CLASS 1-A DORMS

(IZUMI)

"Does it hurt?" asked Momo, pressing her fingers against the scar on her lower back. Izumi shook her head, reaching for a random bottle in her toiletry basket. She didn't know what most of them did, but some combination of magical goop left her hair smelling great.

"It twinges, but it's not painful."

"It's smaller than it looked before," said Momo, unhooking the shower head to rinse off her hair. They were the only two who had yet to join in on the bath. Momo had come in later, ordering food with Aizawa-sensei's permission so they wouldn't have to cook that evening.

"How are your parents?" asked Izumi hesitantly.

Momo scowled and then sighed. "My mother won't go a day without calling, and I understand why, but I can't help but think it'll be like this when we become heroes."

"You're her only child."

"Yes, that's true. It's selfish of me to complain when so many don't have the same support I have."

"It's not. Everyone's got their own issues, so don't bother comparing. It'll drive you crazy."

"Is that advice from Umisen?" asked Momo, a smile on her mouth.

Izumi's face twisted with horror. "Everything we say is quotable now!"

"Will that change anything?"

"No chance in hell."

Momo laughed. "Don't worry. You'll come across as refreshingly honest as we age."

"You set that evac-tent up in ten seconds flat. It was impressive."

"Battle experience," said Momo, mouth flattening. "When we were attacked at Camp, they let off this poisonous gas. Everyone was panicking. We might have been spared some injuries if I had reacted sooner." Momo's gaze flickered toward Jirou with a deepening frown.

Izumi kept thinking of the same. How things might have gone differently if she hadn't been caught off guard, if she had stuck with her friends instead of wading into danger. It was…maybe not arrogant…but there was a hint of truth that she rarely trusted anyone's skills but her own. But it could no longer be that way if she genuinely wanted to be called a hero. If she kept everything to herself, she would become no different than the heroes she criticized, no different from any gear in the system they were a part of.

She wished she had the answers or that there was a clear and straightforward path forward, but the world was messy. The grey areas were bigger and more expansive than she had imagined.

"Are you coming in or not?!" called Mina, splashing some water from the bath in their direction.

Izumi caught it easily, throwing it back with a flick of her wrist. "Baths are supposed to be relaxing, you know?"

"Is it warm?" asked Momo, dipping her toe hesitantly. "Our sauna gets to 80 degrees Celsius."

"We'll boil if we try that," said Tsuyu. Only her head was visible through the steam. "It's great that they could build it in such a short amount of time, ribbit."

Their shared bath was a good chance to relax after their hard day. Izumi was ready to head into bed the second she was done soaking in the warm water, but she was hungry too, like she had never been before. Eager to eat and sleep and live.

She leaned her neck against the tiles, listening to the soft chatter of her classmates.

"I heard sensei say that we might have joint lessons with the other schools in the future!" said Ochako, a bright tone to her voice.

"That'd be fun, but I'm not sure how much of that Shindō-guy I could stand," laughed Jirou.

"He was like a hot version of Deku." Mina splashed some water, jumping up. Izumi laughed in agreement, sharing a high-five with Mina. "He and his girlfriend were so cute!"

Tsuyu dodged the splash, "We never hear much about the other schools. I was surprised sensei didn't tell us more, since he seemed to know the other teachers."

"It's Sensei," said Jirou with a shrug. "He likes to keep us alert." She nudged Momo with her elbow and leaned in closer. "How was your costume? Comfortable?"

"Much better!" Momo smiled brightly, hair sticking to the back of her neck. Her haircut made her look younger. "I kept a log of the time it took to make an item to see the difference between my skin and the costume and the seconds lost is minimal, but I'd still like to cut it down to nanoseconds if possible."

Ochako's eyes were wide. "You could be Prime Minister with that kind of multitasking."

Momo shook her head, flushing. "This did most of the work," said Momo, rotating her wrist to show off the small watch-like computer.

Izumi was loath to leave the bath when the time finally came, dragging her feet until Ochako reminded her that there would be nothing left to eat if they didn't head out soon. Dressed in pajamas and jumpers, they all ventured back to the living room.

Izumi sat on the floor next to Shouto's feet, sharing her blanket with Mina who didn't seem to mind the cold she gave off as much as the others. The table had been stacked with all their favorite foods from katsudon and mochi to cold soba and hamburgers.

"What kind of noodles are those?" asked Izumi, nodding to Shōji, who ate facing away from them. They were a deep black and thicker than Shouto's soba noodles. She broke her chopsticks in half, rolling them between her palms to get rid of the splinters.

"It's squid ink pasta," answered Shōji in a quiet voice.

"Can I have some? I'll trade you some," said Izumi, gesturing to the array of grilled scallops still in their shells. She was convinced Momo called her personal chef and had him prepare and deliver the food.

Shōji nodded. "I expected you to eat candy," he joked, referencing Izumi's habit of offering him candy every morning.

Izumi smiled, "If I could get away with it, I would."

One person was missing from their gathering. The ramen intended for Katsuki sat untouched by Kaminari's side.

"I have muscles that I didn't even know of that hurt," complained Kaminari, pulling a crick in his neck. Izumi leaned forward and ran her hand down his arm, heating and cooling the muscles beneath her touch.

"Marry me," he joked, falling back against Kirishima with a dopey grin.

Mina laughed, hugging Izumi tightly from the side. "You're missing out on all the post-training sessions."

"No wonder you guys are so relaxed," said Sero, pointing between them. "Between Yaomomo coordinating everything, Uraraka taking the literal load off, and now this—where's the struggle?"

"Don't sound so jealous," laughed Jirou.

"Aoyama, eat up, man!" urged Kirishima, pumping his fist by the sullen blonde's head. "It's not that bad! Everyone will fail at some point. You just gotta get back up and try again."

Aoyama gave a stilted nod and took a bite, chewing it slowly. His heart wasn't invested in the act. Izumi recalled his doubts and breakdown during the final round, feeling a bout of pity swell up.

"It'll be alright," said Midoriya, smiling kindly at him. "You'll get your license in December and you'll forget you didn't have it by next semester."

"Yeah! We're all here to help you. Your quirk isn't what makes you a hero." Ochako rubbed his arm, offering her own smile.

"We're here with you too," said Koda in a quiet voice. He fiddled with his hands and then looked down at the table. He inhaled deeply, gathering his confidence and for the first time met their gazes. "We'll do it together and beat the rest of you before you know it!"

"There you go." Sero patted him on the back with a bright smile. "You can't give up after one defeat."

"It's true," said Izumi, leaning forward on her elbows. "If it was like that, half of us wouldn't even be here. People need a hero who has compassion their pain. Our elder brother had a quirk like yours."

"It burned him," said Shouto, lighting his hands on fire and making a flame dance over his fingers. "The hotter his flames became, the more pain he was in. But he—"

"I do not belong here." Aoyama shook them off, standing with a lost expression. "If you'll excuse me, mes amies, I think I will turn in for the night."

A chorus of voices rose up, trying to persuade him to stay, but Aoyama left without another word. They exchanged worried looks, looking at the empty spot left behind.

"Should I not have…" Shouto trailed off, looking upset with himself.

"No, it wasn't you," dismissed Sero with a shake of his head. "Let's give him some space and let Aizawa-sensei know in the morning."

"I wonder if there's something Recovery Girl can do for him, ribbit," said Tsuyu, tapping her fingers against her knees.

Mina stabbed at her foot, "Maybe he's too embarrassed to ask! We'd never judge him though. Midoriya's in the hospital all the time and the only thing he does is worry us."

"Thanks," said Midoriya dryly.

"It's true, you do worry us, Deku," scolded Ochako.

"S—sorry!" squeaked out Midoriya.

Izumi snorted. Shouto nudged her lightly with his knee. She tilted her head back, looking at him with a smile before he nodded toward Katsuki's uneaten food. Seeing the new change in Shouto's and Katsuki's relationship was relieving and surprising. Though Katsuki would never admit it, she knew he kept an eye on Shouto as both a rival and almost-friend.

She ate for a little while longer, before discreetly, or not so discreetly given Kaminari's loud cheering, excusing herself.

Izumi knocked on Katsuki's door, holding his food.

"I fucking said—"

"I'm sure you did, but it's just me."

A pause. Footsteps. The door opened, revealing Katsuki's heavy-lidded face, still caught with traces of sleep. His shirt was missing, but Izumi did not mention it. This was the second time she had disturbed his rest.

"You're not eating?" asked Izumi, following him into his room. It was less the room of a teenager and more the room one expected from a top-paid hero with a personal interior design team.

"Not hungry."

Izumi set the food down and folded her legs into her lap as she sat at the edge of his bed. Katsuki was already returning to bed. She lay back, hair brushing against his legs and stared up at his ceiling.

"You don't have to worr—"

"Do you want to hear a funny story?"

"Your kind of funny or mine?" asked Katsuki in a voice thick with sleep. Raspy, a bit rough. Her thoughts fled and then returned with a dangerous knowing.

"Mine," she breathed out.

He grunted, not lifting his arm from his eyes. "Go on."

"When I was a kid, I thought it'd be funny to run away once, so I did. My brother Touya found out and came chasing after me in the snow. He hated the cold, but he did it anyway. He yelled at me and said if I ever did something like that again, he'd lock the doors so I wouldn't be able to go back home."

"Where the hell is the funny part?" asked Katsuki, raising his head to stare at her. His expression was disgruntled, tense.

"Anytime I went out for the next week, Touya would follow me. Whenever I asked him why, he'd say, 'It's not like I have anything else to do.' And even though I was mad at him for yelling at me, I knew he was scared. He got sick, so I played nurse and kept trying to give him vaccines—that's the funny part."

"The more you tell me, the worse it seems," said Katsuki, shaking his head. He reached his hand out, dragging her toward him and then rolled over, pressing her against his chest and the bed. His face pressed into the crook of her neck. "I'm not going to do anything stupid, so don't worry."

"No, the moral of the story was that Midoriya will understand you if you explain it to him."

"He doesn't need to forgive me. I don't want him to." Katsuki's nose skimmed her neck, a soft kiss pressed against her jaw. "I'm doing this because I want to be better than I was before. I owe it to myself to make amends with the shitty kid I was…and if Deku sees that and decides to forgive me, then I'll accept it, but an apology won't mean anything until I change."

Izumi sniffled, catching Katsuki by surprise. He pulled back, a worried pinch to his mouth.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"You're too hard on yourself." Izumi nestled closer to Katsuki. She pressed a kiss to his bare shoulder and then pushed him lightly. "If I get caught in here, Aizawa-sensei will kill you."

"Just me?"

"I'm his favorite student," teased Izumi, knowing full well that he had no favorites, only problem children. "Eat. Trying to sneak that out was so embarrassing when everyone knew where I was going. Subtly is no one's strength."

Izumi stood, fixing her shirt. Katsuki followed her like a moth to a flame. His eyes were on her, tracing the slope of her nose, the slight scar by her eye that can only be seen in certain light. Izumi's heart was beating very fast. His wasn't.

Calm, collected. The Katsuki that bled confidence. Izumi wanted to turn away at once, not because she was nervous or fearful, but because the surge of emotion was so strong that she wanted it for herself.

Her nose bumped into Katsuki's, and then she found herself being kissed. He touched the back of her neck, tipping her head back. Izumi shifted a little closer. And Katsuki was neither soft nor rough, but something in between which spoke of hunger and want and a kind of comfort only a kiss could offer. Their lips moved together, pulling towards the same goal, breath weaving in and out, in and out.

Katsuki pulled away first.

Izumi stared at him, stunned as he smoothly reached toward his desk and picked up his water bottle. Her hand rose to her mouth.

Her fingers curled and uncurled against the fabric of her pants. Flustered, she looked for something to do, but found that she wanted to kiss him again.

Katsuki moved around her, his hand brushing against her back and resting on her hip. He slanted her head back and kissed her throat. "Thanks," he breathed against her skin.

"You should always thank me like this." Izumi's smile grew. "I like it."

"Good."

U.A. BATTLE TRAINING GROUND

(KATSUKI)

"This is…Ground Beta…" murmured Deku, staring up at the building in front of him.

"I fought you here during our first battle training." Katsuki placed his hands in his pocket, looking for that familiar card he kept on him, but curling around empty air. "It's where I lost to you…and I've felt like crap about it ever since…"

His gaze wandered up, looking at the restored building. All traces of their vicious battle were gone, but it remained in Katsuki's heart as his first defeat. His first taste of being at the bottom of the ladder. Strength was an uphill climb. In a class with the likes of the Todorokis and the noble hearts his classmates had; Katsuki found himself in a constant state of failure. "A worthless, quirkless wonder like you…somehow got into U.A. all on his own…and somehow got a Quirk of his own…"

"You were always the little weirdo, spouting cryptic crap…" He hadn't been the only one annoyed by Midoriya's muttering and eagerness. "…and making that face like you were the only one in on the joke. Climbing higher and higher."

He remembered thinking that Izumi and IcyHot wore similar expressions…less earnest and more arrogant…but carrying the same kind of mocking strength. He was wrong, so laughably wrong about it that doubt started to sow in him regarding Deku as well. Maybe the Deku he imagined in his head was one that only existed to him.

"That sludge thing…no…since All Might first came to town…higher and higher…and higher," said Katsuki faintly. Had he ever talked to anyone about it? Best Jeanist once. Izumi saw the videos and kept it to herself, but he had caught her writing an essay of a comment below one of them.

"And now we're heroes," said Katsuki sharply, sarcastically. "I mean, seriously, what the hell?"

Midoriya's anxiousness disappeared for a moment. "It's a junior license, so we actually can only act in emergency situations and—"

"SHUT THE HELL UP AND LISTEN!"

Deku startled, looking at him as if he was insane. Maybe he was. "Sorry. It's just…you got your license," said Deku faintly. "…I don't understand…"

Katsuki looked over his shoulder with a smirk. "I did."

He moved through the exam as if his brain, seizing on the hopes that his friends had placed on him to pass, but he felt empty. He was not more of a hero than before he got the plastic card with his name on it. He didn't deserve it…not yet.

"I couldn't fail…not after Kamino Ward…" Katsuki swallowed hard, feeling his face heat up as he thought of Best Jeanist. "But it's not enough." Now, more than ever, he can understand Izumi at the Sports Festival—the dueling desperation to win pitted against the unyielding desire to place herself outside the system which had failed her. The words he meant to say and those that came out were always at odds.

Katsuki hadn't yet reached the summit he knew himself capable of.

"What—what did All Might want with you?" No, what he really wanted to know was what made Midoriya better than him. Why did he naturally excel at placing others before himself? Why was he so selfishly selfless? That was ego too, Katsuki wanted to say. A worse kind of ego. One that created a hero in place of an individual.

Why couldn't they be both?

"Kacchan…" Deku's face adopted the same guilt he remembered after their battle trials. A secret lay behind it. "I can't tell you."

"Why not?"

"It's complicated."

"I've known you since we were four."

"You don't know me. You never even tried to know me," said Deku, looking away. "You can be mad at me or maybe even All Might. I'm not afraid anymore."

"Were you?"

"Sometimes," answered Deku. Katsuki thought back to Ochako—the comparison she made to Endeavor and felt sick. Deku looked back, gaze confident. "Most of the time, I worried that your temper would get you into trouble."

"Fine. Don't tell me." Katsuki turned around, facing Deku fully. "It's obvious something's going on…and your face changes every time you look at All Might. It's fucking annoying. But I've got this theory….this crappy theory…it pisses me off the more I think about it."

"Kacchan, it's not what you think."

"You don't know what I think. Izumi's easy to read. She's been watching you ever since we came back to school….but the way she looks at All Might…is worse than you…like he's dying."

Deku inhaled sharply.

"Is he?" Katsuki asked, stepping forward. His heart raced in his chest, each beat rising into his throat until there was nothing but pain. Deku said nothing. "No answer…that garbage dumpster that killed Best Jeanist took cat-lady's power, used Izumi's, and then those Nomu we've fought all had multiple quirks, so it'd make sense that…if he was dying…All Might would pass on his power to someone else."

Katsuki's hands trembled, voice cracking with uncontrolled emotion as everything fell out of him rapidly and without pause. "I asked him why he didn't come, but I think I know why. Why this is all happening, why you're so important to him, why you were so worried at USJ about him fighting—All Might passed on his power to you…and if he did…then his power won't last for much longer."

A sharp inhale. Deku's eyes jumped away, sweat building on his face.

Katsuki pressed forward. "Am I right?"

Deku looked down, clenching his fists tightly and didn't speak.

"I thought so." Katsuki scoffed, blinking back the heat in his eyes as his gaze wandered over Deku's face. "I had it all figured out before I came here. I just needed to be the strongest to win, but…it hasn't been like that."

"Listen up!" barked out Katsuki, stepping forward. "Here's where we stand: you're a punk who got recognized by the guy I admire most. I can't go back and change that, which is why we're going to fight. Right now. Right here."

Deku's face grew full of shadows. "What? Why?!" His arms failed as Katsuki continued to move forward. He stepped back. "Why's it have to be like that?! We're supposed to be sleeping! Aizawa-sensei will kill us! We can set some time up in a training room!"

"No, it's gotta be here. Now. If we go all out, no teacher will stop us." Katsuki's face softened, earnest now. "I just want to know what it is about you that I'm not getting. What All Might saw. And if turns out that your way of looking up to him has been right all this time…" Katsuki swallowed and admitted something he wouldn't have before. "…then I've been doing it wrong all this time."

"Kacchan…"

He grinned fiercely. People often mistook his attitude for outright violence, but Katsuki knew the true destructive nature of his quirk more than anyone else. All-out for him was never an option in the same way it was for everyone else. The upper limit of his quirk meant death.

"I just want to see what you're capable of, you damn nerd!"

"W—WAIT! WE CAN'T DO THIS!"

"Loosen up," barked out Katsuki, exploding forward. Deku didn't move until the last minute, dodging the full extent of the blow as he shot into the air. "You're overthinking!" A slight laugh escaped him. "I bet you've got a lot of reasons to hit back, so don't hesitate! COME AT ME!"

He wanted an equal fight. He wanted Deku not to cower as he had his entire life. The roaring fire in him would not be quieted. Katsuki didn't know how to silence it on his own. It had been growing stronger since the embers first sparked during the League of Villain's attack and now it was a thing without a name, without anything to fuel it but the knowledge of his own weaknesses.

If Deku won, then maybe…maybe…he could finally sleep without wondering what might have happened if he was just different. Better. Stronger.

They stood at opposite sides, smoke and the scent of burnt asphalt in their noses.

"I said wait," said Deku, looking at him with those wide emerald eyes. "Do we really need to fight?"

Katsuki hardened. A series of pops sparked in his hand as he built the pressure up.

"No one ever said you were wrong! Your way of looking at him isn't wrong, so I don't understand why—"

Katsuki moved forward, driven by some dark desire to just let loose. To take out the pressure inside him on someone else. Deku dodged again, diving to the side, "I said wait…"

When were they ever equals? Had the chance ever been there? Or had it died an instant death the moment they got their quirks. Quirkless was akin to weakness—a prejudiced belief that Katsuki had carried with him his entire life because the world they lived in spelled it out at every moment. The weak needed to be saved and only heroes with powerful quirks had the strength to do it.

But Deku got back up. Just as he did now. No matter how much Katsuki pushed him away, trying not to expose his own weakness, Deku displayed a kind of strength he was envious of.

"Quit running and fight me!"

They clashed.

All Might was meant to be the summit they aspired to surpass, so why had it turned out that the guy he valued more than anyone, only saw Deku?

Deku grabbed his arm, wrestling him away. Katsuki answered back with a brutal kick to the face, sending Deku sprawling across the ground, where he caught himself and flipped back around, launching a kick that disrupted Katsuki's explosion. Katsuki fumbled, losing his footing and fell to the ground. His elbows scrapped against the asphalt, stinging as his back and arms bore the brunt of the blow.

Deku's eyes widened. He stepped forward, arm extended. "Are you ok—"

Katsuki slapped it away. "STOP WORRYING ABOUT ME!"

He picked himself back up, heaving. "JUST FIGHT! I'M GIVING YOU THE CHANCE, SO JUST FUCKING TAKE IT!"

"I've always been the bad guy," he snapped, desperate for Deku to understand. His words were frantic now, flooding like a broken dam. "I was fine with it. As long as I won, nothing else mattered. But…you…all came to save me…I wasn't weak! I didn't need it! I didn't need to be saved! I could've handled it, so why…after everything I did to you…why would you come for me?!"

Deku shook his head, "It all happened so fast. I wasn't thinking."

"You all put your lives at risk to protect an idiot…and I…I want to hate everyone for it, but I can't! I fucking can't!"

"Why wouldn't we?"

"BECAUSE IT SHOULD'VE BEEN ME THERE! IT SHOULD'VE BEEN ME!" He could barely live with the thought that Izumi or Yaoyorozu might have died in his place. They spent three days alone, afraid, and in hell because of him.

"…Kacchan…"

"I'm not saying it would've gone any different, but…I can't even sleep…because they'd never fucking say it. If something had happened there—they'd never fucking say it and…Best Jeanist died. He fucking died and I couldn't do anything. I couldn't do anything. Not one damn thing. And it's all my fault. It's my fault!" Katsuki beat his fist against his chest as it tightened. "Everything would've been fine if I was stronger!"

"I keep trying to…move on…but I can't forget…it just rushes back in the second I'm alone and I've got no freaking idea what I'm supposed to do!" Salt seeped into his mouth, and he dragged his hand over his face, angrily swiping away the tears.

The fire burned still, and he couldn't contain it anymore. "HOW THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO LIVE LIKE THIS?!"

It was the agony of Kamino Ward that drove him forward now. The sight of Best Jeanist's broken body. IcyHot climbing over debris to rush to Izumi who was all but dead. Endeavor's roaring strength combined with the top heroes lighting up All Might's absence.

There was no stopping the fight that followed. Katsuki's anger at himself, at the world, lashed out on the one person who might have known best what kind of monster he was. Deku was quick, matching him for speed, but Katsuki was relentless.

There was no space to breathe. If he stopped and thought for even a moment, the thoughts that had been haunting him would return and he couldn't tell anyone. He can't be the person who crushed his friends with his madness. Katsuki wanted this version of himself to die far from the people he cared about.

Deku grinned as he caught himself. "You're getting stronger."

There. There it was. He was almost pleased with the fact that Deku could talk back now.

"You're not gonna be my punching bag anymore?"

"No way," said Deku dragging his sleeve across the cut on his mouth. "I'm done with that."

"That's what always pissed me off about you! I could never tell what you were thinking! I'd drag you down again and again, but you kept coming back even though you had nothing new to offer! Always with those eyes like you knew something I didn't! Always like…you were looking down on me…waiting for a chance to move ahead!"

Deku paused, coming out of his fighting stance. "Is that really what you thought about me?" He clenched his fists, meeting his gaze fearlessly. "Normally, I wouldn't want anything to do with a guy who kept insulting me. But…I had nothing going for me…as bad as your bad side was, your strengths were just as impressive."

"You had so much that I didn't," said Deku. Light crackled across his skin and legs. Finally, thought Katsuki, seeing his quirk come into play. "I could admire All Might from a distance, but I had you right in front of me!"

"That's why…" Deku charged forward. Katsuki could feel the power in the air before he even reached him. The coiling tension between them rose higher and higher, tightening as it reached its peak. "That's why I always chased after you!"

Deku didn't pause in his assault now. His quirk kicked into full gear and Katsuki's blood sang as he defended against the bombardment. Deku ran his mouth during a fight—it was a habit he noticed early on and hated because he thought that the idiot was copying him, but maybe there was something to the fact that Deku looked for strength in him because he felt he had none for himself.

They battled in the air and then back on the ground until Deku reached for that place where he could find victory and reared his fist back, catching Katsuki's cheek. The fire burned less and less, releasing its fury into the world with every attack. "I WON'T LOSE," roared Katsuki, grabbing Deku's sleeve mid-air.

They twisted and fought and hit the ground. Deku's arm in his grip, his face in his hand. A harsh breath escaped him and then another and then he fell quiet. Looked at himself, at Deku, and wondered if there would come a day when the unspoken apology he held inside him would mean anything.

"It's my win," said Katsuki quietly. "All Might's power…even with that power…you lost to me…" Deku strained his neck, trying to free himself. "Deku."

The sound of his name made Deku freeze. Katsuki let him go, remaining pressed over him. "Listen to me, stop thinking of yourself as the next All Might and start thinking of Deku."

"W—what?"

"You came here to be a hero, didn't you?" Katsuki rubbed at his face. "All this time, I've been watching you. You struggle a lot more when you try and act like someone else. That's why you lost just now. Right?"

"That's enough, you two!" said a stern voice. Katsuki spun around, seeing All Might walking toward him, but it was not the All Might he knew. A tall, gangly blond with a thin button down and a gaunt face had taken his place.

A lump rose in Katsuki's throat, seeing for the first time, what was hidden behind the mask of strength. It was far worse than what he first imagined. The sight of All Might emaciated stole the breath in his throat and brought forth a sickening reality that Katsuki wished he had never seen.

"All…Might…" Katsuki stood, stumbled, and swayed forward, ashamed at having been caught fighting.

"I'm so sorry," he said, hanging his head with a look of utter agony on his face. "I've failed you in many ways, Bakugou-kun."

Katsuki turned around, hiding his face from All Might. If they saw how much this affected him, it would only increase the guilt the man felt. Too exhausted for anger—fuck, he finally understood Izumi's words.

"…so why Deku? Ever since the sludge thing…why? Why him of all people?"

He wanted answers…needed them to move forward.

"Even powerless…he was more of a hero than anyone." The words hurt like a bruise. "I could tell you were strong. You were already on your own way, so I gave Midoriya-kun a chance to walk the same path."

Strong….he didn't really know what it meant anymore, but he knew what it wasn't now. He recalled Deku's words, All Might's about the Todorokis: "Already like pro-heroes." Abandoned was more like it. Left to figure everything out on their own, just as he was.

"No," said Katsuki softly. "I'm weak. I've been trying to be strong like you this time, but I can't even help the people I want to help."

"You can…you already have in more ways than you can imagine. Sometimes, a hero's role is not to fight at every moment, but to do the right thing even when it's wrong. You…knowing the consequences you would face…chose to saveyour friends. If you were looking to match my strength, then know you've already begun to surpass it."

All Might moved forward. A single step and then another, embracing Katsuki gently. He didn't flinch back, but leaned into the comforting hold. "I'm sorry," said All Might once more. "You've been burdened with so much…when you're only a boy."

He clenched his teeth, wrenching away as his eyes burned with unshed tears.

"When I was your age…a little older…I lost my mentor to All For One. If there is anyone who can share the pain you're feeling, it's me. Being a hero taught me many things, but above all: winning and saving are what make a hero. You can't claim justice without either. This fight made that apparent, so instead of standing in each other's way, learn from one another. Save by winning and win by saving."

Katsuki sighed and released a harsh breath, collapsing back on the floor. "To be honest, that's not what I wanted to hear from you." He aimed his glare at Deku. "This guy is supposed to be the best, but he can't even beat me." Katsuki grinned, leaning back with a smug smirk. "I'll beat you both and come out on top."

Deku met his stare. "I'll get strong enough to beat you."

Katsuki sucked his teeth. "Tch, whatever." He ran a hand over his hair. "So, who else knows?"

"There's one more thing, Bakugou-kun…in my guilt, I could not offer any explanation for Best Jeanist's passing. I wanted to be there, but my secret became known to many of our Top Ten following the final exams. Endeavor's actions have put a strain on all of us and with the knowledge that my next fight may be my last…I was asked to rely on my colleagues so that I might pass my strengths to your generation in a less…traumatic…way."

All Might looked away. "I am not sure we made the right choice given what we lost instead."

"You're saying that if you had come…it might have been you in Jeanist's—"

"Don't start thinking like that," said All Might sharply, catching his gaze with brilliant eyes. "Bakugou-kun, I beg you. There's no telling what might have happened in another version of events. It could very well be that many more were lost."

"Did he know?"

"Yes."

That gave Katsuki the slightest hint of relief. Best Jeanist had not waded into war unarmed with the knowledge of what kind of sacrifice he had to make. But, Katsuki thought he didn't want to be the kind of hero that planned for sacrifice. He wanted a victory with no losses.

"Recovery Girl, the Principal, and you are the only ones who know about young Midoriya. The others know my power is waning, but no more than that."

Deku shifted nervously. "There's…one more person…"

"Young Midoriya?"

"I meant to tell you but with the exam, there's been so much happening! Izumi-chan figured it out!"

Katsuki scoffed. "With how obvious you two are, that's no surprise."

All Might nodded softly. "I'll speak to her in the morning. There's no need to disturb her rest."

All Might told him everything there was to know about All For One and Deku. Katsuki listened attentively, barely interrupting as his mind spun with the knowledge of the actual danger they had come across in Kamino Ward.

Had they gotten there a moment later, had Izumi not held on in that insane way she did—Katsuki didn't want to think of it, but he did. All For One wouldn't sit pretty in some prison without a plan or plot. The League of Villains. The Nomu. Everything that had happened so far was only the beginning.

"Nothing's really changed about what I need to do…" said Katsuki, following All Might and Deku back to the dorms.

"Right," said All Might, looking back at him with a firm nod.

"S'not gonna be like before, though." He pulled Deku to a stop, glaring at him fiercely. "Deku, I'm going to rise even higher than you."

Deku nodded firmly, holding his fists up. "I'll keep training and rise ever higher."

Katsuki shoved him away in annoyance. "No one's asking you to make an announcement."

"I'm not! I'm just saying…if you're going to keep climbing, then I will too! Higher than you!"

The secret Deku and All Might held was also one Katsuki now had to carry. It wasn't as big of a burden as he had first imagined, but the world shifted slightly, reminding him that the heroes he envisioned as a child were far more complicated. But the pure kernel of heroism that had sparked then was now a fire burning deep inside him.

He wouldn't be the next All Might.

Katsuki's name would be known worldwide as a hero who never backed down and never lost despite the odds.

A hero who had saved everyone who needed to be saved.

THE NEXT MORNING

(KATSUKI)

"Who beat you up?!" asked Izumi, voice rising in pitch as she caught sight of his bruised and bandaged face. She dropped her school bag, and crossed the common room to take his face in her hands. Turning his jaw left and right, she inspected the ballooning bruise that took up much of his cheek. Katsuki stared down at her silently, not moving an inch, barely acknowledging Deku's squeak as he turned away.

Katsuki craned his neck back, unable to look at her. "It's my fault."

"You mean you actually fought Midoriya?" She gestured emphatically to Deku. "Look at him!"

"It got outta hand." Katsuki took her hand in his own, pulling it down. "It was stupid—you don't need to—"

Izumi stepped back, the back of her knees hitting the side of the couch. She was more energetic than she had been in the last few weeks. "I just—I didn't expect to see you guys all beat up when I came down."

"Suspended too. Four days since I started it. Three for Deku."

She nodded, falling silent. He knew not to expect disappointment from her, but it was still shocking to see the lack of judgment in her face. "Well, if you want someone to yell at you, Aizawa-sensei's probably happy to give it another go." Izumi smiled at him, "Did you sort it out?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, good." Izumi lifted as much of her hair as she could into a ponytail. A few pieces fell out framing her face and highlighting the slope of her nose. "Want me to take notes for you or something?"

At that very moment, he might have loved her.

"I'll just copy yours," Katsuki found himself saying.

Izumi made a face and shook her head. He wanted laugh, knowing she already regretted offering. "I'll take good ones," she vowed.

After a pause, she looked at him again, brushing her hand against one of the bandages. "Was it about All Might?"

"Yeah."

Izumi turned away. "I knew, but I thought if you heard it from—"

"It's fine. I needed to hear it from him." It was said faintly and full of grief.

"Midoriya's not a bad person. He's kind. I was a bit…annoyed…with how much of a goody-two-shoes he could be, but he's got an iron spine, doesn't he?"

"Yeah." He raised his chin, highlighting some of the bruises he'd been left with. "Still beat him though."

Izumi laughed. "That's no surprise. The Great Bakugou Katsuki would never lose to an extra," she teased. "But there's no such thing as extras anymore, right?"

"Don't you have class?"

"I don't want to go," she said, sincerely. "School is for nerds."

"You are one."

"You have no room to talk."

"I'm looking at you from the other side of a suspension."

"I have felons in my family."

Katsuki snorted, shaking his head as Izumi's eyelashes fluttered. Her smile returned, creating small folds at the corners of her eyes that he knew intimately. They were endearing, in that same vein that Izumi herself was.

A pain grew in his throat. He wasn't someone to hover and Izumi wasn't someone who needed bubble wrap, but the last time she had gone off on her own, she hadn't come back. It wasn't that he needed to protect her, but he wanted to be someone who could shield her without crushing her.

The moment, if it was one, was ruined by the arrival of her twin who stood in the middle of the room, dumbfounded as he looked over Katsuki and then caught sight of Midoriya. Izumi skipped over to him, laughing at his expression.

"What?" asked Todoroki bluntly, as Izumi slapped his arm repeatedly.

"I, for one, am shocked at your behavior, Midoriya-kun," sang Izumi, shoving Todoroki into Katsuki. Her arms wrapped around Deku's shoulders, trapping him. "What's possessed you to be cool all of a sudden?"

Deku wiggled out of her hold. "Uh, it wasn't like that, Izumi-chan."

"Who won?" asked Todoroki.

Katsuki snorted, "I did."

"No one," said Deku, nervously.

"I need a scene-by-scene replay. Where did it happen? Who landed the first hit? How much property damage was there?" Izumi wrapped herself around his arm, much to Deku's surprise and embarrassment, looking up at him with wide eyes. "Midoriya, how could you?"

Deku stared at her in complete disbelief. "How could I what?"

"Not tell me to come watch," said Izumi bluntly. She struck his arm with the side of her palm, too gentle to be much more than a light tap.

Todoroki nodded. "I could've come too. I wasn't doing anything."

Katsuki wondered what the hell was wrong with them that they were bouncing off the walls this early in the morning. "Did someone give you drugs?"

Todoroki sent him a look. "It was coffee."

"Shinsou made a fresh pot and no one else was brave enough to try it, but us!" Aizawa was going to have a riot dealing with her. She gently took Katsuki's face between her hands again, scrutinizing him. "Are you sure it doesn't hurt?"

"It doesn't."

Her icy fingers ran below his eye, and he felt the coolness sink beneath his skin. "It's a bit swollen."

"Let me see," said Todoroki leaning over her shoulder. The gleam in his eye made it clear he was purposefully fucking with them. Who the fuck knew Todoroki had a sense of humor.

"Midoriya, you should let me help—" Izumi reached her hand out, fingers outstretched to ice him down too.

Deku dodged with a nervous laugh. "I'm fine!"

Katsuki huffed a half-laugh. This situation was ridiculous, but he felt lighter than he had in months.

END CHAPTER