Disclaimer: I do not own BNHA (My Hero Acadamia).

Warnings: Bullying and mentions of suicide.

In a world where 80% of the world had a supernatural ability of some sort. In a world where 20% of the world had no superpowers at all. It was hard, in a world like that, to be apart of the 20%. It was hard to be looked at with either pitying or disgusted looks for not having a supernatural ability. He should know, he was part of the minority in the world.

And whoever said kids could be cruel was right. You wouldn't think so, since they all looked so tiny and innocent. But their words cut deeper than one would think. He wondered how many people would have to commit suicide, how many people would have to live their lives in depression, how many people would have to take the hate with a smile, for people to realize that their words hurt. One was already too many, but the tormentors didn't seem to notice that.

"Izuku… are you okay?" Izuku paused and realized he'd been spacing out. Another moment of hesitation and then he nodded rapidly.

"Yeah, mom. I'm fine." he said, a small smile creeping onto his features. He watched his mom's shoulders relax in relief, obviously glad there wasn't anything wrong. And maybe there wasn't, he couldn't be too sure anymore. He did know that this was the life he'd lived since he was 4 years old, always being shunned for his lack of quirk. He wasn't quite sure if it was right or wrong, but he thought of it more as… just normal. There wasn't really anything else to it. "I've got to go now. See you soon."

"Oh, okay. Bye, sweetie, have a good day at school!"

Yeah, sure. Wouldn't that just be hilarious? He couldn't remember the last time he'd had 'a good day at school'. The best days of his school life was when he managed to hide in the back of the class and deep inside his school uniform. Being ignored was much better than being pushed around, after all.

He shut the front door behind him and walked the familiar route to school, though, if he was lucky, after this year he'd either prove that he was strong, or at the very least never have to see any of his classmates again. Since it was the last year of middle school, everyone was going to enroll in a Hero School. Being quirkless, Izuku would try to enroll at U.A. (his dream school) but if it didn't work, maybe that was for the best. Maybe it would be better for him to not get into U.A. (because getting accepted meant most likely having to go to school with HIM for yet another year).

Izuku walked into school with his head down, as he'd learned to do. It was better for everyone if he remained hidden (especially for him). Of course, when your head was down, you couldn't see where you were going, but getting beat up looking at the ground, was better than looking the assailant in the eye, in his opinion. Looking at the ground made it much easier to forget, made him much more pathetic, made them stop faster. When he looked them in the eye, it made them think he was challenging them (which he wasn't, but it was the implication of the action, not the actual meaning of it that made it hurt more.)

And like most days at school, he had a most unfortunate encounter with several people he bumped into on the way to the first class of the day. He quickly apologized and bowed deeply before moving onward before his classmates could register HE'D bumped into them. He had a very strict list to help him survive every school day.

1. Keep your head down when you enter, when you're in class, when you walk through the halls, in the cafeteria, and when you left school.

2. Do NOT linger in the halls. Grab what you need from the locker and quickly leave.

3. Do NOT be caught anywhere alone! Stay in crowded places!

4. If you bump into someone VERY QUICKLY apologize and go before they have time to register that it's you.

5. Don't go to the bathroom, EVER.

6. Get dressed for gym and get out of the lockers as quickly as possible!

7. Always be polite.

8. Never talk back.

9. Don't insult anyone intentional or not EVER.

10. And whatever you do NEVER, EVER, EVER, EVER run into HIM!

And that was his list to survive. Now, if he did happen to break these rules, he had a list to help him do that as well.

1. If you fail to complete rule number one or forget about it quickly resume it.

2. If you fail to complete rule number two or forget about it, take the consequences and go about your school day once you get in. You can cry when you get home.

3. If you fail to complete rule number three or forget about it, take the consequences and try not to limp around. You can cry when you get home.

4. If you fail to complete rule number four or forget about it, let them yell at you. You can cry when you get home.

5. If you fail to complete rule number five or forget about it, hope no one else is in the bathroom.

6. If you fail to complete rule number six or forget about it, take the consequences and hope it doesn't affect your gym performance (not that you were ever very good at it to begin with). You can cry when you get home.

7. If you fail to complete rule number seven or forget about it, quickly apologize and continue on.

8. If you fail to complete rule number eight or forget about it, quickly shake your head and agree. Say you don't know what came over you and apologize. Hope they are forgiving.

9. If you fail to complete rule number nine or forget about it, take the consequences with a strong face. You can cry when you get home.

10. If you fail to complete rule number ten or forget about it, look at the ground and try not to cry. You can cry when you get home.

Most days he never failed or forgot any rules. There were only ten after all. But on the rare occasion that he did, the consequences made him try even harder the next day. It was hard, to live this way all the time, but it made him appreciate the little things in life.

Unfortunately, today he had the horrible luck of breaking rule ten. It happened occasionally, but that was the one rule he vowed to try his hardest not to break. Because it hurt him the most. Today was not a lucky day though, as he was very aware of when he bumped into someone. Again. For this, he once again referred to rule four, but what he didn't realize (because his head was still down) was that following rule four was a VERY bad idea in this scenario. In fact, saying anything was a VERY bad idea.

"Deku…" Izuku tensed when he heard the name, uttered from the person he feared the most.

"K-Kacchan." He cursed himself. He was so stupid! What did he not understand about, 'don't say anything'? It was very straight forward and simple!

Katsuki didn't think Izuku should be allowed to breathe the same AIR as him. God forbid he say anything like an actual human! "S-sorry. I'll go now." He should've known his efforts were utterly useless.

People were already starting to scatter as soon as they heard his name pass through Katsuki's mouth, and Izuku wished more than anything he could be one of those people. He tried to walk away (another terrible mistake). But Izuku's reasoning was clouded by the dread he felt in the pit of his stomach. He felt the back of his collar grabbed, and the moment his body was slammed against one of the lockers. Izuku's breath was stolen from him upon contact and a quick glance around, told him that he and Bakugou were alone. Great, he'd broken rule number 4, rule number 3, AND rule number 10. He was going to die today.

"I-I'm sorry." Izuku said. "P-please Kacchan. I have to go."

"YOU'LL GO WHEN I SAY YOU GO!"

Izuku flinched at the loud voice, practically in his ear. Really, he should've been used to it by now, but he just really wasn't. Izuku was a rather level-headed person when it came to rage, which was why he just couldn't understand Katsuki's outrage all the time. If he had to be so angry all the time, it would exhaust him. He knew, because being scared all the time really took it out of him. On some days, he would wake up and not care anymore. And after a day of pain, he would remember why he cared. If he was scared, he wouldn't get hurt so much.

"WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO TALK TO ME, HUH?"

"I-I…" Izuku stuttered and then shut his mouth, as he realized it was probably a rhetorical question. Just look at the ground and don't talk, take it, distance yourself from it, block it out, you can cry later, when you get home. It never worked when faced with Kacchan though. His eyes were already watering. Who knew fear could be so intense, and who knew another kid his age could put it there. But then again, Izuku had always hated it when people yelled at him. Especially when he didn't do anything to deserve it. The unfairness, the helplessness, the inferiority. Screamed at like he was an object without feelings. It hurt. It hurt so much. He wanted to scream, to tell him to stop, to tell him he didn't deserve it. TO SPEAK UP! But he never could. He could only bite his tongue and try not to cry while his heart pounded in his ears, anxiety piling up inside him, running so deep that anything relating to things like this made his stomach churn and his heart pound.

"GOD, WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SO USELESS, DEKU!"

He was sorry. It wasn't as if he WANTED to be useless. "NO ONE LIKES STUPID, USELESS THINGS!" It hurt because he was right. Izuku himself threw useless things away. 'But I'm not an object!' he wanted to scream, but he couldn't. Of course he couldn't.

"I-I'm sorry!" he cried, though really he should've stayed silent.

"Tch." Katsuki gave him a look. "Great, you stupid nerd. You made me late." He grumbled and backed off. Izuku felt the moment the moment his shoulders were released, as his feet touched the floor, his knees buckled under him. Everything hurt. Everything. Whoever said words will never hurt me was wrong. Katsuki's words went deep, deeper than any bruise. The bruises faded, faded until there was no sign it had ever been there. Bakugou's words left deep, jagged gashes inside him, slowly closing, scarring over, but always there. Always hurting, always a reminder.

What defined a person? Was it their actions, their words, their status? If that were so, than he really was useless. He was no one, nothing mattered. He would never amount to anything. Who was he? Who was he if he couldn't even stand up? Who was he if he was always on his hands and knees, crawling around, hoping to disappear into the floor. Was that who he was? Was that how he was destined to be? Was that who he was? If that was true, he didn't know if there was anything worth living like that. He didn't want to be like that. He wanted to be a hero, he wanted to save people with a fearless smile. But he couldn't. He didn't have what it took, didn't have the strength, he didn't have the bravery. He was useless, after all.

And here he was, on his knees again, tears streaming down his face. No! Follow rule ten. 'You can cry when you get home! You can't stop now, you can't break… another… rule.' But it was useless telling himself this. The tears were already falling faster than he could count.

Yes, visits with Kacchan hurt the most. More than any others. He was a sign of Izuku's own failure. Every time he laid eyes on him he was reminded. Katsuki destroyed his confidence, his self-esteem, his spirit. And if he couldn't even take a bit of verbal abuse, what hope did he have of stopping villains who would make him question this very world?

Did he think the quirkless who jumped off the side of the building were stupid? Weak? Selfish? No, he didn't. He didn't think like that, like so many other people did. In a few ways, he was one of the lucky ones. His mother loved him so much, more than any person should love someone so useless.

And the worst part, was that he couldn't bring himself to hate any of his classmates. He couldn't bring himself to despise them. They were just kids, just like him. Whether they knew how much their words truly hurt or not, it didn't really matter.

He would not judge them, would not judge them like he had been judged. He had been defined as weak and useless (a horrible misconception, he had told himself before) and he would not subject his classmates to the same fate. He would not define them, he would not judge them. He was not them. He hadn't any idea what any of them were like.

And in the end, didn't they all wear a mask? All they saw was the scared him, the subdued him, never the him who could ramble for hours about heroes or smile without a second thought or who was a very good listener. He only knew his classmates as the people who destroyed him, not who they were beyond that. There was more than he saw, just as there was more than they saw.

He couldn't even hate Katsuki. He was scared of him yes, but whenever he saw him he would always remember the confident boy who always won, no matter what, and could lead like second nature. He was so very different from Izuku, that he had been attracted to him from the moment he laid eyes on him. Like a moth might be attracted to a flame. Izuku hadn't understood then, that he might be burned if he got too close. And he never really seemed to learn, either.

Either way, he couldn't bring himself to go to class now. Not when his eyes were red from crying, not when it would just give everyone another chance to see how weak he was.

Biting his lip, Izuku slowly made his way to the bathroom, just to splash some water on his face (and now he'd broken rule 5). He told himself it would be very quick, no one would be in there anyway.

Opening the door, he was surprised to see Kacchan there too. (How could he be so stupid as to break rule 10 twice in one day)! "Um… I'm sorry." Izuku slowly backed out. He thought Kacchan had gone to class (he'd been complaining about being late, after all).

"Deku, why the HELL do you keep interrupting me today?" it would've been a normal question, except Izuku could clearly hear the underlying tone of anger (no surprise there though).

"Uh… I don't mean to!" Izuku said quickly, waving his hands frantically in front of his face. "I'm sorry!" he bowed slightly.

"God you're insufferable." Katsuki said, glaring in his direction. "I really hate you, Deku."

It made Izuku's heart sink. Kacchan had said a lot of mean things before but… he HATED him? That was new, and it was a stab in his chest. "I'm sorry." Was all he could say. Great, more stupid tears came to his eyes. "You're a stupid crybaby, a nerd, and you're not only useless, you're pathetic and weak. It makes me sick."

Izuku had always thought screaming in his ear was the worst thing Kacchan could ever do to him. But without the screaming the words that might've been said on a regular basis, suddenly took on a whole new meaning for him. And he hated he was only proving Katsuki right when more tears started sliding down his cheeks. Katsuki stared at the mirror, and his next words twisted the knife, buried in his heart. "You want to be a hero so bad? Go jump off the roof. Then you'd be everyone's hero. I realize I've been looking at this wrong. You shouldn't fight the problem, you should remove it."

"T-the problem?"

"You Deku. God, how stupid can you be?"

Izuku would never really be able to understand why he did it. But he could say he regretted it as soon as he strode five steps across the room, and shoved Katsuki as hard as he could. The moment his hands connected and sent his ex-best friend tumbling on the ground, Izuku knew this was probably his last day on Earth. Because now he hadn't just broken the rules, he'd blowtorched them and watched them burn. There was a very long pause after. Izuku knew Katsuki wasn't really hurt, because he could never hurt Kacchan. But, he had obviously shocked him because of the wide red eyes he sported, and his mouth hanging slightly open was what revealed his true emotions. "K-Kacchan, I'm sorry." He felt terrible. He'd pushed someone, he'd pushed Kacchan. "I don't know what happened." He whispered. "I just couldn't take it anymore and I…" he REALLY needed to stop rambling and he did, once Katsuki's face changed from shock to rage in a mere second.

"You… Deku, you…" And then there was an almost animalistic cry of rage, and Izuku knew he wasn't going to survive this. Still, he instantly curled into a ball when Katsuki lunged for him, taking him to the ground with ease, a slew of curses, each more horrible than the last, spewing from his mouth. Izuku felt and heard the floor being smashed with Katsuki's fist, right beside his head. The horrible, smarting, aching pain he expected never came (the unfortunate floor beside him, was another story) "TCH, STUPID DEKU! NEXT TIME I'LL KILL YOU!" He screamed at Izuku and continued punching the floor over and over, until he tired himself out, panting, he glared at Izuku with a fury he'd never seen before. Honestly, Izuku was surprised he wasn't a bloody mess, smeared across the walls of the bathroom.

But Kacchan had never really been interested in beating him up, had he? "I'm sorry." Izuku said, and he really was. It wasn't okay to push someone. He knew that, even if he himself was pushed around all the time. Katsuki still glared at him, but it seemed as if he'd calmed from his unsatisfiable rage.

"Hmph, whatever." He grumbled. Izuku slowly uncurled himself from his pitiful ball formation, now that he was fairly sure Katsuki wasn't going to kill him anymore, though he was still pinning him.

"Kacchan, your hand…" Izuku said quietly, gently grabbing his wrist and inspecting it. His hand was bloody and all bruised and messed up from punching the ground so many times. Katsuki snarled and yanked his hand away.

"Freaking Deku!" he hissed. "You're always so quick to help. You're so stupid! You're the weak one, the useless one! And I don't need someone weak and useless of all things worrying about me! I'm the one with an actual quirk! I'm the one who's going to U.A. and become a professional hero!"

"O-of course Kacchan. I just… I just thought maybe you were hurt." Katsuki growled and Izuku determined that maybe he shouldn't have said that.

"Well even if I was, you should be worrying about yourself!" Izuku felt himself poked hard in the chest and bit his lip to keep from whining.

"Sorry…" Izuku muttered. "Then… are you going to the nurse?"

"Hell no!" Katsuki cried. "And explain that I destroyed the floor and have to pay for it or something? I don't think so! Are you TRYING to ruin my chances of getting into U.A.!"

"Of course not, Kacchan!" Izuku cried nervously. "I'd never!"

"Yeah right, you would have every reason to!"

"B-but I don't! I'm happy for you Kacchan! You… you get to do something amazing. Something that I'll probably never get to do and I…" Izuku bit his lip. "I envy that."

"You what." His face was so blank, the question so flat, Izuku couldn't decide whether it was rhetorical or not.

"Envy you. You get to be a hero, you get to save people, and become famous, and be the number one hero! You… You get to be… to be loved."

"God, what is wrong with you? I swear, you're like some helpless toddler!"

"I know… I'm sorry." Izuku felt a fist whoosh past his head and smash on the ground again.

"SHUT UP, YOU STUPID NERD! I HATE IT WHEN YOU FREAKING APOLOGIZE! JUST SHUT UP AND BE A MAN! YOU'RE LIKE A GIRL WITH HOW MUCH YOU CRY OVER NOTHING!"

That was a bit stereotypical, but Izuku wisely didn't comment on that. "I'm sorry… I mean… uh…" Izuku didn't know what to say if Kacchan hated that he apologized. His automatic response was to apologize for apologizing so much, but that would only irritate Katsuki more. Instead he said, "Um… Kacchan, I know you don't want my help but… I have a first-aid kit in my locker, if you want, I could go get it."

"Why do you have a stupid first-aid kit in your stupid locker, stupid Deku?"

"Um… I always come… prepared?" he tried. Was Katsuki really so oblivious to all the beatings he received on a weekly basis? Maybe he was, Kacchan had always been a bit oblivious about social norms.

"Whatever. Fine." he said and slowly got off of Deku, finally unpinning him. "But if you don't come back… I'LL KILL YOU!" Izuku jumped at the suddenly loud voice and nodded quickly, before hurrying out of the bathroom. When out, he let out a sigh of relief. It had been high stress back there, but it was over. He'd have to come back, but out of Kacchan's presence he could breathe a little easier.

The empty halls were a little unnerving, but soon, he reached his locker and grabbed the first-aid. 'Just breathe' he told himself, but it was barely helping the way his stomach was twisting up in horrible knots. Izuku tightened his hold and turned around, only to swiftly bump into someone. Referring to rule number 4, he quickly mumbled an apology and bowed, hoping to scurry off before the person realized it was him. (he broke rule number 1 by glancing wildly around, but he quickly corrected this mistake when bumping into someone). "I'm sorry." He said, and started walking, but felt his arm roughly grabbed, by his classmate.

Really, he should've noticed something off before, but he hadn't (he'd been to busy being anxious). But he'd failed to wonder what this person was doing out in the hallways when it was class time, and he'd failed to find the answer.

That is until he felt his body slammed against the locker, much like he was earlier that day, but even harder, even rougher, and Izuku hadn't known that was possible. He couldn't contain the yelp that echoed through the halls upon contact. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't see you there! Please forgive me!" Izuku cried, hoping this would dissuade him.

"Shut up." His classmate said. Izuku couldn't even recognize him, but he didn't really know anyone outside his class anyway, so it wasn't too strange. "You want to tell me why the hell you're skipping class, filth?" he spat out the words harshly, it made Izuku flinch a little.

He'd used all his fighting spirit up today when pushing Kacchan earlier, and he had no desire left to fight. "I-I'm sorry. I just… just had to get something from my locker real quick." Izuku said. "The teacher said I could come get it, so if I'm not back soon the teacher will wonder where I am and someone will come looking for me." Izuku said.

"Is that a threat?" the boy hissed. Oh God, he just broke rule number 7 AND 9 in one go!

"No!" and there went rule number 8 "I-I mean…" he stuttered. "I'm sorry!" he said again, but sorry obviously didn't cut it. Izuku saw stars when his classmate punched his jaw and his head slammed back against the locker. He felt a little numb, but he did register his body hitting the ground, and a foot slamming into his stomach over and over. "S-stop…" Izuku said, feeling tears come to his eyes for the third time that day. He was always the victim, another defining reason he could never be a hero.

It hurt, it hurt so bad. He couldn't hold back a choked sob that crawled it's way out, even though he was breathless, and blinded, numb, and his ears were ringing. Izuku curled into a ball, taking the stomps, the laughs, and the jeering words.

His tears dripped onto the hard school floor and he shut his eyes tight, sobbing silently, hurting silently, screaming silently. "FREAKING DEKU, QUIT YOUR FREAKING WHINING YOU FREAKING, STUPID NERD!" Izuku slowly opened his eyes.

"K-Kacchan…" he whimpered.

"CON-FREAKING-GRATS, YOU REALLY ARE A GENIUS!" he yelled, and grabbed Izuku by the arm, his grip so tight it almost hurt, and dragged him to his feet. Izuku wiped his face and his hand came away, it was dark with blood. It scared him a little, even with all the beatings there'd NEVER been that much blood. "You truly are a deku, Deku." Katsuki grumbled and pried the first aid, Izuku had latched onto for dear life, out of his hands.

"Sorry." And then he remembered Kacchan didn't like apologizing, but it was already too late to take it back. Katsuki growled and grabbed some tissues from the first-aid and shoved them in his hands.

"There. Your nose is bleeding so freaking take care of it, it's gross." Izuku nodded and pinched his nose with one of the tissues.

"Um… where's the guy?" Izuku asked, his voice coming out a bit funny.

"I put it where trash belongs."

Izuku didn't comment on the fact Katsuki had just called their classmate an 'it' and nodded silently. There was a pause between them that lasted for a minute or two and then Izuku said, "Thank you, Kacchan…"

"For what?" Katsuki bit out, glaring at him. "I didn't save you because I freaking wanted to! I did it because I said if you didn't come back I'D kill you! And I can't let some stupid prick do it before I do, got it, ya nerd!" Katsuki slammed his fist on one of the locker doors and then winced, cradling the already injured hand, muttering curse after curse under his breath.

Izuku blinked at him and then started to laugh, truly laughed. And he couldn't remember the last time he'd done that on school grounds. "WHY ARE YOU FREAKING LAUGHING YOU NO-GOOD, STUPID, USELESS, NERDY, QUIRKLESS, IDIOTIC, WEAK, CRYBABY, MUMBLING, PRICK!"

"S-sorry, Kacchan." Izuku wheezed, trying to stop the laughter. "But, you really shouldn't punch anything, your fist is still bruised, and you could hurt yourself." Izuku said, gently grabbing his hand, inspecting it with a now concerned expression. Katsuki still glared at him, but he didn't yank his hand away this time, which Izuku counted as a good sign.

"I hate you…" he grumbled. Izuku winced.

"Please don't say that Kacchan, it hurts."

"AND WHY WOULD I CARE IF IT HURTS, NERD?"

Izuku shrunk away from him, letting go of his hand. "I'm sorry." He said.

"I TOLD YOU TO STOP APOLOGIZING!"

"I know…" Izuku said, his heart pounding. "I… I should go."

"DIDN'T I TELL YOU THAT YOU CAN LEAVE WHEN I SAY YOU CAN!"

"Y-yes…"

"THEN THAT'S WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN! GOT IT, NERD?"

"Yes." Izuku said softly, feeling tears. He really hated it when people yelled at him.

"Well then go!" Izuku jumped and started hurrying away to his class. "Not that way, stupid!" Izuku felt Katsuki, snatch his wrist and drag him the opposite way. He found himself being thrown through the door of the boys bathroom once again. Barely catching himself before he fell, Izuku straightened up and turned towards Katsuki who looked like he was about to murder him (but he always looked like that).

"I'm sorry Kacchan." For whatever it was he did. "But please… d-don't hurt—."

"Sit." He ordered.

"But—."

"SIT!"

Izuku obediently sat on the floor, trembling slightly. Kacchan sat too and opened the first aid. "You've still got lots of bruises and stuff. You're the one who should probably go to the nurse."

"I don't want to. Then I'd have to explain that not only did a skip class, but I'd have to explain that I got bullied and I don't want him to get in trouble…" Izuku said.

"Oh yeah? Well would you rather him or me get in trouble?"

"Uh…" he gulped. "Him?" Izuku asked softly.

"Good. Then either you tell and get him into trouble, or I'll beat the guy within an inch of his life, and I'll get in trouble." Katsuki said.

"But that's not fair…" Izuku whimpered.

"The world's not fair, Deku. You of all people should know that." Katsuki was right, he really should. It wasn't fair he was stuck without a quirk, when his dream was to become a hero. "And you should also know, Deku, that if you can't even stand up for yourself, how will you ever be a hero and stand up for others?"

Kacchan was right, again. Though Izuku honestly hadn't been expecting Katsuki to say something deep like that (especially to him). "I'll try to be better from now on, Kacchan. And… stand up for myself." It felt weird, those words coming from his mouth, but they did give him a sense of empowerment. "Thank you." Izuku threw his arms around Bakugou (on reflex).

"Pfft, shut up… AND FREAKING LET GO OF ME YA NERD!"

"Sorry." Izuku said softly, slowly pulling away. He sniffed and wiped the tears he hadn't realized were there, away. And oops, he'd just apologized again. Well, there was nothing they could do about that.

"Whatever…" Katsuki grumbled. "AND IF I GET DETENTION I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"

"Okay…" Izuku said, smiling just a little.

Yes, it was hard being in the minority, and living every day like he was stepping on glass, trying not to crack it. But if there was anything he'd learned today, it was that breaking the rules sometimes led to something wonderful (not the law or anything but… maybe he could change things up a little every now and then). And he'd also realized what defined a person. What defined them? Was it their actions? No. Was it their words? No. Was it their status? No. And did that mean if he cried he was a useless nobody? No. That was not who he was. You couldn't define a person. A person wasn't a word, with a singular meaning, not something that could be dissected. If he was a crybaby now, then so be it. That only meant he had room to grow, room to change. It only meant everyone had room to grow and change.

And could he be a hero without a quirk? He didn't need anyone to tell him the answer. He knew he could be a hero without a quirk. Because being a hero was a word, and it could be defined. A hero was someone who helped people, and he could help people, whether he had the hero occupation or not.

Because he wasn't weak, and he wasn't useless. People made him feel like he was sometimes, but now he knew he wasn't. Not everything changed overnight, it didn't become okay overnight, people didn't stop bullying him overnight. But over time, he would learn true courage, true bravery, and what it meant to be a hero. People could judge them anyway they wanted, but he had peace in knowing that wasn't who he was, peoples opinions didn't define him.

"Kacchan, are we friends now?" Izuku asked softly.

"LIKE HELL WE ARE!"

Izuku blinked at him. "Is that a yes?"

"HELL NO!"

"But… you don't hate me anymore?"

"NO!"

"No you don't? Or no you do?"

Katsuki stared at him in confusion, not understanding what he was saying. And of course, what Katsuki didn't understand, usually made him furious. "NO!" he screamed again.

"No what?"

"… I DON'T KNOW! SHUT UP BEFORE I KILL YOU!"

"Kacchan, please answer the question." Izuku begged. "Do you hate me or not?"

"YES!"

Izuku decided to take that as Katsuki not hating him anymore. "Oh, I'm so happy, Kacchan!" And coming from Izuku, that was rare. He usually wasn't happy when anywhere near the cursed building, and he very rarely shouted it to the heavens. And, as if he'd forgotten last time, he flung his arms around Katsuki again.

"You never learn, do you? You really are stupid, Deku." Katsuki grumbled. He hadn't told Izuku to let go yet, and so he didn't (and wouldn't until Bakugou told him to).

"I was scared of you this morning." Izuku whispered.

"Yeah, I know, it was great. What the hell happened to that?"

"I don't know… but I'm glad. It was exhausting, being afraid of you. Is it exhausting being mad at me?"

"No."

"Haha, Kacchan, I didn't know you were practicing jokes."

"I'm not."

"Funny again."

"LISTEN YOU FREAKING NERD, I'LL RIP YOU APART!" But Izuku doubted it.

"You're hugging me."

"I'M TRYING TO SQUEEZE THE LIFE OUT OF YOU!"

Izuku decided to let Bakugou keep his pride and didn't say anything more about it, though he did still smile a bit. "I don't think I've talked to you this much since we were 4." Izuku said, sighing. "I mean, today has been so crazy, and with everything happening today, it's a miracle things ended up like this, I mean who would've thought. I certainly wouldn't have with how much bad history we have between us, not that you had anything to do with that haha, I just meant that we never really got along since we were four years old, and now I… feel… like…"

All Katsuki heard was 'mumble, mumble, mumble' and it annoyed the hell out of him. "SHUT UP AND QUIT MUMBLING! YOU SOUND LIKE AN IDIOT, DEKU!"

"Oh, was I mumbling." Izuku clapped a hand over his mouth. "I'm sorry."

Izuku barely slipped out of Kacchan's grasp before he was tackled to the floor. "Ahh, Kacchan, whatever I did, I'm sorry."

"DEKU!" He screamed. "I'M GONNA FREAKING KILL YOU, YOU STUPID NERD!" He lunged again.

"I'm sorry!"

"STOP APOLOGIZING! IT MAKES ME WANT TO KILL YOU!"

Izuku scampered out of the bathroom, and ran down the hall, Kacchan raging after him like a wild dog or something. He ran all the way to the creek where Kacchan had fallen in the water all those years ago. Running alongside it, it wasn't long before Izuku felt himself scooped up in Katsuki's arms. He yelped when he was tossed unceremoniously into the shallow water. He sat up, soaking wet now, and thinking about how he was going to get in SO much trouble for this. "Ha! You look so stupid Deku." Katsuki barked, laughter coming from him.

"Kacchan, don't laugh." Izuku whined slightly. "And it's cold in here."

"Oh, poor baby." Katsuki said sarcastically, wading in the water. Izuku stared at the hand that was offered to him with a bit of confusion. "Well, freaking take it!" Izuku quickly did, but he couldn't help but think it ironic, how they'd ended up like this, here again, in switched up rolls, after so long. At last, it was Katsuki helping him, and it made tears come to his eyes.

"OI! WHY ARE YOUR EYES RAINING AGAIN!"

Izuku chuckled and wiped his tears. "It's nothing." he said, now stood up, his calves still a bit wet though. "Kacchan…" Izuku said softly. "I… I love you."

"THE HELL!"

"What?" Izuku asked in confusion.

"YOU LOVE ME? WHAT IS THAT CRAP! ARE YOU GAY OR SOMETHING YOU NERD!"

"Huh? Ah, no. I'm not. I just meant… oh um." Izuku flushed red in embarrassment, realizing how his confession might be taken. "No, I just meant, that I think of you as a very good friend and since we've been together since childhood and everything, I thought that… oh never mind, it was completely stupid and I shouldn't have put it like that, and it was the worst and I..." 'mumble, mumble, mumble'. Katsuki tuned him out until he heard, "I'm sorry!"

There was a moment of silence.

"I'm gonna slap you…"

"I'm sorry!"

Oh yes, and Izuku found himself falling in the creek again. "Shut up." Katsuki said and stomped off.

Izuku clenched his fists. No, a person was indefinable in fact, he'd say the very definition of a person was indefinable (although he really wanted to label Kacchan as rude!). But he knew that now, and it led him to become the greatest hero in the world. But for now… "Wait!" Izuku cried running after him. "Kacchan I'm sorry!"

"ARGH!"

A/N Here it is, my submission for BNHA (My Hero Acadamia). I hope you enjoyed, I had a lot of fun writing it (After hours of writing ridiculous 'civil war' memes, while telling myself I need to write something of importance. Five hours later (and a lot of songs) this comes pouring out of me! I was a bit tempted to turn this into a romantic fic, but I decided from the beginning it was going to be friendship. I probably wrote Bakugou and Izuku OOC, but I hoped it was okay. I feel like Bakugou isn't angry enough (I really tried, but I'm not like Bakugou at all. If anything, I'm Izuku. I also think most of us are Izukus.) Anyway, so I hope you enjoyed it, I did put a lot of work into it and planning it and stuff.

So, I would love reviews! They make my day!

Random fact: (this is probably the most all-caps I have used in a single story... ever).