Chapter 2

After hanging out at the local park, we all finally headed home. It was then I learned that Izuku lived nearby. How did we never cross paths before? At the corner, before heading home, I asked him if he wanted to go bug hunting with me. Usually, Kato and Saito always turned me down. But maybe Izuku was different. "I would love to!" Hearing that made me so happy that I couldn't stop smiling.

"We'll meet here tomorrow morning." Izuku nodded, and he went home. I watched him for a while and saw how he entered the apartments across the street. So, that's where he lived. I wonder what it's like living in one of those. After all, I lived in a house.

The next day, I felt nervous as I waited at the corner for Izuku. I wasn't sure why, but that's what I was feeling. And when Izuku showed up, I was kind of confused. He wore the same shorts from yesterday and a shirt that seemed too big. Not to mention the shirt had a few holes. Was that normal? "Good morning, Kacchan." He wore a big smile as he ran up to me. As I got a closer look, he looked like a mess.

"Good morning, Izuku. Let's go to my place to get my bug net and containers." Izuku nodded, and I grabbed his hand while I pulled him along.

"You got one of the unlimited collectors All Might bronze age poster! You're so lucky, Kacchan!"

I looked over to Izuku as he smiled and commented about my room. My face felt somewhat hot as he kept praising everything. Even saying nice things about my comic book collection. Not to mention talking endlessly about my action figures. That's when I remember the second All Might figure I had gotten from my grandma. Maybe I should give that to him after we were done playing.

We soon went to the park, where Izuku held both bug-holding containers. We spotted a dragonfly flying over our heads as we neared the park. We both laughed as we tried to chase after it. I got my bug net ready, but the dragonfly was too fast and high. "Hold on, Kacchan. I need to catch my breath." I looked behind me and saw Izuku holding his knees as he seemed to struggle to breathe.

"I'm sorry, Izuku. I didn't mean to outrun you."

He quickly stood upright, held his fist in front of his chest, and shook his head. "I'm fine, Kacchan. That dragonfly was just too fast." Even though he was smiling, tears were sliding down his face. I started to walk over to him, but he began to step forward. "Come on, Kacchan. I wonder what bugs we'll find. Maybe we'll come across another dragonfly." Why did this feel so familiar?

But before I could say something, Izuku kept insisting we enjoy today. "Is everything ok?"

"My mom is at work and doesn't know I'm not home." I was in complete shock. "Come on, Kacchan." Izuku's smile made me worry. "It's ok. Mom just works odd jobs." Before long, we were in search of beetles and other bugs. Izuku's laughing and cheering almost made me forget what he had recently said.

…

Since I first spoke with Kacchan, it has been one adventure after another. Form getting the same All Might card to him giving me a matching limited edition All Might action figure. The action figure I had to hide from mom, or else she would have taken it away from me. Which she does whenever I get something she didn't buy me.

I even got to hang out with Kacchan instead of spending my days alone at home while mom worked many jobs. It felt amazing to have a friend. Especially one that was so amazing and is like my hero. We would explore the nearby parks almost every day, or I would visit his home. Sometimes, Kato and Saito would join us at the park, but they often ignored me. It didn't matter to me as long as I spent time with Kacchan.

All though, the only thing we didn't do was spend time at my home. Even more so when mom was home. Maybe I should invite him over when mom would be at work and wouldn't get mad at me. Mom doesn't scream or hit like Kacchan's mom does, but I knew when she was mad. Mom cries a lot, but I knew the difference between angry and sad tears. I don't like either one and would try to avoid them.

I eventually did tell my mom how I had a friend. At first, she didn't react. But when I mentioned how Kacchan invited me to a sleepover, she started asking questions. "Come on, mom. You won't have to worry about if I'm ok while you deal with your double shifts. And you'll be able to sleep in."

"Fine, Izuku." She then got her purse and took out her wallet and a notepad. I watched as she wrote something and then ripped the page out. She then took out a few bills from her wallet. Handing me the money and paper, I was confused. "That's my number. Make sure to give it to your friend's mom."

"Yes, mom." With that, I went to my room. I closed the door and went to my secret hiding spot, and grabbed the gift I got for Kacchan. When I learned Kacchan's birthday was coming up, I saved as much of my allowance as possible to get him something. I may not have eaten anything besides the daycare's meals, but it was worth it. I then packed my bookbag and ran out of the apartment.

When I got to Kacchan's house, I started feeling nervous. Not like I haven't been here before. But today just feels different. I was surprised that it was Kacchan's dad who answered the door. Usually, it was his mom. As I took off my shoes, I faintly heard screaming. Was Kacchan and his mom arguing again? They do this a lot.

Walking into the living room area, I saw how Kacchan's mom looked angrily down at Kacchan. I watched how Kacchan's dad tried to get in between the two. It's always like this. It would often start over with something so small like Kacchan saying something under his breath. That's when she looked up and saw me. Auntie Bakugou smiled at me before telling Kacchan that I was there. "You boys, go play while I finish cooking dinner. And Katsuki, remember what we talked about."

"Yeah, yeah." The way Auntie Bakugou looked at Kacchan scared even me. But thankfully, she went over to the kitchen. That's when Kacchan walked over to me. I could see that he had tears going down his face. As much as I want to ask, I know better. It always makes him more upset. "Do you want to watch a movie or play?"

"We could watch a movie! Oh," I handed him the gift. "I'm sorry I couldn't have given it to you on your birthday. But I hope you like it."

As I watched Kacchan unwrap his gift, he slowly smiled again. But his smile grew when he saw it was an All Might doll. "Thank you so much!" Watching him hug his doll made me happy. I'm so glad that I did this.

As we watched the latest All Might movie, it was so much fun. We spoke about how cool All Might was and pointed out all his incredible moves. It was fun finally having someone else to talk about All Might with. We even ended up acting out the movie after dinner. I don't ever want this night to end.

…

It felt like summer ended too soon when daycare started again. But it was so amazing all that time with Izuku. As we walked, I couldn't stop smiling. Even though I also hung out with Kato and Saito, neither came to my house. Either way, I had so much fun with Izuku, which matters the most to me.

Especially since when Izuku came over after I had a fight with my mom, he would cheer me up. I was shocked when I finally went to his home. His place felt so empty. Even more, knowing his mom was barely home. That's when he told me things, and I watched him painfully cry. I then promised him that he'll never be alone again.

His mom reminds me so much of my mom. I love my mom, but she doesn't ever listen to me. I'm very grateful to have Izuku by my side. Somehow, he just makes everything seem better. Kind of like he was my hero. But I'm too scared to tell him. What if I stop being amazing in his eyes?

"Is everything ok, Kacchan?"

I looked at Izuku and suddenly realized that I was crying. I quickly wiped away the tears, smiled, and gave a thumbs-up. "I'm ok."

"You don't have to lie to me, Kacchan. Is it something about what your mom said the other day?" How does he do that?

"It's nothing like that. I was just thinking about stuff."

"Ok?"

When we arrived at the daycare, I did my best to put on my bravest face. We had a new sitting this year, and I was somewhat surprised that Izuku was placed behind me. Now I won't be able to see him. Maybe this is a good thing because my focus is always on him.

During recess, something amazing happened. As Izuku and I sat under the tree, my hands started to tingle. When I looked at my hands, I noticed they were very sweaty. It almost smells like my dad's palm sweat, with a hint of moms quirk. I wonder.

I stood up, put my hands in front of me, and snapped my figures. Just then, it felt like something had popped into my hands. And it burned. When I looked at my hands, sparks were popping in my hand. It was almost like fireworks. "That's so cool!"

"I know, right!" I looked at Izuku, and he was smiling. "Now all that's left is for you to get your quirk, and we can start training to be heroes."

"I can't wait, Kacchan!" With that, the bell rang, and we returned to the building.

When we got to the classroom, I told our teacher that I got my quirk. "Would you like to share with the rest of the class?" I quickly nodded, and everyone surrounded me. Trying to remember how I activated the reaction from earlier was easy. "Oh wow. That's a very strong quirk. You're going to be super amazing as a hero."

…

What is Kacchan not able to do? It was so amazing to watch how Kacchan got his quirk and how everyone surrounded him. My friend was so cool. And as I watched him show off, his quirk reminded me of his dad's. Either way, it was so cool. I wonder when I'll get my quirk. Maybe it'll be just as impressive as Kacchan's.

Once we were allowed to head home, I noticed the mean boys were talking with Kacchan again. And for some reason, it was making me mad. Even though during the summer we didn't see them much. But I do wonder why they're speaking to Kacchan now. Kacchan seemed to enjoy his chat, so I waited patiently as he spoke. All while, I didn't like it. Before long, he and the others started to walk away. I quickly followed behind. What just happened?

The walk home was strange, almost like I was forgotten. Kacchan only spoke with the other boys. He even showed off his quirk. That's when I remembered that the other two had already gotten their quirks. Now, I for sure felt left out. This wasn't far! Maybe mom would know what to do.

This wasn't possible. At that, why did it have to be me? It didn't help with how mom reacted to the doctor's words. She had an emotionless face before crying, just like the day she told me about dad. "Your son will never have a quirk." No! I won't believe it. I need one to be a hero. What about my promise to Kacchan?

That night mom's words repeated in my head. It didn't help with how she looked at me before turning around. Then thoughts on how Kacchan would react when he finds out. Even recalling how he slowly started to ignore while playing with everyone else. I became angry again until I looked at my All Might doll. He always smiles. He never shows any other emotion. That night I cried myself to sleep, wondering what I should do.

While I slowly made my way to the daycare, I spotted Kacchan at our usual meeting spot. Do I tell him? Would he treat me differently once he knew? While we walked, I couldn't even look at him. But I listened as he excitedly told me how his parents gave him help with his quirk. I tried my best to keep a smile as I enjoyed the joy he shared. "Why didn't you show up yesterday?"

Why did Kacchan have to ask that question? Should I even say it? I tried my best to keep smiling as I looked at Kacchan. "I went to the hospital about my quirk."

Kacchan ran in front of me and had this big smile. Seeing him like this always made me happy. I don't want to ruin that smile. But what am I supposed to do? "So, what quirk do you think you'll have?"

"Aren't we going to be late?"

Kacchan turned around and started to run. "You're right. Let's hurry." He looked behind him. "And then you can tell everyone about you having a quirk!"