A/N: I just wanted to thank everyone for the comments, likes, and follows. Your support means a lot to me! Please continue to feed me comments, I enjoy reading them.
Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia
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The four worn and weary travelers barely made it back to the dormitory in one piece. Jiro's leg required constant adjustments. First, the gauze soaked through and needed changed so Momo removed the bloodied material and replaced it with a fresh wrap. Not too long after it was changed, they noticed the wrapping wasn't secure, so they had to stop again to rewrap and secure the dressing. During their second stop they noticed what looked like a small pack of wolves that were trailing them for who knew how long. They likely smelled Jiro's blood and were subsequently drawn to them as a result. They stopped a third time so Momo could give Shoto a break from carrying the injured girl and this time the animals were barely concealed and much closer than before as they watched the teens from their hiding spots.
Their yellow eyes watched from behind the bushes and trees, and as the sun began to set those predatory eyes glowed eerily as they trailed the groups every movement. None were too worried, given they had their quirks to protect themselves but still, there was something deeply unsettling about being the one hunted.
Once the dorms came into view, they quickly scrambled up the stairs and into the foyer, thankful the wolves never actually attacked them. As Shoto went to rest Jiro on one of the plushy couches in the common area, Tsu peeked out the window to see if the wolves were still there. It was completely dark outside at this point, but she was still able to see those creepy glowing eyes staring back at her form the forest line. "They're still there" she said as she turned from the window to check on how things were going with Jiro.
"If you're worried, I can go start a fire outside to ward them away." Shoto walked up to the window to look for himself while Momo had a bowl of water and washcloth in hand. She sponged the sweat and dirt off Jiro's face and arms, mothering over her as best she could.
"I'll help you, Todoroki. Tsuyu, do you mind sponging her off while I help get the fire started? Just be careful of her leg, I have it stabilized, but if you move it by accident it could do some serious damage."
"Of course, I'm happy to help wherever I can!" Tsu rushed to take over for Momo while the other two teens went outside.
There were plenty of materials scattered across the ground to get a good fire started and with the two of them working together they had everything ready within fifteen minutes. Shoto lifted his hand, palm extended toward the kindle as he activated his quirk. A small flame lit around his fingertips instead of the showy flame he was going for. Confused, he studied the flames emitting from his fingers before noticing the small flame was actually burning him.
"Ouch!" He yelped as he shook the flame from his hand.
"What is it?" Momo questioned as she watched the whole occurrence.
"My flame… it was hard to maintain, and it burnt me." He studied his fingers, noticing how the tips were darkened where the fire burnt him. "I think I could have gotten the flame a little bigger if I tried, but if it's burning me, I don't think I want to."
"Well that's peculiar." Momo thought for a moment before deciding to try her own quirk. She focused on the makeup of a box of matches and activated her quirk. She watched in total shock as the box of matches she created popped out and landed in her hand, being no bigger than the size of a penny. Refusing to believe what just happened she tried again, this time going for a raincoat since the air was beginning to smell an awful lot like rain. She imagined a beautifully ornate floral coat painted in bright yellow sunflowers. The coat she got was big enough to dress her big toe at best. She huffed in annoyance before a loud howl pierced through the air, reminding her of what they were trying to accomplish in the first place.
"We better get back inside. Without our quirks, we aren't going to be able to fend them off very well." She slowly backed toward the safety of the dormitory with Shoto following her lead.
"Well this was unforeseen" he casually commented. As soon as the back of their heels hit the beginning of the staircase, they both turned and made a mad dash back up the steps, running through the entryway and slamming the door behind them. "Now what?" he asked no one in particular.
"Don't know" Momo breathed as she peered out the window at the growing number of glowing, yellow eyes staring back at them.
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Katsuki ran as fast as his legs could carry him. His muscles ached, his skin stung where errant branches whipped against his face and arms, and his head continued to pound relentlessly. He wasn't even sure where he was trying to go anymore. A cave maybe... Yeah, that sounded right. The scenery around him was a blur of green as he pushed through the jungle's depths. He could still hear the thunderous whoosh of what was undoubtably the nerd lookalike chasing him from not too far behind. The Izuku he knew was clumsy as fuck. There was no way the real Izuku could stay on his tail for that long in the middle of the shitty, obstacle strewn jungle. The real Izuku would have been snagged by mother nature by now, probably with at least one broken bone while muttering to himself about where he went wrong.
Chancing a glance behind him, he spotted a determined haze of green, which was frankly too close for comfort. The shitty doppelganger wasn't using One for All to catch him either, just more proof that it couldn't be Deku. Nevertheless, he was catching up quickly and with the infernal voice finally beginning to dull, Katsuki wondered why he was running away instead of fighting back. Running away was what weak extras did. It was not what the future number one hero, Katsuki Motherfucking Bakugou did.
With his mind made up, he abruptly stopped so he could fight off fake Izuku and get information from him about where they were keeping his classmates. His feet skidded across the slick ground and he grabbed ahold of the wide trunk of a tree to steady himself. He heard Izuku come to a stop just behind him, his noisy pants coming in rapidly and matching his own. Preparing for their upcoming throwdown, the blond turned slowly until he was face to face with the perfect replica of his childhood friend.
"Back the fuck off" he ground out while taking on an offensive stance. He concentrated on evening out his breathing as he watched his green clad suspect like a hawk, ready to strike at a moment's notice.
Deku's eyebrows drew together in confusion, unsure why Kacchan was acting so aggressively. The stare down continued for a minute before Deku took a step forward, hands raised in front of his body like he was approaching an injured animal. "Kacchan, are… are you okay? Why did you run away like that?"
The hotheaded teen wasn't listening, eyes zeroing in on the encroaching enemy. That one step forward was one step too many. He abruptly lunged at Izuku with a frantic swipe of his right first, aiming for Izuku's head which was no longer there. He realized too late, Izuku had stepped into his guard and raised his own left fist, upper cutting the blond under his chin. The blow to his unguarded chin landed with debilitating force, knocking him hard against the forest floor and onto his backside.
Retreating a few paces back, the green haired teen quickly put distance between the two, not wanting to hurt Kacchan anymore than he had to. "What the heck Kacchan? Why are you attacking me? We should be working tog-"
Before he could get another word out, Bakugou was on his feet and rushing at Izuku again. Right fist raised in the air, he swung at Izuku who raised his left arm to deflect the blow, catching the inside of Bakugou's arm with his wrist and redirecting it up and away from his freckled face. Izuku than slid his hand up the blond's arm and grabbed ahold of his wrist, effectively pulling Kacchan off balance. In the meantime, the smaller teen bent his right knee and snapped his leg toward Kacchan's exposed ribcage. With a grunt, Bakugou managed to block Deku's kick with his left arm just in time.
Without a second to waste, Deku disengaged from Kacchan and retreated back once more. Before he could catch his breath, the blond charged forward with Izuku watching his right hand, preparing to intercept his signature right hook only to be blindsided by a left straight punch impacting his jaw with a deafening crack. He stumbled backwards, trying to refocus his vision. Before he could reengage, Kacchan was already on him, tackling him to the ground and blindly throwing punches toward Deku's raised guard.
Each blow drained Izuku's stamina more and more every time it connected with him, hitting with what felt like the force of cinderblocks raining down upon him. The teen wasn't sure how much more of a pummeling he could receive from such heavy fists. He was reluctant to use One for All for fear of injuring Kacchan but quickly realized he didn't stand a chance and would get hurt if he didn't. Feeling backed into a corner, Izuku activated full cowling to help protect himself from the onslaught of Bakugou's fists.
Teal currents encased Izuku's body, drawing Kacchan's attention away from attacking and instead focusing on the power that only Deku could possess. The assault of punches came to a hesitant halt, Kacchan now studying the boy beneath him with rapt attention. He quickly grabbed Izuku's wrists, which were still positioned in front of his face, and pinned them above his head, the green haired boy allowing it if it would help calm the clearly confused teen.
Green currents snaked around Izuku's frame like ivy to a tree, prominently displaying his subdued power as he waited for Kacchan to make the next move. The ground was warm and damp beneath his back, he was pretty sure a stick was trying to push its way into the meat of his shoulder, but he paid it no mind. Instead, Izuku shifted his gaze to look up into those intense, red orbs which were squinting back at him in contemplation.
Those familiar green eyes locked with his own, showing no fear or hesitation, just waiting patiently. He never really took the time to look into them like this, like really look into them. His pure green irises were kind of pretty and matched the lively shade of the forest around them perfectly. Similar to the multitude of shades within the jungle, Izuku's eyes also reflected different hues of green, beginning with a light fern green around the outer perimeter and darkening into a warm pine circling his pupils.
Katsuki's head felt weird, like it was too full and yet totally vacant at the same time. His brain couldn't seem to catch up to the evidence presented in front of him, evidence suggesting this had to be the real Izuku. Rationality tried to pop the bubble of confusion which surrounded his mind like a near impenetrable fortress of madness. What was he even doing at this point? Running away from the nerd like some coward and then fighting him off like he was a villain or something. Deku would make for a fucking terrible villain. Deku was way too soft and shit. And now, here he was, staring into his eyes like they were the key to his own salvation. Fucking absurd.
Still, this couldn't have happened without a reason. There was a reason he suspected Deku and the rest of their class, right? He recalled it was in fact that voice in his head, telling him they weren't to be trusted. His face twisted into that of a scowl, his grip on Izuku's wrists tightening with frustration, causing the smaller teen to flinch from the pressure against the bruises forming along his skin.
Realizing Kacchan might need a push, he puffed out a little air and lifted his chin. "Its me, Kacchan. Its Deku."
"Deku" Katsuki breathed out, the word feeling right to him as it matched the bundle of green beneath him. He lowered his face until their noses were practically touching, at first as an intimidation tactic but that quickly changed when he breathed in the scent of mint and dirt coming off the boy. It was comforting, the way Deku always smelled a little like mint, even now as he was covered from head to toe in sweat, dirt, and just a little blood. Before he knew what, he was doing, his lips brushed lightly against Deku's, finding them to be even softer than he expected.
To say Izuku was startled when the lips of his childhood best friend turned bully were suddenly connecting with his own would be the understatement of a lifetime. His breath hitched and he stared wide eyed at the speculating irises just inches above his face. A dizzying array of thoughts passed at lighting speed through his brain.
What is happening? Why is this happening? Did he… pass out? He's staring at me; he couldn't have passed out. Oh god. He's going to murder me for this. Why hasn't he stopped yet? Was this on purpose? No, no, silly me. It couldn't have been on purpose. He must have lost his mind. That has to be the answer, he's gone crazy. But still, this is… this is nice actually. Kinda feels right…
Too soon, Katsuki pulled away, sitting up right over Izuku's hips and letting go of the teen's bruised wrists. He looked as surprised as Izuku felt but that look was fleeting and quickly was replaced by his trademark scowl. Izuku had a million questions about what just happened. "What-"
"Don't" Katsuki glared at the boy as he stood and backed away from him. Izuku noted there was something different behind that angry look. Where it once was aloof there was now something more, something heated.
With a sigh, Izuku got up from the ground, brushing his clothes off with a few rigid swipes from his scarred hands. He surveyed both Kacchan and himself for injuries, noting the blond seemed to be doing the same. Izuku really wanted to talk about that kiss, but he could tell Kacchan did not, so he pushed it away for the time.
"Um, Kacchan? What exactly happened back there?"
"Tsk. Hell if I know. One minute I was sleeping and the next there was a damn voice in my head telling me you were all fake and the real ones were hidden somewhere." He blushed almost imperceptibly as he spoke, hearing the absurdity of everything as it tumbled from his own lips.
"Wait, you heard voices? Kacchan, that's not normal. Maybe-"
"Listen, you damn nerd. I'm fine. There isn't anything wrong with me and I don't need you worrying about me." He crossed his arms defensively and turned his head in the direction they came from, dismissing Deku's concerns. "We're heading back now, and you aren't going to blab to them about a single thing that just happened here. Got it?"
"They're going to want to know why you ran off. Am I just supposed to ignore them when they ask?"
"Be creative, I'm sure you can think of something, damn nerd."
As they began to make their way back to their classmates, the smell of damp earth permeated the jungle which was soon followed by the low rumble of thunder off in the distance. They heard it before they felt it, the sound of rain bouncing off the leafy canopy above them before pervading through the thick cover and coming down hard all around them. They were utterly soaked within seconds, leaving them both to stare openly at each other in complete bewilderment.
Izuku broke away first, throwing his head back with a full bellied cackle. He wiped the water from his face and pushed his soggy bangs from where they stuck to his forehead. "I'm not sure today could get much worse, even if we tried."
Kacchan had been fighting the urge to join in on the mirth, a few delinquent snickers managed to slip through despite his best effort, making Izuku smile in return. A loud crack of thunder sounded overhead, causing Izuku to jump. Katsuki smiled devilishly. "You're not scared of a little thunder are you, nerd?"
"What? Of course not. It was just really loud is all." Despite the warmth surrounding them, Izuku was beginning to tremble from losing so much body heat to the evaporating water. He hugged his arms around his body, rubbing his palms vigorously over his skin in an effort to warm himself. "Come on, lets just head back. The others aren't going to stay in the trees with this kind of downpour."
Disagreeing as per usual, the blond shook his head in response. "We shouldn't try to travel in this. Let's just find shelter or some shit and wait it out." Katsuki knew he could probably make it back just fine, but he wasn't so sure about Deku. The teen took a lot of hits and though he tried to act like he wasn't injured, Katsuki saw right through that. He would never admit to worrying over him, but the feeling was there, nevertheless.
"O-okay Kacchan. Let's find shelter then."