Searing hot pain ripped through Katsuki's arm and down his spine and every move he made as he crumpled to the ground made that pain scream out. Staring through the smashed glass doors in the back of Kirishima's fourth story dorm room, he realized he was also screaming out in pain, Deku's obnoxious voice ringing in his ears. He breathed in fiery breaths and tried to calm himself, looking at his limp right arm. Even thinking about moving it sent a sharp pain shooting across his body. He ignored the sensation and crawled with one arm to the edge of the terrace where part of the wall had been crumbled to bits.
"Kirishima, you fucking alive?" he called to one of the few people he considered a friend.
"More or less," came the weak, yelled response, barely audible from the distance and over the commotion outside of the door.
Thank fuck Kirishima was okay. Katsuki was well aware of how much trouble he was about to be in and he didn't want to add murder to his list of offences. If he had even remotely thought that things would turn out this way he would've dragged Kirishima outside to try out the quirk. He put as little energy as he possibly could into hitting his friend in the chest.
There was a knock at the door.
"Hey, Kirishima?" Ashido's voice rang out, dense with worry. "We heard a huge crash, are you alright?"
Katsuki stared at the door, trying to think of any way to get out of this situation but knowing he was screwed. Attempting to run or hide would probably only make things worse for himself and he wasn't one to shy away from his decisions in the first place, but he really didn't want to open that door. He knew if he did he'd eventually meet his own fucking eyes just oozing worry and care and damn-near love. They'd be strong with those emotions when they should be angry and betrayed and weak. Whatever.
Katsuki stood with a grunt and walked to the door, opening it to be met with Ashido's big eyes. Worry, care, love. When he saw those eyes on her it meant nothing to him. He felt nothing. But when he knew that fucking piece of shit was behind eyes with those emotions it made him want to kick someone in the teeth.
"B-bakugou," Ashido said in surprise. "You're hurt… where's Kirisihima, is he okay?"
"He's alive. I knocked him off the veranda. You should go get him and bring him to Recovery Girl."
Anger. That's what he wanted to see in eyes directed at him in a situation like this. Ashido could at least respond like a normal fucking person and be angry.
"You fucking asshole!" the pink girl yelled as she ran to go find a red-haired idiot.
Katsuki looked around. Nearly all of class 1-A was gathered in the hallway in their pajamas, flocked to the sound of battle like flies to honey. Thankfully he didn't see his own face in the crowd. He tried to shove past them, gritting through the pain, but was stopped by a small hand on his shoulder causing him to float.
"Put me the fuck down, Round Face," Katsuki spat with as much energy as he could muster.
"Let me help you get to Recovery Girl," she responded softly, pushing him gently down the hall.
Katsuki felt a growl bubbling up in his throat. Physically resisting would be a pain in the ass with his arm the way it was. This was also admittedly much more comfortable than walking.
"Just cause I have his fucking face doesn't mean you need to treat me like that nerd. I'm also not gonna say 'I love you' as him for you."
Uraraka looked at him with a quiet anger. Another sensible person that could react accordingly. It clearly wasn't difficult for most people to be angry at him. So what made Deku different?
"Trust me, Bakugou. I know," she spoke calmly as she ushered him down the steps. "Believe it or not, some people want to help you even if they don't particularly like you. That's kind of what heroes are supposed to do. I don't like the way you treat Midoriya-kun. I don't like the way you treat any of us. But I still don't want you to suffer needlessly when I can do something to stop it." Her eyes didn't hold anger anymore, just a firm resolve.
"Fuck, you two idiots were made for eachother," Katsuki scoffed.
"Then stay out of my way, would you?" she asked softly with a slight whine, like she'd asked this of him before.
Katsuki didn't have time to think about what the hell she meant by that. Pounding footsteps grew closer and closer until a wet, blonde head slammed into his broken shoulder when they turned a corner in the stairwell.
"Fucking FUCK, Deku!" he yelled, gripping his thigh to prevent himself from grabbing onto his mangled arm screaming in pain. "Watch where you're fucking going."
"Kacchan," Deku breathed with Katsuki's voice. His blonde hair was dripping wet and he had only now started putting on a black T-shirt. He must've heard the commotion in the middle of taking a shower. Katsuki pushed down any embarrassment that that might bring him, knowing that he was also having to get used to avoiding looking down while showering or changing and taking a piss sitting down.
"Kacchan, what happened? Are you alright?"
There were those eyes.
Anger and embarrassment and guilt rumbled in Katsuki's chest, clashing for dominance. "Get the fuck away from me, Deku," he barked.
"Kacchan, please, are you al-"
Katsuki shut his eyes. "Deku. I'm fucking serious. If you don't-"
"Please, I'm just worri-"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" he yelled as loud as he could. "You have no fucking right to worry about me when you can barely use my quirk without busting your ass. You don't even deserve to be here. You're a quirkless goddamn loser that somehow managed to get a quirk so powerful that even a loser like you can keep up but that's all it fucking is. Without your quirk you'd be nothing. You are nothing. So worry about yourself first because after this you might not be able to use this fucking arm ever again and you'll have lost everything. Now get the fuck away from me." Katsuki regained his breath before looking at Deku's eyes.
His stomach dropped.
Anger was something he was used to seeing in his red eyes. But knowing that Deku was behind that anger directed towards him was a new experience for him. He deserved to have that anger stabbing into him. Of course he did. But holy fuck someone being furious at him had never made him so uncomfortable.
"Fine, Katsuki." The icy words were daggers. "Uraraka," his voice softened now that it wasn't directed towards Katsuki, twisting the knives in the blonde boy's stomach, "you're taking him to Recovery Girl?"
"I was… but now I'm really considering dropping his ass."
"Don't… could you stop by my room after you drop him off?"
Uraraka's face reddened in surprise. "Y-yeah, Midoriya-kun. Sure thing."
"Thanks." Deku left without another word, not even sparing a glance to Katsuki.
Uuraraka was frozen in thought for a few moments, letting Deku escape the stairwell before she resumed guiding Katsuki downward. They went the rest of the way quietly. Katsuki had words tingling the tip of his tongue, itching to rip the small smile off of Uraraka's childish face, but ultimately couldn't bring himself to say them for fear of what they actually meant. The silence let him focus fully on the excruciating pain of an arm broken to bits, so he nearly gasped in relief when he saw the door leading to Recovery Girl's office.
"Recovery Girl?" Uraraka said cautiously, calling into the dark office.
"Hm, hah, what?" Recovery Girl responded, startled and groggy.
"Um, I brought you a patient." Uraraka pushed Katsuki towards a bed and released her quirk, gently letting him down onto the mattress.
"Oh dear, oh dear." Recovery Girl switched on a light and hobbled over to Katsuki with a worried look on her wrinkled face. "I thought I had adequately warned you, Midoriya-kun. Now let's see, let's see." She gently placed her hand on Katsuki's broken arm.
"Oh, um, Recovery Girl. That's not Midoriya-kun. There was a situation and-"
"Oh yes, yes. My goodness, don't get old, children. Things don't work the way they used to." She smacked her cane twice to the side of her head. "You must be Bakugou-kun then, yes?"
"... Yeah." Katsuki muttered, uncomfortable under a soft but judgemental gaze.
"Mm-mm-mm," she murmured disapprovingly. "Now how did this happen, young one?"
Katsuki avoided meeting the old hero's eyes. "I just tried to use it. I thought it would be fine. I didn't mean to hurt him."
"Well, of course, dear. If you had meant to hurt him I dare say I wouldn't quite be in the mood to heal you. You realize the arms of the body you're in were not in great shape before you doing this, yes?"
"... Yes," Katsuki admitted.
"So what fueled this? Anger, jealousy, insecurity?"
Katsuki knit Deku's brow. "I just fucking thought I could do it."
"Then pure recklessness, was it? Perhaps a lack of empathy? It's important when we make mistakes that we understand why, especially as heroes. You see, mistakes are inevitable, but repeating them is often not. So think on that over the next month while you're healing."
"Month?!" Katsuki barked, finally looking into squinted eyes.
Recovery Girl huffed out a breath. "Yes. A month. As you should know I use my patients' life spans to aid in their healing. Midoriya-kun's body has already gone through too much. I will heal your arm enough so that you won't be in such pain, but the rest you will need to do on your own. And after all of that, I'm unsure whether or not the arm will be usable once it heals. Uraraka-san?" She turned away from Katsuki. "Could you relay all of this to Midorya-kun when you get the chance? He's known about this risk, but having someone else cause the damage won't be an easy thing to come to terms with. I'd prefer he had a friend talk to him about it if you're comfortable."
"O-of course, Recovery Girl. I was actually about to go meet with him. So I'll take my leave. Um… thank you for taking care of him." Uraraka bowed and left before anyone could respond.
Katsuki knew that 'him' was referring to Deku's body. Anyone with eyes and half a brain could see that Uraraka was into that dork, which is why Deku was one of the few who hadn't caught on yet. But now she was heading to his room after-hours. Maybe he wasn't as clueless as everyone thought. The idea annoyed him.
"Alright then, Bakugou-kun. Here we go." Dry lips pressed to his forehead and a warmth spread through his body. "Now rest. I will keep any busy-bodies from waking you up for now but once you're rested it will be out of my hands. Alright?"
She smiled to him gently and Katsuki wondered if this was how mothers normally acted to their children. He grunted an affirmation and closed his eyes, feeling drowsiness overtake him as his body began to use its energy to heal his arm.
When Katsuki awoke, the room was bright from sunlight streaming through the windows. He went to sit up and a sharp pain throbbed in his head. At some point in the night his arm had been fitted with a cast and a sling. The rough, blue strap of the sling rubbed against the back of his neck as he looked around the room.
Kirishima was snoring in the bed next to him, a happy smile on his face. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with him so either his hardening had adequately protected him from Katsuki's attack, or Recovery Girl had deemed it fine to heal him fully. To his left, sleeping comfortably in a chair next to his bed, was Aizawa. Dread filled Katsuki's stomach.
"Fuck," he muttered under his breath, remembering exactly how he had broken Deku's arm. The sound of the word caused Aizawa to open his bloodshot eyes.
"So you're up," the teacher muttered sleepily.
"Mm. What time is it?"
"10 AM, Saturday. You've been sleeping for forty hours or so."
Silence followed. Katsuki knew that Aizawa was waiting for some form of an explanation or apology but he couldn't bring himself to give one.
Aizawa sighed. "Alright, Bakugou-kun. We both know what you did and we both know the lasting effects it could have on Midoriya-kun. I honestly wanted to keep you under surveillance after you tried to use the quirk the first time, but thought that that would be too much. You're a hero in training after all. In my mind, there was no way that you would risk your future over your vendetta against Midoriya-kun. But I see now that I was foolish. As this was partly my fault for not keeping a proper eye on you, you will not be punished for the possible destruction of Midoriya-kun's future as a hero but rather for the unauthorized use of his quirk. Therefore, you will be forbidden from using Midoriya-kun's quirk ever again, and you will be under pseudo house arrest until you two switch back. You are to attend classes as normal but outside of that you are to remain in the dorms. In addition, Kirishima-kun here will be your new roommate while his dorm room is being fixed and will serve to report to us any unauthorized use of Midoriya-kun's quirk. Does that seem fair to you, Bakugou-kun?"
'Is that it?' was Katsuki's first thought. He didn't know what kind of martyr bullshit his sensei was on but obviously it wasn't his fucking fault that Katsuki blew his friend off of the fourth story of the dorm room and destroyed Deku's arm in the process. What the fuck was this? Why hadn't he been expelled? Why wasn't he being forced to switch back? Kirishima could have fucking died and Deku could be a cripple for the rest of his life. Now Katsuki had to, what? Be bored for three months? That was his punishment? Katsuki wondered if Aizawa was being lenient because of what he'd divulged to him after their meeting the morning after switching. If he was then Katsuki would be pissed. He'd needed someone to know and figured that Aizawa would be the last person to treat him differently because of it. Even Kirishima would probably start tiptoeing around him if he knew. Fucker was too nice.
Katsuki looked at Aizawa with suspicion. "That's fair," he lied.
"Good then. Kirishima already knows about all of this, by the way. He woke up yesterday but wanted to sleep more so we let him. Once he wakes up, have him take you to the dorms." With that, Aizawa left the room, leaving Katsuki dumbfounded.
Three weeks passed. Kirishima's dorm room had been fixed in a few days but he continued to stay with Katsuki by orders of Aizawa. The packed room meant they shared a bed but, aside from occasionally being awoken by a sharp blow to his kidney, Katsuki didn't really mind. They just hung out and studied and slept. If it were anyone else Katsuki probably would've broken Deku's other arm just to get expelled and exit the situation, but Kirishima was laid back enough for Katsuki to enjoy his presence rather than rebel against it.
Going to class was normal except for the fact that he still couldn't take part in any quirk training. He watched from the sidelines as Deku became more and more comfortable using his quirk. Kirsihima was often his partner since he could handle a wayward explosion or two and it was weird to see the two interacting so much—getting along so well. They had always been friends but after three weeks of sparring one-on-one most days they had a new cadence to the way they spoke, like they were in their own world. Whenever Deku mastered a new move or released a huge explosion without being pushed back the whole class beamed for him, but Kirishima was his biggest supporter.
Katsuki, on the other hand, hadn't spoken to Deku since he broke his arm. Not that he ever tried, but it was unusual for Deku to not approach him for anything at all in three weeks, especially when they were inhabiting each other's fucking bodies. Hell, within the first twenty-four hours the idiot brought up his fucking foreskin. In the past three weeks, Katsuki had to imagine that Deku had also done more than just piss with his dick and was surprised he didn't get a tearful apology for violating his body. Granted, Katsuki was the most bored he'd ever been in his entire life, so maybe he was the only one that had been driven to that as an outlet. He couldn't participate in quirk training, he couldn't leave the dorms, and there was no news of an alternate way of switching back. But Deku certainly had enough going on to keep from getting bored.
The class flocked around the nerd even more now, all invested in his progress with Katsuki's quirk. The idiot caught on a lot faster than anyone thought he would and by now, unless he was trying out something new, he looked natural using bursts of explosions to fight or accelerate across the field. It was odd to see himself being so supported by everyone. It was his body, his quirk, but everyone celebrated Deku's accomplishments with it more than they ever had his own, even though the green-haired brat was just copying everything that Katsuki had worked to master. It seemed that Katsuki just wasn't someone that people wanted to support.
Another development was Deku's increased contact with Uraraka. It was rare to see them apart outside of class. Always studying and chatting in the far corners of rooms, Deku's idiotic grin plastered on his face and Uraraka's red cheeks glowing. Katsuki wondered what had happened when she went to his room the night he broke his arm. It didn't seem more than platonic when they were in public but every once in a while he would catch the bubbly girl exiting the dorm stairwell on the 2nd floor with an expectant look on her dumb, round face. There were only males on the 2nd floor and Deku was the only one she really spoke to. What were they doing behind closed doors? Never before had Katsuki given two shits about what Uraraka did in her free time but it was his body she was going to meet, after all. He had a right to be annoyed at her and at Deku for fucking meeting with her every other god damn night but ignoring Katsuki without a second thought.
He shook his head violently. This was why he and Kirishima were spending their Sunday walking around town. Katsuki was going insane with boredom and his mind had started to grasp onto anything that could cause some sort of entertainment. He needed out. Even if it was just for a day. He convinced Aizawa to let him out under the pretense that he needed to buy more supplies for school but he had everything he needed. So he and Kirishima just walked around, talking about random shit and people-watching. But after a particularly long lull in the conversation, Kirishima asked what everyone else had been too scared to.
"So what's the deal with you not switching back with Midoriya?" he asked sincerely.
Katsuki scowled. "Why do you give a shit all of a sudden?"
"Well, I mean, you didn't really seem bothered by the switch before. You didn't care what Midoriya did as you and you seemed comfortable enough, but we're out right now 'cause you're getting tired of it, right? I'd want my quirk back too. So why not just switch back?"
Katsuki blew a long, angry breath through his wrinkled nose. "I don't fucking want him to stick his tongue in my mouth." It was the truth, if only partly.
"Dude, c'mon. You know it doesn't have to be like that. I had to do it with Uraraka. It wasn't a big deal, and she's a chick. You're doing it to your own face when it happens, anyway. So what gives?"
"You're telling me you'd do that to me right now if you had to?"
"Yeah, easy. We're friends, man." Kirsihima was always earnest with Katsuki which made things simple but also uncomfortable at times. "You wouldn't touch tips with me?"
"Can everyone please stop fucking calling it that? And… I would. But not with that shit head."
"So what makes him so different? I know you guys have that whole childhood thing, but, I don't know. I like him." So very earnest.
"Yeah, I fucking know you like him," Katsuki said bitterly.
"See, dude? What's your problem? What's he done to make you so angry?"
"Why the fuck are you defending him?" Katsuki barked.
"Because he's a nice guy! And he likes you and wants to make amends in spite of everything but you just keep pushing him away. And I like you too and I like him and I just kind of wish you two could get along, y'know? I just don't get it, I guess."
"And I don't get how everyone fucking fawns over him so much. He's a fucking nerd asshole that thinks I'm weak enough that he has to fucking worry about me when I broke his fucking arm. I'm the one refusing to switch back. And from day fucking one he's been worrying about 'doing something I wouldn't like' like he has any fucking power over me or how I feel. He's a fucking patronizing loser that hung onto me for so many years despite me being a huge fucking asshole to him every step of the way, always looking at me like I was the one who needed help, and then drops me the moment things get too hard and doesn't look back. I fucking hate him."
Kirishima looked to him, surprised. "Wow, dude. That's, uh… that's a lot to unpack, man. I'm sorry. Uh… you know all of that is just because he actually likes you, right? He's not looking down on you, man, he just actually likes you and worries about you. And if you think he's not looking back on breaking ties with you then, I mean, you're wrong. Every time he tries out some new move he talks about how cool it was when you first did it. It's hard not to get caught up in it 'cause it's so obvious he's working so hard at it with you in mind. I don't know, it's kind of sweet. He loves you, dude."
"... Why? I can't remember the last time I was fucking nice to him."
"I don't know, dude. You're cool. I love you, too."
Katsuki scowled at his friend's blunt sincerity. Like hell he was going to say that back, but he raised his fist to Kirishima who smiled, big and bright, and tapped his own fist against it.
"Can we stop fucking talking about this?" Katsuki asked sincerely.
Kirishima laughed. "Yeah, man, whatever you want. Yo, did you hear they found out what the guy who switched us was doing with those women?"
Katsuki grimaced at the thought of that man. "Nah, what happened?"
"Turns out he sold them to the guys they switched with. He was just some random office worker. I guess he's a good looking dude and would get beautiful women to sleep with him. He'd get some spit during the deed and do the swap with the highest bidder. Dudes were paying millions. Fucking disgusting."
"Holy fuck," was all Katsuki could bring himself to say. It was odd to admit, but ever since he was a child he always viewed villains as these outstanding enemies that weren't people like Katsuki or Kirishima were. They were just bad guys. He never really spared a thought to whether they lived a normal life before or while being a villain. It made him nauseous to think about the man who had switched them living his life normally, all the while subjecting those women to hell. He was just a handsome businessman before all of this. Katsuki looked around to all the people passing by them as they walked through the town. How many of them had quirks that could do serious damage? And then how many of those were willing to use them for evil? Katsuki tried to catch his breath. Anyone could be planning anything at any moment, and here he was, walking around with a broken arm and a quirk that he couldn't make use of. He was helpless. The nausea crept up his throat. Anyone could be like that man. A finger entered his mouth. He could see Deku next to him. 'Boop!' Sludge was gushing down his throat and into his lungs. He gasped for breath. The finger was salty. It pressed against his tongue. The faces passing around him sneered with evil grins. Katsuki found himself on his knees, vomiting. Kirishima was yelling to him, a hand was on his back. He tried to push it away. He crumpled to the ground, shaking, desperately gasping for air. Red eyes with a soft gaze. More vomit. It was hot and wet on his hand. 'Kacchan.' Fuck. "Are you alright?" Fuck fuck fuck. The world started to fade.
Katsuki woke up in Recovery Girl's office. He grimaced at the taste in his mouth. What the fuck happened?
Rustling near him caught his attention and he looked down to see his blonde head resting on the side of his bed. Deku was sleeping, chest gently rising, small murmurs gliding through the dim room. It must've been late.
Katsuki curled his lip as he looked at his classmate. How had Deku survived so long without a quirk? Katsuki had never felt so weak, so vulnerable, in his entire life. Katsuki was used to having his powerful quirk ready for battle and had never shied away from threatening Deku with it. How fucking scared would he have been in that situation? How did he always seem so strong in spite of that? 'He loves you, dude.' How? How in the fuck could Deku even still stand being near him? Katsuki pushed him down any chance he got and the higher he stood the harder he fell. Even when he saved him from the sludge villain, Katsuki just got angry. Because what did that mean if quirkless Deku saved him? That he was weak? That Deku was looking down on him? Of course fucking not. He spent so much time looking down on people that he never considered the idea that Deku wouldn't do the same to him any chance he got. 'He just actually likes you and worries about you.' Fuck.
Gently, he dragged the back of his hand across Deku's sleeping head. He wondered if he'd be able to perform that action if he was looking at Deku's actual body instead of his own. He pulled his hand back sharply when the sleeping boy started to rouse from his slumber.
"Kacchan?" Deku spoke sleepily, looking up to him with a half-lidded gaze. Before Katsuki could say anything, the kid seemed to come to his senses, face gaining color as he jolted away from the bedside. "S-sorry. I was just keeping watch while Kirishima got some sleep. I'll go get him." Deku turned to leave.
"Hey, wait," the words scratched their way out of his dry throat. "Do you know what happened to me?"
"Oh, um… they said you probably had a panic attack. Kirishima brought you back after you passed out. I'm sorry you went through that. I know they're scary." Deku spoke sincerely and Katsuki wondered how many times the kid had hyperventilated until he passed out and how many times it was Katsuki's fault.
"S'okay," Katsuki mumbled. He looked into eyes that were avoiding his own. "Hey, Deku," he spoke softly.
Their eyes met and some of Katsuki's anxiety released.
"What's up, Kacchan?"
"When my… when your arm is healed, teach me how to use your quirk."
Deku's eyes widened in surprise. "Uh, I mean, I would, Kacchan, but Aizawa-"
"I'll convince him. Besides, I'm pretty sure this is what he was hoping for from the start." Katsuki grumbled, thinking back on his oddly light punishment.
Deku looked at him for a few more moments in surprise before a smile began to form on his lips. "I'm down if Aizawa-sensei is okay with it. I think you're an awesome match for my quirk."
"It's a fucking deal then." Katsuki raised his fist to Deku who happily brought his own in to meet it.
Author's Note
I just wanted to do a quick thanks to those who have read and reviewed/followed/favorited! This is 100% something I'm doing for me and will update regardless, but I appreciate it! I'm also proactively changing the rating to M because my plans for this have changed slightly. Because, again, this is for me and I guess I feel like being a little nasty lol.
Thanks for reading!