Chapter Text
Here's the sad truth:
All men are not created equal.
Izuku Midoriya had to learn that the hard way.
" Some villains just can't be beaten without powers,
. . So no, I honestly don't think you can become a hero without a quirk . "
Those were the exact words of his longtime idol—a person that he had looked up to all his life. A person that took up most of the storage of his mom’s computer because of the countless videos he saved of him. A person that he could watch and admire on a screen all day long, in a non-creepy context, of course. Someone that he would constantly cheer for whenever he popped up on the TV screen in a news headline. Someone that he, himself, strived to be like in the near future. A person who greatly inspired him to keep on going, to keep moving forward, and to keep smiling; no matter the odds.
And yet, Izuku realized how ironic it was, that this was the same person who told him that he didn’t have what it takes.
" It's not bad to have a dream, young man.
Just.. Make sure your dreams are attainable. Realistic . Understand? "
Those exact words never left his mind. They kept replaying over, and over, and over again—searing his heart open like hot knives on bare skin. His lifelong hopes and aspirations were burned into ashes in a matter of seconds. He cried until his eyes turned red and he couldn’t physically see. To put it simply, Izuku Midoriya shattered .
Talk about your dreams being crushed into pieces right before your very eyes by the same person who taught you how to dream, right?
“ You don’t stand a chance without a quirk , Deku. “
..Or maybe All Might wasn’t the one to blame. Maybe it was his own fault all along. The guy said it himself, a hero needs a quirk.
Deep down Izuku knew this, all this time. He was just avoiding reality. That was why he was so desperate to prove himself wrong.
" If you wanna help people, there are plenty of other ways to do it.
You can become a police officer. "
“ You’ll never be a hero . Better to find out now instead of later, I guess. “
“ Make sure your dreams are attainable . “
“ There’s no way you’re getting in the Hero Course without a quirk ! “
“ You’re even worse than the rest of these damn rejects, you quirkless wannabe. “
“ Y’know if you really wanna be a hero that badly, there actually might be another way.
..Just pray that you’ll be born with a quirk in your next life, and take a swan dive off the roo— “
A loud explosion disrupted his train of endlessly intrusive thoughts.
It was alarming how close it sounded to where he was. Was he that deep in thought, that he failed to notice what was going on around him? The boy jolted in his place, looking up and across the street from where the noise had come from. And, oh.
..It was the same explosion he heard just moments ago from the rooftop.
That’s strange.
Was the fight from earlier still going on? He thought it’d be resolved by the time he got home— Why was he even here in the first place? This wasn’t where he was supposed to be walking. Did he subconsciously come here to check it out? Curse his habit of arriving at crime scenes, just for the sake of taking down notes and watching Pro Heroes do their work in their respective fields.
Time seemed to slow down the longer Izuku stared at the crowd gathering from across the street. He knew he shouldn’t be stopping, but his body completely grew a mind of its own and decided to cross the road towards where the people were clamoring about something. Once he got there, all he could think about was how useless his notes were going to be either way, since he decided to finally let go of his dreams. Or did he? Izuku wasn’t even sure anymore.
The boy solemnly looked past the crowd, tilting his head from side to side to see what on earth was going on. Izuku could barely see anything, but he could make out some of the Pro Heroes that he knew by heart. Tons of fire, smoke, and what it seemed like a large mass of sewer goo—
Izuku’s heart dropped to his stomach.
“..Why aren’t the heroes doing anything?” A nearby person in the crowd had asked. The guy next to him answered with: “It looks like the heroes have met their match.. Plus, the villain captured a kid.” Izuku whipped his head around in their direction, his skin sickly pale and eyes wide as saucers. “..And things aren’t looking good for him.”
The greenette immediately turned his attention back to the same sludge villain that captured him earlier that day.
The same sludge villain that All Might had apprehended. .
It was his fault that that thing was on the loose again. Izuku became a distraction to All Might, and a complete waste of time. And now it was his fault that someone else had gotten captured the same way he did under that tunnel. His heart sank even more at the thought of how long the person had been in there; trapped, struggling, slowly suffocating.
“–Wait, I’m confused, isn’t that the villain All Might was chasing earlier today?” Another had spoken up from the crowd. “What? All Might?? No way he lost- Where is he?!” Another had chimed in. “Well, can someone call him or something?” A woman had pleaded. “—Seriously! Why hasn’t he shown up to help the heroes?!”
Izuku could do nothing but lower his head in shame, guilt, and in overwhelming sorrow.
It was him. It was his damn fault. He was to blame. If he hadn’t been so stupid and didn’t grab onto All Might when he was about to leave, then maybe all of this shit would have never happened. Why did he even do it? This was pathetic. He was pathetic. He was so blinded by his own childish dreams and reckless ambition that he sacrificed someone else’s safety, and quite possibly, their life in his stead. How could he be so fucking careless?
And now, thinking about it—they were right. They were all right. There’s no place for a quirkless kid like him. Without powers, he’s just dead weight. He would be, and forever will be, deemed worthless by societal standards. Unless he had a quirk of his own..
. . But who was he to kid?
Izuku could only look up in shame, towards where the sludge villain ran rampant. Nobody dared to speak out loud, only murmuring in quiet tones. Nobody even dared to step in to stop the situation, either. Everybody had just given up and sorrowfully accepted the fact that, maybe nobody would come to stop the villain.
And quite so, the prospect of losing a life that day.
“ It’s my fault. I’m sorry. ”
Izuku pursed his lips tightly, glancing down at the asphalt beneath his feet.
“ ..I’m so sorry. ”
The boy quivered, eyes squinted and brows furrowed together.
“ Help will show up and save the day, I’m sure. ”
Tears started to pool once more in the corners of his already puffy eyes. He raised a shaky hand, and grasped at his own chest in a poor excuse of an attempt to relieve the pain that bloomed there—the kind that his nails seemingly couldn't reach or scratch.
“ Someone.. ”
He focused his teary gaze at the villain and its hostage in the distance once again.
“ ..A real hero.. ”
He feigned a smile, his own thoughts reassuring no one—not even himself.
“.. Will come soon. ”
Izuku saw familiar, red eyes. Looking straight at him.
“Ka— ”
It struck him like lightning.
It was a feeling, and an almost indescribable one. But whatever it was, time seemed to completely stop. His whole body suddenly ached to move. An incandescent impulse; like a raging fire spontaneously combusting out of thin air—burning, consuming him whole in a matter of milliseconds. The hairs on his skin stood on edge. His mind seemingly awakened. His senses sharpened like razor blades. He knew he couldn’t just stand there and watch. He had to do something. Anything. Every single nerve and neuron in his body screamed at him to move.
And so Izuku did.
His foot shifted a couple of inches. His body leaned forward. His eyes trained on the sludge villain, legs slightly set in a running position and his arms suspended mid-swing.
And then Izuku stopped.
..What were his words again..?
“ Some villains just can't be beaten without powers.
. . So no, I honestly don't think you can become a hero without a quirk. "
And just like that, the feeling dissipated into complete nothingness.
As if it wasn’t even there to begin with. The boy’s body went completely slack, and he only stood. Numb. Frozen in place. Staring right back at those same red eyes.
Everything went unnaturally quiet. Or maybe he just couldn’t hear anything at that moment. All Izuku could focus on was how the other looked under all that sludge. How many explosions were emitted in the scene, one after the other. He watched in silence as hues of red, orange, and yellow painted their faces. Watched how vigorous the villain was laughing and taunting the heroes. How wide the hostage's eyes were, and how much fear and panic he could see in them. He was struggling against the villain’s hold.
He needed his help.
So why did Izuku stop all of a sudden?
“ HEY! ”
A sharp breeze whipped past by the green-haired boy.
It was in a span of a second, but he caught a glimpse of black hair. And then it was gone. The figure rushed away from the majority, and into the danger that lurked in front of them, causing the crowd to gasp in utter shock. The Pro Heroes suddenly dropped whatever they were doing, and Izuku stilled in terror along with them.
Suddenly, that one kid who rushed forward to help, had all eyes on him.
“NO YOU IDIOT, STOP!! YOU’RE GONNA GET YOURSELF KILLED!!” The Pro Hero known as Death Arms had tried to warn the stranger, but to no avail.
“O– OVER HERE! ” A voice shrieked through the atmosphere.
The sludge villain seemed to perk up, before slowly turning towards the source of the call, forcing its hostage to turn too. “..What’s this?” It mused, voice all garbled and murky. “A kid? What is it with kids these days?” The monster cackled darkly, its distorted voice a low rumble that made the ground shake with each word muttered. The said kid did not falter in his tracks. “W-.. Why don’t you go pick on someone– someone your own size?!” He loudly exclaimed with a shaky voice, stuttering with fear and hesitation. But somewhere along the line, there was also a hint of determination found in his tone.
Izuku could only watch in shock—and rapt—as the boy spread his bare arms outwards. And in a second, his skin seemed to solidify and harden. His hands and fingers became sharp and edged like the blade of a sword. Izuku’s mind raced out of habit. It seemed like the stranger possessed a quirk that enabled him to harden his skin. But what good would that bring if he was going against an opponent that had pure sludge and goop as its body?
He swallowed down the bile in his throat, ruminating the abhorrent feeling of not being able to breathe as thick mud painfully crawled its way through his lungs. The sludge monster’s fluid body makes him immune to any form of physical attack, so.. Izuku sadly concluded that using a hardening quirk as an offense would not be effective against a villain with that kind of power. One would have to have brute strength to be able to fight that sludge monster.
He only hoped and prayed to whatever god out there that this brave person would not end up in the same situation that he did.
And then for a moment, Izuku wondered what would happen if he was the one who ran towards the villain.
What a funny thought that would be.
The sludge monster roared in laughter.
“Oh, you’re funny.” It grinned hideously. “..And damn stupid , too!” The villain crooned, raising a large hand made out of sludge in the air. “I thought kids knew better than to run straight into their deaths!” The sludge monster cried out in amusement, ready to strike the stupid yet gallant boy without hesitation. The latter, however, roared out in a war cry. Using his hardened hands, the boy straight out ran into and smashed a corroded wall that stood in his tracks, before gathering the debris up in his hold.
As quickly as he could, the boy spun around with his arms extended outwards, using the momentum to throw a projectile of rocks, stones, and dust at the sludge monster’s face. It might’ve been a poorly thought out move made up on the spot, but it was pretty damn well effectual, with the help of luck. The unexpected attack had temporarily stunned the sludge villain. It roared in pain as the dust and debris got caught in its eyes, before reeling back and momentarily releasing its hostage from its suffocating hold.
Only then did the courageous boy see the victim up-close. The blonde-haired kid gasped for air, coughing and hacking away as pure oxygen once more filled his lungs. He was drenched in sweat and covered in grime. Being stuck under all that sludge and mud was fucking awful. It only infuriated the blonde male further. On the flip side, his reaction only encouraged the other boy to keep on going. Something told him that he was on the right track.
“Hey there–!” The young stranger worriedly called out, running closer to the monster and its hostage. He began clawing on the sludge that bound the other, but he very well knew that it’d only do nothing.
“E-Everything-.. ‘S gonna be okay!!” The black-haired male stuttered, clearly torn apart and unsure of what to do next. He had a plan on how to get to the guy who was trapped in the villain’s hold, but he didn’t have a plan on how to free him, nor did he have a plan to defeat the monster. And now, here he was, rendered confused and scared for his life. His breathing was ragged and labored as panic took over his senses. All he could think about was offering useless words of reassurance. He didn’t want to die. But he wasn’t about to give up, either.
He had spent all of his life being silent. Being ignored. Being stepped over. He wanted, so badly, to step up for himself and for other people. Fear was the only thing that held him back. But when he saw this girl in his middle school standing up so bravely to bullies, acting like nothing in the world could ever stop her, he was in awe. Inspired. Impressed. He wondered if he could do the same thing too. But deep inside, he felt that he couldn't live up to her example.
His mothers only told him that the right time would come. He just had to wait for the moment.
This was his moment.
“..I’m gonna get you o-out, ‘kay?” The boy smiled through tears, completely set on saving the other beneath the sludge, willing to risk his life—
“—ARE YOU FUCKING CRAZY?! ” The blonde retorted, staring wide-eyed at the black-haired boy. This made the other recoil and shrink back. “I don’t know!!” He yelped in a panic. “I don’t know anymore!” The boy cried out in response, still helplessly clawing at the sludge. The blonde gaped as the other began to break down, loud sobs wracking the young stranger’s trembling body.
“But— I couldn’t just stand there and watch you suffer!”
A loud roar of fury emanated from the villain, making the ground beneath them tremble. “I’M GONNA KILL YOU ALL.” It boomed, grinning inhumanly wide. “ ..Just a little bit longer kid, ” A large sludge fist formed from the masses, raised high up in the air. The black-haired boy could only look up and watch in horror. “AND I'M DONE PLAYING WITH YOU!” The fist was instantly brought down, aimed with a purpose to kill.
Every Pro Hero in the vicinity quickly rushed in to rescue the poor soul.
“SAVE THE BOY! THIS THING WILL KILL HIM—”
The black-haired male cowered in fear, one arm raised and covering his face in a natural instinct to protect oneself. Gritting his sharp teeth, he waited for the pain that was about to come. However, and much to his surprise, he felt absolutely nothing.
Or maybe he was alread–
“..I really am pathetic,” An all-familiar voice spoke.
The boy’s eyes opened in surprise.
He flinched when he saw yellow hair, and a smile that everybody knew too well. “All Might? ”
The man towered over his small figure, struggling to maintain his footing as one of his arms blocked the villain’s attack. “..I told you all the tricks to make a great champion,” He grunted, slowly raising the same arm in the air. “But I see now I wasn’t living up to my own ideal.” The Pro Hero had finished, finally breaking free from the sludge that held him back. The blonde-haired boy stared wide-eyed at the scene unfolding before him, seemingly quite surprised that All Might had made an appearance, too.
The Pro Hero suddenly grabbed both of their arms, speaking through blood and gritted teeth.
“Pro’s are always risking their lives.
. . That’s the true test of a hero.”
The sludge villain roared in an outrage, desperate to fight back in a panic against facing the Number One Hero. “DAMN YOU, ALL MIGHT!” It brought another sludge hand down, but before anything could happen, All Might had countered the attack. He pulled his own fist back, and shouted at the top of his lungs.
“ Detroit…
SMAAAAAAAASHHHH!! ”
The last thing the blonde remembered was a strong gust of wind pushing him up into the air.
And then everything went fucking black.
He could hear that annoying voice again.
God, he would give anything to make him fucking shut up. He pisses him off so damn much.
“..Fuck off y’ lil’ shit..” He slurred out, furrowing his brows as his nose scrunched up in distaste. Why was everything hurting so fucking much? What the fuck happened?
“ ....ybe yo…wer… right, Kaccha... ” His voice faded in and out constantly.
And it didn’t help. At all.
Katsuki Bakugou realized that he had his eyes closed this entire time. Why the hell were his eyes closed anyways? Was he sleeping back at home? That wasn’t right. He didn’t remember walking home, wasn’t he supposed to go with his shitty ass ‘friends’ to the arcade? He let out a groan of discomfort.
“ ...ybe I do… nee… uirk… to be… hero. ” There it was, again.
Bakugou squinted his eyes open, mouth already in the form of a scowl.
Could he just shut the fuck up?
“Oi,” He rasped out, trying to blink away the blurriness in his vision. He could make out bright lights, and a familiar silhouette standing in front of him.“..Deku, shu’ th’ fuck up. ‘M gonna… Fuckin’-..” Bakugou grunted, wiping away the muck in his eyes. His brain instantly stopped the moment he felt something different. His forehead felt weird.
Katsuki froze.
“ ...m sorr…I…dn’t…save…you. ”
What?
‘Save you’???
Okay, that’s it. The motherfucker—
“—Woah, woah, hey there. Easy.. Don’t sit up just yet man,” A voice spoke up. One that Katsuki didn’t recognize.
The blonde tried to look around to assess his surroundings, only ending up hissing through his teeth right after. Clearly, looking around was a bad fucking idea. “Yeah, I wouldn’t do that if I were you. You had it pretty bad..” The voice added. Katsuki didn’t know who the hell this was, but he was already getting annoyed at them.
“..Where th’ fuck am I?” The blonde grumbled, trying to settle into a more comfortable position. He realized that he was lying down on a piss poor quality bed. And he also realized that something was covering his forehead. “Uhh, you’re in the hospital. Musutafu Hospital?” The extra replied. “You’re not-.. You still know who you are, right?” He asked, a dumb fucking question that made Katsuki’s blood boil. The blonde glared at the guy who was sitting on a bed next to his—to whom the voice belonged, apparently.
“I’m not fucking stupid, you idiot. What? You think I have dementia?” Bakugou spat. The guy just sighed in relief, completely unbothered by his attitude and profanity. “Sorry! Was just making sure, is all.. I mean, it’s just— Things out there before were-.. Really intense.” He quickly replied.
What the fuck did he mean by ‘things out there’? What was he even talking abou—
“By the time I got to you, you just looked like you were struggling.. Like, really struggling. I can’t even imagine what it must’ve felt like under all that sludge and stuff…” He trailed off, his words suddenly hitting Katsuki in the face like a freight train. “Rushing in there without a second thought was scary enough as it is.. But being taken hostage and trapped like that? I just knew I had to do something and . . .” The blonde seethed further and further in anger the more words had come out of the boy’s mouth.
Everything had come back in full force—starting from that alley, up until All Might had Detroit Smashed the living shit out of that D-list villain—no thanks to this babbling extra in front of him of course. He didn’t need another rambling shitnerd. And he especially didn’t need anyone reminding him of his little fuck up. If only he had been more aware back then with his friends, then none of this shit would’ve happened. He wouldn’t have embarrassed and made a fool out of himself like that in front of everybody as well.
Katsuki immediately interrupted the extra before he could say anything more. “Alright, alright. I get it! Now shut the fuck up,” The blonde snarled in response, causing the other to immediately stop and turn red from embarrassment. “..Sorry, sorry! I didn’t mean to-! I’ll shut up now..” The guy chuckled nervously, rubbing the nape of his neck with a bandaged hand. Katsuki rolled his eyes, scowling at the other. It was only then that he got a good look at who this person was.
A boy, probably around his age more or less, with spiky black hair that was just under shoulder-length. Short bangs between his eyes. A little scar spanning across the lid and under his right eye. Red irises. Sharp teeth. He looked like an angsty, emo teen who couldn't pick a struggle between nonchalantly committing to the bit, or looking like a nervous wreck, but that dumb, wide grin made Katsuki think otherwi–.. Wait a fucking minute.
Don’t fucking tell him—
“—You’re the stupid idiot who decided rushing head-first into a villain was a good fucking idea,” Katsuki scowled, eyes narrowed in recognition as he glared at the other.
The boy suddenly turned even redder. “..W-Well I– I was— I just—”
“You must have got some nerve to pull up a shitty stunt like that. Or do you just have a death wish?” The blonde interrupted him.
“What–? No! No, that’s not it! I just wanted to save—”
Bakugou glowered. “Look. I don’t know who the fuck you are, or what the fuck’s going on inside that shitty head of yours, but if you think I needed saving, then you’re fucking delirious.” The blonde scoffed. “I don’t need saving. I was fine by myself.” Katsuki let out an audible ‘tsk’, before turning his head away. “Don’t think I owe you anything.”
The black-haired boy seemed to deflate upon hearing the other’s brash words.
“..Yeah, sure.. Okay.” He reluctantly agreed, unable to do anything but to smile weakly.
The next few moments were spent in an awkward silence, with nothing but white noise and the distant beeping of monitors filling the empty hospital room.
The blonde scuffled backwards on the bed until his back could feel the wall. And then, with a heavy sigh, he rested his head gently against the hard surface. The boy gritted his teeth when he felt a throb of pain surge through his skull. Great, his ignorance ended up with him suspended in a fucking hospital with some dumb extra. Why was he even in the hospital, anyways? It wasn’t as if he got severely injured. It was just a concussion or two—
“..Sorry. About yesterday, and today. I didn’t mean to.” The black-haired male spoke up, staring at the marble floor as he twiddled his thumbs. “It’s just.. Something made me move, y’know?” Bakugou immediately whipped his head towards him despite his body protesting in pain. “I don’t know why I did what I did. I don’t know why my legs moved on their own. But maybe.. It was because of the look on your face—” The boy looked up and was instantly face-to-face with the blonde male.
The poor boy shrieked from the sudden proximity, his heart almost giving out inside his ribcage. Katsuki was quick to slap a hand against his mouth, eerily staring at the other with a calm expression—one that was very much un-Katsuki-like of him.
“I’m sorry.. Yesterday? Did I just hear you right?” The blonde smiled, but there was no mirth present in his expression. The other was hesitant to respond, but nodded slowly nonetheless. Katsuki’s feigned smile had dropped, and he was quick to pull away from the other. “Ex-fucking-scuse me?”
The black-haired boy took a second or two to calm his racing heart down, then proceeded to explain what the blonde apparently wasn't made aware of.
“So uh, yeah.. Yesterday.. Uhm.. When All Might had stepped in to counter that sludge villain’s move with one of his overpowered punches, it sent this huge gust of wind that almost sent everybody flying. Including you and me, because we were the ones closest in range.” He constantly paused in between his words, seeming as if he was carefully choosing which term to use to communicate with a toddler.
Katsuki rolled his eyes. “Okay? I already fucking know that, genius. What the fuck does that gotta do with—”
“—I’m not finished yet, you gotta let me continue man–”
“WELL HURRY THE FUCK UP THEN!”
The black-haired one sighed. “..But before he delivered the punch, he grabbed both of our arms at the last second. Which was sort of a bad idea, because, well— I was still hard.” The boy only stared in confusion when Katsuki flashed a look of disgust across his face. And then his skin flushed pale when he realized why. “NO— No, I didn’t–.. I meant my quirk, my hardening quirk. I was still in hardening mode. My arms were hardened." The black-haired boy quickly elaborated on himself further, before continuing on. "So when he grabbed the both of us, I might’ve– Accidentally.. Hit you." The boy trailed off with a pained grimace, gesturing towards Katsuki.
The blonde had cocked a brow, before looking down at himself towards where the other was pointing at. One of his arms was in a cast. “A-And not only that but.. When we were both flung into the air, I might’ve smacked you in the head with-.. One of my hands.” The boy added, gesturing towards his own head in circular motions.
Oh.
The bandage around his head. The pain through his skull. Him blacking out.
Oh.
Okay.
“You were, uh, knocked out. Unconscious, for almost a day.. Because of me." The boy anxiously played with his own thumbs, his voice becoming softer and quieter towards the end of his sentence. “I’m so sorry.” He murmured, gnawing at his lower lip.
And then he waited for his inevitable doom.
The boy knew he was about to get in trouble. Maybe even shouted at. Worst-case scenario? Staying a couple of more days at the hospital because of new injuries. He already had both of his arms in bandages because of strain and quirk overusage. What’s a couple of more bruises? And probably a few broken bones?
“Your name.”
The boy looked up with a quiet ‘huh?’.
The blonde male had his head lowered, face hidden by the spikes of his bangs. “Your name. What’s your name?” The other repeated in a casual manner. And that alone sent shivers down the black-haired boy’s spine. He might not know who his blonde companion was, but he knew him well enough to know that he wasn’t always the calm type. He seemed to have a very short temper.
The boy hesitated for a moment or two, but still replied in the end.
“..Kirishima,
. . E-Eijiro Kirishima.”
“. . Well then, Eijiro Kirishima ,” Katsuki tilted his head up, an uncanny smile stretching across his face.
A series of small yet startling explosions sparked up on the palm of his good hand. “..I’ll make sure to remember your name so I can put it properly on your tombstone after I beat the living shit out of you and bury you six feet under the ground.” The murderous smirk on his face grew even wider.
Kirishima only blinked in response.
And then he immediately fled away from the blonde, but was deemed already too late when he got pulled back by the front of his hospital gown. Kirishima instantly began crying out for mercy, covering his scrunched up face using his bandaged arms. “ I’M SORRY! I’M SORRY!! IT WAS AN ACCIDENT, PLEASE—”
“Shut up. I’ll make sure to be as quick and painless as possible. Be grateful that it was the next face of the Number One Hero who’ll kill you.” Katsuki blatantly threatened the other, smoke billowing from where he was grabbing the boy’s gown.
Kirishima vigorously shook his head, pleading for leniency. “I’m so sorry! Please! I swear, it was an accident!! Look— You’re not the only one who’s injured, okay?? We’re even!!!” He flailed his bandaged arms in a last attempt for chances at surviving. The boy could already smell the pungent scent of burning fabric under his nose. “Please, please–! ” Kirishima wailed, eyes shut tight and still struggling to get away from the blonde’s scorching hold.
Katsuki only stared blankly at the other.
If looks could kill, Kirishima would already be incinerated on the spot the moment Katsuki had first laid his eyes on him.
With a sneer, the blonde-haired boy immediately withdrew from the other, shoving him away in the process. Kirishima fell flat on his ass on the hospital bed, sighing heavily in relief right after. “Jeez, man.. You’re terrifying.” The boy cautiously stared at Katsuki, promptly maintaining a safe distance away from the other.
The blonde male only went back to his bed and sat down, back slouched and all. Strings of curses were muttered under his breath.
“Man.. I feel sorry for Deku now. Are you this mean and intimidating to everyone else all the time? I mean, seriously?! Terrifying people and assaulting them isn’t even right! How can you be the ‘next face of the Number One Hero’ if you always threaten to kill innocent people?” Kirishima huffed out, frowning at the other male. Bakugou was quick to whip his head towards him, nearly giving himself another whiplash. “How the fuck do you know that name?” The blonde scowled, eyes narrowed at the other. Brief flashes of fucking messy, green hair and stupid fucking freckles plagued his mind.
Katsuki internally berated himself for letting those distasteful thoughts linger around.
Kirishima blinked a couple of times.
With a simple shrug, he replied. “I heard you talking in your sleep earlier. You were grumbling about someone named ‘Deku’.” The black-haired male casually fixed his hospital gown, brushing away the soot. A vague image of the fucking nerd flashed through the blonde’s mind. He can’t exactly recall when it happened, but he could remember the little shit grasping at his own chest and staring at him with that stupid fucking expression on his face. Like he was about to fucking cry. “Are they your friend or something?” The boy with the black hair added.
Katsuki then proceeded to stare at Kirishima as if his very existence was the root cause of all the wrong there is in the world.
“First of all, you’re a complete nosy bitch. Second of all, you’re out of your goddamn mind. And third of all, that’s none of your fucking business.” The blonde retorted, breathing heavily through his nose as his tone took on a more defensive approach. Kirishima immediately raised his hands up in a placating gesture. “Jeez man, I just asked a question. Calm down, will you?” The boy eyed the blonde male with a quizzical look.
“Clearly , you’re asking too many fucking questions.” Katsuki retaliated, glaring daggers at the other.
Kirishima took a deep breath and glanced away, pursing his lips together. “Sorry dude. Was just trying to be friendly..”
It took everything in the blonde to keep his mouth shut. He really wasn’t in the mood to start a damn argument with someone he barely knew in a hospital when he was supposed to be resting. So instead, he laid back down on the bed with a huff, putting his good hand under his head and glaring at the ceiling.
Screw this. Screw his headache. Screw his messed-up arm. Screw this bed. Screw everything.
This was the worst fucking day in all of his 14 years of living.
Fuck the hospital lights. Fuck the noisy ass monitors. Fuck this bandage wrapped around his head. Fuck that D-list sludge villain. Fuck the Pro Heroes for being a bunch of pussies and not acting with their heads.
Seriously, when are they gonna stop relying on All Might alone to save the day?
Screw that alley. To hell with his ignorance. Screw the crowd that just stood there and watched. Fuck Deku—
A sneer crawled its way across Katsuki’s face.
Deku.
That damn fucking shitnerd, most of all. Fuck him. He and his worthless dreams of becoming a hero. Who the hell did he think he was? A lowlife. A quirkless idiot who was so set on becoming a hero like his idol? There would be absolutely no way on both hell and earth that he’d let that shitty nerd surpass him. So fucking stupid.
He looked so fucking stupid.
Just what on earth was that face for? He looked like a goddamn crybaby that had his lollipop taken away. God he would give anything to beat the shit out of that pathetic face. His constant crying makes him sick and—
“ BRAT! ”
The doors to their shared hospital room had slammed open, revealing a few people—who did not hesitate in rushing in.
Both Bakugou and Kirishima immediately sat straight up on their respective beds, eyes wide.
“..Mom? Ma?” The black-haired boy smiled toothily in unmistakable joy, beyond happy to be reunited with his family. “Oh, Eiji..! ” A dainty woman with black, almost spiky hair had cried out, clinging to her son like a lifeline. “Baby I’m so glad you’re alright..” She weeped, clutching her son close as she peppered his forehead with kisses. Another woman—who was quite tall and well-built—had joined in on the heartwarming embrace, wrapping both of her arms around them. “Your Mom and I were scared to death, Ei.. We couldn’t sleep at all and we were so worried that something might’ve happened to you—” Kirishima laughed tearily, holding both of his mothers as close and strong as he could.
“Don’t worry, Ma.. It’s okay, everything is fine! I’m fine, alright?” He grinned brightly, tears streaming down his face. Both of his moms cooed over him, completely lost in their own world of love, appreciation, and utter relief.
Katsuki stared blankly at them.
Wow.
Meanwhile he—
SMACK!
Katsuki groaned in pain and irritation. His own mother had just smacked him on the shoulder. Thankfully she didn’t hit him on the head lest he might just get another concussion. Made Katsuki wonder that maybe she did care after all.
“You careless brat!!! You got taken by a villain! You could have died!!!” Mitsuki Bakugou shouted at him.
Katsuki had to slightly lean away from the blonde-haired woman to preserve his hearing. “Son, we were so scared and worried for you. Especially your mother. We’re so glad that you’re alright,” The man with the brown hair—and glasses that framed his kind face—had stepped in, a hand on his wife’s shoulder and smiling at his son with teary eyes.
Katsuki had to greatly resist the urge to roll his eyes. “Bold of you to assume that I’d let myself die at the hands of a lowlife thug.” He grumbled under his breath, glaring at nothing in particular. “That doesn’t excuse your reckless behavior, Katsuki Bakugou.” The blonde-haired boy sighed heavily. “Jesus, old Hag— OKAY! I get it.” He scowled and glanced away from his parents.
“Now can we get out of this fuc—.. This hellhole and go back home? I’m tired and I have a lot of catching up to do at school if I wanna pass and go to U.A.” That was a complete lie.
If there’s one thing that Katsuki Bakugou is, it's that he’s a perfectionist. He refuses failure, and always aims for the very top. The boy grew up with constant praises and admiration, blessed with a quirk that everybody else kept fawning over, gifted with potential and fierce tenacity. Acing all classes would not be a problem for a boy like him.
“Not until the doctor says so, no you don’t.” Mitsuki crossed her arms, eyeing her son with a raised brow. Katsuki narrowed his eyes. “—Now, now.. Before you say anything Katsuki, your mother and I best decided that you should take a day off before you can get back to school again. I’m sure a day off won't affect anything.” His father chimed in, calmly offering a smile. “And you won’t have to worry about your strange obsession of surpassing Izuku or something like that.” Mitsuki blatantly added, her expression suddenly changing. Masaru stilled, awkwardly freezing on the spot.
Katsuki was quick to react to his mother’s words, faint memories of a certain greenette igniting a spark of distaste and irritation inside of him.
The blonde frowned, scowling at his own parents. “HAH???”
“Oh shut it, brat. We all know what’s going on between you and Izuku,” Mitsuki nonchalantly interrupted. The blonde fumed even more.
“I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking abou—” He began to retort, only to be interrupted once more.
“—Which is why she had also come here to visit you.” His mother’s words had caught him off guard, making the unsaid curses die instantly on his tongue. Both of his parents had stepped aside, revealing the one person that the blonde had least expected to see.
After all these years, Katsuki was immediately struck with nostalgia.
A woman with green hair tied up in a ponytail—with eyes as wide as saucers that conveyed prominent emotions—had carefully stepped closer. It had been years since the last time he saw her, and now, all he could think about were the cookies she constantly baked for them every time he came over to play.
Katsuki was rendered speechless when Inko Midoriya smiled warmly at him.
“Katsuki,” The woman greeted, slightly bowing her head down out of habit. The boy blinked a couple of times, mouth somewhat agape. He stared back and forth between Inko and his mom, unsure of what to say. “A-Auntie,” He cleared his throat, now awkwardly sitting upright on the bed. Katsuki felt a bit tense and uneasy under her presence. Whether it may be because of the years or the fact that he was constantly bullying her son without her knowledge, he wasn’t sure.
“It’s been a while. I heard all about the news. How are you doing?” Inko questioned with concern, slightly showing off signs of awkwardness as well. Katsuki’s thoughts lingered for a moment or two. “I’m–.. Doing fine, Auntie. Thank you, for-.. Visiting me,” The blonde replied, breaking off in between his words. The woman smiled in response, tilting her head down and humming in reassurance. “I’m very glad to hear that,” She spoke softly, gazing at the marble floor.
The silence afterwards made Katsuki’s skin itch.
It was a complete surprise to see someone from his childhood years to come visit him now, of all the time and places. And frankly, it was getting a bit annoying for him to not only beat around the bush, but to also spend an extra minute with someone he didn’t exactly want to interact with. And no, it wasn’t because she reminded him of someone.
He knew the woman didn’t come just to say hello and check up on how he was doing, no. Clearly, she had something else to say. He had a gut feeling on what this was about, and Katsuki wasn’t the patient type. “Is there something you need, Auntie?” The blonde had straightforwardly—and rudely—asked. That earned him a scowl from his own mother. “Katsuki Bakugou, you stop that disrespectful attitude—" Mitsuki began, fuming at her son’s behavior.
However, Inko had already stepped in to defuse the situation.
“..It’s alright, Mitsuki. He’s right. I do need something.” The green-haired woman had sighed heavily, stepping closer towards Katsuki. And at that moment, he finally noticed. Eyes puffy and red, dark circles under them, her hair slightly unruly and unkept. Inko looked like she hadn’t had a good sleep. Hadn’t had sleep, even. She was clearly upset about something, and Katsuki had a feeling. He suddenly wasn’t annoyed or irritated anymore, but he was still hesitant to talk.
“I’m sorry for suddenly dropping by out of nowhere, Katsuki. I know it’s been a while and you might be very shocked to see me again, out of all times no less. But– I-I didn’t know what to do, so I thought.. Talking to you would help me.” Inko admitted, face slightly burning in shame. “I have no intention in making you feel unimportant or a-anything, but–.. I really need your help.”
The blonde male stared at the woman, unsure of what to say.
He was undergoing a lot of foreign emotions, all at the same time. The boy wasn’t sure whether to feel angry because the woman had the audacity to assume she was making him feel unimportant, or to feel confused about this whole situation.
Inko Midoriya had only looked up at him, smiling through tears.
“—What?” Katsuki blurted out, completely taken aback by what the woman had said.
He was sure he heard her right.
Under a dark alley,
Littered with garbage and forgotten junk, with a single flickering light illuminating the area,
A group of men with shadowed faces—whose identities were hidden from the outside world— had faced a young boy.
“..Aren’t you a little too young to be making deals like these, kid?” The head of the group had stepped forward, cautiously eyeing the young male.
The boy only looked at him head-on.
“..Last night, after buying a couple of things from the grocery store,” Inko repeated once more, face puffy and painted with sorrow. “I discovered what had happened to you through the news when I turned the T.V. on, s-so I called out to him to tell him,” she continued.
Katsuki’s eyes were wide.
“—Well,” The boy replied, mustering up the courage to formulate a response.
“I’m certainly old enough to be doing whatever the fuck I want.” He frowned, staring straight at the man.
The stranger had only raised a brow at the boy’s response, hesitation evident in his expression.
“..Hm. Kid’s got spirit.” He chuckled, and soon, his comrades had joined in.
“..But he wasn’t–.. He wasn’t answering me,” The green-haired woman cried out.
Mitsuki and Masaru had to step closer to comfort the weeping woman. Both of them had gloomy looks on their faces.
Katsuki didn’t like it. Not a single bit.
“So I tried to– I went to his– His room-.. I went to his room,”
The man nodded curtly.
“Alright then. You seem serious about it. Good. A deal’s a deal. If ya wanna make this work, you have to fulfill your end of the bargain.” The stranger had calmly replied, which greatly contrasted the dark look on his face.
The boy promptly tossed a large bag at his feet, emitting a loud THUMP throughout the alleyway.
The man eyed the object.
He raised both his index and middle finger in the cold air, and gestured for his companions to come forward. Two tall men had come closer, unzipping the duffel bag and presenting its contents to their leader.
They were all greeted with green.
The man grinned widely.
“..Wonderful. Let’s get right to it, shall we?”
As if on cue, two more men had stepped closer and approached the boy from behind, each grabbing both of his arms. The boy was quick to react, immediately struggling against the hands that restrained him.
“H-Hey! What the fuck?!” The young male retorted.
The leader took a leisurely stroll towards the boy, before glowering down at him.
“..Shh, take it easy, Inko,” Mitsuki had tried to comfort her friend by gently rubbing circles onto the weeping woman’s back. But it was to no avail, seeing as the woman had only weeped harder. “It’s okay, take your time—”
“No— No, his room– It was– He was-..” Inko struggled to form words through tears. “It was dark, so dark-.. Nothing was– There was nothing left,” The woman had brought a hand up to cover her own mouth, muffedly sobbing.
Katsuki was overwhelmed.
He glanced at his own mother, frustrated and desperate to know what the fuck was going on.
“..What is she talking about?” He asked quietly.
Mitsuki couldn’t give an answer, only looking away with a pained expression painted across her face. He glanced at Masaru. His father offered the same expression. So he only looked at Inko.
The woman was clutching something close to her chest.
“Well, well. Congratulations, kid,”
“..You officially have a quirk now.” The man grinned from ear to ear.
The young boy only looked up in trepidation, completely surrendering as he came to realize that there was no escape. Not this time.
“Things are only getting started. You’ll be a new man after all of this. I’d say not to get too excited though,” The man laughed, turning around and slowly walking away. And then he paused in his tracks, tilting his head to the side.
“..Because it’ll hurt like a bitch.”
Katsuki realized that it was a figurine.
A small figurine that he knew all too well.
He’d seen it enough times to know what it was, even from miles away. He got it first when he was a kid. He played with it all the time. With his playmates. With his friends. With him.
Yeah, that’s right. He had one identical to his.
“This–.. This was the only thing I saw,” Inko Midoriya sobbed relentlessly, endless tears now streaming down on her exhausted face. “My son! Katsuki-.. Yesterday, you-.. You are the only one who knows him–! I have to know where—!! ” Both Masaru and Mitsuki were holding the woman up at this point, to prevent her from collapsing down to the floor. And Katsuki only did nothing but watch.
He always loved it when he’s right about everything. He kept bragging about it to everyone all the time. So why didn’t he love it when he knew he was right about what was happening?
Why wasn’t he happy when he knew it was about Deku?
“This– This wasn’t in our deal!”
The boy yelped when he felt a pinch on his neck.
One of the man’s goons had injected something into him. He tried to struggle once more, slowly becoming dizzier and dizzier by the minute.
And then, before the world turned black, he heard the man once more.
“Pleasure doing business with ya, kid.”
Katsuki Bakugou did nothing but watch as the mother of his former childhood friend had broken down and spiraled into heartbreak in front of his hospital bed.
He felt like he couldn’t do anything at that moment, because of the fact that he had just literally woken up from being knocked unconscious. If someone were to wake up and have a sobbing woman at the foot of their bed right after, they wouldn’t know what to do either. It wasn’t his fault, so why did he feel so fucking guilty? He was so overwhelmed with emotions that confused him.
He knew he had done nothing, but it felt like he had done everything.
“My Izuku, ” The woman cried out, holding the small All Might figurine near her heart.
That day made Katsuki rethink everything.
His words. His actions. His thoughts. What he was capable of feeling.
“—My Izuku is gone.” Inko Midoriya bawled out.
The day Izuku Midoriya had run away and went missing.