Izuku was looking forward to sleeping in on the weekend. School wore him out like crazy, even though he did truly enjoy nuzzled his face deeper into the warm pillows and drifted back to sleep.
"Izuku?" His mom called from the other side of the door, waking him from his peaceful dreams."Honey you have to get up and pack, or else we will be late!"
Izuku felt his green eyes snap open. He rubbed bleary eyes and stumbled over to the door "Pack for what?" He asked when he opened his door. His curls where sticking in every direction. His mom was dressed head to toe in hiking gear, an excited gleam to her eye.
"For camping with the Bakugous! Didn't I tell you?" She inquired with a head tilt. She gathered that she must not have going by the blank, and slightly panicked, look on her son's freckled face. "Hurry up sweetie! Mitsuki said she would be here to pick us up at up at 8 a.m. sharp, and if we weren't ready by then, she was dragging us out the door in our pajamas!"
"...eh?" The similarities between Auntie Mitsuki and her son were almost uncanny.
Katsuki was sulking in the backseat in the car looking pissed off when he noticed his mother stopped at the Midoriya's. He glanced at his mom in the rear view mirror in curiosity, "What are we doing here hag?" He didn't like that smug look on her face.
"What do you mean? We're here to pick up Inko and her son of course!"
Katsuki let her words sink in and quickly bolted for the door. His mother hit the locks as soon as he got a grip on the handle and pulled uselessly. "You think that will stop me ya old hag!?" He yelled as he lit up explosions in his hands, immediately ceasing when he heard his mother ominously say
"Break my car and I break your face!"
"..." He gave and irritated huff and threw himself back into his seat, glaring pointedly out he window.
Inko wasn't having much more luck with her son. He was practically in tears as his mother dragged him behind her. She was reminded of the first day she brought Izuku to Kindergarten. Luckily Katsuki was there and he immediately clung to the other boy's side when his mother left.
"Mom, I don't wanna go! You don't understand, he's gonna kill me! He's going to use this as a perfect opportunity to murder me and then hide my body in the woods!" He whined, tugging against his mother's surprisingly strong grip. His mother gave an exasperated sigh
"Honey, I don't know what is going on between you and Katsuki at the moment, but maybe use this weekend as an opportunity to get over it." She stopped in front of Mitsuki's car and her friend stepped out, dressed for the outdoors, while still looking stylish. Inko was a little envious of her friend's ability to make anything look good.
"Anything I can help with?" The blond woman offered helpfully.
Inko nodded towards her son, "I just need to go get the bags, I had my hands full with this one." She let out another sigh. Mitsuki let out a feral grin.
"Not a problem!" She chirped as she grabbed Izuku by his shirt, opened the car door, and promptly shoved him in the back seat with Katsuki, he barely caught himself in time to avoid landing in the explosive teen's lap. He didn't want to know how the other would respond to that, probably with violence. "Capture complete!" She cheered with a wide grin.
"Capture?" Inko giggled as Mitsuki followed her into the house to grab the bags. Leaving her son with his potential would be killer.
"G-good morning Kacchan." He tried softly.
"Fuck off fuckface!" He responded harshly, not even turning from the window to face the other, not that Izuku was really surprised. An uncomfortable silence filled the car and Izuku shifted uneasily.
"This is so awkward!" He thought painfully as he looked down at his lap crestfallen. When the two women got back to the vehicle he thought he could finally breath again. Katsuki ignored him the entire ride up to the camping grounds. If either mom were aware of the suffocating tension in the backseat , they didn't show it, chatting happily the entire way there. As soon as they pulled into their site and Mitsuki unlocked the doors, Katsuki was out the car. Mitsuki stretched her arms over her head with a happy groan before popping open the trunk to grab their gear.
"Oi Katsuki! Get over here and help!" she yelled over to her son who grumbled but did as she asked.
"I should probably help too." Izuku thought as he went over to the trunk, grabbing the biggest bag he could find(the heaviest too) grunting with exertion. "Did the bag just get lighter?" He thought to himself with a look of confusion.
"Oi fuckface! Don't do things that you aren't able too, it pisses me off!" Katsuki was standing over his shoulder lifting the bag that he had trouble with using both of his arms, with just one. Izuku stared enviously at the muscular arm and back to his own thin one. Katsuki just scoffed, yanked the bag out with more force than necessary and stalked away. Leaving the boy to his depressed thoughts as he once again self-consciously rubbed his arms, before pulling out another, much smaller, bag this time.
"Old Hag, Where do you want this shit!?" the hot tempered teen called out to his equally hot tempered mom. Who yelled back.
"Huh!? Just put over with the rest of the shit!"
When the boys learned that they would be sharing a tent with each other Kasuki responded in typical Kacchan fashion. With explosions.
"HUH!? I'm not sharing a tent with Deku!" He shouted. Mitsuki simply crossed her arms over her ample bust, unimpressed.
"Then where do you think you're sleeping?" She asked with an eyebrow raised.
"W-with you." He said with some difficulty, as if the very idea pained him. His mother had a similar response.
"What!? Fuck no! I'm not sharing my peaceful sleeping quarters with a loud mouth little shit like you! Besides, Inko and I want to do some catching up."
"Then outside! I don't care, anywhere that isn't with Deku!" He threw up his hands in exasperation.
"Fine, just know that it's supposed to get cold tonight. Really cold." His mom added with a knowing sneer. Izuku looked over to the other teen who had a look of defeat on his face. Kacchan has always hated the cold with a burning passion.
"Tch! Deku, get your useless ass over here a help me set this thing up!" He shouted over to Izuku. He slung one of the tents over his shoulder and marched over to a spot he deemed suitable, throwing the bag down. Izuku cautiously trotted over and knelt down next to Katsuki, scooting a little further away when the other shot him a red eye glare. A snarl on his lips.
"Kacchan! We have to read the instructions!" Izuku complained when the volatile blond started pulling things out of the bag, seemingly haphazardly. Katsuki's hands stilled and he gave the smaller male a look of disbelief.
"It's just setting up a tent Deku. It's not that fuckin hard!"
Izuku pulled the instructions out of the bag anyway, only for Katsuki to yank it out of his hands and immediately set it on fire with his explosions. Letting the winds carry the ashes away.
"Kacchan!" Izuku scolded. How the hell were they gonna put the tent up now?!
"Tch, just sit there and watch Deku." Katsuki worked quickly and efficiently and without any hesitation in what he was doing. He put the tent together without any difficulty in no time at all. The winged boy was impressed.
"Wow! That's amazing Kacchan!" He gushed. Katsuki glanced over at him with a slight brows furrowed in an unreadable expression.
"That's your problem Deku, you need an instruction manual for everything. There's gonna be times when you have to think on your feet. A villain isn't gonna give you a god damned instruction manual, nor is he gonna let you stop to take notes." With that he brushed the dirt of his knees and went over to grab their bags. Izuku was struck silent.
"Kacchan just gave me constructive criticism...albeit a bit rudely." He thought to himself with a slight smile.
"Why don't you boys go for a hike while Mitsuki and I prepare lunch?" Inko suggested after the camp site was all set up. Mitsuki thought that it was a great idea, whereas Izuku felt his stomach turn, cautiously looking at his friend. Katsuki clicked his tongue.
"Whatever." He muttered as he shoved his hands in his pockets and sauntered away, pausing when he realized the other boy was not following behind him. He glared at Izuku over his shoulder.
"What are you waiting for? A fuckin invitation?" He growled out. Katsuki wanted him to walk with him...voluntarily...this was it, this is where his life ended. He felt a gentle shove on his back and looked to his mother smiling at him encouragingly. She probably thought this was a bonding opportunity.
"Go on sweetie, we should have lunch ready in one hour."
"Don't smile at me when you're sending me to my death!" He internally wailed. He let out a small huff and trailed after Katsuki, his eyes glued to his red shoes. The taller boy came to an abrupt halt, causing Izuku to collide with his firm back.
"S-sorry Kacchan!" He stammered out, but the blond no indication that he heard him. Curiously, Izuku peaked around his shoulder and saw that they were standing at a cliff. The green haired boy felt his face blanch. his freckles painting an even more stark contrast against his pale skin. "This is it" he thought, "This is where Kacchan murders me and throws my body!"
"Why?" The question was so soft he almost didn't hear it. He nervously straightened when the taller teen turned around to face him. His face pensive. "Why did you have to join the hero course?" Izuku looked up into crimson, his own eyes brimming with confidence
"To save people Kacchan!"
"And what are you going to do when villains realize that they can force your quirk for their benefit? Izuku, how are you going to defend yourself?" The shorter male's eyes widened when he heard Kacchan call him by his name.
"Well, I don't intend to advertise my ability, and I've been doing martial arts-" He attempted to defend himself.
"Which will be completely useless against most offensive type quirks!" Katsuki shouted near the end, his red eyes looked desperate.
"Is he worried about me?" Izuku thought internally, but dared not voice his thoughts. He took in a calming breath. "But even so Kacchan, I can't let the fear of the unknown stop me from pursuing my that's what a hero does!" He stated boldly. Katsuki's eyes widened in surprise, his jaw clenched.
"Come on, lunch will probably be ready by the time we get back." He said quietly, already heading back down the path. He stopped again and looked over his shoulder with a determined glint in his eye, "You wanna do this shit then fine. However-" he turned back around and approached Izuku in a predator like manner, stopping when he was right in Izuku's immediate space, looming over him menacingly. Izuku felt himself gulp in intimidation. "If the situation arises where you get taken, and I have to save your sorry ass, you then have to withdraw from the Hero course. Is that clear?" When he heard Katsuki's ultimatum he gave his friend an angry shove and felt him stumble back a couple of steps, giving him some space.
"The hell it is! That's not fair, hero work is dangerous and things like that can happen at anytime!" He complained, stopping abruptly when he felt Katsuki's callused hand grab his face and squeeze his cheeks.
"I don't care! I'm not fuckin around Deku! You get taken and I'm telling the school about your quirk, then they can decide for themselves what to do with you!" He shouted. It was clear by Izuku's eyes what he thought of that idea, and he would have said as much if Katsuki's hand wasn't impeding his ability to talk. The taller boy clicked his tongue aggressively before shoving off of Izuku. He stomped down the path without bothering to see if the other was following him or not.
"Why do you decide everything all by yourself? Why do you get to decide what I can and cannot do?" Izuku thought to himself sorrowfully before heading down the path himself. Staying a few paces behind the other in order not to set the already cranky boy off.
Inko smiled when she saw the boys come back into sight. "Hey boys! You're just in time for lunch!" She waved them over to where a pot of soup was boiling on a tripod over the campfire. Throughout the meal Inko was happily talking with her son. Katsuki looked up when he felt eyes on him and noticed his mother staring intently.
"What Hag?" He asked a little defensively.
"What? I can admire my son graced with my good genetics?" She asked innocently.
Katsuki's lip curled in disgust, "What the hell old hag!? You're gonna make my food taste bad!" His mom set down her bowl and raised a clenched fist.
"What was that ya little shit!? Is that any way to talk to your mother!?"
Inko and her son just sipped from their own bowls, watching on in amusement. The younger blond put his own bowl down as if gearing up for a fight.
"What!? I called you an Old Hag cause ya are!" That response earned him a headlock from his mother. He immediatley tried to squirm out of his mother's intense grip when she quietly muttered into his ear.
"I wanna talk to ya later tonight, ok?" Giving his neck one last squeeze before quickly releasing him, going back to her unfinished meal. Katsuki rubbed his abused neck in confusion.
"What the hell was that about?"
After they had supper Katsuki remembered his mother saying that she wanted to talk with him and obediently went to find her. She was sitting far enough from the fire where they wouldn't be overheard by the two greenettes. He plopped down on the ground next to her and waited for her to talk first.
"Ya know" She began, "I have been noticing for quite a while that things between you and Izuku have gotten pretty bad, and I haven't said anything because I trusted you were going to handle things like an adult, but I guess yer still just a kid, huh?" Her comment stung a little bit, but he remained silent. "What's going on between you two?" He scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably, not sure how to discuss how he was feeling. If the emotion wasn't anger then the Bakugou family didn't really do feelings.
"Deku applied to the hero course."
"I've heard...like a million times from Inko." his mother deadpanned.
"Just let me talk!" He huffed angrily. Mitsuki rolled her eyes, but let her son continue regardless.
"Stupid fuckin Deku is in the hero course, with a completely incompatible ability. Not to mention that it's highly risky to use in front of others who would abuse his quirk, and maybe he knows some martial arts, but that's gonna be useless against villains who have strong offensive quirks! Deku is an idiot, but he's not a complete moron, he should already understand this!" He fumed, feeling a little better to get it off his chest. Mitsuki's eyes widened in shock before feeling a small smile form on her lips.
"The little shit is just worried." She thought fondly. Ruffling her son's hair affectionately with a laugh. Ignoring his angry protests.
"Listen Katsuki, people need to decide for themselves the decisions they are going to make. Even if we think they are wrong. I was in a similar position as you once" She felt his full attention now. "When Inko married that deadbeat Hisashi. We went through a really rough patch in our friendship when I refused to approve of their relationship, and in the end he left Inko alone pregnant. But if she listened to me, then the sweet little boy we have all know and have come to love would never have been born. Do you understand what I'm saying?" Katsuki looked up to his mother, a question pending in his eyes before he finally asked it aloud.
"What if he comes back?" His eyes carefully watching as his mother's features tightened in ire. He scoffed, "Yeah, that's what I thought." He said in a knowing tone.
His mother ruffled his hair more aggressively, "This little shit is too much like me." She thought, unsure if it was for the best or not. Regardless, she felt as if she had interfered enough for one night.
Going to bed was awkward to say the least as Katsuki angrily changed into his sleeping clothes and dropped onto his sleeping mat in silence, turning his back to the other. Which is why Izuku was so surprised when he heard his friend speak to him, causing him to jump a little.
"Just because you're an idiot doesn't mean I want you to get taken. We will start training in the morning again come Monday." He didn't say anything more than that, and he didn't have too. Izuku felt a goofy grin break out on his face, and when the latter came to pick him up in the morning before school, he was already up and waiting at the door.