Katsuki POV
The day after the sludge villain attack Deku didn't come to school, or the next. Only about a week afterward had I learned what had happened.
Silence was thick in the air as Auntie Inko sat on the opposite couch with my mother rubbing her back as she sobbed. A stiff hand rested on my shoulder as my father watched the two with horrified eyes, once I had seen that look in his eyes I knew. I knew that something was wrong.
'I don't-" Inko choked out, hot tears streaming down her face as she struggled to get the words out. 'I don't understand Mitsuki-" Voice broken, like her entire world had been killed. Still no one had said what had happened yet, but as guilty as I was no one had to. I was frozen in place on the couch as Auntie's arms wrapped around me as she cried, "Oh Katsuki- I'm so sorry! Izuku he-"
My parents didn't have to tell me what had happened that day, Auntie Inko didn't need to tell me. I had known from the sobs that bounced of the walls of my childhood living room, deep down I had known when Deku didn't show up that first day, but nothing. Nothing could prepare me for the funeral, that grim day that was seared into my brain.
The tragedy of my childhood friend, my childhood friend who I had bullied so relentlessly until he reached for the only escape he knew.
And here I was, in Deku's dream hero school with warm kind people surrounding me. All unaware to the monster I truly was, the monster who woke up every night plagued with phantoms of a green boy with freckled cheeks. I didn't deserve this, I was a ghost living in his place. Living the life Deku and I were supposed to lead together as rivals, but I had pushed him too far.
Izuku Midoriya was dead and his killer was going to become a hero.
'Auntie, are you sure I should still go?'
'Izuku would never forgive you if you declined.. He admired you so much Katsuki,' Inko smiled sweetly as if reminiscing good times as she sat a book on the table. "He used to gush to me all the time when you were in middle school about how 'Kacchan' was going to be the number one hero... He loved you." She sniffed with a smile, wiping a tear from her cheek as she opened the book that was covered in an all too familiar hand writing. A book, filled to the brim on Katsuki and his quirk with drawings of him in a hero costume that Izuku no doubt designed for him... Next to the drawing of him was Izuku in a hero costume of his own. Tears brimmed in my eyes at that moment, all those years of torment and still. Deku had only ever had adoration and love for the blonde.
"Bakubro, what are you doing staring off onto space man were here!" Shitty hair beamed as he pulled me out of my thoughts, a groan of annoyance leaving my mouth. "Aren't you excited for rescue training Bakubro?" Kirishima prodded as we walked with the rest of the class towards the building being lead by Aizawa Sensei.
"I'm totally gunna kill all these extras!" I huffed, but Auntie's words were still jumbling around in the back of my head.
'He loved you.'
"Hello, everyone, I've been waiting for you!" Thirteen beams happily as a few people gasp in awe. "I can't wait to show you what's inside!"
"This is gonna be awesome!" A few shout and then another gasp erupts from the class as they take in the view of the training facility.
"Holy crap! It looks like some kind of amusement park!" Shitty hair gushes making me groan in annoyance.
"A shipwreck. A landslide. A fire. A windstorm. Et cetera‐‐ I created this training facility to prepare you to deal with different types of disasters. I call it the Unforeseen Simulation Joint. But, you can call it, USJ!" Thirteen explains holding her hands out.
"Hey, shouldn't All Might be here already? Lemme guess, he booked an interview instead." Aizawa deadpans, Thirteen and him talk a bit more to one another letting the class mingle together for a moment.
Thirteen then starts to explain her quirk to the class and my chest aches as I imagine Deku gushing over her ability with a big smile, just like he always did when we were kids. I zone her out as she begins to explain how dangerous quirks can be, my hand twitches as a memory flashes through my head.
"Kacchan- Please stop it hurts!" Deku shouted, tears brimming in his eyes as I held his arm tight. His small hand grabbing mine, my chest began to burn at his soft fingers grazing my rough knuckles.
Oh how I wish I would've said how i felt that day, how Deku always made chest ache whenever I saw tears run down his pink cheeks. That I didn't hate him, I was ashamed. Ashamed of myself because I was so scared of the rejection, the rejection I was sure that I'd be met with if I had told him the truth. That all this time I pushed him around because that freckled face made me soft, weak. How this whole time I wanted to hold him against me, but I didn't know how to show him that affection without feeling weak. So I did what I thought was right at the time, I beat my weakness until it disappeared.
But now, I knew that Deku would've understood. He would've accepted me with open arms and showed me that my desire for him wasn't weak at all, it was a strength.
If only I had just told him, instead I just pushed him and left him crying on the ground.
The cheering of the class pulled me back from my thoughts as I turned my attention to the adults once again.
"Right. Now that that's over..." Aizawa sighed when suddenly the lights in the USJ building began to short out. Gasps began to erupt from the class and fountain in the middle of the USJ began to distort. A purple, black portal opening up as a man poked his head through. His hair a blue-tinted white and hands covering his body. Immediately Mr. Aizawa turned to look at the portal, "Stay together and don't move! Thirteen. Protect the students!" He shouted taking a few steps in front of the class, alert and ready to fight as more villains began to come through the portal.
"Whoa, what is that thing? Wait, has the training started already? I thought we were rescuing people." Shitty hair commented staring at some type of creature with its brain exposed as he went to step forward. It looked almost birdlike and stood still as the crusty hand man scratched at his neck watching.
"Stay back!" Aizawa barked immediately, pulling his yellow goggles over his eyes. "This is real. Those are villains." He warned as everyone gasped, tensing as fear filled a few of their faces.