Trigger warnings for a suicidal character, references to bullying, and Bakugou's potty mouth.
Disclaimer: I don't own My Hero Academia.
Katsuki knows what's happening. Back in middle school, Deku never opened up to the friendly approaches from teachers or kids. They come off as dishonest. A kid who's being treated shitty enough to want to jump off a roof won't trust someone who's trying to be nice. Bullies like him though? They think the worst of you, but they never lie about it. Choose the right tone, be as blunt as possible, and you can get a nerd to tell you anything.
Just in case, he tenses as he prepares to jump at her with his quirk; if he maneuvers himself correctly, even if they both go over the edge, he can slow their fall—Deku won't like it. He'll say there's too much room for error. Tch. Damn nerd's a hypocrite. What kind of hero is Katsuki if he can't save one damn kid from taking a swan dive off the roof of a building?
She's taking too long to answer.
"Kid, whatever happens, we're going to find out. Aren't you mad at the world if you're ready to leave it? We're heroes. Your safety is our responsibility. So tell us, the world, just how badly we fucked up."
Her stony posture evaporates. Her shoulders shake. Her whole body shakes, and Katsuki fears she'll fall, but her feet stay firmly planted on the edge. He hears a sob.
Some of class 1-A glares at Katsuki for making her cry, but Deku seems relieved. Katsuki feels something in his chest tighten at the thought of Deku trusting him, of all people, to talk someone out of suicide.
"Look, kid, how 'bout you let me come over there, and we can just sit and talk."
A pause.
"You'll try to stop me."
"If you're so damn confident we'd thank you for jumping after hearing why, then you shouldn't be worried about that."
"You'll do it because it's your job."
She's right. Katsuki does a lot of shit that he doesn't want to do because it's his job. Like being nice to stupid civilians. But he needs her to think differently. He doesn't want to lie, though. The mere thought pisses him off. But maybe it won't be a lie. He does that shit to be a hero, and he wants to be a hero.
"Look, kid, nobody can make me do anything I don't wanna do. Deku may not wish death on his worst enemy, but I'm not Deku."
Everyone tenses. And then the girl practically falls, plopping backward onto the ledge. The sudden movement gives everyone a near heart attack, but she sits there, looking like a deflated balloon, drained of energy. She pulls her knees to her chest and continues to look out towards the sky.
"Only you, though." She says.
Katsuki drops himself onto the ledge about a foot away from her. She flinches, but doesn't complain about the proximity. He dangles his legs over the edge, swinging them like a kid without a care in the world.
She eyes him suspiciously, and for the first time, he gets a look at her face. Her blue eyes are swollen and bloodshot, with dark circles underneath. Her chin-length red hair is tangled, and bits of it stick to her face from tears. She sniffs.
He reaches into his pocket to look for some kind of makeshift tissue. He can't find anything...well, she doesn't seem to mind, so he'll let it go for now.
He looks out, squinting at the now setting sun.
"So, tell me why you think this is a good idea."
She lets out a shaky sigh.
"School is starting soon."
He freezes, hating what that implies.
"So, why would that bother you?" He tries to speak casually, "Everyone goes to school. Sure, it's shitty, but there's got to be more to it."
"I just can't take another year!"
"Why?" Does he really want to know?
She buries her face in her knees. For a moment, he thinks she won't answer; then he hears a muffled response.
"What?"
"I said," she looks up at him, her eyes filling with fresh tears, and voice quiet and strained. A whisper in the wind. "I'm quirkless."
What... No.
Did Deku hear? He doesn't dare look back to check.
"Of fucking course you are." He says, forgetting himself, because if this isn't some poetic bullshit. Fucking ironic is what it is.
Her eyes widen, and she flinches away. A choked sob makes him flinch too.
"Hey, I didn't mean it like that. Calm down." He tries to reach out to her, but she flinches again, shutting her eyes and tensing for a blow. Katsuki feels sick.
"Ok! Ok! Look." He tries not to sound as panicked as he feels, but damn it; this is his nightmare. She's scared of him. Like Deku used to be.
She peeks her eyes open as he raises his hands in a placating manner. "No touching. I get it." He says calmly, casually. Exactly how he doesn't feel.
She seems to buy it because her frightened, defeated demeanor turns to merely defeated. She looks away.
"What could you possibly get."
It's not meant to be a question, but he answers anyway.
"A few things. I never had to deal with...what you deal with. At least not on your end."
He has to do this.
"Wh-what?"
He knows he can't outrun his past forever.
"Look, full disclosure. I was a real piece of shit in middle school."
Wow! You know, I had writer's block, but this fic is just writing itself, and I'm so happy! Maybe I'm cured, and I can finish my other fics faster! Here's hoping!
I promise, I did not intend for Katsuki to just take over this fic. It first came to me as a third person with Katsuki and Izuku talking someone out of suicide together, but maybe that'll come later. For now, Katsuki has taken over!
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Love ya!