(A/N: This is a Katsuki centric chapter. Warning for excessive swearing and references to canon suicide baiting though it's more on the subtle side. From ['Would a 'great...] to just before [Katsuki didn't know how...] and then again briefly hinted at ['Still doesn't answer...] but just that line.
Formatting reminder:
-Dialogue using sign language.- )
...
Katsuki didn't know what to think or do about his current situation as he sat at his desk. It was the next morning after the Quirkless sparring and he was ignoring his extras yammering behind him. All he felt was irritation for everything and everyone around him. And it was all because of fucking Deku. Everything was changing ever since the teachers walked in on and interrupted their confrontation. As soon as Aizawa captured him in his weird scarf, Katsuki's world got turned upside down.
'Are you sure it didn't start before that?'
The explosive blonde scowled knowing his inner voice, aka his 'conscience', meant his decision to turn on the shitty nerd once he learned he was Quirkless. Because as soon as he had found out, Katsuki knew that Deku could never be a Hero without a Quirk. It was too dangerous and the Quirkless weakling would just end up dead. He knew that but Deku never accepted it as fact. Instead, the shitty nerd kept fighting and pushing forward toward an impossible future.
This stubbornness was what had led Katsuki to think the Quirkless idiot was looking down on him which the therapy mutt agreed was the case. That that he had concluded that somehow Deku thought he was better than him even without a Quirk. That he could possibly be a Hero same as Katsuki who had the perfect Quirk to become the best. That Explosion was on the same level as his Quirklessness.
While for Deku that would rise him up from the bottom where he belonged, it had the opposite effect on Katsuki. Placing them on the same level actually lowered the blonde, dragging him down to the lowest of the low. The Quirkless. Useless. Genetic dead ends of society. But Bakugou fucking Katsuki refused to be one of the Dekus of this world. He was stronger, smarter, better than that. He was going to be the best and be even better than All Might ever was.
This perception had overtaken his reasonings behind how he treated the Quirkless bug who used to be his friend. Teach him his place and remind him that he was beneath Katsuki. As well as vent his anger as he still blamed Deku for failing life and ruining their promising Hero futures together. Now Katsuki would have to reach for the top by himself which was perfectly fine because he didn't need anyone else.
'And now you have no one.'
Fuck off.
Everything started to change since he first started at UA, his path to become the best Hero already blocked with obstacles. The literal ones of Aizawa's Quirk Assessment tests didn't scare him and he killed every one of them with fiery passion and power. However, the annoying strength of the two recommendation students landed him in third overall. Little had he known back then that he would end up in the same place in the Sports Festival falling under Deku and Eyebags. Hell, even IcyHot too in a way.
But it became clear as the weeks passed that he wasn't the strongest here. At least, not yet. Katsuki always pushed himself to work harder, be better, faster, stronger. Keeping to his exercise regiment, sleep schedule, and constantly thinking of better ways to wield his Quirk. Deku wasn't the only one able to be creative with Quirks after all. The explosive teen had tons of ideas for moves only he could pull off just waiting for the opportunity to try them out.
Then the Sports Festival happened and that whole shit show of confronting the Quirkless nobody who had hid from him only to sneak in and steal his win out from under him. Katsuki was supposed to number one, the best, but everywhere he turned were obstacles keeping him from being just that. Namely people who for some reason gave a damn about Deku and were making his own life hell.
'That's karma for you.'
Shut up! Nobody asked you.
It didn't matter that his stupid inner voice was right because he didn't want to admit it. That it was his own fault for being suspended and put on UA's shit list. All because he changed from Deku's friend to his bully trying to make him realize that he could never be a Hero. Especially not a great Hero like Katsuki could be.
'Would a 'great Hero' give the same kind of 'advice' you did?'
Let it go! I said it, regretted it, and Deku didn't do it. Move the fuck on.
'But he could have. Why did you say that to him? Didn't you say you don't want him to die?'
Katsuki didn't know how to answer that. Hell, he hadn't even realized until he was confronted by the fucking rat that the reasons behind his 'lessons' had become hazily fused together over the years. That it wasn't just because he thought Deku was looking down on him, but he also didn't want the shitty nerd to die all because he was being stupid enough to try at playing Hero without a Quirk.
He had always been concerned about Deku fucking up and dying, but the misconception that the shitty nerd thought he was better than Katsuki obscured it. At first when the Quirkless jerkoff protested saying he didn't and in fact looked up to him, he didn't believe it and had let his instincts take over. But since starting therapy with the mutt, that mindset was slowly being chipped away.
He hadn't even thought about Deku looking down on him after the disaster of a meeting with Nezu, too overwhelmed by everything else. Facing consequences and being punished for something everyone else let slip or even encouraged. The remembered overwhelming need for the Quirkless loser not to die following his impossible and dangerous dream. As well as the loss of the start of his Hero career by his own misguided hands. Not to mention his mom realizing her part in all this and changing how she had always interacted with him.
There was also the comparison to Endeavor paired with what he knew of the Number Two Hero's homelife. Pushing for the best even by proxy to the point of breaking bodies and minds and making a mother snap. That wasn't Katsuki, fuck no. Even he knew what the fiery man was doing was wrong and yet the similarities were still there.
He pushed for the best same as Endeavor and had hurt Deku in the process without care. Or rather he did care but had been too consumed by his insecurities to properly express it. But with the constantly underlying worry brought back into the light of Deku just putting himself out there without a Quirk or care for his own weakling life, he forced himself to think differently. To focus on not wanting Deku to die rather than on his lingering belief that the Quirkless fucker looked down on him.
Katsuki still didn't think it was possible. For Deku to make it and survive as a Quirkless Hero. Relying on gadgets and gear to compensate for a lack of natural power. Because this wasn't a game of Heroes like they had played growing up where they could just go home to their mommies at the end of the day to kiss any booboos to make it better.
No, this was real life.
A game of life and death that would most certainly end in Deku getting in over his head. That he would one day run out there unprotected and disadvantaged only to wind up dead. It was a change of mindset for Katsuki that made him feel more validated in his lessons to the Quirkless fucker. More heroic than attacking the other for looking down on him even though he said he didn't. A more understandable reason to teach him now before he learned the permanent hard way to then never live to fight another day. But these lessons he wasn't allowed to try teaching anymore and instead had to deal with the changes to his life.
'Still doesn't answer why you said what you did to him.'
He still didn't have an answer to give.
It wasn't just Katsuki's life that was changing either, forced to face consequences for things he had never been called out on before. He also noticed a change in Deku as well. How he interacted with others and how they reacted to him. He definitely wasn't the cowering mess he was as a kid. Well, actually Deku hadn't really cowered but rather stubbornly and fearfully faced all those who tried to teach him his place. But he had still been a blubbering mess standing up to his betters.
Now though he acted and was treated as an equal. The other extras reacted as if he had always belonged in their class. Actually seeming to like his company and according to the principal they valued his stupid scribblings as well. People actually listened to him and Katuski couldn't understand why, but also couldn't do anything about it.
He was on thin ice here at UA. Couldn't do anything to the Quirkless loser or his creepy friend. Couldn't even call him Deku to his face though that didn't stop him from calling the nerd that in his head. Instead, he had to keep his distance while he proved to the teachers that he could handle himself. Which he well fucking could and he would show them how great of a Hero he could be just as he was.
Another change was Deku's irritating habit of leaving or doing other weird shit during English class. Thankfully the shitty nerd was in the back so he wasn't as distracting during the lessons. But when he did leave, Katsuki's Jiminy fucking Cricket of an inner voice kept bringing up the thought that he might be going to meet with the principal. What that fucking rat saw in his 'personal student' the blonde couldn't see. Whatever. Let them fawn over his creepy stalker notebooks all they like. He would never have to deal with them again.
But he couldn't get over how Deku held himself now. He smiled with his friends and easily interacted with everyone in class. Quite a contrast from Aldera but everyone there had believed what Katsuki had that the Quirkless fucker didn't matter. Only he did on his path to be the best Hero. But now Deku faced challenges head on, even taking down the Hero Killer with confidence. Or at least the media said so and there was that stupid video. Clear evidence he couldn't deny. But still, it was like seeing the Quirkless freak having an actual backbone for the first time with a fighting fist to back it up. A more intense version of his younger self.
There were other subtle changes that he noticed but quickly ignored because they didn't matter. However, there was one that left Katsuki confused. The nerd's pen case. No longer red, yellow, and blue with All Might's face plastered on it like it had been for fucking years. In fact, the explosive teen didn't see Deku with a single piece of All Might merch on him. Which was totally weird because he knew for a fact that the other boy had a practical shrine for the Number One Hero. Something that the blonde was not at all jealous of in any way, shape, or fashion.
Nope. Not at all.
But it was strange to see Deku without even one piece of All Might merch. He was the Hero he looked up to growing up much like Katsuki though for different reasons. It was probably for some dumb shit reason like his smile or whatever. All while Katsuki aspired to match and eventually rival the Symbol of Peace and take his rightful place as Number One.
But now…nothing. No sight of All Might on the nerd's person at all. There was also how the nerd acted around All Might. There was no reverence on his face being taught by their shared childhood idol. Which was really fucking weird because Katsuki had expected to have to deal with his irritating fanboying over the Hero. But instead there was none, only paying attention like he would any regular teacher.
Weird.
The All Might pen case had been replaced with a Present Mic themed one. Which okay fine maybe Katsuki listened to Put Your Hands Up radio from time to time. Not as often now since he had to already listen to the loud mouth during English class every day. But maybe there were some shows he found mildly entertaining. Perhaps even was the reason he had taken drum lessons as a kid. Though that was more his mom making him go to music classes and the drums seemed the least useless to learn. He at least had gotten a good workout from it even if he didn't stick with it.
Whatever, let Deku change, he thought as the bell chimed for the end of the morning classes and he trudged off to the cafeteria.
That had no effect on him. Katsuki was going to keep pushing forward and show the world how great of a Hero he could be. Which was why he chose to ignore the nerd and focus on himself. If only he could get some peace and quiet for a fucking second. But with his own personal extras, that was never gonna happen.
Despite his outburst on his first day back to class, Pinky, Pikachu, and Soy Sauce face still insisted on trying to sit with him at lunch. Shitty Hair would join them too but seemed to be the only one who got that Katsuki just wanted to be left the fuck alone. The others though very much did not and kept pestering him with their badgering. Yesterday he had left them as well and hoped they got the message but it was clear they didn't as once again they noisily joined him at his table with Shitty Hair trailing behind.
"Yo, Bakugou," Sparky greeted as his tray clattered onto the table. "You left so fast. Thanks for saving a table, dude."
"Yeah, it's so crowded today," Raccoon Eyes commented, annoyingly taking a seat beside the irate explosive blonde without a care.
"I see you got something spicy yet again," Tape Arms pointed out as if that was fucking new. "Bet that makes you pretty regular, yeah?"
They just kept yapping as Shitty Hair sat done farthest from him with that weird glum look on his face. The one that he swore was most definitely Deku's fault for snitching. That combined with the annoying chit-chat just pissed him the fuck off.
That's it. Katsuki out.
"Ugh!" the explosive teen growled as he stood up with his food. "Just leave me the fuck alone!"
...
Eijirou sighed into his food as Bakugou stormed off once again. It was the third time this week he'd done that. The redhead knew they should just let him have his space but the others didn't get that apparently. He would hang back to see where they sat but every day they converged on the explosive teen as they had since early on. Only for Bakugou to now get up and leave once they sat down.
"What's with him?" Ashido asked, watching him walk away in confusion.
"Was it something we said?" Sero offered, regretting his attempt at teasing the human hand grenade. Though he didn't go off as explosively as before.
"Should we go after him?" Kaminari suggested, already standing up to follow.
Eijirou sighed as he lowered his chopsticks and said, "Just leave him alone, guys."
"Huh?" the electric teen let out as he paused.
"He clearly wants to be alone right now," the redhead explained seeing that his friends didn't get it. "Us hovering over him and bothering him isn't going to solve anything."
"But we're worried," the pinkette countered with a pout.
"Yeah, don't you think he's acting weird?" Kaminari prodded as he took his seat but looked out to where Bakugou had disappeared in the crowd.
"He didn't let off a single explosion," Sero commented. "Though I guess that's kind of an improvement. Those sparks can sting!"
"I know you're worried, I am too," Eijirou said, poking at his food. "But we should let him cool off for now. He's going through some...stuff."
"Stuff?" Ashido asked, leaving towards him with curiosity at the smell of gossip. "Do you know something, Kirishima?"
Eijriou let out another sigh as he placed his chopsticks down and replied, "I...just drop it, please. It's up to Bakugou if he wants to talk about it."
"Yeah, I guess," Kaminari said, shoulders slouching in defeat.
"Man, if that's the case, we'll never find out," Sero lamented. "Bakugou will never tell us."
"Unless...," the pinkette said in conspiratorial tone. The other two besides Eijirou leaned in to listen. "...we find out who this Deku person is. The one he mentioned before."
Good luck with that, the red head thought, knowing he only figured it out because he met Izuku before UA.
"Maybe, but we don't know who that is," Sero replied with a shrug.
"What kind of a name is Deku anyway?" Kaminari asked, tilting his head curiously. "Isn't that some kind of wooden doll?"
"Or 'useless' I think?" the black-haired boy offered. "Seems kind of a cruel name to give your kid if that's the case."
"Unless it's a nickname?" Ashido wondered aloud. "Still mean though."
"But since when has Bakugou been nice?" the tape wielder snarked. "He's all yelling and explosions."
The comment earned laughs from them. Even Eijirou covered his own with a cough, begrudgingly amused by the truth of it.
"Yeah, he gives insulting nicknames to all of us," Kaminari said in agreement.
"Right? I don't want to be called Raccoon Eyes!" the pinkette complained. "I can't help that my sclera is black! It runs in my family!"
"I know I have a soy sauce face, but he doesn't need to point it out all the time," Sero said glumly.
"Pikachu is a pretty cool character, but I know he means it in an insulting way for me," Kaminari pouted next to him. "Especially paired with him calling me a dunce to my face."
"And I don't know why he calls your hair shitty, Kirishima," Ashido added, speaking up for him. "I think it's a good look for high school and we're like horn buddies."
Eijirou was surprised at the sudden praise and smiled as he said, "Thanks, Ashido."
The pink skinned girl he had known since middle school gave him a supportive wink.
"I wonder who Bakugou would decide to call Deku," Sero pondered with a hand on his pointed chin. "A weak Quirk maybe?"
The hardening teen's brow twitches at that as he snapped, "There's no such thing."
"What?" Sero responded in surprise at the sudden hard words.
"There's no such thing as a weak Quirk," Eijirou reiterated more clearly.
"I meant physically," the black-haired teen amended. "Like maybe someone with a mental type or just something that isn't physical strength. Like my Tape isn't technically strong physically but I've got some mad tethering skills."
The tape wielder gave a pose to show off his elbows with pride.
"Oh...right...," Eijirou said as he looked down at his food with guilt for snapping at his friend. For a long time, he's felt insecure about his own Quirk, thinking it as weak and how he wished to be so much stronger. It was something he was working on so he could be strong like Izuku was, confident in himself. "Well maybe but still a Quirk doesn't make you stronger or weaker. It's what you do with it that shows your strength."
"True, true," Sero conceded with a nod. "Though I bet Bakugou doesn't think that. He thinks his Quirk makes him super strong. It does to a point, but he's no powerhouse like Todoroki."
"Yeah," Ashido agreed. "He's always going on about how he's the best and calls us extras or other nicknames."
"But they either seem connected to our looks or our Quirks," the electric user commented, brows furrowed in thought. "What would Deku be connected to? Not sure how it could be related to looks so much, but it could be a reference to their Quirk or rather…"
The blonde trailed off with a contemplative look still on his face as he connected some dots before slowly turning his gaze to a certain area of the cafeteria.
"...a lack thereof."
The others followed his gaze to where Izuku was chatting and laughing with his friends. Completely unaware what was being uncovered across the way.
"What? You think Midoriya?" Ashido asked as they turned back to their own table. The blonde nodded in reply. "But why? We don't even know if they know each other."
"It's just a guess," Kaminari replied, grimacing down at his tray. "But it's based on something Todoroki said when Midoriya and Shinsou first joined our class. Something about Midoriya disguising himself as Hiro to hide from Bakugou."
Eijirou was surprised that he remembered that. It had only been a passing comment that got brushed aside by the sudden realization that Bakugou hadn't been in class. Then seemingly completely forgotten once Aizawa revealed he had been suspended for attacking another student.
"Oh, that's right. He did say that," the pinkette said, pounding a fist in her other hand in revelation before placing one on her chin in thought. "So, they do know each other. And if they do then that must mean that maybe Midoriya is this Deku."
"I wonder how they know each other," the tape wielder said. "Extended family? Old classmates? Childhood friends? It's a shitty nickname regardless."
"But why would Bakugou attack Midoriya?" the electric blonde frowned. "That's why he was suspended, right? For attacking someone before the final match?"
"Would explain why he didn't have all his gadgets," Ashido grimaced, not liking the picture she was painting in her mind about someone she thought of as a friend. "Midoriya was using them a lot during the festival so it was weird that he didn't have any for that last fight."
"Still kicked ass without them though," Sero commented, remembering the finals match. "Did you see that over the shoulder throw? Damn, Midobro is freaking strong."
"He sure is," Eijirou added, speaking for the first time in a while. "I wonder how much he can lift."
"A whole trashed beach's worth apparently," Sero quipped with toothy smile.
The others laughed at his friendly joke.
"I can't believe he did that!" Ashido exclaimed, impressed with their classmate. "It was super nice, but I so couldn't do that. Bugs and all the gross slimy things. Blegh."
"Says the girl who can secrete slimy things," Kaminari teased as he pointed his chopsticks at her.
"My Acid is different!" she retorted as she stuck out her tongue. "At least my Quirk doesn't make me all loopy when going all out."
"Hey! I'm working on it!" the electric teen defended as he crossed his arms in a pout. He certainly was going to more so now that he had his meeting with Izuku. That and he was bullied by Recovery Girl to take better care of himself.
The conversation devolved into jabbing at each other's Quirks in a friendly teasing way. Which lead to Ashido and Sero openly wondering who the Support Specialist would be and what they would talk about with them. Kaminari and Eijirou shared a look having already met with said specialist. He certainly wasn't going to say something because it had been obvious that it was going to be Izuku. He was Hiro after all and had observed all of their Quirks so who else could it have been? But his electric friend and he silently agreed to keep mum on the subject just to see how the other two would react. Small pleasures of messing with their friends.
Eijirou didn't know if Bakugou was still among them but there was time to figure that out. For now, he would let the angry blonde have his space and time to cool off. Allowing time and distance to defuse the bomb that was the explosive teen. He only hoped that his other friends wouldn't set him off by bringing up their theory that Izuku was Deku. They were right, but Eijirou wasn't going to tell them that. At least they moved on from the subject for now, but he feared they wouldn't let it go so easily. If the time comes that they do, he would do his best to calm the fiery situation as best he could, but for now he would focus on food and chatting with his for sure friends.
...
The rest of lunch had been quiet after having ditched his noisy extras. Katsuki finished his food in relative peace, ignoring the annoying chatter of the other less important extras around him. But all too soon lunch was over and he had to unfortunately go back to class. Not that he didn't want to learn, but rather he'd have to be bothered by his idiots again.
Ugh.
Surprisingly though they did actually leave him alone. Huh. Katsuki passed a glance at Shitty Hair, figuring maybe he said something to get it through their thick skulls. Just leave him the fuck alone and stop fucking talking bullshit. Whatever. The blonde decided to just focus on training and letting off some steam.
He didn't much care for the Quirkless sparring they had added to training as of yesterday. Not using his Quirk made him feel weak and powerless, like Deku. He didn't like it at all. But he guessed it did make sense to know how to fight without it so he would go along with the hobo man's plan. He hadn't care for the teacher having the shitty nerd serve as the example for the exercise, but then again, he was a Quirkless fucker so who else to show what a true Quirkless opponent was like.
It had pissed him off that Deku managed to hold his own against Tails. It just reminded him that the shitty nerd had taken self-defense so that he could stand up for himself. Enough to stave off physical attacks but hadn't seemed enough to compensate for a lack of Quirk. However, with each addition to the stack of growing changes in his life, a small part of him was in conflict with what he had known his whole like.
Maybe…Deku wasn't useless.
At least not entirely. He still didn't have a Quirk and had to make up for it with gadgets and gizmos to get the job done.
'Like the ones you destroyed.'
Katsuki clicked his tongue in annoyance at the reminder.
'Perhaps compensating for your inability to win by trying to sabotage his chances?'
Fuck off, Jiminy Cricket!
'Well, he seems to be holding up just fine without them.'
Which was something Katsuki couldn't counter or deny as Deku had still been fighting and was matched up seemingly evenly against the human Kangaroo. To the point that his hobo of a teacher had called it quits ending the match without a clear winner. A scenario Katsuki would never be satisfied with. The explosive teen did his best to not glare or even look at Deku as Soy Sauce face was made to fight him next. But he couldn't look away as his extra got his ass handed to him and was pinned to the ground. Losing against Deku of all people.
The other extras praised the Quirkless pissant at his win but all Katsuki could do was scowl before forcing himself to look away. He didn't know what to make sense of when it came to Deku. He was Quirkless, useless, a weakling that was supposed to be below him.
But he wasn't.
Deku was declared the winner of the Sports Festival, not Katsuki. Deku had the credit for taking down the Hero Killer. Deku for some reason was recognized as the one responsible for cleaning up some damn beach. He was winning and advancing as a Hero while Katsuki was stuck and even falling behind. No firsts for him since the entrance exam. Only thirds and below. As if Katsuki was the Deku and Deku was…honestly, he didn't know anymore.
Whatever, he thought, mentally shutting his dilemma away seeing dwelling on it as pointless since he didn't have an answer anyway.
It's not like the nerd was there right now. For some fucking reason he hadn't bothered coming to the beginning of training these last couple of days while some of the others were called to meet with this so-called specialist. He was probably off in the Support studio or wherever doing gods knew what. Well, fuck him and his crappy tech. It had nothing to do with Katsuki.
His inner voice tried to once again bring up that it kind of did since he had destroyed them but he ignored it. Instead, he focused his attention on his moves as he trained. Thankfully they were practicing with Quirks today so he was able to let off some steam via explosions. Cementoss was there with them so he didn't have to hold back destroying cement pillar after pillar. A great way to end another annoying day at UA. Soon he could go home and have some fucking peace and quiet in his room.
But the good end of his day just had to be interrupted by the nosiest of his extras as the last bell rang releasing them from class. Everyone was packing up while the hobo man was still hidden in his sleeping bag at the front. Katsuki was finishing up putting his things away when it happened.
"Hey Bakugou," Racoon Eyes called out, earning a scowled look from him. "Can I ask you something?"
Katsuki let out a frustrated noise before asking, "What do you want, Pinky?"
"You mentioned someone named Deku at lunch the other day," the pinkette replied. "I was wondering who that was exactly."
At the mention of the banned name, Katsuki shot a glance at their teacher who had an eye cracked open. The blonde grimaced, knowing he wasn't allowed to say it but he hadn't meant to having said it out of habit when he had snapped. The human caterpillar scrutinized him for a second before closing his eye again. The blonde was probably going to have a talking-to for his slip up later.
"And I told you that it's none of your business," Katsuki sneered as he turned back to packing his backpack. "Leave it alone."
"But I'm curious~," she whined, drawing other people's attention. "They're the one you got suspended for attacking, right? Who is it?"
The explosive teen turned toward the pink haired teen, posturing himself to be intimidating as he ordered, "Leave. It. Alone."
"Wait, the one Bakugou attacked was someone called Deku?" Tails interjected annoyingly, further spreading his business. "That's a weird name. It means 'useless', right?"
In the back, the shitty nerd was looking down avoiding eye contact. Clearly also not wanting for this to be happening. IcyHot joined Deku at his side while glaring at Katsuki.
"I dunno. I kind of like it," Pink Cheeks said, making the explosive blonde's eyebrow twitch. "It gives off a 'you can do it' vibe to me."
The Quirkless fucker looked up in surprise as he asked, "Really? You think that?"
The fuck are you doing, Deku!?
"Yeah!" she replied with a fist pump in the air. "It's really close to 'dekiru', don't you think?"
No, it's fucking not!
"Uh, yeah, sure," the green menace replied, doing that annoying thing where he rubs the back of his head all nervous and shit.
It pissed Katsuki off while the Quirkless boy was surprised by the comparison. He still didn't like the nickname but that at least gave it a less bitter taste. Beside him the element wielder linked their pinkies.
"Still a weird name," Pinky chimed in again. "So, who is this Deku, Bakugou?"
"Yeah, who is it? Who is it?" Invisibitch pressed annoyingly all cheerful and shit.
"It's none of your fucking business!" Katsuki snapped with a snarl. "Stop poking your nose into crap that doesn't involve you."
He turned to leave for the day with his backpack haphazardly thrown on his back. He made his way almost to the door when the bomb dropped.
"Is it Midoriya?"
Time froze in that moment. Katsuki stopped at the door while everyone was frozen in place. The explosive teen slowly turned to see the extras around him. Most had a look of confusion trying to process what they just heard. While the others who already understood the implications of that question reacted differently.
There was disappointment from Shitty Hair and Deku's group of friends glared daggers at him in protective anger. Katsuki zeroed in on the Quirkless fucker who looked sad and apologetic towards him. As if he felt sorry for this hole the blonde was suddenly in. But why?
Katsuki didn't understand. Wasn't this what Deku wanted? To turn everyone against him. That's why he told Shitty Hair, right? Why else would he be acting like that before Pinky had to open her big gossipy mouth. Now he was surrounded by the judgmental whispers of his classmates. He didn't like it. It reminded him of what happened to Deku at the Sports Festival. Revealed to be Quirkless and immediately chastised for it.
Only this time it was Katsuki in the center of it all. This was not the kind of attention that he liked or ever wanted. Fuck Raccoon Eyes for outing him as a bully who attacked another and that it was none other than the UA charity case himself. Deku had everyone wrapped around his stupid Quirkless fingers for some fucking reason. He just didn't get any of this shit. Fuck it. He was done here.
The blonde clicked his tongue and left without a single word, leaving the acid girl's question unanswered. But to her, and the others who realized what had gone unsaid, his silence and exit were answer enough. That Katsuki, their resident hot head, was not just bark but also bite. That he had attacked one of their own.
...
Shouta watched the scene unfold from his sleeping bag. He hadn't expected that to get out so soon after Bakugou joined them in class again. He knew Midoriya wouldn't have ever said anything having conditioned himself to hide their twisted relationship. Nor did he think that the explosive one would either in a sense of subconscious shame. Which the tired man figured he hadn't and it was only a slip of the tongue that led to the reveal.
He waited to see how the others would react to this. If things started to get out of hand he would take over, but for now he would let them process it undisturbed about something so disturbing. That one of their peers who claimed to be the 'best' Hero acted in such a nonheroic way. Unfortunately, it was a learning experience that would prepare them for future scandals. Which there certainly would be with Tsukauchi's insane yet logical idea to work with the Hero Killer to weed out the 'fake Heroes'.
And eventually Endeavor once our case is solid.
But that would take time, ground work. It would be more rational to start at the lower ranks then work their way up. Otherwise, any attempt at the Number Two Hero would be met with adversity and a refusal to believe anything was wrong with such a high-ranking Hero. So instead, they would start from the bottom to work their way up.
This situation was somewhat similar and they were already taking steps to prevent another Endeavor. Bakugou served his suspension and did seem to be trying to a certain extend. Still stubborn and brash but he was toning it done compared to before. The matter of him falling into old habits such as the banned nickname were to be understandable. Shouta would still have a talk with him about it but the look the teen had on his face told him that he knew he messed up.
Good.
It was small step back but nothing the kid couldn't recover from. Habits were hard to break so it wasn't surprising the nickname would slip out. However, Bakugou's decision to not answer and rather storm off away from the scene might come back to bite him later. As the door closed, it was then that the whispers started.
"Wait, Bakugou attacked Midoriya?" Satou asked, breaking the tense silence.
"No way," Kaminari lamented as he stared at the door where his friend had left, neither confirming nor denying they were right. The electric teen then turned to the green one along with everyone else. "Dude, Midoriya, are you Deku?"
Shouta didn't miss the flinch the Quirkless boy tried to hide at the nickname. This was what they were trying to avoid by banning the name. Guess he would have to order them not to use it as well.
"I, um, I…" Midoriya let out, trying to answer but also not wanting to at the same time.
"Don't force yourself, Izuku," Todoroki spoke up, fulling taking the shorter boy's hand in his who glanced up at him and gave a thankful smile.
"But seriously, are you?" Kaminari pressed anyway. "I mean, it was just a theory based on what Todoroki said, but are you the one Bakugou attacked?"
The class looked at the Quirkless teen with concern as nervous green eyes flickered from face to face. This was very much a situation he had not wanted to be in. Surrounded by people and being drowned in their pity. He was fine now. UA was different. The teachers cared and Bakugou was getting the help and tough love that he needed to be better. But Midoriya feared that if he confirmed it, his classmates would treat his ex-childhood friend poorly. To him, that was the opposite of what Bakugou needed.
"That's seriously messed up if that's true," Ojiro interjected, grimacing down in both disgust as well as guilt. To think that he had gone around warning others about a fellow aspiring Hero all because his Quirk was suspicious all while there was a hidden bully among them. "Not heroic at all."
"More Villain-like than anything else," Jiro commented casually as others nodded in agreement.
"Bakugou is not a Villain!" Midoriya snapped, drawing everyone's attention back to him.
The green one was angry, that much was clear. Brows furrowed, his usual smile turned very much upside down, and fists clenched at his sides. Todoroki wasn't holding his hand anymore and instead was latched on to his shirt. A touch of solidarity while the Quirkless teen spoke.
"Bakugou is not a Villain," he repeated, meeting every gaze on him to will them to understand. "He messed up and his personal issues are being addressed, but he's willing to learn from his mistakes and become a better Hero, a better person."
"Why are you defending him?" Ojiro asked, confused. "Didn't he attack you?"
"Bakugou and I have known each other since we were born," Midoriya explained, hoping to do his best to get them to at least kind of understand. "We were childhood friends, but…when he got his Quirk and I never got mine, he…changed."
"What did he do to you, Midoriya?" Jiro asked, concern in her tone.
"It doesn't matter, it's in the past," the green one tried to brush off.
But the class wasn't having it as Hagakure interjected, "Of course it matters! We're going to be Heroes together. Shouldn't we know who we're going to be working with in the future?"
"If Bakugou actually becomes a Hero," Ojiro responded.
"Oh, he will, I know it," Midoriya declared, earning shocked expressions around the room. "Bakugou is brash and violent and yes, he did bully me. But while that was wrong and his motivations as to why are super messed up, there's one thing that he has always wanted to be. A Hero. And a Hero he will become."
"I dunno," Sero said, unconvinced. "Beating someone up enough to get suspended doesn't sound like what a Hero would do."
"There is much darkness in this emitter of light," Tokoyami added, dramatic as ever. His arms were crossed over his stomach and his mind was split between processing the reveal while also holding an angry shadow at bay. An irate Dark Shadow would not help this situation right now.
"You said it," Hitoshi muttered with a scowl, not a fan of the explosive bully.
"While I understand your concern which I'm sure Izuku appreciates," Yaoyorozu interjected, shooting a glance at her friend who just gave a shrug. His fists unclenched and Todoroki was quick to grab his hand again. "It is as Bakugou said, it isn't really our business."
"How can you say that?" Hagakure whined. "Bakugou attacked someone and we're going to do nothing?"
"I don't understand how you can defend him, Midoriya," Satou commented. "I don't think I could."
"Izuku has a big ass heart and can't bring himself to not help anyone," Hitoshi stated, earning a pointed look from the green one. "What? You do. Even if they don't deserve it."
"I…ugh, I know he messed up," Midoriya conceded, running the fingers of his free hand through his hair in an attempt to calm himself. It didn't work unfortunately and only messed his hair up more so he stopped with a frustrated sigh. "He fucked up and attacked me, but like I said the situation is being handled. The teachers know and he's facing consequences for his actions. He needs support to be better, not this."
"What do you mean?" Uraraka asked.
The green one looked to her and answered, "Bakugou was a bully, that's true, but giving him a taste of his own medicine won't do any good. It would only be more of the same. What we need is change. Bakugou did something wrong and now he has the opportunity to learn from his mistakes. You don't have to like him. All I ask is you give him a chance. Allow him a chance to change."
Green eyes turned towards his classmates, pleading for them to understand. To get where he's coming from even just a little. Because fighting fire with fire in this situation would backfire, he was sure of it. They didn't have to be friends with Bakugou, but he hoped they would at least treat him as a person. It was more than what he grew up with, treated less than nothing all because of a double-jointed pinky toe.
"We're with you, Izuku," Kirishima spoke suddenly, already knowing exactly what the green one was asking. The redhead then turned to the class. "Like he said, Bakugou messed up, but he's still here to be a Hero more than anything else. And so are we. A Hero would support his fellow fighters, not turn their backs on them. That wouldn't be manly."
"Are you really okay with this, Kirishima?" Ashido asked, knowing his own issues with and dislike of bullying.
The hardening one turned to his middle school friend with a determined look as he said, "Yes, I am. Bakugou bullied Izuku, but like he said, the teachers are addressing it. Be his friend or not, that's your choice, but don't treat him as if he were a Villain. Like Izuku said, it would just be more of the same. What we need is change."
The redhead then held up a fist out in front of him. A silent question of 'who's with me' to the class. The others whispered with their neighbors trying to decide what to do. The first move actually came from the quietest of their classmates.
-I'm with you,- Kouda signed before joining his fist with Kirishima's.
Kirishima didn't understand it but he could guess with the help of Kouda's fist touching his and the shy smile the other was giving him. He in turn gave a toothy one of his own. The animal whisperer was so manly.
"I will remain unbiased and allow the future to unfold unimpeded," Tokoyami declared.
Dark Shadow finally managed to break out of his gut and cried, "But Fumi!"
"No, Dark Shadow," the dark teen chastised his Quirk, knowing it was protective of their friend. "The night is not merely dark and light. The shadows are full of greys. We all have a hint of darkness within each of us, only varying in shade. We are merely learning Bakugou's is darker than we once thought."
The spirit pouted before worming its way through the crowd of students to nuzzle against Midoriya who patted the living shadow's head with his free hand.
"Midoriya is right," Shouji said from one arm as another grew to join the fist bump. "While I wasn't a friend of his before, I won't change how I treat my classmate."
There were still skeptical looks but eventually everyone agreed. Some were unsure if they actually could but were willing to at least try. If not for themselves, then for Midoriya. Their selfless Quirkless counterpart who was already more of a Hero than any of them. For him at least, they would try.
Good.
"Glad to know we have that settled," Shouta suddenly spoke, causing several of his students to jump. He hid an amused smirk in his scarf as he extracted himself from his sleeping bag. "That being said, this business is being dealt with by the teachers and does not concern anyone outside of this room. Don't go gossiping or spreading unneeded rumors. This is between Bakugou and Midoriya. I don't want to hear that any of you spread word of their business, got it?"
"Yes, sensei," they replied as a group.
"One more thing," the teacher tacked on, sending a Quirked glare across his problem students for effect. "That nickname that Bakugou called Midoriya is banned. If I hear it from any of your, you'll find yourself in detention. This is your only warning."
That at least covered his own class. There would only be a single warning for anyone else who heard the nickname when Bakugou let it slip out. His main concern being the more competitive ones in 1-B like Monoma. He wasn't sure what someone like that would do with such information if they figured it out.
His students earnestly nodded, not daring to speak under the fierce stare of their teacher. Shouta nodded as well, accepting their answer. He gathered up his papers and sleeping bag before heading towards the door. Just before leaving he glanced back towards Midoriya who met his eye and gave him a grateful smile. Not as bright as usual and a bit sad, but full of thanks for his words and all he's done for him. The tired man nodded once more before walking out the door, leaving the Quirkless teen surrounded by friends knowing he was going to be alright.
...
The next day wasn't all that different except for the tension between one human hand grenade and everyone else. Izuku hoped that things would settle eventually and that the psychological distance would lessen. He knew what it felt like to be alone and didn't wish it upon anyone, not even Bakugou. Ever since he met Mei, he knew the value of true friendships and that it would seriously help his ex-childhood friend.
But even though he asked for his friends and classmates to give Bakugou a chance, the final decision was up to them as to what they would do. At least the explosive blonde's typical friend group mostly tried. Ashido, Kaminari, and Sero tried greeting Bakugou who just ignored them as he trudged to his seat. Izuku observed Eijirou eyeing him as he went, clearly still unsure how to best handle his feelings towards the other. But he was hopeful that his classmates would do their best and not leave Bakugou behind.
Time as well as their own choices would determine how the future unfolds. For now, Izuku would do what he needed to do for this situation and keep his distance. Instead, he would focus on the mountain of work he had to do analyzing his fellow first year Hero students as well as counseling them on their Quirks and costumes. He was going to be busy enough without wasting his time on things out of his control.
...
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