.
Izuku was crying over him?
Katsuki tched in solemn aggravation, form leaning back to sit on one of Izuku’s legs as he tried to absorb what was happening. He tried to ignore his companion’s sniffling but found himself feeling closed to tears as well. After all, it wasn’t every day that you almost lost your life. Katsuki figured that if he ever had an excuse to almost cry, it would be today of all days, when he was emotionally drained and made to withstand watching arguably his worst nemesis cry something awful for him, even though he knew that if asked, Izuku would call him his friend. His best and only friend. How stupid.
If this is what he acted like with him alive, Katsuki dreaded to even ponder what it would’ve been like had he actually died.
“Stop crying, asshole.” Katsuki grumbled, wiping his own eyes in revulsion.
Izuku nodded at him from underneath his shielding forearms, but he could still clearly see the fat tears shimmering as they continued to fall down the sides of his face and into his comforter. Katsuki felt himself roll his eyes before prompting his sobbing companion gently to help pull him up into a proper sitting position at least. Izuku was about wipe his snotty nose with Katsuki’s shirt, evident by how he was raising the hem up to his face when Katsuki jolted up to throw the tissue box at him.
“Fucking back my shirt away from you gross-ass boogers or so help me, I will make you wish I really had died!!” Katsuki warned furiously, and Izuku actually managed to laugh, albiet brokenly, more tears squeezing past his fluttering eyes as he gratefully took the box and helped himself.
“Nothing could make me want you dead, Kachaan.” Izuku croaked, and Katsuki snorted at that, looking anywhere but at him as he slowly sat back on the bed with him. That's because you're a stupid and forgiving fuck who doesn't seem to grasp the meaning of self-worth, he tried to reason, but it was as fruitless as his admirable attempts at denial because it only made him mull over the fact that he really hadn't helped him in that sense either. Maybe he wouldn't have been like that if I had just backed off and let him be. And yet, he couldn't help but feel oddly happy at that confession despite knowing he had no right to, and he desperately tried to frown the emotion back from where it came, but knew it was hopeless when that very feeling chased away any remaining tears threatening to breach the all mighty Katsuki Bakugou Barrier. So instead, he tried to focus on something else as he patiently waited for Izuku to blow his nose and clean up, scrunching his face up at him angrily when he was offered the box knowingly. Izuku’s silly green eyebrows danced up at him teasingly as he finally made it known that he knew Katsuki was just as shaken by the earlier events as he was.
Fucking perceptive little fuck.
“Get that shit away from me!” he yelled as if what was being pointed at him was a dangerous instrument, and not a harmless Kleenex box. He snatched it regardless though before crossly setting it on his nightstand again. Izuku gave him a lopsided grin.
“Thanks,” he sniffed. Katsuki just gave a grunt in response, but it was enough for Izuku. More than enough, really.
There was a sudden awkward silence between the two of them, as neither was willing to make the next move. Izuku was basking in the hope that this could mean that they could mend their messy friendship into something more solid, as hinted by the fact that they’d managed to come to a somewhat mutual understanding with hardly any violence. Meanwhile, Katsuki seemed to be debating whether or not he was gonna regret this exchange, and if he really was ready to let Izuku help him out or not. Fortunately, It didn’t seem like Katsuki was all that bothered with him anymore, and Izuku’s tiny smile only grew wider, as he felt Katsuki’s hand pat his back timidly. A petty attempt to console him, he realized, as it had a small rubbing motion to it. His heart soared simply at the thought of it, and he desperately tried not to look too pleased; Except, maybe he was doing too good of a job because he started crying again. At least it wasn’t as noticeable as the first time, but it was still evident enough because instantly Katsuki’s hand retreated back.
“Shit.” Katsuki said simply and Izuku breathed out a small chuckle.
“No, I-It’s o-okay!” Izuku assured quickly, his face bright pink now for an entirely different reason that didn’t involve his body’s reflex to his tears.
“You’re crying again,” Katsuki stated simply, as if that explained it, something in his voice giving Izuku the impression that he might’ve actually been hurt by that action. He even sounded slightly…offended? It was clear to the blonde in a way that it wasn’t to Izuku that even if the freckled teen cared about him, he wasn’t ready for this level of intimacy between them. “I didn’t mean to—”
“Kachaan! It’s okay!!” the smaller boy insisted, eyes fluttering to the side nervously as his cheeks flushed darker for the words he was about to say. “I actually...really liked it.” He whispered, hoping that he wouldn’t get hit as a result of that confession.
Katsuki seemed to have gotten the memo well enough because now he was the one looking slightly flustered, ears tinged red as he tried to hide his befuddlement at the other’s brutal honesty. “Dammit Deku, You’re so fucking embarrassing!” Katsuki groaned, but nonetheless continued his ministrations from earlier, instantly earning a weak, happy little sigh from the freckled teen next to him.
“Thank you, Kachaan.” He smiled tearfully at him, and let himself feel showered by the other’s comforting gesture.
“Just this once, fucker.” Katsuki grouched childishly, but Izuku didn’t seem bothered by it, he even leaned into his touch instinctively as Katsuki shoved the tissue box at him again somewhat politely. Maybe I should just leave it here next to him after all. Fucker cries like the damn plague, Katsuki thought, trying to feel annoyed by it all, but only feeling slightly guilty for having somehow made him cry again.
“You guys done having your little heart to heart, or should I leave and give you another hour?”
Izuku immediately flushed a horribly obvious shade of red that went all the way to his bare shoulders, and he heard Katsuki emit a long-winded groan.
“Fuck, woman! Don’t you know how to fucking knock?! Unbe-fucking-lievable!” The blonde shouted, hands having recoiled back like lightening to cover his face in shame. On the other hand, said woman at the door seemed to be mentally giving herself a pat on the back as she watched the two boys shuffle frantically away from each other as far as possible with the limited space on Katsuki’s bed. Honestly, she was just surprised they hadn’t noticed her earlier. She had been all but subtle as she heavily leaned on the door frame to watch Izuku offer Katsuki the tissue box playfully.
“If you wanted privacy, you should’ve closed your door.” She pointed out, and the blonde only seethed more in his spot as he peeked out of his hands.
“You don’t fucking let me!” he reminded her fiercely, and Mitsuki smirked.
“Damn right I don’t. The day I find it closed, you know I’ll rip it off its hinges again.” She explained to him, straightening her back proudly as if she was admitting to something praise worthy. “Besides, my job as a parent is to embarrass you as much as possible, and seeing as I have accomplished that, I will now take my leave while reminding you two that it’s late, and dinner’s ready.”
She didn’t wait for Katsuki’s shitfit to leave and make her smug exit, so by the time Katsuki had started his sputter of curses, she was already out of an earshot.
“Fuck, how long was she standing there? Fucking hell, shit, fuck!”
After that fiasco, and having cleaned up his face again, Izuku compliantly allowed Katsuki to treat him, cheeks puffed out and mouth in a preposterous pout as he tried not to laugh at Katsuki cursing up a storm under his breath. Did he even realize he was saying this all out loud? He managed to make out some mumbled phrases, like, “Fuck, the Hag knows,” and “I’ll make her fucking talk, dammit” as he scraped his skin quite possibly a little too viciously than was actually necessary.
Every time he made a whining sound or shifted uncomfortably because of the antiseptic burning a little too much for him to bear, Katsuki turned his rage on him, gritting out stuff such as, “Shut the fuck up Deku, you’ve handled worse.” or “Fuck, Deku! It isn’t even that bad! Quit complaining, you asscrack!”
Oddly enough, that actually made him feel better because somehow, even though it was meant to be insulting, Katsuki’s voice was soothing to hear as he was slowly bandaged up. It reminded Izuku that he was there with him, by his side, still acting his usual, ill-tempered self and not...unresponsive and damaged by a villain's feet. It reminded him that they were alive.
He also took the time to mentally thank God he was mostly injured from his torso up, because the few short moments Katsuki had made him bring his legs up to drag his pants up for wounds were some of the most mortifying moments of his entire life. They were in this weird position mainly because Katsuki’s pride didn’t allow for him to kneel in front of Izuku like a normal person would, and because somehow, in some unfathomable way, that happened to be considered too degrading in Katsuki's weird universe of egoism. After all, there was only so much crap Bakugou Katsuki could take, and apparently, this was just not one of those things. But in the end, the whole thing was so silly that Izuku ended up not minding that part so much as he might’ve otherwise. It helped that Katsuki seemed too focused on his rage and his ministrations to really notice his discomfort.
But again, like everything the two were ever involved in, it was a much harder feat than it should’ve been because Izuku was ticklish as hell on his legs, and Katsuki was too stubborn to learn from it, so every time Katsuki skimmed his fingers over him—which was a lot—Izuku would burst out into a fit of giggles, and the blonde only cursed louder.
By the time they were finally, finally done, It was Katsuki’s turn, and he didn’t even bother to look at him as he offered himself. Katsuki was already incredibly discomfited at letting the younger boy help him; he didn’t need Izuku’s worried expressions to make it worse.
After treating his body much like Katsuki did, he moved onto his hands.
He had started by wiping off all the dry blood from them, eyes carefully tracing the mottled, damaged skin with concern. He briefly wondered if it would be better to just take Katsuki to a real doctor, but then remembered Katsuki telling him that this happened more often than he thought. Either way, he made sure to handle his hand with extreme care, making sure above all else to avoid applying too much pressure to it.
With his thumb gently caressing the back of his hand, Izuku swore he felt Katsuki relax under his light grip. It made him smile softly, before dreading the next thing he’d have to do. “Tell me if it hurts, okay?” Izuku had told him, apparently insistent on making Katsuki’s life a living hell by constantly reminding him of the huge gap in personalities they had. Who did this loser think he was? He wasn’t some wimp like him, he could handle a little bit of pain for fucks sake. Like I’d even fucking think about telling him if it hu—“SHIT!”
Katsuki was hissing at the burning caused by Izuku gently wiping the towel drenched in Hydrogen Peroxide they had been using over his hand. Izuku abruptly stopped as soon as it was obvious that he had hurt him. “S-sorry, Kachaan!” he squeaked, and the blonde instantly turned to glower at him.
“No, keep going. It didn’t hurt, I was just… I remembered something I had to do,” Katsuki lied, his pained expression betraying his words so much that Izuku couldn’t help but make a really ridiculous face.
“O-okay,” Izuku played along, dabbing the soaked rag a little lighter this time as Katsuki’s shoulders visibly shook. He honestly felt really bad watching his friend endure so much pain—no doubt a result of his quirk being over used—but he tried to convince himself that this was better than letting Katsuki’s palms get infected. “Almost done…” he whispered, making sure to rub light circles under his hand with his thumb to ease the pain like he’d done earlier. It seemed to help oddly enough, because the blonde’s hands were shaking a lot less, and his body was much more lax. That or he was getting used to the pain. Whatever it was, Izuku tried his best to make it a little more bearable for him. It’s the least he could do for Katsuki, seeing as he even invited him home to offer his help. It must’ve taken a lot of nerve for him tootoo, He thought as he finished his right hand and re-soaked the towel. Repeating his movements on his left hand, he eventually finished up by wrapping his palms with sterilized gauze, making sure to add some ointment beforehand to help it heal faster.
“Done!” Izuku chirped, giving Katsuki a bright, and encouraging smile, as the blonde inspected his covered hands intently. His smiled faltered when he turned his scrutinizing stare onto him, believing for a second that Katsuki would not be satisfied with his work, but was relieved when all that came out of the blonde’s mouth was a small, grumbled, “Let’s go eat, nerd. I’m starving.”
As they both got up to head towards the dining area downstairs, Izuku was left watching Katsuki from behind like always. But today was different. Today, as his bright, green eyes outlined the edges of bandages and gauze that now adorned Katsuki’s skin and left defining wrinkles under his shirt, he had the satisfaction of knowing that he’d helped put them there, and that put him at ease. He didn’t feel left-behind or forgotten this time, but instead, cared for and wanted, as he too had them thanks to Katsuki and his sense of responsibility. A small sign perhaps of his eventual change in attitude towards him.
He felt a bashful smile quirk its way onto his lips at the thought and was greeted enthusiastically by Katsuki’s dad, Masaru, upon entering the dining area, whom even went so far as to loop him into a tight hug at not having seen him for so long. He mentioned how they’d missed seeing him around, and Izuku was more than happy to blurt out how much he’d missed them as well.
“You’ve grown a lot, son. You were only about ye big the last time I saw you! Barely taller than my knee!” Masaru grinned, demonstrating with his hand and earning a laugh from Izuku as he let him do that embarrassing thing dad’s usually did as he was nuggied into the man’s side. He yelped into a fit of uncontrollable giggles and tried to fix his hair despite knowing that it would look hopelessly disheveled regardless of his efforts to school it. He couldn’t help but wonder if this is what it felt like to have a dad and smiled, a pleasant warmth wrapping around him as he was invited to sit down and chat for a bit.
He’d never felt happier and more at home than when Katsuki dragged him by the wrist, and onto his seat, so that they could all eat like a family. And by a miracle known as the distraction-of-Katsuki’s-feet-kicking-him-under-the-table, he’d managed not to cry for a third time that day.
Rubbing at his face furiously, and taking in a deep breath, he nodded determinedly with rosy cheeks. Beaming at Katsuki from across the table, he earned a scoff and flick on his nose, reminiscent of Mitsuki’s own gesture. And just like before, he scrunched it up again, but this time in a half pout and a half laugh, as he rubbed it in a soothing gesture.
For the first time in a very long time, he felt like he belonged.