A/N: Annnnd now comes the moment where I start incorporating a few scenes from canon. Note that I'll be using the dialogue that comes from the English dub as a reference, I feel the dialogue is superior in English.
Also, a thing I've changed from canon is that, in this fic, out of all of his friends, only Izuku calls Katsuki by Kacchan. I've done this so that the nickname itself holds more meaning.
Also, the amount of feedback I got on last chapter is astounding! Thank you guys! ;-; You are all amazing! Your support fuels this story! 💖
It's gradual.
And subtle.
But with each passing week, Katsuki grows meaner.
"Look, you can read the last part of Izuku's name as Deku."
He turns to Izuku with a smirk on his face.
"Deku. That must be what you call a helpless loser who's completely useless."
All of his friends chuckle in unison and they turn to Izuku with smug grins on their faces, anticipating her reaction. Izuku frowns as her brow furrows.
"Why are you being so mean, Kacchan?"
Her question hits a nerve, and guilt momentarily passes through Katsuki, but he quickly shoves it away.
Does she really need to ask that question? He's doing it for her own good. He doesn't like being mean to her, but Izuku currently lacks no spine. If she really wants to be a Hero one day, she needs to learn how to defend herself.
If she wants him to stop being mean, then she should just stand up to him. Show him who's boss.
But since he's started regularly teasing her, she hasn't taken the damn hint. Something that's been sourly disappointing Katsuki these past couple of weeks.
He's not going to back down, though. He's already failed her as a role model enough— the first five months they hung together were a complete disaster. It turned the both of them into total wusses and by the end of it, instead of becoming good rival material, Izuku was practically ready to become his future bride instead.
Which completely defeated the point of why Katsuki even decided to hang out with Izuku in the first place.
He's aware that this was all his fault. He's the one who was overly considerate with her all those months.
But he's going to remedy that now, whether she likes it or not. He told her all those months ago that he'd be a positive influence on her, and he intends to keep that promise. Even if she doesn't like the way he's going about it.
Besides; the worst he dishes out to her are insults. If he wanted to, he could result to physical violence as well as rougher games to set her in place. But he doesn't, so she should be grateful for that, at least.
And as each day passes, he finds it easier to distance himself from the crush he once had.
Katsuki's quirk manifests for the first time during class.
Everybody gathers around him in a circle, in awe of the small fiery blasts coming from his palms.
"Awesome!" One of the boys cry out.
"You're so lucky!" Izuku blurts.
"Yeah!" Another boy chimes in.
"Impressive. I bet you that's going to grow into an amazing quirk." The teacher's male assistant says with a smile.
"Definitely," Their teacher adds, "A flashy quirk for a future Hero! It's perfect."
The overwhelming amount of praise Katsuki's been receiving has the young boy beaming.
.
.
.
Yeah.
.
.
.
You're right.
.
I am amazing.
.
In fact.
.
.
.
I bet there's no one as great as I am!
Katsuki soon finds that being mean to Izuku is second nature.
But for whatever reason, she still follows him around like a lost puppy, never once thinking to confront him for the way he treats her.
"Wow, you're so lucky!" Izuku's eyes sparkle as she walks behind Katsuki. "Your quirk is amazing, Kacchan! When I get mine, I hope it's just as cool!"
Katsuki almost laughs at her comment.
"Whatever, Deku," he tells her dismissively, "No matter what power you end up with, you'll never be able to beat me."
Stand up for yourself, you damn nerd.
Although; he has to admit; the idea that Izuku really thinks that they could one day be on the same level is starting to sound kind of hilarious.
His quirk is the best their school has seen in a long time. Coupled with the fact that it belongs to him of all people, Katsuki can now say without a doubt that becoming the next Number 1 Hero will be no problem.
And if anyone tries to get in his way, he'll just show them exactly what he's capable of.
Something inside Katsuki snaps the day he finds out Izuku's quirkless.
The condescending comments from their peers don't help at all.
"Hey, did you hear? Deku doesn't have a quirk! Like, none!"
"What? Really?"
"Yeah. It's called being quirkless."
"That's dumb."
"She's so lame!"
"Don't worry about it, Izuku." The teacher says reassuringly. "Being quirkless isn't such a big deal."
Katsuki wants to hit the teacher. How is it not a big deal?
Izuku was supposed to become a Hero alongside him. They were supposed to become Heroes together.
But now… Izuku's exactly what she claimed she was, on that very first playdate they had, all those months ago.
A nothing.
And for some reason even he can't comprehend, he grins. He doesn't know why. He isn't happy. But the situation is almost funny, in its own, twisted way.
You're a total failure, Deku.
Izuku's stunned when Katsuki approaches her at recess a couple days later.
"What's this?" He demands. Izuku flinches as Katsuki holds up her sketchbook.
She's flabbergasted. "Where did you get that—"
"You're still fantasizing about becoming a Hero, aren't you, Deku?"
She doesn't want to answer that. "I…"
"Deku. You're quirkless."
"I—I know. But there's still a chance—"
"Deku. Stop it. You're only setting yourself up for disappointment if you keep this up." His voice then softens. "Don't do that to yourself."
Izuku bites her lip. "Why do you care?" She asks quietly, voice barely a whisper. And why would he? After the way he's been treating her these past weeks.
He hands her the sketchbook. "There's just nothing more annoying than watching a kid have delusions of grandeur." He answers.
Izuku's silent as Katsuki walks off.
She wonders why he only commented on the drawings she has of Heroes, and not on the drawings she has of him and herself.
"Forward march and here we go! Members of the agency Bakugō!"
Despite Katsuki's upbeat marching song bringing a smile to the rest of Katsuki's friends who are following him, Izuku can't exactly bring herself to smile in turn.
She's busy trying to pinpoint the exact moment when her life started to stink again.
It didn't go downhill when her father decided to take a work post abroad. In fact, that event affected her the least, considering how she was never a big fan of her father in the first place.
It didn't even start to go downhill when she found out she didn't have a quirk.
It all started the day after Valentine's Day, all those weeks ago.
She wasn't even bothered so much by Katsuki rejecting her on Valentine's Day. It was more due to the fact that soon afterwards, Katsuki… changed.
For worse.
And at this point, Izuku doesn't know why she sticks around Katsuki anymore.
She knows that he's changed. That it'd better for her if she just left him alone.
And yet… She can't.
She can't let go of him.
Despite his constant teasing… She still remembers the boy he used to be.
Then, out of nowhere.
He falls.
"Are you alright? Are you hurt?"
Katsuki stares at Izuku, whose arm is outstretched toward him.
"I was worried you might have hit your head or something."
.
.
Stop it.
.
.
.
.
Stop looking at me as if I'm some kind of weakling. Deku.
A/N: *Chapter was updated: March 22/2020
