A/N: On My Own - The People's Thieves
I know it's been a lot of me dumping songs on you all these last few chapters, but I simply can't not share.
For me this song expresses Izuku and Katsuki's new bond as a hero team finding their feet. It's warm, comforting and a bit more upbeat than the last song. I picture them both walking side by side as they patrol. Izuku smiling and waving his hands about as he explains something excitedly to Katsuki who would walk alongside him with a frown but wouldn't do anything to stop Izuku from signing his way. I imagine Katsuki would come to find a new kind of peace with that. I know there isn't exactly a scene like that in this chapter and I wish there were but I couldn't find myself a nice place to slot it in.
Deku practically flinched when Katsuki turned to bark at him over how sloppy the greenette was being. He hardly remembered sparring with Deku being so pathetic.
After they had returned to the city and gone their separate ways, Deku had taken the lead and jumped right into hiring a private room at a gym for them to start sparring quirk free a week later. At first Katsuki had felt almost thrilled at the idea of fighting one on one with the nerd. He had been such a challenge in high school and it had been so long since Katsuki had a good spar. Deku used to keep him on his toes, constantly having to out think the other but now he was just disappointed and frustrated.
Deku was sloppy and apparently less fit than he had been – though he didn't look it – judging by how he panted. He was slow and unfocused and Katsuki had landed more blows on the nerd than he would have over an entire week back in their third year. Back then they were both so good at reading the other it was rare either of them landed a hit to begin with. Before him, Deku lifted his shoulders with a frown, clearly displeased at the call out but also in no position to argue it.
Sorry, he lifted his hands to sign, though his eyes weren't apologetic. They were distracted.
What the hell's the matter with you? Katsuki's abrasive hand movements carried his aggravated tone for him and Deku almost winced at it. Katsuki crossed his arms over his singlet clad chest with an irritated huff.
I'm just a little distracted. Sorry, the nerd signed in reply before Katsuki snapped at him to not let himself get distracted. It was their first sparring session together in years and it was odd how little the nerd was into it. He used to be so eager back in school, in fact he had appeared eager for it all the way up to the actual day. That and how could he possibly be one of the up and coming heroes to keep an eye on ranking wise and yet still suck so much.
Katsuki stomped forward, Deku blinking up at him with concern before a quick flick of the wrist and the sad lack of what would have been a satisfactory smack to the back of Deku's green head and Katsuki turned on his heel and marched out to change. If the nerd couldn't even dodge that point blank then Katsuki had problems. Todoroki wasn't looking so bad now.
Luckily it did seem to just be a once off thing and whatever had been on the nerd's mind so much had cleared by the time their next sparring match rolled around two days later. This time Katsuki could barely keep a wicked smirk off his face. Deku was fast and agile even without using One For All and maybe trying a little too hard to redeem himself after their first failed match, but Katsuki didn't mind. The harder it was to catch Deku the more he wanted to manage it. That hour session ended with both parties panting and sweaty but neither had even managed to bruise the other and Katsuki took that to be a good sign – even if it felt like he was lacking a victory.
They showered and changed in the gyms locker room and left together before parting ways in the street for their homes. Katsuki still hated coming and going from the gym but he was trying to not let it get to him and kept his eyes trained forward.
Weeks blurred together, Katsuki training with Deku almost every third day until they felt more in sync with one another and started to change it up. They moved to hiring a hero training facility once a week – still sparring as per usually in-between – where they could move through simulated terrains. It wasn't so much to practice taking down villains or battling one another but more to get a strong handle on their smart watches, learning to communicate through them when out of sight from one another. They set up quick codes for one another to gets messages across sooner, a certain number of taps to vibrations meaning different things such as 'turn around' and so on. It was sloppy and aggravating to begin with as they both figured out the best way to use the tools they had but after a month of that, they had it down.
Once they were both happy with that it was time to reach out to the commission to have their licenses updated and officially register as a hero duo. They both settled in for a night together at Deku's after a workout as it was closest to their usual sparring gym and stayed up to discuss and choose an insurance company and once that had been finalized – and a hefty sum paid out – they could do the final step needed with the commission which was to apply for their permit that would allow them to act independently as heroes' outside of an agency. The permits had expiry dates so for the mean time they both decided to only apply and pay for a twelve month one, planning to have proved themselves capable before then and have an agency lined up to take them on before it expired.
The entire process had been a financial blow on both of them. They both lived separately, in charge of their own bills and rent and since losing their jobs – if be for different reasons – everyday had just seen money leaving their accounts, never to return. Neither of them were stupid with money and had a good pocket of savings, yet Katsuki had been furious when he found out that Deku had sold his All Might collection. Deku had raised his hands in surrender, ensuring that it was fine and going on about how he had out grown them a while ago and it was about time he moved them on. Katsuki could only scowl at the other man who continued to smile at him sheepishly. Admittedly though, Deku's collection had been so vast and well-kept that selling them alone could have covered every expense and then some – though Katsuki made sure that he paid his equal share.
Deku already lived a fairly quant life, living in a small two bedroom apartment – the second room having been where he kept his collection – while Katsuki had a much larger place. Both decided to move though and had begun looking into places, Deku looking to downsize to a single bedroom place whilst Katsuki was just looking to downgrade in general to save some money. Neither of them mentioned anything along the lines of moving in together to save money again because they weren't that bad off. Being partnered with Deku was something Katsuki could – was – learning to tolerate, but living together, no thank you.
It took a few business days for it all to turn around but when they finally got the green light from the commission, Katsuki's whole being vibrated with excitement to get back at it. Since returning from their sea side vacation, Katsuki had a clear goal again and had gotten back in his old usual exercise routine, minus the gym unless Deku was with him and dietary habits. It was pathetic really but Katsuki just didn't want to get into a situation where he couldn't communicate with someone if approached, even when he kept a grimace on his face to be as unapproachable as possible.
Kirishima had been nagging Katsuki to catch up for weeks and aside from saying he was busy with training, because he was for once, he couldn't fend off the red head anymore and finally gave in. He had grumbled about it to Deku as they were leaving their usual gym and the greenette had annoyingly jumped at it with bright eyes, signing away that catching up would be a good idea especially since they had just been given the green light from the commission to kick off their hero careers again. He saw it as good news to share while they waited the extra couple of days it took for their licenses to be officially updated online and they could jump right into it again. More so than that, Deku offered to come along because 1. He hadn't seen Kirishima in ages and 2. He could act like a language buffer, signing for Katsuki. Kirishima had mentioned in a text that he had started learning sign language but he was months behind Deku and Katsuki now so it wasn't a terrible idea so Katsuki agreed with a grunt.
What a mistake that was.
There was nothing particularly wrong with it, having decided to catch up with Kirishima the next day at an inner city bar where they could sit across from each other with drinks and an array of appetizers before them. They had settled in a corner with a low square table that they had to sit on the floor to dine at, Deku on one end between them with his back to the wall where Katsuki could easily see him signing without having to turn his head much. Kirishima sat opposite Katsuki with a wide toothy grin, just plain happy to see Katsuki again after months of avoidance.
There had been basic pleasantries back and forth already, never a favourite of Katsuki's where Kirishima had signed a basic greeting Katsuki's way with a nervous grin, unsure if he had done it right and Katsuki had signed back which made he red head split into a grin that his hand movements had been legible. He had spouted excitedly that he was relieved he hadn't messed it up and that he hadn't had anyone to actually practice signing with till now. He had said as much with his mouth, looking between Deku and Katsuki, unsure of who to direct his words to directly and Deku had signed it all for Katsuki to grunt at.
As far as evenings went, it was fine. Katsuki picked at some food, had a few beers – Deku only nursed one throughout the entire evening – and Kirishima kept up with him. The red head's sign language was harsh at best but Katsuki and Deku hadn't been much better in the beginning either, leaving him to fill in a lot of the blanks himself as they discussed mundane things like the weather, old friends and work. Katsuki sat out of most of it, Deku signing away his own words as well as Kirishima's where he lost track of what he was trying to sign or didn't know the right signs yet. Katsuki understood that Deku was trying to ensure that Katsuki felt involved, able to follow the conversation and chip in at any point but he couldn't help but feel like a third wheel which gave rise to a sour feeling in his gut.
So you two are friends again? Kirishima signed, turning his face and hands Katsuki's way, directing the question to him. His signing was rough but Katsuki managed to get the gist of it.
Katsuki rose a hand from his side, held it flat and swayed it side to side with a hum.
Kacchan, Deku rolled his eyes at him while he made his sign, yes we are, Deku turned the latter part Kirishima's way with a smile and the red head barked a laugh from how he tipped his head back, mouth wide and eyes closed.
Nothing's changed with you then, the red head grinned Katsuki's way. Kirishima's attention was on Katsuki but just out of the corner of his eyes Katsuki could see Deku grinning at him expectantly, like he was trying to tell Katsuki that this was the perfect moment to tell Kirishima the news. After all, they hadn't told anyone yet, not even their own mothers who they both had just kept pushing back that they were working on something whenever they pestered them about jobs and income and such – Deku had gotten a part time job as a parcel courier so he wasn't losing to much money and that shut his mother up some, but Katsuki's was on him like a ton of bricks, nagging him to do something with himself.
Actually, Katsuki signed lazily and Kirishima perked up a little more. Katsuki rolled his eyes to himself with a small growl – he hoped – before continuing.
A lot has changed, he sat up straighter to face Kirishima properly, we're going to be a hero team. He pointed Deku's way rather than signing the nerd's name that Kirishima wouldn't have understood anyway. The red head looked to Katsuki with an apologetic blank face, Deku speaking up and gaining his attention to decipher for him as he hadn't understood all the signs which only made Katsuki roll his eyes again. He would have used actual words if the red head wasn't going to understand but he had requested they try sign language as much as possible or he would never learn. Or so he said.
Kirishima's face came back to Katsuki, eyes wide, mouth agape and he could almost imagine the drawn out gasp.
Really? he signed, mouth closing into a smile.
Yes, Katsuki signed back with a third and final eye roll that he even had to confirm it after he had just told the red head as much. Kirishima's smile spread into a wide grin, sharp teeth exposed.
You two, he turned his grinning face Deku's way and then back again, really?
Katsuki let out what felt to be an audible groan and he hoped it was but Kirishima didn't even bat an eye at his annoyance.
That's so cool, he had paused there, as though wanting to use a better word but none had come to mind for him, I'm so happy for you guys. So when –
Katsuki zoned out again at that point, leaving Deku to answer all the how's and when's about it while Katsuki rolled his eyes internally yet again. He and Deku were going to be working together, not getting damn married. You'd think that would have been the case with how Kirishima had congratulated them – the choice of words probably weren't the red head's fault, not yet having a larger vocabulary to work with so Katsuki kept his grumbling to himself and let the other two nerds rattle on about whatever they wanted.
The next day, Katsuki woke to find an email to both of them that their hero licenses had officially been updated and that was the final piece they had been waiting on before they could start again. Katsuki got out of bed to wake Deku who had crashed on his couch after their long night out with Kirishima, whose head also poked up from a pile of pillows on the floor at the sudden awakening.
With the update of their hero licenses came an onslaught of calls and texts from friends who had been unaware that the pair had even been out of work. Being heroes, all of their details – only work related such as hero name, status, quirk and agency – were available on a national hero database that any registered pro hero could access – a useful tool for when seeking the right hero for a joint mission and finding a way to reach out to them via their agency – and someone from their old class had noticed the change from a listed agency to none under their license numbers and reached out to the rest of the class wondering what was up with that. Katsuki never found out who it was because he would have liked to chew their ear out over how his phone never seemed to quit buzzing with questions until Deku created a large group chat and sent through a message explaining everything.
The greenette said nothing in regard to Katsuki's lack of hearing but simply stated – in his own way – that he and Katsuki had simply decided to team up and go it alone for a while. He put that down to personal growth more than anything else and it calmed the mob of extras. Some that were close to the pair still reached out, asking how it all came to be considering they were well aware that neither of them had really spoken to each other in years and together they decided to spin a story, chalking it down to since they worked in the same agency they finally did get to talking and sparring and had decided from there.
As for their families, who Deku insisted they tell themselves, the pair headed home for two nights as a surprise and of course their parents were pleased to see them.
Our own son coming to see us without being told, Mitsuki had signed upon opening the front door as she tipped her head back with a laugh. Katsuki only frowned at her with narrowed eyes and stepped inside. Nice to see his parents' sign language practice had been worth while but it wasn't exactly the greeting he had expected. Then again, what else should he have expected. His father came into the entryway with a warm smile and signed his own, much more normal greeting to Katsuki.
Plans tomorrow night? Katsuki signed after shucking off his shoes and standing up straighter again, a good head taller than his mother who smirked up at him.
Why, you have another surprise for us?, his mother almost teased. Katsuki rolled his eyes and grunted something along the lines of 'just keep it free' before walking past his parents with his night bag and upstairs to his room.
The following night had meant to be a surprise, Katsuki making something for dinner while Deku brought something with him from his mother's so they could have one of their annoying Bakugo-Midoriya joint dinners but Katsuki's mother had guessed it was coming.
What, you don't think I.N.K.O, she spelt out the name letter by letter, wouldn't tell me that I.Z.U.K.U was back home too, she smirked his way, you boys got something important to tell us do you?
Katsuki tilted his head back to the ceiling and felt a long groan leave his throat. The one time he wanted to do something nice for his damn mother – mostly thanks to Deku's pushing – and she just had to ruin it. Katsuki looked back her way with an irritated scowl and flipped her off which his mother only rolled her eyes at before leaving the room with a nonchalant wave, in too good of a mood to chew Katsuki out over his rude gesture apparently.
The Midoriya's arrived, this time without the fancy dress, all comfort and casual and after some brief greetings Deku found Katsuki in the kitchen, leaning against the inside of the island bench as he scrolled through his phone browsing social media. All he was waiting for now was for the oven to be done. Deku greeted him with a smile and wave, depositing the cake he had brought in the fridge for later. Deku always had been a sweet tooth ever since they were small brats so figured he hadn't grown out of it and he grumbled as much the greenette's way over the top of his phone.
Well, at least I can make them myself now, Deku signed in return with a proud smile that Katsuki snorted at. The nerd being good at baking and making sweets? Katsuki would be the judge of that.
Challenge accepted, signed back the nerd with a thumbs up before heading off to finish setting the table, something Katsuki had started and then abandoned. They were treating their parents after all so they couldn't expect any help from them. Once that task was done, Deku slid up to lean on the bench beside Katsuki, their backs to their parents in the living room no doubt gasbagging away. Deku pulled his phone out too and browsed his own social media in silent comfort beside Katsuki, leaning into Katsuki's space every now and again to shove his phone in his face when he found an amusing meme or post. Katsuki glared and occasionally gave an amused huff through his nose and Deku would return to his original spot with a smile on his lips.
When Katsuki had the rare moments like this where he felt content and Deku was by his side it really clicked just how far they had come, and they hadn't even had their first day back at being heroes yet.
It had only been a few days into June when Katsuki woke with his hearing gone, that was also the day Deku had made an effort to reach out to him. At the time he had only thought of the greenette as a nuisance, an eye sore that only reminded him of the betrayal he felt when Deku had never reached out to him since graduating. He amazed himself sometimes how he had gone from despising even the sight of Deku to now standing shoulder to shoulder sharing memes and about to announce to their parents that they were about to restart their careers as a team. They had their ups and downs all their lives together and Katsuki had never really seen it getting much better than being a turbulent friendship at best, but already Deku had become something solid for him to lean on, someone he could rely on and trust to have his back in the heat of battle. He really should count himself lucky, here he was, being supported by the same man that he had pushed away time and time again. Because without Deku, where would Katsuki be now?
Deku practically flinched beside him, face looking right ahead, cheeks looking heated and lips pressed tight together and Katsuki knew in an instant that their parents had said something no doubt embarrassing.
Katsuki hissed to know what had been said and Deku's green eyes looked his way with a growing sheepish grin and a gentle shake of his head. Katsuki frowned back at him with narrowed eyes but Deku was saved by the apparent ding of the oven and just for good measure, a timer on Katsuki's wrist vibrated for his attention. With a scoff Katsuki pushed off of the bench and reached for the contents of the oven bare handed – his quirk making his hands immune to heat – to pull out the hot tray.
Dinner was had, Katsuki and Deku eating mostly in silence while the parents chatted about between mouthfuls here and there. Mitsuki signed her compliments on Katsuki's cooking to which, though making him happy inside, he merely gave a curt grunt in response and finished his mouthful. He did however catch Mitsuki and Inko smiling to one another like they had a secret of their own hiding just behind closed lips and while Katsuki narrowed his eyes at that, Deku made a point of not looking that way. They cleared the table of the finished meal and Deku brought out his cake which Katsuki had to admit – only to himself – was pretty damn good and that was coming from someone who didn't like sweet things. So as good as it was, he could only manage a small amount before it was too much.
Of course the five of them couldn't finish the whole cake themselves so once everyone had a piece Deku returned it to the fridge, Mitsuki calling after him, Inko smiling like a proudly and Masaru nodding in agreement. Katsuki could only assume they were praising the nerds baking skills. But when Deku sat back down at the table in his usual spot opposite Katsuki, the air grew tense. They and all figured out that this spontaneous joint family dinner was for a reason and while Inko and Masaru were waiting calmly and patiently for this apparent announcement, Mitsuki was staring directly at Katsuki with a smile, like she knew what was coming. When Katsuki turned an irritated gaze her way she waved a hand like she was pushing him to hurry on with it, grinning the entire time. Katsuki sneered openly and rolled his eyes before turning his gaze to Deku who blinked at him in question.
Just tell them, he signed Deku's way and crossed his arms over his chest with a frown. Since Katsuki's parents understood sign language fairly well now, their eyes turned Deku's way who smiled a little nervously under their stares. Inko followed suit, turning her head to face her son.
And Deku being Deku, signed every word he spoke just for Katsuki's sake, which he didn't need to since Katsuki knew what was being said regardless but he let the nerd carry on.
Well, we came here tonight because we have some news, Deku smiled to them all in turn and their mothers smiled on, we're going to be a hero team. It was short and simple and right to the point but Mitsuki's smile dropped away and just from the way her mouth moved Katsuki knew she was asking 'what?'
We're going to be heroes together, Deku reaffirmed for her. Her eyes shot towards Katsuki and then back again. Before she could ask anything further Deku went on to explain how they had gotten custom made gear and been practicing with it to counter Katsuki's deafness and how all the paperwork had been finalized and they were ready to go. Mitsuki gave one final look between the two of them, a smile spreading across her face and giving a slight shake of her head as she spoke some words to Deku that made the man press his lips into a thin line again and give a small shake of his head in return before Mitsuki tipped her head back with a laugh. Masaru shook his head in light disappointment at her and Inko merely looked to her son fondly. Deku hadn't translated for Katsuki, who was mildly irritated but he refused to let it show that missing out on a snippet of conversation bothered him. It mostly only got to him because he knew whatever was being said was directly about him and the nerd. Mitsuki calmed and poked at Inko with a grin, causing the dark green haired woman to chuckle and Deku rolled his eyes of all things but he had a small smile touching his lips as he did, amused by the goings on of the table.
I'm excited for you both, Mitsuki both signed and said aloud as she turned her gaze back to Katsuki, and it's wonderful to know you boys are getting along again. Deku grinned at that while it was Katsuki's turn to give an eye roll.
It just wasn't the news I had been expecting, his mother added on with another chuckle. Katsuki turned a glare Deku's way and the greenette shot him a sheepish grin and shrugged his shoulders.
After a round of congratulations and Masaru taking particular interest in the smart watches the Midoriya's left for home, Deku agreeing to meet Katsuki at the station in the morning to head back to the city, and Katsuki turned his red glare to his mother, growling out that he wanted to know exactly what it was his mother hand been expecting. It hadn't escaped his attention that his mother had slipped Inko some money as they said farewell at the door. But his mother just waved his demands away with a knowing grin and went about the rest of her evening, perfectly immune to Katsuki's glaring.
Getting back into hero work was exactly what Katsuki's life had been lacking over the last few months. Of course his hearing never did show signs of returning even after multiple doctor visits but he was over the idea of it holding him back.
Back in the thick of it, it took a moment to get used to it outside of training and simulations, even Deku floundered here and there, but after a quick bark from Katsuki and a swift apology from Deku they both learnt to do better. It was slow at first of course. They had licenses to roam and both decided to stay in the city they lived and had worked previously in so they were familiar with the general area but working outside of an agency had its fallbacks. With an agency they were assigned patrol areas and hours, be allotted time for reports, they would receive calls if there was something happening outside of their line of sight and it would be communicated to them of where to go and the situation before they arrived.
Being on their own meant they had none of that. They couldn't just sit back and wait for someone to call them, they couldn't sit and fill in paperwork for the police on paid time and they didn't have a network of other heroes, agencies or even the police to call upon or be summoned by. They were completely along in this aside from each other, and Deku didn't like to stray too far. Had Katsuki had his full hearing, no doubt Deku would stray more, they would patrol independently and then call upon one another when need be, but not now. It made more sense to split up to cover more ground in search of trouble but Deku never left Katsuki's sight – or more so, Deku never strayed far enough to lose sight of Katsuki. He may be high up atop a nearby building whilst Katsuki patrolled the streets but he was always close enough to see what was going on around the blonde so he could warn him if there were trouble – and it was frustrating as hell, yet he didn't snap at the nerd for it. Katsuki got it. Deku was only looking out for him in his own annoying persistent way but Katsuki was sure that with time would come confidence and Deku would leave him alone more while working.
The other downside of not being affiliated with an agency was the pay. Agencies had many more employees to worry about outside of just their heroes and the money given to them from the commission reflected that. Then of course, the better the agency did, the higher ranking their heroes and the greater their success, the pay from the commission would increase to support their efforts and everyone's wages would increase. Working solo, they didn't have that. There were no employees to pay or office to rent so all of the work load fell upon them both. Not only doing the actual hero work but the administration work too in all its glory. More than once they would crash on the couch at each other's places, having come over to work on finalizing an incident report and being too tired afterwards to bother leaving.
There was no time off, no shifts, no coverage if one of them got sick or injured so they had to set boundaries and rules for themselves or they would burn out too fast and they couldn't have that because the less villains they stopped, civilians saved, disasters prevented, the less the commission would pay them each fortnight. Some big time solo heroes did well enough to pay for their own administrators, PR team and so on but they were nowhere close to that and had to duke it out with the extra hours. Katsuki on more than one occasion had to stem his annoyance, reminding himself that it was only for twelve months and then it wouldn't be so hard for them anymore.
Due to the fact that they were acting as a duo and Katsuki at the very least needed Deku to be his ears and back up to work – something he was not thrilled about at all but begrudgingly understood and accepted – they couldn't work shifts out among themselves and taking days off meant possibly missing out on action that could lead to both a pay and ranking increase which would increase their chances of making it with an agency when their permit was up. But they also couldn't work seven days a week so they both agreed on six working days and one to rest, Deku being firm about not even exercising on that one day off and using it entirely for rest. Katsuki pushed back on that making Deku agree to not do any paperwork on that day then and they both agreed to that after much back and forth and frantic hand movements.
After their first month they managed to build a reputation with local police and nearby agencies so they could be called upon if needing the backup which worked well for them when it was obvious they were both back on the hero scene and their past reputations helped them out. Deku had setup a new email for them – calling them the Wonder Duo of all things – and it wasn't long till the media had gotten wind of their new start as a team. Yes they went to U.A together but somehow the rest of the country – those that cared about it anyway– just couldn't wrap their head around how the nation's up and coming media sweetheart and the apparent explosive devil had come to be a team and it wasn't long till small fry media outlets started emailing them for interviews. Katsuki was against it. Always had been and always will be. He despised the media, more so because they had always enjoyed making a point of all of his apparent un-heroic like traits and would often drag things back to when villains had kidnapped him during their first year at U.A, which was never something he liked to be reminded of. But Deku pushed that even just doing one interview could help them catch the eye of an agency and the more exposure they got the better. Katsuki had crossed his arms and huffed at it but eventually gave in to sitting in on one interview.
Once Deku had replied to an interview request with an outlet that Katsuki agreed on – a fairly popular online vlogger – the interview was set up only days later. They were given directions to a studio apartment and seated on a black leather couch beside one another in their hero gear opposite a charismatic woman on a matching cushioned seat with lights all around and a designer glass coffee table sat between them and their to-be interviewer with glasses of water atop coasters waiting for them. Katsuki had agreed to come along but he had no desire to take part so Deku was already aware that Katsuki would not be engaging at all with the interviewer at all and although Deku had rolled his eyes he said nothing against it. It was typical Katsuki behaviour after all to sit there with arms crossed and a scowl ever present on his face since he had been dragged along to begin with. Furthermore, still only a select few people knew of Katsuki's disability.
The woman greeted them with a warm smile and a hand in offering. Deku leaned forward to return the handshake and probably said something along the lines of 'thanks for having us' because all Katsuki could do was guess, Deku agreeing to not sign anything during the interview and give away Katsuki's deafness. When the woman turned her smile and hand Katsuki's way he merely glared back at her with a frown and she quickly moved on, her smile wavering as she did.
The camera started rolling, being positioned on an angle to mostly capture Katsuki and Deku on the couch and have the interviewer off to the side of the frame as she dove right in to asking about their new found hero team and no doubt how that all came to be etcetera, etcetera. It was all mind numbingly boring for Katsuki who could only glare away as the interview took place around him. Occasionally the interviewer turned her attention Katsuki's way, her lips moving as she asked a question with a smile but Katsuki would only let his red eyes look her way in silence and Deku would quickly take over answering for him. As far as the rest of the country saw them, Katsuki was right into character by ignoring it all with a displeased look, in fact, some would probably say he was being more docile than his usual self that. He had gotten a slap across the wrist verbally more than once from their old agency from yelling at anyone who had dared point a camera or microphone in his face in the past.
A good amount of time passed before the interviewer continued on from talking to Deku over to Katsuki only to pause, waiting for the blonde to say or do anything but of course Katsuki had no idea what she was saying and it was getting on his nerves. He felt like a third wheel again and it niggled at the back of his mind. Deku glanced Katsuki's way with an almost sympathetic smile before he opened his mouth to redirect the question his way with a smile. Katsuki closed his eyes, arms crossed over his chest and took several deep breaths, trying to collect himself as the all too familiar annoyance inside him bubbled into something more.
Finally he snapped. Opening his eyes and demanding aloud to know what the interviewer was saying. If he was loud about it, he didn't care. Both sets of eyes turned his way in silent questioning, although with very different questions.
Katsuki shifted his eyes to look to Deku, still frowning about the whole situation before Deku's concerned, questioning look faded into a warm smile and he raised his hands, signing to Katsuki the last thing the woman had said and her eyes blew wide in understanding.
The interview went viral and their popularity soared through the roof. They had no PR team but it wasn't long till more and more media outlets, some bigger named ones included, were desperate for an interview but all they really wanted was Katsuki. The blonde was a top story all around. A deaf hero. Katsuki despised the title and despite his usual bad demeanour whenever cameras were around, suddenly it was like his bad temper didn't matter to the world anymore, which only pissed him off more because now he knew for sure that they only wanted him for his disability value and not because he was a top up and coming pro hero. Deku managed to coax him into a handful of interviews or to hold back his bite if ever the media dared to pounce on them after capturing a villain or just saving the day in general, but Deku wasn't pushy about it. He never tried to force Katsuki into them, especially when offers came forward for Katsuki to be the face of deafness awareness charity group and a hearing aid manufacturer – all of which he declined and he didn't have to get an eye full of Deku telling him it was worth it. No, the greenette let him be, already knowing that Katsuki wanted to be a household name because of his skill and not because he woke up deaf one morning.
Annoyingly when Katsuki revealed during the interview that he was deaf and it had gone viral, it was also the first time his friends and in fact anyone outside of his family, doctors, the Midoriya's and Kirishima heard of it and he was suddenly swarmed with an onslaught of texts regarding it. Eventually that all got smoothed out thanks to Kirishima taking over and explaining things in a far calmer way than Katsuki could via a group text while a few others went straight for Deku. The nerd had it easy, whenever one of their friends messaged him to ask why he had never said anything his response was simply: it wasn't his place to tell people, which was the truth. Katsuki on the other hand had to deal with a bunch of whining extras that seemed to only have at him more once they heard that Kirishima knew but not the rest of them. Katsuki had nothing more to say other than he knew they would be annoying about it, but Kirishima had interjected in the chat before he could press send, going on about some bullshit that Katsuki didn't fell ready to tell them. To Katsuki he made it out to sound as though he was insecure about it which made him want to snap but he didn't only because no one said the actual words.
As annoying as dealing with all of that was, things were going great. With the increase of fame they could afford a single administrator who worked from their own home and took over the time consuming work of finalizing and typing up reports and dealing with any other paperwork so the pair of them could finally start to get back to a normal sleep cycle which only made their hero work shine even brighter and after another two months had rolled by – bringing them towards the new year – they had already received their first two offers to join agencies, but they couldn't sign up with any until their full twelve months as solo heroes were up, so they had plenty of time to accumulate more before agreeing to anything.
A/N: I know that this chapter breezes on through several months for the two men, but if I expanded upon each moment more, we would end up with an extra ten chapters worth of content and I'm too impatient for that and want to keep the story moving on at a decent pace.