Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Author Note:

** This is your Trigger Warning **

I will be exploring some rather dark and morally grey areas with this story. I will not be posting a trigger warning with each chapter. Not every chapter will have dark themes. Sometimes it might just be fluff and crack. But in general: Child neglect and abuse, double standards, gaslighting, violence, bullies, police neglect, and just plain society being shitty will be addressed in the first portion of the story and will lay the groundwork for the rest of it. Things such as homelessness, street survival, morally dubious choices, self-defense, and things along those lines will be introduced eventually.

So if any of these things cause you problems, please really question if this story is for you. This is going to be as authentic as I can make it feel.

As tagged, this is my first FanFic ever. And I decided to write this because it has been a few years since I have written anything story-based. This is my training for a book I wish to create in the future, so any constructive comments are greatly welcomed!

Thanks!

New Note (24/8/2022): HI! Thanks for clicking on my story. I warn you the first few chapters have more grammatical errors than I wish they did. This can make it hard to immerse yourself into the story but I do promise my writing gets better as does the story. As I have said from the start this was meant for me to practice my writing and it has helped greatly. I just do not have the time to go back and re-write the first 6ish chapters where I know the most mistakes are. This is not beta read, nor do I have anyone helping me so just wanted to give you a heads up that things get better I promise :)

Chapter Text

"… What is a hero All Might?... Well, that is a complicated question, my dear. See, there are many types of heroes in the world. Some are professionals who have schooling and are monitored and paid by the government. Some people are heroes to their community, reaching out to those in need for just the simple drive to do good. Cleaning parks, babysitting children, carrying shopping bags for the elderly; they too are heroes. Anyone at any time can be a hero; it is all about the perspective, my dear! But I will say the number one trait that all heroes must possess…."

Katsuki leaned forward on his bed, staring at the laptop in front of him, listening closely to what the Number One hero in Japan was about to say. He had just turned into this webcast when the question was asked, forcing him to stop everything he was doing and watched.

"…they must possess the ability to raise others up, putting others' needs before their own. Heroes are to, within reason, be self-sacrificing. The number one rule in heroing is to prioritize the rescue, not the fight. Now to all those young watchers out there, I am not telling you to jump in and sacrifice yourself. No, I am telling you to look at those around you. Do they need help? Something as little a buying a juice for a friend in need and listening to them can literally save a life. You don't need fame or money to do good or be a hero. Just be there for those who need it, don't put others down, no one is more important than another, we are all equal on this earth, heroes just make sure those who are down-trodden get raised up and the help they need. Just by doing something small like that, you can be a Hero today!"

"HAH?!?" Katsuki flopped back onto his bed, arm covering his eyes. "The fuck does he mean I can be a hero today?"

He grumbled. Turning his head to his clock, he saw it was 13:00. It was a chilly Sunday in spring, and without much thought, Katsuki pushed himself up out of bed, slammed his laptop closed, and made his way out of the door. Stomping his way down the steps, he could hear his parents in the living room watching the afternoon news.

"Where are you going, Brat?" Mitsuki growled at him as he shoved a hoodie over his head.

"For a run, don't worry about it, Hag," Katsuki snarled back, pulling headphones over his ears.

"Don't get pissy with me, Brat. Hey, you better keep the music to a reasonable level. You can't go blowing out another set of-"Rock music drowned out the rest of what she said as he slammed the door shut behind him.

At the end of his street, he did turn down the loud rock music to a more reasonable level. Unfortunately, the Hag was right, and he really did not want to go through another fitting for new hearing aids. Clicking his tongue, Katsuki set off at a distance devouring pace. It was a colder day, and even though he was sweating, he was glad he brought the hoodie. A brisk wind could be felt any time he ran near water, sending a chill down his spine spurring the boy to go faster for a while. Eventually, Katsuki found himself slowing to a walk through a heavily forested park.

'What did All Might mean in that interview?' He asked himself as he scuffed his heels into the soft earth. 'I could be a hero today? What about U.A.? Granted, it is a few years off before I apply but still, don't I need the training to be a good hero?' Katsuki reached down and grabbed a large stick and smashed it against a tree shattering it.

"Fuck, I hope Deku didn't see that show; it will go straight to his fucking head!" He growled before freezing. All Might's words echoing in his head, "be there for those who need it, don't put others down, no one is more important than another, we are all equal on this earth..." Blinking, Katsuki leaned against the tree, staring up into the empty branches. 'What does he mean don't put others down? Isn't Deku already below him by being quirkless? Doesn't that mean scientifically we are not equal… but heroes are meant to protect those who need it, even the weak? By trying to toughen him up and see he can't be a hero, does that mean I can't be one either?' A strange weight settled in Katsuki's chest as for a moment he felt like he couldn't breathe. 'No… I have been trying to help him! He wants to be a hero, but he can't! He is too weak, so roughing him up would make him stronger right? But he never fights back… he always becomes the punching bag for others who are hurt… does that already make Deku A Hero?' Katsuki felt sick as that weight in his chest settled deeper. Pushing up off the tree, he started a light trot home; it was getting dark, and he really didn't want to listen to the Hag if he missed dinner. 'Tomorrow is Monday. I'll just watch that Lil creep tomorrow. See what he is doing differently than me.'

Turning the corner, he was getting close to home, picking up speed, he growled, "That fucker can't be a hero, He can't be one already! FUCK! He did not surpass me!"

The following day Katsuki got up earlier than expected. His plan was to stake out Deku's apartment and follow him to school, hopefully without the nerd noticing him. Sitting on the curb about half of a block away, he watched, and watched, and watch, and yet the nerd still didn't come out. If he waited any longer, then he was going to be late for school.

"What the fuck is he doing?" Katsuki snarled, shoving himself up off the curb, stomping towards the apartment complex. A slamming door echoed as hurried steps could be heard approaching the front. Looking up, Katsuki blinked in surprise that it was Auntie Inko who slammed the door. The meek mannered woman seemed to be seething about something, a dark scowl marring an ordinarily happy and kind face.

"Oh, Katsuki dear! I didn't see you there" She smiled sweetly at him, but it didn't reach her eyes. They seemed to be darkened by something he couldn't determine. "You better hurry, or you're going to be tardy" she moved to walk past him.

"Um, Auntie, Where is Deku? Did he leave for school already? Are you ok?" he asked, confused at how the woman was acting.

"Oh, I'm sorry dear was he going to walk with you? He is not going to make it into class today; he will be back tomorrow. Everything is fine. I just have to head to work" she smiled softly at Katsuki, patting his arm. "Really, don't worry. You really should be off, don't want any tardy marks on your record, do you?" chuckling, she turned and headed in the opposite direction of him.

Scowling, Katsuki slammed his fists into his pockets, stomping down the road. 'I have never seen that look on her face before. I wonder If Deku did something to piss her off. I didn't even know Auntie could get pissed off' Kicking a rock, he made it to school just in time for homeroom to start. Looking around, the nerd's desk was indeed empty but for a flower sitting on his seat.

Dropping heavily into his own seat Katsuki looked out the corner of his eye to see that the flower was a spider lily. Someone wished death upon Deku. 'What the fuck?' he tightened his hands until his nails left crescents in his palms. He forced himself to breathe so as not to set off his quirk during the lesson.

The rest of the day passed normally. Fingers was an annoying shit as always, half the class boasted how they would become heroes, and no one cared or noticed that Deku wasn't in class. Walking toward the arcade after class, Katsuki couldn't help but wonder why Deku had missed school today. He wasn't one to just ditch for fun, and clearly, auntie knew he wasn't going in. 'Was he sick? Did he get hurt? The nerd always was chasing after Hero fights. The fuck was up with that flower?'

"The fuck you thinking about Bakugo?" Fingers asked, elbowing his arm.

"Hah? The fuck you want?" Katsuki snarled back, pissed to be ripped from his thoughts. "Come on, man, you have been quiet all damn day. What did you miss your daily beat down on the Quirkless Deku?" Fingers laughed as if he told the funniest fucking joke in the world.

"Piss off it doesn't concern you Extra, not like I would tell you anything" Katsuki shoved him into a wall with a small explosion as they walked.

"Ouch! Fuck, hey, don't take it out on me! Save it for tomorrow; he is always missing Mondays" Fingers tripped over his own feet, trying to catch up to Bakugo.

"The fuck you talking about? How do you know he misses Mondays? HAH?" Katsuki was close to blowing up this extra. The hell did he know about Deku?

"Come on, you have not noticed? He misses at least a Monday or two a month. I heard the teacher bring it up with the principal once, but the principal said they were excused and didn't matter. I mean, it's not like he is going to amount to anything when he is older. I doubt he will get into any high school" Fingers smirked. "Come on, let's go! There is a new zombie game there I know you are going to love!" He started to trot ahead in an unspoken challenge of a race.

"Oi, don't fucking walk in front of me!" He snarled, not moving faster. He knew he could beat this extra in a race, but he didn't need to get his uniform all sweaty and gross right now. 'Deku was missing that much school? And Auntie knew about it? The hell was going on?'

The next day Katsuki did the same thing, got up early, and staked out the nerd's place. About fifteen minutes after he sat down on the curb, Izuku could be seen making his way down the stairs. From a distance, the nerd looked fine. He seemed to be moving slow and might have been pulling at his backpack straps to keep the weight of it off his back, but otherwise, it was the same old Deku, with his bright green eyes, green, black hair, and freckles.

Katsuki began to tail him, making sure to stay far enough away. It made it appear that he wasn't following him, just walking in the same direction as him. Izuku stopped once to pet a stray cat on the way to school, but otherwise, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Not like he was stopping to help every old woman they passed. 'Maybe he isn't a hero yet? Or at least not in the mornings' Katsuki couldn't help but think as they approached the school. Izuku seemed to pause at the gate, looking around the courtyard before taking a deep breath and heading towards the doors. Katsuki didn't try to hide anymore as they both had homeroom to get to. Reaching the lockers, he paused and watched as Deku tipped out his shoes, pouring some clear tacks into his hand. 'Someone put tacks in his shoes!?! The fuck is that? What does that mean?' Clicking his tongue Katsuki made his way to his locker.

"Oh, G-good m-morning, Kacchan!" Izuku stuttered before scurrying off to homeroom.

'The fuck he running from? Not like I was about to attack him,' Katsuki thought to himself as he changed shoes. Walking into homeroom, Katsuki watched as Deku slowly walked to the trashcan and dropped the now wilted flower into the trash. 'The cleaning group didn't even toss it out?!?' Running his hand through his hair, he settled down at his desk, promptly putting his legs up and closed his eyes, waiting for the rest of the extras to show up.

"Damn, another Monday he didn't go off himself." "I mean, it would be more work for the cleaners if he did" "Careful, don't get any closer. You will catch his Quirklessness," voices snickered as they mock whispered around him. Katsuki opened his eyes to see Fingers and some extra he called Batty launching a spitball at Deku, smacking him in the forehead. He watched at Deku, just sighed, and wiped off the wet blob, never bothering to look up from his desk. As his hand moves away, a discolored smear could be seen, and Katsuki's eyes widened 'was the Nerd wearing makeup?!'

"Alright, settle down; we have a long lesson to get through today," the teacher droned as he entered the room. Before Katsuki could even think to confront Deku about the makeup, he forced himself to turn and pretend to pay attention. Katsuki's mind wandered as he tuned out the teacher. 'So the Nerd missed school yesterday, he found a Spider Lily on his chair, found tacks in his shoes, got a spitball to the face… and each time he just acted as if this was normal?!? Was this normal for him? I thought I was the one who… well who was trying to toughen up Deku, but this seems different.'

Hunching his shoulders, Katsuki tried to glance at Deku. Still, as he did, crimson eyes met viridian, both widening in shock and looking away. 'Damn, why was he looking at me? Fuck now it looks weird' Katsuki growled to himself. The rest of the classes passed quickly as Katsuki made a point to only look forward. He was not going to get caught sneaking looks at Deku.

When lunch came around, he found himself surrounded by Extras as they crowded around a table. Looking out over everyone, Katsuki could see Deku getting lunch and paying for it with what appeared to be a handful of coins, no bills. He watched as the nerd headed toward an isolated corner of the room, taking a bite of his homemade lunch. Just as Izuku approached the table, a hand came out of nowhere, smacking the tray with his meager meal to the floor, ruining it.

"Watch where you're going, Quirkless. If you were smart, you would just starve yourself and leave the food for the rest of us who actually have quirks," a tall boy with a relatively weak quirk (Pulling his eyes out of the socket) sneered. A few others in the vicinity laughed with him. Izuku stood there staring at the food now scattered on the floor. Nothing seemed to be salvageable. Katsuki watched as Deku seemed to deflate before wiping at his eyes and cleaning up the mess. 'Yea, that's shitty, but he can just go get another lunch,' he thought to himself. But after cleaning up the mess, Deku only filled up his water bottle and made his way outside. Frowning, Katsuki stood with his now empty lunch, ignoring the calls from the Extras around him, and followed the nerd out the door. 'Where the hell does he think he is going? Why didn't he just get another lunch?' Katsuki's mind raced as he entered the courtyard and didn't see Deku anywhere.

Grumbling to himself, he started to walk back towards the classroom when he heard water splashing and laughing. Turning, he pushed open the door to the boys' restroom to find Eyeballs and Fingers trying to force Deku's head into a sink overflowing with water.

"If you love water so much here drink your fill!" Fingers laughed, pushing harder. Deku thrashed out, trying to grab ahold of the sink to pry himself up out of the water, but his hands kept slipping on the ceramic. Eyeballs looked at Katsuki as he walked in. "Oh hey man, you come to join the fun?" he asked with a smirk.

Katsuki was frozen as he watched two of his classmate's torture Deku in front of him. His heart racing, he reached up and turned down his hearing aids before explosions echoed around the room, dropping down into a fighting stance and charging the idiots. "Hey, what the Fu-"Eyeballs screamed at Katsuki blasted him hard in the gut forcing him to the ground. Fingers let go of Deku to come at Katsuki, frowning, "What the hell, Bakugou, what's gotten into you? Come to play the Hero to a useless Deku?" He sneered as ragged, wet coughs filled the air. Deep chest aching coughs that had Deku doubled over on the ground behind them.

"Get the Fuck Out," Katsuki growled, his red eyes flashing in rage. That weight in his chest was making it hard for him to breathe, giving him a feral appearance.

"Nah, man, you have never cared before. Why the fuck you care now?" Fingers took a few steps forward, using his quick pick-up Eyeballs. Eyeballs had a smoking rip in his uniform where the explosion had caught the fabric on fire, and a bright red mark marred the boy's stomach.

"Who says I care, hah? I'm just not going to watch you fucking extras TORTURE someone in front of me. Now. Get. Out." Katsuki gets off a few more explosions in his hands, emphasizing his point. Clicking his tongue, Fingers dragged Eyeballs past Katsuki, knowing he wouldn't win this fight one on one. Katsuki turned to follow their movement. "You better figure your shit out, Bakugou. This isn't over," he stated, slamming the bathroom door.

The coughing had stopped in the time it took for Katsuki to calm down. Turning, he found Deku curled up under the last sink in the corner. His hair and uniform top soaked as water flooded the floors around them. Tears ran from his eyes as he sobbed quietly. Katsuki rubbed his face and hair with a snarl, pulling at the roots of it as he turns the faucet off.

"You ok, Deku?" He asked, not looking at the crying boy. Minor hiccups could be heard before a timid voice, raw from coughing, replied, "W-Why did y-you h-help me?" With a sigh, Katsuki leaned against a dry sink staring down at his shoes.

"I don't know. All I know is it wasn't right what they were doing to you." He growled. 'Fuck, why am I still here? What the fuck am I doing?' he screamed internally.

A tiny unamused chuckle echoed as he could hear the fabric of Deku's uniform moving as he stood. "Well… Th-Th-Thanks. I-I guess I o-owe you one."

"You don't owe me shit," Katsuki Snarled, finally looking up from his shoes. For the first time that day, Katsuki got a good look at the nerd in front of him. A massive deep purple bruise covered his left eye and cheek, giving the usually bright green eyes a bloodshot look. Minor cuts could be seen on the sides of his neck and a split lower lip. There was a greenish tint to his throat like a deep bruise had been healing for a few weeks. Small faded scars peppered his forehead and cheeks as much as his freckles did.

"Holy Fuck, Deku, what happened to you?"

Chapter Text

Izuku's eyes widened as the green irises moved past Katsuki's crimson to look in the mirror behind him. Katsuki watched as his face morphed from confused to terrified and heard the softest whispered "Shit" escape the Nerd's mouth.  'The Nerd cursed?!?'

"Oi, don't fucking make me repeat myself!" Katsuki yelled, causing Deku's eyes to snap back to his as a well-practiced mask slipped over his face. Reaching up, Deku rubbed the back of his head with a smile. "Oh, this? I-Its n-nothing Kacchan," he dismissed, the smile never reaching his eyes and his body tensing. This was the first time that Katsuki has seen the Nerd lie directly to his face. White-hot rage boiled under his skin,  'How dare he lie to me!'  Snarling, he reached out to grab Deku by the collar, but as he did so, Izuku bolted.

"S-SORRY, I gotta g-go!" he gasped as he ran out the door. Katuski tried to chase after him but slipped on the wet floors catching himself with one hand. "GET BACK HERE, DEKU!" Katsuki screamed, slamming through the door. It was a class change, and the majority of people were coming back from lunch. Raging the sea of students spilled around Katsuki, but Deku being the smaller lither kid, was able to escape slipping between people and jumping over those who tried to trip him. Katsuki chased him to the edge of the school property and stopped short at the Nerd actually left school running towards what Katsuki assumed was home.

"Fucker actually left?" he growled, letting a few small pops off with his quirk. Turning, he stomped back to class, completely ignoring the sound of the bell. He was too pissed off to care about any tardy marks. Making his way back to the classroom, he couldn't help but think about how trashed Deku's face was. It looked like he was beaten more than once, and that black eye had to be painful.  'That's why he was wearing makeup…'  and then those extra's fucking tried to drown him in the sink,  'Was this normal? No, it couldn't be. Did the teachers know about it? Why haven't they stopped it?'

"Mr. Bakugou, it's nice of you to join us," the teacher's annoyed voice cut through Katsuki's train of thought. "Care to explain yourself?"

Clicking his tongue Katsuki made his way to his desk before shooting a glare at the teacher. "I had to take care of something, is all."

The teacher frowned at the blatant disrespect, "Stay after class; we will discuss this  something ." Katsuki didn't argue just slammed his notebook open as a few snickers could be heard echoing in the back of the room. Glancing back, Deku's desk was painfully empty again, but Fingers was throwing him a smug look.  'Fucking Hell looks like they already told the teacher'  Katsuki just rolled his eyes at Fingers before making a show of turning down his hearing aid.

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. As the final bell rang, Katsuki took his time gathering up his stuff, drawing out approaching the teacher until everyone had left. It was clear that Fingers was waiting around to hear what the teacher said, but with a dismissing motion from the teacher's hands, Fingers was forced to leave.

"Bakugou, care to explain again why you were late?" the teacher asked with a bored expression. With a growl, Katsuki looks down at the desk between them. "I found some idiots harming Deku, and I was making sure he was ok."

"Oh really? That's not how it was explained to me" The teacher sighed.

"Ha? What do you mean?" Katsuki snapped back.

"Well, it was explained to me that you entered the men's bathroom and attacked your fellow students; one had a rather severe bruise on his abdomen."

"That's Bullshit!" Katsuki snarled, "They were torturing Deku! Did they explain how they were attempting to fucking drown him in the sink!? I only pushed them off" It took every ounce of self-control to not let his quirk go off in front of a teacher like this.

"Bakugou, I suggest that you watch your mouth and your tone with me and seeing how Mr. Midoriya deemed it necessary to skip the rest of the school day. The only evidence I have is a nasty bruise on your classmate. So this is an official warning. I won't put it on your record yet because I know you want to go to UA in a few years. Still, you better think more about your actions today" the teacher stood as if he was done with the conversation.

"So it was ok that they were torturing Deku?" Katsuki growled, his rage barely being contained.

"You have no proof of that, Bakugou, now go home before I do give you detention or worse suspension" with that, the teacher clicked shut their bag and left the room.

Seething, Katsuki stayed rooted in place. Taking deep breaths, he attempted to calm himself, his nails digging into this thigh to ground himself in pain.  'No fucking proof, huh? Fine next time, I'll have all the proof, no there won't be a fucking next time' .

After gathering himself, Katsuki shoved his hands in his pockets and made his way home. Eyeballs and Fingers both were in the courtyard, watching him as he trudged past with triumphant smirks. Katsuki didn't bother addressing them. Turning the corner, he started his walk home, the sun heating the back of his neck as he vowed, that no there would not be the next time.

Deku wasn't in school again the next day. The Nerd missing so much class was really getting under his skin. How could he miss so much and yet still compete with Katsuki for the top of the class? Katsuki kept his head down that day even though everyone was acting like nothing happened. The Extras still ate lunch around him. Batty still wanted to go to the mall or some shit after school; whenever Katsuki was asked anything, he would only grunt in reply. He really couldn't bring himself to attempt to care what they were going on about; his thoughts kept going back to that deep bruise and split lip Deku wore the day before.

As he got home that evening, he made dinner. This wasn't uncommon as he was the better cook in the house—his attention to detail bringing out the unique flavors in every dish he created. But apparently, his distant demeanor did not go unnoticed by his mother as at dinner she confronted him.

"What's going on in your head, Brat?" asked point at him. Katsuki just sneered. Ignoring the question shoving more rice into his mouth.

"Spill it! You are never this quiet unless you're sick, and even then, you're bitching up a storm." Mitsuki chuckled at her own joke.

"Fine, Hag, if it will get you to leave me alone, Deku had a big ass black eye on Tuesday, and he missed Monday and today," Katsuki growled, not bothering to look up from his food. He didn't want to know the face she was making.

"Izu-kun? Oh, I think Inko mentioned, when we had lunch, he got mugged over the weekend. That's what it must be from." Mitsuki hummed as Masaru nodded along, adding, "I think she mentioned he was getting fevers or something from it. Might have broken a bone in his face, poor kid."

"Ha? Poor kid? Shit, it might actually toughen him up. He is nothing but skin and bones to start with" Mitsuki laughed as she went back to eating.

"This is delicious, Katsuki" Masaru nodded towards his dinner with a soft smile.

Katsuki just clicked his tongue and looked away. "Of course it is; I made it!"

 That night Katsuki could not make his brain shut off.  'Fuck, I am starting to act like Deku, overthinking everything. ' He growled to himself as he lay flat on his back, staring up at his dark walls.  'So he got mugged, huh? I mean, that would explain the bruise and him not buying a new lunch, but I don't see Auntie letting him go without some money no matter how strapped they are for cash.'  Katsuki frowned as he ran his hand through his hair, tugging at the roots.  'But why wouldn't he tell me about it? Why would he lie and just run off like he was in trouble? Fucking Nerd making me worry about him?!? I just wanted to see if he was a hero already, not get dragged into his drama.'  Katsuki glanced at his phone with a sigh, the bright screen momentarily blinding him as he read it was past midnight. Grunting, Katsuki dropped the phone back onto his nightstand and forced his eyes closed.  'I'll confront the Nerd tomorrow, get my answers, and everything will go back to normal. It is clear Deku isn't a Hero and never will be.'

The morning was absolutely normal for Katsuki. His eyes felt dry from the lack of sleep but nothing he couldn't handle. Deku was back in school and hiding in plain sight at his desk, hunched in on himself not to draw attention. Katsuki just rolled his eyes in annoyance,  'Well, I'm not going to confront him with all the Extras around,'  he thought as he sat down. Classes went by, and as the bell for lunch rang, Izuku dashed through the door, racing away. Grumbling, Katsuki just gathered up his packed bento and made his way to the cafeteria. Looking around, he did not see Deku anywhere in the room. With a frown, he also noted that Eyeballs and Fingers were not there either. A cold weight once more settled in his chest as he started to stomp his way to areas outside of school.

A small girl with feather hair ran past Katsuki as he left the cafeteria. It was clear that she had been roughed up but clearly got away. But he was looking for Deku, not birdy-locks. Turning the corner in the courtyard that's where Katsuki found him and others. A small gang of people had Deku surrounded, kicking him as he lay curled on the ground, gripping his backpack to his chest as if to protect him. "This is what you get, Deku, FUCK you are so useless. Can't even attempt to fight back, you big cry baby!" Fingers growled down, delivering a hard kick to his back. Deku whimpered in pain as he squeezed his eyes tighter. "Oh, look, his guard dog shows his face, so what are you going to do, Bakugou? Help us put this Freak in his place or be an idiot like last time?" Eyeballs sneered as two others, both females laughed and taunted, "Oh come on, you know Bakugou hates Deku. He was probably pissed you didn't invite him to start with" a girl with weird orange hair giggled as she too kicked Deku in the legs.

Katsuki began to shake in rage. Before he could comprehend what he was doing, he launched himself at them with a series of explosions. Snarling, he slammed his fist into Finger's face, kicking wildly at the others to just get them away from Deku. The small crowd backed up, many wearing frowns or looks of confusion. "What the hell are you doing, Bakugou? Deku was just playing the hero. We put him in his place like you do!" one of them yelled at him as they pulled Fingers out of the way of another explosion.

"Just fucking DIE!" Bakugou screamed, releasing an explosion in their direction. He wasn't genuinely aiming for them, just trying to scare them off. He knew if he truly hurt any of them, Katsuki would blow any chance he had at a hero course.

"So you're tossing your lot in with the quirkless Freak, huh?" Batty sneered as a few of the others ran off, not wanting to catch any more explosions. Soot covered many of them from head to toe. "The mighty have fallen…" Eyeballs said with a mocking shake of his head.

"If you know what's good for you, you and your weak ass quirk will get the fuck out of my sight," Katsuki snarled, popping off a few mini-explosions. Fingers started to back away with a sadistic look. "You have changed Bakugou. We will make sure everyone knows it." Both turned and ran off, chasing the rest of the group back towards the school. Breathing hard, Katsuki growled to himself, "weak ass Extras, they didn't even attempt to put up a fight." Turning, he saw Deku pushing himself up off the ground shaking slightly.

"Come on," Katsuki gestured with his head towards a large oak tree on the ground.

"I…um... I sh-should really get g-going," Deku whispered, still hugging his backpack to his chest, not looking up from the ground.

"Tsk" Katsuki reached out and grabbed the Nerd by the scruff of his uniform and forced him to come with him. With an undignified squeak, Deku quickly started to walk himself in that direction. Still, Katsuki did not stop gripping the back of his uniform. Reaching the tree, they went to the far side from the school to get some privacy. Shoving them both to the ground, Deku sat heavily as he tried to look anywhere but the seething blond next to him.

"Now Deku, what the fuck is going on with you. And NO running away this time!" he growled as he ripped open his bento.

"I-I-I don't know w-what you are talk-king about, Kacchan," Deku muttered into the top of his backpack, his knees pulled up to his chest. Katsuki could see that out the corner of his eye, Deku watched every bite he took of his food. A slight growl could be heard from his stomach.

"Oi, didn't you eat?" Katsuki frowned.

"Um…N-no, I d-don't have anything," he whispered back.

Katsuki shoved two more bites of food into his mouth quickly, then handed Deku the other half of the bento. Deku's eyes widened and brightened as he saw the food in front of him. "A-are you s-s-sure?" sounding scared to reach out.

Katsuki jerked, forcing the box into Deku's arms. "Just take it!"

Without hesitation, Deku grabbed the chopsticks and started shoveling food into his mouth. Katsuki stared at him a bit slack-jawed until he realized that the Nerd hadn't even come up for air. "Oi Oi Oi! Slow down. You'll fucking choke! Kami, it's like you haven't eaten in days," he growled, reaching out to grab Deku's arm.

"More like four," he grumbled, chewing on a carrot.

"What?! WHY?" Kastsuki yelled. "What has been up with you?"  'Wait, he didn't stutter?'

Izuku slowly lowed the bento into his lap, using his sticks to push what little food was left around. "N-nothing is different Kacchan, t-t-this is how it's always been for m-me," he muttered before looking at Katsuki. "W-what I d-d-don't understand is why y-you… I d-don't want to say c-care, but w-what are you doing? Y-you just lost all your f-friends?"

Now that Deku was facing him head-on, Katsuki could see that the significant bruising had healed a good bit giving him a yellow pallor even with the makeup. Clearly, he had some healing ointment at home. Deku chewed on his lower lip, clearly doing this often as the split lip looked even worse than before.  

"Those Extras were not my friends," Katsuki grunted before looking away. He couldn't tell Deku because he didn't want to have the Nerd be a hero right now, but why did he keep interfering? "Don't fucking worry about my problems when you're the one being mugged and beaten bloody daily."

Deku blinked in surprise “Mugged?”

"That's what the Hag said happened to you," having his hand towards Deku's black eye.

Deku took that time to finish eating the bento, but Katsuki swore he could hear the damn gears in his brain churning wildly. "And Why haven't you eating in four fucking days!? No wonder you're so damn short!" Katsuki growled as he started to pack away the now empty bento.  'Damn, he even ate all the spicy sauce… I thought the Nerd hated spicy food?'

"Oh um… w-well," Deku started picking at the already frayed hem of his uniform nervously.

"Don't you fucking dare lie to me again, Nerd," Katsuki growled, grabbing the front of his shit so he couldn't run this time.

"L-look, we j-just don't have a lot of m-money for food. A-and with m-m-mom working so much, I-I just don't make m-meals. T-trying to s-save m-money" Deku blushed as he looked away, clearly ashamed. Katsuki frowned, letting go of his collar.  'Was Auntie that bad off? Does the hag know?'

"So that's why you didn't buy another lunch on Tuesday. You couldn't afford it?" Deku nodded, looking down at the ground.

"Tsk, I'll bring extra lunch for you," Katsuki said before he even thought about it.  'Why the fuck did I offer that?!? Ah, shit, here come the tears.  Deku reached up, wiping his now tear-filled eyes.

"R-r-really Kacchan? I-I would h-hate to be an In-inconvenience," he muttered, trying hard to stop the tears.

"I fucking said I would, didn't I? And I don't say shit I don't mean," He growled, pushing up off the ground. Deku scrambled up onto his feel following him. "Th-thank you! Kacchan is amazing!" Deku smiled, and damn if that shit wasn't bright. It was the first genuine smile he had seen from the Nerd in a long time.

"Yea, yea, just don't get your ass kicked anymore at lunch, so you have time to fucking eat."

For the next few days, Katsuki did as he said he would, packing extra lunch and drinks. That Friday, he swore he watched the Nerd cry over a can of juice, only saying that he was so happy. During the lunches, they didn't talk much. Sure Katsuki had a million and ten questions. Still, every time he started to ask anything, the Nerd would either brush it off or somehow not answer the question at all. And it wasn't like Katsuki wanted to talk to the Nerd. Fuck he didn't want to sit with him. But as long as he didn't mumble or just run his mouth, it was… Ok, he guessed.

What he did notice was how little Deku ate. With just around half of what Katsuki would make for him, he would claim he was getting full and that Kacchan needed the extra food since he had more muscles. That didn't sit right with Katsuki. But after trying to force him to eat, he just accepted the extra. Of course, he could have just started making smaller Bentos, but he didn't. 

The Extras didn't really bother them that week or the next. Katsuki got the stink eye a lot, and no one seemed to interact with him, but honestly, that made him happy. The Extras were annoying to start with. By the weekend, things felt like they were normal and the way things should be.

Of fucking course, that wouldn't be the case come the following Monday. The Extras have left him and Deku alone for the most part. The Nerd even commented on the fact no one had come at them before. But the Monday, Deku came limping into the classroom, hands bandaged with deep bags under his eyes. Katsuki couldn't help but stare, but Deku wouldn't make eye contact with him. Looking around, Katsuki didn't see Fingers smirking like he had done an excellent job, so they couldn't have been him who did it. 

'Who the fuck beat the Nerd?'

Chapter Text

Lunch could not come fast enough for Katsuki. He could not stop his knees from bouncing as he stared at the clock, watching the seconds tick slower and slower. The moment the bell rang, he shot up out of his seat and marched his way toward Deku.

"Come," he growled, grabbing the back of his uniform practically dragging the Nerd with him.

"K-Kacchan w-w-wait!" he cried out, trying to get his feet under him. But Katsuki didn't let up and marched them both downstairs and out the door toward the oak tree. Forcing them both down to sit on the ground, Deku winced and hissed in pain as he had to adjust his leg position.

"What the fuck happened to you? I thought the Extras left you alone now?" He growled dangerously. The bento sat untouched between them.

Izuku tried hard to keep the tears from falling, but Katsuki watched as the scared, hurting greenette started to sob. "I c-can't tell y-you, Kacchan if y-you knew I w-would be in s-so much t-trouble. And y-you have been s-so kind al-already bringing extra l-lunch. I-I don't want to b-burden you anymore. Kacchan is al-already amazing and-"Deku settled into his muttering while hiccupping from crying.

"Kami, Deku shut up! How many times I gotta tell you? I mean what I say! Now, what happened to you?" Katsuki felt that cold weight settles in his chest again.  'What could be so bad?'

Deku sat there for a while, his sobs slowly turning into light hiccups. "W-well, you can't tell an-anyone this! P-promise me" the Nerd had the nerve to attempt to glare at Katsuki to force a promise. It was a weak glare even without the tear tracks down his face. Someone other than Katsuki might have called it cute. With a snort and a smirk, Katsuki nodded. "Yea, Nerd, I promise"  'At least he has some backbone left in him.'

"Over the weekend, there w-was a villain f-fight, and I w-went to it. I-I got hi-hit in the leg w-w-with something, it w-was like a ru-rubber bullet quirk projectile. And be-because of that, I had to s-stay and make a s-statement. But when they L-L-L... um saw my leg, they s-saw other scars and s-started asking questions. So they c-called mom. But m-mom a few y-years ago b-b-banned me from going to vil-villain fights. Hence, she was furious t-to be called o-out of work for this" Deku was worrying his lip as his bruised and bandaged hands clenched in his lap. "S-so for breaking the r-rules, I-I got punished is all."

Katsuki felt like a deer in the headlights. His eyes frantically moving over the Nerds body noting all the scars, the bandages, the bruises. Too scared to move, too afraid to believe what he was being told, he whispered, "A-auntie beats you?" almost scared as if saying it would make it true.

"NO! no…M-mom cares ab-about me. Sh-she cares t-too much, this is h-how sh-she wanted to p-protect me. I-I just deserve punishment for the s-stupid things I d-do."  

"What was her punishment? How often do you get punished?"  'Was the Nerd that much of a rebel? He always obeyed the rules as kids!'

"O-oh n-not often… m-maybe once or t-twice a m-month. I t-try to b-be really go-good." Deku started rubbing his hands the bandages on his knuckles.

"She do that to your hands?" Katsuki asked, beating back the urge to reach out and touch them. Deku flinched, pulling his hands apart.

"Y-yea… sh-she thought if it w-was hard for me-me to write then I w-would stop t-taking n-notes on heroes, and n-not go to v-villain fights." This time Katsuki didn't stop himself from taking Deku's hands in his own. Pulling back the too-long of sleeves he used to hide them, Katsuki could see that both hands were mottled with black and blue bruises and swollen so that any movement of the joints had to be painful. Minor pressure cuts could be seen, but it appeared that they had been crushed, not cut. Katsuki had a sinking suspicion that at least two fingers were broken and many more blackened nail beds.

"Fucking Hell Deku, what did she do run them over with a truck?" he asked.

Izuku let out a weak chuckle. "No, no, just a w-wooden spoon," Katsuki winced in sympathy. His own mum had smacked him a time or two with a spoon, he couldn't imagine over and over on his hands. "What about class? How are you taking notes?"

"Oh th-they don't h-hurt that b-bad," he said, pulling his hands away.

"Bullshit! You can copy my notes later," Katsuki growled before a thought sidetracked him. "Why did Auntie ban you from going to villain fights?"

The Nerd physically flinched before looking away, muttering under his breath, "Oi, speak up!"

"B-because I c-cant be a hero. I-I'm useless, a Deku, an-and being th-there just p-puts others in danger. I-I'm not al-allowed t-to talk about h-heroes anymore at h-home; it's one of t-the rules."

"What are some of the other rules?" Katsuki asked in thinly veiled horror.

"W-well n-no hero st-stuff in the apartment, um…I have t-to wait f-for mum to make a m-meal to e-eat. That's t-to save m-money, and it's p-polite to share meals. I have to c-clean the home d-daily which t-that's easy c-cause mum works so-so much a-an I stay in my r-room a lot. R-right now I'm g-grounded s-so I have to go straight h-home after school and st-stay. M-mom really d-doesn't want me to talk ab-about our private time. Sh-she is a very private woman and says sh-she has to raise m-me different be-because I'm quirkless and us-useless. That I-I need p-protected m-more. So p-p-please don't say an-anything Kacchan, really my-my life is good, I-I have a bed, an-and a home, and a m-mom who works h-hard to p-provide for me and c-cares for m-me. So please don't t-tell anyone, I m-messed up. I got the p-punishment I n-needed." Fresh tears formed in Izuku's eyes as he begged Katsuki.

Swallowing thickly, Katsuki could only nod in agreement.  'What the fuck are those rules? The Hero Nerd can't even enjoy heroes anymore? He probably didn't see that All Might webcast then. Wait, Auntie works so much-'

"How often does Auntie feed you?"

"Oh…Enough" The Nerd tried to smile at him.

"Deku," Katsuki growled. "Number of meals a day"

"Oh… I mean w-we share d-dinner when she is home and d-doesn't work n-nights. And Kacchan is so amazing to sh-share his lunch" Deku tried to pick at the sleeves on his uniform, wincing as he moved his fingers.

"How many days a week does she not work nights?"

"Two… or three on good weeks," Deku whispered, not meeting his eyes.

"You are telling me, the only food you get in a day is that half of the bento I force down your throat on the weekdays and maybe two or three dinners a week?!? What about breakfast? What about your other meals? What do you eat?"

"Oh… w-well I j-just drink a lot of w-water when I feel hungry. And on n-nights she w-works I-I just go to bed early s-so I don't feel hungry. L-like I to-told you, Kacchan, I-I don't eat much. M-my stomach can't hold it. P-plus m-mom wants me to be m-more independent s-so I t-try to do some s-side jobs to g-get some money. I-I give her half of an-anything I make to help out. T-the rest I-I use to buy lunch" Deku's voice slowly dissolved into quiet muttering as he started to go off on who he should contact that week to get a few side jobs.

Katsuki's mind was reeling. No wonder the Nerd was skin and bones and so tiny. Picking up the bento between them, he shoved it in Izuku's arms. "Eat. Now."

"But Kacchan! I-I told you I c-can't eat all this!" Deku whined while opening the box.

"Then eat as much as you can plus four bites, and I'll eat the rest," he growled, crossing his arms across his chest, leaving no room for argument.

Katsuki leaned against the tree and closed his eyes, trying to settle his racing thoughts.  'So Auntie doesn't have time to feed him. Auntie punishes him for being Quirkless? I mean, not really, but at the same time, that's what it seems like. And is forcing him to provide for himself? I know his deadbeat dad left him when he was diagnosed qurikless…'

"Oi, was it Auntie who gave you that black eye a few weeks back?" he asked, not opening his eyes.

"Hmm? Ah no," Deku swallowed the food he had in his mouth. "She b-brought home a g-guy, and he d-didn't like me, so he punched m-me when she was sleeping, and I-I got up for s-some water. B-but I didn't want t-to to ruin her d-date, so the n-next day wh-when she asked about it, I-I said I was m-mugged" His voice sounded lighter after spilling the beans. Maybe telling Katsuki was what he needed.  'All Might did say listening is what Heroes should do.'

"What a shitty guy," Katsuki grunted. Deku tried to hand back the bento. He had eaten more than what he usually did, so he did listen to Katsuki's plus-four bite rule. Looking down at it, Katsuki smirked at the Nerd. "One more bite."

Deku huffed, puffing out his cheeks. They still held baby fat, giving him a chubby bunny look to him but did as he was told, shoving one more dumpling in his mouth chewing it dramatically. "Happy?"

"No, but it will do for now" Katsuki snatched the bento back and scarfed down his portion.

The afternoon went quickly after that. Katsuki tried hard to focus on what the teacher was saying, but really he was just trying to wrap his mind around what Deku had told him.  'Fuck, even his own mother was calling him useless… Did I start this? Was I the match that caused his whole life to be a burning hell?'  Lost in thought, Katsuki opened his locker. Grabbing his shoes, he shoved them on his feet and instantly screamed, "FUCK”. Ripping his food out of the shoe, he found three tacks stuck in his foot, his sock slowly turning red with blood. Behind him, he could hear snickering as he spun, snarling at the noise. Batty and Eyeballs stood there with smiles on their faces. Before Katsuki could even take a step in their direction, the Principal's voice would be heard echoing around them.

"Mr. Bakugou, is there a problem?" the portly man with a shitty comb-over approached the fiery blond.

"Yea, those asshats put tacks in my shoes!" he pointed down at his foot, his sock redder than before. He leaned down to pull them out, showing them to the Principal.

"I am sorry to hear about your foot, but do you have proof it was them, Mr. Bakugou?" the Principal seemed utterly un-phased at the tacks, and he really didn't care about his foot.

"They were just laughing about it at me!"

"That's hardly proof…."

"Then look it up on the cameras!"

"Mr. Bakugou, this is hardly a reason to deal with the hassle of the cameras, just perhaps be more vigilant. Think of it as Hero training; they have to be vigilant at all times, right?" the Principal turned to leave.

"You're fucking joking?" Katsuki snarled, throwing the tacks to the ground scattering them.

"I am clearly not, now Mr. Bakugou; I suggest you go home. And perhaps stop hanging around the Midoriya boy; he attracts trouble. You wouldn't want to impact your chances of becoming a hero, right?" And with that, the man was gone, lost in the sea of middle schoolers. Katsuki turned to deal with the Extras himself, but they were already long gone. Growling and cursing to himself, Katsuki left his bloody sock on his foot as he emptied out his shoes of any remaining tacks.

Katsuki took a longer route home, walking him by an old park he and Deku used to play at as kids. Making his way over to a bench, he sat and watched the local kids fight over the slide.  'Deku isn't a hero right now. But it seems like he needs one. He needs more food than that, and it seems like his mother is crushing his dreams. But who am I to say anything? I started all this. I called him Deku first. I started beating him first.'  Hot tears pricked at his eyes as he leaned back and covered his face with his elbow refusing to let them fall.  'So I started it; I should be the one to end it, right?'

Grabbing his phone, Kastuki pulled open a web browser and searched 'What can you do if a kid my age is being abused?' ignoring most of the results, he clicked on the first link. It was some advocacy group saying he should report it to the teachers at the school. Katsuki scoffed at the thought. He had already told them he was being tortured by students, and they didn't give a shit. And clearly, the Principal had a wrong opinion of the Nerd, so he wouldn't be any help.

The next step said contact local police or child protective services. Frowning, he put his phone away and crossed his arms with a huff. The Nerd had him promise not to tell anyone that he would be in more trouble. But really, how much worse could it get? His hands are already cracked and crushed, and he is barely fed; surely it can't be much worse than that, right? Pushing himself up off the bench, he made his way toward the local police station. For the late afternoon, the place was not busy at all, and a bored-looking cop with a mild dog mutation sat at the front desk. His ears perked slightly as Katsuki approached, but other than that showed little to no interest.

"Can I help you, young man?" his tone clearly expecting this to be a waste of time.

"Yea, you fucking can. I want to report abuse," Katsuki growled, leaning onto the desk.

"What do you mean by abuse?" the man asks, pulling out a sheet of paper from his desk. It looked like a citizen report form.

"I mean my…a classmate of mine is being abused at school and at home" Katsuki frowned.

"Have you told your teachers or principal about this?" and fuck if his tone couldn't get any more deadpan.

"Yea, and they don't care. All they want to proof even though they won't even review the cameras." Katsuki leaned back and crossed his arms.

"Do you have any proof of the abuse? What is your classmate's name and quirk?" The man asked, not even bothering to look up from where he was writing on the form.  'At least the mutt is taking this down.'

"De… Midoriya Izuku and he is quirkless" the pen stopped writing on the form as the dog man looked up at him. "And no, I don't have physical proof, only what I have seen and what he has told me."  'Shit, I should have taken pictures.'

The officer set down the pen and leaned toward Katsuki. "Look, kid, it's nice that you care about your friend and all, but I'm sure he is blowing things out of proportion. You know how much weaker quirkless are; I'm sure things are just fine."

"Bull shit! He is not my friend, and the quirkless Nerd could kick your mutt ass. He is being abused!" Katsuki snarled.

The officer sighed heavily before picking his pen up again and writing everything Katsuki told him. They spend ten or more minutes going over details of where Izuku lived, who his parents were, what abuse he had seen. Katsuki couldn't help but feel like this guy was just going through the motions and not really caring about what he was being told.

"Alright, kid, we will look into it. I'll get this filed and on someone's desk." The dog officer droned, standing up, holding out his hand to shake. "It's good you care son, I'm sure you would make a fine hero one day."

Clicking his tongue, Katsuki shook the guy's hand and muttered "Yea, thanks" before turning away to walk out. Before he reached the door, a whisper of a gut feeling had him turn and look at the officer who took the report. With his hand on the door, he watched as the dog went towards the filing cabinets, but he didn't reach for the drawers, no he slipped the form he just spent more than fifteen minutes filling out into the shredder box. 

Katsuki saw red.

"You son of a bitch!" he snarled into the room. The officer jumped, looking over at Katsuki, blinking in surprise. "Ch-Chill Kid, that's how we file new cases," he stammered, clearly spooked that he got caught.

"By putting them in the Fucking shredder?!? You quirkest mutt. Fuck you, fuck all of you. Clearly, you don't care about people. What the fuck are you good for, HAH? Got so damn lazy because heroes do your damn jobs for you?" Katsuki was screaming bloody murder at this point. The few officers in the bullpen looked between the feral child and the desk jockey. A few rested their hands on their Tasers, waiting for an excuse to use them.

"Kid, you need to leave. You're disturbing the peace." A tall brown-haired man had walked out of his office in the back at the sound of the noise. He looked confused but seemed to just want Katsuki out of his sight. "You might want to fucking learn to take reports seriously," Growling Katuki.

"I'm serious, kid. You need to calm down and leave. Come back when your level headed," the tall officer stated, stepping slightly closer; he glanced at the dog officer, who just shrugged as if he didn't know what was going on.

Katsuki flipped them off and slammed open the door causing it to bounce hard and rattle. "FUCK ALL OF YOU! You clearly don't give a shit, so why the FUCK would I come back?" he snarled, slamming the door shut. Breathing hard, Katsuki threw himself into an alleyway out of sight before screaming in frustration.  'The fucking nerve of that guy! Shredded it before I even left the building! Fucking useless mutt.'  Kicking a trashcan over, he made his way back out onto the street, ignoring every nervous glance sent his way.

Getting home, Katsuki was still in a rage. With his parents not home yet, he slammed around the kitchen, planning to make his hell-fire curry. Only his mother would eat this with him, but he needed something to match the heat radiating off his body. Using rage and his own spice for the meal, he didn't even hear his mother walk into the kitchen.

"Ah shit, Kats, you know your dad can't eat this." She growled, looking over his shoulder.

"Piss off, I made him something else," he growled, and it was true as he had fish slowly cooking beside him. He received a smack to the back of the head, causing him to wince and growl. "Watch your mouth, Brat!"

Dinner was its regular affair, but Katsuki couldn't help but stew on what the cops had done that afternoon as well as the Principal before that. It had been an emotional day, and Katsuki didn't do touchy-feely. He had two emotions; Anger and Pride. All this other emotional bullshit was wearing him out and kept him from thinking straight. As he helped his mother with the dishes. He couldn't help but bring up Deku.

"Did you know Auntie punishes Deku by smacking his hands with a wooden spoon?" he asked, trying to hide the anger in his voice.

"Huh? So what about it?" Mitsuki glanced over at him.

"Would you do that to me?" at this, he was honestly curious.

"Look, Kid, you have to understand everyone raises their kids differently. You can't question what works for some but not others. Izu-kun is a special kid who needs a good bit of guidance and protection in life. I have smacked you with a spoon or two, but you're strong. Your quirk is strong, so my yelling works better. Auntie does this to protect Izuku, he needs to learn what he can and can't do, plus Izu-kun will just toughen up because of what Inko does. Kami knows he needs it." Mitsuki spoke more into the sink than to Katsuki.

"So it's ok that she does that?" Katsuki asked, confused.

"You will understand when you have your own brats, Brat. Don't question things you won't understand," she growled before putting the last dish away. "Go do your homework" She crossed her arms, leaving no room for argument.

Katsuki locks himself into his room with a huff, but his mind doesn't allow him to focus on homework. No, he has now watched teachers turn a blind eye to torture. Deku drops the bombshell that he eats less than six meals a week and is  punished . The Principal told him to stop talking to the Nerd and didn't give a shit about his bleeding foot. The police purposely ignore a cry for help. And now his own mother saying Inko is in the right because Deku was weak.

'Doesn't anyone care about him at all?'

Chapter Text

School was really starting to infuriate Katsuki. People were just so shitty there. The teachers didn't care about Deku covered in bruises or scars, and the Extras were playing it smart. Every time they did something to Katsuki or Deku, it was always in front of or near a teacher. After going off on them a few times and being the one reprimanded, Katsuki just would glare until the Extras left. No one other than Deku would speak to him; many whispered about how they were having sex or other crude remarks trying to get under his skin. Katsuki would just roll his eyes and challenge them to come up with better insults. Outside of school, however, was free game. Over the next month, he would come home with bloody knuckles and, at worse, a split lip. Mitsuki caught him once, cleaning a cut on his cheek, blood still on his clothes.

"You starting fights now, Brat?" she growled, leaning on the door jam.

"No, the extras start them; I just end them," he scoffed, not looking away from the mirror.

Barking a laugh, she clapped him on the shoulder. "That's my kid, just don't get caught doing anything stupid, yea? Your strong, but know when to pick your battles." And she just left him there blinking, dumbfounded.  'Fuck, she is just as complicit as the rest of them.'

At night Katsuki would try and find ways to help Deku. He would research quirkless support groups, but none of them had the legal pull to help. In a quirkless forum, he learned that if he was to get help from child protective services and put into the system, his life would be so much worse, and he wouldn't have Katsuki to help him. Most quirkless children in the system are reported dead within three years of entering it. Those on the forum speculated that they were sold and just reported as run away or dead. He tried to report the police station for what they did and how they acted. But all he got in return was a 'Thank you, we will look into this' email in response.

Katsuki eventually decided he would have to get professional hero help since none of the 'right' or 'normal' reporting channels were working. But he had to be sneaky about it. He couldn't let the Nerd know what he was trying to do. He knew he was breaking the promise; hell, he had broken it that night with the cops. But Deku couldn't see how shitty his life was when it was his routine.  'I guess it's becoming my normal too,'  he thought bitterly. While it wasn't as bad as Deku's life, now that his eyes felt like they were open, all he was seeing the abuse his peers took. Katsuki was also starting to feel the strain of being a social pariah. No-one stopped the bullying. He watched as new targets were chosen over Deku, and even then, that never stopped them from roughing up the Nerd. Katsuki started paying more attention to the news also. Watching as police just stood around doing nothing until a hero did their job for them or swooping in to help at the last minute. Villains being mistreated by the so-called keepers of the peace after they had already surrendered or were beaten. It was slowly becoming clear to Katsuki that the heroes might be Deku's last hope.

But Katsuki did what he could in the meantime. He still brought the Nerd lunch every day, and he started hiding breakfast bars or protein bars in Deku's backpack for him to take home. Izuku never mentioned the bars, but Katsuki caught him one morning on his way to school, munching on one happily. At being caught, Deku would only smile and blush while saying, "Kacchan is amazing!" After that day, Katsuki started hiding more food in the backpack.

One morning Deku walked into class holding paper towels to a steadily dripping bloody nose.

"The fuck happened?" Katsuki growled, watching as Fingers walked in shortly after with a prideful smirk.

"Ah, Kacchan!" the blood coming from his nose and him pinching it shut made his voice hilariously different. "I-I just g-got in the way, of th-them playing ball this morning. It w-was my f-fault, really. Wasn't l-looking where I was g-going," he muttered, looking Katsuki in the eyes, clearly begging for him to drop the matter.

"Tsk, whatever, Nerd. Don't leave after school; you're coming with me."

Blinking in surprise, Deku almost dropped the towel on his face. "HUH?"

"Mr. Bakugou, please find your seat. Mr. Midoriya, please make sure to clean yourself up," the teacher announced, walking through the door.

Izuku muttered a quick "Hai," bowing slightly in his seat.

Katsuki just went back to his seat, glaring at the teacher.  'Your student is bleeding, and your just gonna sit there and let him bleed. Not even sending him to the nurse. Fucking sickening.'

At lunch, Katsuki checked and made sure the Nerds nose wasn't broken. Luckily it was just a little red and puffy. After class, Deku started to pack up and leave like normal until Katsuki grabbed him back the back of his uniform. Flinching, Deku closed his eyes and braced to be hit. Katsuki didn't let him go, but the cold weight settled in his chest. How long has human touch equated pain for Deku? How long has he gone without any kindness?

"Tsk, you forget what I told you this morning, Nerd?" he asked, his voice gruff but missing its normal bite.

"Oh, y-you were s-serious. Um. Yea, I-I guess s-so," Deku responded, picking at his fingers. Looking down, Katsuki could see that a few of his fingers healed crooked, and even though almost a month has passed, two of his nails were still purple.

"Well, I mean what I say, come with me," he grunted, shouldering his bag. Deku scrambled to grab his own backpack, the horrid yellow monster it was and raced to follow.

"Where ar-are we going, K-Kacchan?" Deku asked softly, almost whispering.

"Don't worry about it; just follow me."

With that, Katsuki leads them out of the school and away from the area of their homes. He made his way past the shopping district toward more tourist locations but never once stopped. The Nerd mumbled to himself the entire walk, trying to guess where he was being led to. His mumbling was just below what Katsuki's hearing aids could pick up with the crowds around them, so he didn't have a clue as to what the Nerd was saying and didn't care to ask.

They eventually made their way to Dagobah Beach, or better known as Dagobah Trash Heap. Walking out onto the sand, Katsuki dropped his bag onto an old half-rotten crate and started to peel off his uniform jacket.

"W-what are we d-doing here, Kacchan?" Deku asked, his hands moving fanatically.

"What do you think, Deku? I'm going to teach you how to fight," He responded by stretching his arms out.

"W-Wait? Seriously? W-why? I-'m just a-a Deku I c-can't fight!" Izuku's said, hands moving again.

With a frown, Katsuki took a step towards him. "Yea, you were my Deku first. I'm not going to watch any Extras use you as a punching bag anymore"  'What the fuck did I just say? My Deku? What? No, he is just Deku!'  Katsuki quickly changed the subject. "The fuck you doing with your hands!?"

Deku squeaked before blushing and hiding his hands behind his back. "I-I… well I s-started to l-learn Japanese Sign Language l-last month, and I have been t-trying to practice more."

Katsuki blinked in surprise. "Why?"

"W-well, I s-started to learn wh-when we were y-younger. When y-you first learned that you h-had to get hearing aids. B-but w-we kind of s-stopped talking b-back then. But when Kacchan s-started being nice to m-me and h-helping me. I-I wanted to g-give something back in return, so I s-started learning it again s-since I d-don't have any m-money to buy you anything. An-and I know y-you hate my c-creepy mumbling, s-so this way we c-can talk w-without me an-annoying you." Deku stuffed the sand with the toe of his shoe, not looking at Katsuki.

Katsuki's throat felt tight with an unknown emotion. He had to swallow a few times before grunting, "Well, keep practicing because it looks like you're just flapping your hands around trying to fucking fly or something."

Deku's eyes lit up as she smiled one of his megawatt smiles. "Ok, Kacchan!"

"Now fucking drop your shit, and block this. If the only thing I can beat into that broccoli head of yours is how to block a hit, then I might be happy."

So almost every day after school, the two would either go to the trash beach or the woods near their home to spar. There were some days when Deku had to race home to not break a new rule or make Auntie happy. Those days, Katsuki would walk the street in areas he knew heroes were patrolling in hopes of running into one.

The first hero he approached was some d-list nobody who named herself Mt. Lady. He had never heard of her, and after running into her, he had looked her up, learning that she had her debut less than two months prior, making her no better than a sidekick to Katsuki. And after how she treated him, he wasn't becoming a fan.

Approaching a hero is a rather daunting task to start with. Still tapping into his go-to emotion of anger, Katsuki stomped up to the giantess pushing his way past fanboys who were just ogling her. "Hey, my fr- classmate needs your help," He grunted at her. The woman frowned and looked around as if she could spot a fight nearby.

" Ok, walk with me here, let's drop the crowd," she smiled, waving people away. "Sorry, I have to be moving on now" she worked her way out of the crowd much slower than Katsuki would have liked. But, eventually, the pair found themselves around the corner and in a much quieter spot.

"Now what's going on, kid?" she asked, propping her hands on her hips.

"Look, my classmate, he is being abused at school and at home. I want to get him help, but he can't go into the system" she frowned.

"Why can't he go into the system? Where are the teachers in this?"

"Look Bitch, I went to the fucking teachers, I went to the police. He can't go into the system because he is quirkless. They will kill him," Katsuki snarled. Mt. Lady just rolled her eyes. "Look, Kid, but I can't do much of anything. It's not my specialty, and I don't know squat about the system and abuse cases. Maybe go talk to Ms. Joke or Hawks or someone who knows this better than me?" She turned to walk away.

"The fuck good are you then, hah? I thought you were a hero?" he shouted, his quick popping.

"Can't save everyone, kid." she waved as she walked away from him, never looking back.

After raging in the woods for about an hour or three that evening, it took a while before Katsuki worked up the nerve to approach another hero. In the meantime, things became kind of stable. Deku better defended himself, and he hadn't broken any 'rules' with Inko in a while, so many of his lingering wounds healed. The Nerd was also getting really good at JSL. They would spend their lunches in silence, signing at each other, which in Katsuki's opinion was so much better than hearing Deku mumble or stutter. Though after spending time together again, Izuku started stuttering less around Katsuki.

One stormy week, Katsuki was about to just walk home, as they never sparred in the rain when Deku stopped him at the door.

"B-before you go home, can I show you something?" he asked, picking at his hem.

"Yea, sure whatever," Katsuki grunted, not having anything better to do.

They made their way out of the school, both walking with umbrellas, the white noise of the rain blocking most of the sounds around him. Deku led them towards the public library and smiled brightly as they entered. "I know Kacchan likes music, and he always walks with his headphones but did you know that you get more music here?" he asked excitedly.

"Hah? I'm not a nerd, Nerd, but I know libraries are for books, not music," he grunted, following the greenette through the stacks to a room in the back.

"No, really, they have so much music here! And a lot of it is pre-quick stuff I have never heard! It's amazing how much music has changed over the years" Pushing open the door, Katsuki found himself in a room filled with headphones and bean bag chairs. The room was painted a soft relaxing blue with a few tables available to do work at. No one else was in the room, and it was clear that it wasn't used often. The headphones hung beside small screens that looked like they were from a karaoke room.

"You can pick the music here you want to listen to; if y-you want to barrow it to listen at home, you pick it out, and it gets sent to the desk, and you get a USB filled with the music" Deku hopped lightly in place clearly excited. Katsuki approached one of the screens and started flicking through the music. Deku was correct; there were tons of music he had never heard of listed, smirking. He chose what appeared to be some punk music from the pre-quirk era and settled into a bean bag with the headphones.

Somehow they both lost themselves to the music. Spending a few hours just relaxing. Katsuki even closed his eyes, just enjoying the solitude of the music only he could hear but appreciating the presence of Deku in the room. Speaking of, Katsuki peeked open an eye to see the Nerd bobbing his head back and forth to whatever music he listened to. A smile ghosted his face as he appeared to be more relaxed than he had been in the months since Katsuki started to pay attention. The Nerd's hands ghosted over the notebook in his lap, but it didn't appear that he was writing but maybe sketching something. Sitting there really looking at him with his guard down, it dawned on Katsuki that he did not know much about the current Deku. Clearly, he wasn't the happy child anymore, but who was he?

Katsuki motioned with his hands to get Izuku's attention, signing,  "Since when do you like music so much?"

Deku chewed on his lower lip as he signed back,  "For a long time, honestly. When I was younger, I wanted to take dance lessons, but we couldn't afford them. And since mom started….to dissuade me from hero work, music has become the one thing that feels safe, I guess. Like no matter how bad things get, I have music."

"Why haven't you learned to play an instrument then?"  Katsuki asked with a frown.

With a sigh, Deku signed again,  "Because of money. And because I can't read music. I'm useless at it. So I just listen and pretend to dance to it."

At that moment, it dawned on Katsuki that the sign name that Deku had been using for himself was the movement for useless. He named himself useless in sign, and seeing that made Katsuki's head spin.  'Fuck! How do I fix this? Does he think so little of himself?'

Katsuki pulled his headphones off. Deku's eyebrows quirked up as he followed suit. "What's up?" he asked, worried.

"Listen to me. You are not fucking useless. You are not worthless." Katsuki found it hard to look him in the eyes but fought to do so. "And…and I am sorry to have ever called you that"

Deku…no Izuku's eyes widened and became glossy as he spoke and signed back. "No, no, Kacchan, you're not wrong; you were right, everyone says it!"

"Well, they are all Fucking WRONG," Katsuki snapped back. "Look, I started the bullshit when I was a little shithead, now I'm a bigger shithead, but I am trying to do right. And they are all wrong. I..I was wrong, alright? If you were useless, would you be able to give me a run for my money with grades? Hah? Any of those assholes fighting me for the top of the class? No, it's you! So stop saying you are useless. And I will too. I'm going to stop calling you Deku…. I'm going back to my old name for you… Izu." Katsuki watched as tears rolled down the nerds' face. Before he could even comment on the tears, Izuku's body slammed into his forcing them deeper into the bean bag.

"Kacchan is amazing" could be heard between the hiccup tears staining Katsuki's uniform.  'Fucking hell, it takes so little to make him happy.'

"L-Look, I'm… Fuck I'm shit with emotion, but I…I am sorry that I beat you up, and stuff…Fuck” Katsuki pulled at his hair, looking up at the roof. "It's ok, K-Kacchan. Y-you were different than the rest. Y-you did it because you seemed to care, y-you tried to get me to fight back. I guess to t-teach me to fight… the others… they just d-do it because they can." De- Izuku whispered into his chest. "I n-never hated you," and Katsuki's throat felt like sandpaper making it hard to swallow. Squeezing his eyes shut, he rubbed at his face again before shoving at Izuku.

"Alright, alright, fucking crybaby, get off me. We need to head home," He grumbled, looking away, heat flooding his face. Izuku chuckled as he wiped his face. "Did you enjoy the music?"

"Yea, it was…nice. I'll have to check this place out again," he mumbled, grabbing his bag and hanging back up the headphones.

"Well, on days we don't train, we should come here and do h-homework. That is if you want too" Izuku picked at his crooked fingers as they walked out.

"Yea, I'm cool with that de-Izu."

 The next hero that Katsuki approached was Ingenium. This time Katsuki went in prepared; he had done his research beforehand. He saw that Ingenium helped a lot with human trafficking cases, so he had to know the system better than Mt. Bitch. He wouldn't be located in Hosu this week due to him helping out with some charity thing. Katsuki also went on a day it was raining, knowing that the speed hero would be taking it slower on the wet days. He had also come up with some excuse that the Hag needed him for some photoshoot or something saying he couldn't hang out. Dek- Izu looked a bit put off but still went to the library with a grin on his face. Katsuki was at least comfortable knowing he was safe listening to music.

Luckily this time, Katsuki found the hero with one of many sidekicks without any fans around.  'Maybe if I'm… I dunno fucking nicer this might work.' 

" Ingenium! Sir, Can I report something to you?" He called out, approaching them, fighting to keep the scowl off his face.

"Of course! What can I help you with?" the helmet making his voice echo. His sidekick also turned with a relatively bright smile.

"Look, my…my friend is in a bad spot. He is not being treated well at home. But he is quirkless and can't go into the system… he is too nice; he wouldn't be able to take it. Can you help him?" Katsuki was trying to keep the desperation out of his voice, but this was one of his last chances to find help.

"Yes! Thank you for telling me. Who is your friend?" Katsuki watched as Ingenium made a motion with his hand, and the sidekick pulled out a notebook.  'Just like the Nerd.'  He smirked as he stood there, providing information to the sidekick. They also took down Katsuki's email and phone number to follow up and check in to ensure things were not getting worse.

"Will you really do something to help?" he asked before they parted.

"We will do everything we can to help. You know this takes time though, we will have to check into these claims, you understand, right?"

"Yea, I get it…."

A week went by, and Katsuki didn't receive any word from Ingenium or his sidekick. On the second week of waiting, Katsuki and Izuku got into a fight on the school grounds. Of course, they were blamed for starting it. Honestly, Katsuki did start it after listening to them insult Izuku and himself for over twenty minutes. Look, his temper was getting a little bit better, but he still had a fuse. Both of them served detention after school, the principal separating them so 'not encourage this behavior between them anymore.' During detention, he watched as Izu bandaged a small cut he had on his face. He took more minor hits, making Katsuki feel proud; the Nerd learned something from him in all their sparring. Izuku even had been fighting back in this brawl they had, the first time Katsuki had seen it. Izuku fought wildly, clearly knowing how to throw a punch but not skilled enough to be accurate. Katsuki couldn't help but scoff at the scowl the Nerd held while fighting.

With a sigh, Katsuki pulled out his phone and emailed Ingenium's field office, trying to explain that he just was seeking an update. The radio silence was killing him, and he wanted to know if the damn hero was actually doing something about this. That night sitting at his desk, he saw a reply email come in. Grinning, Katsuki opened as fast as it would load, excited to maybe getting somewhere, but his heart dropped to his gut at the response.

-Thank you for reaching out. Be assured we are doing everything thing we can with this matter. We will be in touch shortly.-

No signature, no-reply email. It was an automated response. He was being fucking ghosted by a pro-hero! Katsuki slammed his laptop shut, throwing himself down onto his bed. Grabbing his grip strengthener, he squeezed it over and over again, the clicking allowing his anger to ebb away.  'What the fuck does it take to get anyone to take this seriously? I have done everything  right!  Fucking hell Dek- Fuck- Izuku doesn't have anyone else who cares. He is invisible to everyone except those who want to hurt him… I have a quirk, a fucking strong one at that. Why isn't anyone listening to me about this? Is it because he is qurikless? Maybe I shouldn't mention that; see if the fucking idiot heroes discover that themselves. I'll try one more… maybe an underground hero? Where would I find one of those? No…maybe an evening hero, someone local, someone who should care about the community. Mt. Bitch did mention Joke. I'll look up her patrol tomorrow. See if I can't find her next week.'

And Katsuki did just that. After Izuku missed school that Monday, He took off in the evening after dinner, saying he was going for a run. Luckily it didn't take much to find the laughing hero. She patrolled the entertainment district dealing with primarily drunks. She took notes just like Ingenium did, taking on a grave face as she took all the details down. She was pissed to hear that the teachers were doing nothing about it and promised to check in with the school the following day. Katsuki made a point not to tell him that Izu was quirkless, claiming he didn't know what his quirk was. Katsuki fell asleep that night with a bit of hope finally.

The following day Izu walked into the classroom holding his backpack up off his back and moving slow. Katsuki narrowed his eyes at him, but Izuku wouldn't meet his eyes, sitting gingerly in his seat.  'Did he get punished again? His hands look fine…is it his back?'  but Katsuki couldn't dwell on the issue. At lunch, they sat out in the courtyard, quietly picking at the bento. Izuku claimed he didn't have much of an appetite, but Katsuki forced him to eat some rice.

"I-I wonder why Ms. Joke is here?" Izu asked, watching the hero leave the front office. His confused frown morphing into excitement. "You think I could get her autograph Kacchan?" He asked, a bit of light flooding his big eyes.

"Tsk, don't bother her, Izu, it looks like she is working," Katsuki replied with a smirk.  'Fuck, it looks like she did her damn job! She did what she said she would!' Hope blossomed in his chest.

"Yea y-your right, Kacchan, that would be rude," he muttered, watching her walk off school grounds.

"So why were you punished this time?" Katsuki asked, attempting to sound like he didn't give a shit. But the Nerd flinched and started rubbing the back of his neck.

"That obvious, huh?" he tried to smile, but it was hollow.

"Nah, I just know you Nerd, I doubt anyone else could tell," he responded, taking a big bite of spicy noodles.

"Well. Mom was mad at me for getting detention. And because I got detention, I broke a rule that I had to be home by a certain time last week, so yea, I got a bit of punishment. I mean, I-I deserved it. I sh-shouldn't have fought b-back in the f-fight and then w-we wouldn't have g-gotten detention" Izu was clearly getting nervous talking about it, so Katsuki let it drop. He didn't share a gym class with Izu, so he could never see the damage that hid under his clothes,  'Without sounding like a freak asking to see his body,'  he growled.

Izuku was grounded again with his punishment and went straight home after school. Katsuki took the time to drop his stuff off at his house and change before setting out again to find Joke. She had mentioned she had an office not too far from where he found her last night, saying he could follow up with her there. He found the tiny non-descript office tucked away in some side alley. Walking it, it felt impersonal and cold.  'She must not use this often, or it's just storage for her,'  he couldn't help but think, noticing the thin layer of dust.

"Oi Joke?" Katsuki called out, wrinkling his nose at the dust in the air.

"Just a moment!" It could be heard from one of the back rooms. Katsuki stood in place, not wanting to stir up more dust by moving around. A moment or two passed before she appeared, carrying a folder under her arm.

"Ah, Bakugou, I figured it was you since I saw you at the school today. Your friend is a little cutie" she smiled brightly and winked at him.

"Tsk, whatever, what did you find?" he asked, shoving his hands in his hoodie pocket.

Joke's smile dropped. "Well, honestly, nothing. There is no record of bullying at the school, Izuku had almost perfect grades, and the principal himself stated that he has never seen an issue."

"I fucking Told you those asshats won't do anything!" Katsuki growled. She sighed and nodded. "I know you did; that's why I went to his house to check to see the living conditions. He has a room and a bed, and there were not any noticeable signs of abuse. I really think your fears were unfounded this time. His mother was very concerned that someone had reported-"

"Wait….wait what? You spoke to Auntie?" Katsuki's heart started to race. His face drained of all color.

"Yea, why not? She was there and allowed me into the apartment." Katsuki felt sick, his breathing becoming labored. "Hey, hey! Bakugou! Kid, calm down, it's alright your friend is fine; he has a loving mother who cares for him and a clean record-"

Katsuki couldn't see her, he couldn't hear her, and the white noise of blood rushing through his veins blocked everything out as he started to back away.

"What have you done?" he whispered, barely audible, "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? I told you not to speak with her! She is the one who PUNISHES HIM… WHAT. HAVE. YOU. DONE?" He screamed at Joke before rushing out of the office.

'What have  I  done?'

Chapter Text

Izuku wasn't in school the next day.

Izuku Midoriya was not in school the next day, and Katsuki Bakugou felt like he was in the middle of a panic attack the entire fucking morning.

After homeroom, he approached the teacher and asked why Izuku wasn't in class and was dismissed, saying that his mother called him in sick and the Bakugou should worry more about himself. Last night after running out of Jokes office, he had made it to the Midoriya residence, but no one was home. Katsuki pounded on the door and yelled for Izuku for at least ten minutes, so much so the neighbor yelled at him to leave. All the lights were out, and no one answered the door, so he couldn't entirely tell if he was being ignored or that they were actually not at the apartment. Katsuki forced himself to go home but spent the night pacing, unable to sleep as he fretted over what was happening to Izuku.

That fretting carried over to this morning. Every time a teacher called on him during the lesson, he gave the wrong answer or exploded a pencil in his hand. Everyone in the class snickered at his clearly disturbed state while the teachers just gave disapproving looks. At lunch, he sat under the oak tree, not bothering to eat, just staring at the sky as if it held all the answers he needed, his knee bouncing so roughly it shook his whole body.

"Aw, what's the matter Bomb Boy? Lost without your Lil fag following you around?" Eyeball's voice was like nails on a chalkboard cutting through his consciousness.  'Fuck I should have turned off my aids’  he grumbled, ignoring the insults.

"Damn, he really did put a leash and muzzle on you, huh Bakuhoe?" Eyeballs and his friends snickered, kicking a rock towards Katsuki. "I didn't think you getting some ass would make you this whipped."

"The fuck you say to me?" Katsuki growled, his crimson eyes locking in on the beady black.

With exaggerated movements as if mocking him in sign "You. Fag. Are. Whipped." Fingerers pulled out a cell phone and appeared to take a picture of how pissed off Katsuki was.

The sound of the explosion could be heard for blocks away as Katsuki launched himself from the sitting position tackling Eyes to the ground. "You fucking piece of shit!" Katsuki snarled each word echoed with a loud thwack as his fists met the flesh of the other teen's face. Someone tried to pry Bakugou off Eyeballs screaming in his ear. Still, Katsuki only saw red, the panic, the worry, the fear, all turning to rage and being taken out on these extras who dare try to fuck with him. Bones crunched under his knuckles, and he exploded whoever was pulling on him as he stayed seated on Eyeball's chest, punching over and over again. The boy attempted to defend himself, but it was weak, and Katsuki quickly overpowered him, shoving Eyeball's arms out of the way as he just punched harder. Red covered his fists and splattered his uniform as a pair of stronger, adult arms pulled Katsuki back off the bloodied kid. Katsuki kicked and snarled as he was drug away from the fight. As he was pulled into the school; he saw Eyeballs sit up, face already bruising and bloody with one of his eyes hanging from his socket. That was normal for him as it was his quirk, but it had appeared that Katsuki broke his cheek or something because he was screaming and crying that it wouldn't stay in.  

Katsuki was placed in the Principal's office and told to stay there. Slamming his ass down onto the hard plastic chair, he crossed his arms and tucked his chin. Whoever dragged him here just sighed as he left the room, locking the door behind him. Katsuki's heart raced, and his head pounded from rage; a cold sweat soaked his uniform as he sat there for what felt like hours but was more likely an hour at most. Loud, angry screaming could be heard from the halls outside the office, and Katsuki visibly flinched. ' Fuck, of course, they would call the Hag. Fuck fuck Fuckity FUCK’  he looked around and debated on jumping out the office window. But it appeared to one of those damn safety windows that don't open all the way. Resigned to his fate, the lock on the door turned as Mitsuki Bakugou, and the Principal walked in.

"You fucking locked him in here? The hell?"

"Mrs. Bakugou, you have to understand he was wild and violent-"

"It was a schoolyard brawl?! You don't get to treat my son like an animal!" Mitsuki turned and glared at her Brat. "And YOU, The fuck you think you're doing sending kids to the hospital? Hah? I told you don't fuck up your bright future, Brat!"

Katsuki opened his mouth to argue, but one searing look from his mother forced his mouth shut with an audible click.

"Well, let's talk punishment. I understand that young Bakugou has a very volatile quirk and has had great control over the years. However, today he sent a classmate to the hospital with at least a broken orbital bone. How things have been progressing recently, we can't let this go unpunished. We… well, I mean  you , are lucky the other boy's parents are not pressing charges." He stated, folding his fingers together.

"The fuck you mean 'how things progressed' or whatever?" Mitsuki turned her glare to the Principal.

"Well, the number of altercations Bakugou has been in has steadily increased since he started hanging around Mr. Midroiya. I feel that it has been a direct result of bad influences the quirkless child has over him."

"HAH? Izu keeps getting bullied! You wouldn't do anything to stop it, so I did! You even lie on the records!" Katsuki screamed at the Principal, shooting to his feet. A sharp, loud painful slap jerked his head forward as he flinched away from his mother.

"I am not worried about Izu-kun. I can speak to his mother and get this sorted out. What are you going to do with Katsuki here?" Mitsuki's voice was cold, challenging the Principal to make an example of her son.

"Ah well… I would hate to ruin any promising young hero careers. Katsuki is aiming to be the first from our school to make it to UA correct? So let's call it this. You are suspended until Monday. You must write an official apology to all those you attacked today and will have detention for a week after that. But I will only put the detention on your permanent record." He smirked like he was some angel offering salvation to the weak.

"That's fine. Go get your shit, Brat. I want to talk to the Principal about these other instances you have been in with Izu-kun."

With a snarl, Katsuki stomped out of the room. He was still splattered with blood from the fight. Reaching up to run his hand through his blond spikes, he felt flakes of blood crack as the hair moved. Wincing, he looked down at his bloody and bruised knuckles'  Fuck I didn't hold my hand right when I punched… these are going to be sore for a while.'

Katsuki couldn't bring himself to look at anyone when he entered the classroom. He felt all their eyes on him, burning him with their gaze. But he walked in. Grabbed his bag and promptly walked back out without a word to anyone otherwise. Coming down from the adrenaline rush, Katsuki felt lethargic like his mind could not process what was happening. Before he knew it, he was being dragged out the front gate by his ear towards his mother's waiting car.  

The hot-headed blonds were silent the entire ride home. Pulling up to the house Mitsuki kept the car running before addressing Katsuki.

"Now I have to go back to work. I got pulled out of a meeting for this bullshit. You are to go in there. Take a shower, get all the grime off your uniform, and stay in your room until your father and I get home. Do you understand?" Her voice was even cold calculating. It sent chills down Katsuki's spine. He nodded, reaching for the door handle. As fast as a whip, Mitsuki grabbed Katsuki by the ear, pulling hard making him hiss in pain.

"I said Do. You. Understand?" She growled at him as Katsuki clenched his eyes shut in pain.

"Ah! YES, Shit YES!" he yelled. With a grunt, she shoved his head away, releasing his ear. He wasted no time in opening the door and running out. Before he even reached the front door to the house, she was speeding away back to work.

Functioning on autopilot, Katsuki did as he was instructed. Taking extra time in the shower, making sure all the flecks of blood were out of his hair, and his knuckles cleaned. He didn't want anything of that Extra to be touching him still. He treated and washed his uniform before pulling on a tank top and loose sweats. He was about to drop onto his bed before looking around his room. His parents were going to more than likely ground him and remove all his technology. As quickly as he could, he opened his laptop, saved any critical files to a flash drive, as well as all his music, and cleared his browser history. They didn't need to snoop and know that he thought Auntie was abusing Izu. He also hid his headphones in an old backpack he used for hiking. Izu did not have a phone himself, so it wasn't like Katsuki had any texts or DMs that needed to be erased there. But once more, he wiped his browser history just in case.  

Only then did he allow himself to lay down on his bed and stare up at the roof, his eyes heavy with exhaustion.

"KATSUKI GET DOWN HERE" screams from the living room jolted him awake as he shot out of bed in confusion. When did he fall asleep? Glancing at his phone, he saw it was evening, and both parents had to be home. Rubbing both his hands on his face to aggressively wake up, he made his way down the steps to the living room.

Mitsuki sat at the far end of the couch, watching his every movement like a hawk. Masaru sat in the middle with his evening tea, not looking at either of them as he sighed heavily. Katsuki stayed standing in front of them, not daring to say the first word as his hands fisted in his pockets. He couldn't think of a time when he was this scared of his parents, mainly his mother. Sure she was loud, brash, and hot-headed, so was he, but this cold anger was scary, and the hits she had gotten in on him hurt worse.

Masaru was the first to speak up. "Kats, we understand that you thought you were just helping your friend Izu-kun with the bullies, but I think you have been blind at how low he has pulled you." Katsuki blinked in surprise ‘They are going to pin this on Izu too.'

"Your Principal says you have been in many fights or arguments in the past three or four months, all involving Izu-kun. And I spoke to your teacher this afternoon, and they say your grades, while have not fallen, it is clear you don't have the same drive as you once did." Mitsuki said, crossing her legs." So from this point on, you are not to be hanging around Izu-kun any longer.'

"HAH? He has been bullied all this time! No one but me would help me!" Katsuki yelled, his face dropping in despair.

"And you have taught him how to defend himself, right? That's what you do after school? Well, if you taught him, then let him use what he learned if he learned anything. You can't keep holding his hand, or he will just be useless forever." Mitsuki sneered as if she didn't believe that Izuku learned anything in their time sparing.  

"You seriously think it's because he is quirkless he can't fight? No, the Nerd is too damn nice for his own good! But his life is HELL! I am the only one-"

"Yes, you have been his only friend all his life, but when he brings you down, you have to let the dead weight go," Masaru stated, looking up from his tea. "We already spoke to Inko about this, and she said she would have a talk with Izu-kun. She also apologized to us for having such a bad influence for a son."

"Izu is not the bad influence! He wasn't even in the fight today! You all say I have a hero quirk and I want to be a hero, but when I'm trying to help my friend, you're telling me he is dead weight?!" Katsuki was seething; the rage he thought was gone came back tenfold. 

"It's because you can be a hero. You need to let go of dead weight! You can't help the helpless Katsuki! You are just ruining your future by being near Izu-kun. So suck it up. Make new friends. Fuck, it can't be that hard." Mitsuki shouted, standing up walking towards Katsuki, poking him in the chest. "You have the ability and quirk to be at the top, to go places and be something amazing. Let those who are weak learn to fend for themselves."

Katsuki took a step back from his mother; whether it was in fear or disbelief, he didn't know.  'They are just like everyone else… the teachers, the police, the heroes, and this whole damn city. They only see my quirk and what I can do with it. They don't see the person, only what they can get out of the quirk. And Izuku is quirkless, so he is invisible, already dead to them while still breathing.' 

Katsuki started to breathe heavily, looking down at the ground. He couldn't stomach looking at his parents currently. His trust in them was shattering. He felt like the carpet was just pulled out from under him, and he was in free fall. The fight in him extinguished, leaving only confusion and fear.

"I'm sure it's obvious, but you are grounded for the next two weeks. You will serve out your suspension and detention, but during these two weeks, No laptop except for schoolwork, and you will do it at the table, not in your room. And no cell phone or games. And once again, you are to never interact with Izu-kun again outside of school. We understand that you have to do classwork still, and he is a classmate but no more friendship." Masaru stated from the couch.

"Now go get your laptop and phone and bring them down here." Mitsuki snapped, pushing him towards the stairs.

Katsuki was numb as he climbed the steps; he swore that he heard his mother mutter, "Maybe we won't have to beat some sense into him like Inko-" and the realization hit him. His parents were ready to  punish  him like how Auntie does to Izuku. Heavy was the weight in his chest as he fought to keep his breathing calm and panic off his face. Gathering up the laptop and phone, Katsuki brought them to his parents and, without another word, went back to his room. He didn't want dinner; he couldn't stomach the thought of eating with people who were willing to beat him and place blame on someone who wasn't at fault.

Katsuki lay on his side, knees pulled to his chest as the sky slowly turned from orange to grey to black leaving him in darkness. His thoughts a chaotic web of lies and half-truths. So many adults, so many heroes say to do the right thing, help those in need. But when someone really needs help, if they don't fit the criteria of someone they like, then it's as if the cries for help fall on deaf ears.  'It's fucking ironic that the kid who is going deaf is the one who hears these cries.'  Wetness starts to soak his pillow as he reaches up and touches his face, surprised to feel warm tears. Katsuki falls asleep that night crying and a deep-seated fear for Izuku.  'Auntie knows about the heroes looking into things, and now my parents blame Izu for my fight.'

"Fuck I hope you are still breathing, Nerd," he whispers into the night.

The following day Katsuki stays in his room until he knew both of his parents were gone to work. With the damn security system, they will see if he leaves so he doesn't even attempt it. Sitting down with some toast, he watches the morning news. He can't help but pay attention to the 'villains' being captured, and a few really caught his attention. A young woman clearly wearing clothes both too big and too small on her was caught shoplifting. Katsuki could tell the woman had not eaten in days, but yet now some b-list hero was dragging her to the cop car as if she was an S-rated villain. The poor girl didn't even have the energy to fight back. 

Another man was being interviewed. He had a mutation giving him the look of a crocodile. Burns and scars could be seen littering his body as the report stated his family-owned business was burned down last night. The cops claim that there is no evidence of arson, but this was the fourth business owned by prominent mutant quirk holders, burned down in the last month.

Suddenly the toast tasted like sand in his mouth as he felt disgusted, first with society. He wanted to be a hero, be number one, beat up those who deserve it. And just recently help those who need it. And clearly, society's heroes were not doing that. It seemed like everyone wanted someone else to do their job for them. Cops waited on Heroes, Heroes waiting for hard evidence so they can swoop in without the work to get the praise. And secondly, he was disgusted with himself. Less than six months ago, he would have cheered at seeing that woman get arrested, claiming that's what she deserved, but now he just saw a woman too skinny and weak for her own good trying to survive. Turning off the TV and tossing out the rest of his food, he locked himself away in his room again, trying to calm his racing thoughts.  'Could becoming a hero actually make a difference anymore?'

Monday comes around with little fanfare. He has spent the rest of the week in his room as much as possible. Only eating meals with his parents when he was forced to, not engaging in conversation. He tried hard to keep his thoughts away from Izuku, knowing that he couldn't do anything at that moment fighting back against the feeling of hopelessness. But he made sure the pack extra food for lunch, thinking that Izuku probably had not eaten most of the weekend, if at all.  

The Nerd was not in homeroom again, and Katsuki's heart dropped to his gut.  'Fuck I hope he is ok; Auntie wouldn't kill him, right?'

By lunch, Katsuki is a mess. He couldn't tell you what was said in any class that morning as his thoughts focused solely on the empty desk in the room. It was a bright, beautiful day, and it seemed like the whole school decided to eat outside, even the staff. It was clear summer was on its way, and with it, summer break. Katsuki forced himself to relax; the teachers would have told us if Izuku was being pulled out of school. It is just Monday. The Nerd misses Monday every now and again. Opening his eyes, he shot to his feet, seeing a familiar mop of wild green curls headed his way.

Izuku was not in uniform; he wore an oversized sweatshirt hiding most of his frail frame. Deep purple bags hung from his dull green eyes. This hair seemed to be oily and unkempt as he hid his hands in the hoodie pocket. Katsuki's throat tightened, forcing him to swallow hard. Izuku looked like a shell of himself. The boy Katsuki knew all his life was not standing before him even if his body was.  

"Izu wha-"

"Katsuki Bakugou, I-I'm s-s-sorry for i-impacting yo-your life i-in a negative ma-manner. I p-p-pledge to n-never in-in-inconvenience you again," and Izuku did a full ninety-degree bow. Without looking up, he pulls out a notebook. Izuku presents it to him while bowing, "p-please take this t-t-token of apology, an-and may it-it help y-you become the h-hero y-you are d-destined to be." Izuku doesn't move from that position holding the bow staring at the ground.

Something breaks in Katsuki. He doesn't know what, but something shatters as he slowly takes the notebook out of his hands. "Izu… Izu, what are you doing?" His voice small, timid as he clutches the notebook. Katsuki sees that Izuku's hands are bandaged again, this time wrapped so that no bruising can be seen, but one could tell they were damaged. As soon as the notebook leaves his hands, Izuku stands, turns on his heel, and walks away.

"Oi, don't Fucking walk away from me!" Katsuki jumps forward, grabbing Izuku by the elbow. The smaller boy winces in pain at the touch causing Katsuki to drop him in shock.

"I'm sorry," Izuku whispered before running toward the campus gate. Stunned, Katsuki is a moment too slow in his attempts to catch up as a voice echoes around the courtyard. "Mr. Bakugou, I highly suggest you get back to your lunch. You know leaving campus grounds during school hours is prohibited." The Principals deadpan voice calls out.

Katsuki turns and finds the entirety of the school watching the interaction. Blinking, Katsuki looked back at the gate as Izuku had disappeared on the street. Clicking his jaw shut, Katsuki shoves the notebook under his arm and makes his way back toward the classroom. But halfway there, he finds himself taking a detour to the men's bathroom. The same one where he stopped them from drowning Izuku. Breathing hard, Katsuki kept replaying the interaction over and over in his mind. Izuku was in a lot of pain. He was bandaged to all hell and back. But what was worse, he looked dead. Izuku, the bright, happy child that saw no wrong in anyone, was killed, and only a shell of him existed.

Katsuki locked eyes with himself in the mirror. Bright crimson eyes, irises blown out with emotion stared, ‘I have to help him. At this rate, he is going to die. He is going to be starved to death or beaten to death! I have to help him. All Might said even if you save one friend that makes you a hero.'

"I'm going to be his hero."

Chapter Text

That night Katsuki lay in bed staring at the offending notebook. It appeared to be a newer one, not beaten up from spending time in the Izu’s backpack. However, there was nothing written on the front cover, and that in itself was suspicious. Izu always labeled his notebooks, as he had different ones for different topics. Heroes, school work, JSL, thoughts, even with broken fingers, he never stopped writing. Chewing on his lip Katsuki was almost scared to open it. But clearly, after being forced into such a public display, Katsuki felt the need to read it.  ‘Maybe this is how Izu can communicate with me now? Or maybe it’s a letter asking for help? Fuck come on, stop being a coward, Kats!’

Taking a deep breath, he slams open the cover to the first page. ‘For the Future #1 Hero’ was written in what was clearly the Nerds handwriting. A small note was located below the title, added later.

‘Kacchan, I know you might find this creepy. But I hope you read it and you at least get some new ideas from it. I can’t wait to see you become a Hero, even from afar. No matter what, know I will always be your fan. -Deku’

Katsuki’s throat felt like it was on fire as his vision blurred with unshed tears.  ‘Fuck, why does this read like a suicide note?’  Katsuki coughed, trying to clear his throat as he shifted to lay his back against the wall, the notebook now open in his lap. Turning the page, Katsuki found a detailed breakdown of who he was and his quirk. It was a basic description of his current power levels, height, speed, attitude, and general description of his quirk. The following pages broke down his quirk in detail. Explaining how his explosions happened, the chemical compound of nitroglycerin, and suggested getting his sweat tested to see if it matched or if it was different. The ignition of the sweat on his hands and how he is slightly fire-resistant because of it. The Nerd even described the science behind skin pores and how his might be different if the chemical compound of his sweat is more or less like nitro. Katsuki’s hands began to shake as Izuku had taken the time to think of every aspect of his quirk, down to the bone structure in his wrists, to give him ideas of where he can research topics to make him stronger.

The next pages then broke down different moves he could come up with. Flashbangs, flying, combustion bursts, focused blasts, and how each move set could change if he could find a way to alter the chemical compounds of his sweat. Theorizing if he ate different foods could help produce another type of sweat, thus different types of explosion. Beyond that, it was the type of support gear he might want or need. Wrist supports, mini bombs he could make with his sweat, arm guards that could help him fly—everything including detailed sketches of what the Nerd was thinking, making it easier for him to explain. There was a small section showcasing things others could do to him to take advantage of weaknesses he might have, like cold temperatures, high water moisture, and his own temper. Listing weaknesses that Katsuki was typically too prideful to admit to, and how Katsuki, if he ever got his head out of his ass, could fix said weaknesses. The notebook ended with what appeared to be random thoughts Izuku had. He had even gone as far as highlighting them into different categories of what he thinks might be realistic or farfetched theories like explosions from his feet. Katsuki even let out a wet laugh at the line, ‘I still think Kacchan can turn himself into an exploding tornado!’ referring to when they were five and coming up with ideas to test Katsuki’s quirk. Water drops stained the pages of the notebook as tears fell from his face. Brushing them away, he tried to keep the ink from smudging but eventually just set the notebook out of range of the tears.

Katsuki didn’t know what to think. No one had ever attempted to help him become a hero like this. No one had cared to see that he might need support items that he couldn’t just depend on his quirk and body. And yet, the Nerd risked  punishment and pain  to write out an entire book for him, an almost step-by-step guide on how to become stronger. And his ability to rip his quirk apart, seeing all its strengths and weaknesses, was terrifying. Katsuki had only read Izuku’s notebooks when they were much younger. Never bothering to do it recently. If this was how Izuku saw people with quirks, he could dissect them quickly if he had more combat experience. The thought sent a chill down his spine.

Looking at the notebook, he flipped back to the title page, re-reading the note. So this really was a goodbye from Izuku. That even the Nerd seemed to have given up. That may be his last bit of hero analysis that went to helping Katsuki achieve his dreams. Sobbing, Katsuki hugged his knees to his chest and pulled at his hair.

“What do I do? FUCK how... what… SHIT! I have to help him, but how?” he was muttering to himself. Katsuki felt like his chest had been cleaved in two with an ax. Breathing hard, he rocked back and forth, fists in his hair damn near ripping his blond locks out. “FUCK! THINK!” he snarled at himself, slapping his head.  ‘What can I do? How do I help? How, how, how…. FUCK SHIT, alright, stop, just stop!’  Breathing hard, he forced himself up onto his feet. The pacing was better than slapping himself.  ‘Ok. Ok, what do I already know? De-Izu is being abused. He isn’t being fed enough and is being punished and coddled at the same time. Teachers and the school don’t give two fucks. They are faking his records. The cops don’t care because he is quirkless and thinks he is better off just dealing with the abuse’  Katsuki’s heart started to slow from its racing. He was a man of action; moving was helping him get his thoughts in order.

‘Izu will never ask for help because this is all he knows. Mom agrees with Auntie Inko on how Izuku should be raised. So even if I brought him here, she would send him back. And they are trying to keep us apart. Auntie also knows that someone suspects her of abuse thanks to that joke of a hero. Fuck, even the Heroes won’t do shit because the records are being faked! No wonder everyone thinks I lied to them.’

Katsuki grabbed the closest thing to him with a snarl and whipped it across the room, causing whatever it was to shatter.

‘I have to get him away. We have to leave. Go elsewhere, start anew. Wait….we? Fuck… Yea, we… even if I could convince him to leave, he won’t go by himself, or even if he did, someone would make it worse for him, and he wouldn’t stop it. He wouldn’t know to stop it. FUCK…. Am I about to leave everything to help the Nerd?’

School for the rest of the week and into the next was just plain ordinary. Everyone seemed to be scared of Bakugou after what he had done to Eyeballs. It resulted in the idiot needing to wear a special patch to keep his eye in place while his face healed, and when Katsuki would walk into the same room, the Extras would leave.

Izuku was back in school as usual. He kept his head down and wouldn’t meet anyone’s eyes. He would hide somewhere in the school that Katsuki couldn’t find at lunch, and it felt like all the teachers were watching them. Making sure they didn’t interact.  ‘Either Auntie or the Hag must have asked the school to make sure we stay apart,’  Katsuki thought as he felt the teacher staring at him one lunch period. But while Katsuki pretended that he was following the rules and ignoring the Nerd, he was really making preparations. He pawned off a few of his All Might figures, as well as some old cell phones of his. He slowly started draining what little he had in the bank, gathering up as much money as he could. But he made sure to take the whole two weeks to not raise any flags to his parents. Towards the end of the second week, Izuku was not looking good. The bags under his eyes were massive, giving him the look of having two black eyes. He never wrote in notebooks outside of class; he didn’t seem to interact with anyone, let alone eat, and just went straight home after school. He was closing himself off to the world.

Katsuki knew it had to be next week. They had to go that following weekend. Katsuki wasn’t sure if he waited any longer; he could convince Izu to go with him, let alone if Izu would have the energy to leave. After selling as much as he could without questions and emptying his bank account, Katsuki had close to sixty thousand yen, and he was terrified to be carrying that much around. But they would need every cent of it to get away from all this. Summer was coming so they could save money by camping out, and it was easier to find cheap food in the summer. School was still in, but if they left on a Sunday night, with notes saying they went for an early run, they could have a solid twelve or more hour head start on their parents looking for them.

Katsuki tried to get Izuku’s attention in class, trying to sign that they needed to talk, but nothing worked. Either the Nerd was that dead inside, or he was just that good at ignoring the blond that nothing he did would get any attention from Izu. Katsuki’s gut feeling that it was the latter. So the following day, it was raining and Katsuki had a distinct feeling he knew where he could corner Izuku. Smirking, he watches as Izuku left school like normal. One of the first to rush out the door. Katsuki took his time, gathering up his stuff, and made his way out into the rain. He paced his walk so that when he arrived at the library, Izuku should have had plenty of time to have picked the music and started his homework. This way, the Nerd couldn’t just bolt the moment Katsuki walked in.

Slowly making his way through the stacks, he approached the music room and peaked in, hiding his body around the corner. Just as he predicted, Izuku was curled up in a bean bag, headphones on, eyes closed. It was as if he was hiding from the world, and music was his only peace. Katsuki slowly entered the room, closing and locking the door behind him, making sure not to make a loud enough noise to disturb Izuku. He stood inside the room for a solid five or more minutes before Izuku opened his eyes.

Izuku yawned and rubbed at his face as he reached for his backpack to start his homework. But something shifted in his vision, and his dull green eyes met Katsuki’s concerned crimson.

“K-KACCHAN!” Izuku yelled as he tried to jump up out of the bag. The damn thing seemed to eat the smaller boy keeping him from jumping to his feet.

“OI, oi chill out!” Katsuki spoke and signed, seeing how Izuku still had his headphones on. “The door is locked; no one knows we are here. I just need to talk to you, that’s all.”

Izuku looked on the verge of panic still as he let his legs drop out from under him. “B-But we can’t! Y-You will get in t-trouble!” Izu falling into the habit of signing and speaking as well.

“Tsk, I don’t care,” Katsuki said, but signed, “ We need to talk without anyone hearing, switch to sign fully .”

Izuku blinked… and blinked again, his mind not processing what he heard vs. what he saw but slowly nodded, “ We have to be fast. You can’t get in trouble again .”

Katsuki rolled his eyes and dropped down into a bean bag himself. He pulled headphones off the wall and put them on but never chose music. Clearly just using it as a ruse.

“ Stop worrying about me, Nerd. I’m worried about you. Are you ok ?” he asked, eyes locked in on the dull green. It physically hurt him seeing the once bright, colorful viridian turned to a flat swamp color. He watched as Izuku chewed on his lips before nodding.

“ I’m… I’m ok as I can be right now, I think ,” he responded, a slight tremor in his hands. From fear or from exhaustion, it was hard to tell.  “Why are you here, Kacchan (Bomb)?”

“ Look, Sunday night. At midnight. Meet me at the Dagoba Trash Heap. We are leaving .” Izuku’s eyes widened as he looked from Katsuki’s hands to his eyes and back again.

“WHAT? N-no! Kacchan we… you can’t!” Izuku yelled, forgetting about the sign.

“Fuck keep it down,” he growled back before signing. “ Stop fucking worrying about me! I know what I am doing. You’re in a shit place. I am really not happy where I am. So we are going to leave. Take care of ourselves and do what we need to. One to get you a better life, and two me the better mindset to be a hero. ”

Izuku’s eyes watered as his fingers trembled. “ But what about your parents? What about UA? If you run away, you won’t be in school?”

“ Look, my parents…they are not as shitty as yours, but they are not great. I don’t need their stupid quirkiest bullshit when I’m trying to break mine. And UA is another few years off. I can always take online classes. And what about you? You give up on UA too? Why are you so worried about me?”

“ I already know UA won’t accept me; I’m worried about you because you have a future ,” Izuku responded, looking away.

“Hey, look at me” Katsuki nudged his foot with his own. “ We are leaving together, got it? We have been together since we were born practically. Might as well start a new life out there with each other, Yea? ” Katsuki really did try to smile to may reassure the Nerd, but it looked a bit more like a grimace than anything.

“I don’t have any money to leave. I don’t have much at all that would help”  Izuku sighed. His body read that he was already defeated. But maybe there was a spark of hope—the glimmer of an idea of a chance at a future.

“That’s fine. I got a lot planned out. Just pack that monster of your bag there with as much as you can carry without hurting yourself. Focus on clothes and things you might need to survive for a bit. I got food covered but pack your water bottles.”  Katsuki responded with energy  ‘Shit, this might work!’

“You know how much trouble we will be in if we get caught?”  Izuku looked scared but not for himself.

“I guess we just won’t be caught, then will we?”  Katsuki grinned wolfishly. “ Between your brains and mine, I’m sure we will figure this shit out. We just need the chance.”

Izuku sat there in silence; Katsuki watched as his brain worked overtime, clearly thinking this over. After about five minutes, Katsuki was getting fidgety. “Well, Nerd?” he asked before steam started to roll out of Izuku's ears. Izuku sighed as if the world was on his back, this thin body melting into the bag deeper. “ It is not like I have any better options ,” Izuku signed clearly, not trusting his voice.

“Good. Midnight. Sunday.” Katsuki nodded, ripping off the headphones before getting up to leave.

“Wait! I-if you want to l-listen, I can leave,” Izuku whispered.

“Nah, Nerd. You need the music more than me right now.” Katsuki responded without looking at him. Then, unlocking the door, he paused, “Don’t overthink it. We got this. Oh, and here.” Katsuki pulled out a protein bar from his bag and tossed it, hitting Izuku in the chest and promptly left.

Katsuki started packing Wednesday night. That evening he went shopping with his dad and grabbed a few boxes of protein bars and other high-calorie foods. Masaru gave Katsuki a questioning look. “I’m trying to bulk. I want to train all summer, so I want to get ahead now,” Katsuki grunted with a shrug. Masaru smiled and nodded. “Good thinking,” never questioning what Katsuki put in the basket again. Katsuki also spent that evening going through his hiking gear. The majority wouldn’t be helpful in the city, but a small tarp might go far if things got bad. Katsuki stared at his sleeping bag for a solid twenty minutes wishing it was smaller.  ‘Fuck I’m gonna regret not taking this,’  He growled to himself, shoving it away. He was only packing his everyday backpack. He could carry more with his hiking bag, but he did not want to make it evident that he was running away. He hid the money in different places in his bag and the boots he would be wearing.

Lying in bed that evening, Katsuki felt ridiculous with how detailed he was being about running away. In all the stories you see in the media, people grab what they can and run. Yet here he was planning out money, meals, gear, and timing.  ‘Fuck I’m thinking more than the Nerd. No… He is probably panicking, trying to figure out what to bring. Fuck… I hope Auntie doesn’t catch on… hopefully, Izu can lie to her better than he can to me.’  Katsuki sighed, rolling onto his side. Might as well get some sleep in a comfortable bed for one of the last nights.

Friday, Izuku wasn’t in school, and it took every ounce of willpower of Katsuki’s not to blow open the Midoriya’s apartment to check on him. Katsuki couldn’t even ask the teachers why he wasn’t in class because then they would think they were hanging out again. The entire day his knee never stopped bouncing, and after crushing or blowing up his third pen, he just gave up taking notes.  ‘It will be fine. He will be fine. We will meet on Sunday and won’t have to worry about this bullshit anymore. ’ Katsuki repeated to himself like a mantra to get him through the day.     

Saturday, Katsuki had to put up with his parents dragging him around the mall. His mother kept trying to get him to try on new clothes, forcing him into changing rooms. He tried, he tried so damn hard to convince her he didn’t need any new clothes and that she was just wasting his time. Needless to say, it ended with them in a screaming match in the middle of the food court with Masaru trying to get them to stop. At least Katsuki got a new sturdy pair of combat pants out of the hell day. They also ordered out that night, where Katsuki ate his fill of spicy curry. Looking at his parents over the dinner table, he wondered if he should feel bad about what was about to happen.

He took after his mother so much, and some called him her ‘mini-me.’ So he knows how she will react once they realize that he was gone and who he had left with. Anger. Just pure anger. She would take it out on everyone around her and yet, not stop to see that it was her that drove him away. Yea, Katsuki didn’t feel bad for her. But he did feel something for his father. Masaru is a kind man but 100% a pushover. Katsuki always compared Izuku to Masaru, but recently Katsuki realized that they were nothing alike other than them being too nice. Izuku stood up for others, and he did have a bit of backbone when pushed. Masaru just laid down and took whatever was thrown at him. So Katsuki felt something for the man, but he wasn’t sure if he was sad about leaving him.

 Katsuki did feel a little guilty, though, about his choice. Here he was, a kid with a damn amazing quirk. Parents who make good money. Someone who has never really needed anything in his life as things were provided to him. And he was about to throw it all away. To walk away willingly from the bigotry, the quirk discrimination, and a chance at an easy future. Of course, many would call him insane, spoiled, and stupid. But he knew that deep down, this was the right thing to do. Izuku needed help, he could provide it, and he was going to. He was strong enough, he had the quirk and skills that allowed him to build a future on his own, and he just wanted to help Izuku have the same chance. And that wouldn’t happen with their parents around.  

Determined with his choice Katsuki slept well that last night in his home. No dreams kept him awake, and he awoke feeling refreshed and ready to take on his personal mission. Mitsuki actually had lunch with Inko that afternoon. Masaru had to go into the office for a while, leaving Katsuki most of the afternoon to finalize packing his things and hiding his backpack under a bush in the side yard. He made sure to pack as much as he could, food and clothing-wise. He even packed a baseball hat and a set of his father’s sunglasses to help disguise himself, as he knew his mother would turn things into a manhunt for him. He made sure to bring an extra hoodie for Izuku. He had a gut feeling the Nerd wouldn’t be able to pack much, so at least he could help a little. He did not pack much in the way of anything sentimental. The notebook about his quirk was hidden at the bottom of his bag, with a picture of him and his parents tucked away in the pages. Another photo of him and Izu as children was also hidden away in the pages. Top it off with a stress ball, and that’s all the personal items he dared to bring.

 One of the last things he thought to grab was a pocket knife. He usually only carried it when they went backpacking, and if things got bad, he had his quirk. Still, he could only use it if absolutely needed. However, Izuku only had his speed and smarts, so the knife would come in handy for one of them at least.

The rest of the day passed sickeningly slow. Dinner was ordinary. He went to bed at his standard time. His parents were in bed by 22:00 at night, and the house absolutely silent by 23:00. Getting up and getting dressed took no time at all. It was only a twenty-minute jog to the beach from his home, so he sat in complete darkness waiting, listening, and making sure both of his parents were asleep. The sound of his heart pounding the only sound he could hear.

 The very last thing he did was pull the sim card out of his phone, crushing it between his fingers and turning off all GPS functions. He wanted to leave his phone to have no way of being tracked, but even without the sim, he could use it at cafes with Wifi, so it was more beneficial to be had than left. Slowly he made his way downstairs, moving as quietly as he could. Katsuki had left the kitchen window cracked open after dinner. It was not wide enough to catch his parent’s attention but just enough that when they armed their security system, it didn’t register as locked. He made quick work of putting on his boots and doing one last pat-down making sure he had everything. As he was about to vault himself up out the window, he saw his father’s wallet on the table, next to a fresh bag of apples. Without a second thought, Katsuki pulled all the cash out of the wallet, not bothering to count it, and two apples, pocketing them all.

With a quick jump, a slowly closed window, and gathering up his backpack Katsuki raced towards the beach, too nervous to walk there. This late, the streets were mostly empty. The park they used to play at dark and devoid of life. The middle school that had become the catalyst of their problems appeared cold and unwelcoming. It wasn’t until Katsuki got closer to the entertainment streets that he started seeing more people on the road. He was rushing past a konbini when he nearly collided with a yellow hair man wearing clothes much too large for him munching on a meat bun.  

“Oi! Watch where you’re going!” Katsuki snarled as he juked out of the way. If the man responded, Katsuki never heard as he kept running toward the beach. Once Katsuki caught sight of a hero ahead of him. Slowing to a walk, Katsuki steadied his breathing as he passed Rocklock. The locking hero gave Katsuki the side-eye but kept going without a word. Keeping his pace steady until the hero was out of sight, Katsuki took the time to catch his breath. It was almost midnight, and he was praying to any god that would listen that Deku was waiting for him at the beach. Turning the last few blocks, Katsuki caught sight of the ocean, the waves crashing against the sand as the moonlight reflected off it.

Just off the path out of sight but quickly found was a familiar bush of hair. Izuku sat with his knees pulled up to his chest, staring out into the dark sea. He appeared calm, collected, and pensive. He was appropriately dressed, too, wearing a large dark hoodie and sturdy jeans. Katsuki would guess he was wearing multiple layers to keep the weight out of his pack. The cool salt breeze washed over both of the boys, their hair being pushed back softly. It was as if the ocean itself was giving its blessing.

“Oh, thank fuck. When you missed Friday, I thought you were going to bail,” Katsuki called out as he approached. Izu jumped as the ash-blond scared him out of his thoughts. “Kacchan! Sorry, I-I actually skipped on Friday. I did a job for Granny S-sato to get a little bit of money for to-tonight” Izuku smiled, rubbing the back of his head. The yellow monster of a backpack lay in the sand beside him, clearly stuffed full.

“Were you waiting long?” Katsuki dropped down into the sand beside him, looking out at the ocean. Then, reaching into a pocket, he shoved an apple into Izuku’s hands. Izuku shrugged, catching the apple “Yes but not your fault. M-mom works tonight, and I c-couldn’t just sit and wait till later. So I have been sitting here a-about an hour or m-more.”

“You ready for this, Nerd? There is no going back after this. We either make it, or we die doing it.” Katsuki spoke without looking at Izuku. It might have seen as if he was talking to the greenette, but really he was asking himself the same questions.

“Yea, I think I-I need to do this. W-We got this, Kacchan” Izu smiled at him, knocking into his shoulder.

“Fuck yeah, we do, Izu,” Katsuki smirked at him until a voice called out behind them.

“Isn’t it a bit late for you boys to be out?”

Chapter Text

A chill raced down both of the boys' spines, forcing them to sit up straight.  'Fuck! fuck fuck fuck, I know that voice… Izu knows that voice…. What is HE doing here?'

"K-K-Kacchan," Izuku whispered beside him, eye wide with both boyish excitement and genuine fear. Reaching over, Katsuki grabbed Izuku's hood and pulled it up over his mop of hair, standing as he did so. "Fuck off old man, we are camping on the beach tonight," Katsuki growled out, trying and failing to hide his own idolization and fear.

"Now, what kind of language is that? And this beach is closed to the public. It's too dangerous for young boys such as yourselves to be camping on." All Might chuckled stepped out onto the sand. It was dark enough that Izuku's hair looked black in the night, but Katsuki's ash-blond shone bright, reflecting the moonlight in no way hiding his identity. Red eyes met lightning blue as he watched the monster of a man that is All Might approach. All Might tower over them, standing at least seven-foot tall. He was out of costume, clearly just out for the night, wearing cargo pants and a t-shirt.

"Now boys, gather your things I'll walk you home" All Might smiled at them. "I really don't have much time tonight, but it much too late for you to be out on your own."

"Nah, we don't need a babysitter. We can get home on our own." Katsuki growled as he watched Izuku stand up with his backpack on.  

"Nonsense, you need an escort, it is dangerous this late at night, and I would hate to see villains harm either of you. Now come on, let's go." he tried to reach for Katsuki's shoulder, but the fiery blond just took a step back from the hero. "Now, young man, be reasonable."

"Al-All Might S-s-sir. Um. I-I can't go home right now. P-please, understand. It's n-not safe at h-home for me," Izuku muttered, standing beside Katsuki.

"And why is that?" All Might asked before glancing down at a watch on his wrist.

"M-my mother and I d-don't get al-along right now," Izuku mumbled. Katsuki was biting his cheek so hard he tasted copper.  'How the fuck are we going to get out of this?'

"Oh, I'm sure you both are just having a misunderstanding. Mothers love their children very much, and I am sure yours does too. Now let's get you home; maybe I'll stop by tomorrow and help you sort things out." All Might chuckled, reaching again to pull the boys along.

"Don't fucking touch me, old man!" Katsuki snarled, stepping away once more pulling Izuku with him.

"R-Really All Might… I-I… my mother hurts me," Izuku said, panicked, looking between the hero and a seething Katsuki, clearly trying to keep this from going to a fight.

"Now, calm down; I am sure this is all just a misunderstanding. We can discuss things with your parents, I am sure they-"

"Didn't you fucking hear him? He can't go home!" Katsuki snarled.

"Well, then we need to go to the police-"

"The police won't do anything-"

"Young man, the police are here to protect-"

"They are lazy as fuck!" Katsuki's and All Might's voices getting louder and louder, echoing across the beach.

"Now, son, I have quite a few friends on the police force-"

"All Might?!? Can s-someone become a hero without a quirk?" Izuku almost shouted, cutting All Might off. Causing Katsuki to freeze in shock.

"Huh? Where did this come from? Become a hero? Quirkless become a pro-hero? … Hmmm, No, I don't believe so young man. There are many things that the quirkless population can do but becoming a pro-hero is not one I would recommend. There are just some villains out there you must have a quirk to beat." All Might said, propping his hands on his hips as if he was delivering the gospel. "Now, enough playing around boys, I love my fans, but it's late; we should all get to bed and stop this arguing. If you don't want to go home, maybe stay at your friend's house here?"

Katsuki's jaw was screaming in pain for how hard he was grinding his teeth. Glancing, he saw tears welling up in Izuku's eyes as his shoulders slumped forward, giving up. The last string of hope being severed by the number 1 hero.  'NO! I am not just going to go home the moment we get a taste of freedom! Fucking quirkest heroes!'

As All Might reached out one last time and he was not smiling. Clearly tired of speaking with the boys, "Now come, if you refuse to go home, I will just have to escort you to the police station-"and Katsuki blew up. Literally. Pulling back his fist, he used his explosions to force his body into a spin, landing a punch with his total body weight and force of the blast into All Might's junk. The hero wheezed, doubling over in pain, clutching his crown jewels as Katsuki grabbed Izuku's hand and ran.

"RUN!" he roared as they raced up onto the street and away from All Might and their homes.

The echoes of their feet pounding the pavement were all they could hear in their mad dash to getaway. They knew they couldn't outrun All Might if he was determined to get them back. Katsuki hoped the low blow was enough to buy them some time and maybe keep All Might from running after them. Katsuki sprinted as hard and fast as he could, maintaining a solid grip on Izuku's wrist. Izuku kept pace with him but never made a peep. Even as their calves burned and their lungs felt like sucking sawdust, he never said a word.

Katsuki did not pay much attention to where they were going; they just put distance between them and home. Even as they slowed to catch their breath, they kept moving, walking slowly, gasping before picking up a jog again. After the first hour, they couldn't keep up a sprint. They couldn't jog after the second hour, and by now, the streets were cold and empty. Even the barflies had started their trips home. At the end of the fourth hour, they couldn't take another step.

Their legs felt like jelly; even Katsuki, who was used to running as a training tool and an anger management tool, couldn't walk without dragging his toes on the sidewalks. Swallowing hard, he pulled Izuku into a dark alley; luckily, this one wasn't as filthy as others they had passed, as they both collapsed against the cool brick of the buildings. They slid down the wall behind a dumpster hiding them entirely out of sight. Ears were ringing with the sound of their pumping blood. They both fought to control their breathing as they sucked down a bottle of water each. As their hearts began to slow, Katsuki looked over at Izuku, who sat there with his knees to his chest staring at his shoes.

"Izu-" he muttered, reaching out to…. Do something.

"Kacchan… even All Might said it's t-true," Izuku whispered, his throat tight. He held a white knuckle grip on his knees, his body trembling.

"Hah? No fuck him," Katsuki growled.

"Why… Why Kacchan? Why throw your life away like this? Why help a Deku who can't become a he-hero? Someone even All Might said can't be a hero, and.... he says everyone can be" Izuku was crying, chest aching sobs echoed around the alley.

Without thinking, Katsuki acted. Grabbing Izuku and pulling him onto his lap into a bone-crushing hug. Both boys sobbing into each other, their chests heavy with fear and loss. Two boys from different walks of life joined together at first for their love of All Might, now sharing the burden of truth, crushing their reality. Tucking the greenette under his chin Katsuki just combed his fingers through his hair as Izuku gripped his shirt, whimpering.

"Fuck All Might ya hear? Fuck all of them back there. Izuku you are not a Deku” Katsuki gasped. "We are in this together, yea? I'm sorry you had to hear that. Izu, All Might is just as fucked up as the rest of those assholes. But don't give up, just don't."

Izuku only nodded and sobbed into his chest, gripping his shirt harder. Katsuki could feel his shirt becoming wet from his tears, but at the same time, he could feel how damp Izuku's hair was from his own tears running off his face. They sat there huddled together for a long time. Joints quickly locking up and becoming numb, but neither of them dared to move. As one of them would calm down, the other might start crying harder. Rocking back in forth, they couldn't speak but just held each other, letting them work through their thoughts. The sound of steady heartbeats grounding them to each other. The pale pink of dawn started lighting up the sky as they both rubbed at their bloodshot eyes.  "Fuck, how long have we been sitting here?'  Katsuki began to look around as the alley lightened.

"We look like shit," Izuku croaked his throat raw.

"HA? Speak for yourself, Nerd" Katsuki grumbled his throat just as raw. Then, taking breaths to steady themselves, they stood, shaking out sore joints and wincing in pain. Between the run and sitting locked together on the cold concrete, they felt like shit.

They didn't speak as they gathered up their packs. They didn't talk as they started down some unknown street, leading them to an unfamiliar place. Katsuki took the lead, searching for clues as to figure out where they had run to. After about an hour of walking, they find a train station, still empty of the morning commuters.

"Fuck, we ran all the way to Esuha," Katsuki muttered, looking around. "EH? That's like the two prefectures over from Musutafu!" Izuku exclaimed, looking around also. In the morning light, Katsuki could still see how dead and glazed Izuku's eyes were.  'I hope some sleep will help with that; I can't look at him right now,'  he thought to himself.

"Come on, let's get a cheap breakfast and find a place to sleep, yea?" Katsuki shoulders past Izuku forcing him to move.   

"Sh-should we spend money already?" Izuku asked, skipping to keep stride with Katsuki.

"I have been up all night; Ass Might officially sucks dick, and before we find a place to hole up for the day, I want something hot to eat, so yes. Something cheap," Katsuki growled. He found a tiny café down the street just opening for the day. After ordering them both a breakfast sandwich and asking if they would fill up their water bottles, the boys felt better. Using the Café wifi, Katsuki found a large park a few kilometers away. It appeared to be heavily forested in some areas with a small river running through it. That's where they would sleep for the day Katsuki decided. Somewhere where they could easily blend in, not be disturbed, and had an excuse to be there if questioned.

After sitting and relaxing for a moment, they felt ready to drop from exhaustion.  'I don't think I have ever pulled an all-nighter like that,'  Katsuki growled to himself. "Come on, the sooner we get there, the sooner we sleep" all Izuku could do was nod. About an hour or so later, they came across the park. It was beautiful and not heavily trafficked this time of day. Katsuki headed straight into the woods, seeking a place well off the beaten path that would provide them shade from the sun.

Setting up their small area Katsuki sat on the slightly damp earth. They chose a spot surrounded by bushes making it difficult to enter and even more challenging to see. Izuku flopped down onto this back and star fished.

"I don't think I have ever run that far in my life," He groaned, covering his eyes with his elbow.

"Yea, yea suck it up," Katsuki growled, ignoring his own aching muscles and going through his bag. "What all did you bring?" Katsuki asked, looking at the yellow monster that is Izuku's backpack.

"Oh w-well. I didn't have much. So mainly clothes. Few of my notebooks. Um… a blanket. And a handful of other things" Izuku didn't bother to uncover his face just speaking to the sky.

"Other things like what?" Katsuki growled, exhaustion making his temper shorter.

With a sigh, Izuku sat up and pulled open his bag. "I have a mini set of tools, gloves, and some fruit Granny Sato gave me, and first aid stuff," Izuku muttered after pulling out the blanket and rummaging through everything.

'Fuck I forgot the first aid kit,'  Katsuki internally scolded himself. "Not bad, Izu. Between the two of us, we should be okay." Katsuki nodded, pulling his backpack under his head to use as a pillow. Blinking at the praise, Izuku blushed softly as he too did the same. Both lay there near each other, staring up into the now bright sky.

Just as Katsuki was about to doze off, he heard Izuku whisper, "Thank you, Kacchan..." Katsuki felt his throat tighten again, but refusing to deal with any more emotional bullshit, he pretended to sleep. And soon, soft snoring could be heard from both of them, the sounds getting lost in the noise of insects in the surrounding forest.

They do this for a few days. Spending their nights making their way farther from home, avoiding heroes and cops alike. They do little to draw attention to themselves. Katsuki makes sure to wear the hat he brought with him, and Izuku makes sure to keep a hood up and his eyes down as they walk near people. Katsuki forces Izuku to eat at least a protein bar per meal or whatever they pick up hot. Neither of them eats much as they go, choosing to save their money and exist on the fruit and bars they packed. On the third evening, news of their disappearance had broken. 'Have you seen them?' was posted on newspapers and a few train stations.

The posters showed both boy's school photos, giving clear descriptions of them. The papers even list their nicknames claiming they only call each other 'Deku and Kacchan.' The last line of the postings stated, 'It is believed that Midoriya was the one to kidnap Bakugou Katsuki. He might be armed with a weapon to overpower Bakugou's quirk. If they are seen, notify the police immediately.'

"HA? They think you kidnapped me?" Katsuki seethed his palms heating up.

"SHHHhh! Kacchan, we-we need to move" Izuku took down the poster and looking around. After a moment, he pushed Katsuki down the road and away from the late-night travelers at the station. That night they didn't try to keep moving on. Instead, they traveled back to the park where they had spent the day sleeping. Hiding away in the trees, they did not have as much cover as Katsuki would have liked, but it was okay for the moment.

"I can't believe those fuckers are spinning it like you're the villain!" Katsuki seethed. "They always pin this on you!" he growled, pacing as Izuku flinched but nodded from the ground re-reading the poster.

"I am the easier target. I already don't have a f-future, so why n-not make me into a…a villain." He couldn't help but whisper the last word.

"You are not a Villain!" Katsuki growled, glaring at Izuku. It had been a few days, but the light in Izuku's eyes still wasn't there. Katsuki knew he was stewing on what All Might said, but he did not know how to shake Izu out of his own head. Without physically shaking him, of course.

"Yea…I know," Izuku said, looking away.

Growling, Kastuki pulled at his hair. Not showering in a few days had made his ashy hair darker, making his spikes stiffer. Katsuki wasn't overly worried about being recognized. With hats and hoods, they blend into the crowd with no problem, few people giving them a second glance. But this meant that they couldn't buy anything from shops for at least a week, just in case. That also meant that he couldn't hole up in cafes to charge his hearing aids. Growling Katsuki checked the charge on his phone; they could use it off and on for a few days without needing to be charged. Maybe they could find one of those charging stations where you lock the technology into a small box. That would work for his hearing aids; he could go a few hours deaf if Izuku was with him. But they needed information, and they needed it quickly.

"Come on, nerd. Let's find an internet café or someplace. But, first, we need to see what the reports are saying." Izuku nodded, getting up and following, tucking the poster into his pack. "We also can't use Kacchan in public anymore," Izuku mumbled with a frown. "But I also can't call you Katsuki… even just saying it feels weird."

"Yea, it feels weird hearing it from you," Katsuki grunted.

Walking for a few blocks, Katsuki kept his phone out. He used it sparingly so far but kept it open to find a wifi network he could get on for free. Turning the corner in an alleyway, he picked up a signal from a bar beside them. Hiding behind the building, they huddled behind some dumpsters, reeking heavily of booze. Wrinkling his nose and stifling a gag, Katuki pulled up the local news stations.

Katsuki's disappearance wasn't the main story, but it was one of the top ten. Clicking through the details, it was clear that they were focusing on Katsuki and not Izuku. Every time Izuku was mention, it was in passing or blaming him for 'kidnapping.'

"None of the reports mention Auntie," he muttered as Izuku looked at everything over his shoulder.

"Go to the Musutafu community pages," Izuku instructed, chewing on his lip.

Katsuki grunted and did as he was asked, pushing back his pride. There they found a little more information. Both being reported as missing, but there were also interviews with their parents. Katsuki found the one with Mitsuki first and played it.

His parents stood outside the police station, his mother clearly irate, while Masaru stood there looking dejected. "Katsuki Bakugou is not one to run away!" Mitsuku screamed into the camera. "I know it was that damn Deku to convince him to run off. OR hell even grew some balls and kidnapped him. Katsuki has a great future of being a hero ahead of him. And Izuku is dragging him through the mud-"

Katsuki turned off the video, hand clenched around his phone, the plastic creaking from the stress. "That fucking Hag," he growled. His hand heating and the smell of burning plastic overpowered the booze. Izuku reached over and snagged the phone out of his hand before any more damage could be done. Flicking through the pages until he found the video of his mother. Growling, Katsuki looked over his shoulder now.

Inko stood outside the apartment, fresh new clothes and makeup on her face as she answered questions. "No, I do not believe that Izuku kidnapped Katsuki. However, I do believe he was the one to plant the idea of running away. Of course, I wish to see my baby home safe, but you know how boys are, thinking they know best. I highly doubt they were both kidnapped. I am sure Izuku will be crawling back home in no time. He is quirkless after all." Inko stood there with the mask of motherly care, but her appearance and eyes were too relaxed as if she was happy.

Izuku started to hyperventilate, his eyes not seeing anything in front of him. Watching as Izu went into a panic, Katsuki forgot his anger and grabbed his shoulder, forcing the smaller to look at him.

"Izu! Hey, come on now. Izuku breathe with me. Come on, deep breaths." Katsuki coached him shoving the phone away.

"She…She doesn't even miss me" Katsuki watched as tears began to fall down Izu's cheeks. "She doesn't care I am gone. She b-bought all n-new clothes, and she looked…Happier" Izuku finally looked at Katsuki, his green eyes almost black. "She is happy I am gone," and with that, he broke down sobbing.

Grabbing Izuku, Katsuki pulled him into a hug. "Izu, it's okay; you're better off without her."

"I-I know Kacchan, but… I guess I still had s-some hope that sh-she loved me." Izuku cried, holding tighter. Katsuki did not know what to say. Nothing he could say would make things better. But an alley behind a dive bar is not the best place for a breakdown.

"We need to move; someone can see us here," Standing Katsuki forced Izuku to walk with him, but never breaking the hug as long as he needed it. Luckily it was not far from the park where they just were, and they felt some relief within the shadows of the trees. Settling Izuku down, he pulled out the nerd's blanket he packed and wrapped it around him. Then, sitting beside him, he pulled Izuku back into a side hug, allowing him to cry it all out. Katsuki chewed on his lip as he felt Izuku tremble beside him.

He knew their parents would not support them running off, but seeing Mitsuki and Inko react just as Katsuki predicted was the final nail in the coffin. He knew they would never go back unless forced, and even then… well, hopefully, it wouldn't come to that. Slowly the night wore on, and without moving, their eye lids grew heavy, and their breathing slowed. Finally, Izuku shifted so that the blanket covered both of them, resting his head on Katsuki's shoulder as they both fell asleep thinking.

'What comes next?'

Chapter Text

"Kacchan?" Izuku stage whispered as they walked down the sidewalk. Katsuki clicked his tongue but ignored the younger behind him, shoving his hands deeper into his pockets.

"Come on, Kacchan, we need to figure this out," He whispered again as if the whole street couldn't hear him. Skipping to walk along with Katsuki where he could see his hands, " Or at least sign it, how else are we going to get each other's attention? "

"What we need to do, is find a more secure place to sleep," Katuki growled, taking longer strides.

"I mean, yea, but while we walk, we can discuss this." Izuku pouted. "I really think we only caught their attention because I used your name."

That afternoon after waking up in a new park, the cops had been called on them by a young couple who had recognized Izuku and heard him call Katsuki, Kacchan. Resulting in them shoving everything they had into a bag and sprinting when they had heard sirens. The young couple tried to call out for them to wait, claiming they wanted to help Katsuki, but Katsuki flipped them off before getting lost in the afternoon shift change crowds. It wasn't an event that they would label as close call, they were able to get lost in the crowd easily, but it pissed Katsuki off regardless. He should have known that they have missing person's posters they couldn't stay in parks anymore. Too many people who 'care.'

It was now dusk, and they were headed towards the outskirts of the current district they were in. It was unclear when one prefecture ended, and the other began. Still, Katsuki sought out areas where the buildings were more run down, and people were less likely to call the cops on them.

"You said the farther from city centers, the fewer Heroes there are, right?" Katsuki asked over his shoulder at the mumbling Nerd.

"Huh? Oh, yea, s-statically, the more upscale the area, the more heroes on patrol. There are only very few who like to patrol in low-income areas. And even then, those areas are mostly p-protected by vigilantes and underground heroes. Though I don't know much about vigilantes, there were a few popular ones a few years ago, but I think they went pro." Izuku dissolved back into mumbling too low for Katsuki to pick up with his hearing aids.  

' Yea, that's where we need to go. It will be harder, but at least there will be less attention on us. ' Katuki thought to himself as he pulled on his backpack.  

After walking for another hour, it was past dinner time or lunchtime for their new schedule. Katsuki found a secluded bench to drop down onto and stretched his legs. Izuku followed, hugging his backpack to his chest chewing on his lower lip, clearly lost in thought.

Katsuki shoved a nutrition pouch into Izuku's chest with a grunt as he ripped one open for himself. "Oh, T-thanks, but I'll save it for later," Izuku mumbled, moving to put the packet into his pocket.

"The fuck you will, Nerd. Eat it now. I know you have been skipping meals," Katsuki growled, leveling Izu with a glare.

"But I'm not hungry," He muttered, playing with the pouch. "And you need the f-food more than me, Kacchan."

"Your nothing but skin and bones. If you don't eat, you're going to die on me. I am not going to be dragging your ass everywhere." Katsuki gestured to Izuku's form even though it's hidden behind an oversized hoodie. "Why are you still wearing a hoodie every day? Isn't this heat getting to you?" Katsuki asked, noting the sweat on Izuku's neck.

"I… I'm not only skin and bones, and I won't die from skipping a meal here and there," Izuku huffed with a weak glare. "And yea, it's hot, but I'm f-fine."

"Whatever, roast for all I care," Katsuki grunted, finishing his pouch. "Now eat."

Izuku rolled his eyes, but as he started to tear open the pouch, he paused. His eyes gleamed as he shifted on the bench to look at Katsuki square on. "I'll eat this if you help me come up with something else to call you. We have to ditch Kacchan in public, so we need code names."

 "HAH? What are we six? Fucking Code names. And you're bargaining you eating to get me to do this? Fuck off. Starve for all I care." Katsuki growled, taking a big gulp of water. ' Fucking nerve of that Nerd.'

"Hmm, okay, I'll just put this with the bar from this afternoon." Izuku shrugged, moving to put the pouch away.

"You didn't eat that before?!" Katsuki snarled. "How many meals have you been hiding in your backpack?"

Izuku just shrugged, purposely grating on Katsuki's nerves.

"Mother fucker. FINE! Fucking code names. But you're going to eat everything I hand you for the next week when I hand it to you no more skipping meals." Katsuki poked Izuku in the chest.

"Deal. Now, what was the hero name you picked out when you decided to become a hero?" Izuku asked with a sly grin.

"Why would I use my hero name?"

"Come on, it will give us a starting point, and if it's a good code name, we can modify it, so it's easier for you to answer to in the long run."

Katsuki got a cocky grin on his face as he proudly announced, "King Explosion Murder."

Izuku's green eyes blew wide, then blinked once, twice, a third time before he burst with laughter. His high-pitched giggles echoing off the buildings around them.

"The fuck you laughing at?" Katsuki growled, his face going pink, causing Izuku to laugh harder. Curling into himself clutching his ribs, tears ran down Izuku's face. "That? That is your H-hero name?" Izuku choked, trying to speak but succumbed to more fits of giggles.

"It's a great name!" Katsuki growled, his hands popping.

"Sure for like a four-year-old!" Izuku tried to wipe the tears from his eyes. "Wait… THAT is the name you came up with when you were four, isn't it!?" Izuku began to laugh harder.

Crossing his arms across his chest, Katsuki tucked his chin and refused to look at the crackling greenette. 'It's  a great fucking name; what the hell does he know? '

It took Izuku a solid five minutes or more to get his giggles under control before wiping his face again. "Okay, Okay, I am sorry. I…It just caught me off guard." Katsuki could see a bit of light return to those jaded eyes, and his anger at being laughed at dissipated slightly.

"But really Kacchan, what child will come up to a h-hero with the word m-murder in their name? We will work on your hero code name for later. But we can use this one now… King? No, too much ego… Explosion or explode? That the name of your quirk, so that's dumb… OH! We can just use the first letters. K-E-M. Call you KEM. Short sweet and using your original hero name?" Izuku looked at Katsuki hopefully.

"KEM? Well, I don't hate it," Katsuki grumbled.  'It's not horrible. And if anyone asks, I can tell them what it stands for and still be a bad ass ' Katsuki smirked. "Alright, what about you?"

"Oh, I have been thinking about mine since we found the posters. Call me Jack!" Izuku chirped happily.

"Jack?"

"Yea, it's short for Jackalope."

"The fuck is a Jackalope?" Katsukis brows creased in confusion.

"It's an antlered jackrabbit. It's some western myth. Many don't think they exist, but they are super cute but dangerous!" Izuku picked at his fingers, "It's in English, so most people won't expect a Japanese runaway to pick an English name, and they are myths, and so many people treat quirkless like we are myths or something to be put down. Like people hunt for Jackalopes… I thought it was fitting…" Katsuki blinked. Surprised at the thought, Izuku put into a stupid code name. But he would admit it was fitting. He always thought Izuku looked like a bunny; many people did, so a mythical rabbit wasn't that far of a stretch.

"Alright. KEM and Jack. Only in public, yea? In private, I'm still calling you Izu." Katsuki grunted, pushing to his feet. "Come one, we are wasting my time."

"Okay!" Izuku smiled, jumping to his feet trotting beside Katsuki. "We should still just keep our sign names the same…."

"No way, Nerd, your new sign name is  rabbit ."

"Really?" Izuku side-eyed Katsuki, who just smirked, signing rabbit over and over again. "Fine, fine Kac- KEM! Darn, that's g-going to take forever to get used to."

"Come on, Jacky!" Katsuki taunted, starting to jog.

"IT'S JACK!" Izuku huffed, running after him.

It was near dawn when they found an abandoned apartment complex. The area was condemned and located near one of the shipping districts. There were very few businesses in the area, and the few that did exist had barred over windows protecting them from theft. Even this late at night, there were still people out on the streets moving in groups. Having people around put both boys on edge, but they never saw a hero or cop in the area, so it matched what they wanted.

Climbing through a broken window, they started to explore the complex. A few apartments they could tell were often used by others for drugs, if the needles meant anything, or just to sleep. They decided to climb higher into the complex, finding an unlocked apartment on the fourth floor. It was far enough away from the heavily used rooms that their presence should be hidden. Opening the door, Katsuki instantly scrunched up his nose. The place was filthy; clearly, whoever lived here last left in a hurry. A thick layer of dust and grime covered everything. There was a molded futon in the bedroom that Katsuki quickly carried out and away to a different floor.

"It's not the best, but I honestly expected worse," Izuku commented as he played around with the utilities. There was still running water, surprisingly, but no electricity. "I wonder if there is electricity still running to the breaker boxes? I might be able to splice into…" Izuku walked off muttering to himself, looking for breaker boxes. As Katsuki kicked all the trash off to one side of the apartment to be dealt with later. ' We can make this work. The door locks from the inside, so one of us just needs to be here at all times or carry what we own with us when we both leave… ' The apartment was a small one-bedroom with an open kitchen and living room. Broken furniture littered the place, but they at least had a table to sit at on. Katsuki made a note to move the busted couch also, not trusting that it didn't have mold or anything living in it.

As the dawn light illuminated the opaque windows of the apartment, Katsuki felt pretty okay for the first time in a week. With the new dawn, a new place to stay, this will be the first step into building their new lives. "Oi Nerd! Bedtime," Katsuki yelled, digging Izuku's blanket out of his bag.

"Oh yea, it's pretty late, huh? Or early…" Izuku mumbled, suppressing a yawn.

Katsuki laid the blanket out on the floor, giving them some sort of protection from the filth for now. Using their backpacks as pillows, they lay near each other once more. Izuku seemed to be out like a light when he laid down, his soft snoring filling the small space. Katsuki stared up into the ceiling. He watched as the room became brighter, reflecting the sunlight. He did not hear people moving around the complex, which was good. It was going to take time for him to get used to sleeping in this place. And even longer to trust it to sleep without at least one hearing aid in. Just as his eyes started to close and his body grew heavy, Izuku shifted in his sleep. Curling into the fetal position tucking his head into Katsuki's ribs. Blinking in surprise, Katsuki just lay his hand on Izuku's shoulder, making them both comfortable. In the past few days, them falling asleep touching had become common. It was that extra sense of mind that allowed them to relax, knowing the other was there with them. With the warmth radiating from Izuku's body, Katsuki also slipped into a deep sleep.  

The boys establish a steady routine for a few weeks after finding the apartment. After taking a few days to clean the place and themselves, they set a plan. They both agreed that Katsuki would have an easier time finding temporary jobs because he was just labeled as a runaway, not a kidnapper, and had a quirk. So in the evenings, Katsuki would bounce between different places, offering to sweep or help close for a bit of food or small amounts of cash. He would then walk the area learning patrol routes of the few heroes in the area as well as where what gangs claimed which area. They wanted to keep a low profile, and Katsuki had enough muscle on his body that he wouldn't be considered easy pickings if people were to try and mug him. It wasn't every night he could pick up a quick job, but he got lucky at least three nights out of most weeks.

One night within the first week of cleaning the apartment, Katsuki found himself trying to memorize different escape paths from the complex. After making a sharp turn down an alley, he spotted a fight taking place at the end of it. Three men were fighting against one. One of the men Katsuki thought was at least as tall as Ass Might, if not taller, and Katsuki thought he was a local drug dealer. The person they were all fighting was a dark-haired man who appeared to be dressed like a hobo. White or cream ribbons were flying all over the place as he used them to propel himself off walls kicking into the other three. The fight was short, effective, but brutal. And Katsuki nope'd out real fast. Turning on his heel, he took cover back around the corner of the building he was beside before trotting off in the opposite direction.  'I am not getting in-between a drug deal gone bad .'

Izuku took to exploring the area during the day. Dumper diving for the most part. Finding old appliances that he would bring 'home' and attempt to fix to be pawned off later. He also met a few orphans in the area and learned some details like when the soup kitchen was open, which gangs tried to recruit children, and who helped them. By having alternating schedules, they rarely left their possessions unguarded, as well as was able to keep watch while the other slept. Preserving Katsuki's hearing aid charges for as long as possible. One night before heading out to find work, Izuku caught Katsuki as he was about to walk out, "Kacchan, be careful out there. The kids were telling me about some new drug that makes people go crazy. So be on guard. Watch out for black tongues? Not sure what they meant with that, but I guess it could be a symptom of the drug use?" Izuku picked at his hands, clearly expecting to be scolded for worrying.

With a frown, Katsuki just nodded his head. "Yea, okay, thanks, Izu. Now lock up and don't leave."

Izuku started using the cheap brush in hair dye to turn his green curls black. The first time he saw himself in the mirror, he complained he looked too much like his father but got over it quickly enough with Katsuki's… encouragement. Katsuki tried to use the brush in dye, but it ended up turning his ash-blond into a grey-green color, causing Izuku to curl on the ground crying with laughter once more. After taking at least four cold showers to wash it out and screaming until he went hoarse, Katsuki just stuck to wearing his ball cap and a facemask.

During his evenings out alone, Katsuki always appeared to be contemplative; he kept a low profile as he was lost in thought. Some nights wandering far from the apartment and some days not speaking more than grunts to Izuku. That feeling of free-falling had not abated with running away like he had thought it would. The world was still shitty, and nothing had changed with them running away. Izuku was at least eating more when Katsuki could force him to eat. Still, Izuku was also hiding things Katsuki could tell. He would almost always wear a hoodie to hide his body; he would also only change out of sight of Katsuki, making him think that Izuku had wounds still from his punishments. And while that worried Katsuki, it was still the jaded look in Izuku's eyes that kept Katsuki on edge. Running away did not fix it, made it better, sure, but what were they to do now? Did Katsuki still want to become a hero? What about Izuku? Could he become one now that his parents called him a kidnapper? All these unknowns caused Katsuki to stew in silence as he mentally continued to free-fall through his shattered worldview.

Katsuki couldn't even bring himself to think about the years' worth of bullying that he had to make up for. He was such a shitty child, and while he saw this now, he didn't have the first clue on how to make up for these things he had done or continue to do better. He was still his crass, brash self, and that would never change. Katsuki would never change who he was at the core, but he wanted his actions to speak for a greater good, not just greed and ego.   

One night, Katsuki scored a hot meal in exchange for doing all the dinner rush dishes from a curry place. The woman named Sugomi was forced to close alone that night and took and much help she could get from Katsuki, loading him up with food and allowing him to pick what curry he had wanted. Walking back to the apartment, his arms loaded with rice, curry, and naan, Katsuki tested the door before attempting their secret knock. It was unlocked, causing him to frown. They never left the door unlocked. He pushed it open immediately on guard. The living room was dark and empty; he put down the food and closed the door making his way to the bedroom where the light of a flashlight could be seen, and soft shuffling could be heard. Nudging open the door with his foot, Katsuki had his hands out, ready to blast any fucker in there. But froze seeing Izuku bare-chested, attempting to wrap bandages around his arm.

"Izu?" Katsuki asked, blinking in awe.

"K-KACCHAN!" Izuku jump hissing in pain as the roll of gauze fell from his hand. "How did you get in? Your home early?!" Izuku looked panicked as he attempted to cover his bare chest.  

Izukus torso was covered in long scars. It appeared that he had been whipped with something like a belt, leaving shiny lashes. All seemed to be healed and none fresh, so these had to be the punishments that Aunty had doled out to him when he broke the rules. The lashes covered his chest and shoulders, covering his arms as well. Katsuki could not see his back but assumed there were more there with as many times as he had seen the Nerd holding his backpack up off his body.

But none of those mattered as he noticed a long lightning-like burn running up his right arm. "Izuku! What the fuck happened to you?" Katsuki asked, moving forward. He knelt down beside the younger, cupping his arm gingerly.

"Ah, it… it's nothing K-Kacchan I can take care of it. How did you get in?" Izuku asked, trying to lean away from Katsuki's touch.

"You left the door unlocked." He growled as he peeled back some of the bandaged areas. "Ah shit," Izuku muttered, chewing on his lip.

"What happened?"

"Well… I got electricity to the apartment" Izuku tried to smile, hiding the pain he was in.

"You electrocuted yourself!?!" Katsuki roared, his anger causing his skin to flush white-hot.

"It was an accident! Look, I am fine! It just hurts a bit." Izuku started to flex his hand and wrist, causing him to hiss in pain.

"It's a burn asshole. Did you wash it?" Katsuki asked, holding his arm still.

"Yea, I took a cold shower to get it to cool down. And put cream on it," Izuku muttered, looking downcast.

"Explain what happened," Katsuki said, picking up the discarded roll of gauze and starting to wrap where Izuku left off.

"Well, the main breaker for the building still has power running to it from the outside. So I could get power to his floor's breaker, but when I tried to run it here, there were no fuses. SO I thought I could splice an extension cord into the mainline and get the power that way. And it worked… It just arced when I first flicked it on, and it caught me. I wasn't holding the wire proper, so it was a short arc, but it left this burn," Izuku grumbled as he watched Katsuki wrap his arm past his elbow. The Lichtenberg burn traveled from the palm of his hand up to his wrist up over his forearm and into the crook of his elbow.

"You fucking idiot. You could have fried yourself. Why where you working on that alone?" Katsuki growled, tucking the last length of the wrap.

"I was trying to surprise you. We can now charge your hearing aids." Izuku tried to smile, but it was a soft, sad one. "I'm sorry, Kacchan."

"Tsk, you…good job getting power, but don't do dangerous shit like this when you're alone! I don't want to walk into his place having it smelling like a fried rabbit."

"HEY! That's mean," Izuku pouted but clearly relived that Katsuki wasn't yelling at him anymore.

"Come on, Nerd, I brought some food back. Let's eat while it's still warm." Katsuki pushed to his feet, making a point to not comment on Izu's scars. Now that Katsuki knew he didn't have damage other than the new burn, he would let the Nerd come to him when he felt comfortable to talk about them. Katsuki will continue to ignore all that emotional bullshit until it became necessary. Walking back into the dark living room, Izuku trailed behind after pulling on a T-shirt, attempting to keep the burned arm cool, and bringing the flashlight with him. It illuminated the room just enough for them to eat. ' We need to get some candles or something,'  Katsuki thought to himself.  

After dolling out the food, Katsuki couldn't help but squint at Izuku. "Since when do you know all this technical shit? First, you start tearing apart appliances now your hot wiring fucking breaker boxes." Katsuki growled.

"OH… well, it's just a hobby. If I broke anything at the house, we couldn't afford to replace it, so I had to fix it or get punished. I learned pretty quickly. There are many books in the library about similar topics and the internet as to how to videos. Once you get the idea of it really, you can fix or build most things." Izuku said, gulping down water. "Did you have to get the super spicy curry?" Izuku whimpered, breathing heavily, shoving naan into his mouth.

With a wolfish grin, Katsuki took a massive bite of his own spicy curry before replying, "Beggars can't be choosers."

Chapter Text

Katsuki loved heights. He loved standing on the top of high buildings looking down at the streets below, feeling like a king overlooking a kingdom. He also loved using his explosions to make it atop buildings with one burst. In the early evenings, before the sun had gone down, Katsuki had started training with his quirk in abandoned warehouses along the port edge. He took the notebook Izuku wrote with him every time, studying the notes and seeing if his theories did work. Finally, after a few incidents of his face meeting old rusted walls, Katsuki figured out he could fly. That night was the first time in over six months that Katsuki felt absolute joy.

He knew he had to keep his practicing to a minimum, or else someone would complain about illegal quirk use. Still, every chance he felt comfortable enough to do it, he would fly across the roofs of the old buildings. Sometimes turning it more into parkour than just explosion flying, he still felt on top of the world. Everything was within his control here. If he fell, it's because he fucked up and didn't pay attention, no one else to blame or rely on. With the wind whipping across his face, his arms locked behind him deliciously sore, Katsuki felt alive.

Summer had set in properly, and it was becoming more and more challenging to get work. All the shops in the area were small family-owned businesses. Now that children were off school or back for the holidays, Katsuki couldn't sneak any work in. Rolling and stretching his wrists, he mentally calculated how much food versus how much money they had stashed away. Izuku had gotten lucky and pawned a few toaster ovens and other electronics he was able to fix. But, he had picked the area clean of anything that could be repaired, and now he spent his time just tinkering. But still, they were going to be dangerously low on supplies soon, and that's with Izu still skipping meals, much to Katsuki's annoyance.

It was still early for him, but he was walking back to the apartment when he heard a feminine voice shout, "Get off me!"

With a sharp exhale through his nose Katsuki pulled up his mask before walking into the alley the voice echoed from.  'What the hell am I doing?'

A girl, probably around his age and shorter than him with purple hair, was pinned against a wall. Two goons seemed to be hovering over her, one holding her wrists above her head while the other stood back and sneered, "Oh come on, little lady, we just wanted to chat, but you were so rude." The man was a beaked nosed cretin in Katsuki's opinion, he couldn't tell what the man's quirk was by just looking, but his boney gaunt frame spoke of long periods without food.

"And I said let me go, I have nothing to say to you" The girl kicked out with her legs attempting to land a hit on the bigger guy who was holding her. He blocked her kicks easily and chucked with a deep raspy tone, "You got some fight in you, huh girly?" This man was built, but not in a healthy way. He had the height and muscle, but his skin was yellowish and clearly spoke of illness. Spines seemed to protrude from his skin along his arms, giving him an almost dinosaur-like look.

"Look, we are all friends here; we just wanted to hear some of your music," the skinny one leered. "Or well… at least make you sing for us," he chucked, causing Katsuki's stomach to roll with nausea.

"Oi Fuck heads!? What the hell do you think you are doing?" He growled out as he walked closer. The purple-haired girl looked at him, her dark black eyes locking in on his crimson as they filled with pleading.

"The fuck do you want, kid?" Beak nose growled at him, "Can't you see we are in the middle of something? Fuck off."

"Yea, something like pestering a girl who wants nothing to do with you," Katsuki growled back, his voice sounding slightly deeper thanks to the medical mask. He tried to appear relaxed, but really his mind was racing,  'Fuck, what do I do? I can take them both but fuck, what about her? Will she run? Will she call the cops? Fuck… no, maybe try to talk? Shit. My wrists are already sore from before. I can't overdo it here.'

"Look, Blondie, this doesn't concern you. I have seen your face around here. You're new, you and that black-haired midget, but you don't cause trouble, you keep your head down, and so we have left you alone. Keep that up, and you might survive to see High school, now get lost" Beak nose took two steps forward. Spines still had the purple-haired girl by the wrist but watched the interaction between Katsuki and his friend.

Katsuki looked away from the nose freak back at the girl; now that he was closer, it looked like her earlobes were extended? Something like that, but she looked like she was more pissed off than scared at his point.  'Maybe she will fight back if given the shot.' 

Katsuki knew this was stupid, but he had to try it. He had no clue why he was even doing this; all he knew was it wasn't right what these freaks were doing. However, beak nose seemed to know his shit, especially if he knew about Izu in the area. So Katsuki figured this was the moment he needed to prove that they were not to be fucked with. Taking another deep break, he made a show of reaching up and turning off his hearing aids. The girl's eyes widened as she mapped his every movement. Her ears twitched when she realized what he had done.

Katsuki would never admit it, but he liked being mostly deaf. Sure, things sounded distorted and underwater when he had no aids or on, but it was comfortable, just him and his thoughts. That was until he realized he was about to get into a fight deaf, but he really couldn't afford to blow out these aids. Beaky seemed pissed that he was being ignored; walking up into Katsuki's personal space, he poked him in the chest, trying to get the younger to stumble. Katsuki, in return, reached up with both arms, almost like he was about to give this creep a hug. The man pulled a confused disgusted face as Katsuki positioning his hands so that they were just behind Beaky's head and let loose a medium explosion.

The concussive force caused the building beside them to shudder and Spines to momentarily drop Ears wrists in shock. Beaky, however, was howling in pain, even if Katsuki couldn't hear it as he gripped his head and staggered around, disoriented. This was another move Izu had thought up. By positioning his hands beyond the ears on each side of the head, it could cause someone to become dizzy, lose hearing, maybe even become sick. On the other hand, if he shifted his hands to just beside the ears, the same thing would happen and permanent damage to hearing. Katsuki knew this guy couldn't afford any real medical problems. Hence, he took the kinder route of barotrauma over real sound waves rupturing his ear.

Katsuki reeled back and kicked Beaky in the chest, sending him sprawling to the ground, still clutching his ears. Then, as Katsuki turned to address Spines, he watched as the muscular man freeze up as if electrocuted. Collapsing as well, revealing Ears standing behind him with her ear lobes? Pointed at the guy. Katsuki flicked back on his aids and motioned for the girl to follow him.

"One second!" she gasped as she ran deeper into the alley for a moment but quickly came running back with what appeared to be a guitar case in her arms. They both took off at a jog, getting farther and farther from the two men who lay incapacitated. What the two didn't see in their haste was a shadow of a man perched on the edge of a building watching the entire encounter.

After getting a few blocks away, they slowed to a walk, Ears breathing hard as she caught her breath, clearly not used to running. "Th-Thanks for that," she spoke while gasping for air. "Really, I knew I could deal with one of them, but not two."

"Tsk, yea, you're welcome, I guess," Katsuki grunted, rubbing the back of his head. "You don't look like you're from around here; why are you walking alone?"  

"The same could be said about you." She responded, shifting the case from one arm to the other. "I was in the area playing a gig. A friend of mine, their family, owns a coffee shop. They wanted music, and I need the cash, so win-win. It just got dark a lot faster than I expected."  

Katsuki grumbled to himself under his breath. He could understand needing the cash, and he wasn't sexist by any means, but she still should have had someone with her to back her up. "Where do you live?"

"Hah? Like I would trade one creep for another," Ears growled at him, taking a step away.

"I'm not going to fucking hurt you. Fuck. I only asked because I'll walk you to the train station if that's where you need to go or home if it's close enough." Katsuki growled back, rolling his eyes. "Nothing against you, but I ain't doing anything else, and at least this way, I know you're at least safe from this area."

Ears narrowed her eyes at him. "Why do you care?"

"Who the fuck says I care? Hah? I just hate people who won't help others when they can. So here I fucking am. I am able to help, so let me fucking help."

"That's a strange way of saying you care." She snorted but smiled softly. "Train station, please; I could walk home, but it's faster by train, and I don't want to carry this the whole way." She said, indicating her guitar case.

Katsuki grunted in acknowledgment and started a comfortable pace towards the station. After a few blocks, however, clearly, Ears' curiosity got the better of her. "So, like I said, you don't look like you belong in this part of the city either; how did you end up here?"

"It's a long ongoing story that's none of your damn business, Ears," Katsuki grunted, pulling at his ball cap.  

"Ears?" She frowned. "My name is Jiro."

"Don't care, you are Ears in my book now," Katsuki smirked though it was hidden behind the mask.

"What's your name?" She asked, looking at him.

"…. You can call me KEM."

"KEM? Is that like your vigilante name?"

"The fuck? No! It's just what I go by. I am not some damn vigilante.” Katsuki growled, dragging his feet.

"Well, isn't what you just did to help me vigilantism?" Jiro asked curiously.

"Why the fuck do we have to label everything anyone does? You needed help. I could help, so I did. We barely hurt those guys, taught them a lesson, everyone goes their separate ways. Fuck this labeling shit. Not everyone fits into a box." Katsuki growled as his mind raced. He really had not thought about his opinion on heroes, vigilantes, and villains recently, but saying it out loud made all his jumbled thoughts make sense. People try to label and box away everyone and everything, putting it in its place and never allowing change. He realized he used to be like that too, thinking people were a class below him, that he was in a special box when really it was just an echo chamber.  

"Hmmm, I guess you're right. Never really thought of it that way." Jiro looked lost in thought as one of her ear jacks poked at her lip. "Well, whatever you want to call it, and this, thank you."

Katsuki grunted in reply once more, and they slipped into a comfortable silence. It took about forty minutes to get to the station, but the closer they got to it, the more populated the streets became and more well-lit. By the time he stopped at the doors of the station, Katsuki felt comfortable leaving her.

"Get home safe," he growled, sounding like a demand.

"Yea, I am good now. See you around KEM. Best of luck in your long ongoing story." She snickered as she headed to the doors.

"Yea, see you around, Ears."

By the time Katsuki made it back towards the apartment complex, it was pretty late. Katsuki may or may not have chosen to take a long way back, circling around to see if the numbskulls were still crying on the ground, but found the alley empty. Katsuki was starting to love the city at night for someone who was rigorous about getting enough sleep. It wasn't ungodly hot, fewer crowds allowing him to hear better, and he felt like he could think. Kicking a pebble down the walk is couldn't help but smirk. He was glad he could help Ears. She didn't need a hotshot hero or lazy ass cop. Just fucking basic human decency, the kind of decency, that for a hero-based society, is sorely lacking.

Katsuki always felt kind of bad coming back this late. Izuku should be asleep by this time of night, but since they had a system, the greenette had to wake up to open the door for him.  'If the nerd isn't asleep yet, I'm going to kick his ass.'  Katsuki really couldn't wrap his mind around the fact Izu slept and ate so little. Back in school, he claimed he slept when hungry, but Katsuki guessed now that Izu was being force-fed meals more often he had more energy?

Getting to the apartment, he did their particular knock kick bullshit that Izuku came up with and waited for the nerd to unlock the door. What Katsuki didn't expect was for the door to be ripped open with Izu looking crazy-eyed with a huge smile, clearly wide awake.

"The fuck is up with you? Why were you not sleeping?" Katsuki walked into the dimly lit apartment. Somehow Izu had found an old set of fairy lights that he could fix, giving them enough light to work with in the living room.

"Kacchan! You're back late? But quick come here!" Izu grabbed his wrist, pulling him forward into the room. Katsuki used his foot to kick the door closed behind them.

"Chill the fuck out, Nerd," Kastuki grunted as Izuku forced him to sit at the table facing away from the kitchen.

"Close your eyes and stay right here!" Izuku demanded.

"HUH? What the hell, Izu?"

"OH, please come on, just do it! I have a surprise for you." Izuku pouted, bouncing on his toes.

"Fine, but then we are going to sleep. I am beat" Katsuki closed his eyes and laid his head down on the table.

"Yea, ok, stay there and no p-peaking!"

Katsuki listened as Izuku padded his way into the kitchen. The extension cord that Izu so stupidly sliced into the breaker box was propped against the counter there. It was nice that they had some sort of power now, even if only two plugs.

"Oi, you better not have gotten hurt again, Izu," Katsuki growled into the table, keeping his eyes shut.

"Nope, not this time," Izu chimed, popping the p.

Whatever it was that Izuku was doing, he wasn't being quick about it. Eventually, Katsuki felt his body get heavy as he started to doze off. But just as he was about to fall asleep, Izuku's hand was on his shoulder.

"Kacchan, here but keep your eyes closed at first and take a little sip" Izuku placed a cup in Katsuki's hand. Frowning, Katsuki couldn't help but sniff it, and hot steam tickled his nose.  'The fuck is this steam? Wait, STEAM?!' Katsuki's  eyes shot open as he was looking into a cup of hot tea. Blinking, he looked from the tea, which by this point started to warm his hands, to Izu, back to the tea. "But how?"

Izuku smiled brightly. "I found a kettle and fixed it! We have hot water now!" Izu sat beside him with his own mug of tea. Calling it a mug was being generous as it was the plastic bottom of an old food container. "If we are careful, we can use hot water to wash with now."

"Holy Shit, I never thought I would be this excited for god damn hot water, but this is amazing" Katsuki smirked as he took a long sip of his tea. The only hot food they have had was whatever he could bring back with him if it didn't cool down by the time they got to it. Otherwise, they have been just using cold water to make meals like oatmeal and such. Feeling the hot tea slide its way through his body, heating his core, felt amazing and did wonders in helping him relax.

"Yea, I was amazed when I found the kettle. It really only had a loose switch, too, so it was an easy fix." Izuku yawned his own tea, helping him relax.

"Good Job, Nerd, but why the fuck are you still up? We need sleep." Katsuki growled, finishing off his drink. "Come on, Bed" Katsuki made his way into their bedroom. Izuku followed behind after unplugging the lights.

"Shit … aids," Katsuki growled to himself as he turned them off and set them up to charge. Katsuki still didn't trust this area enough to always sleep without them on if they were both asleep. Still, he knew the batteries were getting low, and after picking a fight with them turned off, then he guessed he could go the morning sleeping without them in.

Izuku was already curled up on their blanket when he got back into the room. He had finally gotten comfortable enough to sleep in a t-shirt around Katsuki. Katsuki figured it was because he never commented on the scars. Hence, Izu took it as a sign he wouldn't be interrogated about them and relaxed a bit.  'At least the nerd isn't roasting himself to death anymore… I wonder how the burn is healing.'  But Katsuki couldn't see it due to the bandage Izu still wore on it,  'Fuck… we might need more first aid supplies, maybe we have less money for food than I thought.'

But that was a problem for future Katsuki as he plopped down onto the blanket using one of his hoodies as a pillow. Izuku rolled over to face him and signed, " Good Night… well, Good Morning, but sleep well." Katsuki smirked before closing his eyes.  

Did I mention how much Katsuki loves being up high on tall things? Because he does, so much so that he has now perched himself atop one of the tallest buildings in the area, watching a storm roll in from the sea. A cold salt air filled his lungs as he watched lightning dance with the setting sun for dominance in the sky. It was a large storm cell, but other than a bit of rain and rough surf, Katsuki didn't expect the worst of the storm to hit near them.  'Not going to be out late tonight; I refuse to catch a cold.'  He thought to himself as he swung his legs over the edge. Street lights were just starting to flick on like fireflies in the distance, fighting against the growing shadows.

Gravel crunched behind, causing Katsuki to jump in his own skin, spinning his hands were out ready to blast anyone approaching.

"Easy kid, I'm not here to hurt you. What are you doing up here?" A taller man with long black hair stood a few meters away with his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his black jumpsuit. A long cream-colored scarf hung around his neck, hiding his lower mouth and chin. A set of yellow goggles were perched on his head, pushing his hair back out of his face.

"What's it to you, Hobo?" Katsuki growled, not lowering his hands. The man sighed as he reached up and rubbed his face. He looked like he had not slept in months with as deep as his eye bags were.  'Fuck, mom would have a heart attack seeing those eye bags….'

"Well, you are standing where I normally sit, and I have never seen you up here before, so it's only logical that I ask, what are you doing?"

Katsuki frowned as he lowered one hand. He was pissed that he was caught without his mask on. Sure the cap was on his head, and the growing shadows will help hide who he was, but he didn't think he would run into anyone up this high to need the mask.

"I'm just watching the storm," Katsuki growled as thunder punctuated his point in the background.

"Yea, it does look like a good one rolling in, huh?" The man's eyes shifted from Katsuki's to look over his shoulder. "How did you get up here?"

"Don't fucking worry about it; I got up, and I can get down just fine."

The man just merely raised an eyebrow at that. "Well, it's a good thing you know how to fly around with those explosions of yours." The man huffed, clearly indifferent to Katsuki's brash tone.

"The fuck you talking about hobo? You been stalking me or some shit?" Katsuki growled, taking a step away to the side.

"I have seen you around, looking for work, and recently training your quirk in the old industrial area. So no, I am not stalking you. You just happen to be out at night when I patrol." The man shifted to the side, deciding to sit at the edge of the building, looking out at the city.

 "Patrol? What are you some Vigilante or some shit?"

 "Yea, some shit like that," the man chuckled dryly.

 "Wait, I think I have seen you; you were in the drug deal gone bad a few weeks back?" Katsuki asked, finally recognizing that scarf.

 "Yea, it was something like that. Trigger has been getting worse here; that's why I moved my patrol over to this area."

 "Trigger? Is that the black tongue shit?" Katsuki started to relax slightly. Clearly, if this guy wanted to hurt him, he would have done so already.

 "What do you know about it?" the man asked, looking at him again with a sharp, calculating gaze.

 "Not much. I was just told to look out for assholes with black tongues." Katsuki shrugged. "I'm not getting into that bullshit."

 "Smart kid, but yes, it's called trigger. It makes your quirk stronger, but you go haywire as well. Highly addictive." The man turned back toward the storm. "What's your name?"

 "Why the fuck should I tell you? So you can run to the cops to rat me out for quirk use?" Katsuki growled.

 "I could have done that a week ago when I first saw you smash headfirst into the side of that building." The man smirked at him knowingly.

Katsuki's face and ears reddened as he looked away with a huff.

"I also saw how you helped that girl last night. You have great control of a highly destructive quirk; it's impressive, to say the least."

 "You really are just a fucking stalker, huh? And what do you mean you could have done it back then? Why didn't you?" Katsuki crossed his arms over his chest. The wind was starting to pick up now; it would soon be dangerous to be up this high.

"There are worse crimes than trying to learn the tools you were born with, kid." The man responded as he pushed up onto his feet once more. "You said you can get down. I will trust that. In the future, call me Eraser; it's going to get dangerous up here soon. I'll see you around, kid." And without any warning, the man turned and leaped out over the edge, landing with a roll onto the next building over. Katsuki trotted over to the edge, watching the man parkour his way down to street level. He was clearly an expert, and his moves here clean with no wasted energy.

'Ok, that was cool…Maybe I'll ask Izu if he knows a vigilante by the name of Eraser? That's a stupid fucking name. Might as well call himself Hobo Man." 

Chapter Text

Katsuki ended up running into that Eraser guy a few more times in the following days. Primarily by seeing the man take down thugs, but once they both found themselves on that rooftop overlooking the city. The cool, clean ocean air keeping the worst of the heat away as they sat a few meters apart, watching the nightlife awaken from the shadows.

"So why are you training your quirk?" The hobo asked out of the blue. They had been just sitting enjoying a comfortable silence before the black-haired man had to open his mouth.

 "Does it matter? Like you said, just knowing what tools I fucking have." Katsuki growled.

"That's logical. I was expecting you to say you want to become a hero or something like that." The man hummed, not looking at him.

 "Hah? What gave you that idea? Not sure if you have noticed this place is a shit hole, I would rather be prepared than not." Katsuki didn't know if he wanted to be pissed at the assumption or annoyed that the man figured that's all someone his age would want to be. He did want to be one, that's fair, but he wasn't sure anymore.  'Being prepared also means I can protect Izu if it comes down to it.'

"Strong quirk, young kid, mostly level head on your shoulders from what I can tell. It's not that big of a leap." He said deadpan, still not looking at him.

 "Yea, well, heroes are not all that they are cracked up to be," Katsuki grumbled to himself mainly, but it was clear the man heard it over the breeze.

"You sound like you speak from experience." He stated, and an eyebrow hitched in interest.

"Yea, something like that. Anyway, thanks to my 'powerful' quirk, I will be fully deaf before the age of eighteen. Not many fucking deaf heroes out there." Katsuki looked out over the now dark city. He would never admit it, but as much as he enjoyed his deafness from time to time, he always wondered, that little voice of doubt, saying he couldn't be a deaf hero.

 "They make support items for that. I'm sure if you put your mind to it, you could do it. Also, while it's not broadcasted, it's not unknown to the public that Present Mic is partially deaf from his quirk as well." The man answered as if that was the easiest answer in the world.

'I'm not even sold; I want to put my mind to it anymore. What would be the point if I become a puppet for the public, not actually doing the job, just doing like everyone else. Though… If Present Mic can do it deaf….'  Katsuki thought to himself but didn't respond to Eraser. They slipped back into a comfortable silence, and Katsuki couldn't help but study the man out of the corner of his eye.

It was clear the man had muscle; he was built even though he hid it with the jumpsuit. The few times Katsuki saw his fights, that scarf was used not only as a mobility aid but a capture tool as well. Katsuki frowned as he realized he had never seen the man use a quirk.

 "Oi, what's your fucking quirk?" he asked, looking at the man proper.

 "I can temporarily erase someone else's quirk by staring at them." He responded with ease.

"So you make them quirkless?" Katsuki asked, surprised,  'Izu would be asking a million and one questions to this guy.'

 "All but mutant types. But it only lasts while I stare at them. When I blink, it comes back." Eraser said, looking at Katsuki with an inquisitive look. "It's not a flashy quirk, but it gets the job done."

Katsuki couldn't help but look away, thinking for the moment. "That's why your fights are so fast. You take them off guard and get the upper hand quickly." Katsuki stated, looking back at him. Eraser had a weird gleam in his eye as he nodded. "Surprise tactics are my specialty."

 "What does it feel like?" Katsuki asked, curious but terrified to know what Izuku felt every day of his life.

 "Can you create small explosions?" Katsuki just rolled his eyes and began to let small poppers off in his hands. Suddenly it stopped; a deep-seated hollowness settled in his chest as he tried to heat his hands to activate his quirk. He could feel the sweat sitting there, but nothing would happen. It was like calling on a phantom limb. Blinking in surprise, he looked over at Eraser; the man's hair was standing on end as his eyes had turned from black to a bright red similar to Katsuki's. Within a few seconds, he blinked, and with a rush, Katsuki could feel his quirk just dormant under his skin once again.

 "Fuck… That sucked." Katsuki muttered to himself, flexing his hands.  'I wonder if Izu feels that hollow. Maybe not since he never had a quirk for there to be a hole. But still, I felt so powerless for that short while. Fuck I am such an asshole.'

Katsuki must have sat there thinking to himself longer than he thought because he returned to his surroundings as Eraser stood up to move on from their perch.

"Take it, easy, Kid. Don't do anything stupid out there." Eraser started to talk off.

"KEM"

 "Huh?"

 "You can call me KEM. Not kid."

Eraser paused, looking over his shoulder before nodding once and taking his usual leap down to ground level.

They were officially out of food and money. Well, they had a little bit of an emergency stash of cash hidden away, but they didn't want to touch that for food. Pacing the apartment, Katsuki tried to think of ways to get some grub. Izu sat at the table, picking at his lip, his other handwriting something in one of his notebooks.

 "What about recycling?" Izuku asked out of the blue, causing Katsuki to pause his pacing.

 "We can't eat recycling, Izu," Katsuki growled.

 "No, like what if we walked around trying to find recyclables and turned them in for cash?" Izuku turned to face him. "I mean, that's what the young kids on the street around here mostly do, so we would have to leave the area to find some, but it could work. And if we go out together, we can carry more for longer."

 "Hmmm, but we would have to bring our stuff with us. I don't trust this place with us gone."

"We can bring the valuable stuff, but we can hide the big things like the blanket here. Then at worst, we only lose a little of our stuff." Izuku hummed, looking around as if to spot a good hiding place.

Katsuki resumed his pacing and pulled at his hair a little. "If only I had found a real fucking job." He growled, feeling guilty. He was the one who could get them work, and yet here they were. No food, No money, luckily they had water and whatever was left in the tin of tea Izu had gotten. It was his idea to run off; now, it was his job to make sure they survived!

"Kacchan, stop its ok. We are in this together; we can figure it out. I ran out of things to pawn, so it's my fault too. Well, I mean… I c-could pawn off the kettle… But we just s-started to enjoy the hot water." Izu frowned, looking at the kettle like it insulted him.

"No, we are keeping that!" Katsuki snapped before rubbing his hand down his face. "Fine… fine. Let's hide some of this shit and get a move on, we already wasted most of the day, so I doubt we will find much with that little daylight we have left."

After quickly hiding what they could and packing up their backpacks, they headed out onto the street. Katsuki wore his everyday get-up of a hat and mask. Izu wore another sweatshirt with his hood up and a medical mask. They decided to walk towards a more extensive shopping area not too far from their own warehouse district. Just as the sun was starting to cast long shadows, Katsuki caught movement out of the corner of his eye as a long-haired black blob crossed over an ally atop the roofs.  'Eraser is out early.'  Katsuki thought to himself.

 "Oi, you know anything about a vigilante named Eraser?" Katsuki asked, looking down at Izu.

 "Villante? Hmmm…. No, not that I know of… m-maybe describe them?" Izu asked, looking back up at Katsuki. Izuku's eyes were much better nowadays. They still held that dark hooded look to them as it was started to become clear that that wasn't going away anytime soon, but they held a light again. Clearly, having the freedom to do what he enjoyed without punishment and putdowns helped ease some of the tension in him.

"Taller, black hair, weird scarf, yellow googles. Only works at night" Katsuki shrugged. "Looks like a hobo, really."

 "Wait?! A scarf like a capture tool? That's not a vigilante! That's the pro-hero Eraserhead!" Izuku exclaimed, bouncing on his toes.

 "HAH?"  'WHAT THE FUCK? Have I been talking with a god damn pro this entire time?!?'

 "Yea, he is an underground hero! He doesn't do media or any fan stuff. He doesn't even have merch. No videos of him online either. I looked him up once; I thought he was pretty c-cool. He can erase other people's quirks, but that also means he fights quirkless. I thought… well along time ago he was one of the ones I really liked."

"You don't like him anymore?" Katsuki asked, a pit forming in his gut as a chill ran down his spine.  'Fuck did I fuck up already?'

"Oh no, he is still really cool… it's just…. I don't know how I feel about heroes at all anymore. A-after All Might…. But I shouldn't let one bad experience dictate how I react to others." Izuku dropped his gaze to his feet as they walked.

 "Hey, it's ok to be critical of heroes. I mean, they didn't do shit to help you. No one would blame you." Katsuki spoke softly. "Fuck I am pretty pissed off at them myself."

 "Yea and I guess I am still just processing. I-I still like them; it just feels like the saying don't meet your idols was true. Like the w-wool has been removed from my eyes. Now all I see is how Heroes should be doing their job b-better. Using their gifts and quirks better." Izu began to pick at his fingers. "That's why I wrote the n-notebook for you. Because you are amazing, b-but some things can help you be so much better."

Katsuki stopped walking, grabbing Izuku's shoulder forcing him to turn and face him. "I never properly thanked you for that. I know… well, I can imagine how hard it was for you to write that while in pain. It has helped me."

Tears began to well up in Izuku's eyes as Katsuki could tell he was smiling under the mask. "It's ok, Ka-EM! Really I owe you so much; you don't need to thank me." He wiped at his eyes, chuckling. "Almost slipped up there."

"You don't owe me shit, Nerd. Now come on, it's getting late." Katsuki started to walk away.

 "Wait! Did you really meet Eraserhead?!" Izu called out, trotting behind him.

 "I saw him take down some drug dealers one night."  'I can't tell him I was talking with him. And I definitely don't trust the hobo now. Why didn't he tell me he was a pro? That fucking sneaky shit. I bet that fucker has been laughing it up at me…. Well… At least I don't think he knows who I really am. At least he better not… Ill fucking blast his ass next time I see him.'  Katsuki simmered as they approached the shopping district.

They spend a few hours walking around picking up recyclables. Japan was a naturally clean country to start with, so finding any bottles and cans was actually tricky. They only managed to fill one of their backpacks. Turning the corner, Katsuki debated finding a blood bank or something to maybe get paid for donating when they both heard music echoing down the street. Looking ahead, a small crowd huddled near a street musician. A collection basket was placed out front as people cheered the guy on.

 "He is playing pre-quirk music," Izu whispered next to Katsuki, his eyes wide and staring at the scene in front of him. Katsuki could almost smell the smoke coming out of Izu's ears as his mind raced.

 "Yea, what about it?" Katsuki asked, looking back at the crowds.

 "KEM, hold my bag for me I have an idea!" Izu shoved his backpack into Katsuki's arms before running off, holding what appeared to be a tin can.

 "What the fuck Jack?!" Katsuki growled, following behind much slower, juggling the backpack. It was between songs at this point, and Izu positioned himself a handful of meters away from the musician. No one but Katsuki paid Izu much mind. With his hood up and mask on, he was a nobody in the crowd. Until the next song started up, and Izuku began to dance.

And then Katsuki couldn't pull his eyes away. Izuku's small thin frame swayed with the music, moving boldly with the beat, his body flexing as eyes started to drift his way. Izuku was good, but it was clear he had no training, just pure natural skill. He hesitated when he went for big moves; he kept his eyes down and mostly closed, trying to not see the crowd that had shifted towards him as well. The musician saw him dancing and smirked; the next song he played was faster, more upbeat, clearly a challenge to Izu to see if he could keep up. And Izuku rose to that challenge. Katsuki could tell he was smiling under the mask as he became more confident in his moves with this song. This was a song that he knew and had danced to before.

'He did say he pretended to dance to that music at the library. He does more than pretend. Fuck he is good…'  Katsuki physically couldn't take his eyes off him, as Izuku appeared to be in his own world, just like he used to do at the library. Clearly, the crowd felt the same as the tink of small coins hitting the can could be heard here and there. Larger bills went to the musician, but people didn't forget Izuku's performance either. Izuku stayed and danced until the musician was done. Sweat ran down his face as he began to soak the back of his hoodie. After polite applause from the crowd, everyone dispersed as Izu sat down hard onto the sidewalk panting.

 "W-water…p-please" he made grabby hands towards Katsuki, who approached him.

 "Should have taken a break, dumbass." He growled before handing over a water bottle. Taking the bottle, Izuku tipped his head back, chugging, thin streams of water poured from the corners of his mouth down his neck as his Adam's apple bobbed with each gulp. As Izuku guzzled down the bottle, Katsuki looked into the can, surprised to see it half full of yen. A few bills peeked out around the coins. If they were smart, they could buy enough food for a few days with this.

 "Hey, Kid, your pretty damn good for an amateur," the musician stated, walking over. He was a teenager like them but around 18 or 19. 

"First time busking?"

"W-Whats busking?" Izuku asked, leaning his head back against the building.

 "HA! What you just did, kid. Normally people would get shitty about you cutting into their space; not everyone is as nice as us. But you did good."

"Us? I only see you fucker." Katsuki growled.

"That's because you didn't see me." A voice whispered in Katsuki's ear, causing the blond to jump. With a snarl, Katuki spun his hands, already crackling as a girl as short as Izu danced away giggling.

"Easy there, firecracker!" she giggled in a high-pitched voice as she skipped over to hang on the musician. "It's easier to busk when you have a team. He makes good money with the handouts. But I make the real cash." She reached into her dress pocket and pulled out two full money clips.

"You steal from them?!" Izu exclaimed, pushing off the ground.

"Shhhhh, Not everyone. Only those who can afford to lose a clip. Never cards either. Don't want to leave anyone in a bind."

 "Ethical robbery then?" Katsuki growled, the hair on his neck still standing on edge from her sneaking upon him.

 "Something like that. Since you two appear to be a team, it would be a good gig for you. Just don't do it around us, and don't get caught." She giggled.

"Yea, I know it's not the most ethical thing, but really it's almost impossible to make a living as a musician only. And if we do this two to four times a week, we are at least secure in having food and paying our bills. Barley… But hey kids, best of luck to you!" And the musician ducked down and shoved a few bills into Izuku's tin.

 "Hah? We don't need your fucking pity!" Katsuki snarled.

"Not pity, Kid. We know that it's like starting out. And your friend here can dance. It's rare to see someone who likes pre-quirk music, let alone knows how to dance to it." The musician smiled again before saluting, walking arm in arm with the sneak thief woman.

 "Thank you!" Izuku called out as they walked away. "I kinda expected him to be mad that I jumped in like that," Izu muttered, picking up the can.

 "He did say others would be pissy about it," Katsuki grunted as he started to hand back Izuku's backpack.

"Yea, but hey, look, we have enough here to get food for the week if we get instant noodles and stuff." Izuku shook the can lightly before packing it away.  'Yay, shit food….'

 "Yea, good job, Nerd. Maybe if we ever make it, we will get you dance lessons for real." Katsuki nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets.

 "You saying my dancing was bad?" Izuku asked fake hurt.

 "Well, I sure as shit ain't calling it great," Katsuki growled, the tips of his ears turning red as he stormed his way down the street, Izuku's giggling following them.

They ended up stretching out the money for a week and a half of two meals a day between the two of them. Izuku got lucky and fixed a microwave this time to pawn off, giving them a little extra, but soon it was clear that they needed to make more money again soon.

 "Maybe we should try the busking thing?" Izuku muttered as he poked around a broken Bluetooth stereo. "I mean, if I can get this fixed, we have your phone. We will just have to make sure we are in an area you can get internet, or use what music you already have…but you listen to more rock. That's harder to dance to." Izuku chewed on his lip.

 "Yea, that could work, but are you wanting to do the other half of the busking?" Katsuki grunted from his position laying on the floor half under the table.

 "The other half? Oh… the-the stealing?" Izuku whispered, the last part looking downcast. "I don't know, Kacchan. If we did, we could make more money quickly with less work. But I don't feel 100% right doing it…."

 "Yeah, well, you would be dancing anyway, not doing the pickpocketing," Katsuki growled as an image of him grabbing the cash out of his father's wallet on the way out that first night popped into the front of his mind. "Look, I am not completely comfortable doing it either, but I have taken money from my parents before. If a person is an asshole, I wouldn't feel guilty about nicking some cash off them. But I wouldn't do it a lot." Katsuki pushed the sinking feeling out of his head.  'We are just doing this to survive, not like we have any other option.'

"Yea, I guess so… But give me two more days to see if I can get this working. And see if maybe you can find some work. We will leave it as a l-last resort," Izuku said, turning back to the busted speaker in his hands.

Turned out four days later, Katsuki and Izuku were in the next town over busking for money. Izuku set up near the train station, his music loud enough to catch people's attention but not so loud that people would complain. Katsuki sat across the street, watching the crowds. He had bought a drink that he nursed throughout the day to make it seem like he was just enjoying the show like everyone else. The first day, he couldn't work up the nerve to attempt to do anything. Izuku pretended to be deaf when people would ask for his name or stage name. Many people were confused when he started to move his hands wildly. Still, it was a good way for them to communicate, Katsuki being able to read what he was saying if he ever asked for help.

On the second and third days, however, Katsuki was able to grab two money clips. Neither of them full, but their owners had stoic businessmen who made rude gestures towards Izuku, giving Katsuki all the fuel he needed to push away any guilt. They were probably so rich they didn't even realize the money was gone. They do this off and on a few more times. Katsuki knew Izuku's birthday was coming up. Even though they were just trying to survive, Katsuki wanted to do something for him.  'Who knows when the last time Izuku even got to celebrate his birthday….'   

Katsuki also had not seen Eraser in person over this time. He avoided the top of the building where they met the most, but some nights Katsuki would catch a glimpse of him fighting and promptly walk away. He wasn't sure if it was the fact that the man was a pro-hero and didn't fucking tell him that kept Katsuki away or the guilt of his busking escapades. Either way, he avoided the man for the time being.  'Not like I need to fucking check-in with the nosey shit. He probably just talked to me that fight night because he wanted to see if I had any information on that drug. Typical fucking hero, getting someone else to do the job.'

In this time, Katsuki also helped two other people escape muggings unharmed. He didn't need to fight like he had the first time with Ears, but just him calling attention to the assholes usually was enough to scare them off.

However, this day they decided to go towards a wealthier part of the prefecture. Taking the train to more affluent areas, they figured; the nicer the place as long as it was near a shopping district, Izuku actually made good money on his own. They didn't have as much guilt stealing. However, Katsuki was on a mission that day. He was determined to make enough on his own to surprise Izuku with a cake or something small for his birthday, so he was watching the crowds closely. It was about halfway through Izuku's set when he found his target. He was a portly man speaking loudly on his cellphone. Clearly disregarding general public courtesy, talking about how he hated his wife. Smirking behind his medical mask, Katsuki 'accidentally' tripped into the man knocking his cellphone to the ground.

 "Shit, I am sorry," he grunted, reaching down to return the phone, keeping his eyes downcast.

"Watch where you are going punk, Fucking children these days have no respect for elders. Get the fuck away from me." The man snarled shoulder, checking Katsuki. Chewing on his cheek until he tasted copper, Katsuki just ducked his head and moved on, forcing his quirk not to go off. He got about a hundred yards away when he could hear the man shrieking, "THEIF! THAT PUNK STOLE MY MONEY! HEROES! HELP! THIEF!" Katsuki growled as he looked back and saw people dividing like Moses splitting the sea to give anyone a clear view of him.

 "Fuck” He growled under his breath and took off running. He rushed past Izuku's crowd, not giving him a second glance before turning up a side street. The people around him cried out in anger as he shoved his way through. "MOVE IT!" he would snarl at anyone who stayed in his way.

 "STOP!" a booming voice echoed down the road. Katsuki, in fact, did not stop, but as he shoved off the next person, he saw a nightmare running towards him from behind.

Endeavor was running towards him, a sidekick trotting behind him as he roared for the crowd to move. They were hindering the hero's movement as much as they were Katsuki's.  'Shit shit shit shit FUCK!'  Katsuki was screaming in his head as he tried to run faster. There were just way too many people in his way. He needed space! He couldn't breathe from running and the crowds of people around him; he could feel the heat rising at his back as Flaming Fuck Hero #2 got closer to him. He knew this was a risk, but he had to take the chance. Juking hard to the right, he sprinted down an alley and away from the main roads. Katsuki did not know this area well, but being away from the crowds allowed him to use his quirk if need be, even if it left him open to attack from the hero. Two more quick turns had him utterly lost, but all he knew was to look for less populated areas.

He could hear heavy footfalls echoing behind him, getting closer, his lungs burning from running in the peak of summer heat. Looking up, he estimated how large of a blast he would need to make it atop of a side building when suddenly his vision turned red. A fire roared around him as the heat seared its way across his shoulders and neck. He felt his flesh bubble as it broke open, seeping blood, his t-shirt melting. He screamed in pain as he struggled to keep his feet under him and his body upright. "STOP NOW," the voice echoed behind him, but Katsuki couldn't hear it. All he could hear was the pounding of the blood in his ears as the smell of burnt hair wafting around him. Taking another turn quickly, Katsuki was lucky with alley openings and took two quick route changes until he knew that he was out of sight. Bracing his arms back, he launched himself up onto the closest roof with the smallest explosion needed; pain from his shoulders made his vision go white, and he landed with a roll onto the small gravel that was the rooftop. Groaning in pain, the world spun around him, the clouds in the sky looking like a kaleidoscope of shapes. His stomach knotted as he fought to keep what merger food he had in him down.

Wincing, he tried to sit up; he could feel the small pea gravel getting stuck in the burn on his back, but his arms gave out, forcing him back down onto the hot roof. The burn was too hot, the sun beaming down on him was too hot, the damn roof was too hot, as Katsuki whimpered, rolling onto his stomach. He couldn't see straight; all he knew was he had to keep moving. But he couldn't. His body was slipping into shock as a set of large black combat boots entered his vision, casting a long shadow over his burnt form.  'Fuck, they found me already. I'm so sorry, Izu….'

With the last of his energy, Katsuki lifted his arm and gave the shadow wearing the boots in front of him the bird, and promptly blacked out.

Chapter Text

Katsuki slowly started to return to consciousness with the smell of cigarette smoke. Wrinkling his nose in disgust, he opens his eyes slowly. The world was blurry and out of focus, like looking through frosted glass. His face was pushed into the cushions of a rough fabric couch. It was the couch that stunk so much. Grunting, he pulls his weight up onto his arms and looks around. The world doesn't get any clearer as he sways, his arms shaking with the effort. Blinking, he looks down at his body, finding thick cloth bandages wrapping around his bare chest and shoulder. Some even lightly wrap around his neck. 'What the fuck happened? Where am I?'

Reaching up, he adjusts his hearing aids to try and pick up more sound. The one in his left ear had a weird clicking noise. Frowning, he tried to push himself off the couch completely when a pair of hands entered his blurry vision.

"Hey hey hey easy there, you shouldn't be up yet," a distinctly male voice causes Katsuki to jolt away from the hands. Falling onto his butt bouncing on the couch, he felt a flare of pain in his shoulder, causing him to hiss and grab at the bandages.

"No! Don't pull at them; you will only make the burns worse." The voice scolded him before the blurry shape squat down in front of him. A man with long black hair pulled back into a low ponytail, and blood-red eyes knelt before him.  'Burns? Oh, fuck, that's right. Endewhore was chasing me….'

"Who the fuck are you?" Katsuki growled as the pain caused his head and vision to come more into focus. "You were the one on the roof?"

"You can call me Stendhal, Kid." He chuckles. "Yea, I was on the roof, the one you flipped off. You are probably pretty out of it right now, yea? I had to give you some intense pain meds to get all the gravel and melted shirt out of the burn on your shoulder and neck." Blinking, the man before him finally came into focus. He wore black and red clothing and what looked like a bulletproof vest. Knives could be seen on his belt.

"The fuck is a Stendhal?" Katsuki muttered as he looked around. The apartment he was in was dingy but clearly lived in. An old pair of katana were hung on the wall but nothing else to make the place personal. There was no TV or computer. Clearly, the apartment was just barely better than his and Izuku's. The man chuckled again as he reached for a glass of water.

'Why the fuck is this guy helping me? Is he a hero? I wonder how long I was out? It's dark outside. I hope Izu…. FUCK IZUKU!' 

"Fuck! What time is it?" Katsuki tried to push up off the couch, but Stendhal gently pushed him back down before forcing the water into Katsuki's hands.

"Easy, you slept through the evening and night; it's close to dawn now."

"I gotta go." Katsuki chugged the water, not even questioning if there were more drugs in it, and went to stand again.

"Hold on now, why don't you take a breather and tell me why the Number 2 Hero was hunting you. Then I'll let you leave with some medication for the burns." Stendhal said, keeping Katsuki on the couch. Clearly being gentle but also not taking no for an answer.

"Look, I pickpocketed an ass hole which was cheating on his wife, and he threw a big stink causing the flaming fuck tard to chase after me. I honestly didn't remember I got burnt until I bumped it a moment ago." Katsuki growled. Might as well be upfront. It wasn't as if this guy couldn't have already turned him into the cops.

"Why did you lift that man's money clip?"

"Cause I don't fucking have any? Duh, why the hell else would I resort to that?" Katsuki's red eyes glared into the man's own red.

"You would be surprised how many do it just for fun. Why don't you have any money? Where are your parents?" Stendhal frowned softly.

"What the fuck? You don't know me; why do you care or want to know? Not like I go around telling everyone our tragic backstory." Katsuki was actively looking for a way out of this conversation and preferably the apartment.

"Calm down; I helped you because that's what I do. I am a vigilante. And what do you mean by 'our'? Are there more with you?"

"Fucking hell…." Katsuki rubbed his face; the skin felt dry and hot under his touch. "FUCK! Fine, I'll tell you on three conditions." Katsuki growled, the pain in his shoulder chasing the effects of the pain meds off, making the world come into hyper-focus. He was desperate to get out and back to Izuku.

"What are your conditions? I already told you mine; you tell me why and I give you med supplies before you go."

"One. You don't tell anyone this at all or tell anyone you have seen me, aka NO cops or Heroes. Two. No fucking pity, you better not look down on me. And three. You give me a hoodie or something, so I don't have to walk home bare-chested." Katsuki jerked his head in the direction of a chair covered in clothing.   

"Deal." Stendhal leaned back, putting his weight on the small coffee table behind him.

Katsuki grumbled to himself, rubbing his face. This random vigilante will be the first person he tells about him and Izu.  'Fuck I know I can't trust him… BUT I need to get the hell out of here. Izu… fuck, what if he got caught? He might think I got caught?!' 

"The long and the short of it is this. My friend was being abused by his mother and the school. I went to the police, they did nothing didn't believe me. I went to three different heroes. The first didn't give a shit at all. The second ghosted me, and the third investigated but spilled the beans to the fucking abusive mother that someone was looking into her. So after watching him get beat more, we ran off. We have been on the streets for a few months now, and we ran out of money. I can't find work, and no one will hire him. So yea, I tried to pickpocket a fucking ass wipe to buy a cupcake or some shit for my friend since his birthday is coming up. OK? Happy now? No one fucking cares; we do what we need to. Period. End of story. Now move it." Katsuki growled as he pushed up to his feet, stepping past the vigilante. The room spun briefly as he got to his feet, but he was able to fight off vertigo between the pain and rage.  

"Who were the heroes?" the man asked, his voice causing a chill to run down Katsuki's overly heated spine. It was like a switch had been flipped in the man in front of Katsuki. At first, he appeared to care about others, but the man before him now emitted such a murderous aura that Katsuki couldn't help but take a step back.  'Fuck fuck fuck did he save me just to kill me?'

"Um... Why?" Katsuki turned back to face him. The man had not moved from his position on the coffee table.

"Because you are not the first child to tell me a story like this. But the hero was the abuser in the others story. Who were the heroes?" Stendhal did not look at Katsuki as he spoke, his hands gripping each other until his knuckles turned white.

"Mt. Bitch, Ingenium, Bad Joke…. And All Might," Katsuki whispered the last name looking away.

"All Might?" Stendhal finally turned to regard the blond.

"Yea, the first night we left. He found us and tried to force us to go back even after telling him about the abuse… He seemed like he was in a rush and didn't care what we said…. But then he said my friend couldn't be a hero… and well, I might have punched him in the dick." Katsuki muttered as he watched the man's face contort into an unconcealed rage.

 "Those who wield power without conviction are the scum of the earth." The vigilante growled, his eyes shrinking to pinpricks. "I thought All Might was a man with conviction."

"Yea, we did too," Katsuki muttered, not taking his eyes off the man. His body was starting to feel super-heated as the burn radiated from his shoulder and neck.

The man stood and stomped through the room. He grabbed a bag off of a counter that Katsuki hadn't noticed and a hoodie before shoving them in Katsuki's arms. He then moved past the blond to open the front door.

"Heroes these days are a stain on our society. You Kid are a true hero." Katsuki gulped audibly as he nodded along with the unhinged man in front of him. "Deals a deal. Go home to your friend. Try to stop pickpocketing. If you run into a kid, little older than you with blue flames quirk, look out for each other."

Katsuki just nodded and started out the door as quickly as he could. "Thanks. For treating the burn." He mumbled as he passed the man. He wasn't questioning why the man had done a 180 in his demeanor; he was just happy to be leaving.

For a split second, the man before him changed again, offering a sad smile. "Take care of it, keep it clean. That's a bad place for infection. Be safe out there, Kid." And he closed the door.

Katsuki pulled on the hoodie with a grunt in pain. The fabric trapping the heat of the burn on his skin, causing him to shift uncomfortably. Looking around, he appeared he was on the outskirts of the shopping district they had busked in. Quickly looking through the bag, he popped two pain killers into his mouth, swallowing them dry as he started his way back to the apartment. It was still pre-dawn hours, forcing him to walk the distance instead of taking a train. By the time the streets started to lighten and the terrain looked familiar, he was covered in sweat and panting in pain. Taking a short break, he leaned his good side against a wall.  'I am slightly fire-resistant if the burn is affecting me like this…. Fuck, it has to be bad.'  He growled in determination. Pushing off, he stomped his way toward the apartment. Climbing the stairs, his vision kept blurring out and going cross-eyed. He fell against the steps twice before making it to their door. He couldn't bring himself to remember the code and just kicked the door while leaning against the frame.

"It's me, Izu." He muttered his forehead against the rough grain.

The door flew open as he sagged into the greenettes arms.

"KACCHAN! OH, Kami, Shit, you're hurt… Where have you been? Wait, don't worry about that. You're here now. Come on, let's get you onto the blanket." Izuku shifted to hold Katsuki's body up with his. Unfortunately for the blond, he chose the left side, causing him to scream out in pain from the burn moving.

"Shit! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Izuku cried out, shifting his hold.

"Just shut up. It's a burn… I wanna sleep. It hot." Katsuki sagged forward, sweat pouring off his face as he stumbled into the bedroom. Dropping the bag of medical supplies.

"He burned you?!" Izuku damn near growled as he lowered Katsuki onto the floor. "Hoodie off now." And Katsuki didn't argue; he was too hot. Everything was too hot. As soon as his bare skin hit the cool air, Katsuki felt like he was about to blackout. With a growl and the last of his energy, he peeled his pants off, leaving him only in boxers before lying flat on his stomach. Breathing hard, he turned his head to look at Izuku.

Dark bags hung under his eyes as his face looked puffy from crying. "Didn't you sleep?" He mumbled into the blanket, his eyes lidded as he fought to stay awake.

Izuku let out a weak chuckle as he dug through the bag of medical stuff. "No, I searched for you half the night and then spent the rest of it at an internet café looking for any signs that they had arrested you. I was getting ready to go back out looking for you when you got here."

"Stupid Nerd," Katsuki grumbled before reaching out and squeezing Izuku's arm. "Like…Flame Fuck could…catch….me" his body felt weightless as he sagged into the floor, blackness overtook his vision, and Katsuki slipped into a fevered sleep.

Katsuki laid like that for days. Fever dreams haunting his sleeping and waking moments. Every time he would come to, Izu was beside him, working in his notebooks or adjusting the bandages on his back. Sometimes he felt cool water lying on his spine, helping fight off the fever. His dreams were filled with him and Izu being caught by All Might, watching as Izuku gets punished time and time again. His dreams also held fire, walls of bright hot fire that burned him and Izuku to ash. The sound of Izuku screaming echoed around his head. The sights of his broken and bruised body flashed before his eyes. He even had a few dreams where Mitsuki had decided to punish Katsuki as well. Every time he awoke, panic would hit until he saw that Izuku was beside him. Izuku had removed his hearing aids which did not help in his panicking. Still, as soon as he saw Izuku there alive and not punished, he would relax back into his fevered dreams.

Izuku had spoon-fed him water and soup to try and keep him healthy. Katsuki woke one time and growled that he could feed himself before falling asleep with his face in the bowl of soup. Katsuki's dreams started to cross into real life as he watched Izuku lay a cold towel on his back one night while sporting horrible black eyes. He fought to stay awake, to ask what happened to find out if it was real or not, but the cold water relaxed his back and eased the radiating heat so much that he slipped right back under.  

Slowly after a weak of constant care, Katsuki was able to start staying awake for longer. Slowly sitting up as the room spun around him. Izuku was always there; even if he was writing in his notebooks, he kept an eye on the blond.

"What are you always writing in that?" Katsuki asked as he fed himself for once, slurping down some noodles.

"Quirk analysis," Izuku chirped, not sporting a black eye like Katsuki had seen before.  'Fucking dreams…'

"Why? Who's?" Katsuki asked as he swayed. His back was not bandaged, currently allowing some of the scabbing to dry.

"One of the orphans around here a few weeks back had trouble with their quirk, so I did one for them. Well, the others heard about it, and so I'm doing theirs too. They are too young, and the orphanage won't pay for quirk counseling, so I am helping them." Izuku said, closing the book and moving closer to catch Katsuki if he ended up falling to the side.

"Like you did mine?" He mumbled, leaning his good shoulder against Izuku's.

Giggling, Izuku slowly took the half-eaten soup away. "Yea, Kacchan like yours but not geared toward hero work. Just ideas on how they can practice and get control of it." Izuku smiled softly at the blond. "Yours was special. I won't be doing that kind for others." They sat there for a while, shoulder to shoulder before Izuku noticed the soft, steady breathing of Katsuki sleeping sitting up. Sighing softly, he gently laid him back down flat on his stomach, allowing the blond to sleep the rest of the day away.  

Two weeks. It was a full two weeks before Katsuki could function somewhat like a human again. His first shower was literal hell on earth, but Izuku was there with fresh bandages and a soft shirt for him to change into.

"Where did you get the bandages?" Katsuki asked while gulping down some meds. "And the meds? I know I didn't bring that many back or this kind?"

Izuku chewed on his lip as he slowly bandaged Katsuki back up. "Don't be mad… But … I stole them." Izuku whispered, wetness forming in his eyes.

"Stole them? How? why?" Katsuki turned to look at him. "I'm not mad, just… I thought you didn't want to steal?"

"I didn't! I don't!.... But Kacchan, I know you can't see it, but that burn was bad! Even with your resistance. And I had to keep getting ice and soup from the store. I can't really steal a bag of ice and stuff, so the med supplies were easier…." Izuku started to cry. "I know it was bad, but I couldn't leave you like you were, Kacchan. The fever was so high, I…I t-thought you were going t-to d-die," Izuku sobbed, rubbing at his eyes.

"Hey, Hey, stop that. You did what you had to. I'm not mad. It's ok." Katsuki hesitantly reached out to touch Izuku's shoulder.

"But it's not! I really am a villain now! I stole. I'm just like everyone says I would be." Izuku cried, leaning away from his touch.

"NO! You are not a villain. You did this to help me. You saved my life. You are not a villain, Izuku." Katsuki grabbed Izuku's wrists, forcing his green eyes to look into the crimson. "You saved me."

Sobbing, Izuku just nodded, tucking his chin down. At this point, Katsuki really noticed the bags under his eyes; they were so much worse than the first night he had come home. As well as his cheeks had hollowed again, almost back to the way he was in school.

"Hey, did you eat while I was out of it?" Izuku nodded.

"How much?" Sniffling, Izuku shrugged. "I-I ate whatever soup you couldn't f-finish."

"That's it?!?" Katsuki barked, causing Izuku to flinch.  'Shit'

"Well… all the money we made went to getting you ice and when I couldn't steal those meds. So I just make sure none of the food went to waste. I didn't want to risk running out of money and not being able to get you ice."

"Fuck!" Katsuki growled, rubbing his face aggressively. When Izuku let out a squeak in fear.  

 "I'm sorry for spending the money!" Izuku tucking himself in, appearing smaller. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry" He covered his head with his arms shaking.

Katsuki felt his heart drop to his stomach. "Fuck fuck no! Izu, hey Izuku listen to me… Ok, I'm not mad at you for spending the money. Honestly, you should have spent more!" Katsuki tried to approach, but a whimper from the younger boy welded him to his spot.

"Really, I am not mad; we just need to get some food in us, ok? Izu?" For two months, Izuku had been acting normal, like his past didn't haunt him. But Katsuki saw it now, the wounds were still deep, and the only thing running away had done was allowed them to scab over.  'Fuck, how could I have been so stupid?! I'm deaf, not blind! And now I scared him… after he took care of me." 

"Y-You're n-not mad?" A whisper reached his ears even above the clicking he still heard from the aids.

"No, I don't think I could ever be mad at you, Izu. Really I wish you had eaten more, but that's all. And probably slept more while you were at it. Did you keep watch all night?" Katsuki kept his voice low and soft as if coaxing a kitten or a puppy towards him.

Izuku nodded as he rubbed his eyes again. Katsuki sighed.  'So he went two weeks on hardly any sleep and minimal food….'

"I'm sorry for f-freaking out," Izuku whispered, pulling his shirt collar over his chin.

"Hey, stop apologizing. You did nothing wrong. I'm sorry for yelling." Katsuki took a step forward, helping Izuku to his feet. "Let's see how much we have left and get some hot food, yea?"

Izuku shrugged but grabbed a hoodie to pull on regardless, clearly needing the comfort regardless of the heat. Katuski picked up his phone, checking the time, but when he noticed the date, he wanted to scream again. It was July 20th. He had missed Izuku's birthday because of his fucking fever. The plastic of his phone started to creak under the pressure of Katsuki's fist. The pain in his shoulder was nothing compared to the pain he felt because he fucked everything up.

'I missed his birthday because I got fucked up. And I fucked up because I wanted to do something, fucking god forbid, nice for the nerd! FUCK I can't do anything right. We don't have food because I chose to run away; we had to waste all the money we did have on my damn fuck up. FUCK why am I such a failure when I try to be nice, but everything is fine when I am a shit head!?'  Katsuki bounced his head against the wall leaving a small dent.

"Kacchan?" Izuku asked in a small voice behind him.

"I'm…Sorry. All this is my fault." Katsuki felt his eyes burn with tears as he ground his forehead harder against the wall.

"What's your fault K-Kacchan? You d-didn't do anything?" Izuku asked, concerned, his bloodshot eyes wide.

"I missed your birthday. All because I chose to steal from that one loudmouth asshole. I should have known better."

"Kacchan, no! No, I d-didn't even realize when my b-birthday was. Don't worry, we didn't m-miss anything." Izuku gently pulled Katsuki off the wall, a significant red mark sitting dead center of his forehead.

"That's even worse that you forgot your own birthday. And then I yelled at you just now. I am the fucking worst." Katuki grumbled.

"No, Kacchan, my b-birthday doesn't matter. You being alive does. And you are d-definitely not the worst Kacchan." Izuku held onto Katsuki's wrist with a firm hand.

"But it's my fault we don't have food. I wanted to run away. I'm the one who can't get a job." He mumbled, eyes downcast.

"Kacchan, look at me." Izuku gently nudged the blond's face towards him. "You saved me. If we didn't run away, I would be in so much more p-pain. We can deal with hunger. You saved me from ph-physical pain. You gave me a chance to be myself" Izuku smiled through silent tears. "You are my Hero Kacchan."

Katsuki felt his throat close as he wiped away the tears in his eyes. Biting the inside of his cheek until he tasted blood, he swallowed a few times and nodded.

"Yea, ok, Nerd. Well, since neither of us is at fault, let's go find some Katsudon for dinner?" Izuku's eyes lit up as he bounced on his toes. "Only if we find some curry for you as well."

With a forced smirk, Katsuki nodded. "Obviously."

That hot meal cost them all the money they had left. Izuku had stocked up on things like miso so that they could make soups, but other than that, they were back to nothing. After Katsuki came back burned, Izuku refused to go out busking again. Katsuki even tried to convince him by saying they wouldn't steal anymore, but the fear in Izuku's eyes of how close they came to losing each other…. Izuku wouldn't listen to reason. He went back to fixing things he finds in his daytime adventures, going further out of the area to find more junk.

This resulted in Katsuki walking around in the dead of night looking for work again and picking up recyclables as he walked. It was a cool night, allowing him some relief from the heat of his burns. They didn't pain him as much anymore, but the direct sun on them caused the burn to tighten and sting. As such, Katsuki reclaimed his night wanderings. The scar from the burn was enormous, like a sunburst across this left shoulder blade snaking up onto the side of his neck. Luckily it had healed quickly with the care Izuku had put into keeping him alive, and his own resistance kept it from scarring too horribly. Only the deepest parts of the burn were bandaged now, resulting in the shiny pink scar being left uncovered on his neck.

It was nearing two in the morning when Katsuki heard the rustle of fabric above him. Jumping away from the noise, he dropped into a fighting stance waiting for his attacker to make the first move. But none came. Falling slowly down from a fire escape, Captain Hobo himself came into view.

"Why the fuck you dropping in on me like that?" Katsuki growled, not dropping his fighting stance.  'Fuck! I have to remember this guy is a pro… damn it. I did not want to deal with him again….'

"You have been missing for a few weeks kid, I thought something had happened to you." His dull, monotone voice called out as he stepped closer. It was clear that his eyes were taking in Katsuki's form, looking for injuries. Katsuki could feel Eraser's eyes on the fresh scar on his neck. With a sneer, Katsuki pulled his hood up.

"What's it matter to you?" He growled.

"Believe it or not, I do care about people around here. So when a Kid just disappears, I notice." Eraser tried to keep his body relaxed, but he could read that Katsuki didn't trust him. "What happened?" he nodded towards his neck.

"It doesn't fucking matter. You did your  pro-hero  duty. I am not lost or dead. Now fuck off." Katsuki started to move to the side to getaway.

"Figured out I was a pro, huh? Impressive, very few people know." Eraser tucked his hands in his pocket, his eyes weary. He didn't plan on letting Katsuki just walk away. That was clear.

"Yeah, well, you could have fucking told me instead of LYING about it." Katsuki fumed.

"I didn't lie; you made the assumption. I just went with it because it doesn't matter if I am a pro or not around here."

"It fucking matters to me!" Katsuki snarled, his hands crackling with his quirk.  'Fuck calm down….'

Eraser gave him a long look at that. Clearly trying to figure out what Katsuki meant. "You really don't trust pro-heroes, huh?" Eraser looked confused and slightly sad.

"Well, you lose trust in them when they fucked us over too many times," Katsuki grumbles as he takes another step back.

"Us?"

'Fuck! DAMNIT, why did I open my fucking mouth!? Shit.'  "A slip of the tongue"

Eraser hums as he looks at the bag of recyclables Katsuki had on his arm. "Going to turn those in for money?" Eraser nods towards the bag.

"Yea."

"Why?"

"Why the fuck else? I need the cash, duh." Katsuki rolled his eyes, taking another step away.

"Why do you need the cash?" Eraser took a half step forward, hiding it as adjusting his posture. Katsuki stiffened. This was clearly a dance between predator and prey, but what the predator wanted was information.

"For food." And Eraser frowned. "When was the last time you ate a full meal?"

"A few days ago. Blew the last of the cash of a hot meal." Katsuki might deflect, but he wasn't a liar even when it came to dealing with pro-heroes.

"Come with me then. I'll get you something to eat." Eraser nodded towards the end of the road.

"Fuck that! Why so you can take me to the cops or some shit?" Katsuki growled, tensing again, ready to bolt.

"Why would I take you to the cops? I just want to help."

"Fuck you, and fuck your help. We don't need your damn pro-hero fake pity!" Katsuki roared before turning and running away. Eraser didn't try to chase after him, standing like a statue on the side of the road. Katsuki, however, ran as hard as he did when they ran from All Might. Not daring to use his quirk to get away faster for fear of making noise would keep the hero on his trail. He practically ran in circles hoping to lose Eraser before heading back to the apartment. He didn't want the pro knowing where he lived if he didn't already.

'Maybe we should look for a new place?'

Katsuki rubbed his head as he walked up the steps. Replaying his conversation with the pro in his head.

We.

He said we.

After the 'us' comment, Eraser had to know that Katsuki or KEM as he knew him wasn't alone.

'Fuck!'

Chapter Text

Thwack.

The sound of flesh hitting canvas echoed around the empty warehouse as Katsuki kicked into his makeshift punching bag. He had propped an old mattress and canvas tarp against a steel beam a few weeks before.

Thwack. Thwack.

Two quick punches followed the kick as sweat poured down his face. This was the first workout since being burned, and Katsuki was giving it his all. The anger that has left him simmering for weeks being released into the beam.  

'Fucking heroes…. Fucking weird-ass vigilante… fuck me for being weak….'  Katsuki snarls to himself, hitting harder. His knuckles were already bruised as well as his shins. The old mattress not providing much in the way of protection from the steel beam. The heat of summer causing him to sweat through his tank top and bandages, the gauze sticking and pulling at the burn with each thrust of his arm.

Thwack twang!

"FUCK!" the last kick landed wrong, leaving his leg vibrating in pain. Pulling his knee to his chest, he hopped around on one leg clutching his shin hissing in pain.

"You telegraph your movements and favor your right side," a deep voice rang out across the warehouse. Spooking Katsuki, causing him to spin quickly on one foot and promptly fall on his ass. "And you need better situational awareness."

Eraserhead walked toward Katsuki, carrying a reusable bag.

"The fuck you want, Hobo?" Katsuki growled, pushing up off the dusty floor. "Isn't it too early for you to be out?" The sun was just starting to set cast long shadows.

"I don't want anything." Eraser stated, setting the bag in front of him. "But if  you  want, I can help you."

"I told you before I don't want your fucking pity," Katsuki growled. Reaching for his hoodie picking it up off the floor, unfortunately, it gave Eraser a full view of the burn and bandages. As Katsuki looked back at the black-haired man, he noticed a hard glint in his eyes.

"It's not pity."

"It's still you looking down on me. I don't fucking want it." Katsuki growled, pulling on his hoodie, ignoring the heat.

"I am not looking down on you, KEM. Really. I'm just helping where I can." Eraser sighed, shifting his feet, relaxing.

"Why do you care? Some warped pro-hero sense of false loyalty?" Katsuki growled, shoving his hands in his pockets, hiding the shake from the exhaustion.  'Maybe I went too hard too soon….'

"No. I became a pro-hero because I care. I don't care only because I am a pro-hero." Eraser frowned. "Look, I am not asking you to trust me. All I am asking is for you to take the bag. Make things a little easier for you. No pity, no looking down, just me providing where I cannot. No strings attached."

Katsuki narrowed his eyes, looking between Eraser and the bag. It was clear it was pretty full of something, but he couldn't tell what. He felt like a trapped wolf, snarling at his captor but in need of food being provided. He and Izuku had existed on a meal of Miso or something just as light for the past few days. His stomach chose that moment to betray him, growling loudly.  'Damn it'

Eraser had to have heard his stomach as he tucked his chin deep within his scarf, hiding a smirk.

"Whatever, Captain Hobo. I'll take the bag." Katsuki growled, stepping closer. "What do you mean I favor my right?"  'There talk about fighting that's a safe topic….'

"It means I can tell you're right-handed, and you throw more punches and kicks from your right. Making you predictable." Eraser nodded toward the pillar. "Out of 20 strikes, at least 13 were from your right. And after every break, you started with a right hook."

Katsuki growled, scuffing his toes into the dust.  'Izu's notes said the same thing.'  "How do I fix it?"

Eraser gave Katsuki a long calculating look before sighing and walking past the blond towards the pillar. Katsuki turned to watch. "Make sure you are equally balanced on your feet. Keep your knees bent; body lose. But right now, it's all about muscle memory. Forcing your mind and muscles to fire equally." With strikes almost faster than Katsuki could watch, Eraser went through a set, the hits perfectly balanced.

Katsuki had to pick his jaw up off the ground as Eraser turned around to look at him. "If you are feeling up to it, I'll spar with you for a bit to show you."

A snarky smirk danced across Katsuki's face. "Fuck yeah!" No matter how tired he was, Katsuki would never turn down a spar or fight.

And for the next 20 minutes, the two went through some slow-motion sparing. Eraser would call out small changes Katsuki would need to make with his form, footing, and balance. Every strike Eraser would make would land anywhere other than his left shoulder and arm. Katsuki noticed. Just as the anger started to build, Eraser quickly hooked his leg behind Katsuki's and sent him flying onto the floor. Knocking the wind out of his lungs and causing his shoulder to flare in pain.

"The fuck was that?" Katsuki growled, holding his shoulder as he sat up.

"Don't get pissy when I avoid hitting an injury. I'm going to treat you like you are one of my students, meaning I will push you but not harm you more than needed." Eraser leaned back on his heel with his hands back in his pockets. "Anger in a fight can be useful and harmful. Learn to use it well."

'How could he tell I was getting mad?'  Katsuki growled more to himself than anything, "Students?"

"Yea, I teach." Eraser held out a hand to help him up. Katsuki stared at the hand for a moment before gripping it and grunting as he was pulled to his feet. "You have a good foundation, keep it up and get more muscle memory."

Katsuki looked at the man, really studying him. There was no pity or dishonesty in his face. Only the plain, almost cold logic. "Thanks," Katsuki mumbled, shoving his hands back into his hoodie pocket.

Eraser just nodded and turned to leave. The sky had turned a dark red color with the sun sinking below the horizon. About halfway across the warehouse, Eraser stopped and turned back towards the blond.

"I can show you more next time, on one condition."

Instantly Katsuki was on guard, his eyes narrowing. "What?"

"You tell me how many others are with you."

Katsuki growled, "Why?"

"I'll bring more food next time. If I know how many there are, I know how much food to bring." Eraser shrugged.

Katsuki chewed on his lip as he weighed his options. Tell him about Izu, kinda, and get more tips on fighting. Tips that he can then teach to Izu as well.  'Fuck, I really need to get better. I can't afford to get hurt like this again. But saying there are two of us might tip him off as to who we are… then he will take us back or take Izu to the cops… maybe fuck…. Well, he has seen my face all this time and hasn't put it together? We are pretty far from home… and we need the food. Shit, now I am spiraling like Izuku.'  Making a spilt second choice, he would give the pro-hero in front of him the chance to redeem his co-workers.

"There… is just two of us," Katsuki muttered, fear gripping his heart. This was it. Make or break with his trust.

Eraser nodded, and turned, and walked away. "See you around KEM." Leaving a confused Katsuki standing in the empty warehouse with nothing but the bag at his feet.

After a few moments, Katsuki eventually picked up the bag, surprised at its weight, before heading back to the apartment.

Knocking on the door, he could hear faint music coming from within. Izuku pulled open the door before waving a quick hello and dancing away. Rolling his eyes, Katsuki made his way in and locked the door behind him.

"Dancing again?"

"Aw common Kacchan, this is such a good song; you should dance too!" Izuku smiled as he flits about the room.

"How about fuck that noise," Katsuki grunted before placing the bag on the small table.

"Music is not noise!" Izuku gasped.

"Some of it is. Here let's check this out." Katsuki plopped down, indicating the bag.

"What did you find, Kacchan?" Izuku asked, turning down the music allowing it to become background noise.

"I didn't find anything… It was…. given to us," Katsuki mumbled, pulling open the bag.

"Holy sh-!" Izuku gasped, looking inside.

The bag was full of instant meals, jelly pouches, and protein bars. Everything was dry, quickly made, but full of calories or nutrients.  'That fucker.'  Katsuki wanted to be mad, wanted to find fault in what they were given, but couldn't. It was exactly what they needed.

"Kacchan, who gave you all this? It's like enough food for two weeks if we stretch it out." Izuku started to organize it into different piles.

"Two weeks? What you still plan on only eating once a day, if that? No, this will last us a week. You need to get more meat on your bones." Katsuki grumbled, dodging the question. How could he tell Izu this came from a pro-hero?

"Kacchan, you know I don't eat a lot, and bulking is your thing; you got the muscles. I am happy being thin and flexible" Izuku nodded. "Plus, I am faster than you when I am this small."

"HAH? Fuck, you are Nerd! I could outrun you and snap you like a toothpick. We are getting back to your training." Katsuki growled play shoving Izuku, who was giggling.

"Sure if you dance with me!"

"This is not a negotiation!" Katsuki growled as he stood up to put the food away, hiding the bars in their backpacks in case they needed a quick getaway. He then turned on the kettle to make hot water for the instant meals.

"Really, Kacchan. How did you get all this?" Izuku asked softly, almost as if he was scared of the answer. His voice nearly too soft to hear over the clicking of his hearing aid.

Sighing, Katsuki rubbed his face. "Remember when I asked about Eraser fuck?"

Izuku nodded, confused.

"He gave it to us."

Izuku's eyes widened in shock. "What? Why?"

"He saw me the other night collecting bottles for cash. And figured out that we needed food. He found me today where I go, so some training and just left it there. Didn't force me to take it; he says no strings attached. And… I couldn't turn it down." Katsuki mumbled, ashamed that he had accepted the help.

"Wow. I… I didn't expect a hero to do something like this." Izuku said, looking at the food again. "I mean, that's their job. But they are supposed to report kids like us, r-right?" Izuku chewed on his lip. "Kacchan, please… be careful I-I don't want you getting caught."

"Well, he has had plenty of opportunities to grab my ass and haul me in, and he hasn't. He actually helped teach me not to favor my right side like you had noted in the book." Katsuki turned his back and went back to making the meals. "I don't trust him. I can't trust anyone other than you, Izuku, after everything. At least not yet. But, I don't know, at least I can learn something from him? Then teach it to you for now. And if he wants to keep giving us food, then who am I to stop him. I already told him we don't want pity." Katsuki spoke as he mixed the meals eye downcast.

Izuku just nodded. "He is going to give you more? This is a lot already."

Katsuki just shrugged. "He had mentioned bringing more. I'm not sure if he will, but this will help for now." He turned, holding two steaming packets. "Here, eat." Katsuki sat the meals down on the table before ripping off his hearing aids. The clicking was getting to be too much.

They said their thanks; Katsuki watched as Izuku's lips moved before digging in. It was a salt-filled, noddle mess, but it was hot and more food than they had in days. Izuku tapped Katsuki's shoulder.

"What's up with your aids?"  he signed

Katsuki sighed before signing back.  "Ever since I got the burn, the one has been clicking, making it hard to hear, and it's annoying." 

"I noticed when you had your fever they were not charging fully."  Izuku frowned before picking one up to look at them. Looking at it closely, the plastic appeared to be slightly warped.  "Maybe the heat of the fire-damaged them? If so, I'm sorry, Bomb. I don't know how to fix these."  Izuku looked worried.

"If they go, they go; Ill deal with being mostly deaf when it happens."  Katsuki brushed off his worries, but really Katsuki was internally freaking out. He really didn't want to be living on the streets without his aids working. He had finally just got comfortable enough to sleep without them in regularly.

"Ok, Bomb, let me know if they do break, yea?"  Izuku asked before digging back into his meal.

"Yea Rabbit, You will be the first to know." 

You know when the one thing you really hope does not happen. The thing you have absolutely no control of. AND IT HAPPENS? Katsuki paced the apartment clutching his aids in a closed fist. They had lasted barely a week after that conversation with Izuku. The left one went first. The clicking turning to a high-pitched whine before it just died. The aid failed in the middle of a solo training session at the warehouse. It took every ounce of self-control not to panic as he raced his way back to the apartment. Life with one aid wasn't great, but Katsuki could deal. At least that's what he kept telling himself. Izuku had spent a whole day and night trying to fix the broken aid without luck. He couldn't figure out if it was the electronics. Which were much too small for his work on or the battery, which they couldn't afford to replace.

Then the right one stopped charging. This one, Izuku was sure it was the battery, the heat causing the damage. Pacing back and forth, Katsuki was pissed. He was just going to have to live this way now. Fine, he could deal. Izu knew sign. He couldn't see Eraser again because this would just cause the pro to want to do more to "help." Maybe he could break into an audiologist and steal some batteries? No, they were not sure if it was just the batteries that were wrong.

"FUCK!" Katsuki screamed, throwing the aids against the floor.

"Hey, we will figure it out. I have an idea."  Izuku signed his notebook on his lap.

"What is your idea?"  Katsuki signed back his hands, practically slapping with aggression.

Chewing on the end of his pencil Izuku had an analytical look on his face.  "So, apparently, there is this guy who can get things and information for people. He might be able to get you some new aids."

Katsuki frowned.  "Who is the guy? Aids are expensive, Rabbit. How the fuck are we going to pay for them?"

"Apparently, he works in favors. But I also have an idea about that."

"What's the idea?"

"I don't wanna say. It might not work. So there no reason to get our hopes up."

Katsuki's eyes narrowed.  'What the fuck is the nerd thinking?' 

"Do you trust me?"  Izuku's eyes were shining.

Katsuki sighed and rubbed his face before sitting down in front of Izuku.  "I trust you. But I also trust you to do something to yourself to try and help me. My aids are not worth us getting into something we can't handle."

Izu smiled softly before nodding.  "Let's just talk to the guy. See if he can even get the aids first before we toss the idea completely."

"Yeah, OK. You have to do the talking. I doubt the guy can sign, and I can't read lips well."  Katsuki sighed. He was the one who was supposed to be supporting them. Now once more, he fucked up, and Izuku is picking up his slack.  'Fuck, when will I stop fucking up?'  Katsuki felt his eyes burn with self-hatred unshed tears when he felt Izuku hold his wrist.

"We will figure this out. I'll get us a meeting with the guy. You just look big and scary to protect us."  Izuku smiled.  "We are a team, right?"

"Yea. Brawn and Nerd Brains,"  Katsuki smirked, hiding his self-deprecation.

Three nights later, Katsuki, with his mask and baseball hat, followed Izuku through the warehouse district. They both wore hoodies, keeping to the shadows and much as possible as they got closer to the port. Katsuki's heart was beating wildly. He was going into this meeting mostly deaf, entirely depending on Izuku to give a signal if things went wrong. He just kept a scowl on his face as he shadowed Izuku's every step.

'Why do I feel like this is such a bad idea?'  Katsuki kept an eye on the rooftops. The last thing he needed was Eraser to find them. His stomach was in knots as he watched Izuku pull open a large rusted door. Katsuki imagined the hinges creaking from the movement, announcing to the world that they were there. He watched as Izuku ducked into the dark doorway without hesitating.  'Here goes nothing.'

They walked through the low-lit building; it appeared to be an office box off the side of a warehouse. Izuku snaked around boxes as if he knew exactly where he was going. Hell, maybe he did. Katsuki wasn't sure what the nerd got up to in the day, let alone where he went to find things to fix. After walking for about a minute, a man in a dark purple suit leaned against an old desk came into view. A thick cloud of cigarette smoke hung in the stale air around the man as he smiled broadly at the sight of the two boys.

Katsuki wasn't sure if it was the light or his actual appearance, but the man had dull grey hair and yellowed teeth. He spoke to Izuku; Katsuki could barely pick up his voice, the murmurs making his chest tight. Izuku kept his hands on his sides to sign the signals they had come up with before the meeting. Katsuki kept a few paces back so he could see everything without looking down and drawing attention to the greenettes hands.

This man, Giran, as Izuku called him. Appeared to greet Katsuki, to which the blond responded with a curt nod. They were playing the game, trying to convince Giran that Katsuki wasn't primarily deaf and that he could still hear, not needing the man entirely.

The two of them spoke for a while. Katsuki kept his disinterested scowl on his face but had to put complete trust in Izuku's bartering skills. At one point, Girans eyes flicked up to meet Katsuki's with a smirk. Looking back at Izuku, he nodded, making some hand movements with a cigarette, causing the smoke to dance in the air. They had to be negotiating payment now, and Giran looked like he was the cat that caught the canary. These aids had to cost a lot, requiring a considerable favor.

Katsuki watched as Izuku's shoulders stiffened before pulling out his notebook.  'What the fuck is the Nerd doing?' 

Flipping to a specific page. Izuku held out the notebook for Giran to read without taking. The man pushed up off the desk, putting the cigarette back into his mouth as he leaned over to read. Izuku stood so still, Katsuki wasn't sure he was even breathing. ' Was he afraid? Why was he scared? He hadn't given the signal to retreat or fight. Fuck what was happening!'  They stood like that for a few moments before he watched Girans jaw drop. His cigarette falling to the floor, forgotten.  'What did he just read?! What Izuku doing?'

Giran was speaking animatedly, now pointing to the notebook. Izuku quickly put the book away and settled back into his guarded stance. Giran held up four fingers as he spoke. Katsuki was trying to read his lips, but at this point, he was talking too fast. Izuku was shaking his head, holding up two fingers. Giran frowned softly; his demeanor changed as if he was trying to butter Izuku up. Shaking his head again, Izuku indicated two of something, and Giran sighed. After what appeared to be a little more back and forth, Giran nodded, holding out his hand for Izuku to shake. The Nerd's eyes flit back to Katsuki before stepping forward and shaking hands with the guy.

As he watched whatever deal was sealed, a disposable phone was tossed into Katsuki's chest, forcing him to move to catch it. With a frown, he looked down at it. The phone was an older model flip phone. A second phone was in Izuku's hands as well.  'WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING!'  Katsuki was at his wit's end. He hated other people speaking for him. He hated needing to depend on others like this. With one last nod and a shake, Izuku signaled for them to leave. Katsuki nodded once to Giran before backing out and following Izuku back out onto the streets.

'What the hell did the Nerd just do?'

Chapter Text

Katsuki could taste blood the entire walk back to the apartment. The pungent taste of copper covered his tongue as he had chewed open both of his cheeks and was about to start gnawing on his tongue. It was the only way to keep him from demanding answers out of Izuku.

'He just made a deal. Two of something for the aids. But how does his notebook play into this? Why was he scared?'

Izuku was silent the entire walk back. Keeping his hands and his notebook deep in his pockets. He looked pensive, maybe worried but not regretful. That alone scared Katsuki. The Nerd didn't regret what he just did, so perhaps it wasn't that bad? Katsukis hands flexed at his side, fisting to keep his quirk in check. He was practically vibrating when they un-hid their backpacks and made their way into the apartment. The moment the door was closed and locked behind them, Katsuki spun to face Izuku,

"What did you just do?"  his hands slapped loudly, his movements jerky.

"You will have new support grade hearing aids within the week,"  Izuku signed, clearly dodging the question.

Katsuki's heart beat faster.  "HOW? Support Grade? How are we paying for them? What was with the notebook? Rabbit tell me!"

Izuku flinched as Katsuki stepped closer, his hands moving wildly. Seeing the boy jump because of his movements, Katsuki forced himself to take a step back and take a breath. Whatever Izuku did, he did it for Katsuki. He couldn't get pissed at the green boy, and fear will just make all of this worse.  "Please, Rabbit."

Izuku already looked close to tears as he rubbed his arms, chewing on his lip.  "Let me write it down to explain. I…I can't sign it all,"  Katsuki sighed but nodded.

"Fine, do you need time to write?"  Izuku nodded.  "I'm going to shower then."

Katsuki locked himself in their dinky bathroom, allowing the ice-cold water to pour down on him. His mind was so loud. Hundreds of thoughts and questions burned through him.  'Support grade hearing aids? Like the ones Present Mic uses? That's a couple million yen at least right? I don't know… I just know mom was saving up for them for me to use at UA… How the fuck are we paying for those? AND IN A WEEK! FUCK did Izuku sell his soul or something? Shit! His body? No… The Nerd wouldn't do that. Why the notebook, though? That's where he keeps his thoughts and analysis on others… FUCK his Analysis! He sold his analysis of quirks. That's… really smart. The Nerd was top-notch at those. But wait, what if that guy was a villain?!?' 

Katsuki wasn't sure how long he stayed under the water, but the cold helped soothe his temper. Maybe now he could have this talk without blowing up and scaring Izuku. Dawn was starting to break as he toweled his hair off with an old t-shirt. Walking into the living room, Izuku was bent over the paper, still writing a mile a minute. Sighing, Katsuki turned and started making them some oatmeal and tea. At least have something warm for this discussion.

The irony of not hearing when the kettle goes off means that Katsuki had to watch it to see when it was done. But a watched pot never boils, making this process seem like it was taking forever.  'What is my life?'  He asked himself as he rubbed his face. Once done, he brought the tea and food over to the table as Izuku finally leans back, stretching his muscles. He smiles softly as his hands wrap around the plastic container of tea, mouthing slow enough to read, "Thank you, Kacchan."

Nodding, Katsuki shoveled two large bites of food into his mouth before picking up the papers and starts to read.

                Kacchan,

Sorry, you have to read like this; I can explain more when we get your aids. This just seemed like too much to sign; my poor busted fingers could fall off. Ok, not funny. But really. I'll give you some background on all this. So you know, during the days I went like dumpster diving or finding recyclables (this would be so much easier if we were still near Dagobah beach), but that's how I met Suki and Tao. They are twins and live in a local orphanage. I met some others, but these are the two I have run into the most. Tao also dumpster dives but looks for things that the other kids would want. So we started trading. I got electronics, I gave them all the good toys I found. Well, then it turned into trading information. They told me about the black tongue people, what gangs were recruiting and who to avoid during the day. Almost just like what you did at night on your walks. Or at least that's what I think you did. You didn't give too many details. 

Suki was the one who told me about Giran. Apparently, he is what they call an information broker. Giran is kinda neutral ground between villains, vigilantes, heroes, and civilians. It all comes down to who has the money for the information, and he is not very loyal. Suki said that she and Tao do runner jobs here and there for him, just delivering letters when they need the money. They said not to really trust him, but money always talks, so as long as you keep it business, he won't bother trying to hurt you. 

Ok, I am also getting ahead of myself here.

 I don't know if you remember. The fever was just starting to break. But I was working on some quirk stuff while taking care of you. 

Katsuki looked up from the letter to see Izuku staring at him as if trying to gauge his reaction. With a snort, he took a few more bites. But mumbled, "I remember you taking care of me and what you did during my fever." ' I remember the nightmares too,'  but he wasn't going to say that as he went back to reading.

But Suki was the one who needed the help the most. She has a mild telepathic quirk similar to  mom  Inko's. But she was having issues; every time she sneezed, something went flying. It was actually pretty cool, and I had a theory that- 

Katsuki snorted; even in a fucking letter, the Nerd would ramble. He skimmed the following paragraph and started reading again once he was past the quirk theories.

Sorry not important. BUT since I did her quirk, Tao wanted his done. And then others from the orphanage. The other week I was invited into the place and gave a small quirk counseling session. The Matron was super scary looking but really kind and said I could do this for a living. And that I saved these kids' years of confusion and pain. Kacchan it made me feel so good. I danced practically the whole walk home. They didn't care that I was quirkless. They didn't ask about home life or who was caring for me. All they saw was someone who could help others and thanked me for it. 

It felt like it was the first time I was ever seen for who I was. And you made that possible. You got me away from  m  Inko. And away from that school. You are giving me the chance to be who I want to be. So when you told me your aids were acting up. I started asking around about Giran. I wanted to learn what his quirk was and see what he could really do. There were some scary stories about him floating around. Still, I also found a shopkeeper who said Giran helped him get his business running. That and other orphans said he has helped them get medical equipment for favors or just runner jobs. He has never made the kids do anything illegal or scary, so he couldn't be all bad. 

So I made an analysis of his quirk. That is what I showed him in the notebook. I think it scared him because he tries to hide his quirk. It's called Muddle, by the way. He can make the last half hour or so in your memory hazy and easily forgotten, but if you know about it, you can protect yourself from it. But I also figured out how to make it stronger, and I let him catch a glimpse of that tonight. (It's actually a really cool theory I want to tell you about when you can hear me better, OK? I don't know the sign for all the scientific terms, and I really don't want to fingerspell it all out) 

But that's what I offered him for your support grade hearing aids. I also lied about your quirk, saying you cause things you touch to explode, no delay time, so they had to be able to auto-adjust for the explosions beside you. You should never have to turn off your aids in a fight again. And in exchange, I am giving him two quirk analyses. But I had rules, and they won't be as in-depth as yours was. I honestly didn't expect him to agree to that. My backup plan was a favor, but it would have to be a huge favor. Your hearing and ability to fight are worth it. I guess I was just running off the high of helping the kids. If my thoughts and theories were good enough to help them, maybe it would help us get you what you needed. 

He will call me in a week to meet up and give us the aids. I refused to do the analysis until we had aids in hand, and they worked. Also, he needed to get video evidence of the quirk in use if he wanted to analyze someone other than him. I was so scared stating my terms, but I felt like I had to do this; I couldn't let him bully us from the start. Having you there, knowing you had my back no matter what, gave me the courage to stand up to him. I want to help others understand their quirks better. Maybe keep building things too. That's fun; it's like a puzzle. But really, I want to see you become the hero I know you are. The hero you are to me, and I want to help you do that for as long as I can. So please don't be mad that I made this deal; I don't think Giran is that bad of a man, just money hungry. He did offer us some runner jobs, but I told him we refuse to do anything until the aids came in. I know I am toeing a thin line between right and wrong, but I didn't know what else to do to help you. Cause if we didn't do this, we would have had to steal or go home, and I don't want to deal with the potential for heroes or Inko hurting you. 

 OH, and one of the rules I put into place was no personal information. I will only provide information on the quirk itself, not the person. 

When you don't have your aids in, you are so jumpy and can't sleep well. I didn't want you to suffer. So please don't be mad.

Katsuki lay the papers down on the table before looking over at Izuku, his hands ready to sign, but the Nerd was fast asleep, head pillowed on his arms. Katsuki propped his elbows on the table and buried his face in his hands. ' How can the Nerd call me a Hero when I keep fucking up? Fuck I can't believe I ever thought he was useless. But I think he is putting too much trust into this purple-suited slime ball… I'll have to keep an eye on that.'

Katsuki quickly cleaned up their meal, rinsing out the bowls. The sun had risen properly now as he clicked off the small set of lights they had. Kneeling down, he scooped Izuku into his arms, frowning at how light he was. Izuku didn't even stir. The mental and physical exhaustion of the night clearly taking its toll on the younger boy. Laying them both down onto the blanket, Katsuki gently removed Izuku's hoodie so he wouldn't overheat through the day.

With the Nerd curled into his side again, Katuski felt himself deflate. How could he even think about being mad when all Izuku had done was for him? Doing something that he was really good at and maybe making a name for himself doing so. Katsuki was proud of him, getting out of his comfort zone helping the kids. But fear still lingered at the back of his mind; he would have to get so much stronger to protect Izuku from people who would want to use him. Izuku was too trusting and too kind, even for someone who the world shit on so much. He didn't care what path Izuku chose in life as long as he was the one to choose the life for himself. That what all this was about, giving them the freedom to make choices and live the life they want free from the pain they couldn't control.

Izuku shifted in his sleep, laying his arm around Katsuki's stomach as if hugging a bear. With a sigh, Katsuki relaxed into the touch. This was ok. They would be ok. Katsuki could work with this and keep them moving forward.

That week neither of the boys really left the apartment building. Katsuki had discovered a way onto the roof, and it was there where he re-started self-defense training with Izuku. Katsuki couldn't hear it, but Izuku played music while they mock fight. Izu explained that the music gave him a rhythm to fight, making the muscle movement more fluid. And it did just that. Izuku took what he learned from before, and the bit more Katsuki was teaching now and turned it into a dance. Katsuki moved with solid and confident hits, pushing hard never giving ground. Where Izuku moved like water around the impacts, giving ground but flowing around Katsuki, forcing him to follow.

Both boys would lay on the ground panting by the end of the training session but smiling or smirking in Katsuki's case. Izuku would still fight wildly when Katsuki could pin him down enough to fight back. But his real skill was dodging; more than once, Katsuki got sloppy because he got angry when he couldn't land a hit. Izuku needed to work on being able to fight back, where Katsuki had to learn to control his anger and know when to go on the defensive. Katsuki never used his quirk on Izuku. However, they had come up with a point system. If Katsuki could touch with an open palm on Izuku, that counted as a quirk hit. Needless to say, Katsuki won every time with the amount of points; Izuku, however, got much better at dodging, resulting in the number of points becoming less each day.

It was on day six that Izuku got the call from Giran. Nothing but a time and place was given before the line went dead. They had not spoken about the letter since that first night, and Katsuki didn't even know where it had been stashed away too. Katsuki did not want to appear to be ungrateful. Let alone this was a discussion better had when Katsuki could hear, and Izuku could articulate what he wished. The night before their meeting, both boys were quiet, Izuku lost in his notebooks while Katsuki read a beaten-up paperback he had found in the trash. It was a tense evening, but Katsuki couldn't help but feel… curious or excited for what was to come.

Much like the first time Katsuki shadowed Izuku through the streets in the middle of the night. Anxiety causing their mind to race with what-ifs. They were meeting at an old ramen shop this time around. Katsuki frowned at the location, but as they approached, the man behind the counter indicated his head to a back corner where Giran sat. Beer in front of him, smoke in his mouth flicking through his phone as if he was just enjoying a dinner out. Katsuki swallowed hard as he followed Izuku to the table. As they approached, Giran looked up and smiled wide as if they were old friends; it sent a chill down Katsuki's back before he nodded in greeting.

Once more, Izuku took the lead in talking with the man; they each stood behind a chair, not daring to sit. Giran motioned for them to sit, and Katsuki waited until Izuku gave the sign for ok. As they sat, three bowls of pork ramen were placed in front of them quickly. Giran waited until the server left before continuing to talk. It took every ounce of willpower for Katsuki to not dig into the hot meal in front of him as he watched Izuku speak with the man ignoring the food also. Giran, however, had no qualms as he pulled apart his chopsticks, stirring the ramen. He wasn't speaking as animatedly this time, clearly keeping his voice lower. After taking a large bite of noodles, he leaned back, reached into his coat, and pulled out two items. The first being a small black box that he slid towards Katsuki. The second was a USB drive that he leaves in front of Izuku. Izu made no move to touch the drive while Katsuki opened the black box quickly. His curiosity getting the better of him.

The top of the box slides off as two black earbuds were revealed nested in blue velvet. Katsuki can't help but frown; they were so small compared to his old ones. There was no way they would work, right? Katsuki looked up at the greasy man in front of them, who just nods towards the buds while still talking. 

With a frown, he shares a look with Izuku before reaching into the box and pulling out the buds. They were soft like silicone that molded under his fingers. Sighing, he looked for switches to turn them on, but there were no indicators.  'Well, here goes nothing.'

He placed them in his ears, the soft material conforming to his ear canal just as comfortable as his old ones.

"-Quirk enhanced. Just lay them on the charging panel at the bottom of the box, and they will never die. They will keep the charge they have for around a week and will charge fully in around eight hours. There is no battery to fry, so water, fire, explosions, you get my point, won't ruin them. Unless you lose an ear, they won't fall out or be destroyed." Giran's voice felt slimy to Katsuki. Almost whiny, causing him to shiver, but Katsuki could hear again!

The din of the shop wasn't overbearing; the clang of people cooking didn't cause conversations to drown out. The buds were not heavy, and without the battery, they didn't rub behind his ears like his old pair did. Blinking, he turned to look at Izuku, who was watching him.

"So, how do they feel?" Izuku asked, keeping his voice low and calculated.

Katsuki wanted to run out and test them. Blow up things left and right give them a real test drive. But instead, he grunted. "They work well enough."

"I should hope so; that's the same model the pros use." Giran waved his hand almost dismissively before eating more ramen. "Eat boys, really. My treat, best ramen this side of town."

Izuku and Katsuki share a look before digging into the bowls in front of them. The ramen did taste amazing, the broth was rich, and the pork perfectly chewy. Katsuki had to nudge Izuku with his foot warning the Nerd to slow down eating to look less desperate.

"Now about payment" Giran's eyes flicked to the USB drive on the table. "There are four videos on that drive, two for each quirk. One is an associate of mine who has been struggling to get their volatile quirk under control and become stronger. The other is a small-time hero. I only included him because I want to see what your analysis says compared to what is released by the Hero Commission. I believe they fall within your…rules?"

Izuku nodded. "No personal analysis, though, only quirk data. Who is the Hero?"

"Mr. Brave"

"Why him?" Izuku asked as Katsuki tensed slightly.

"To be honest. He is a bit of an asshole. He owes me a lot of money, and he pushes his wife around more than I like. Client confidentiality and all that, so I won't tell you why he owes me money. I am more curious to know what you come up with on him."

Izuku squeezed his fist under the table, clearly trying not to bite his lip. "Alright"

"Good, how long will it take you?" Giran leaned back in his chair, the bowl of ramen in front of him empty.

"A week," Izuku states while he was still eating.

"That's fine; text the number I called you on yesterday. I'll send a runner to a location of your choice to pick it up."

Izuku just nodded. It was clear he let Giran do most of the talking; Katsuki could respect that, not allowing the Nerd to dig himself into a hole.

"Great, enjoy having the ability to hear properly again…." Clearly, Giran wanted a name.

"KEM," Katsuki grunted as he drank the last of his broth.

"KEM. Interesting name. And I am sorry you didn't give a proper introduction at the warehouse; what do you go by?" he asked, looking to Izuku, who was fiddling with his chopsticks.

"Call me Jack."

"Jack?"

"Short for Jackalope"

Confusion was etched across Giran's face as he nodded slowly. Katsuki couldn't help but smirk, ' Trust the nerd to come up with a name even crooks become confused about. '

"Well, with that, I need to be on my way, other people to see tonight. Don't worry about the bill. It is already paid for. I look forward to that text, Jack. And don't try and screw me, boys; it won't be hard tracking you down." A cold glint shined in Giran's eyes as a slight chill ran down Katsuki's spine.'  Fuck we are making deals with devils out here.'  But Katsuki hid his fear with a sneer.

Giran stood from the table and promptly left without another word. As soon as the man was out of sight, Izuku seemed to deflate in on himself.

"You good?" Katsuki asked quietly.

Izuku nodded and pocketed the USB drive. "Yea, I guess this is the easy part now since it's what I like to do." He put on a fake smile as both of the boys got up to leave.

"You don't have to pretend with me, Jack. I know that had to be stressful for you. And I didn't hear you stutter once. Where did all this confidence come from?" Katsuki nudged his shoulder as they walked away.

"Ah…. W-well… I guess I was acting…."

"Acting?"

"Yea… like you," Izuku said, looking at Katsuki with wide expressive eyes.

Katsuki growled, throwing his arm around Izuku's neck and rubbing his knuckles on his head. "You damn Nerd," his face heating up behind the mask.

"AH! No! My hair is already so messy," Izuku cried out while laughing, pulling at Katsuki's arm.

Shoving the younger away, Katsuki smirked. "Really, though… Thanks. The aids do work much better than my old ones… This was a really dangerous fucking Nerd. Especially if you are now giving the hero analysis to a man who could be a villain. We could have done it without them."

"I know, you're amazing! Not having aids would never have slowed you down. But like I said in the letter. I…I just knew I could do this. After helping the kids, I wanted to help you. And yea…. Giran is not a good guy in the literal sense, but he could have treated us a lot worse. We are just a couple of kids," Izuku said, brushing his wild curls back into place. Hints of green were starting to appear at the roots again. They would have to find a way to make some cash to buy more dye.

'Yea, that's fucking true… Why did Giran agree to help us for such a low price?'  Katsuki's mind and gut twisted at the implications.

"Come on! Race you back to the apartment. You claim to be faster than me. Prove it!" Katsuki took off running down the sidewalk, legs pumping as he dodged around trash bins and people.

"HEY!" Izuku cried out as he too took off running.

Just for a moment, Katsuki let go of his fear, his anger, and the need to survive. They were just two teens running down the street as if they didn't have a care in the world and that everything would be Ok.

"Better Keep up, Nerd!"

The week following the pickup from Giran, the boys slipped back into their routine. Katsuki walking the streets at night, practicing his fighting and quirk while attempting to pick up some work. Izuku went back to his electronics hunt after spending a few hours each morning in the public library the next district over. There he was able to review the videos on the USB drive and look up anything he might not be able to guess about the quirks. The analysis was done in three days. Izuku wanted to text Giran and just send it right away to be done with everything, but Katsuki convinced him to wait until the week was up. Make it appear that it was hard for Izu to get it done, so Giran doesn't think he was cheated on cost.

 Katsuki was also able to pick up some work for an elderly couple. The first night at the shop and the thing that secured his tentative employment was the fact he scared off a would-be thief before they ever had a chance to demand any money. The waif of a man was pushed out into the street with nothing more than a snarl to knock the bullshit off. The couple was thrilled as they were about to retire and needed every yen their shop made while Katsuki helped box everything up. It was easy work, mainly manual labor. Still, the couple paid Katsuki and gave him any produce that was about to go bad, giving a sense of accomplishment and pride as he could provide for the two of them again.

With the new hearing aids, having a somewhat stable stock of food, and Izuku doing what he enjoyed, Katsuki felt as if things were looking up again. The boys still sparred almost daily, Izuku worked with some more kids in the area with their quirks, and Katsuki got to work at night. The fear and the doubt in himself were pushed to the deep recesses of his mind for a while.

Katsuki was not purposely avoiding Eraserhead… No, he was just too busy to go to their regular meet-up spots. He would run into the pro-hero again sooner or later, yea? No, he had to help Izuku finish this shit show with Giran before he would face Eraser again. His gut told him that the pro would not be happy with them if he knew the truth.

Izuku texted Giran at the end of the week, setting up a drop-off place a town over. They decided to go that far out because they wanted to make it hard to pin down where they usually stayed at. They didn't need Giran knowing more about them and having any inkling as to who they really were. And the drop went perfectly. A medium build lizard-like man appeared at the meeting spot. He collected the envelope Izuku offered after confirming that he was the runner. With a quick nod, they went their separate ways, and no one was any the wiser.

"That was too easy," Katsuki grumbled; he might have been looking for a fight. This was so anticlimactic.

"Easy is good," Izuku mumbled as they climbed onto the train. They made their way back to the apartment and settled down for the night, enjoying a dinner of apples and noodles.

"I'm so glad that we got this done." Izuku sighed, laying down on the blanket they called a bed.

"You really think it's done done?" Katsuki asked, pulling on a tank top.

"Why wouldn't it be? We got your aids; he got his analysis. Deal done." Izuku asked, a small crease in his forehead as he thought it over.

"Izu, your analyses are amazing. I really think you should expect him to come back for more." Katsuki said, laying down also.

"You really think so? I don't know. What I gave him couldn't have been that useful, really. It was just the quirks; it's not like I gave him a plan on how to get back at Mr. Brave or how the other guy can become a hero or whatever." Izuku said, laying an arm over his eyes. "They are not that great. Good for helping kids, but adults have to know a lot of this stuff already."

"There he goes doubting himself again.'  Katsuki thought, staring up at the stained ceiling.

"Just don't be surprised when he comes fucking crawling back," Katsuki growled.

"It's ok, even if he does and I don't want to do what he asks; I know you got my back, Kacchan!" Izuku smiled as he poked Katsuki in the ribs causing him to jump.

"Knock that shit off." He growled, scooting away.

"Ar-are you ticklish?!?" Izuku asked, propping himself up on his elbow looking over at the blond.

"No."

A devilish smirk danced across Izuku's lips as he leaned over and poked again. Katsuki growled and twitched away once more. "Knock it off, Nerd; I can still pummel your ass."

"Ok, Ok," Izuku sighed as he started to lay back down. Katsuki closed his eyes with a grunt, laying an arm over his face to block out the dawn light. Just as he relaxed, Katsuki felt Izuku's weight land on his stomach as his small hands twitched long his sides wildly.

Katsuki HOWLED, trying to curl away, hide his sides, bucking up, anything to stop the tickling! "IZU! D-DAMN YOU!" He felt out of breath as he fought to keep the laughter at bay; Katsuki Bakugou did not laugh like this! He couldn't be ticklish! NO, those were not tears in his eyes as his face turned red from lack of air. But as quickly as it started, the weight of Izuku slide off him as the Nerd curled in on himself, laughing hysterically.

"The fuck was that for!?" Katsuki growled, holding his sides.  'Fuck being tickled!'

"I-I didn't know" Izuku gasped for air as Katsuki recovered. "Gotta add that to your analysis." He giggled.

"HAH!? Fuck that! Get over here, you!" Katsuki dove onto Izuku, resulting in their wrestling, tickling, and play punching each other until both were red-faced and panting on their backs.

 "Go the fuck to sleep," Katsuki barked, rolling onto his side away from Izuku.

"Hai!" Izuku panted as he, too, rolled, pillowing his head on his arms. "Good Night Kacchan"

 Katsuki felt a soft smile pull at his lips. "Good Night Izu."

Chapter Text

"So, are you done avoiding me now?" a deep voice calls out over the rooftop. Katsuki flinches at the sound but is not surprised that Eraser was able to sneak up on him. Looking up from his phone, he watched as the hero approached him across the roof.

"Avoiding you would mean I gave a shit about your opinion. Which I don't, Captain Hobo, so I wasn't avoiding you. I was busy." Katsuki grumbled, turning back to his phone. He had been stealing wifi from the café below, doing another news search. He had wanted to catch up on major headlines and see if anything new had been posted about Izuku and Himself.

Eraserhead huffed as he sat down near the blond looking out over the street. "Busy right. Stopping muggings and working for that elderly couple."

"Still fucking stalking me?" Katsuki growled. "Why? Why the fuck do you give a shit about me?"

Eraser tucked his chin into his capture weapon before turning and staring down at Katsuki.

"Because you don't belong here."

"The fuck do you mean by that?"

"Look, KEM. You are currently living in one of the worst districts in the Tokyo Metro area. These people have lived hard lives, and many do not care about them. Yet here you are, powerful quirk, clearly have had some classes in martial arts and wearing half-decent clothing even if it needs a better wash. You speak like a delinquent, yet I can tell you are up to date on your education and are intelligent. You don't belong in this area. So, I am going to ask. What are you doing here?" Eraser's eyes seemed to flash red in the setting sun as Katsuki had to look away from him.

"None of that fucking matters. I am doing what needs to be done." Katsuki growled, staring down at the small pea gravel of the roof.

"It does matter. Let me help you, kid." Katsuki felt his quirk activate in anger.

"WHY? Why the fuck do you want to help me? Hah? You said it yourself. No one gives a shit about the people here, so why help the one who stands out? Is it because I have a powerful quirk? Why not go help the orphans five streets over? Or are their quirks too weak? Are they too much of a lost cause?" Katsuki snarled, jumping to his feet with a small explosion. He grabbed his backpack and tossed it on his back. "Quit fucking stalking me," Katsuki demanded as he turned to leave.

"I do help the orphans five streets over." Katsuki froze but did not turn to face the man.

"I donate monthly to cover the cost of some of their medical bills that the government won't. I even fostered and then adopted a teen around your age from that orphanage. I am the only hero that will patrol this area, even if it's not my assigned district. I know these people by name and have for at least two generations. Why? Because I grew up here. I am from here." Katsuki slowly turned on his heel to face the man now.

"I know the people from here, as well as who comes and goes even when I don't patrol here. So, when a new blond-haired kid in half-decent clothing comes around asking for work, the locals get cagey and asked me to look into you. It just happened to time up with my Trigger investigation. So, no, I am not stalking you. But it is clear you don't belong. The only question is why?" Eraser sat with his hands across his chest, his voice almost devoid of all emotion as he told his tale. Katsuki could feel that he wasn't lying.

"If the locals hate that I am here that much, Ill fucking leave then."

"That's not the point I was making." Eraser sighed.

"Where is your normal patrol route?" Katsuki asked, avoiding as much as he could about himself.

"Mustafa, 5th ward. North of UA."

"That's like four districts over?! Why the fuck are you here?" Katsuki's heart began to race. Eraser had to know who he was. It was all over the local news; it even made regional news. What game was this hero playing?

"For the Trigger investigation. I have not patrolled in Mustafa in months, really. I teach a few days a week when school is in session, and the rest I am here. Though I'm not sure for how much longer. The case Is going to wrap up soon; that is why I am trying to help you."

Katsuki felt like molten lead was in his chest. Eraser had not been home often in the past few months. Maybe he didn't know who KEM was.

"You are a smart kid. Too smart for the streets. I have seen how you help people being mugged. Helped sex workers out of bad spots with aggressive John's. You never really harm a person, but you also never call the cops or a hero. Suppose you keep going the way you are, with as jaded as you are. In that case, you will fall down a rocky path starting with vigilantism and ended with you in a situation that you become desperate enough or pissed off enough that you turn villain. You have the quirk and the smarts to do it. I am trying to help you prevent that. You could have a bright future ahead of you."

"Fuck off, I'll never be a villain," Katsuki grumbled, but it lacked any real heat. In the back of his mind, he already felt that fear. He was aggressive; hell, after tormenting Izuku for years, he knew how much he loved to fight. Already he had to talk himself down from really laying into some scumbags who were hitting women. ' Maybe I already am turning villain?'

"You are right. You won't. If you accept help. Getting help is not showing weakness, you know." Eraser's voice was softer, this time clearly able to read how uncomfortable Katsuki had become.

"It's not weakness, but it shows I can't deal with shit on my own. That's what I don't need." Katsuki grunted.

"Alright, let me ask you this. I noticed your new hearing aids. Quite a nice pair too. Where did you get them?"

"They were a gift." Technically not a lie. Izuku did the work for them.

"So, you have a friend who has access to pro-grade support items that just gifted them to you when you can't feed yourself and the other person you are with?" Eraser asked, eyebrow raised.  Fuck…

"No, they worked for the aids. But they were gifted to me. Don't fucking assume shit."

"So, you accepted  help  from your friend for a device that  helps  you hear?" Katsuki could hear the smirk in Eraser's voice. ' FUCK! Fuck his LOGIC!'

"Fuck off," Katsuki growled, not having a better response.

"You know how to accept help. You just don't want my help. Why?"

"Cause you're a fucking pro-hero! Alright? I tried going to the pros before. Went to the cops also, and everyone fucking blew me off. So, no, I won't accept your help because I can't trust it." Katsuki snarled. The sun had officially set, giving into the deep blues of the night sky as the teen and the man stared each other down.

"What can I do to prove to you that you can trust me?" Eraser asked as he pushed up to his feet, his voice back to a monotone, emotionless calculating husk.  

"Nothing…Fuck…I don't know. I don't know if I want to trust you. We are doing fine on our own. Sure, shit can get hard, but I have it handled." Katsuki grumbled.

"Look, Like I said, I might not be in the area much longer. The commission is on me to be back at my normal patrol, and my family has been looking forward to having me back home more often. But in the meantime, meet me at that warehouse, every evening before the sunsets. Even if you won't let me help you, it's only logical for me to teach you some more martial arts. To be better able to protect yourself when I am gone." Katsuki opened his mouth to argue that he could protect himself, but Eraser cut him off. 

 "I'll bring you and your friend more food as well. If you want to bring them, I will teach them also."

Katsuki's jaw closed with an audible click. ' Should I bring Izu? He would love to meet Eraser, but that would 100% give us away. I don't know.' 

"Like I said before. No strings attached. I'll see you tomorrow." And with that, Eraser jumped down a fire escape and disappeared into the night.

Katsuki waited a few minutes before screaming "FUCK!" into the night sky. Plopping back down onto the roof, he leaned against the warm cinderblocks rubbing his eyes. Eraserhead always seemed to know how to exactly get under Katsuki's skin, but he was never malicious about it. ' I wonder what would have happened if I had met him before we ran away?'  Katsuki thought to himself as he watched a handful of stars appear in the sky.

With a sigh, he went back to what he was doing before the hero showed up. Flicking through some local news, it had been a few weeks since any station or newspaper had issued any updates to their whereabouts. Just as he had expected, no one cared that Izuku was gone. His mother had called off the search and last reported was considering having him declared dead. A quote from her was, "Its impossible for him to have survived this long on his own. With him being quirkless, he could not have found a job to pay his own way in life."

This caused Katsuki to grind his teeth in anger. Sure, he couldn't have gotten a job, but the only other option was death? Like Izuku would never give up that easily. Maybe he had been kidnapped by traffickers or some shit. But no, the bitch didn't care and was ready to write him out of her life.

Katsuki's own mother was still on a personal rampage offering rewards to anyone who dragged her 'brat' back. But the prize wasn't much, clearly not giving into the train of thought that Katsuki left on his own. And the news had stopped reporting on it a few weeks back. Rolling his eyes, he went back to surfing more national news headlines. Nothing was keeping his attention, and just before he was about to close everything out and go back to the apartment, a name in a headline caught his eye.

'MR. BRAVE out of active duty for the foreseeable future

Blinking, Katsuki quickly clicked on the link and skimmed the article.

'MR. BRAVE will be on desk duty for the next few months as his agency announced that he had a misfortunate quirk accident. A civilian under duress used their quirk on the hero by accident, causing all MR. BRAVE's hair to fall out. The hero's quirk depends on the hair on his head and, as such, will not be able to be in the field until his hair grows back as hair growth quirks have not been able to work on the desk-bound hero….'

That molten lead was back as it ran from Katsuki's chest into his stomach. ' Shit, did we cause this?'

Quickly he screenshotted the article as well as the admittedly hilarious photo of a bald and eyebrow-less Mr. Brave before rushing back to the apartment.

It took the explosive blond longer than he expected to get back. Katsuki had not realized that his wanderings in search of free wifi had taken him so far. Getting back to the apartment, he didn't even finish knocking before the door was ripped open. Izuku, wide-eyed and shaking slightly, stared at Katsuki as if he was a lifesaver.

"Kacchan." Izuku huffed before he turned and started pacing the room.

"Hey Nerd, what's wrong?" Katsuki asked quickly, locking the door once more.

"Y-you were right." Izu declared as he chewed on his lower lip. It was already red and puffy, the skin largely irritated.

"Right about what?" Katsuki felt his heart pick up in fear.

" He c-called. Just a few hours ago. He wants to m-meet." Izuku muttered, eyes wide with fear.

"Who?" Katsuki asked even though he knew the answer. His phone felt like a weight in his pocket.

"Giran," Izu stopped and locked eyes. "Giran wants to meet again and employ us."

"What did you tell him?" Katsuki asked, setting down his backpack.

"I-I really didn't say anything. He was speaking so fast, and I was caught off guard. I really didn't think he would call again. And he brought up the warehouse where we met the first time and that he was so happy to be working with us and –"

"Alright, Izu breath. When did he want to meet?" Katsu gently led Izu to their small table. It was littered with small parts from a microwave oven. Izuku must have been in the middle of working when he got the call. The damned burner phone sat in the middle of the table, taunting them.

"Tomorrow night. Kacchan, he said he had a lot of money for us." That caused Katsuki to pause.

"What do you mean?" Katsuki damn near whispered.

"He said he was so impressed that he has an offer of money we could never refuse. Kacchan he wants to pay us for my notes. He said we could be rich." Izuku stared into crimson eyes, the green showing both fear and excitement. Katsuki felt like his phone was burning him in his pocket. Does he show the article to Izuku? How would he react? Should he wait until they hear what Giran has to offer? What if Izuku is asked to do more analysis on heroes. What If more heroes get hurt worse than a bald head? ' Are we already villains? '

Swallowing hard, Katsuki nodded. "What do you want to do?"

"I… I really don't know Kacchan. If we can make real money, we can rent an apartment and go back to school. You shouldn't have to throw your chance at UA away for me. We would have to get new IDs and maybe get someone to hack and transfer our grades to the new names. But we would have the money to do it."

"Did he say how much he was going to pay?"

Izu shook his head, his long curls swaying. "No, he wanted to see my face when he said the amount is what he told me."

"Well, I guess we can't make any plans until we know the amount, right?" Katsuki felt like he weighed more and more. He had to show Izuku the article, right? I mean, this could make a big difference… or would it? Mr. Brave never got injured. He was on desk duty for a few months… it wasn't like he was in the hospital or anything, right?

"Yea… your right, just like always, Kacchan" Izuku smiled softly.

"Regardless of the amount. What do you want to do?" Katsuki asked.

"I don't know. To be paid for something I love to do would be great. I mean, it would be like having a real job, and my lack of quirk doesn't matter. But like you said, we can't trust Giran. He is a middle ground but not loyal. He could turn us in." Izuku sighed as he leaned back and looked at the ceiling. "I really just want to be able to finish school and have a comfortable life. Is that really too much to ask for? I-I guess I am being greedy. So many others have it worse off."

"Oi, stop that shit right now. You were given a bad hand in life. You are doing what you can to survive. It's not greedy to want stability." Katsuki growled. 

Izuku smiled softly at Katsuki, but it never reached his eyes. "Your right as always, Kacchan."

Sighing, Katsuki reached into his pocket and handed Izuku the phone. "I found an article you might want to read before the meeting tomorrow."

Confusion crossed Izuku's face as he grabbed the phone and read the screenshots. His face morphed from confusion to fear to just a slight frown as he read and re-read the article.

"Did I do this?" Izuku asked softly.

"I don't know. It might be a coincidence; it might be Giran acting out on the money the guy was owed. But it was clear it hit him where he was the weakest." Katsuki answered honestly.

"Yea… I mean… he… wasn't hurt… but why do I feel so guilty?" Izuku began to cry softly.

"Because you are too nice, Nerd," Katsuki groused as he gently took the phone back.

"Kacchan I-I hurt a hero…."

' Oh hell no .' Katsuki had to shut this spiral down now, or Izu would go so far as to talk himself out of doing analysis forever.

"No, you didn't. You didn't do shit. You provided an analysis of a quirk. It's a fucking stupid quirk with a major weakness. If Giran wanted to hurt hair-boi, then he could have used fire. Burn up all the hair and damage the man. It is no worse than putting Nair in someone's shampoo bottle."

Izuku snorted as he wiped at his eyes. "S-sounds like you speak from experience."

 "Shut it, that's not important. What's important is I was right. Your notes are fucking good, and a creep wants to pay you for them. We just need to be careful and stick to your rules." Katsuki grumbled, not thinking about the pranks he had played in the past.

"Kacchan, what if he is really a villain, though… I mean… I kind of accepted a while ago I wasn't going to be a hero. I don't really know why I asked All Might that the night we left. And I really wouldn't have many options as a quirkless person… But I don't know. I can't say he is a villain, but he is definitely not on the side of the law." Izuku went back to chewing on his lip.

"Quit. We are not on the side of the law right now, Izu. We have had to beg, borrow and steal to keep afloat, and it's only been a few months since we left. The new school semester is starting soon, so I might be able to make more here coming up. But if you want to go back to school, we need the money now. We will just have to be careful. But you are smart, and I am around to keep your head on straight. We would be stupid to pass up any opportunities, but we just have to be careful." Katsuki yawned. Blinking, he just realized how late it had gotten. The stress of the evening between Eraserhead and Giran weighed heavily on his mind.

"And you can still be a hero. Fuck Ass Might and the rest. You are too smart not to be able to become a hero; you just might not be in the spotlight."

"Thanks, Kacchan," Izuku whispered, his eyes watery again.

"Alright, bed Nerd. You really need to stop staying up so late."

"Look who is talking!" Izuku stood, turning out the lights.

"I sleep all day while you are out running around. I get my sleep."

"It gets too hot to sleep during the day, Kacchan~" Izuku whined as they got ready for bed.

"Yea, in a few months, you're gonna be fucking crying its too cold to sleep," Katsuki growled, throwing himself down onto the blanket.

"Well… If I make good money, we won't need to worry about that," Izuku muttered, laying down on his side facing Katsuki. "Kacchan… Do you still want to be a hero?" he asked in a small voice.

Katsuki turned to face Izuku. The question caught him off guard as he ran his hand through his hair. "I… I don't know. Yes, I want to be a hero. I wanted to help you and do good. Live up to my potential. I help people on the streets all the time. But I never call the cops. I don't try and stop people from doing bad things, just from hurting other people. So, I don't know if I can be a hero. I don't trust them, I don't trust the law or the system that runs our society, so should I be a hero is the better question…."

"I already know Kacchan is a hero. But you are right. We have now lived on both sides of this coin. A-and I know I'll never be accepted the way I am now. But you… I don't know. I think you could be the change we need in the heroes. You are loud and opinionated enough to bring attention to the issues." Izuku smirked.

"Can it, Nerd. But I don't know yet. But please promise me you will only ever do what you want? Don't take the shit people to give you without putting up a fight, yea?"

"I promise. I'll keep fighting to go where I want because I want the world to see you as a hero like I already do."

Katsuki felt his face heat up as he rolled away, throwing his arm over his eyes. "Well, we will see how tomorrow goes…."

The next day before sunset, Katsuki made his way to the warehouse that Eraser had mentioned. He pushed his way inside from a broken side door, the rusted metal scrapping against his shirt. Walking towards the middle of the building, he found that Eraser was already there, leaned against a pillar with his eyes closed.

"Are you seriously sleeping there on this nasty floor?" Katsuki scoffed as he approached. He hadn't told Izuku about his and Erasers' chat the night before. The younger already had too much on his mind with Giran, who they were meeting closer to midnight.

"When you get as little sleep as I do, you catch up when and where you can." The man grunted, not bothering to open his eyes.

"Well, why the fuck are you here when you could be sleeping at your house or at a hotel?"

"Because I said I would be here, and I do as I say. Also, a hotel would be illogical when I work overnight." The hobo-looking man finally shifted, opening his eyes. Katsuki noticed another reusable bag beside the man. "Let's test your mobility today."

"Hah? What do you mean by that?" Katsuki asked as the man stood.

"The rules are simple. I am going to set the alarm for ten minutes. You try to evade me for that length of time. Every time I pin you, you have to answer a question of mine."

"Seems pretty fucking weighted in your favor, hobo," Katsuki growled, shifting into a more guarded stance.

"Your right. But if you can evade me for five minutes straight, I will do exactly one thing as you ask. You could even ask for me to leave you alone if that is what you wished. You can use your quirk, I can use mine as well, and I will give you a thirty-second head start each time. In the end, you can get whatever you want or just have to answer a few questions. How does that sound?"

Katsuki knew he was being played. He knew Eraserhead was a pro for a reason. Yet, his competitive nature raged against the challenge and won against logic.

"Deal."

"Better get going." Eraser grinned evilly

Katsuki took off, running towards the back of the warehouse. He had thirty seconds, and Katsuki was going to use every moment. Igniting his quirk, he launched himself up onto the second-floor, landing heavily on the steel catwalks. He took off again towards one of the windows that lined the second story. His boots clanging heavily on the old metal echoed around the building.  'Shit, he is going to hear me.'  Thinking fast, Katsuki let off an explosion at the glass, creating an opening, the glass landing outside with a symphony of chimes. But then, moving as quietly as possible, he slinked his way into one of the old offices. Dust and debris were everywhere, and Katsuki checked every place he put his foot down so as not to draw attention to himself. He tucked himself down behind a half wall, it was enough to give him cover, but if he saw Eraser coming, he had the room to fight or run.

He had been crouched there for at least a full minute when his ego started up.  'Fuck yea… Hiding is cowardly, and I hate it, but I bet that dumb ass fell for the broken window bit'  He smirked to himself as he shifted on his heel slightly.

"Don't let that ego be your downfall." Eraser's voice whispered just above his head. The man in question was perched on the top of the half-wall, looking down at the teen.

"FUCK!" Katsuki brought his hands up to blast the pro. Just as his hands heated up, he felt his quirk ripped away as he stumbled backward. The capture cloth wrapped around him, tightly pinning his arms to his sides as he was dragged across the floor.

"Just over two minutes. I will say the window was smart. It was clear you could tell how much noise you were making." Eraser's hair was floating around him, his eyes glowing red.

"Fuck off, don't patronize me." Katsuki snarled, fighting the cloth that bound him.

"So here is my first question." Eraser had made his way over to the struggling teen and pulled at the collar of his shirt, exposing the still dark pink scar on Katsuki's neck and shoulder. "How did this happen?"

Katsuki growled, trying to pull away without success. Closing his eyes, he breathed through his nose a few times to catch his breath and calm his temper.

"Endeavor is an asshole." Katsuki would not look the pro in the eye as he said this, pointedly looking at the ground. Eraser's eyes narrowed in what Katsuki assumed to be anger.  'Well, here we go, he has me caught and is gonna take me to the cops. Fuck I am so stupid.'

"Endeavor did that to you?" Katsuki just nodded. "He is such an egotistical hothead. He always takes things too far. Completely illogical." Eraser stated his tone frustrated, but Katsuki felt the cloth bindings loosen and pull away. He looked up, confused. 

 "Clocks ticking. You are wasting your thirty seconds."

Picking his jaw up off the ground, Katsuki scurried to his feet and took off again. They chased each other around for a while. Sometimes Katsuki could give Eraser the slip, never for the full five minutes; other times, Eraser caught him effortlessly. Each time he was caught, the pro would point out where he went wrong or praise him for doing things right.

Every question the underground hero asked was basic. Never really prying but enough to give him a better idea as to who Katsuki was. Things like the sex of the other one with him. Favorite foods. Did he have a full-time job. Was the place he was living in safe. Things like that, until it was the last time he was caught. The blond was strung up from the rafters, his legs kicking as he just slowly spun. Katuki was breathing hard as he had spent a reasonable amount of time dodging the capture cloth at the end until it caught him by the leg. Eraser did not even look winded as he stood under the spinning teen.

"Last question. Where are your parents?" Katsuki stiffened. He hadn't lied to the man yet, but he wasn't sure how to answer this one.

"Not around. They are alive just elsewhere." Was the best he could come up with.

"The other boy with you, is he your brother?"

Katsuki could not help but laugh. "That's two questions, Hobo man. But no, he is not."

Eraser just sighed and nodded, letting Katsuki down gently. Brushing the dust off himself, Katsuki noticed they were exactly back where they started, the bag still sitting at the pillar's base.

"Take care, KEM. I'll see you tomorrow." Eraser said while walking off. Katsuki blinked as he rubbed his sore shoulder. The rough cloth of the capture tool irritated the still healing burn.  'He is seriously just walking away? After he learned that a pro hero did this to me? He had to have guessed I was doing something bad…and that my parents are not around… What the fuck is up with this guy?' 

Katsuki picked up the bag of food and headed back to meet up with Izuku. Getting back to the apartment, Izuku was a mess of nerves fidgeting with anything he could get his hands on. Katsuki quickly put away the food and made some for Izuku, making him use his hands to eat.

"I'm not hungry, Kacchan," Izuku muttered, looking at the cup of instant ramen in his hands.

"Tough shit. I know you have not eaten at all today. You need something in your gut." Katsuki growled, digging into his own dinner.

Izuku pouted and tried to set the ramen off to the side, but Katsuki, the ever-watchful food hound, pushed it back in front of him.

"Fine," Izuku conceded without much of a fight. Shoving a large bite of noodles into his mouth.

The boys ate in silence, mentally preparing for the night ahead. Katsuki eventually showered before putting on a dark hoodie and hat for the night. Izuku dressed similarly. They packed up all their essential belongings and hid their backpacks on the roof of the building in an old vent before taking off into the night.

The walk to the warehouse was not as tense as it was last time. Katsuki could hear the cars that passed them, could be aware if anyone followed them, and could hear that the door did not squeak as loudly as he had imagined before. Sliding their way into the old office parts of the warehouse, Katsuki could listen to two people talking. One was clearly Giran with his annoying voice; the other sounded more feminine, or at least a higher pitch; it was hard to tell for sure. Izuku stiffened slightly hearing the second voice. Katsuki squeezed his shoulder, reminding the Nerd that he was there with him and had his back.

Katsuki watched, and Izuku took a large steadying breath before moving forward the rest of the way. As they came into view, the talking stopped instantly. Giran stood in his stupid purple suit leaned against a desk once more. There was a tall person beside him, short black hair and wore a medical mask. Their eyes we brown, and they dressed rather androgynously, making them unremarkable and able to hide in a crowd with ease.

"Hello, boys!" Giran smiled widely, his hands out into the air as if welcoming them with a hug. Neither Izuku nor Katsuki moved forward, just nodding in greeting.

"See, Sai, I told you they were not much for conversation. Perfect businessmen." Sai, the androgynous person, nodded in greeting also.

"So, what is your offer?" Izuku asked, his voice calm, but Katsuki could pick up the slight tremor.

"Right to the point, I see." Giran smiled again before picking up a folder on the desk. Besides the folder was a large briefcase as well. "I will say I am impressed with your work Jack. My associate has been able to control his quirk with ease now that you had pointed out the unknown trigger for it. As well as we were able to deal with our debt collection without harming anyone in the process."

"So that was you?" Izuku asked, his voice cracking slightly. Katsuki took a half step forward, letting Izuku know to calm down.

"Ah yes, that was me. But we were able to protect his wife from him and make our point clear without any harm. He is just stuck on desk duty for a while to think about his issues." Giran waved his hand dismissively.

Katsuki watched as Izuku stiffened again before relaxing. Giran was not wrong. ' There wasn't any harm in making a point, and if they protected the wife, then what is to say this isn't a good thing? ' Katsuki thought to himself as he kept his eyes on Giran and Sai.

"But that is old news. And you have come here to hear my offer, yes?"

Izuku nodded. "I didn't expect a call, honestly."

"Yes, well, you, my dear boy, are a diamond in the rough. And I absolutely can not pass up your skills, so here is the deal. I give you a handful of quirks a month, you provide your analysis on them. I'll stick to your rules. Nothing personal on the person in question. No support gear suggestions. Just what can be done or can't be done with the quirk itself. Let interested parties extrapolate from there, yea?"

Izuku nodded again.  'So these are all the rules he put forth to start with….'  Katsuki was kinda impressed. It protected Izuku as much as possible and gave him plausible deniability if anything were to be traced back to him.

"Good. Now here is my offer. I pay you 550,000 yen per analysis. With a max of 6 analyses a month. So, the potential to make over 3 million yen a month."

Katsuki felt his heart stop. 3 million yen a month. That… was so much money. They would never have to worry about food or clothing, or cleaning supplies again. If they got sick, they could just pay a doctor to show up, fuck the hospitals. This was life-changing.

"Of course, this is all under the table, so no taxes to worry about," Giran smirked, watching the boys struggle to comprehend how much he was offering.

"W-who are you going to be selling this analysis to?" Izuku asked, his voice quivering.

"Honestly? I am just going to hold those 6 spaces every month. Whoever is the highest bidder getting a spot. Could be heroes, could be cops, could be villains. Don't know, don't care. They will be forced to follow your rules as well as pay. It's a rather good deal for both of us."

Izuku was shaking, and Katsuki knew why. He could be making more in one month than his mother made in 4 years. He had never known what it means to have money. To have access to it so quickly for work that he already loved to do, was a dream come true. Almost too good.

"Why should we work with you? Who is to say Jack doesn't just go and sell his shit on his own?" Katsuki asked to buy Izuku more time to stop the blue screening.

"Ah, so the guard dog does speak?" Giran grinned as Katsuki bristled. "But that is a good question, KEM. But let me answer it with one of my own. Do you have connections to pros and cops? What about gangs and up-and-coming villains? Sure, you could go out there and sell your stuff, but you wouldn't get anywhere for a long time. Working with me secures clients right off the bat. But if you are worried about that, we can even put a time limit to our little agreement here. Say two years? That will give Jack the time to build his own clients. And at the point perhaps we could renegotiate the deal or walk away as friends, yes?"

"Is that why Sai is here?" Izuku asked, nodding toward the black-haired person.

"Ah, what makes you think that?" Giran asked with a gleam in his eye.

"Well, it's clear they don't have a mutation quirk. And based on our interactions in the past, you try to keep business close to your chest. So, by bringing them here while you are making a deal, so to speak, it would mean they have either a truth-telling quirk, a mental quirk, or something to do with contract or deal-making." Izuku muttered, staring at Sai.

"Fuck, he is good." Sai sighed, looking at Giran.

"Told you."

"But yes, my quirk is called Contract. It doesn't hurt you, but when two parties agree to terms while touching them, a contract is put into place. If one side breaks the contract, then the other will always know where they are at until the contract is verbally broken by both parties." Sai said.

Katsuki could feel the intake of air before Izuku spoke. "Amazing! Is it only verbally the contract could be broken or made? How does death impact the contact? When you say you know where the other is, is it like a pull or just knowledge you have? Could it be broken in any other form? I wonder what would happen if you died? Would all the contracts be null at that point? Or would they stay? What-"

"Jack," Katsuki sighed, cutting off the tirade. As Izu closed his mouth with an audible click. "Sorry," he mumbled.

Giran and Sai shared a look, Giran's filled with amusement where Sai looked scared.  'Good, let them be scared.' 

"So let the term be discussed now. For two years, I will supply Jackalope with up to 6 quirks for him to analyze. Each will cost me 550,000 yen. I agree to follow Jack's rules and force all clients to do the same. If any harm befalls the subject of the quirk, that blame does not fall upon Jack by any means as he is just analyzing the quirk. Anything anyone extrapolates from that is on their own accord. Agreeable?" Giran smiled.

'Two years. That will take us up until halfway through our first year of high school. Two years of amazing income that we can save from and build a life. No matter what the Nerd would want to do, he could now afford it.'  Katsuki ran every possible scenario in his head where this could come back to bite them. He really could not find any at this point. Giran was taking on the risk of dealing with the clients. He is not demanding that Izu only work with him, so if Izuku got enough of a following, he could work with who he wanted whenever he wanted as long as Izu did these six a month for the broker.

Looking at Izuku, he could tell the Nerds mind was running a mile a minute trying to find any snags in this deal himself. He glanced at Katsuki, his green eyes full of hope and fear. This was almost too good, but they couldn't see why they shouldn't accept the deal. Katsuki's stomach was in knots as he felt his heart race in his chest.

"If I ever need assistance with something, you give me access to your clients or help provide it no questions asked." Izuku tacked on to the deal. Giran scratched at his chin as he thought it over.

"That shouldn't be a problem. You know I won't provide discounts on other services, but I can get you to the right person no problem."

Izuku nodded.

"So, do you have a deal?" Sai asked, stepping forward. Their right hand touching Giran's shoulder. Their left open for Izuku to approach. Stealing one last look at Katsuki, the smaller boy stepped forward. Sai laid their left hand on Izuku's shoulder as well as both Giran and Izuku shook hands in the middle.

"Deal."

Chapter Text

Izuku was spiraling. He was spiraling lost in his head, hugging an envelope to his chest as they walked back to the apartment. Izuku was spiraling, and Katsuki couldn't do anything about it while they walked the streets without calling attention to themselves. It was around 3am and people were wandering around headed home from nights at the bars. They already had enough people side-eyeing them as Katsuki steered Izuku around the groups of people.

After they had agreed to terms, Giran offered a part of his first payment upfront. Including over a million yen in the envelope, for the starting two quirks to analyze, four other quirks were going to be delivered to Izuku later this week. So that meant that Izuku was currently hugging over a million yen to his chest as they walked through one of the worst areas to live. And Izuku was spiraling.

Grinding his teeth together, Katsuki nearly sighed with relief when the abandoned apartments came into view. He decided to just get Izuku settled into the apartment before he ran and dug out their backpacks.

"Come on, Izu, don't make me baby you," Katsuki grumbled when Izuku tripped over one of the steps leading up to their floor.

"Uh-huh" Izuku just nodded, his eyes wide but not seeing.

Growling, Katsuki made Izuku walk ahead of him for once. It was just to make sure he could catch him if he tripped again, that's all. Katuski actually had to grab the back of Izuku's hoodie when the greenette started to climb the steps past their apartment.

"This way, Nerd," Katsuki grumbled before stopping short. The door to their apartment was wide open. They had closed it when they left to meet Giran. Katsuki spun and forced Izuku to sit on the stairs just out of sight of the apartment.

"Izuku, I need you to snap out of it. I think some fucker broke into our apartment."

Izuku blinked twice before the lights seem to come on in his eyes. "HUH?! Kacchan w-what do you mean?"

"I mean, the door is open. I am going to check it out. You stay the fuck here, and if you hear me shouting, run to the roof and get our things. But stay there for me."

"Wha? You can't go in there alone!"

"And I don't want to walk in there with a million yen!" Katsuki whisper yelled in his face. "Now stay put!"

Izuku opened his mouth to argue, but then it snapped shut. "Yea, ok. Be careful!"

Katsuki just waved him off as he turned and started back down the hall. Sliding along the wall, he made his way to the edge of the door and just listened. No sounds were coming from the apartment. Bringing his hands up, he felt the skin warm as he prepared to blast anything in the room. Whipping around the edge, he nearly tripped on a broken appliance.

Their' living room' was trashed. All of Izuku's projects that were half done or just scrap was stomped on and crushed. Their tiny table had its legs broken off, and the string lights were pulled down.  'Mother fuckers.'  Katsuki was pissed. He stormed his way into their bedroom and bathroom, finding broken beer bottles and trash. Clearly, whoever was here only destroyed the place in a fit of drunken fun.

Rubbing his face aggressively, Katsuki let out a snarl as he kicked a bottle. Crashing into the wall, the glass shattered, sending shards all around the room.

"Izu, it's safe," Katsuki called down the hall as he could hear Izuku rush towards him before freezing in the doorway.

"Oh no." Izuku sighed. It was hard to tell in the darkness, but Katsuki knew his eyes were welling with tears.

"Just fucking stay here and lock the door. I'm gonna go grab our bags." Katsuki sighed, dragging his fingers through his hair, pulling at the roots.

Izuku nodded and locked the door as Katsuki left, heading to the roof. Halfway up the stairs, fresh spray paint could be seen. Kanji for "Fuck the homeless" or "Get real jobs" was on the walls. Other words like "Lazy" and "unworthy" were mixed in there. Clearly, the assholes who did this couldn't get into the doors on these levels, so they resorted to defacing as much as possible. Just as he turned the corner to head up to the last set of steps before the roof, the kanji for "Useless" was there in black paint.

"Deku." Katsuki frowned, the term tasting sour in his mouth. It had been over two months since he last uttered the word. A mix of fury and shame made his blood run cold, and his chest tighten. He didn't want Izuku to see this. He didn't want to see it. Without thinking, he reached out and blasted the wall where it was written. Black soot and spiderweb cracks obscured the word as Katsuki rushed by and ran onto the roof.

Gasping at the cool night air, he leaned back and stared up into the overcast sky. ' Who would go out of their way to make someone's day which is already in a bad spot worse?'  Flashes of memory rose in his mind, images of Izuku being pushed down, his lackeys laughing as they tossed stones at cats, calling Izuku Deku for years, and he flinched.  'Oh, yea me.….'

Katsuki stood there breathing hard as he forced himself to calm down. To push away the anger and the guilt that warred within him. Eventually, he collected himself and gathered their backpacks. Untouched and still full of their stuff, Katsuki couldn't help but close his eyes in relief.

Shouldering the bags, he trotted back to the apartment, exhaustion from the night settling into his bones. He gave the special knock, and Izuku let him into the apartment. Izuku had pushed most of the trash to the corners of the room to be dealt with later. The string lights were back up, and Izuku looked like he had been crying the entire time.

"Come on, let's just eat something light and go to sleep. We will fucking figure everything else out in the morning." Katsuki grumbled, dumping the bags in the bedroom. Izuku followed without complaint. They both ate a jelly packet and some trail mix before changing and lying down. Izuku shoved the envelope between their packs that they used as pillows, nesting and protecting it where both of them would wake if anything were to happen.

Just ask Katsuki was about to fall asleep Izuku asked softly at his shoulder, "Did we do the right thing?"

Katsuki just huffs. "There was no right or wrong in this case. It was a matter of survival and our future."

Izuku sighed as if Katsuki had just pulled all the weight off his chest. "You're right, Kacchan. As always."

Katsuki felt his eyes roll as he started to fade back into sleep. Just as he slipped under, he heard a sleepy whisper, "Kacchan is amazing…."

"up...Wake up, Kacchan." Izuku's voice cut through Katsuki's mind as he grumbled, turning over to go back to sleep. It was daylight and much too bright for Katsuki's liking.

"Come on, Kacchan, I got you a present." Izuku shook his shoulder softly, just enough to rock the blond back and forth.

"Wha'sat Nerd?" Katsuki grumbled, his arm flopping around Izuku's body.

"A present, Kacchan! But you gotta get up." Blinking, the world slowly came into focus as he found bright green eyes staring down at him. Katsuki wrapped an arm around Izuku's neck with a huff, pulling him into a headlock and back down onto the blanket.

"Sleep."

"Noooo, it's time to be up, Kacchan!" Izuku giggled, pulling himself out of the weak headlock. "Don't make me tickle you."

"Do it, and I'll fucking kill you," Katsuki growled instinctively pulling his arms closer to his body.

"Then get up, grump. Come on it out in the main room." Izuku pushed to his feet and left the bedroom. Sighing, Katsuki stretched before pushing up to his own feet and changing his t-shirt for a tank top. It had to be around midday for as hot as it was. Rubbing his face, he stepped out into the living room and was assaulted with a rich aroma. On the table in many to-go boxes was an oversized piping hot western-style breakfast. Eggs, bacon, pancakes, potatoes, other meats, as well as fruit.

"Where the fuck did you get this?" Katsuki asked as he felt his stomach growl at the thought of fresh hot food.

"Well, I wanted us to have some good food for once. It's been a few weeks since we ate something other than instant noodles and porridge. And… and I wanted to show how much I appreciate you helping us. You have provided so much of the food, so I wanted to go out and get our first big meal now that we have some real money." Izuku sat near the table, picking at his fingers. Clearly, the Nerd had been busy this morning. The table was 'fixed' with a broken toaster oven propping up the corner missing the leg, as well as the big breakfast. Glancing around, Katsuki noticed the broken bottles and other trash were gone.

"Did you even fucking sleep?" Katsuki sat down at the table, ignoring the warm feeling in his chest.

"Yea, I got a few hours, but then I just felt so…jumpy I had to work on something." Izuku handed over a container of food and some utensils.

Taking a bite of the pancakes, Katsuki felt the rich vanilla flavor practically melt in his mouth. They were so fluffy and sweet he had to close his eyes while he chewed.

"Where did you go to get this?" Katsuki pointed to the food but really was shoveling another bite into his face.

"Just past the train station, there is a western-style diner. I was thinking about getting something more traditional, but by the time I made it out to get food, it was already too late in the morning to get anything other than western breakfast unless I got us lunch." Izuku smiled, popping a strawberry into his mouth.

"Th… Thanks, it's delicious." Katsuki mumbled, his eyes downcast. "You really didn't need to do this Izu, you don't need to spend your money on me."

"I know Kacchan, but I wanted to. The money we got last night might be from jobs I am working, but it's both our money. We are in this together; it is not like I am going to make money and just leave you here."

"But you could. I would deserve it."

"NO, Kacchan no… You saved me; you deserve to be happy." Izuku smiled softly at Katsuki. Katsuki's eyes drifted to the scars on Izuku's arms, his crooked fingers, and the permanent bags under his eyes. The little voice inside his head  'Do you deserve to be happy? It took your ego and need to be better than him that even brought your attention to his life.'  The pancakes in Katsuki's mouth started to taste like sand. Still, he forced himself to nod at Izuku, not able nor willing to debate happiness at this moment.

"I got you hot sauce for the eggs!" Izuku chirped, digging around the bags pulling out small packets. They ate in relative peace after that, both eating way more than their bodies were used to. The boys lay on the floor panting because they felt so bloated.

"Fuck too much food," Katsuki growled as he closed his eyes, debating on going back to sleep.

"Yea, but it was so good." Izuku huffed. "We have so much we gotta do."

"The fuck you mean, Nerd?"

"I mean, we got to look for places to stay, someone to change our IDs, maybe get us some phones that work, I gotta do the quirk work, get-"Izuku started listing everything that was running through his mind.

"Izu, chill the fuck out. Yes, we have money now but do you really think that would be enough to get us new identities and an apartment? Just take it one fucking step at a time. Let's just start with getting you a damn phone and maybe some of those short-term sim cards, so we don't have to register anything to our names. Then look for someone to do the new IDs. After that, we find a new place to live." Katsuki sat up, looking over at him.

"I-'m sorry, Kacchan. I just feel like I need to be doing so much now that we can." Izuku pouted slightly.

"Do you know where to get new IDs?" Izuku shook his head.

"Do you know where to find apartments that will rent to a couple of teens? Let alone do you know where the fuck you wanna live?" Once again, Izuku shook his head.

"Right. I know this is a lot of money, but it will go fast if we are not careful. I think we should stay here until your month is up. Get a better buildup of cash so we can just pay for things like rent for a few months upfront. Fewer questions are asked when money is waved in their faces." Izuku just sighed.

"Yea, you're right, Kacchan. I-I just never had so much money before. I feel like I just need to catch up on life and pay you back for everything you have done." Izuku pulled at his lip.

"Well, don't worry about paying me back for shit. Like you said, we are in this together. I know money is a weird thing for you, but I have also noticed you never once fucking mentioned buying anything for yourself. It's your money, Nerd. We will get by just fine, but let's get you a better setup and maybe some better clothes. I am tired of seeing your ragged ass hoodie being picked apart by you daily." Katsuki smirked as he watched Izuku hide his hands from picking at anything.

"They are not that bad. And I don't need anything!" Izuku huffed.

"You do. And I am going to make sure you spend that fucking money on yourself first and foremost. I'll beat it into your head with a new pair of shoes if I have to." Katsuki grumbled.

Izuku huffed but didn't argue. "Ok, so hypothetical question then. Where would you want to move to? Do you want to stay in this area?"

Katsuki sighed and really thought about the question before returning with one of his own. "Depends. Are you going to try for UA if we can get our shit together?"

Izuku shrugged and looked down at his lap. "I mean, I dunno. Maybe. It can't hurt to apply, but I don't have my hopes up with getting in. I don't think a quirkless person has ever gotten into any of their programs even if they say they would be accepted."

Katsuki nodded. "Well, maybe after we get you a phone, you can look up other shitty schools that you might be interested in, and from there, we can narrow down an area to start looking in." Izuku nodded, liking that they were putting a solid plan in place.

"Good, now let's fucking walk off this food before I fall asleep. We will go get you a phone and some sim cards, yea?" Katsuki shoved himself to his feet, and they both got ready for the day.

By evening, Katsuki and Izuku had working cell phones, with numbers newly programmed in each other. Phones that didnt come from Giran. They made a deal to check in while they were on their separate adventures. After grabbing a super lite snack, Izuku left to start some analysis. At the same time, Katsuki made his way to the warehouse to meet Eraser.

"How the fuck am I going to tell him we don't need the food anymore? I mean, it has only been three days; he is going to get fucking nosey if I just say stop… Shit. I hope he goes home soon… It's not like I hate the fucker but him being around puts me on edge too much.'  Katsuki's mind raced as he made his way into the building. From what he could tell, Eraser wasn't there yet, so he spent the time stretching, warming up his muscles. Katsuki didn't bother trying to hide the burn under a hoodie anymore; Capt. Hobo already saw it and knew where it came from, so Katsuki refused to sweat his ass off more than what he already was.

"You are early." Eraserhead's voice echoed around the building.

"Nah, you fucking late," Katsuki grunted as he pulled back his wrist.

"Time is relative when we didn't have a schedule to follow." Eraser huffed as his hands were buried deep in his jumpsuit pockets and his chin tucked into the scarf.

"Don't you get fucking hot in that get-up?" Katsuki asked, nodding towards his appearance.

"In the summer, I wear a lighter weight jumpsuit and, in the winter, a heavyweight one. It's uncomfortable in the sun, but since I work at night, it's not that big of a deal."

"You are like the least flashy pro I have even seen."

"That's on purpose, Kid. I hate the limelight. Don't care for fame, and my quirk is best if people don't know about it."

"Don't you get paid a fuckton more if you were limelight?" Katsuki asked, genuinely interested.

"Yes, if you are big and flashy and care about popularity. Limelight heroes make a large amount of their money based on advertisements, merch, things like that. The Hero Commission pays heroes based on their arrest rates and genuinely how well they do their job. As long as they don't cause trouble. I have one of the highest arrest rates out of most heroes. But that's only because I don't bother going for big fights; like you, I care about the everyday person, so stopping muggings and abuse is more important. It's only logical."

Katsuki felt the flame of respect flare in his chest as he thought about that.  'If only more heroes were like him. Maybe people wouldn't be so fucked up.'  But quickly pushed it away. Katsuki didn't want to like Eraser. This fucker could turn him in at any moment. He still couldn't be trusted.

"Why do you ask?" Eraser's eyes held an emotion Katsuki couldn't place. It didn't appear that the man was making fun of him or was belittling him. More like was a teacher guiding a student through their thoughts.

"I was just fucking curious. You're not like any other hero I have ever met." Katsuki grumbled.

"Have you met many?"

"Fucking enough." Katsuki stopped his stretch. "What the hell are we doing today?"

"Do you actually enjoy learning these things?" Eraser leaned back on his heels, relaxed.

"What the fuck do you mean by that?"

"Well, I am someone you have claimed that you do not trust. And yet now, two days in a row, you have shown up here to be taught by me. Why?"

'Why?'  Katsuki froze under the man's gaze. Why did he keep coming back? He could have abandoned this warehouse back when Eraser first saw him practicing his quirk, let alone without thinking he just came back here tonight. He honestly didn't know why and that pissed him off.

"Because you're not fucking useless and can teach me something. I know I need to keep getting better to be stronger; I'm not going to say no to free training." Katsuki sneered, "But if you are tired of me already, I'll just leave."

"No."

"No, what?"

"No, I am not tired of you. I am just trying to understand your logic. I would rather teach you these basics than have you learn them the hard way." Eraser pulled his hands out of his pockets and pulled out a thin knife. "I am going to teach you how to disarm people coming at you with knives without using your quirk."

'Thank fuck. Something I can teach Izu later.'  Katsuki thought to himself as they easily fell into the lesson.

Just before night fell properly, Eraser called a stop to the lesson and held out a small envelope. Pulling it open, Katsuki found a few coupons and a gift card for a local store, as well as a slip of paper with a phone number on it.

"I-"

"Look, I know you don't want the help, but just take it and save it for emergencies. If anything happens to you or your friend, call me. I can guess you are in a spot where you would refuse to go to a hospital with the way that burn healed. I can at least help if you are in a bind. Also, I will be leaving at the end of this week. Last night we took down that local trigger ring. The next few days will be me finishing up paperwork, and then I am going home. No matter what, just call if you need help." Eraser tucked his face back into the scarf.

"Well, at least I don't have to feel guilty about getting more food from him.'  Katsuki just nodded and pocketed it.

"Good, you can stalk your family and not me anymore." Katsuki shrugged as Eraser huffed, hiding a hint of laughter.

"Year something like that. See you tomorrow, KEM." Eraser turned and left, blending into the shadows effortlessly.

The days passed quickly after that. Izuku got the analysis done in record time. Katsuki had to once again convince him that he needed to wait to send them into Giran. Having a phone with access to the web also got the Nerd back into music and hero news. Getting back into habits that Katsuki was worried were beaten out of him. This Izuku seemed to be happier.

Eraser spent his limited time also teaching Katsuki more street survival. Avoiding knives, guns, looking for gang signs, how to spot escape routes. All information, following morning Katsuki, would pass onto Izuku also, as practice for him and to keep the Nerd up to snuff on his skills. It was the last evening that the pro and Katsuki were meeting up. Eraser told him to meet him atop the building they always ran into each other at. Using his quirk to launch himself atop the roof, Katsuki found Eraser already sitting there looking out over the harbor.

"Why did you want to meet here?" Katsuki asked, throwing his legs over the edge just a few meters away.

Eraser sighed as he looked out over the district. "I am headed home right after this, and I just wanted to chat, really."

"About what?" Katsuki felt his guard go up. The man hadn't asked many more questions over the week of training, and Katsuki had felt himself relax around the hero.  'Stupid.'

"You are a smart kid. And clearly, you are out on these streets for a reason. But are you sure there is nothing I can do to convince you to let me help you and your friend?" Eraser turned and looked Katsuki in the eye. They were soft, almost pleading as the man was offering yet another olive branch.

If he and Izuku hadn't figured out a way to make stable cash, and if they were still fighting to feed themselves, Katsuki might have taken the man up on his offer. Eraser has proven that he wasn't like the rest of the assholes and that he actually cared. But their situation had already changed, and soon they would be moving on themselves. Katsuki shook his head slowly.

"Don't take it personally, Hobo. If we were worse off, I might have taken you up on your damn offer. But honestly, we just got a good way to make some money, and we might be moving on from this area as well. We don't want to be here as much as you don't want us to be." Katsuki mumbled, looking out over the city.

"Make Money?" Eraser asked, clearly worried it was something dangerous.

"We are using our brains for others is all. Nothing illegal." Katsuki answered cryptically.

Eraser gave him a long look before huffing. "Yea, fine. I had to try."

Katsuki looked at the man beside him. The first hero he found that gave a shit about others. The first hero to even attempt to help. "You really are a Hero."

Eraser looked up sharply, shock across his face before schooling himself. "Thank you?"

"Look, don't let it go to your fucking head. But you were the only one to care. So… Thanks, I guess. Even when I was shitty to you, you didn't throw me away." Katsuki ran his hand through his hair, pink dusting his ears.

"I really do wish you the best, Kid. I hope you find what you are looking for."

"I think I am close to it for now." Katsuki sighed. "You excited to be back with your family?"

"Yea, they will be happy to have me closer to home. I actually get a few nights off when I get back. Might catch up on sleep for once."

Katsuki snorted. "Yeah, right."

Eraser smirked. "You are probably right."

They sat in silence for a few moments before Eraser pushed himself to his feet. "I have a train to catch. You still have my number, right?" Katsuki nodded. "Good. Call if you ever need help. Any time anywhere, and I will do my best to help you or send someone I trust to help."

Katsuki stood also. Eraser held his hand out to shake, and Katsuki hesitated for just a moment before shaking the man's hand.

"Take care, Kid."

Chapter Text

"You knock KEM." Izuku nodded towards the thick apartment door they were standing in front of.

"Hah? This was your idea, Nerd, you knock!" Katsuki whispered back at Izuku shoving his hands into his pockets. The rain could be heard echoing down the hall as tiny water droplets fell from Izuku's curls and Katsuki's hat.

"Yea, but I was told to knock loudly… You're stronger." Izuku started looking nervous. They had finished up Giran's analysis for the month, and in return, Izuku also got an address for a guy who could give them new Identities. That's where they stood now. Backpacks on with the money split between them buried deep within. Katsuki grumbled as he took a step forward and pounded loudly on the door.

The address had led them to a middle-class district with more townhome-looking apartments than the crammed boxes that they had grown used to. Katsuki had tried to put this off for longer, but Izuku kept making good points. Having this much cash on them was dangerous, and they needed to open some sort of account soon to store it and a safer place to sleep. With Eraser gone, it seemed like gang violence was already increasing in their area.

The boys stood there waiting for the door to open for at least five minutes before Katsuki raised his fist again and pounded louder. The handle on the door shook with each strike.

"Easy, don't blow down the door," Izuku smirked at him, his fingers picking at the hems of his hoodie.

"Maybe the fucker isn't here?" Katsuki grumbled.

"No, Giran said this guy never leaves his place," Izuku mumbled, looking around. With the heavy rain, few people were even walking the streets at this point in the day. It was only the afternoon, but with the clouds, it appeared to be almost evening. As Izuku opened his mouth to say something else, the clack of locks being turned could be heard on the other side of the door.

It took a moment, but after what sounded like too many locks being opened, a blue face appeared in the crack of the open door.

"Who the hell are you, and what do you want?" He was a shorter man, only reaching around 5'5" with blue skin and bright yellow eyes. There was only darkness in the apartment behind him, so it was almost impossible to tell anything else about the man.

"Giran said you could do work for us," Izuku stated. Katsuki watched as his fidgeting stopped, and he appeared distant and calm.  'He is getting better at acting… or maybe it's not an act anymore?'

The man growled to himself, looking back into the apartment before nodding. "That purple people eater doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut…. come on in, kid." The door was pulled open, allowing the boys to step inside. "Don't bother taking your shoes off," He grunted as he led them into the apartment. It was dark inside, all the windows covered with thick blinds. A computer desk dominated the living area. It had multiple screens, and the buzz of fans could be heard echoing around the room. Otherwise, it was rather bare and mostly clean. The man was clearly a shut-in, and Katsuki had expected piles of junk everywhere, but this was not the case.

"Alright, what do you need?" The man said, sitting in a well-used computer chair.

"What's your name?" Katsuki asked, looking around.

"I don't have one." The man stated, crossing his arms.

"Hah? The fuck do you mean?"

"Easy, my job allows me to create new identities; I just happened to erase mine." Izuku looking confused but intrigued.

"So, what do you want us to call you?" He asked softly with a slight tilt to his head.

"I don't care whatever you want. Now, what do you need me for? I am guessing new identities, but you seem a bit young be in too much trouble."

"Not in trouble, just need a new start, Bluebeam," Katsuki mumbled, looking around again.

"New start, huh? Well, what are you hoping to accomplish with these?" He asked while starting to tap away at the keys.

"To live a normal life again, I guess. We want to be able to go back to school, open a bank account, things like that." Izuku said, leaning forward, trying to see what was being typed.

"So ground-up new ID. That ain't gonna be cheap, Greenie," the man stated before looking back at the both of them. "Two ground up's that is."

"How much?" Izuku asked, gripping his backpack straps.

"How much you got?" he smirked.

"Fuck that, just give us a price, Blueballs." Katsuki sneered at the man. The blue man looking at Katsuki up and down as if assessing him before laughing. "Good one. I like you kid, got spunk."

"If that's what you wanna call it," Izuku muttered to himself, blushing brightly when Katsuki turned on him in shock. Clearly, Izuku didn't mean to say that out loud.  'That little shit.'

"Well, I normally charge 1.5 for brand new ground up. Since you both are minors, your background hunt won't be as hard to erase, so I'll cut you a deal. 1.25 each."

"1.25 million?" Izuku asked, eyes wide at the price.

"Duh. Don't fucking tell me you are wasting my time right now?" The man growled, leaning forward in his seat.

"No, we have that much fuck face," Katsuki growled back, not allowing this guy to intimidate Izuku for clarifying.

"Good. So, we are in agreement. What's your real name?"

"Um. Is that important?" Izuku asked softly.

"Yes. To create your new, we have to destroy your old. At least that's what is safest for you both." The man had gone back to clicking away at the keys.

Izuku shared a look with Katsuki, who just shrugged in response. It was dangerous, sure, but clearly, this guy didn't give a shit about them, only the job.

“Midoriya Izuku”

“Bakugou Katsuki.”

"Ah! Ok, you're those two runaway punks that were on the news a month or more back, yea?" The man's eyes never left the screen as he said this. Already their photos had popped up on the screen with other files.

"Yea, something like that, better not try and turn us in for any bullshit reward," Katsuki grumbled, stepping closer to watch the guy work.

"Will that be a problem?" Izuku asked.

"Nah, I am going to make more money off you then I would some fucking reward and, it already says here that Izuku was declared dead two weeks ago. Katsuki's parents are still hunting him down. So how do you want this to go? Leave Izuku as dead? Kill Katsuki also? Or have Katsuki appear to have left the country? Pick your death, boys!" The man sounded way too happy about this.

Izuku looked green in the gills. "I-'m already declared dead?" He whispered, pulling on his sleeves. Katsuki reached out to make him relax his hands before he ripped his shirt. "Hey, don't freak out. It just makes your life easier now."  

"It really does, kid. I can even pull all your old information and adjust a few things, and no one will be able to tell the difference. Those declared dead don't show up in searches."

"Y-yea o-ok… Can you pull all my old records from school and stuff for the new identity?" Izuku gripped Katstuki's wrist instead of his hoodie now. The blond could feel a slight tremor running through the younger, but he seemed to be getting ahold of himself slowly.

"Yea, kid, that's child's play. What about Katsuki? Kill ya off too? That might raise a red flag with how hard your parents are looking for you."

"Nah. Make it, so It appears I left the country. Somewhere like Russia or some shit."

"How would you feel if I added your description to a list of trafficked people as well as show a plane ticket in your name? Twice the confusion."

"That works," Katsuki mumbled.

"Good. I normally don't give a shit about my client's opinions anyway, but since you are here, make yourself comfortable ill just keep asking you questions here and there while I dig up everything that I can. While I am using my quirk, I won't hear you, so only talk to me when I speak to you first, got it? Good."

"What's your quirk?" Izuku asked, perking up slightly.

"It's called none ya damn business sprout now fuck off for a while." With that, the man's eyes began to glow with a sickly yellow light as his hands moved at lightning speed across the keyboard. Katsuki and Izuku watched for a moment, the screens showing years upon years of documents with their names on them piling onto the screen.

"I wonder if his quirk just helped him move faster or actually process the information faster…. OR maybe it's a technology quirk, and he creates his own search engine! Now, imagine how easy research would be with that!" Katsuki just rolled his eyes and sat down against a wall.

"Quit Nerding out about his quirk."

"Yea ok… So, what do you want your new name to be?" Izuku asked, sliding down the wall beside him.

"Not sure we will get to pick them," Katsuki muttered.

"Yea, I guess, but what would you want it to be anyway?"

"What with you and names? First with the street names and now this?" Katsuki asked, crossing his arms.

"I don't know. Names have power, I guess. I mean, even with the new IDs, I don't think I'll stop calling you KEM in public. And Giran knows me as Jack, so I assume these names will be names we use outside of the normal day-to-day. But I also know I am not going to be able to stop calling you Kacchan, so I don't know. I feel like we will a lot of names." Izuku muttered, pulling his knees to his chest and hugging them.

"The names Izuku and Kastuki are about to go away, so right now, we only have KEM, Jack, Izu, and Kacchan." Katsuki frowned softly. "I just broke the habit of calling you the other name. I really don't want to lose calling you Izu either… Maybe something similar but different still?"

"Yea, I don't know… Maybe… Um.. whatever his name is can give us a hint or help us. I don't think it will take him too long to find all our information… Though I can't believe I am already considered d-dead." Izuku trailed off into a whisper.

"Fucking shitty system," Katsuki grunted, leaning his head against the wall.

"Do you think they are happier?"

"Who?"

"Mom… and the others at school. Happier than I left?" Izuku whispered, laying his head on his knees.

"Fuck them and their opinions. I hope they are all happy having explosive diarrhea for all I care. What's important is, are you happier?" Katsuki asked, leaning forward again to look Izuku in the eye. His heart began to race as Katsuki started to fear the answer.  'What if he isn't happy? What if all of this was for nothing, and I just made everything worse? Fuck. He still has those sad eyes… maybe he hates that this was my idea?'

"Kacchan, I am very happy now. I know it sounds greedy, but I get to do what I want now. I don't fear getting punished for just watching a hero fight now, or I know it's hard to come by sometimes, but I have been eating more, and I feel stronger for it. So yes, I am happy here with you." Izuku smiled softly, but it was genuine. Katsuki felt the tension in his shoulders ease.

"Good."

The boys sat there for a while just dozing, listening to the clack of keys in the background. The apartment really was bare save for the computer set up. No TV, minimal furniture. It appears this guy only worked, and that was his whole life. After about an hour of dozing, the blue man turned to face them.

"Alright, kids, the first question is for Izuku. You are dead in the records; you know this, but it said you were quirkless, and I assume you still are. I can always just list a quirk on your new stuff, but if you try for colleges or some high schools, they might ask you to demonstrate a quirk. What do you wanna do, sprout?" Izuku chewed on his lip and frowned.

"Can it be something stupid like changing his tastebuds or something?" Katsuki asked.

"Sure, but in that case, they might request blood samples. If you go to a hospital and draw blood and don't see a quirk factor in it, some red flags will fly. They have been cracking down on people lying about quirks because of the stigma around some or none in this case. I can do it, but you probably will get caught in the future. Or I can just leave it quirkless, and you can continue to fade into obscurity."

Katsuki grumbled to himself  'Stupid quirk-based society. Fucking bullshit. Building Izu a new life, and this is still a fucking issue. If we lie and he gets caught, he might go to jail. But if we don't lie, his life is still shit. FUCK!'

"It depends on what you want to do with your life, kid. Anything big and flashy needs a quirk, but you will have eyes on you, fact-checking you and your past. Quirkless and life sucks, hard to get a job, hard to get an education, but people leave you the fuck alone. Like I wish people did me." Blueray muttered to himself.

"Leave it as quirkless," Izuku stated, causing Katsuki to whip around and stare at him in confusion. Izuku looked up and met his eyes. "We have goals, but now I also have a backup plan with this work I have been doing. We knew it would be impossible for me at the start. I don't want to risk getting caught over something as stupid as lying." He said softly. "And who knows, maybe ill prove them all wrong and still accomplish things while being quirkless."

Katsuki felt so angry, but at what he couldn't tell. The fires of hell seemed to blaze under his skin, and he wanted to blow something up badly. Clenching his fists until he felt his nails bite into his palm, he forced himself to take deep breaths. They had made progress! They almost were free to live an everyday life, and still, the quirk bull shit keeps coming up.

"Smart choice, kid! Now Blondie. You want your grades and shit pulled over to the new stuff too, or are you saying fuck school?"

"Yea, give me my grades and shit," Katsuki mumbled, not looking up.

"Ok, so do you want me to come up with names for you both, or do you have something in mind?"

"Well, we have nicknames for each other that we can't not use. So, if they are similar, that would be best," Izuku picked at his fingers, clearly nervous about the request.

The man sighed before leaning back into his chair. "That is the biggest mistake people make with new IDs is making them similar to their old names. It makes it easier to track down the original information. But you are both young, do not have any assets under your names, and will need to adjust to something new quickly. So, this one time, I will allow it." Izuku nodded as if in deep thought.

"What are your nicknames?"

"Kacchan and Izu," Izuku muttered as the blue man nodded before binging up a list of names.

"Well, we can just change it to straight Izu, but that seems too on the nose… Izumi? Isamu? Might be able to change the Kanji to Izamu, Izumo? Which one strikes you?"

Izuku sat and thought about it for a while; he seemed stuck when Katsuki elbowed his ribs. "Well, Nerd?"

"What do you think, Kacchan?" Izuku asked, his eyes pleading for help.

Katsuki sighed. "Izumi or Isamu/Izamu. Either way, I can still call you Izu, and it wouldn't be weird. But people might question weird Kanji for Izamu" Izuku nodded and then shrugged.

"Izamu then. Because I need more courage, and I might as well be weird." Izuku-Izamu smiled, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Welcome to the land of the living Mikumo Izamu."

"Mikumo?"

"Yea, it's a popular surname in the city. It will help you blend in more. Alright, Blondie, you are next. You have it much easier, any name starting with a Ka, and you have your nickname."

Katsuki frowned and thought through a list of names in his head. The issue was, he really liked his name. He was fine changing his surname because that gave him distance from his shitty family. Still, the name Katsuki felt important to him.

"Katsu."

"Seriously, kid? What did I say about similar names and being caught." The blue man huffed.

"Yea, I fucking know, alright, but Katsu is a common enough name, and I like my name fucker, so I don't want to change it much."

"Fuck alright, whatever. Welcome to the world Akatani Katsu."

"Akatani?"

 "Holy fuck, the two of you share a brain cell or something? Yes, also a popular last name in the south. I am making it, so you two are super distant cousins or something like it. Blondie's family is from the south, and Greenie is from the city. At least I am being nice and giving you a backstory for when you go to rent a place, ya little shits." Blue balls spun back around to start making their new documents. "Now, leave me the fuck alone. This is going to take a while."

And it did. The boys began to sleep in shifts while the guy worked. Every once in a while, Katsuki could hear a printer or something turn on in the other room, and the guy would step away for a time, clearly making things elsewhere. Izuku slept fitfully, jerking away as soon as he started to drift off. Still, eventually, he was able to get some rest in. It was pushing past midnight by the time two large envelopes were dropping in their laps. Peering inside, Katsuki found new national ID cards, school records, medical records, a family tree showing how they were loosely related by marriage, even a passport.

"Holy shit." Katsuki was amazed to see so much detail in such a short amount of time. He was just expecting a new ID and maybe a school record.

"Holy shit is right. All these are legit and backed up with digital records. If you go to a school and they search for you, this is what they will find. I suggest you both make some dummy social media accounts or some shit just to appear more average, but that's up to you. Any questions?" the man stood over them with his arms crossed. "No? Good. Now fucking pay me and get out."

Katsuki and Izuku pulled out the right amounts of money for the service. Katsuki felt weird acting as If Izuku's money was his, but after a quick count, the blue fuck showed them to the door and slammed it shut behind them.

"I wasn't expecting that…." Izuku mumbled, staring at the now shut door.

"At least we got to pick shitty names we will remember," Katsuki mumbled, making sure the documents were protected in his backpack. It was still pouring down rain, and it was too late to catch a train. "Guess we are walking back in the fucking rain too." Katsuki sneered. He hated the rain; it always fucked with his quirk.

"Yea. We will have to be careful with yours still for a while." Izuku mumbled, pulling his hood up.

"Yea, I know." Katuki did the same, making this his hat was covering his hair also.

They took off at a quick pace down the street. They had a long walk ahead of them, and it would be close to three to four am before they made it back to their apartment.

"At least now we can look for a new place to live." Izuku smiled as they trotted through the rain-soaked streets.

"Gotta figure out where you want to live first, Nerd," Katsuki grumbled.

They didn't speak much on the way back. However, they did find an open ramen stand and enjoy a hot meal before continuing on in the rain. Katsuki wondered if this rain would ease up tomorrow or if this was a long-term storm when he felt something tug on his back. Spinning, he found nothing in the streets behind them. Izuku had made it a few steps ahead before stopping and looking back.

"Everything ok?" Izuku asked, also looking around.

"Yea, I guess. I just felt like something was tugging at me." Katsuki said, looking back the way they came. He turned to look down an alley to his left when he felt the tug again, this time much stronger at his front.

"OI! Fucking show yourself!" he yelled out down the dark alley. A giggle seemed to echo with the patter of the rain around them.

"So much better~" The voice giggled more as Katsuki felt the tug. Bracing his feet, he glanced at Izuku, who was staring at the mouth of the alley in confusion. Following his eye line, Katsuki saw what was confusing Izuku. The rain was falling upwards? No. It was frozen in place. The rain around them kept coming down in sheets, but the closer it was to the alley, it seemed that time had frozen.

The voice echoed again. "Wonder how much stronger now~" Katsuki felt the tug again, and this time he slid across the wet pavement before bracing himself on the edge of the curb.

"FUCK Knock it off, asshole!" The tug had turned into a constant pull now, and it took an effort to keep from being pulled into the alley. "KEM!" Izuku shouted, launching forward to grab him.

"STAY BACK!" Katsuki shouted as he unleashed a blast into the alley. Because of the rain, the explosion was weak and not much more than a flashbang, but at that moment, Katsuki saw something horrific. A man sat on the wet pavement grinning, chest bare as black ink like silva seemed to drip from his teeth and mouth-coating his sternum and ribs. Bricks, trash, and bottles seemed to be orbiting around him as the rain also formed small stars in this warped orbital system. The black ink-like lines ran up and down the man's arms showcasing each of his veins.

Izuku wrapped his arms around Katsuki's midsection and pulled, trying to force him away from the alley.

"Oh no no no, can't be taking my new toy~" The man giggled, and the pull became stronger, dragging both Katsuki and Izuku closer.

"Fucking get out of here, Nerd!" Katsuki tried to let out another blast but watched as the fire of the explosion just orbit around the man also.

"Not leaving you." Izuku grunted pulling harder.

"That's ok because he is leaving you~" The man reached up and flicked his wrist, and Katsuki went flying. Izuku held on for as long as he could but tripped, and his face kissed the pavement as Katsuki became one of the objects orbiting this creep.

"FUCKER! PUT ME DOWN" Katsuki let off blast after blast trying to change his trajectory to break free, but all it did is make him spin. The black ink seemed to start to pour from the man's mouth as he coughed.

"Noooo, Not yet!" He screeched! Standing, the man started spinning things faster around him. Bricks and glass seemed to glance off his body, but Katsuki knew it was only a matter of time before something hit him.  'What the fuck is this guy's quirk? What the hell is that black shit?! FUCK, WHERE IS IZUKU?'  In the darkness, Katsuki had lost sight of the smaller boy. Dumpsters in the alley began to shake with the pressure of the gravity shift, their lids lifting as if they too were about to join the orbit.

"FUCKER!" Katsuki screamed, releasing as big of a blast as possible. He felt his wrists twinge in pain as the recoil from the explosion forced his back into the wall behind him.

"Oh, you are more trouble than you are fun." The creep spat out a mouth full of ink and blood as his face was slightly charred from the blast. Reaching up, Katsuki felt a tight pressure squeeze his ribs; just as he started to fight it, the man flung his arm down, and Katsuki went flying. Across the alley and headfirst into the corner of a dumpster. Pain caused his vision to white out and his head to snap back as he felt his body slam into the concrete. His head pounded, and the world spun. He didn't know if he was still flying around or lying on the ground. He could even tell up from down. He lost sight in his right eye; he fought to keep his consciousness and failed to do so. The last thing he saw was Izuku step into the alley carrying what appeared to be a large brick with a sinister snarl on his face.

"You hurt him…."

Chapter Text

Static was running up and down Katsuki's limbs as he slowly came back to his senses. His body was cold and tingling as he lay on something hard. Katsuki fought the urge to open his eyes and look around; he had never felt like this before; was he wet? Why was he wet? Where was he now? His ears were ringing, causing him to frown. He had never experienced tinnitus before; could he even get tinnitus if he was losing his hearing? Katsuki could feel that his hearing aids were in; forcing himself to focus, he realized that his ears were not ringing, but it was the sound of heavy rain hitting the ground. He let out a sigh as he slowly forced his body to relax. His head felt heavy, his eyelids even heavier as he tried to open them. The one felt sticky as he didn't want to open it. With a grunt, he reached up and rubbed at the eye, his fingers becoming tacky, frowning he could just barely make out the blood smeared on his fingers in the darkness.

"Wha?"

"KACCHAN!" Izuku's voice felt like a strike of lightning to his body. Memories of flying around in the rain, creepy black ink, and meeting the corner of a dumpster came rushing back as Katsuki tried to jump to his feet. Pain exploded behind his eyes as his vision whited out, and he fell back onto the concrete. Groaning, he grabbed his head, forcing himself to focus over the feeling of blood pounding in his brain.

"Izu… Where… What happened? Where is that fuck?" Katsuki hissed out, keeping his eyes closed as he felt the world tilt under him.

"Easy, Kacchan, you're really hurt; here, just relax..." Izuku mumbled gently, leading Katsuki to lay back down, his head pillowed on Izuku's leg. Izuku's voice sounded thick like he had been crying.  'Not surprised, the nerd cries too easily.'

Katsuki reached up to feel his face and head. He kept thinking that his forehead felt massive, like those cartoon cavemen, but as he ran his fingers along his scalp, it was clear that Izuku had wrapped some sort of cloth around his head to stop the bleeding.

Slowly Katsuki opened his eyes again to find himself looking up into Izuku's puffy crying face.

"Why are you crying? I'm fine." Katsuki muttered softly. Seeing Izuku like this crying over him did something to his chest.

"I-I was so worried about you. There was so much blood…." Izuku sniffed.

"I'm fine. Where is that asshole? I wanna explode his face off," Katsuki growled, forcing himself to look away.

"He's…um… Ka-kacchan… I-I Hurt him…. He is knocked out over there," Izuku whispered, nodding in the direction of a shadow in the alley. "I tried to m-move you, but I made the bleeding worse, so I-I just hid us behind the dumpster…. I didn't know what to do" Katsuki felt Izuku quivering under him. Reaching up, the blond grabbed the greenettes hands and held them; he had blood all over his hands, his or the assholes Katsuki wasn't sure. Izuku winced slightly when Katsuki held his wrist, "Hey nerd, it's OK, you did what you could. Let's get the fuck out of here."

Katsuki had to get Izuku somewhere to calm him down. Clearly, he felt guilty for defending them. Izuku sniffed and nodded, steadying Katsuki as they both stood. They were soaked to the bone and chilled from the night, as the rain had not let up and seemed to be coming down harder.  'At least my blood will be washed away; no one will know we were here…'  Katsuki thought to himself. Leaning on each other, the boys limped past the man who had attacked them. Passing by, Katsuki couldn't help but look the man over.

The black ink veins were still visible, and the staining around his mouth was there, but the rain had washed much of it off his skin. In the darkness of the alley, it was hard to see his injuries, but it was clear that Izuku had got a few good hits in on the asshole's skull. The bricklaying just beside his head, as if Izuku just dropped it and ran back to Katsuki. As Katsuki kept moving past, something caused him to pause and watch the man's chest. After a few seconds, it was clear what his mind had caught onto, even if he didn't realize it.

The attacker was not breathing. His chest did not move, his eyelids didn't flicker, no twitches or breaths could be seen. Katsuki felt ice slide through his veins.

"No… No, I-I couldn't have..." Katsuki felt Izuku start to shake violently.

"Come on, let's go." Katsuki tried to force Izuku to look away, but the green hair boy was frozen. His long curls flat against his skin as the rain ran into his eyes. "I-I-I…" Izuku was licking at his lips, and his breathing was coming in rapid shallow breaths.  'Shock… fuck, he is going into shock.'

Katsuki grit his teeth and forcefully pulls Izuku away from the alley. Their backpacks were heavy on their backs as Izuku just walked backward, still staring at the now receding alley. His body was cold, his eyes blown wide, and he was wheezing.

Katsuki knew they wouldn't make it back to their apartment. It was still too far away and didn't have real hot water. He needed to find them a clean and warm place to get patched up. Blinking, he looked around. The streetlights caused weird starbursts and halos in his vision as he fought to focus on the signs. After about five minutes of searching, he found what he was looking for. Pulling their hoods up, Katsuki noticed that Izuku's hoodie was missing a sleeve; that sleeve was what was tied around his head for a makeshift bandage. Izuku's scars were visible, but the green boy didn't seem to notice as all he could do was stare out unseeingly.

'Fuck gotta hurry.'

Katuski had to get them warmed and cleaned up. He had to find a place with a bed, shower, and somewhere that won't ask questions. Somewhere that doesn't even like seeing the costumers faces. A love hotel.

Dragging the younger boy into the brightly lit entrance, Katsuki squinted and hissed. Finding the check-in wall, he chose the plainest room he could, shoved a handful of bills into the slot, and grabbed the key. Pulling them down the halls, Katsuki found the room and quickly turned off many lights, easing the pain in his head.

"Come on, Izu, Bath time," Katsuki grunted, pulling their backpacks off. Izuku didn't budge. With a sigh, Katsuki began to physically move Izuku's body for him. Tugging off the ruined hoodie and wet shirt underneath, Katsuki found Izuku covered in bruises.  'So, he didn't end the fight quickly… he took a lot of hits.'  Swallowing hard, he pulled his own tops off, careful not to remove the makeshift bandage, and dragged them into the bathroom.

Setting the water to just above lukewarm, he coaxed Izuku to strip the rest of his clothes off. Izuku hosted a nasty bruise on his left arm. Katsuki worried that the arm was broken, but Izuku never flinched when he used it. Izuku still had not said a word as Katsuki set about getting them bathed. Slowly warming their bodies up and washing their hair. Once Izuku was clean and settled in the tub, Katuki looked at himself in the mirror.

Flinching, he noticed that one pupil was much larger than the other,  'Concussion confirmed… fuck.'  Slowly he reached up and undid the cloth on his forehead, hissing in pain as the fabric pulled on the open wound. A sizeable V-shaped cut sat on his right temple, reaching up into his hairline. Highly visible and more than likely needed stitches or, at minimum, glue. Frowning, Katuski closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself. Pushing medical worries away, he went about cleaning the blood off his face and out of his hair. By the time he was done, the wound was oozing blood once more. Grabbing a small towel, Katsuki packed it against the cut and held pressure.

Turning back to Izuku, the small boy had not moved from where Katsuki had left him in the tub. Green, dull eyes blown wide and staring into the water. "Izu… hey, you with me?" Katsuki asked as he too slowly lowered himself into the warm water. Sure, this wasn't the first bath the boys had shared, but it was the first since they had become teens, and Katsuki fought to keep his thoughts away from any awkwardness. They didn't need it; this wasn't awkward. They were hurt and needed to warm up, else they would get sick. ' Stupid concussion, nothing but clinical need, stop making it weird brain .'

Izuku never responded to Katsuki as they both sat in the water in silence. Katsuki had no clue what to say… good job killing the asshole? You did the right thing? What the fuck do you say to someone in shock over accidentally killing someone? Chewing on his lip, he closed his eyes and leaning his head back. The pounding of his head eased slightly.

"I didn't mean for him to die." Katsuki damn near jumped out of the tub when he heard Izuku whisper in front of him. "I-I… k-killed him." Izuku was shaking again, but this time with tears.

"Shhhh, I know Izu, I know, but you did what you had to. You saved us." Katsuki reached forward to cup Izuku's face. "You saved us. Remember that." Izuku let out a warbled cry as he tried to nod. Sighing, Katsuki pushed himself up out of the water and pulled Izuku with him. Toweling them off, Katsuki dug around in their backpacks until he found a pair of dry boxers for each of them and guided Izuku to the bed.

"Sit first." And Izuku did, a puppet to Katsuki's word. Grabbing a dry towel, he rubbed Izuku's curls dry, slowly making sure that all the dampness was out as Izuku cried softly. Midway through, Katsuki's head was pounding so hard he felt this vision flux with each heartbeat. Going back to the packs, he grabbed a small bottle of painkillers and dry swallowed three of them. Shaking out three more, he sat them in Izuku's hand and fetched a small cup of water. Izuku didn't even look at the pills in his hand and just downed them and the water quickly.

"OK, bedtime." Katsuki gently grabbed Izu's arm, and Izuku winced again. "What's up with this arm? Does it hurt bad?" Katsuki asked gently. 

 "I-I'm fine… Just bruised…" Izuku muttered, not looking into Katsuki's eyes.

"Fine… tell me if it gets worse," Katsuki growled softly before forcing Izuku to lay down in the plush bed. Now that Katsuki wasn't rushing to get them warmed up, he finally noticed the room itself. Thank gods, it was plain like a hotel room, but lube and condoms were lying about everywhere. He felt his face and ears go hot as he shoved the ones on the nightstand into the basket and under the bed. Izuku still had not seemed to notice as he ran his fingers over the soft sheets. Katsuki pulled the covers up around him, tucking him in tight. Izuku's fingers gently wrapped around his wrist as green eyes met red for the first time that evening.

"Stay with me?" Katsuki froze before nodding. He knew he shouldn't sleep just yet. He had a bad concussion, and the moment he lay down, he would be out like a light. Grabbing his phone, he set the alarm for every fifteen minutes, making sure he wouldn't fall asleep. Climbing into the bed, he pulled the sheets up around him also as Izuku shifted and nuzzled unto his side. Katsuki sighed before grabbing Izuku and pulling his head up onto his chest. Izuku froze before sifting slightly into a more comfortable spot. Katsuki never had allowed Izuku to lay on him like this. Touching was acceptable (sometimes), but never like this. Izuku was the touchy one, not Katsuki. Slowly their breathing began to match as they lay there staring into the darkness. Slowly Katsuki felt Izuku relax under his arm. Katsuki started to run his rough hands up and down Izuku's arm, ensuring the greenette knew he was there. They didn't say anything. There was nothing that could be said. Both boys were injured, fighting to survive against a man clearly high on drugs. They were survivors, plain and simple. Katsuki felt his eyes becoming heavy as the first alarm went off. Dismissing it, he realized Izuku had fallen asleep on him. Blinking hard, Katsuki fought to stay awake, but slowly the darkness consumed his mind, and even then, his alarms couldn't wake him.

Bright midafternoon sunlight brought Katsuki back to his senses. His head still hurt, but it wasn't the hammering pain from before. He could feel the towel still sticking to the wound on his head. Blinking slowly, he looked around to find Izuku still curled into his chest, his bruised arm propped on Katsuki's stomach. The bruising had gotten much worse through the night. Katsuki gently ran his fingers over the area, feeling a hard lump under the skin, and knew the arm was broken, at minimum fractured.  'Shitty nerd can't even tell when his arm is broken,'  he thought, refusing to believe that Izuku's pain tolerance was just that high.

Sighing, Katsuki gently pulled himself up out of bed, putting his pillow under Izuku to keep him comfortable. After a quick stop to the bathroom, Katsuki finds himself staring at his phone. He only had a few numbers saved in it, and two names sat side by side. Eraser and Giran. Two people who could help in different ways. Katsuki knew he and Izuku needed medical attention. They could go to a hospital but really didn't want to test out their new IDs this early, and Katsuki had no clue what mental state Izuku would walk up in.

Calling Eraserhead would result in questions that Katsuki really couldn't and didn't want to answer. What would happen when the body of the guy was found? Would they consider his death self-defense? Eraser didn't seem the type to just throw the book at them, but they couldn't change it either. What if Eraser was quirkest like the rest? What if he forced him to go back to his parents? Eraser said he would help, but he was also a pro. He had his own rules to follow. And Katsuki couldn't blame him if he did follow those rules. It's the main reason why the world was so fucked up, different rules for different people.

No, it was better to deal with Giran right now. They could pay him; they didn't need to trade in favors. Katsuki knew the purple bastard wouldn't turn them into the cops. He might get even nosier, but they would work with that. As much as Katsuki disliked the man, he could be trusted not to turn his own clients/analyst into the cops. If Giran did, he lost Izuku's work. They would be a break of the contract they had made.

So, after staring at the phone for what felt like hours, Katsuki thumbed over Giran's name and hit send.

"KEM surprised to be hearing from you, kid." Giran's voice sounded amused, clearly going to taunt the boys, causing Katsuki to sneer.

"Yeah, well, don't have much of a choice," Katsuki growled. "I need a doctor or someone with a healing quirk."

The line was quiet for a moment before Giran spoke again, "Yea, I can get you a doctor. You OK, kid? What about Jack?" his voice sounded worried as if he cared. Katsuki looked at the phone, confused for a moment.

"No shit sucks; we are alive but need medical help. Could go to the hospital but don't feel like answering questions. Jack's arm might be broken, and I got a pretty bad cut on my head."

"Fuck kid, who did you piss off?" typing could be heard in the background on Girans end.

"No one fucker! Wrong place, wrong time." Katsuki grunted, holding his head; yelling was not helping the pain.

"Yea, I get it. Where are you now? I'll send one of my runners to fetch a doctor who does good work."

Katsuki gave their location, causing Giran to chuckle but otherwise promised to get his healer there asap. "Get some food in you both. Her quirk works by transforming the food in your gut into her healing instead of it fueling you. The more you have in you, the more she can heal you. And keep food around after because you will still be hungry."

Katsuki grunted in acknowledgment before hanging up the phone. Going to the tablet in the room wall, he ordered them room service and extended their stay a night. Luckily this place wasn't expensive, but between the new IDs the night before, the room, and now paying a doctor, they were about to be back at zero cash-wise. Katuki went about hanging their wet clothing and other valuables to dry properly. Washing the blood out of his shirt, he contemplated just tossing it out but realized that both of them were running low on clothing they could wear. He made sure it was clean with a sigh before sitting down and resting his head for a moment.

It wasn't until Katsuki pulled the room service cart into their room did Izuku wake up. The nerd hissed in pain as he pushed himself up on his bad arm, looking around in confusion.

"Where are we?" He asked as he watched Katsuki move the plates of food around.

"A hotel," Katsuki muttered, shoving a lap table onto the bed with pancakes for Izuku.

Izuku began to eat without question, his eyes searching the room, his face screwed up in confusion. That is until he remembered last night. His fork hit the plate with a clatter as he rushed to the bathroom. Katsuki could hear him vomiting as he sighed and followed behind.

"Easy, don't force yourself to puke; you will just burst blood vessels in your eyes," Katsuki grunted, brushing Izuku's hair back. Izuku forced everything out of his stomach, and dry heaved for a while before Katsuki could convince him to sit and sip on water.

"Kacchan… I-I…kill-"Izuku's eyes were full of tears.

"You saved my life. You stopped that fucker from bashing me against the wall again and again." Katsuki said firmly, interrupting Izuku.

"But- "

"No buts, we survived thanks to you. You didn't mean for it to happen. He was clearly on drugs, so maybe that's what really caused him to die because it wasn't you hitting him in the head. You said when I woke up, he was knocked out. You didn't kill him. But yes, he died." Katsuki spoke firmly and stared into Izuku's eyes. Izuku had to hear what Katsuki was saying. If the blond didn't stop his spiral now, he would clam up for weeks of never-ending self-loathing.

Izuku started to cry harder as he wrapped his arms around Katsuki's neck. Katsuki held onto him, rocking them back and forth on the bathroom floor. It reminded him of how they had held each other the night they ran away. They were stronger together.

"Come on, you need to eat," Katsuki grunted after a while.

"Not hungry," Izuku mumbled, rubbing the tears from his face.

"Don't care, you have a broken arm, and a doctor is coming; you need food," Katsuki growled.

"It's not broken," Izuku muttered more, looking at the bruise and lump on his arm as if he was just now noticing it.

"Don't care. It is getting healed, just like my head." Katsuki picked them both up and walked back to the bed, placing Izuku down on the sheets.

"Kacchan, are you OK!?" Izuku's eyes shot up to the towel tied around his head.

"I'm Fine, Nerd! Seriously, eat. And put this on; they should be here any moment." Katsuki tossed a dry shirt into Izuku's face before sitting down and forcing himself to eat. The food looked lovely but tasted like sand in Katsuki's mouth. His head was hurting worse, and his vision was still foggy in some places. Katsuki knew he should be resting or something, but he couldn't let Izuku think he was that hurt. Izu would never forgive himself if he thought Katsuki was seriously hurt and killed a person.

Izuku pulled the shirt on and slowly began to pick at the food in front of him. He mainly nursed a cup of juice when a knock sounded at their room door.

"Time to get patched up, Nerd."

Chapter Text

A hard knock sounded again before Katsuki could even push himself up from the chair. The world tilted under him as he stood, blood rushing through his already pounding head, his vision blacking out for a moment. 

"Fucking hell, give me a minute," Katsuki growled as he blinked rapidly, clearing his vision of spots. Izuku gave him a concerned look as he pulled his knees to his chest, hugging them as he looked from Katsuki to the door. 

"Who did-" 

"Later. I'll explain later," Kasuki whispered, not looking at Izu. "Just use Jack and KEM names." 

Izuku chewed on his lower lip and nodded. Clearly not in the right mindset to play the role of Jackalope, but going along with Katsuki's judgement. 

Making his way to the door, Katsuki was annoyed that the door didn't have a peephole. He supposed that it made sense so no one could reverse engineer it to spy in a hotel like this, but his trust issues didn't like it. He cracked open the door just as a fist was raised to knock again. 

A tall, lanky teen was standing there with an annoyed expression. A long leather jacket hung off of his gaunt frame as his messy black hair spiked everywhere, similar to the blonds. Piercings littered his face and ears, standing out against his pale skin and ice-blue eyes. But the most shocking of all were the burns littering his neck and shoulders. From his wrist to his neck, his entire left arm was a massive burn scar turning his pale skin a mottled red and brown in the folds of the skin. Every movement pulled at the flesh, giving it a stretched and warped appearance that had to be painful. 

 A smaller woman stood beside him with a large backpack on her back and a medical mask over her face. She wore a nurse's uniform as long black dreadlocks hung from a ponytail at the back of her head. Her dark skin made the light blue of her uniform stand out in the dimly lit hallway. 

"You KEM?" The teen barked in question. 

Katsuki opened his mouth to respond when his red eyes met the deep honey gold of the women's eyes. Time seemed to freeze at the moment; all he could see and feel was her gaze sliding over him like liquid honey before snapping back into place with the woman shoving her ways forward. 

"You need to sit right now!" she almost screamed, shoving the door open and firmly but gingerly shoving Katsuki back into the room. 

"The Fuck!?" He barked, grabbing her wrist and standing his ground after losing a few steps back into the room. 

"I guess you are KEM." The teen commented sarcastically as he too stepped in and closed the door behind them, locking it as if he had seen this before. 

"Before you have an aneurysm, I'm the runner Giran sent to fetch Doc here." 

Katsuki looked from the teen to the woman before glancing back at Izuku, still using his knees as a shield from the world. 

"Introductions can be made later! You boy, KEM, Blondie, whatever your name is, need to sit your ass down right now on the bed and let me help." The dark-skinned woman ordered, slamming her backpack down on the ground, leading Katsuki to the bed and forcing him to sit. "Dabi, I am going to need help with this." She ordered, glancing over her shoulder. 

"Yea, yea, whatcha need, Doc?" He grumbled, pushing himself up off the door. 

"Grab that bucket there and get ice. Then go find the supply closest, go get, steal or ask for an armful of clean towels and get some bleach. Hurry!" 

Dabi just rolled his eyes before unlocking the door and disappearing. 

"The fuck is going on?" Katsuki growled at the woman. Izuku was staring at everything happening in the room, either too numb to react or analyzing it all.

"I'll explain more later; my quick when you looked into my eyes I could see what was wrong with you. You have a brain bleed, and it needs treatment right now." She had started digging through her backpack, pulling out sealed packs of sutures, gauze, and who the fuck knows what else. 

"I thought Giran said that you just healed people, turning food or some shit into healing?" Katsuki could feel Izuku's anxiety spiking behind him. "Heal him first if that's the case."

"No. I will not heal him first. I haven't looked into his eyes yet, but I can tell at a glance his arm is more than likely broken, and your head takes priority." Her eyes snapped back to Katsuki's. Her medical mask made them stand out more. 

"When did you hit your head?" 

"Fucking… Fine. Last night, this morning, I don't know what time it was. It was late; that's all I know."

She nodded as she reached up and slowly peeled away the towel he had tied over the wound. Katsuki hissed as the dried blood-filled terry cloth pulled at the damage. 

"What did your head hit?" 

"A dumpster."

"Fucking hell… did you blackout?" 

"Yea."

"How long were you out?" 

"Fuck if I know!" Katsuki snapped, his head was pounding, and the spots in his eyes were getting worse. He really didn't want to fucking deal with all these questions.

"About ten, maybe fifteen minutes." Izuku's soft voice cut in before any more questions could be asked. The woman's movements slowed as he glanced over at the smaller boy. 

"Thank you, did you try to treat him?" She asked, her voice soft, clearly able to read that Izuku was in a fragile emotional state as he stared at Katsuki's back. 

"I...I tried to move him. B-but then it bled worse, so I stopped and wrapped it tightly and braced his head in my lap until he w-woke up." Izkuku muttered, hugging his knees tighter. 

"Good Job; you might have saved his life doing that." She smiled softly behind the mask, but it made her eyes crinkle in kindness before looking back at the wound on Katsuki's head. 

"Alright, look me in the eyes. It's going to feel like time has slowed, but I need to assess how deep this cut is and how much you are bleeding internally." Her voice became strong again, leaving no room for arguments. 

Katsuki rolled his eyes and winced at the flash of pain in his temple. "Fucking fine." Taking a deep breath, he looked up and met her honey gaze. The world ground to a halt as all he could see and feel was that thick molasses gaze flowing over and within him. What felt like forever for the blonde was really only about five minutes before the world snapped back into place, and he winced. 

Blinking, he watched as she reached for the pile of towels that now sat beside him. ' Towels? ' Glancing around, he found Dabi seated in the chair he had abandoned, picking at the leftover food on the cart. ' When did that fucker get back? '

"You are lucky you are young and relatively healthy. The bleed is not that severe, and I should be able to heal it with my limited abilities, but I won't be able to heal the bleed and the cut on your temple. So that will need to heal on its own." As she spoke, her voice was filled with something that Katsuki wasn't sure he had heard from anyone but Izuku, relief. Was she worried about him? 

' Why is this rando worried about me? ' 

Katsuki could only blink in confusion as he felt her cleaning and dressing the wound. It had puffed up and was tender to the touch, but her hands, deft and precise, had cleaned, sanitized, and placed steri-strips sealing the cut in no time. The gauze was packed and tied around his head, giving him a white headband that applied the perfect amount of pressure. By the time she was done, he had little to no pain directly tied to the wound. 

"I didn't put stitches in because while the cut is severe due to its location, it didn't cut muscle, and steri-strips will be more flexible, allowing it to heal with less scarring. And you can peel those off on your own in a few weeks. Just take aspirin or something for pain after all this." She explained as he handed him a large glass of water. It had a slightly cloudy appearance, and Katsuki frowned as his distrust reared its head in his chest. 

"Drink it. It's not drugged, but it does have a hydro powder in it. You are dehydrated, and before I heal you, I need you not to be. The hydro powder is just a concentration of electrolytes and salts that your body needs. Heroes and Doctors use it in remote locations when clean water is hard to come by." Katsuki still frowned at the glass before a soft voice spoke up behind him. 

"Didn't the Waterhose Duo come up with that compound? It was h-hailed as a rescue hero's ultimate weapon in saving some people." Izuku asked softly. 

"You're right, kid. They make lil chewy packets with the stuff in them and keep it on their person. I just have the power mix since it's cheaper, but it's just as good. Better than hooking up an IV to someone and waiting for it to run." The Doctor smiled at Izuku again before turning back to Katsuki. "Drink it." 

Katsuki sighed and started drinking the glass. It had a weird taste, like mixing cucumber water and sports drink, causing his face to screw up in displeasure. Dabi barked a laugh from the table before shutting up when the Doc turned her glare on him. But after downing the glass, he could almost feel the effects immediately. The severe pounding in his head eased just a fraction. His eyesight became more precise, and the ache that he didn't even know was there, loosened in his joints. Blinking, he handed the glass back to the Doctor and looked at Izuku. 

He was now sitting cross-legged off to the side of him where he could watch every movement made by the Doctor. Izuku was hiding his emotions as much as he could as he studied the Doctor and her quirk. Katsuki felt better knowing that Izuku was watching his back just as much as he was. Not trusting blindly as the Nerd once did. 

"OK, KEM, I need you to lay down now for the next part." She shifted a pillow so his head would sit beside Izuku's knee. "You are going to feel even more dizzy and tired when I am done. I am going to heal the bleed, but that's the only thing I will be able to heal. You don't have much in the way of calories in your system, and even if you had more, my quirk really could only heal a few things at a time. So I am assuming the concussion will still be there when I am done." She said, peeling off her latex gloves and guiding him down onto the pillow. 

"How does your quirk work?" Izuku asked, his fear thinly veiled. 

"So my quirk is called Healing Honey. Which is really a misdirection. My eyes allow me to see what damage a person has endured or is enduring currently. The damage being physical, mental, or emotional. But that's only if I am looking them directly in the eyes. It forms almost an empathic bond in the moment, and if I am not careful, I can also feel the pain, so I use that only to diagnose. The healing side of it is a bit more complicated and honestly weird to explain." She blushed softly as he adjusted pillows making sure Katsuki was as comfortable as possible. "I put a drop of blood in your mouth or in a wound, and I can almost guide the blood through your system, gathering ATP and other autoimmune responses, directing them to where they need to heal. Because I can gather the energy, it causes the healing to occur much faster. But I can only direct it for as long as my blood is in your system. Your white blood cells attack my blood in a natural body response and kill my blood cells pretty quickly. But the energy is left in that area, still allowing the healing to occur for as long as you have the energy within your body." 

She glanced over Katsuki's body at the green boy who was pulling at his lip in thought. ' Oh shit, there he goes. ' Katsuki thought to himself. 

"So your quirk is more empathic manipulation than actual healing. You can only feel and direct the natural processes in the body, not actively trigger them or force the body to heal all of itself. So its strength is based on the strength of your mental fortitude and the health of the patient, not really the quirk itself. It's not something you can train to become stronger unless you want to turn off your emotions and become purely analytical or nihilistic. But neither of those traits are good to have as a doctor resulting in emotional exhaustion the more you use your quirk, potentially leading to a severe depressive episode if not worse. And assuming you can't use your quirk over and over on the same person before you lose your sense of self." Izuku never looked up from where he was staring blankly at the sheets around him. Katsuki felt a smirk pulling at his face while he watched the Doctor's face ashen as her eyes dilated in amazement with a hint of fear. 

The teen across the room, however, was staring slack-jawed at the younger. His hands froze in its movement of putting a slice of melon in his mouth. "Holy Fuck." He whispered, but it echoed around the room. 

Izuku snapped out of his thoughts and looked around before ducking his eyes. "S-sorry." 

"Your Jackalope!" The goth teen, Dabi, gasped, putting down the food and looking between the greenette and KEM. "You… You… Holy SHIT. No wonder Giran was freaked out. He would never send the Doc for just a runner. And no offense, KEM, I thought you were just another shitty street rat like the others." 

"You can gush later, dipshit. Shut up and let me heal KEM here before he bleeds more. And Jackalope? Is that what he called you? You are right. That's why I had to stop working at hospitals. It… got to be too much." Her eyes darkened slightly before she turned her attention back to Katsuki. 

"Well, you heard the explanation. Are you ready?" 

"Yea, give me some of your honey blood or whatever you call it," Katsuki grumbled, hiding the fact that he felt more comfortable knowing that Izuku broke it down and explained it in his own way. He wasn't sure he would have agreed if he had to choose just based on her explanation. 

She nodded before producing a small package of clean needles. After disinfecting her skin, she pricked herself, allowed a large drop of blood to fall in his mouth, and closed her eyes to concentrate. If Katsuki thought her eyes felt like honey flowing over him, her blood felt like molasses or tar running through his blood. It wasn't painful, but he could feel her quirk sliding through his blood, collecting energy or whatever before settling in his head. His headache was already causing pain to flare with every heartbeat but feeling this thickness settle there was almost causing more pressure at first. Exhaustion seemed to roll over his body like a wave as his headache slowly began to release its tension. It was as if the pressure was being drained away like water flowing out of a pool. Slowly he opened his eyes, and for the first time that day, he had no spots dancing in his vision. The lights were not as bright, and the headache was now just a mild inconvenience. 

The Doctor slowly opened her eyes and sighed. "The bleed was healed, and the concussion was eased slightly. Don't get up yet. Stay like that until I heal your friend here and get more food ordered." Katsuki opened his mouth to protest, but as he lifted his head, the world spun for the umpteenth time that day, causing him to wince and lay back down. 

"What did I say? You were going to be dizzy. You need a lot of food to replace what I used and get you back to normal standards. It really didn't help that you were borderline malnourished and dehydrated to start all this." She grumbled as she turned back to her bag and started digging through it again. 

' Damn it, if I was borderline, I wonder what Izu is… Wait. Fuck! ' If she used her quirk on Izuku, she would feel all the abuse he went through. All the lack of food, the fear, the emotional turmoil of killing the guy last night, on top of his broken arm, and whatever else is wrong with him. His eyes shot to Izuku, whose own green were wide with fear and staring at Katsuki. 

Izuku had just realized this also and began shaking his head silently, communicating no. Izuku wouldn't let her use her quirk on him. Katsuki frowned, looking at the Doctor who was still digging in her bag; he quickly signed, "You have to. You need healing. We don't know what all is wrong." 

Izuku chewed on his lip hard enough to rip the skin. "But Bomb, she will know everything! We...I… can't. She will know!"  

Katsuki caught Dabi staring at their moving hands in confusion; icy blue eyes met fiery red before he quickly looked away, staring out the window. Turning back to Izu, Katsuki's eyes softened as he tapped Izuku's knee. 

"She is a doctor; I am sure she has seen it all. Just get healed. You need it. I don't want you to have a fucked up arm for the rest of your life on top of your busted hands...Please." 

Izuku pouted, but a handful of items were dropped onto the bed beside them before he could reply. A glass of cloudy water was handed to Izuku also. 

"If he was dehydrated, I am sure you are too, drink that, and then I'll use my quirk to figure out what all is broken." She smiled, trying to comfort Izuku, but that only caused him to curl around the glass of water, avoiding her eyes. 

"Not really… I mean, maybe. KEM is probably dehydrated because of his quirk and blood loss." Izuku mumbled but drank the water regardless. 

"Quirk causes dehydration? Is that why your hands are so sore also?" She asked, looking at Katsuki again. 

He shrugged. "I sweat a lot," he mumbled, watching Izuku drink the water. 

She narrowed her eyes slightly before turning back to Izuku, who had just finished the water. "Alrighty now, if you would look me in the eyes, this will be over in no time." 

"D-do you have to use your quirk? Can't you just splint the arm?" Izuku almost whispered, folding into himself even more. The Doctor shifted around the edge of the bed and sat beside the younger; she reached up to pat his back but paused and thought better of it. 

"No, I don't have to look into your eyes, but if I use the blood part of the quirk, I will see and feel everything as if I was using my eyes. And without medical machinery such as x-ray machines, I can't tell if your ribs are also broken. Yes, I picked up on that wheeze you have when taking deeper breaths, and I can't… I just can't walk away if you have the potential of broken ribs on top of the obviously broken arm. You could puncture a lung." The 'and die' was left unsaid, but Katsuki felt his chest tighten at the thought. 

Izuku flinched before looking at Katsuki with such sadness before nodding slowly. "Just… please don't… I don't know; just brace yourself. A lot of this is old… and I am getting better now." He whispered, rubbing his thumb over the thick scars on his fingers. 

The Doctor nodded, her eyes full of understanding. "Thank you for the explanation. I promise I will only look for active physical harm right now, OK?" 

Izuku nodded before taking a deep breath and meeting her eyes. Katsuki watched as Izuku's eyes dilated as the Doctor's golden honey-colored eyes seemed to shine. Not quite glowing but definitely becoming brighter. Dabi, on the other hand, watched the blond and green-haired boys closely. It was clear he was still trying to put together the idea of who Jackalope was in his head to the small green boy who was small enough to be in elementary school. 

Barely two minutes passed before both Izuku, and the Doctor relaxed. She smiled softly as Izuku, making sure her eyes crinkled to display the emotion behind her mask. But, her eyes held back a wave of cold anger. "Thank you, Jackalope. I was right. Your arm is broken, and one rib is fractured, and others bruised. You are malnourished and have been for a while, so I won't be able to fully heal the breaks, but I can get the rib healed to the point of bruising like the others and the break in your arm down to a fracture, and I'll cast it. Does that sound good to you?"

Izuku sighed and nodded, still playing with his crooked fingers. 

"Good. DABI!" The Doctor snapped at the teen, causing him to jump. 

"Here is a few thousand yen. Go out and get the highest-calorie food you can find. A lot of it for all of us. Use all the cash to get as much as you can. Got it?" 

"The fuck am I just an errand boy now?" Dabi grumbled before taking the money. 

"Right now, you are." The Doctor snarked back before pushing the teen out of the room and locking him out. Silence settled over the room as the Doctor ripped open some sealed packages of splints. 

"Look, I am not going to ask for details. It's clear… well clear to me that whatever you have experienced in the past is exactly that, the past. But please… let me know you are in a better place now?" The Doctor spoke softly as she cleaned the skin on Izuku's arm and slowly began to wrap the area around the break in a soft black cloth. 

"I… Y-yes. It's probably not the best by most people's standards, but I am so much better than what I was." Izuku muttered softly, not looking her in the eyes watching her nimble hands start the casting process. His green eyes brimmed with unshed tears.

The Doctor nodded and looked at Katsuki. "What about you? The pain physically and mentally from the past was not as extreme but are you in a better place now also?" 

"Hah!? I'm fine, honey head." Katsuki growled. 

The Doctor's eyes narrowed slightly before nodding. "Fine, fine. But tell me. Are you both getting enough to eat? Do you have a place to stay that's safe and not full of mold or anything?" 

"We are getting enough food now. It was hit or miss for a while, but even then, it was more than what I u-used to g-get." Izuku winced as the Doctor forced his arm into a rapidly hardening gel sleeve, forcing the bone into place. 

"And the place to stay?"

"We are working on that." Katsuki snapped.

"Is it not having a safe place or lack of money hindering you?" The Doctor asked softly as she held Izuku's arm while watching the cast harden to a light grey color, and set on the arm. 

"Don't fucking worry about it. We will be fine." Katsuki growled again, glaring from his position on the pillow. 

"Look. I don't mean to offend either of you or butt into your lives. You both are strong and able to make sound logical choices even with your brain literally bleeding. But… Here." the Doctor let go of Izuku's arm and fished out a business card. Scribbling something on the back of it quickly, she handed it to Izuku for him to inspect. 

"Ibo Nami? It says here you are a photographer?" Izuku asked, confused. 

"Yea, that's my name and cell number. Being a photographer is what I do now. You were right before. Working in the hospitals caused me to burn out hard. I had to get away from the health field as it was causing me to go insane working full time there." She admitted softly. "On the flipside, I put my aunties number as well. Just call her Auntie Ibo. She owns a few apartment complexes. Tell her I sent you, and if she gets an empty apartment, I'll make sure she puts you at the top of the list to get it. You need a clean place to heal." 

"Why the fuck do you give a shit? You only came here cause Giran said too. Isn't this just a quick way to make money?" Katsuki grunted as he pushed himself up onto his elbows. He couldn't have this conversation lying down. 

"You are right. And I would say nearly all the jobs I take on from Giran end up with me walking in, spilling a few drops of blood, cleaning a few stab wounds, collecting cash, and walking away. I might get a call a week from him to help his or his friends' thugs. But there are a few cases where I am comfortable helping more than just the normal get-in get out. You two are just one of those cases. Dabi is also, but he is just as bullheaded as you are KEM and only allows me to treat his burns." 

She sighed before sitting back on the edge of the bed. "You both are young, and while that does not mean you are not capable, I know personally how hard it is to get housing and other basic needs on your own. Your lack of trust and fear of others seeing weakness shows me how deep the scars from the past cut you. But yet, you both keep going. That says a lot." 

"Is this because of the side effects of your quirk? Does it force you to care about us?" Izuku asked softly yet thoughtfully. 

"While yes, I had a momentary empathic bond with you, it does not force me to care. It does not influence my response to the things I feel. I am fully in control of how I act. My quirk does not control that." She answered honestly. 

"Why the fuck did you give us your real name? We could be villains for all you know." Katsuki questioned as Izuku shot him a dark look. 

"Are you villains?"

"No," Katsuki answered before Izuku could even open his mouth. 

"Then I am not worried." Nami smiled before digging out another packet of powder and mixing it in a glass of water. "Now drink this also. It's an energy powder that will give my quirk enough sugars to work with to heal your ribs and arm some." 

She handed it to Izuku, who did not question it and drank it all. She nodded in approval before shifting pillows again so that Izuku would be comfortable and guided him to lay down. The greenette did not fight her as Katsuki did, even as she pressed on his ribs, making him hiss in pain. Nami's eyes seem to scan over the scarred skin on Izuku's arms, taking note of them without commenting, just cementing her drive to want to help. 

"Alright, the rib is not out of place. Everything is as prepared as it can be. Are you ready?" She asked Izuku, who just nodded, his curls haloing his head. 

Repeating the process from before, blood dripped into his mouth as his eyes closed and the healing process started. Katsuki lay back down onto the bed, exhaustion still making his body weak as he listened to Izuku's breathing go from soft wheezes to normal full breaths. 

After a few moments, the Doctor, Nami, moved away from Izuku, who appeared to be fast asleep. Katsuki blinked in surprise, "Why the fuck is he out?" 

"He had so much less energy than you. Even with the energy packet, it still wiped him out when I healed him. He will be fine once we get the food in him. You both will probably sleep for a long time after this, but he just conked out early for now." She spoke softly so as not to wake Izuku as she cleaned up all her medical equipment, repacked her bag, and took all the used towels to soak in cold bleach water. 

"Oi, You don't need to do that. I'll clean up later." Katsuki grumbled, watching her move around the room.  

"Don't worry about it, Kid. I am waiting on Dabi to get back with the food anyway. Just relax. I meant what I said before. I am not babying you or saying you can't do it. I am just helping out while I am here." She said it was a matter of fact, scrubbing the blood out of the cloth. 

Katsuki relaxed back into the pillow, watching Izuku sleep. His breaths deep and even, the casted arm resting on his chest. Settled like this, his face was so soft, full of innocence, not filled with anxiety or nerves like his waking hours. 

"Is he really doing better now?" Katsuki found himself asking not to look away. 

The Doctor's voice floated from the bathroom softly. "From what I felt, yes. His body is slowly healing, he is getting the food he needs so desperately, and the physical scars are old and fading. His mind… emotionally it's a dark place, which is not surprising from what I suspect he went through. Some aspects seemed to be lighter; I am not a mind reader; I can only feel, but my gut says that's thanks to you."

Katsuki felt his throat go tight. ' His physical scars are thanks to me; how the hell am I helping the mental ones? '

"I can tell you doubt what I say. But give him time. You both are on the right path." The Doctor said, leaning against the bathroom door jam. "Whatever caused you both to get hurt last night struck him hard. He felt so guilty for some reason; that guilt is how I knew you both were not just some punks on their way to becoming thugs or villains. But really, I felt that he had hope under all that emotional darkness, and I don't think If I had met him a year ago, he wouldn't have had that. You both are good for each other." 

Katsuki turned to look at her; Nami had removed her mask, showing a faded scar under her chin that wrapped under her ears into her hairline. It was an odd scar, maybe it wasn't a scar at all but just lighter skin compared to her ebony, but it reminded Katsuki of a friction burn. But she was smiling softly, her eyes shining with honesty. 

"Thank you." 

She merely nodded before going back to cleaning up the blood. Not too long after, Dabi reappeared with his arms loaded with KFC, Soups, and Kami knows what else from the Konbini nearby. 

"Chow time!" 

Katsuki got Izuku awake, and the group sat together at the table, filling their stomachs with hot food. Izuku still didn't have much of an appetite when he woke, but the Doctor and Katsuki convinced him to eat some soup. About halfway through the bowl, Izuku grabbed some chicken as well and ate his fill. Nami had a knowing smirk as she watched him eat more and more. Clearly expecting his body to demand the food even if mentally he didn't think he wanted it.

The sun had started to set at this point, and Dabi was staring at them again. To be fair, Katsuki was staring at him also. For some reason, he felt as if he should know this teen even though they had never met before. With his headache receding, something was itching at the back of his mind saying he knew Dabi or at least knew of him but couldn't place it for the life of him. 

"So, You really are the Jackalope?" He asked, watching Izuku chew on a chicken nugget. Izuku nodded as he swallowed. "I dunno about the Jackalope, but yes, I go by Jackalope or Jack, and I do work for Giran." 

Dabi blinked and then snorted, "Kid, I don't think you get your position over Giran. I say he works for you more like it. He is terrified of your skills." Izuku took his turn to scoff. 

"He better fucking be," Katsuki growled, not allowing Izuku to put down his abilities. Izuku shot him a sidewise glance before softly shaking his head.

"You should have seen him after he got your call KEM. I had never seen the man run before, and he legit ran to his office to pull Doc's number. Speaking of you might need to visit him next; he was wheezing pretty hard when he sent me out to fetch you. Might have had a heart attack." 

Nami just rolled her eyes, "Nah, it's his own fault for smoking so much." 

"Nothing wrong with smoking," Dabi said flippantly, but he smirked deviously; he knew he was picking a fight. 

"Don't even start." The Doctor threw a chicken nugget at his head. Dabi ducked and pulled out a cigarette as he did so, putting it in his mouth. At the tip of his finger, a small azure flame danced as he pretended to go to light it. 

' Blue fire? FUCK how do I know this guy? ' Katsuki's mind reeled as he chewed on his food. It was like the memory or thought was coated in oil, and he couldn't pin it down. "Oi, Not while we eat Dickbag!"

Dabi sighed and put it all away. "Yea, yea, I did it to just get the good Doc all worked up anyway." 

"You are a menace," She muttered, checking her phone. "Shit, I gotta run." Nami stood, wiping her hands, and moved to collect her bag and mask. 

"W-wait! How much do we owe you?" Izuku asked, catching her sleeve.

"Don't worry about it. Giran owes me the favor, so he will pay. And you let me know if he tries to charge you for this." She smiled once more before putting on the mask. 

"If you are sure." Izuku didn't look convinced. 

"I am sure. Reach out to me directly if you guys need medical again," she avoided the word help. "Also, keep the food, get some rest, and when you wake up, eat more. Give your head about two weeks before pulling off the steri-strips and monitor yourself for any headaches; let me know if they get worse. And you, Greenie, need to give it a full month before breaking off that cast with lots of rest for your ribs. Take painkillers as needed and reach out to me if anything changes. Take care!" 

Izuku nodded, and before anything else could be said, the three males were left alone in the room. Dabi sat there for a moment finishing his food, as the awkwardness settled in. With a sigh, he got up to go also. 

"Hey Crispy, before you go, give me your number," Katsuki growled, pulling out his phone. 

"Sorry, Blondie, you're not my type," Dabi smirked, crossing his arms across his chest. 

Katsuki's neck went hot as he snapped, "Not like that asshole! You are better to deal with then Giran is all fucker." 

"Oh? Yeah, sure, why not. I would rather work with Jackalope and his Lil guard dog than Giran most days." Dabi stretched before taking Katsuki's phone and putting his number in. “Just dont fucking waste my time.”

"I'm not a fucking guard dog, Asshole," Katsuki growled, shoving his phone back into his pocket. 

"Could have fooled me," Dabi smirked again before heading to the door. "Take it easy, twerps. Just so you know, you can trust the good Doc. She is one of the real ones. And don't worry, I'll keep it under wraps that the big bad Jackalope that can even spook Giran is an elementary kid." 

"I'm in middle school!" Izuku gasped in the offense. 

Dabi just laughed as he left, following the Doctor and letting the door snap shut. 

As soon as the door was locked, exhaustion swept over both of the boys. With sluggish movements, they cleaned up the food. Putting as much as would fit into the mini-fridge before taking a few painkillers and collapsing back onto the bed. Neither of them spoke much as they got comfortable. Izuku tentatively laid his head on Katsuki's shoulder, curling into his side similar to the night before, and when the blond didn't push him away, relaxed into the soft bed. Katsuki melted into the bed. His arm draped around Izuku's shoulders as the room faded to darkness. 

"Hey, Kacchan?"

Katsuki grunted with his eyes closed. 

"Why are we in a love hotel?"

Chapter Text

"Well Fuck you too asswipe!" Katsuki screamed into his cellphone before slamming it down on the broken coffee table.  Snatching up a pencil, he violently crosses out the last name on the short list before tossing the small writing tool across the room and dropping down onto his back. 

That was the seventh rejection in two weeks from apartments they had checked out. No one was willing to rent to two young teens. Even with a rock-solid story about their father working overseas, having a local homeless man playing the voice of their 'father,' they couldn't secure a place. Even some of the most slum-lordy of businesses wouldn't rent to them. 

"Even the gross one said no?" Izuku asked, looking over from his spot at the table. He had his own cell phone out, searching the web for more options for them to try out. 

"The greasy ass dick bag wanted to charge us double, and when I said fine whatever, he backed out. Fucking scum." Katsuki huffed with his arm over his eyes. It had been just over two weeks since they saw the Doctor and stayed the night in the… love hotel. 

Since that night, they had spent their time looking for apartments, well Katsuki spent the most time looking for apartments. Izuku had a new order of quirks to analyze for Giran. They had agreed that it was better to have Katsuki look because if asked, he could answer about what quirk he had. If any of the landlords found out Izuku was quirkless, they would charge them insurance since quirkless was so 'accident-prone.' 

Izuku sighed softly before shifting his arm, bumping the cast against the wood. Katuki had peeled the last of the steri-strips off the night before, leaving a pink V-shaped scar that seemed to point to his eye, creating a permanent angry brow. Izuku had already bought Katsuki some cream that would fade scars. Katsuki refused at first, pointing out that if Izuku had scars, it was fine for him to have them too. In the end, they both agreed to use the cream on the wounds that are easily seen. Katsuki hoped that Izuku would be comfortable with his hands and arms enough to wear short sleeves by next summer.  What went unspoken between them was the guilt they each felt for the scars. Izuku felt as if it was his fault, both the burn and the cut on Katsuki’s head, where Katsuki felt as if he should have noticed sooner and gotten Izuku out faster, maybe saving his hands. 

"Maybe we should call Nami's Aunt Ibo," Izuku muttered softly, putting his phone down and laying his head on the table. 

"It's looking like our only fucking option," Katsuki growled. He had not wanted to call this Auntie Ibo; it meant becoming closer to the Doctor, while Katsuki could tell she was a good person. He didn't trust that she would try and 'help' them too much and end up being caught and sent home. Even with the new identities, Katsuki couldn't help but feel like one wrong move, and Izuku would be back with Inko. 

"Well, why don't we call tomorrow? I mean, it's getting kinda late. Do you want to go get dinner somewhere?" Izuku asked, not moving his head from the table. 

"Yea might as well," Katsuki grumbled, looking at the time on his phone. It was getting close to 21:00, and they had been stuck inside all day doing their respective work. Katsuki went to change, forcing the ever-growing ball of guilt deeper into this chest. He didn't like that Izuku was spending so much money on him. Katsuki felt as if he was the one who should have provided for them; this was his shitty idea, he had to take responsibility. 

He shoved his head through a hoodie, wincing slightly when the rough material scraped against the fresh scar. They desperately needed to wash clothes and buy Izuku new ones. Still, the younger refused to spend money on himself until they found housing. Grumbling to himself, Katsuki grabbed his and Izuku's backpacks before heading out to dinner. 

Walking the streets at night was becoming second nature to them as they left their rundown area and walked to more red-light districts seeking a food stand from which they could get a meal. Taking what Katsuki had learned from Eraserhead, they turned their walk into a game, whispering back and forth about cagey individuals, pointing out potential quirks, weapons, and motives. 

"No fucking way that guy had a finger gun quirk." Katsuki hissed back at Izuku, nodding towards a guy who was smoking on the corner. 

"Look at the tips of his fingers KEM, they are blackened like steel, and he has the smell of gunpowder around him," Izuku whispered before they turned away from the guy. 

"I still don't believe it," Katsuki grumbled, more pissed that he had missed that one than being wrong. Izuku smiled behind his mask, but it didn't reach his eyes. He had been doing that since the night with the druggy. He smiled and was more confident in his speech, but his eyes were dull and faded; the smiles never lit them up like in the past. And Kastuki knew Izuku wasn't sleeping well; he had woken up with nightmares many of the nights or just elected to work through the night once Katsuki had fallen asleep. Katsuki knew Izuku was putting on a show, showing he could be tough and do what needed to be done, yet Katsuki still worried. He didn't want Izuku to close himself off; he wanted that hope that the Doctor said was there to shine brighter. Izuku was the kind one, and the aftermath of the attack seemed to have turned him cold.

"Oh, look! A soba shop, how does that sound?" Izuku pointed to a tiny place tucked beside a bar. 

"Yeah, whatever you want, Nerd," Katsuki grunted as they pushed their way inside. They both ordered cold soba as the summer heat had not let up yet and started to eat their fill. Out of the corner of his eyes, Katsuki spotted a newspaper folded on the stool beside him. ' Who the fuck reads a newspaper anymore? ' Ignoring the relic beside him, and turning back to his noodles, he slurped them down loudly, causing Izuku to chuckle and do the same, quickly becoming a small competition of who slurped more. 

After eating their fill, Izuku left to use the restroom, leaving Katsuki to sit there alone for the moment. Gazing back at the newspaper beside him, he shrugged and picked it up, skimming the headlines. 

The majority of the news was about hero fights, some new bakeries in Tokyo metro, and schools starting up again. Katsuki flipped to the classified ads at the back, finding absolutely nothing of interest there. ' Go fucking figure, no one uses newspapers anymore .' Katsuki grumbled to himself. 

Just as he was about to fold the paper back up, a tiny article in the police beats section caught his eye. 

Police are seeing information on possible drug trafficking within the region. Two weeks ago, a body was found overdosed on quirk enhancers, causing their heart to fail. Police mentioned the possibility of a fight, but they said the cause of death was an overdose. If you have any information on drug sightings in your area or any information on this possible fight, please contact…

"Whatcha reading?" Izuku's voice caused Katsuki to jump, snapping the paper down onto the food bar. 

"Fuck, why did you sneak up on me." Katsuki snarled, glaring into Izuku's green eyes. 

"Sorry, I thought you saw me coming. What were you reading?" Izuku asked, trying to peek over his shoulder. 

With a sigh, Katsuki reopened the paper and pointed out the tiny article. "Look at that." 

Izuku took a moment to read it and then re-read it over again. He started to breathe faster as he looked from the paper to Katsuki. "Y-You don't t-think," Izuku whispered. 

‘ There it is, there is the real Izu. I knew this bullshit was still bothering him!’ Katsuki looked back at the print and folded it swiftly. Gathering Izuku's wrist in his hand, he pulled them from the shop and down the road. 

"Yea, I do. I told you that wasn't your fuckin fault." Katsuki said, leading them back towards their rundown apartment. 

"But...But I...we don't know for sure that's what that is." Izuku stammered, his eyes wide, his face pale in the streetlights. 

"Not yet, we don't; when we get home, I'm going to prove to you that you are not a bad person because that druggy floaty fuck died from the drugs, not you," Katsuki growled and moved faster. This had to be what the article was talking about. Katsuki had to prove that Izuku was not a murderer. Halfway back to their place, Izuku had started crying, but Katsuki never let go of his wrist. He knew if they stopped now, Izuku would break down in the middle of the street. 

"I think I am going to be sick," Izuku muttered when they saw the abandoned building come into view. 

"HAH? You better not; we just ate!" Katsuki growled. "Don't waste food."

"No….yea… I mean… I thought all this time I-I was a...a… and now I'm not?" Izuku whimpered, rubbing his eyes with his free hand. 

"Come on, we are going to look this up." Katsuki pushed Izuku in through the broken window they used as a door and up the steps. Dropping their packs, Katsuki wasted no time pulling out his phone and searching the internet. At the same time, Izuku grabbed his blanket and wrapped it around himself for comfort. 

Turns out there was very little about the incident. The police and heroes kept quiet about the drug in question, just demanding information. ‘Go fucking figure, expecting the world to just roll over and do their damn job for them,’ Still, Katsuki was able to find a short article on the man who had died, and it was the floating fucker himself. 

"See, look, it's floaty fuck. Says his quirk was Orbit. And now he is dead from a drug overdose. Not a blow to the head." Katsuki shoved the article into Izuku's shaking hands and waited for him to read it. The minutes passed in silence before a broken sob broke the tension Katsuki didn't realize was there. 

Dropping the phone, Izuku curled into himself, falling to the floor, crying hard. "I'm...I'm not…." He sobbed; his body quivered as the phone bounced against the wood. Katsuki wrapped his arms around Izuku and guided him to a more comfortable position as Izuku cried. 

"No, you're not. I told you. You are not a murderer. You saved my life. You don't have a bad fucking bone in your body Nerd." Katsuki spoke softly, not wanting to spook Izuku. Sometimes when Katsuki was loud, he would spot Izuku flinch. That broke something in his chest every time, so Katsuki was attempting to not be as brash all the time. 

Izuku clung to Katsuki's arm as he cried harder. All the emotions he locked away, all that self-hatred he held for weeks finally breaking free, and Katsuki sat there holding him together while Izuku's mind worked through this new information. 

"I'm not a murder…. I hurt him, but I d-didn't kill him." Izuku kept whispering over and over as he slowly calmed down. His eyes and cheeks were puffy and irritated from crying and rubbing at them, his lip cracked from chewing on it, and his hands shook in relief. 

"No, you're not a shitty murderer. You saved us. Get it through your thick skull; you're not a bad person." Katsuki grumbled, grabbing a pack of tissues out of his backpack for the Nerd. 

"Th-thanks," Izuku whispered before wiping at his face. 

"You finally going to fucking sleep tonight?" Katsuki asked, shifting them, so he didn't lose feeling in his legs. 

"Yea… I'm exhausted." Izuku muttered softly before smiling at Katsuki. It was a small paper-thin smile, but it was genuine as Izuku's eyes sparked just a little. "You're always right, Kacchan." 

"Damn fucking right I am. Come on, Izu, time for bed." Katuski pulled them both to their feet, leading the younger to their makeshift bed area. They changed into comfortable clothes and laid the blanket out, getting as comfortable as they could on the floor before they both fell into a deep sleep. 

They ended up waiting another week before calling Auntie Ibo. Izuku was an emotional mess for  a few days after learning that he in fact did not kill that man and  Katsuki had decided to exhaust every listed apartment opening he could find while Izuku took time to come to terms with himself. Still, they all shut them down, refusing to rent to 'children' or take responsibility for absentee parents. 

Izuku finished his latest batch for Giran and had met with Dabi to pass off the information. That meeting was short, but Dabi could still get Izuku riled up, claiming he was an elementary student. Katsuki couldn't help but smirk at the ribbing Dabi gave Izuku, especially after Katsuki had realized that this was the first time Izuku had experienced harmless teasing. Dabi never asked what Izuku’s quirk was and the teasing was not the painful verbal abuse Izu had used to hear daily, nor was it Katsukis rough edges, but pure harmless fun. While Dabi confused and sometimes pissed Katsuki off (he still couldn't place why he knew of the teen), he didn't stop the older teen from teasing them. Izuku walked home with his cheeks puffed out, indignant but otherwise fine, while Katsuki just smirked the whole way home. 

With the latest analysis batch, they had more than enough to pay for six months of rent upfront if they could only find a landlord willing to rent to them. Katsuki was amazed at how many people flat out turned down six months' worth of rent, claiming that the money had to be stolen. 

Around noon on a Friday, they finally caved and called the number the Doctor had given them. They sat side by side in front of Katsuki's cell phone while it rang on speaker. After the sixth ring, Katsuki figured it would go to voicemail when a rough, angry voice picked up the phone. 

"WHAT?" The voice was gravely like they had smoked all their life as well as gargled sand. 

"Uh...Um, H-hi, we were t-told to call.." Izuku started stammering as he looked at Katsuki nervously. 

"Well Fucking Spit it out; you trying to sell something?" The woman ground out. "I'm hanging up."

"Wait a damn minute!" Katsuki snapped into the phone. The other end went quiet before a chuckle could be heard. "Well, what do you want?" The tone was less aggressive. 

"We were t-told to call you, to rent an apartment. Nami told us to call you A-auntie Ibo." Izuku babbled into the phone. 

"Fucking Nami giving my number out," Auntie grumbled. "Yea, I got two available apartments. Both are small, both are in the northern reaches of Musutafu near the outskirts. Why is Nami sending you my way?" 

Katsuki spoke this time as he had the story memorized. "My father is working overseas and asked that I find a new apartment because my Cousin is moving in with us. She knew I was struggling to find a place." 

"Hmmm, interesting. Now fucking tell me the truth, boy. If Nami sent you my way, it probably means you don't have parents or are running from something. Don't lie to me." Auntie snapped, causing Izuku to look at Katsuki in fear. Katsuki, however, was red-faced as he chewed on his cheek to keep from screaming. 

"Fucking ol….Fine, yes, our parents are not around. We want to rent an apartment. We have the cash to pay for six months' rent upfront. Nami helped us a few weeks back and said you could help us find a place." Katsuki growled, his knuckles white as he gripped his forearms to keep from sparking off. 'The fucking nerve of this fucking hag. Who the fuck does she think she is.'

"That wasn't hard, now was it? How old are you two?" 

"13," Izuku answered softly. 

"You in school?"

"Not currently, but we will be enrolling again once we find a place to live," Izuku answered again. At the same time, Katsuki just silently snarled at the phone. 

"Fine. Last question. What is your opinion on quirkless people?" Auntie's tone dropped dangerously low. 

"I--Um, what? What do you mean o-opinion?" Izuku asked, confused. 

"What's your opinion of them? Come, child, it's not that hard of a question." Auntie snapped. 

"We don't have a fucking opinion, hag! They are people plain and simple; you shouldn't have a damn opinion on something that does not impact you. Just fucking let them live their life. Not everyone fits into a damn quirk box." Katsuki snapped his fingers, smoking as he couldn't stop a few small explosions, something about her voice was causing his muscles to tighten in stress. 

Auntie Ibo was quiet for a while before laughing. "Good fucking answer. I ask because I refuse to rent to quirkest shits. When do you want to move in?" 

"W-wait… like…. There aren't any forms or anything?" Izuku whelped as Katsuki stared at the phone. 

"Nah, not for you lot. I'll make some shit up on the computer, and I'll send my nephew to meet you at the place to collect your payment and give you keys. He is a quiet Lil shit, so he will just open the door for you and leave. Repairs must be handled on your own. I'm too fucking old to be playing plumber; if you fix something, just send me the material cost receipts, and ill deduct it from the rent. Don't be fucking trashing the place, and you gotta give me two weeks' notice or more before you move out. You get one fucking late payment before I come fucking knocking on your door to beat some sense into you or kick you out. Got it?"

"Yea, we fucking got it." Katsuki snapped back. 'This can't be fucking real…. It can't be this simple, after weeks of dealing with shitheads….' 

"What names am I putting down for this?" Auntie grunted; you could hear the soft tapping of keys in the background. 

“Akatani Katsu and Mikumo Izamu,” Izuku said, his eyes wide and hopeful. 

"Well, Akatani, Mikumo. When the fuck do you want to move in?" She grunted again. 

"C-can we move in to-tomorrow?" Izuku's voice was full of hope as he pulled at his lip. Katsukis heart raced; he still couldn't believe this was real. 

"Yea, I don't fucking care. The apartment I am putting you in is closer to the schools in the area; it's more residential, so don't be fucking around, you hear me? It's a two-bedroom, one-bath but open floor plan. It should fit the two of you. If any of your shitty friends move in with you, you better fucking tell me."

"What if we get there, and it's a fucking shit hole? We won't just take trash." Katsuki finally snapped out of his stupor; he really didn't like this Auntie Ibo; her tone of voice reminded him too much of his mother. 

"The fuck you say, boy? You calling me a slumlord?" Auntie yelled into the phone. 

"No! We -we are not saying that! We have just seen some bad apartments, and we want to be sure." Izuku hastily said, trying to elbow Katsuki. 

"Hmmm yeah, alright. No, the place is not a slum; it's small but clean. If you have an issue with it, you can tell me or reject it. If you reject it, tough luck. I don't have anything else for you." Auntie grumbled. "Meet my nephew at this address tomorrow at 10:00. That work for you?" Katsuki quickly looked up the address, noting that it was pretty far away and that they would have to get up early to take the train. 

"Yes, that's fine." Izuku nodded even though the woman couldn't see him. 

"Great. Don't fucking call this number unless the apartments burning down." and she hung up. Katsuki and Izuku watched as the phone flashed before the call ended, then the screen went dark. They blinked at each other before Izuku threw his hands up in a cheer. 

"We have a place to live!" He smiled. 

"Maybe Nerd. Like I said, if it's shitty, we keep looking." Katsuki groused with his arms crossed. It really couldn't be that easy. 

"But we are closer than where we were," Izuku said, looking around at their ramshackle squatter apartment. "Just imagine, hot water always, and more than two plugs! And we lock the door! Anything will be better than right now." Izuku hummed while Katsuki ducked his head against his chest. 

' Yea, because I couldn't even find us a decent place to fucking stay. Couldnt get a job, couldnt do one thing and find a fucking apartment while Izuku worked. God, I such a fucking failure .' Katsuki pushed himself to his feet and grabbed his cellphone. "I'm gonna go for a run." 

"Huh? Oh... OK." Izuku pulled back on his happiness, seeing Katsukis dour mood. "Everything OK?" 

"Yea, fine, Izu. Just… Her voice got to me, is all. I'm gonna blow off some steam." Katsuki muttered, pulling on his shoes. Running in boots was not the best idea, but he had to move. 

"OK… Um, do you want company?" Izuku asked, pulling on his sleeves worried. 

"Nah, figure out what all you want to take with us tomorrow. If the place is nice, we might as well stay." Katsuki said before shutting the door behind him. Katsuki left and took off towards the warehouses where he used to practice with Eraser. Since they got hurt, both of them have slacked off on their training, and Katsuki felt the pressure to pick up the slack. 

'If I can't fucking provide money, can't fucking provide a place to stay. The only damn thing I am good at is fighting, I guess once a fucking shitty bully always a fucking bully. So I'm going to fucking train so damn hard. I'm going to be the god damned best to protect Izu. No fucking Giran or Dabi is going to lay a bloody finger on him.' 

Katsuki's head felt like it was full of angry bees as he launched himself from rooftop to rooftop with his quirk. His head began to ache slightly from the sound of his explosions, but he pushed through the discomfort, pushed through his doubts, pushed through that thick coil of fear that had grabbed him by the spine talking to Auntie Ibo. Katsuki was determined to be the best at fucking something, and if that was protecting and caring for Izu, then fuck all, he would be the best at it. No one could or would ever take care of the green-haired boy better than him.

Chapter Text

"Cofffeeeeee," Izuku whined while dragging his heels through the station, his thin arms flopping at his sides. It was early, much earlier than either of the boys were used to getting up at. They had decided to take the longer route to the apartments avoiding southern Musutafu altogether, avoiding anyone who could possibly recognize them. 

"The shops are not completely open yet! And that shit stunts your growth." Katsuki backed back, carrying their one box of belongings.

"That's rude, Kacha- UM! KEM, that's rude, KEM!" Izuku squeaked, his sleep-deprived mind slipping on the name. 

Katsuki paused as he glanced back at Izuku with an unamused expression. Their kettle rattled as Katsuki balanced the cardboard on his hip. "Come on, we are going to be late if you keep dragging ass like this. You can sleep on the first fucking train, and we will get a coffee or whatever at the next stop." Katsuki reached out and pulled Izuku along faster. 

The greenette sighed but started walking faster, hiking his loaded backpack higher on his back. They made their train, and as Katsuki predicted, Izuku was out like a light the moment the carriage began rocking gently. Katsuki hugged the box tighter to his chest as he watched the morning commuters start filling the space. Businessmen glared at the two seated teens as if they expected Katsuki to wake Izuku up to just stand. Katsuki rolled his eyes with a huff and didn't budge. 

The morning passed quickly after that, waking Izuku at their stop and getting them both coffee before their next train. Izuku's a sugar-filled monster of a flavored coffee drink. Katsuki getting a simple cold brew in the late summer heat, already causing him to sweat this early in the morning. Izuku spent the following few trains writing in an old notebook, kicking his legs almost like a child. Katsuki made a mental note to make sure they got Izu some new books and pens. It wasn't good to just keep abusing one book like he did. 

"I think the apartment is down this road?" Izuku mumbled, pulling at his lip as he looked down the narrow lane. 

"Yea, Nerd, look there, I think that's them." Katsuki nodded towards a plain grey building with a minimal number of apartments. Small balconies could be seen dotting the side of the building, holding plants or small gardens, while a few had laundry. Only three of the terraces appeared to be completely empty. Stairs ran up the other side of the building leading to the doors, all painted blue with small placards located to the right of each of them.

The complex appeared to be clean and in good shape, if not plain. Nothing was eye-catching about the place, and it allowed Katsuki to relax some. Nondescript was good for them. 

"408, Looks like that's the top floor," Izuku pointed with a grin before heading towards the stairs. Katsuki followed him, looking at each door they passed, learning the names listed on the cards. "Oh, that must be him," Izuku whispered as they reached the top step. A tall, dark-skinned teen leaned against the railing across from 408. His hair pulled back in long heavy dreads that came halfway down his back. He appeared fit, wearing a decent tank and shorts outfit that Katsuki approved of. He didn't look up as they stepped onto the landing, completely engrossed with his phone. Izuku and Katsuki shared a look before slowly approaching. 

"Um… H-hello?" Izuku spoke softly, his fingers twisting in his hands. The teen's head snapped up, bright golden eyes that matched the Doctors scanned over them. Izuku and Katsuki both made a point of not looking him directly in the eye as a smirk danced across his face. 

"So Nami sent you two." He chuckled. "Don't worry, I don't have her quirk. We just share eyes." 

"Are you two siblings?" Izuku asked curiously. 

"Nah, cousins. But you wanted to check the place out, yea?" Izuku nodded. "Yea, I got the keys. Whatever you two said to Auntie really must have struck something with her. She normally isn't one to rush to get people in an apartment." The teen pushed off the rail and started unlocking the door. 

"Hah? The fuck do you mean?" Katsuki didn't want to think about the brash woman who sounded too much like his mother. 

"Well, clearly, you are not quirkest because you wouldn't be here if you were, but also, this apartment has been empty for a while. And as you see, this complex isn't that big. All hers are small like this, but auntie says she waits for the right people to live in them. Fuck if I didn't know better, I would say that was her quirk, being able to tell who needs a home, and the fact you are here, after only calling yesterday says a lot." The door opened, revealing the dark apartment. Flicking on lights as he entered the apartment was very clean. Toeing off their shoes Katsuki and Izuku began to explore. 

The apartment was an open plan with a small hallway leading into the living and kitchen area. A small couch and low table sat in front of an empty entertainment wall. The kitchen had a small counter space but had all the appliances. A small breakfast table was pushed against one wall with three chairs. Two bedrooms lead off the main room, each holding a folded-up futon, and one housed a desk. The small balcony could be seen through a set of sliding doors bare with nothing more than a clothesline strung across the top. A full bathroom with a tub was also located off the kitchen. The place was small, perfect for couples or small families, and absolutely perfect for Katsuki and Izuku. It wasn't fully furnished, but it was enough for them to be comfortable; they would each have their own space; being on the top floor, they wouldn't have to listen to anyone stomp above them. 

Izuku was damn near vibrating with excitement as Katsuki walked the place with a critical eye. Testing windows, looking for mold, everything that he knew Izuku wouldn't look for. "I knew I should not have let you have that sugar shit," Katsuki grunted, meeting back up with the teen at the front door who was once more looking at his phone. 

"Well?"

Izuku looked at Katsuki, allowing the blond to have the final say. "Yea, it's decent; we will take it," Katsuku grumbled. He couldn't physically be mad that the place was nice and perfect for them. However, he was still put out that after all the shit he went through to find them a home, a single fucking phone call got them exactly what they needed. 

"Cool. Well, here are the keys; Auntie said you were paying upfront?" Katsuki caught the keys as they were tossed as Izuku dug out the pre-counted money from his backpack. 

"You said something about the old woman's quirk before?" Katsuki asked, watching Izuku pay the teen. 

"You mean the one I know she doesn't have?" 

"Yea, what is her quirk?" Katsuki pushed his hands into his pockets. 

"She didn't tell you?"

"If she did, I wouldn't be fucking asking." 

"HA! What a witch. She is quirkless." The teen said with a smirk, but his eyes were hard watching their reactions. Izuku jolted at looked up from his backpack while Katsuki just shrugged.

"Wait, really?" Izuku asked, his voice soft. 

"Yea, why? Got something against quirkless?" his voice slipping into something more guarded. 

"Fuck No." "NO!" Katsuki and Izuku spoke simultaneously, forcing them to pause. Then, Izuku giggled while Katsuki huffed. 

"What are your quirks?" The teen asked his guard, dropping slightly. 

"I make shit blow up," Katsuki grunted, holding up one hand and letting off one small pop. While Izuku looked off to the side. 

"I...I am also quirkless." 

The teen froze before breaking out in laughter, his baritone voice echoing against the walls as he leaned forward. Katsuki started to see red as he stepped forward, ready to grab him and pummel the guy for laughing at Izuku. 

"Thought you fuckers weren't quirkest!" Katsuki snarled, his fist pulled back.

"Wait! Wait! No! I'm Sorry I am not… NOT laughing at you." he held up his hands, taking a step back wheezing. "I'm quirkless also! Auntie and I both are; working for her is the only job I can get. I'm laughing at the irony, not you." 

Everyone froze at that, Katsuki and Izuku sharing a look before relaxing. "Oh. Well, don't fucking laugh at shit like that!" Katsuki snarled before stalking over to stand by Izuku. 

"I am sorry" He started taking a deep breath. "I am the reason we ask about quirks; so many people tried to cheat me or refuse to allow me into the apartments to fix things. I am not the official handyman, but I help keep things running in all her buildings."

"What is your name?" 

"Ola."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Mikumo, and this is Akatani." Katsuki had to keep himself from reacting to the new name. He was not used to using it yet, as Izuku introduced them. 

"Pleasure. But really you won't see me much. This complex is the furthest from our others so just bill Auntie for any work you do or need to be done. Oh, and here" Ola hands them a pamphlet with all the utility information. "I gotta bounce, but thanks for paying upfront. If you guys are getting the rest of your stuff sent to you, make sure to tell the drivers to look for this place. Too many people get lost finding these apartments." Pulling on his shoes, the teen made sure he had given them the keys before making his exit. 

Izuku and Katsuki were left alone in their new apartment. Their backpacks were sitting on the floor beside the box, giving the place an empty feeling as the silence began to fill the space. In the back of his mind, Katsuki was moderately impressed at the soundproofing. Slowly they walked around checking things out once more, playing with lights and windows figuring out which worked were before they both found themselves sitting on the couch. 

 "Kacchan… WE HAVE AN APARTMENT!!" Izuku began to bounce on his knees as they realized they were in a secure home that was all theirs set in. Katsuki felt numb, but Izuku's joy was infectious as he smiled wolfishly. "Fuck YEA!" 

Izuku giggled as he ran around, putting the few items they brought with them away. "OH! We can do laundry and cook real meals! Oh, we should run to the store to get soap and food. Oh, and we need to check out the area and learn where things are. I can get us laptops and register for online school! I wonder what there is to do on this side of town; I have never been to this part of Musutafu. DO you think we should go by Izu and Kacchan here? Or Jack and KEM still? What if-" 

"OI! Earth to Nerd! Chill out; we will figure it out as we go, yea?" Katsuki forced Izuku to stop and sit back down on the couch. 

Izuku smiled softly as he leaned back. "Sorry, Kacchan, there is just so much! This was the last big thing we needed before we could do everything else." Izuku pulled his feet up and tucked his knees under his chin. 

"Well, take it one step at a time. Let's just go to the store and get the essentials. Then we can see how much money we have left before you get more jobs from Giran. That way, we know what we can do next." Katsuki sighed as he kicked his backpack into one of the rooms. "I think food and laundry are our priorities right now." Katsuki sighed, running his fingers through his hair. 

"Your right Kacchan like always!" Izuku smiled at him from the couch. Katsuki felt his neck go warm as he grabbed his mask and phone. "Let's go."

They spent the rest of the day exploring and shopping. They bought quite a lot, giving them the basics to clean themselves, the apartment, and food. Katsuki had to keep Izuku from buying things like laptops and furniture, saying they had to figure out what they wanted first. The only thing Katsuki allowed Izuku to buy extra was stuff to cook with, and even then, it was the bare minimum. 

But that night, Katsuki made them their first home-cooked meal in their new apartment. He made Katsudon, both spicy and not for each of them. Izuku did his best to hide the tears, but Katsuki could see him crying over his meal.  

"Did I give you the spicy one or something?" Katsuki barked in confusion. 

"No! No, I'm ok, I'm... I'm just happy, Kacchan." Izuku rubbed at his face with a wet chuckle. 

"Then why are you crying?" Katsuki was so confused. Why cry if you're happy? Seeing Izuku cry joyful tears was a new experience, one Katsuki didn't even know could happen.

Izuku huffed, "I don't know, I just felt so happy that I couldn't help but cry." Izuku giggled at himself before shoving a slice of pork in his mouth. "This is so good! I didn't know you could cook Kacchan; I mean to cook like this!"

"HAH? It's not that hard!"

"I don't know how to do it!" Izuku flicked a grain of rice at the blond. 

Katsuki opened his mouth to snap back before he froze, ' Of course you don't know-how; you were never fed.' swallowing the lump in his throat, he shrugged, looking down into his bowl. "Well, I'll teach you then." 

Izuku smiled brightly, not noticing Katsuki's tone shift. "Thank you!" 

Izuku did the dishes while Katsuki started on their laundry. Before long, it was night, and both the boys retired to their own bedrooms. Katsuki gave the one with the desk to Izuku, knowing the boy could use it more. This was the first time they were sleeping separately in months, and Katsuki couldn't help but lay on the futon staring up at the darkened ceiling. He had already triple-checked the front door, making sure the bolt was locked, the balcony doors and the quiet of the building was peaceful. Still, Katsuki couldn't fall asleep for the life of him.  

Pulling out one of the hearing aids, he played with the small soft bead wondering how long it would be like this, not being able to sleep. It had only been a few months, but he felt as if he needed to have Izuku sleeping at least in the same room as him. What if he woke up and Izuku was gone? How would he know without checking the whole apartment? What if Izuku stays up all night? Who would yell at him to go to sleep? What -

Katsukis thoughts were interrupted with a light knock on the door. Pushing his hearing aid back in, he ripped open the door to find Izuku standing there wrapped up in his blanket. "Oh, um. Hi Kacchan, s-sorry to bother you so late-"

"Can't sleep either?" Katsuki asked, relaxing against the door. Izuku looked down at his feet before shaking his head softly. 

"Go grab the futon out of your room, bring it in here, we can make a big one." Katsuki turned to kick his over closer to the wall, missing the way Izuku's eyes brightened as he ran for the next room. Within moments both futons were lined up beside each other with Katsuki and Izuku laid out on them. 

"You can take your aids out Kacchan, I'll wake you if I hear anything," Izuku mumbled, pulling the ratty blanket tighter around him. Katsuki opened his mouth to argue but then paused and simply nodded. Pulling out both beads this time, packing them into their case before settling down once more. Izuku had already fallen asleep, his small body moving with each breath. Katsuki felt sleep pull at his mind as he finally relaxed into the soft pad, just with the knowledge of Izuku being in the same room as he allowed the blond to relax and fall into a deep sleep. 

Katsuki woke alone the next day, the bright mid-morning sun illuminating the room. 'Buy fucking blackout curtains.' Katsuki growled to himself as he rolled up onto his feet. Izuku hadn't bothered removing his futon or folding it, and Katsuki didn't bother either. Making his way to the bathroom, the blond smiled as he was able to take a hot shower, cleaning the sleep from his system. Having hot water and lovely soap caused Katsuki to pause at how something as small as this, which he took advantage of daily before leaving home, felt like pure luxury. Rinsing off, he pulled on fresh clothes before making his way to the kitchen. 

He noticed Izuku sitting at the table, tapping away at a laptop, not seeing Katsuki move around him. Starting the kettle for tea Katsuki dug around to pull out some eggs for a simple breakfast. 

'Wait… FUCKING LAPTOP?'  

Katsuki spun, staring at Izuku as if he had grown a second head. "OI! The fuck?" Katsuki pointed at the silver device in front of Izuku. 

"OH! Hey Kacchan, good morning." Izuku smiled, looking up from the screen. 

"Don't good morning me, what did you do?" Katsuki pointed again, forcing Izuku to look down. Katsukis words finally registered with the greenette as his face turned red as a tomato. 

"Oh, well, I woke up super early and did the money count like we discussed, but then I was bored, and then I looked into the utilities and realized that I needed a bank account for bills and ordering things, and then you need one too for things you wanna buy and well I went to the bank and opened an account for us and put some money in, got the all the utilities transferred over and well…. Ordered some things…." Izuku looked bashful as he glanced at the room that he didn't sleep in last night. 

Katsuki blinked in confusion before fishing out his phone and checking the time. It was only 11am. "WHAT TIME DID YOU GET UP?" Katsuki barked, rubbing at his face. 

"Um… Like the same as yesterday, I think, maybe a little later because I didn't see the sunrise." Izuku stood slowly. "I think the laptop delivery is what woke you up cause once I locked the door again, you went to shower. The rest will be coming later." 

'The REST' Katsuki felt exhausted already, but what could he do? It was Izuku's money; he could do what he wanted with it. Katsuki was the freeloader here. Rubbing his face harder, he took two deep breaths as the kettle clicked off. Turning, he made himself tea. "Have you eaten yet?" he asked, his voice barely keeping level. 

"N-No," Izuku whispered nervously. 

"You went to the bank, did the shopping, and dealt with the bills but didn't eat?" Katsuki reiterated his rough voice. 

"I...I forgot to eat?" Izuku asked. Katsuki sighed before getting out more eggs and some rice. Nothing more was said as Katsuki made them breakfast, making sure to load the eggs with cheese and veggies. Izuku went back to quietly typing at the laptop while sneaking glances at Katsuki. 

Soon enough, Katsuki joined Izuku at the table, placing the bowls of food before him. Izuku slowly closed the laptop and set it on the third seat as he watched Katsuki take a bite of food. Sensing Izuku's fear, Katsuki sighed. 

"Look I… I don't know what I am. I was going to say I'm not mad, but I don't know if I am or not. It's your money Izuku, thank you for dealing with the bills and stuff, just… I don't know… thanks, I guess. "Katsuki mumbled, taking another bite. He really didn't know how to feel about this all. It was Izuku's money, Katsuki couldn't provide for them, so it wasn't his place to say what the money was spent on. Was he pissed Izuku just rushed out to do it? Yes, but really what was the harm? Sighing, he watched Izuku take a few bites before looking up to meet Katsuki's crimson eyes. 

"No, I think I understand. I'm sorry Kachann, I just felt like there was so much I needed to do. Like I want us to be comfortable, I have the money to do that. You have done so much for me; I just wanted to do things for you too." Izuku mumbled. "I should have waited till you woke up; nothing was in dire need to get done; I just felt like my brain wouldn't let me do anything else." 

Katsuki sighed before nodding. "It's fine, just… wake me up next time, yea?" Izuku nodded before smiling softly. "Wanna see your new laptop?"

"HAH?" Katsuki snapped before looking around. Izuku got up and pulled out a brand new laptop, it was the same model that Izuku was typing away at before, but this one was black where his was silver. "I didn't know if you gamed or anything, but I wanted to get decent laptops for us for school and I to try and learn to make my own programs to make my analysis easier. And there was a good sale to buy one and get one over half off." Izuku information was dumped about the laptops. 

Katsuki stared at the sleek new laptop now placed before him. It was a good model, better than his old laptop. Blinking, he reached out and slowly unboxed it. "I… Thank you? Izu, you don't need to buy me things. Really. This...this is too fucking much." Katsuki could barely speak. The turbulent emotions from the anger before to the confusion and now…a mix of excitement, worthlessness, and fear settled into his chest. 

"No, Kacchan, I want to spend my money on things that will help us. Help you. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be making something of my life, I… I probably would be dead. I don't want you to think I am just trying to pay you back; it's not. It's just… I like buying us things… the tools we need to succeed. We both need these to move forward with school and what we want to do in life. We need everything that I have ordered so far. Just… help me with things like cooking and training, and making sure I don't drive myself crazy, and we will be even. There is a lot I don't know, and I forget to do things like eating and shower when I focus on something, so help me with that and everything else I'll cover, and we will be good." Izukus eyes glimmered with unshed tears as he looked at Katsuki with honesty and fear. Katsuki could tell it was hard for Izuku to admit that he does get hyper-focused and needed the help.

'This is what he needs. The Nerd is right; if I didn't force him to eat or ground him in his rants, who knows what trouble he would get himself into… this is another way I can protect him.' Katsuki nodded, swallowing hard. "Ok… I won't say anything about you buying things unless they are really fucking stupid or fake cheap useless shit. Just make sure I am with you so I can help you get things, ok?" 

Izuku's eyes brightened as he smiled. But Katsuki continued, "I...It's hard for me to not want to be the one providing for us since this whole thing was my stupid idea… so I don't know just fucking give me a while to get used to it. Even my parents never bought things like this for me unless I earned them. I don't want fucking handouts, ya hear?" 

"Auntie and Uncle never bought you gifts?" Izuku asked.

"I mean, yeah, kinda, I got a gift or so during the holidays, but I had to do chores and shit for anything I wanted. So I had to be picky about what I wanted and made sure to get good shit so I wouldn't have to replace it. Mom fucking freaked when I broke the first phone that they bought me. It was from that point on everything I wanted I have to 'buy' with my allowance or chore work, or modeling for their stupid company." 

Izuku giggled, "I forgot Kacchan is a model." 

"IM NOT a fucking shitty model. I never allowed them to use my face." Katsuki snapped, cleaning up the bowls from breakfast. Izuku giggled as he quickly scraped the last of his food into his mouth before following Katsuki. As they washed their dishes in comfortable silence, both boys jumped as a knock sounded at their door. Katsuki frowned, confused, drying his hands quickly so he could use his quirk if needed. While Izuku looked excited while running towards the door. 

"Remember, don't get mad at the things I ordered." Were Izuku's famous last words.

Chapter Text

A few hours later, the living space held two piles of items. One of the things to keep, the other to return, at least for now. Izuku had gone only a little overboard. As they opened box after box, it was clear that Izuku felt embarrassed, his face and neck becoming almost as red as Katsuki's eyes as he hid behind a new blanket and couch pillows. 

"Really? A printer, in this age?" Katsuki slid the box across the floor into the return pile. 

"We might need it for classes!" Izuku yelped in his defense. 

"We can print for free at the library if we get memberships." Katsuki deadpans back. His anger had faded away around the eighth or so box, leaving him cynical but accepting. Izuku clearly bought things he thought they would need in a new home. Nothing seemed to be wasteful or bought out of just pure want. Every item had a purpose, but Katsuki knew that they as teens didn't need both a toaster oven and a microwave, with the apartment having a full stove. The money would go to better use than extra appliances. 

While the return pile was large, the keep pile actually held more items. Things like bedding, towels, extra blankets, and pillows were kept. Nothing was hero-themed, with everything being in bold solid colors. Katsuki was given a set of dark grey sheets with a burnt orange comforter. The damn nerd still knew his favorite color, and keeping to his darker themes in clothing, made the futon extra comfortable. Izuku had gotten himself a set of forest green sheets with light grey and white comforter, making the two sets match nicely in the room while keeping things separate. Katsuki didn't comment that Izuku did not remove his futon from the room; neither boy wanted to address that elephant. 

Izuku also got things for doing both school and analysis work. A new desk chair for their only desk, a box of office supplies, and a small bookcase were pushed into Izuku's room. Izuku also bought a tool kit filled with many different tools that Katsuki had no idea what they were used for. Still, it was clear that it made Izuku happy.  

Outside of the extra small appliances, Izuku ordered a new set of cookware and dishes for them. Katsuki begrudgingly couldn't find a good argument to return them when just the night before he was complaining that they didn't have what he needed. So after going through everything, the boys settled into doing different tasks. Izuku started returning what he could, while Katsuki set up his new laptop and started looking for online courses for them. 

It was the evening just before dinner when the last set of boxes arrived. Katsuki shot Izuku a glare before standing and grabbing the package from the front door. Two large boxes were sitting in their doorway, both rather heavy. 

"Damn it, Izu," Katsuki growled, kicking the door shut and placing boxes in front of Izuku on their small couch. Seeing the logo on the outside of the box, Izuku began to chew at his lips. "Um… I.. well, I hope you like this one because it's kinda a gift for you." Izuku mumbled, pulling at his chapped lips. 

"The fuck do you mean Nerd?" Katsuki growled, dropping onto the couch beside him. 

"Well, that box," Izu pointed to the expensive black hard case, "Is the gift, and well that one," pointing to the cheap cardboard box beside it, "I think is the freebie box that came with it. You know how promotional items are." Izuku muttered, frowning at the boxes. 

"Well, what is it?" Katsuki turned to look at the box himself. 

"Open the black one." Izuku nodded before hiding his face behind the blanket in his arms. 

Katsuki reached over and pulled the heavy box into his lap with a sigh. He slowly removed the seals and cracked open the case. Nested in fine paper and cloth was a full chef's knife set. At least fifteen blades glinted in the light; their sleek steel looked deadly just laying there. Katsuki nearly choked on his tongue as he slowly ran his finger down the handle of one. "Izu…" 

"I… really hope you like them" Izuku slowly peaked out from behind the blanket. Katsuki had to force himself to stop the shiver that ran over his skin. These knives were his dream knives; they held an edge for much longer than other brands, while the thin filet knife was one the best on the market. Katsuki's parents had owned one knife from this brand and only used it on unique dishes.  

"These had to be so expensive; these are some of the best knives on the market," Katsuki spoke in low tones as he slowly closed the case to protect the beautiful blades.

"Well, yes, but! They were on sale, and there were promotional items, like I said. And they are a gift, and I know Kacchan will use them properly, and" 

"Thank you." 

Izuku's mouth snapped shut before tears started to gather in his eyes as he beamed. "You're welcome, Kacchan! Now see what the promotional items are." 

Katsuki grabbed the cheap cardboard box and set it between them as they ripped open the tape. In the box was a mix of different cheap candy samples and what appeared to be hero-themed household items. There was an Edgeshot sewing kit, a Waterhose Duo watering can, a can of Wash's laundry soap, and a spatula with Midnight's eyeglass shape cut out of the plastic. A small set of plastic handcuffs dangled from the handle to hang it. 

"The fuck is this for?" Katsuki asked, holding the spatula. "Why the fuck does the Porno Hero need a spatula?" Katsuki growled, his hands moving wildly. 

"I dunno… maybe she is rebranding? Or I mean, what else would you use a spatula for other than cooking?" Izuku asked so innocently. 

Katsuki froze as he slowly turned to look at the spatula before making a disgusted noise and tossing the thing back into the box. "Fuck, that's gross! This is getting returned!" 

"What?! Why? And you can't send back freebies, Kacchan. "Izuku looked so confused. 

"If you don't get it, I'm not going to explain it to you," Katsuki said, kicking the box away. "Then we are tossing it."

"No, it's perfectly good!" Izuku gasped. 

"I will never touch that thing again; I don't even want to see the fucker!" Katuski snapped, his face getting hotter. 

"Kacchan, you're acting weird." Izuku leaned into his space. "Do you have a fever?"

"NO! Just… Fuck keep that stupid thing away from me!" Katsuki stood up, his ears bright red as he stormed off into the bedroom, as Izuku tilted his head confused. 

After that night, the boys settled into a comfortable routine. They eventually found an online school that they both easily tested into. The school made Izuku take the test twice just because the admissions department did not believe a quirkless person could pass the test into their school. But after Katsuki took about two hours of beating the shit out of a dumpster with a pipe, Izuku eventually calmed him down, and they were able to move past the quirkest admissions group. 

The teachers running the courses never seemed to care about quirk status, so that was at least reassuring. Though it was rare that Izuku ever scored higher than him on any assignment, and Katsuki found that suspicious, Izuku didn't. His self-depreciation using the excuse' Kacchan is amazing' to justify the slightly worse grades.  

Izuku was also able to get more work done for Giran. Having the ability to get the analysis done in the apartment and research in peace made Izu's fast pace even faster. What had been taking him a week to finish, Izuku now took three days, four max, to get the complete list done. 

Katsuki took his job very seriously during this time as well. Forcing Izuku to take breaks and eat. He was even able to convince the younger boy to go clothes shopping. Convince, meaning threaten to restrict access to his tools and laptop if he didn't buy new clothes for himself. Izuku had hated the idea of the shopping trip. Still, once he realized that he didn't have to buy specific clothes to make himself not stand out or the cheapest thing available like his mother demanded, Izuku's mood improved considerably. Izu learned that he could buy something that he actually liked, such as a new suit with a vest, a black zip-up hoodie with lop rabbit ears on the hood, and all the stupid PJ bottoms and t-shirts he could find. Katsuki smirked as he watched Izuku try on the suit and vest for the first time. As an attendant suggested getting a few parts tailored, the younger twisted in the mirror. The green boy didn't look like himself and yet never could have been anyone else. Izuku looked confident in a suit, even just the dress shirt and tie; he looked as if he was the smartest in the room. And to be honest, he probably was.

Katsuki was glad that his new hearing aids could pick up Izuku's mumbling for once as he brainstormed ideas of an outfit that he could wear when he met with Giran. A confidence costume might just be what Izuku needed. 

While Izuku was trying on new items, Katsuki could also pick out some new clothes. He mainly focused on workout gear and a new set of boots. But he also couldn't help himself when they stumbled across a store that only had alternative clothing. Blacks and reds blend together with spikes and chains, and Katsuki loved it. His parents always thought this clothing was garish and rarely allowed the blond to shop in stores like this. This was the store where Izuku found the hoodie with the rabbit ears. When he wasn't looking, Katsuki grabbed a second of the same type, but special ordered some embroidery to be added to the hood as well. Two white antlers were added to the hood, not sticking up but running over the top and down the hood as if the ears and antlers were draping off the head. Katsuki kept the extra hoodie hidden until after dinner when he gave it to Izuku, who cried over it. He swore that it would be part of the outfit Izuku pulled together to meet with Giran from then on. 

One day while he was exploring the area, Katsuki found a dojo with a help wanted sign out front. Katsuki frowned as he looked at the place. It was an older building, the front was designed to look like the wooden dojos of old, but that was hard to accomplish in the middle of a busy city. Taking a deep breath, Katsuki pushed his way into the building.

A yellow-haired kid was sitting at the front desk with a Gameboy or something in his hands, but what caught Katsuki's attention was the thick tail wagging behind the boy like a dog. 

"You run this place?" Katsuki grunted. 

"Huh? Oh, sorry I didn't hear you come in!" The kid rubbed the back of his head, turning off the handheld game. "Uh, welcome to Dojo Ojiro. I do work here. Can I help you with something?"

The kid... well, the young teen, he was probably close to Katuki's age and put his best customer service face on. 

"Yea, your sign says help wanted. What work do you have?" 

"You want to work here?" Tailz asked, looking at the sign in the side window.

"I wouldn't be asking if I didn't, Tailz; what's the job? I ain't agreeing to shit without knowing what it is." Katsuki growled. 

As the kid opened his mouth to respond, a wheezing laugh interrupted them as a man clearly in his 60s or 70s walked into the front room. This man also was blond, or was at one time, and was wearing a gi walking around barefoot. "You are a grumpy one, huh, kid?" the old man wheezed. It sounded like he had half a lung left. 

"Grandpa, he is interested in the job you posted." Tailz sighed, looking at the older man. 

"I heard; I'm not deaf or dead yet, Mashi." The old man huffed with a smile before looking Katsuki up and down. While the man was old, it was clear he was built like a tank. Wiry muscles were tight under skin covered in sunspots. Katsuki could almost imagine Captain Hobo looking like this the older he got, just with black hair and not white blond. "Jobs this, I need someone to wash the mats and clean up in the evenings after the classes. Keep things sanitary, I had Mashi here doing it, but he started working more hours during the day since he started cramming classes in prep high school entrance exams. So I need help at night."

"What's the pay?" Katsuki asked, looking around. The place was not huge; he could probably clean it all in an hour or so a night. Maybe less if he kept it really clean. 

"Well, I could pay in money or lessons." 

"What kind of lessons?" Free training? Fuck yeah. 

"I teach Judo and Jujitsu. I used to teach Karate, but I changed a few years back to only intermediate and advanced students. People who want the challenge." The old man grinned, seeing the look of determination in Katsuki's eyes. 

"Deal. l clean, I get free classes." Katsuki grunted. 

"Which group?"

"Both"

The old man and Tailz both blinked in surprise before looking at each other and back to Katsuki. "What's your name, kid?"

"Akatani Kastu" 

"Well, Akatani, I teach 5 nights a week, alternating weeks of three nights of Judo and two of Jujitsu, then three of Jujitsu the following week, so it balances out in the month. Are you really going to be at every evening class and clean after?"

"Don't doubt me, old man; you want my help or not?" 

"No doubt, just wanted to make sure your folks would be ok with that? Don't you have school too? I'll need them to sign off on the permission slip to join the classes since you are still a child." 

' Ah, shit, didn't think of that.' "My dad is out of town a lot for work, and my cousin also works; we are used to taking classes to fill the time, and I go to school online, so I really make my own schedule. But I can get the slip signed. Might just take a day," Katsuki grunted, keeping the truth and lies mixed together. 'I'll just get Izu to sign it.'

"Hmmm, if you're sure." 

"I am."

"Welcome to Dojo Ojiro. Mashi will get you a locker and show you where all the cleaning things are. Don't care how you do it; just make sure everything gets cleaned, so it doesn't smell like gym socks in here come morning." 

'Fuck yea, Next time I see hobo fucker ill kick his ass when we spar. No more of this bullshit of him always having the upper hand!'

So Katsuki spent his evenings at the Dojo. Izuku was so excited for Katsuki to have found a palace to train. Still, when Katsuki asked if he wanted to join the Dojo, Izuku declined. 

"As much fun as it would be, I don't think Judo or Jujitsu is for me. I'm kinda too small, and I have more flexibility than strength… Maybe something like Aikido would be better for me… OH! Maybe I can take some dance classes too. Kacchan! I can take a dance class!!" Izuku had excitedly run off to start looking up studios and other places that would offer Aikido on the laptop. By the end of their first month, they had settled in nicely into their new lifestyle. 

Slowly the fear of waking up to the other gone faded, allowing them both to sleep comfortably. Yet, they still shared a bedroom, the other room quickly filling up into an office/workshop/tinker room for Izuku. They never spoke about why they kept sharing the room to sleep in. Some nights Izuku didn't even sleep, forcing Katsuki to drag the younger boy away from whatever project or research Izu had lost his mind to and move him onto his futon for an hour of sleep.  

Mornings were reserved for school work and whatever analysis work Izuku had. They were off doing their own things in the afternoons and evenings, such as training or dance classes. As the boys enjoyed their alone time, they both agreed to check in via text at least once every hour just to make sure nothing had happened. They knew some time had passed since they were first reported missing, and no one seemed to give them a second glance, but the fear of being caught and separated permanently festered in the back of their minds. And was still a source of their anxieties. 

It was late on a Friday night when they got the call. Katsuki was standing at the stove cooking them dinner, a large pot of spicy curry bubbled away as thick spices filled the air with a warm scent. 

"Kacchan, she is so cool! She is in my hip hop class, and when we got on the poles, she was able to slide upside down right away!" Izuku gushed from his seat at their small table.

"Poles? The fuck do you need a pole for in hip hop dancing?" Katsuki grunted as he fluffed the rice. 

"Ah well… I might have signed up for an extra class that happens only once every other week" Izuku rubbed the back of his head. Both of them now had new hair cuts as well. Izuku's curls had been thinned and shaped to hang nicer on his head; the length was mostly there; he just looked less like a bush. Katsuki supported a new undercut giving him a sharp look. The hairstylist had tried to save the hair around the small area on his neck where he got burnt by Endevwhore. The way it had healed caused the hair to grow in patches. The undercut helped clean the hair on his neck up and actually hide the scar by making everything uniform and smooth. Katsuki did, however, keep the length on top, learning how to style his spikes forward slightly, which helped hide the scar on his temple. But typically, he just wore a bandanna over his forehead. No one stared at him then, and it was a badass fashion statement. 

"How many fucking classes are you in now?" Katsuki grunted, turning to face Izuku. 

"This was the last one, I swear! Mina really wanted to do it and really sold me on the idea."

"How many?"

"Well… I originally signed up for Hip Hop class and Acro, which are both once a week. We just got out silks to try for the first time in acro this week! And Aikido two times a week, so technically, I am still in classes fewer nights than you… but... I also picked up Pole dancing because it looked fun, and Mina wanted to try, and I could combine Acro and Hip Hop with it, and it's only once every other week!" Izuku rushed to defend himself.  

Katsuki huffed as he turned away and plated their food. "Whatever, Nerd, when is this pole dancing class?" 'The Lil shit acted like he didn't know why Midnight wanted a spatula made with her brand but goes and does pole dancing?!? The fuck?' Katsuki's mind supplied. The spatula had become a running prank in the house. It all started when Izuku placed the spatula in the shower for Katsuki to find. Causing the blond to scream and throw the spanking COOKING tool at Izuku, causing the younger to laugh hysterically. Now they found it in the most random places, under the sink, in the freezer, in their pillows, each getting more ridiculous. Katsuki truly hated that damn thing. He had the suspicion that Izuku knew exactly why Midnight made it now but refused to give up the innocent act. 

"Oh, it's on Saturday nights. It's designed for people in their 20s and 30s, it's all beginner, but it's open to everyone. Kacchan, you should join!"

"Fuck no!" Katsuki slid Izuku's food to him as he sat down. "Just why don't we meet up after classes and walk back together? Your studio is on my way home from the Dojo, yea?" 

Katsuki couldn't hide his wince as his back hit the chair. He was sore; they had practiced throws in class, and fuck if Tailz didn't slam Katsuki into the mats. 

"Oh, that sounds great, Kacchan!" Izuku smiled. His smiles had become more genuine lately also. Having the freedom to do what interested you really helped pull him out of his funk. 

"So, who is Mina?"

"Kacchan! I told you about her. She is in my hip hop class, she has horns, and her quirk is Acid. She is a terrific dancer and has a really nice personality." Izuku pouted as he reiterated his story. 

"Oh, yea, that the pink one?"

"Rude Kacchan."

Izuku's burner phone started to ring on their coffee table. Izuku froze for a moment before hopping up and grabbing the phone. Katsuki could only hear one side of the conversation but knew who was calling. It had to be Giran since Dabi only ever texted and tends to text their personal phones. 

"Oh… Is that a good idea?" Izuku asked, picking at his lower lip as he started to pace. 

"I mean, I am not saying no, but really that wasn't part of the agreement." 

"Yea, but what do you get out of setting this up?"

"Giran." Izuku sighed. 

"Who is it?" Izuku froze for a moment before continuing to pace. 

"Double."

"It's double the work for me. Thus double the pay." Katsuki's head shot up, and he watched Izuku closely. He had started gaining a bit of a backbone when it came to Giran. The purple fuck was beginning to become that drunk uncle that you kinda hated but tolerated smoke smell and all. But Izuku had really started to perfect his acting, the mask he wore when dealing with Giran, taking on just a bit of Katsuki's personality while being more calculating. 

"Fine, when?" 

"KEM is coming." 

Katsuki nodded, ' Fuck yea ill be there if you are, Izu.'

"Ok, text the address." Izuku hung up and just looked at his phone for a moment. 

"What is it, Nerd?" Katsuki asked, keeping his voice level. He didn't like the look on Izuku's face. 

"A…client wants to meet me…Jackalope… In-person." Izuku almost whispered as if afraid to speak the words and make them real. 

"The fuck? Since when do clients want to meet you?" Katsuki growled; dinner was forgotten about. 

"Apparently, this was a favor he needed to hold up his end of. I get double the pay from him and my normal amount of names for the month, but the client might want to pay me on the side. Giran just agreed to do the introductions…." Izuku slowly sat down on the couch. 

Katsuki nodded, leaning forward on his chair, "That doesn't sound horrible." 

"Kacchan… I… We are going to be meeting with a villain." 

Chapter Text

"Izu, if you don't stop pacing and shove this fucking pancake in your mouth, I am going to do it for you." Katsuki snapped, dropping the plate of pancakes and fruit on the table with a clatter. 

"Not hungry," Izuku muttered around the thumbnail that had been a permanent fixture in his mouth for the past two hours. The nail bed was so red from irritation that Katsuki couldn't tell if it was bleeding or just swollen. 

"That's it, you were warned," Katsuki growled as he lunged for the green boy. Yelping, they fell to the floor of the apartment. Katsuki's goal was to get that thumb out of Izuku's mouth as he twisted, grabbing his wrist with his hands as his legs wrapped around Izuku's chest and neck attempting a lock. Izuku's own training also kicked in, squirming using Katsuki's height against him; he twisted, preventing the legs from locking around him, twisting his arm trying to break free. 

"Kacchan!" 

Katsuki wasn't having it, gripping tighter on the wrist, he twisted it tight against Izuku's back and used his weight to pin him face-first into the floor. Izuku squirmed under him, using his hips to buck up and try to toss the blond off him. Still, Katsuki was ready, his knees braced wide, ankles over the backs of his thighs, keeping his center of gravity easily. "Kacchan, get off; I'm not hungry!" Izu snapped, turning his head to glare. 

"You have a long way to go if you think a glare like that will ever be scary to me, Nerd," Katsuki smirked before looking down at the hand in his grasp. The skin around the thumb was cracked and slowly bleeding like he suspected. "You're bleeding. Chew on something else." Katsuki slowly brought the wrist forward so Izuku could see the irritated skin. 

Green eyes narrowed before taking in the sight of his thumb; with a deflating sigh, Izuku went slack under him. "I can't help it! It's either that or I was picking at my scalp. I already stopped because my head was bleeding." Izuku pouted to the floor. "I'm…. I'm scared." 

"Then cancel the meeting." Katsuki rolled off Izuku before sitting cross-legged beside him. 

"I can't, you know that. I already committed to it, and it's less than two hours from now." Izuku slowly sat up, his hand already sliding back up towards his face before Katsuki slapped it back down. 

"You are Giran's golden goose; you can do whatever you want, Izu. Just fucking cancel." Katsuki's red eyes bore into the green. 

"But what does that say about me? No one will take me seriously if I cancel my first in-person meeting." Izuku pulled his knees up to his chest and hugged them. "I finally found something I am good at, and now I am being a coward," he mumbled into his knees. 

"No, you are a teen who is about to go into a meeting with someone who could fucking kill us. You are not a coward." Katsuki stated. "And who the fuck cares what those extras think. You gotta do right by you." 

"I want to do this. I need to do this. Imagine what I could accomplish if I had contacts like this. But… what if they want info on heroes and go kill them. What If I become an accessory to murder? I don't want to be a villain. I just want to help people with their quirks." Izuku started to cry, burying his head into his knees quietly sobbing. 

Katsuki sighed, rubbing his face. "Then say that. Purple people eater fuck face just said this was an introduction. You can set the rules of engagement here. And I will be with you; if anyone has an issue with it, I'll fucking blast them in their shitty face." 

Izuku let out a wet chuckle before wiping at his face. "You are right. You're always right. And Giran said this was a new villain; maybe they won't be that bad." 

"Oh, I could take some D-lister fuck villain." Katsuki grinned wolfishly, putting a front on, trying to make Izuku feel better. "Come on, let's get that hand and your head cleaned up and some food in you. You need to have something in your gut before we leave." 

Izuku rubbed at his face, smearing tears and snot as he nodded and stood. Katsuki led him to the bathroom and pushed the greenette into the shower to wash while he pulled out the first aid kit to wrap his thumbs. 

After Izuku sat at the table with a plate of food in front of him, picking at the bandages, while Katsuki dried his hair with a towel. "Why did you wrap all of my fingers?" Izuku mumbled, pushing a berry around the plate. 

"Cause if it was just one, if the fuckers were any bit observant, they would know you were nervous picking at them. I do them all; it looks like you wrap them for fights." Katsuki grumbled, dropping the towel over his head. "Now eat, don't just play with it."  

"I should have bought armor. The outfit I bought was to meet with Giran and Dabi to look older, so maybe Dabi would stop saying I look like an elementary student." Izuku grumbled as he popped a blueberry into his mouth. 

"We didn't know you were going to be meeting with anyone else. Just keep your guard up; you are trained enough to hold your own enough to get out of there." Katsuki walked around and sat in his chair before his own plate. "And fuck Dabi, he is a burnt chicken nugget, and his opinion doesn't mean shit." 

Izuku shrugged with one shoulder as he went back to pushing the pancake around his plate. 

"You will look badass no matter what. Fuck em." Katsuki stabbed a cake and shoved it in his mouth. Izuku just shrugged once more as he slowly shoved a few bites into his mouth. They sat in relative silence as they got some food in them. As Katsuki quickly cleaned up, Izuku dressed in the outfit he had bought to meet with Giran. 

Izuku came out in a dress shirt and tie, black slacks, and dark green vest. The zip-up hoodie with the embroidered antlers and long ears on the hood was draped over his arm. "Kacchan, how do I tie this? I think I should have bought the clip-on." Izuku mumbled, pulling at the thin fabric around his neck, his shirt sleeves rolled to his forearms. 

"If I ever catch you wearing a clip-on tie, I will shove it so far up your ass you could hang it off your uvula," Katsuki grumbled as he also stepped out in a dark outfit. His heavy cargo pants with newer combat boots thudded down the hall. A tight form-fitting tank could be seen before Katsuki pulled a dark orange hoodie over it. A black bandanna is wrapped around his head, hiding the scar at this temple. "Come here, first get the lengths right, then wrap it..." 

Katsuki slowly showed Izuku how to tie the tie before tightening it and setting it tight under the collar. "You sure you want the tie? I hate shit around my neck like that." Katsuki asked with a quirked-up eyebrow. 

"Yea, I always thought that people in suits looked powerful and could hold a presence. I want that too." Izuku mumbled, pulling on his hoodie and adjusting the sleeves to match the dress shirt. Katsuki slowly backed up and looked him up and down, and couldn't help but agree; Izuku did look like he could command a room in this get-up. The shirt and tie made him look older; the muscle and weight he had gained over the past few months helped him fill out the pants and hoodie, making it appear that he wasn't a skinny homeless kid. Other than the nervousness that shone in his eyes, Katsuki would be willing to say that Izuku was just a short teenager like this. 

"Well, you are right there. You look ready to kick ass." Katsuki smirked before digging out two black face masks and handing one over to Izuku. 

"Thanks, Kacchan" Izuku smiled as he fidgeted with the hem of his hoodie, clearly self-conscious still. 

"Stop that." Katsuki reached into his cargo pants and pulled out his pocket knife. "Here, keep this also on you just in case." Izuku nodded before slipping it into his own pants pockets. 

They left at that point, walking to the train station side by side. Katsuki had to slap Izuku's hands away from his mouth twice, even with the mask on his face. As they approached the warehouse district, Katsuki slowed his pace to be just a step behind Izuku. Katsuki fully expected this villain, whoever they were meeting, to watch them ahead of time. 

"Just remember, you set the terms here, Jack. Fuck everyone else." Katsuki muttered softly, the mask hiding his lip movement. Izuku nodded softly before taking a deep breath and entering the building. It was the same building that Katsuki and Izuku had originally met Giran in for his hearing aids, and Katsuki felt a chill run down his spine. The same place where all this started, the same site where Izuku takes the next step in his analysis career, and maybe just maybe the next step towards villainy. 

'Could Izuku become a Villain?.... Could….Would I stop him if so? ' Katsuki thought to himself as they weaved through the boxes towards the office just like before. All-day, Katsuki focused on Izuku, keeping him calm, force-feeding him, and building him up. However, Katsuki never stopped to think about what this would mean for them. What if Izuku did turn to villainy? Would Katsuki even think about stopping him? With how society is, how they treated him, Katsuki wasn't sure if he morally would be against it. Sure he would be worried for him and would definitely need to up his training to protect himself, but would Katsuki follow him into villainy? By being at this meeting, does this mean Katsuki couldn't be a hero? Does he even want to be? Katsuki was shaken out of his thoughts as Giran and Dabi came into view, both sitting in the office, ' Too late to change your mind now, dumbass. '

"Jackalope! Right on time!" Giran stood from behind his desk with a gross cigarette-stained smile. "KEM, pleasure as always." Katsuki nodded before looking at Dabi. 

"Hey Short Stuff, Pomeranian." Dabi nodded to each in turn before turning back to his phone. Katsuki could see he was scrolling the news. 

"Matchstick," Katsuki grunted back before looking around. There were no others in the office. 

"Giran, Dabi…Where is the person you wanted me to meet?" Izuku asked, pulling down his mask. However, he kept his hood up, hiding much of his green curls. 

Giran grinned even more. "I like the get-up kid; it suits you. Glad to see my money going to good use." he walked around the desk to lean against the front of it. "Our guest will be here shortly; I honestly told him a later time than you; I wanted to make sure you were good with this Kid." Girans' eyes softened slightly as Dabi looked up from his phone. 

"He isn't going to hurt Jackalope or KEM. He doesn't hurt kids." Dabi said with a frown. 

"No, no, he won't, but that doesn't mean Jack is all sunshine and butterflies about this meeting," Giran grumbled.

"I wouldn't be here; we wouldn't be here if we were not sure. This is just an introduction, right?" 

"Right, I am just fulfilling a deal and said he could meet you, that's it. Honestly, he can't afford your analysis, so I think he wanted to see if he can pay for it differently." Giran said, pulling out a cigarette; he offered his pack to the room; both Izuku and Katsuki shook their heads while Dabi scoffed. 

"I don't want that trash. Seriously with as much money you move around, you would think you could afford better smokes." 

"Fuck off, these taste good." Giran defended himself as he lit up. Izuku looked over at Katsuki, their eyes meeting before Katsuki only shrugged. Katsuki had not bothered pulling down his mask yet, as it helped filter the smoke in the air, but his hands were in his hoodie, keeping warm, building up just a nice layer of perspiration. 

"Well, if we are all sure about this, let's head out to the loading bay; he bitches too much about me smoking to have this meeting here." Giran pushes up to his feet and leads the way out. 

"Funny, more proof that what you smoke is shit cause he doesn't complain about what I smoke." Dabi sneered as he too, walked out. Giran flipped him off behind his back as Izuku couldn't help but chuckle softly. Dabi grinned like he won something hearing Izuku laugh. Katsuki followed up the rear. 

Going back through the warehouse, they entered the central loading bay. A lone figure stood by the doors, clearly just arriving. The man was tall with red scarves tied around his body and stood in the dim light with a frown on his face. Knives and armor hung off this man from every item of clothing, yet he moved almost silently; the soft click of his boots seemed to echo in the room. 

"Stain, Welcome!" Grain smiled as Dabi rolled his eyes. 

"Stain? I thought your name was Stendhal?" Katsuki snapped, stepping forward standing beside Izuku. 

"KEM? You know him?" Izuku grabbed his hoodie sleeve, looking up at the blond with confusion etched across his face. Giran and Dabi both looked surprised as well. 

"Oh, it is you; I couldn't tell with the mask for the moment. How are you doing, Kid?" Stand- Stain asked, crossing his arms across his chest armor. 

"Uh. Fuck, yea, he is the one who found me after dealing with Endevwhore." Katsuki grunted, looking at Izuku with his own confusion, but relaxing slightly, knowing this guy they were meeting wasn't going to kill them right off the bat. 

"Wait, you know Stain?" Dabi asked, looking between KEM and Stain. "Why didn't either of you tell me?"

"THAT'S HOW I FUCKING KNEW YOU!" Katsuki exploded, pointing at Dabi. "FUCK I couldn't figure it out. He is the bitch punk you told me to hang out with?" Katsuki asked Stain. 

"Yea, he is the one I told you to keep an eye out for." Stain nodded, his scarves moving around him. 

“KEM called you Stendhal?” Izuku asked, looking at the 'Villain.' 

"He is right; that used to be my name. I was a vigilante for many years, but recently things have opened my eyes to how blood-stained our society is. And I have taken that stain upon myself now, removing those who purposely harm others. Thus I am not Stain," he stated as if he was running for election. 

"So what, you heard enough teenage sob stories and started offing assholes because of it?" KEM growled.  

"Hey you, Brat; Stain is doing good work. Fuck asshole heroes, a lot of them deserve to die." Dabi growled, pointing his own finger back at KEM. 

"I ain't saying there aren't assholes out there that deserve what's coming to them, but you were a fucking vigilante; you were already doing good. Shouldn't you have been happy enough with that?" KEM slapped Dabi's hand away. Izuku could only stand back with Giran, his eyes darting and watching the three of them debate with confusion etched across his face. Grian smirked as he watched all this, clearly surprised at KEMs outburst as the blond boy had never said more than ten words in front of him before. 

"Sure, I was saving people, the two of you are examples of that, but things keep getting worse. No matter how many I helped, Fake Heroes were still out committing crimes. No one else is going to stop them, so I will." Stain growled back 

"Bullshit, who fucking gives you the right to be judge, jury, and executioner? Yes, the system is broken, but you breaking others won't fucking fix it. It just makes things more extreme." 

"Answer me this, Kid…."

"It's KEM."

"KEM, were you not driven to extremes also with your heroic deeds?" Stains eyes drifted over to Izuku's, forcing Katsuki to back down, internally screaming. 

"You don't fucking know shit," Katsuki growled, stepping in front of Izuku, blocking him from Stains red gaze. 

"AS fucking entertaining as this was, we are here for a reason." Grian clapped, bringing the group's attention back to him, and the tension in the room dropped. "Stain, it appears I don't need to do full introductions. But as you requested, this is Jackalope. He is the brains behind those analyses you asked about." Giran waves in Izuku's direction. 

"Hello, Jackalope. I apologize for assuming the person I would meet was an adult. I didn't expect a child to be at this meeting."

"I'm not a child," Izuku's cold voice filled the air as he stepped up beside Katsuki. "Though it appears I owe you my thanks for helping KEM after our run-in with the flaming trash heap." 

"I am just glad to see everything worked out ok with him." Stain nodded. 

"So Giran set up this meeting. Dabi clearly holds you in high regard, and KEM knew you as a vigilante, yet you wanted to meet me. Why?" 

Stain's eyes widened before he grinned. "Right to the point, I appreciate it. Honestly, I wanted to ask if you would be willing to provide an analysis or even lists of false heroes. Your reports are detailed, but I can tell you avoid private information; with your knowledge, you could help me weed out the fakes faster."  

"That would mean I am an accessory to murder," Izuku stated. Katsuki took a slight step back, giving Izuku the stage to speak. 

"Only if I am caught, which I won't be, and even then, I wouldn't give you up," Stain replied. 

"That just proves you think too highly of yourself." Izuku frowned, looking Stain up and down. "While I do this analysis work, I do not provide private information on anyone. Only analysis on the quirk itself. So no, I am not interested in giving you lists of people I think are corrupt. I won't play your Jury." 

Katsuki felt pride bloom within his chest at Izuku's words. The younger was sticking to his guns, even in the face of a vigilante turned villain. Katsuki watched Stain closely, however curious as to how he would react. 

"You hold a true conviction. I can admire that." He stated, his eyes narrowing as he, in turn, gave Izuku a once over. "You said you will only do analysis on the quirk itself, not the person. So if I gave you a list of quirks, could you then analyze how that quirk could be used for good and bad?" 

"No quirk is inherently good nor evil; they are tools for us to use. Society is the pressure that assigns these roles, not the quirk. So what would be the point?" Izuku tilted his head slightly as he thought about the question. 

Stain, however, blinked in shock. "You don't believe there are heroic or villainous quirks?" 

"No. Even if the quirk demanded someone do something taboo in today's society, like have sex or blood activation, or cause active control of others, It's the people and how we react to said activation that pushes people into villainy," Izuku stated honestly. Katsuki saw Dabi give Izu a double-take before attempting to look disinterested; Giran, however, was flat out staring in shock. 

Stain began to chuckle, but that soon turned into a full-body gut-wrenching laugh that echoed through the building. Izuku looked at Katsuki, confused as to why this villain was laughing at his words. 

"I really don't see how anything I said was funny," Izuku mumbled more to himself, but the warehouse amplified it enough that everyone heard.

"Jack, don't take it personally. When you have quirks like ours all your life, you are told you will only be one thing. Then here comes this wicked smart short stack analyst who just decides to destroy your preconceived notion of what our society is, in like fifteen words or less." Dabi was smirking as Stain fought to get himself together. 

"I mean, it's common sense. Just like a newborn doesn't have a clue what it's going to be when it grows up, a quirk doesn't define who you are," Izuku mumbled again, his face red. 

"Jackalope. I take it all back. I want nothing from you, child. You are right; you are not my jury, and quirks are tools to use, not define us. You and KEM both are rare gems in this world. Stained by society but came out stronger for it," Stain finally calmed down enough to speak in his deep, commanding tone, but the strange smile never left his face. "What do you wish to do as you grow up, Jack?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you wish to be a hero? A social worker? A homemaker? A professional analysis with a license? What is your goal?"

Izuku looked at Katsuki, who just shrugged back. "Whatever you want to do, Nerd." 

"Right now, I don't know. I never thought I would get this far with my analysis, let alone have the choice to do what I want in life. For a long time, I wanted to be a Hero, but as you said, we have seen society at its worst, so I am not sure If I am fit to be a hero anymore." Izuku said softly, letting his Jackalope mask slip some. 

"I think it makes you more qualified to be a Hero than any others working at this very moment," Giran stated softly, his voice uncharacteristically vulnerable. 

"Yes, you are more deserving of the title of True Hero than those working now." Stain agreed. "What training are you doing to become one?" 

"Um, I'm really not training to be a Hero per se. I am taking Aikido for self-defense and KEM, and I spar often." 

"KEM, are you training also?" Stain shifted his attention. 

"Judo and Jujitsu, but same as Jack, not specifically to be a Hero," Katsuki grunted.

Stain nodded before shifting his stance minutely, Katsuki tensed, and at that moment, everyone exploded into movement. Stain dashed forward, pulling a knife as he ran faster than Izuku's eyes could follow. Dabi's right hand lit with blue flame as he too shifted into a fighting stance. Izuku snapped open the knife Katsuki had handed him, crouching low and sifting behind the blond. And Katsuki's hands both snapped out in front of them, palms igniting with the crackling energy before exploding. Fire and pressure forced Stain to shift to the left into the direct line of Izuku's knife before everyone froze. 

Dabi was tense, Katsuki's right hand in his face, glowing softly with the promise of pain if he moved. Stain was frozen with his knife to the side of Izuku's neck. At the same time, Izuku held his knife tight against Stain's unarmored armpit, right next to an artery, and Katsuki's left hand poised in the villain's face. No one was breathing as they all waited for someone to make the first move. 

"Your reaction was almost perfect, but you have to be faster." Stain stated as he slowly pulled away from the boys. Dabi put out his hand, quickly hiding how red the skin had gotten. Katsuki and Izuku were the last to relax their positions. Watching the other three before slowly lowering their hands. 

"You both have practiced that move, haven't you?" Stain asked, watching Izuku close the knife slowly. 

"I did say we spar often. We also practice having each other's backs." Izuku stated, his voice holding a quiver that only Katsuki could pick up. He knew that Izuku was doing everything in his power not to break down in front of them. 

"Let me train you to be faster. I'm sure your respective martial arts are doing plenty to prepare you for the hero course, but I am one of the fastest on these streets. Let me teach you these skills so you can make them your own." Stain stated, putting away his own knives before he unclipped four of them. Grabbing the end of his scarf, he ripped the fabric before wrapping it around the blades. "Take these also. I don't care if you each get two or however you want to divide them; you need something more than a pocket knife."

Katsuki reached forward to grab the knives, limiting the interaction Izuku needed to make. "Why should we train with you after you pull a shitty stunt like that?" he growled, shoving the knives into his hoodie pocket. 

"I had to see if you had the physical potential to learn what I have to teach. There is no point in offering it if you can't do it." Stain shrugged, and Dabi just shook his head in exasperation. 

"We will think about it," Katsuki said as Izuku nodded in agreement. 

"That's fine. This is my number, just text me your answer. I won't be in this area long, and I won't be able to train you regularly, but at least twice a month, we will meet." Stain handed over a slip of paper before turning away. "You fulfilled your end of the bargain, Giran. Thank you for introducing me to Jackalope. Dabi, KEM, take care of yourselves and watch your backs. Jackalope… I hope you take up my offer, you have given me much to think about tonight. While I can not say I will change my ways nor my ideals, just know that I will keep your words in my mind, and they will help me rethink my choices." Stain nodded once to the group before turning and walking out of the warehouse. 

"Well, that didn't go the way I thought it would." Giran mumbled as he lit up another cigarette, "I need a fucking drink after that, and we should all get the hell out of here. Who the fuck knows who heard your explosion there, KEM. I thought your quirk was making things explode after you touched them?" 

"It is; I exploded the fucking air," Katsuki grunted, pulling his hood up. 

"How the fuck do you touch air?"

"You think that I wouldn't have the absolute best fucking quirk control living this quirk analyst?" Katsuki growled, forcing the lie.

"Yea… fuck, you are right." Giran rubbed the back of his head. "Alright, go home, kiddos." 

"Fuck you" both Katsuki and Dabi spoke at the same time. They paused and looked at each other before rolling their eyes and turning away. Katsuki and Izuku left out their regular door, Katsuki walking beside Izuku monitoring him. The younger's hands shook slightly as his eyes grew distant. They were about two blocks away from the warehouse when Izuku looked at Katsuki, eyes wide and remote. 

"Kacchan," he whispered before going slack, eyes rolling back in his head and dropping to the ground. Katsuki caught him luckily, slowly lowering him to the pavement. 

"Damn it!" 

Rubbing his face with a sigh, Katsuki hauled Izuku's limp body up onto his back. He knew the Nerd was freaked out, but he never expected him to pass out like this! After a few moments, Katsuki could get Izuku comfortably on his back; Izu's breath tickled his ear as he slept deeply. Grumbling to himself, Katsuki made his way back to their apartment, his mind running wild, still firing after that rush of adrenaline. 

`Should we really be training with a villain?'

Chapter Text

Sunlight streamed through the balcony windows, creating a glare on Katsuki's laptop screen. However, the blond teen did not notice as he was typing. The force in which his fingers slammed the keys should have been worrisome, as the stress of the plastic was apparent in its creaking. Katsuki growled under his breath about 'asshole purple cats' as he typed out a response to the discussion post for world history class. 

'No, I am not saying the Fall of America in 2048 was worse than the Holocaust of 1941! I was saying that the fall of America was caused because of class wars hidden as race/sex wars caused and funded by the leadership of America, thus making the American government at the time shitty, but ultimately something that the American government and those who followed said leadership, deserved. The Holocaust was an actual war against a race of people that they did not deserve!' 

"Stupid fucker, trying to put words in my mouth," Katsuki grumbled as he sat back away from his laptop, stretching his tight back. Some fucker in his online classes had recently started nitpicking his discussion posts. Trying to get a rise out of him after the teacher deducted points for his "problematic language." The ass had a purple cat as his icon, and Katsuki was never more glad to be a dog person. 

The sound of the bedroom door opening pulled Katsuki's thoughts away from his classwork. Izuku stood at the threshold, rubbing his eyes and blinking in the bright light. 

"Wha time izt?" 

"Afternoon, you have been out for almost 14 hours now." Katsuki huffed, watching Izu closely. After passing out the night before, thanks to the stress of meeting Sten Stain, Katsuki just let Izuku sleep the morning away. For as little sleep the greenette got, he would make up for it sometimes with a binge of sleeping for 12 or more hours. 

Izuku hummed before making his way into the bathroom; the shower could be heard running after a moment. Katsuki hit submit on his post with a sigh and got up to make them a late lunch. As he pulled out ingredients, Katsuki couldn't help but wonder how they had become this domestic so quickly. Not even ten months ago, Katsuki would have still been picking on Izuku, shoving him around, thinking he was toughing him up for the 'real world.' But now, after living in squalor together, fighting for their lives, meeting with villains, and finding their own apartment, they could just exist together peacefully.

The shower turned off, and soon a much more awake Izuku emerged with a cloud of steam following him. Padding towards the Kitchen, Izuku looked at the laptop screen before softly shaking his head. 

"You shouldn't have posted that."

"Why the fuck not?" Katsuki turned with a spoon raised in defense. "Isn't that the point of discussion posts, to debate?"

"Yea, but-"

"And that fucking purple cat asshole keeps pushing on my posts trying to make me look stupid."

"Kacch-"

"Fucker probably thinks he is better than us because he was in the class before we enrolled. Fucker probably is some teacher's pet."

"Kacchan! It's because you put in more curse words. And you know you can't edit it after the fact," Izuku snapped back with a smirk. 

"WHAT!?" Katsuki ran over to skim the post. "Where?"

Izuku pointed to the word ‘shitty’ as Katsuki hung his head. "Fuuuuuck, I didn't even realize." 

Izuku just huffed with a smirk before moving to the stove to pick at the food being cooked. "Oi! It will be done in a minute. Get out," Katsuki snapped gently, smacking Izuku's hands away from the pan. Izuku pouted but settled in his spot at the table while Katsuki finished cooking in silence. The silence felt heavy, and it was not because of Katsuki's cursing in class. They both knew they needed to discuss what had happened the night before and what would happen moving forward. Even as they both began to eat, the silence became oppressive. 

Shoveling food in his mouth, Katsuki refused to be the one to bring up the night before. He didn't know how Izuku felt about it all. His passing out really confused Katsuki more. He had thought Izuku did tremendously and got what he wanted out of the deal. Katsuki glanced up at Izuku, watching him shovel food into his mouth, but his face held a frown as he seemed lost in thought. 

' Well… I'm sure he will bring it up once he figures it out .' Katsuki thought to himself. 

It was pushing midnight, and Izuku had not brought up anything from the night before. Katsuki felt like he was going to fucking crawl out of his skin. After their late lunch, Izu locked himself in their spare room, and only music could be heard from within. At first, Katsuki just left it alone; he had other school work to deal with and responded to a strongly worded email from the teacher. But eventually, he had to go to his judo class and job of cleaning up. Katsuki even brought home some yakitori for a late dinner, but Izuku never answered his calls. After showering and cleaning, Katsuki was pacing their bedroom, debating on the pros and cons of going into the other room and just dragging Izuku to bed. Katsuki popped off some excess sweat before saying "Fuck it" and turning to go and drag Izuku to bed when he nearly ran face-first into the shorter boy coming into the bedroom. They both jolted before the oppressive silence settled into the room once more. 

"H-hey," Izuku muttered, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. 

"Hey Nerd, you good?" Katuki asked as he plopped down onto his futon. Giving them both space.

"I think so. Um, sorry about today… sleeping in late, and then just hiding and everything." Izuku turned to pull on some sleep clothes, his back to Katsuki, giving the blond a detailed view of the shiny scars across his shoulders and back. However, it was not the scars that caught Katsuki's eye anymore; it was the lean, corded muscle that had started to form. Izuku was building a lithe dancer's body. Deceptively soft until the muscle flexed or moved, showing the hidden power. Utterly different from Katsuki's powerlifter muscles that had just started to bulge, but still just as intimidating. 

"No need to apologize, Nerd; you needed a reset," Katsuki grumbled; the words felt heavy in his mouth like molasses. 

Izuku paused, taking a few deep breaths, before turning to face Katsuki. "Y-yea, I did. And a lot happened last night." 

' Oh, thank fuck we are talking about this .' Katsuki thought to himself before mentally slapping himself. ' Since when do I wanna fucking talk about feelings? Who the fuck am I? '

"Kacchan, I have a question for you," Izuku fidgeted with his crooked fingers. He slowly sat facing Katsuki on his futon. Katsuki, still mentally warring with his sudden urge to talk about feelings , just nodded for Izuku to continue. 

"I…I don't know how to ask this, so I guess I'll be blunt since Kacchan likes straightforward… but it's complicated." Izuku mumbled before taking another deep breath as green eyes locked on red. "Do you want to be a Hero?" 

Katsuki froze, his lungs locking up, his brain blue screened as he could only stare into those bright green eyes. Never before had he seen Izuku's eyes look so…analyzing. Katsuki felt like his brain was being picked apart without him saying a word. Katsuki had been asked if he wanted to be a hero multiple times. Still, he never felt like the question was important until now. 

"I...I don't know. I gave up that shit when I saw how broken the system was, but I don't know what else I could do. I never thought of doing anything else. Why?" Katsuki felt that the answer came from his heart. He honestly had no clue what he wanted to do moving forward. 

Izuku chewed on his lip briefly before a resolve settled into his eyes. "See Kacchan I... I think you still want to be a Hero; you already are my Hero. But it's because you know that the system is broken is why you would be a good Hero and deserve to be the change that is needed." Izuku warped his arms around his knees as he continued, "I know you say you don't know, but really deep down, I think you do know. I think you don't want to be a hero like All Might", "-Ass Might-" Katsuki softly muttered, "Best Jeanist or Hawks anymore because of the broken system. But a Hero like Eraserhead or Edgeshot, where you are underground, is what you need now. Outside of the public eye but still powerful enough to make the changes needed." Izuku's eyes never left Katsuki's as he spoke with conviction. "I have been thinking a lot today, and that is one of the things I came to realize. Limelight Heroics are not for you anymore; they exist to give the public that warm fuzzy safety net, but because you know there is no safety net, only the survival of the fittest, underground work where you would thrive in that gray area would be best for you." 

Katsuki broke eye contact as he looked down at the palms of his hands. His quirk was flashy, " Perfect for Heroics ," as everyone used to tell him, but as perfect as it was to be a limelight hero, the same quirk would be perfect for being a villain. Katsuki could cause mass destruction in a heartbeat if he so wished, and yet for all his foul tempers, he never has caused the destruction that he knew he could cause. 

' Expect for bullying your quickless best friend ,' the voice whispered in the back of his mind, as he pushed it away quickly, thinking instead about Eraserhead. The only Hero he could say he at least respected. The man looked out for him and indirectly Izuku, never turning them in or forcing him into anything. The man even went out of his way to patrol areas no other Hero would touch. Katsuki could do that. Be the mean face in the dark, protecting those who need it. 

"You are not wrong, Izu; I don't know for sure, but you are right that I don't want to be like Fuck Might or the Flying Chicken Boi, but Eraserhead is pretty cool… I guess." Katsuki mumbled, still looking at his palms. "Though I don't know how much change I could make as an underground hero, it doesn't seem like they have much pull publicly." 

Izuku seemed to perk up, "You could always be more like Edgeshot! Having a semi-public persona but being an underground hero primarily. You have enough Charisma to be a Twilight hero; I wonder if Mirko is considered a Twilight Hero?" 

"Are you comparing me to that Bunny Bitch?" Katsuki snapped.

Izu giggled. "I mean, your personalities are similar…."

"Bullshit!" 

Izuku and Katsuki shared a short laugh before the heaviness of the conversation settled back onto their shoulders.

"Why did you ask me if I wanted to be a Hero?" Katsuki asked, slightly confused. 

"Well… I…I really want to see Kacchan become a Hero. You are amazing, and I want you to succeed in your goals." Izuku mumbled softly. 

"OK… what does that have to do with last night?" 

"W-well… I think I am going to take up Stain's offer for training…ButIdontwantKacchantodothetrainingwithavillianandruinyourchancesofbeingaHero…" Izuku rambled off quickly, mumbling at the end. \

"Say What? Say that again, Izu, make sure I heard you right." Katsuki reached up and adjusted the hearing aids in his ear, making sure they were in all the way. 

Izuku sighed. "I'm gonna train with Stain, but I don't want you to train with him. And I know that sounds super selfish and mean to Kacchan, but what if we get caught with him, and then we go to jail or worse, get sent back home, and being associated with him would mean you can't be a hero because UA is so strict and-" 

Katsuki felt like lead was poured down his throat. Izuku wanted to train with the Hero Killer but wanted to protect Katsuki's future. "I'm the one who is supposed to protect you… that's our gig. You're Jackalope the Brains, and I'm KEM the brawn." Katsuki's voice sounded small even to him. ' Why am I getting upset? I knew the Nerd would outgrow me, fuck, he is the only way we have money right now; what right do I have to ride his coattails? Fucking None. I'm Useless now. I'm The Deku .'

"No! I mean, Yes! Kacchan will always be my Hero, my Protector, but I have a plan! And I.. we just can't have you getting in trouble until we get into UA. I thought about this a lot, and it might just work, but I just… we can't risk you getting caught with a villain like Stain?"

"Oh, But you fucking can? How are you going to get into UA while hanging with Stain? HAH?" Katsuki felt the fire burning in his bones; these emotions were getting to be too much, so he was defaulting back to his tried and true feeling of anger. Katsuki clenched his fists and teeth so as not to lash out at Izu. 

"No, no, no, I'm sorry I'm doing this all wrong. Kacchan, please, just listen for a moment. I don't want to be a Hero!" Izuku shouted as his hands trembled, and Katsuki froze. 

"The fuck do you mean you don't want to be a Hero? What the fuck is this all about then?" 

Izuku took a steadying breath before launching into a very long-winded explanation of his plans. He wanted Katsuki to get into the UA Hero Course and become a Twilight or Underground Hero. Izuku would apply for the Support Course or General Education Course, preferring support, but keep up his training and gig as the Jackalope. At least until he could build enough influence in the black market to really start pushing for some changes. Izuku wanted them to be on both sides of the coin, going for change. Izuku, a Hero in his own right to the downtrodden, and Katsuki, a legal Hero pushing for a fundamental shift in the laws. That way, Izuku could help Katsuki with his Hero work by giving tips and telling him of extra harmful things to the public that needed to be stopped as a real informant would. Katsuki would have personal knowledge of when to turn a blind eye to those who really need the break. "I know the system and the laws are against me just because I am quirkless. But you have a great quirk and could do so much good. I just don't want you to throw away your lifelong dream because of how bad the system is towards me. And I don't want you getting in trouble with Stain; he doesn't seem like the most careful when it comes to being a Villian right now, and I promise to teach you everything that he teaches me, just I really do want to make a change in this world. Still, I don't know how else to do it." Izuku finished as he pulled on his fingers more. 

Katsuki sat there staring at the green-haired boy. Izuku never asked for anything. He never seemed to feel the need to reach out and express himself and draw attention to himself. Izu only became The Jackalope because Katsuki needed hearing aids. He only ran away because Katsuki convinced him to, and Izuku would never ask for food, even today. So to have him tell Katsuki to be part of his now detailed and at least twenty-year plan was a shock. 

Was the plan foolproof, fuck no. Was it a pipe dream, fuck yea it was, but sitting and thinking about it, Katsuki could see it working. Would they be powerful enough to change all of the Japanese government? More than likely not. But being able to carve out an area where they would be in charge of keeping people safe on both sides of the law, Katsuki could see it. He could picture Izuku going door to door, helping kids free of charge with their quirks, and telling Villains to knock off the bullshit by night. Katsuki could imagine himself patrolling along rooftops, busting gangbangers, and telling the HCPS to fuck off while teaching self-defense lessons to women or sex workers just so they had backup. They could exist in that gray area. 

But that did not mean that he was happy about letting Izuku deal with Villains alone. 

"Is this what you want? You know, if we both do not get into UA, all this goes up in flames." 

Izuku nodded, "It's the only way I feel like I can still be helpful to people. And if you don't get into UA, I am positive you could get into other Hero Schools." 

"Fuck no, it's UA, or I become a real Vigilante," Katsuki smirked. 

"But you already are one! Think about all those people you have helped already," Izuku snarked back. 

"Fucking Semantics!" Katsuki shoved Izuku back, forcing him to roll on his futon with a giggle. 

"But you can still help people without becoming an information overlord of the underground," Katsuki grumbled; he knew he wouldn't change Izu's mind. Still, he had to be sure this was what he wanted. 

Izuku giggled again. "Yea, but it doesn't feel like enough to just be a quirk counselor. And let's be realistic how many people would listen to me when I don't have a quirk." Katsuki sighed because that was realistic. 

"So you're going to train with No Nose, and what, keep working with Crispy and Purple Fuck? What would you do when the contract is up?" Izuku nodded. 

"Yea, hopefully by then, which will be like a few weeks into our first year of UA. I would have built enough of a reputation with the clients to branch out on my own, or at worst, just keep working with Giran until I can focus full time on being The Jackalope after high school. So I guess that means I need to meet more clients face to face." Izuku pulled at his lip in thought. 

"I am still going to those. No fucking talking me out of it. I won't fight about Shit Head training you, but meet-ups until you are done training I am going to." Katsuki growled; he was determined to protect Izuku while still learning about this shit. 

"That's fair, though we might want to devise better disguises for you. Just in case you are on TV as a Hero Student, we don't want it getting out that you are protecting a Villian," Izuku said with a yawn.

"What fucking Villain am I protecting?" Katsuki asked, confused. 

"Well…Me?" Izuku cocked his head, equally confused. 

"YOU ARE NOT A VILLAIN!" Katsuki roared, "I thought we got this through that big fucking brain of yours, Nerd!"

"I killed a man!"

"SELF-DEFENSE, and he died of an overdose!"

"I'm being trained by an active Villain!."

"So what? I was taking lessons from Captain Hobo, which doesn't make me a fucking Hero!?"

"But… I… Do illegal analysis?" Izuku's voice got weaker as he frowned. 

"Criminal, not Villainous, as you have never deliberately harmed someone with your information." Katsuki crossed his arms, smug; he knew he had won this one. 

Izuku opened his mouth to debate more but slowly closed it. Before frowning harder, "Fine, you win this one, but my point stands that we don't need people connecting Katsu Akatani the Hero Student and KEM with KEM's criminal activities."  

"Oh, by activities, you mean pickpocketing? Vigilantism? Assault? Illegal Quirk use? Fleeing a Pro-Hero? Kidnapping? Threats and Slander? I think KEM is more of a Villain than the powerful Jackalope is… Perhaps we should trade roles in this plan you have?" Katuski smirked, while mentally, he winced. ' Fuck never called myself out like that… .'

"YOU ARE NOT A VILLAIN, KACCHAN! And there was no Kidnapping; I left of my free will." Izuku poked Katsuki in the chest, offended that anyone, including Katsuki himself, would consider his personal Hero a Villain.  

Katsuki just laughed, pushing his own emotions on the matter down. "Fine, fine, KEM and Jack are Criminals, not Villains… Yet." 

Izuku sighed before dramatically flopping into his pillows. "Fine, Criminal," he mumbled into the fabric. 

"You know a Wiseman once said, 'If you are going to break the law, only break one at a time.'" Katsuki snickered as Izuku threw a pillow at him in response. 

"So… I guess I need to start studying to get into UA," Katsuki muttered as he flopped down on his own pillows, looking up at the roof. 

"I mean, we have almost a year to get ready. Kacchan is amazing, and you will get in with no problem. I'm just worried about them turning me away because of my quirklessness," Izuku said, propping himself up to look at his phone lying on his stomach. 

"I'll fucking kill them if they don't let you in. BBQ Rat would sell well, I'm sure." 

"Kacchan! You can't kill Nedzu! He is like one of if not the smartest being on earth. I don’t even think he is a rat, and I'm sure he doesn't have time to personally review every application UA gets."

"Don't care; he will be the target of my wrath," Katsuki grunted. 

"Rude Kacchan," Izuku mumbled while scrolling through the news. 

Katsuki became lost in thought, 'Fuck am I really agreeing to become a Hero for real? And saying that Izu could train with Stain? Fuck what do I mean? Izu can do whatever he wants. Just… shit, what is Stain makes him do something he doesn't want to do… Well, maybe he wouldn't; he didn't seem too shitty the only two times met him. Maybe I'll ask Dabi to keep an eye on the fuck… but then I would owe him something… Fucker. I wonder who all Izuku will be meeting within the- '

Katsuki's mind was cut off by Izu screaming, "HOLY SHIT!" Sitting up, he looked around for the threat, but Izuku was just holding his phone as if it would blow up. 

"What the fuck was that Nerd? You never cuss!" Katsuki growled as he watched Izuku's hands shake. 

"L-look," he said, holding out the phone. Izuku was pale as if he had seen a ghost. 

Grabbing the phone, Katsuki looked at the article pulled up. 

 'Aldera School District Shut Down by the Department of Education Over Discrimination Reports'  

Katsuki felt like he was being kicked in the chest by a horse. Skimming the article that went into detail about how Nedzu led the investigation of reports of abuse and discrimination. Pro-Heroes Recovery Girl, Present Mic, Snipe, and an unnamed Underground Hero, alongside the police, conducted the initial raid that led to the schools being shut down. The entire school district will be reviewed, and all new staff will be brought in to replace those accused. 

The room was spinning; no, he was dreaming, right? This couldn't be real, no, those fuckers always got away with shit, no… this was a dream… but Izuku was right there also pinching himself to check. 

"Someone believed you," Izuku whispered, his eyes wide, unshed tears gathered in the corners. 

Katsuki could only nod like a puppet. Finally, someone believed him; someone saw the truth and wasn't held back by the system. Skimming the article again, he kept landing on the Pro-Hero names who assisted… An unnamed Underground Hero… Underground Hero… Eraserhead was an Underground Hero.

Eraserhead knew who they were. 

Chapter Text

Eraserhead knew who they were. 

The night they found out about the school, neither boy slept. Together they scoured the internet, searching for any information they could get on the matter. Izuku went as far as pulling up the public profiles of all heroes and detectives on the case. Frantically writing in his notebooks, listing out each teacher and the preliminary charges. However, the news had just broken, so realistically there wasn't too much to find that night. At the end of the week, Izuku had the names of each lawyer and judge presiding over every case. Katsuki highly suspected that the Nerd had found a way to hack the police or public defender's office. 

Eraserhead knew who they were, yet nothing changed. 

It had been over a week since they learned about the fall of Aldera, and literally, nothing had changed. No pro-heroes knocking on their door. No one turned them over to the cops. No one even looks at them weirdly. Eraserhead knew who they were and seemed to have done nothing with that information. 

It was driving Katsuki insane. 

Well, correction, a few minor-ish things had changed. First is a Recovery Girl-themed cookie jar magically appearing in their kitchen one evening. The first time Katsuki had seen the cookie container, he honestly didn't have anything to say. He understood why it was there. Deep down, Katsuki knew Izuku had not really given up his inner hero fanboy. After staring at the white ceramic for a moment, all Katsuki could do was open the top and check for cookies. There were none…. That's when Katsuki screamed about empty goddamn cookie jars! (The following day, the jar was filled with cookies.)

No other hero merch was found in the shared living areas. Still, Katsuki swore he heard Present Mic's radio show playing in Izuku's room. 

Two weeks after the news broke, Izuku got an unusual request from Giran. Apart from his usual number of quirk analyses. Apparently, a pro hero finally got fed up chasing their tail on a case they were willing to pay to learn what the underground knew. Giran being the smart ass he was, convinced the Pro to pay for an analyst to take a crack at the case. If the Jackalope couldn't figure out what the Pro was missing, Giran would sell him the information. 

Katsuki had to admit, it was a smart move by the Eggplant. Get the Jackalope name out there more, and make it reputable without needing to sell out his criminal contacts to a pro. Even if he could have charged an arm and a leg for the information. Izuku buzzed for three days in excitement while waiting on the case file. When they received the text to meet up with Dabi, Izu nearly sprinted the entire way. Katsuki had to physically slow the green boy down, so they were not winded collecting the file. 

"Pipsqueaks," Dabi greeted them as he leaned against the corner of the warehouse. 

"Fuck face," Kastuki responded, shoving his hands deep in his hoodie. Dabi smirked as he wordlessly handed Izuku a large yellow folder. 

Izuku immediately started flipping through the papers as he rocked on his heels. "Cool, are we done?" Katsuki asked while reaching to pull Izuku away. 

"Stain says to meet him next Thursday. Here." Dabi says as he fishes out a cigarette, lighting it with his quirk. Izuku jolted in Katsuki's grip, "O-Oh, ok, I didn't expect he would have time so soon."

Dabi shrugged while inhaling deeply. "Bastard got the drop on me one night and told me to pass on the word."

"Cant he fucking text like everyone else?" Katsuki growled while Dabi just scoffed. 

"He thrives off drama," Dabi muttered while taking a more resounding hit, smoke clouding around them, causing Katsuki to glare more. "You gonna be there, short stack?" 

"Y-yea," Izuku nodded, folding the folder under his arm. 

"Good. What are you doing that night, Bomb Boi?" Dabi smirked, the movement pulling at the staples in his mouth. 

"The fuck is it to you?" Katsuki growled. 

"Nothing. Just was going to invite you to hang out, Punk; you seem to be fucking uptight, more than your normal stick up your ass," Dabi exhaled; the burn of the smoke caused Katsuki's eyes to water. "I bet you don't even know how to chill the fuck out." 

"I'm always fucking calm!" Katsuki snapped.

"Sure, sure… text me if you change your mind." Dabi laughed as he flicked his butt away and pushed away from the wall. After a somewhat ironic solute, the blue flame conjurer walked out into the evening. 

"I can't believe I forgot about training…I texted Stain that night, and then… forgot," Izuku muttered as they walked back to the apartment. 

"Yeah, I can't fucking either. Well, after the news about the Shitty school, we forgot about that night altogether." And it was true since the news broke, Katsuki had been so hyper-focused on the thoughts of Eraserhead knowing who they were that they hadn't even processed the fact that Izuku came up with a ten-year plan for them, hinging on Katsuki becoming a hero and Izuku playing the…criminal. 

"Y-yea, I mean, I know we agreed to it… but I... are you still ok with me training with him?" Izuku pulled at his hoodie. Katsuki slapped his hands with a glare, fuck if he was letting Izuku ruin his good Jackalope zip-up. "I mean, you have your plans. Whatever works for you, Nerd. Just don't do anything fucking stupid." Katsuki growled as they stepped onto a train. The late evening did nothing to keep the carts from being filled with people getting home late from work. Shouldering his way through the crowd, Katsuki squeezed out a corner for him and Izuku. But being on the train, they couldn't keep speaking about the training without being rude or drawing attention. 

Katsuki used this time to scroll randomly through his phone, pausing over the Eraserhead contact again, letting his mind drift. ' So how had Eraser figured it out? Did he know who they were the whole time they had met face to face? Did this Hero also lie to him? But even if he did, Eraser still did more than anyone else had so far. But did that make it alright? Did the hobo want them to go back to their parents? Izuku was declared dead. There is no going back for him, really. Now Izu was going to train with Stain. Did that mean that they would automatically label him a villain? Would Izuku even go into the system if they went back? How the hell did Nedzu get pulled into an investigation at the school? Why the fuck did Dabi want to hang out?'

Katsuki had become so lost in thought he did not hear their stop called over the loudspeaker. "Kacchan," Izuku whispered, poking his stomach softly. "Our stop." Causing Kastuki to jolt before clicking his teeth and storming off the train and onto the platform. After leaving the busy station, Izuku kept pace beside the blond as they made their way home. 

Reaching the apartment, Izuku finally said, "I still want to stick with the plan I told you. Seeing…hearing about the school…..that doesn't change anything. We…I can't go back. I really wouldn't even if I could, as sketchy as Giran is. I don't know; I just feel like I'm worth something now." Izuku's voice faded to a whisper as he dropped heavily onto the couch. Katsuki felt his throat close tight, strangling any words that threatened to spill out. 

Katsuki knew… He knew that Izuku wasn't always in the healthiest mindset. Hell, Katsuki caused a solid…forty percent or more of his self-worth anxieties. But hearing from the horse's mouth, so to speak…hurt worse than Endeavor's fire. 

"So… yea I still want to train with Stain. Maybe you can be the one to deliver whatever I figure out for this case to the Hero. Maybe start making a name for KEM, too; maybe we play it as Jackalope's legal go-between, Like you only deal with heroes for Jackalope… well me. And Giran or Dabi can keep being the not legal side." Izuku pondered either ignoring or not registering Katsuki's lack of comment. 

Katsuki swallowed hard three or four times before he found his voice. "Who the fuck this case for anyway…" his voice cracking with concealed emotion. 

"Oh, Gang Orca! Which is pretty cool. He is also a gray light or twilight hero. He doesn't have the highest ratings because people think he is scary looking. Still, because of that, Gang Orca knows that crime is in poor communities. He focuses more on cold cases and finding closure for people. So his case-solving record is sky high compared to other heroes!" Izuku flipped open the folder scanning the contents again. "So will you?"

"Will I do what?" Katsuki asked, still slightly shell-shocked. 

"Take whatever I figure out to Gang Orca as KEM?" Izuku huffed, looking at Katsuki like he had grown a second head. "Are you feeling ok, Kacchan? You keep zoning out." 

"I'm fine! And yea, I'll take the shit to fish breath… but we are getting me a wig or something. I don't want the connection to KEM and me until I'm in UA. If this shit works, I have to still have a perfect record!" Katsuki growled, storming into their small kitchen to make them a late dinner. 

"Thank you!" Izuku cheered as Katsuki started to make a quick stir fry. "Oh, and you should hang out with Dabi while I train too." Izuku tacked on while reading the file. 

"WHAT? Why the fuck would I want to hang out with Staple Face?" Katsuki roared, slamming his wok. 

"Cause he might actually open up to you, and we might learn something more about him and Giran. I have a few theories about them and how they operate. But if you hang out with him, he might talk more, or at the very least, you can hang out with someone other than me for a night." Izuku waved his hand through the air, not even lifting his eyes from the file. 

"First off FUCK YOU. I would rather hang out with you here than fucking Dabi ," Katsuki sneered, slamming down his spatula. He had not noticed it was the Midnight-themed one. "Second, the fuck you think he is going to wanna talk to me? All we do is insult each other."

"That's why. That and Stain told you to seek him out, right? Might as well figure out why." Izuku huffed and put down the folder. "You can't say you're not curious as to why he suddenly invited you to hang out; I know you can't because I'm super curious!" Izuku bounced on the couch. 

Izuku had him there; the invite was out of the blue, and Katsuki was curious. "Fine… but we are meeting up after your training so we can walk back together." 

"Ok, Kacchan!" Izuku chirped, pulling off his Jackalope zip-up and settling in on the couch once more with the case file. 

Katsuki went back to cooking. As the oil heated, he finally noticed the spatula sitting beside him. Taking a deep breath through his nose and grinding his teeth, Katsuki grabbed the offending plastic and shoved it into the half-empty cookie jar, slamming the lid on top. ' Fucking Midnight and her weird ass home line shit. '

Katsuki was starting to notice a trend in their daily lives. First, there was always something right around the corner. Whether it was the next batch of work for Izuku, training, now meeting with pro-heroes, or the ever-present threat of running into Eraserhead, there was always something that caused Katsuki to stew in his thoughts. But between these interactions, life was so painfully normal that it didn't feel real. They were both runaways and criminals, yet they were not fighting for turf or for supplies, not needing to duck into dark allies to hide. The fear of being recognized was fading daily. They went to school, their dance and martial arts lessons, ate healthy (ish) meals and paid their bills. Katsuki felt like they were living in an alternate dimension from what the stories and media portrayed running away or being criminals would be like. Purgatory between childhood and adulthood. 

Izuku cracked the case two days before he was to meet with Stain; however, he refused to give the information over to Katsuki until after meeting with Stain and Dabi, respectively, in case he "missed something." Katsuki knew that Izuku was just being paranoid that he had screwed up his first case analysis, let alone one for a pro-hero. So the Nerd was triple checking his work over and over again. 

Katsuki gave him until the training day to fret over the case. That afternoon he stormed Izuku's work room and demanded that he put the information in a folder, seal it, and give it to the blond to be delivered the following day. Izuku tried to fight him for approximately twenty minutes before conceding that he knew he was right and just couldn't stop nit-picking his theories. Izuku had to miss his dance classes for this training session and lamented the fact while they ate dinner. Katsuki texted Dabi, telling him that he would hang out on the condition that there were good snacks. Dabi responded with a photo of the spiciest chips on the market and an address. Katsuki couldn't help but grin at the sight of his favorite snack. He also forwarded the address to Izu's phone, "Just in case the Fried Fuck tries to pull some shit." 

As soon as evening hit, both boys went their separate ways. Izuku was in a mix of his dance gear of sweat pants, a loose shirt, but his Jackalope hoodie on top of it all. He wasn't sure what all Stain would be having him do, so having more athletic clothing seemed to make the most sense for the time being. Katsuki wore his standard KEM gear of combat boots, pants, a tank, and a hoodie. If this was just to hang out, he was determined to be comfortable yet have strong enough clothes to hold up in a fight. 

Dabi lived in a really shitty part of the city. The apartment was almost back to the harbor district they had squatted in. Walking these streets at night once more made Katsuki feel weird. For months they lived in a dangerous area, scavenging for resources like everyone else. The nights Katsuki couldn't find work, he would just walk the streets, sometimes helping people being mugged or women who were surrounded by shitty thugs. He had helped people back then; even when Katsuki had nothing, he took the frustration of his situation out on shitty people and helped people. 

But now, he and Izuku are doing well for themselves. They were doing what they enjoyed with the training and dancing, Izuku was making good money, and they had a plan. A purpose. But when they established security, a safe roof over their heads, and food in their guts, Katsuki stopped walking these streets, stopped having as much frustration to take out on thugs, and stopped helping people. And wasn't that the fucking kicker? Katsuki had no responsibility to these people; he didn't owe them anything, yet they just moved on the moment they got the money. Honestly, forgetting about these people. Katsuki wondered if Izuku ever went back to that orphanage. 

Katsuki felt bile form at the back of his throat. Is this what happens every time? Once you start doing well, you forget everything and everyone behind you. Is this the real ego of the world? But was it wrong? Sure they didn't need to be walking the streets for food anymore. Still, they had new worries and needs, so was it bad that Katsuki had forgotten about his nightly escapades? Was it even his responsibility to play vigilante? 

Katsuki's thoughts drifted to that ear lobe chick; had he not been there that night, she would have been seriously injured, if not much worse. How many people have been hurt like that while he was just off living a comfortable life? But really… that's what a hero's job was… it was on them to protect these people. It wasn't up to one kid to save everyone, but that was the thing, wasn't it? Even if a hero knew of the struggles of the poor, someone who was raised in this environment, they wanted nothing to do with these people the moment they got rich. Sure there were a handful of heroes, Eraserhead, who did not forget where they came from. Who still patrolled these poor areas, who still cared, but was this really the first failure of heroes? And Katsuki fell for it without realizing it. 

A hot hand landed on his shoulder, shaking him from his thoughts. "If you stare any harder at the gate, you're going to blow a blood vessel," Dabi's rough voice echoed directly behind Katsuki. "What's up with you? Never seen you get lost in your head like that, Blasty." Dabi actually sounded concerned under his unimpressed demeanor. 

"Don't fucking worry about it. This is your shitty place?" Katsuki growled, pulling his shoulder out of Dabi's grasp. 

"Yea, come on up. I had to run out and get drinks; I didn't expect you to beat me back." Dabi shoved open the metal gate, the metal squealing in the cool night air. As Katsuki walked through Dabi, he let the gate go, allowing the metal to slam, echoing in the night like a gunshot. Katsuki cursed, ducking his head and looking around like a monster would jump out anytime. 

"Fuck kid, take a chill pill." 

"Fuck you; why are you making so much noise?" Katsuki hissed. 

"Cause no one else gives a fuck. And all these assholes know not to fuck with me." Dabi shrugged as he led the way to the second floor. He shouldered open a severely beaten door and kicked his boots off at the door. Katsuki stepped in and shut the door, not bothering to lock it. Looking around, Katsuki was unsurprised to see a ratty couch and a TV with lines through the screen casting dim light through the living space. 

"Doesn't fucking Giran pay you?" Katsuki grumbled, kicking off his boots also. 

"Yea, but why the fuck would I waste the cash on a place the cops can track me at? It's comfortable enough." Dabi dropped down onto the couch kicking his feet up onto a table as he leaned back with a shit-eating grin. "So you gonna sit down and chill the fuck out or prove me right and show you don't know how to chill." 

"Fuck off, asshole. Why would I want to chill around you?" Katsuki huffed, looking around once more before sitting on the couch at the opposite end. 

"Kid, KEM, that much stress cant be fucking healthy." Dabi frowned, digging around in his pockets. "Seriously, If I had something that would help you chill the fuck out, would you trust me enough to try it?" 

"I know how to fucking relax, shithead! What's it to you? Why do you even give a shit?" Katsuki knew he had been anxious. Clearly, he had not been hiding it as well as he thought. 

"Honestly, I can't say I care. But I figured if I could get you to relax, we might have a civil conversation for once, Punk." Dabi muttered as he pulled a small wooden box from his pockets and ripped open a bag of spicy chips. 

Katsuki realized that Dabi was not in his regular long coat and ratty shirt outfit; he was dressed similarly to KEM with a long baggy hoodie and cargo pants. A face mask fell out of the kangaroo pouch pocket as Dabi dug around. ' So that's how he keeps a low profile… I guess face masks really do fuck with tracking people.'

Izuku was right then. Dabi wanted to chat about something but was only interested in talking after Katsuki supposedly relaxed. Still feeling on edge from his realizations earlier, his anxieties over Izuku training with Stain and Eraserhead knowing who they were, he could honestly admit he was strung tight. Fine, Katsuki would play this game. Fucking learn some information about Dabi and Giran. Izuku had this address, so if anything went wrong, Izu knew where to find him. 

"Fine Dickhead, what's this magic relaxing thing you got?" Katsuki growled, shoving his hands into his hoodie pocket. 

Dabi looked over at him; his ice blue eyes seemed to burn as they met Katsuki's ruby eyes. The scars around Dabi's face seemed to twitch, either suppressing a smirk or a press of his lips together in thought but eventually nodded like he found what he was looking for. "Well, that depends; got any plans after this?" 

"Hah? No picking Jack up and fucking going to sleep. Why does it matter?" 

"Well, that just leaves one last question. Do you wanna go big? Or go home?" This time Dabi smirked, a challenge with a hint of excitement. 

"Fuck, you calling me a pansy?" Katuski growled. 

"Nah, just wondering what route we are going. I'm feeling like going big. It's been a while since I had someone to smoke with." Dabi pushed himself up once more and went to the kitchen. 

"Smoke what?" Katsuki asked as he listened to glass clink and water run. ' The fuck is this ass on about now? ' 

"Weed, Punk, we are gonna smoke a bowl, get the munchies, eat way too many spicy chips, and get you to chill the fuck out. Before your heart gives out from stress at the age of twelve," Dabi said while coming back and flopping onto the couch with a glass… something in his hand. 

"Weed? Like drugs? And double fuck you, I'm not twelve!" Katsuki asked as his heart rate picked up. Sure he had smoked cigarettes with the dipshit lackeys back at school, but they never went beyond that. Maybe a cigar once that Fingers had swiped from his uncle or some shit. 

"Look, over 95% of all countries in this world have legalized Marijuana; it's really only the fucking super asshole governments like here in Japan and Russia that have fought legalizing it. Even so, there is no jail time for having it anymore, just a fine. This shit isn't a cure-all, but it helps just take the edge off of how shitty life is. I guarantee you will have the best sleep of your Lil kiddy life after this." Dabi said while moving the glass vase around and opening the little wooden box. Inside the box was a plastic bag and some other jars filled with things Katsuki had no clue about. 

"Look, if you don't wanna smoke, I think I got some weed gummies around, but that shit takes forever to kick in, and I think starting on edibles is a terrible idea. The high comes on gradually and can cause more anxiety because most people can't figure out what is happening if they forget about the gummy. "Dabi was twisting something, making a grinding sound. 

"Fuck that; if I'm going to do this, just give it to me all at once." Katsuki tried to look disinterested but really watched every move Dabi made. The weed had a strong smell that burned the back of Katsuki's nose, but it wasn't unpleasant, just different. They were like little green nuggets with brown hairs sticking out of them until Dabi ground them up and pulverized them. The scarred teen then seemed to take extra care to pinch the ground-up greens and place them in a small cup on the glass, filling it before taking a toothpick and dusting the top with what seemed like gold or brown dust from the bottom of the grinder. 

"What the fuck is all that?" Katsuki finally asked as Dabi cleared away everything but the vase and a lighter. 

"This is a water pipe or also called a bubbler. This part here with the weed is the bowl; this is the choke that allows the smoke to only go in your lungs and the mouthpiece to inhale from. I put a bit of pollen on the top of the bowl to give it a kick, but since I'm gonna hit it first to teach you, the pollen shouldn't do much extra for you. The water helps cool down the smoke, so it doesn't burn as much, but you're still gonna cough your lungs out at first, so don't get pissy about that. Everyone does their first hit." Dabi held the bong up as he pointed out the different parts, showing how to hold it. "And don't use your fucking quirk on it! I can't use mine because it's too hot, and the glass will shatter; I don't need you exploding the weed either." Dabi pointed the lighter at Katsuki.

Before Katsuki could smack the thing out of Dabi's hand and away from his face, the older teen set everything back down on the table and turned to look Katsuki dead on. "Look, I know this is going to piss you off, but really I need you to clear your head for a moment. I get you're naturally anxious, but if you go into this all super freaked out, this high is gonna suck." Katsuki opened his mouth to argue, but Dabi held his hands up, "Nah, hear me out, man. Sometimes weed fucks with people. It can make anxiety worse, makes you question too much, gets your heart going hard, and you can get dizzy. No one has ever died from smoking weed, but people have gotten panic attacks. I'm offering this to you because I know how much it can help me; when I'm feeling that rage, I can see it in you, but if you start feeling super panicky, you need to tell me. It's not saying you're weak or giving up; it just means that your mindset isn't ready for weed, yea?" 

Katsuki paused and really looked at Dabi. The icy eyes held nothing but honesty in them; they were the least guarded Katsuki had ever seen in Dabi. He was not lying; Katsuki had heard similar things from his Dad when he was giving the 'drugs are bad' talk a few years back. He knew his Dad and Mother also smoked weed once in a blue moon to 'relax' when Mitsuki was in a rage. 

"Fine, if this shit is meant to help me chill out, how am I supposed to relax before smoking? Isn't that like the point of smoking?" 

Dabi grinned softly. "You're already working on it. Go into this with a goal, which we have. For you and I to relax. This will also help you sleep, so when the smoke hits, don't fight it. Don't try to stay sober. Fighting it because you will lose; just makes that fear and paranoid thoughts go wild. I promise you're safe here, and you won't be high forever. If you get too zooted, I'll call Jack and get you home to sleep." 

'A goal, huh? Alright, maybe this shit might work. Might get my fucking mind off Eraser and maybe learn more about Dabi… ' Katsuki nodded as he watched Dabi pick up the glass piece again and bring it to his lips. 

It was almost mesmerizing how carefully the gruff teen handled the pipe. Taking up the lighter, he positioned his fingers over the choke and struck the flint. Dabi held the flame close to the weed as he slowly inhaled. Katsuki watched as a red hot cherry formed in the bowl and the pipe filled with smoke until it all vanished into Dabi's chest as he released the choke. Dabi then held his breath for what seemed like forever before a long lazy cloud of white smoke poured from his mouth like a smoke stack. The smell of weed got much stronger after Dabi took that hit, causing Katsuki to rub his nose slightly. 

"That's how you do it, Kid, make sure to hold it in after you get the hit to let it absorb into your lungs." Dabi handed over the still slightly smoking bowl and lighter. "It's ok to cough; just don't drop the pipe." 

Katsuki held the thing in his hands, looking it over, feeling the smooth glass that was clearly hand blown. It was still warm from Dabi's touch as Katsuki looked into the now slightly burnt top of the bowl. "That's it? One hit, does it?"

"Nooooooo, we are gonna pass this back and forth until all the green is gone from the bowl, and then maybe we will see about packing another," Dabi smirked. 

Katsuki looked down once more before pulling the pipe to his lips and mirroring Dabi's moves. He could feel the heat of the flame lick close to his face as he forced himself not to flinch away. The burn of the smoke tickled both his nose and his lips before he remembered to inhale. Suddenly his throat and lungs burned as if inhaling cinders. Katsuki didn't even have time to push the still smoke-filled bubbler back into Dabi's hands before hacking up a lung. The first time he tried cigarettes, Katsuki fought the urge to cough by only inhaling the smoke into his mouth, but this was a new level of burning. 

Katsuki found a cold bottle of water being pressed into his hands as he ripped the cap off and guzzled. "Easy KEM, really, you inhaled too hard, too fast. Catch your breath, dude your face is redder than Satan's asshole." Dabi chuckled, slapping Katsuki on the back. 

"The fuck?!" Katsuki choked out before drinking more water. Watching Dabi take another hit, he frowned slightly. "How does it not choke you?"

"Well, for one, I have been smoking since a very young age, and two, just more experience. You will get there," Dabi said while blowing smoke out his nose like a dragon of old. 'Ok, that was kinda cool. '

"Here, slow, small inhale."

With one last cough to clear his throat, Katsuki picked up the pipe and tried again. This time he pulled it into his mouth first, like he did cigarettes, before slowly inhaling it into his lungs. It still burned, but the visceral reaction to cough did not hit this time. Katsuki took a smaller hit but held it much longer before passing the pipe back to Dabi. 

"Much better! You might start feeling after that one but let's finish the bowl." Dabi flicked the lighter and started once more. They passed the pipe back and forth around four or five more times, but by the end of it, Katsuki couldn't remember how many hits he had taken. He got better each time, taking slightly larger inhales with less burning. Sometime in the middle of it, his forehead felt heavy, almost like those old caveman cartoons from the pre-quirk era. The constant scowl on his face eased as his eyes drooped. Tension bled out of his shoulders and arms, leaving behind a slight tingling sensation that, when Katsuki messaged his hands, felt the nerves relax for the first time since getting his quirk. 

"Now you're feeling it, huh?" Dabi, too, seemed to have melted into the couch, the glass pipe sitting on the table innocently as the dark-haired man leaned his head back and closed his eyes. A small smile pulled at his scars as he, too, rubbed at some of the scar tissue on his arms. 

"This is it? I don't feel all fucked up." Katsuki grumbled but felt himself kicking a foot up onto the table in front of them. 

"Nah, that's the thing with weed. In moderation, it's not going to send you on a trip to the moon; it just helps you get out of your head, connect with your body, and ease some pain. Most of the scary stories parents and schools teach about weed are more like a bad LSD trip. You can still function on weed; just don't be fucking stupid about it." Dabi sighed as he cracked open a soda for himself. "Wanna watch a movie?" 

"That's it? I figured you would want to do something else." Katsuki mumbled as he shoved his hands back into his hoodie. This was the softest hoodie Katsuki had ever felt or was it the softest he had ever taken the time to feel? Either way, the blond felt himself pulling the front up over his chin and tucking himself down in. 

"Yeah, man, like I said fucking relax, that's it." 

And for the next hour or so, they did just that. Putting on some weird sci-fi movie, they became one with the ratty couch and started to pig out on spicy chips. About halfway through the film, Katsuki felt that heaviness in his head starts to lessen. Around that time, Dabi sat up and packed another bowl, this time with more pollen, before lighting it, and they started passing it back and forth. 

Time seemed to slow down after that, and Katsuki could admit he was high. The scary parts of the movie seemed so fake that they ended up clutching their guts in laughter. Dabi told stories about times he scared the shit out of Giran by sneaking up on the old fuck, causing Katsuki to have tears in his eyes from laughing so hard. It was late, and Izuku had texted Katsuki about doing their check-ins throughout the night. Katsuki responded when they came in but couldn't remember or really care about what he responded with. 

After demolishing two bags of spicy chips, and they were one the next movie that just started randomly, Dabi looked over at the blond and grinned. "See, I told you I could get you to relax."

"Fuck off; it's the weed, not you." Katsuki flipped him off while hanging over the edge of the couch. 

"Nah, all me, I came up with the idea, provided the weed and the chips, so say thank you, Dabi." 

"Fuck you, Dabi."

"Aw, come on, Katsuki, you gotta at least acknowledge when someone else is right." Dabi swayed as he leaned forward to start grinding up some more. 

"The fuck you call me?" Katsuki's voice was low, deadly, as he rolled up to look at Dabi. Katsuki felt like the world had frozen around him; he could feel the blood running through his veins as the adrenaline kicked in. Goosebumps appeared almost as if cold water ran over his skin, giving more of a tingling sensation.

"Hah? What are you going on about?" Dabi looked oblivious to the stillness in Katsuki, as his eyes were pink and drooping now. 

"What did you just call me?" Katsuki damn near growled. 

"Your name?" Dabi looked confused about why the mood had shifted now that he was paying attention. 

"Which is?"

Suddenly Dabi's eyes widened as he muttered a soft 'shit,' "Look, KEM, I kinda figured out who you and Jack are a few weeks back. I didn't mean to call you by your old name." 

Katsuki stood up too fast, and the room began to swim around him, but he kept his footing. "What all do you fucking know?"

"Look, Kid, chill the fuck out. I'm not gonna go rat you out or some shit. I was at a bar, went out the back, and the alley had a bunch of old wanted posters and shit. I saw one with you and the green bean on it as runaways. I only know what was on the poster." Dabi attempted to placate Kastuki while rubbing the back of his head. 

"Fuck you, this was a trap." Katsuki attempted to storm over to his boots but ended up catching himself on the wall as he had to sit down to pull them on. If the situation was different, he would have busted up laughing about it. 

"Fuck no, it's not! Damn it, I just wanted to fucking get you to relax. Damn it, I'll call you whatever you want. But if you think you're hiding that past, I can almost guarantee Giran knows who you are because he keeps an eye out on posters like that shit," Dabi stood up, walking much easier toward the door. "Seriously, just chill; nothing is happening."

"Fuck you, fuck Giran, you did this to corner me." Katsuki got one boot on before nearly smacking himself in the face with his second one. ' Fuck fine motor skills .'

Dabi rubbed his face in frustration. "No, it's fucking not! Look, I ran away to you little shit. I get it. I'm one of the few who gets it the most! I'm not gonna lie and say I wasn't shocked to learn Jack was quirkless, but seriously Kid, I wouldn't get you high to trap you; there are better, faster ways to harm or fuck with someone. Just chill out? We will call Jack, and you can go home like I promised before." 

But before Katsuki could scream any more expletives at the scarred teen, a firm knock sounded from the door, with a tired voice echoing "KEM?". It was Izuku; glancing at his phone, Katsuki realized it was much, much later than he thought and missed the last check-in. Leaping to his feet, he ripped open the door and came face to face with a tired-looking Izuku. His Jackalope hood pulled up, covering his dark, sweaty hair. "KEM? Everything ok? You look… Are you high? Your eyes are all red… I mean like really red," Izuku mumbled, looking past Katsuki at Dabi. 

"Yes, let's go."

"Wait, just come in for one second." Dabi grabbed the back of Katsuki's hoodie, causing the blond to spin with his hands crackling. Using his quirk while high was a weird experience. Normally he just felt the heat and then the pressure from the explosion, but while high, each little eruption on his palms felt like magic. But he couldn't stop to think about that now; he had a Dabi to kill. 

"Wait, KEM," Jack said while stepping inside and closing the door. "Why can't he leave yet? Why are you both high?"

"We were relaxing, we smoked some, then I fucked up. I called him Katsuki, and he panicked." Dabi sighed, releasing Katsuki's hood. 

"So you know who he is?" Izuku sighed while stepping slightly closer to Katsuki. 

"Well… I saw a missing person's poster with both of you on it. So I know who you were too, Greeny." Dabi admitted shoving his hands into his hoodie. Katsuki was nearly growling like a dog at this point, while Izuku just smiled almost bitterly. 

"Kacchan, your boot is untied." Izuku pointed at the combat boot flopping around his ankle. Once the blond stooped to tie it, bracing himself against the wall, Izuku turned back to Dabi. 

"So?"

"So what?" the teen asked, confused.

"What are you going to do with the information?" Izuku asked.

"Oh, nothing, I guess. It is what it is." 

"But you know something and have something over us." Izuku countered as Katsuki stood once more, only swaying slightly. The adrenaline definitely sobered him up quickly. 

"Sure, but everyone has something over anyone." Dabi just shrugged. "You got away for a reason; I can respect that. Fuck if I'm going to send a quirkless kid or a kid with the power to explode a city back to their abusers." 

Izuku just nodded before opening the door once more and stepping out with Katsuki, but still looking at Dabi, "Then I think we can both agree that revealing who we were to certain people would be counterproductive. Right Touya?" 

Dabi froze, not unlike how Katsuki did just moments before that high glaze turned nearly murderous. "How the fuck did you learn that name?" He growled, causing Katsuki to stiffen and prepare his own quirk. But Izuku pushed them down the hall and away from the teen. 

"I'm an analyst. Do you really think I couldn't figure it out after meeting Stain and how he told KEM to seek you out after being harmed by Endeavor? Get real. You had a poster tell you about us; I had years of hero worship to track one of the most public hero families to date. I only brought it up, so you understood we are equal in this knowledge." Izuku stated with a small ironic smile before turning his back to Dabi and walking away. "Have a good night, Dabi; I'll text you when the next batch of files is ready." 

Izuku pulled Katsuki away, quietly opening the gate and guiding them toward the train station, not once bothering to look back. Katsuki was reeling. However, Izuku knew who Dabi was and still wanted him to hang out with the freak. Granted, the weed worked, and for the first time in months, Katsuki actually forgot about his worries, but really? As they walked, the cold night air seemed to calm him down, allowing the high to creep back in slightly but nowhere near as strong as before. Katsuki knew Izuku wouldn't want to talk about Dabi on the street; Katsuki really didn't want to talk about any of it. What did Izuku think about him being high? Did he even like being high? I mean, that shit was hilarious… and those chips tasted so much better than they usually did. Oh shit, food…

"I'm hungry," Katsuki announced as they headed home, causing Izuku to giggle. "You really did get high, huh?"

"Yea, smoked two bowls with the Fucker before he slipped up and I was leaving. But now I'm fucking starving like I want something spicy and something sweet, oooh, with mango juice to wash it all down. Fuck that sounds good." Katsuki felt himself looking around for anything open at this hour. 

Izuku just laughed his time before guiding them down a different street; Katsuki didn't know where they were, nor did he care; Izuku would get them home. He just wanted food. 

"I passed a Kobini on the way here so we can get snacks before heading home," Izuku smiled as he gently guided Katsuki along. "Hey, what's this?" Izuku asked as he reached into Katsuki's hood and pulled out a packet of candy. 

"Hah?" Katsuki grabbed it out of Izuku's hands and looked at it. It was THC candy, the weed gummies that Dabi told Katsuki about. Did he mean to put them in Katsuki's hood? So did this mean Kastuki had weed for the house now? Could he relax on his own time? Would Izuku want some?

"Huh, he must have put them in your hood to find later. Better put them away for now." Izuku mumbled before they reached the store. Shoving them deep into his pockets, the blond bolted into the convenience store. Katsuki bought way too many snacks, and spicy ramen, making Izuku giggle the whole way home. When they reached their apartment Katsuki damn near face-planted onto his futon, barely bothering to pull off his pants and hoodie. Izuku kept giggling at him before going and showering off the sweat. Laying there on his soft comforter Katsuki closed his eyes, feeling almost like he was on a boat; the soothing, gentle rocking made him relax as sleep took him. ' Yea, weed has its ups and downs. '

Chapter Text

"Wake up, Kacchan! We gotta make it to your appointment." Izuku gently shook Katsuki to wake him. The blond had buried his head under the blankets in the night, making it impossible for Izuku to tell if he had his hearing aids in. 

Katsuki clenched his eyes tighter as he tucked his head deeper into the pillows. He didn't want to wake up from some of the best sleep he had had in ages. He didn't know what time it was, he couldn't hear Izuku's voice clearly, but his futon was so comfortable he didn't want to move. Snaking his hand out from under the blankets, he flipped Izuku off before attempting to roll away from the younger in hopes of going back to sleep. 

"Noooooo, come on, Kacchan!" Izuku whined as he tugged at the blankets. After a few moments of blanket tug of war, a disheveled blond head could be seen blinking at the bright light of day. 

"Wha?" He grunted, his voice slightly louder than usual. 

Izuku switched to signing while he spoke. " I made an appointment for you! There is a woman who can change hair color with her quirk, and it only lasts for so long. This way, you don't need a wig to meet with Gang Orca. " 

Katsuki blinked, reading Izuku's hands. "Fuck, I meet Fish Breath today? Wait, when did you make an appointment? Didn't you fucking sleep?" Katsuki reached up and felt his ears; the aids must have fallen out in his sleep… or he didn't remember pulling them off before bed. Patting around the blankets, he quickly found the tiny buds and shoved them in his ears. 

The sound of Izuku giggling pulled his attention back to the greenette. "Good Afternoon, sleepy head! And I made the appointment yesterday; I may have forgotten to tell you." Izuku ignored the comments about his lack of sleep.

"Afternoon? Da fuck time is it?" 

"It's about one o'clock. You slept like the dead last night." Izuku sat back on his heels, giving Katsuki space to wake up. 

"Yea, well, feels like I caught up on a year's worth of sleep." Katsuki scratched at his head, messing with the already fuzzy blonde locks more. "When do I meet with Whaleman?"

"Not until this evening. Giran said it would be a sidekick in civilian clothes who will meet you. The meeting is at the ramen shop we met Giran at originally." 

Katsuki nodded before laying back down and covering his eyes. "Wake me up in an hour then." 

"Nooooo, come on, the hair appointment is in an hour; you gotta get dressed at least!" Izuku used his arms to pounce and bounce on Katsuki's legs. Katsuki groaned and half-heartedly kicked the blankets off, attempting to cover Izuku's head with them. 

"Fine." 

After taking the time to shower and get cleaned up. Katsuki noticed that the bags under his eyes, which had become nearly permanent since running away, had lessened after getting close to ten hours of sleep. ' Fuck Dabi for being right about the sleep. ' 

But forty-five minutes later, both boys walked down the street towards the shopping centers. Izuku led them to a small boutique, tucked away between a cafe and an office building, off the beaten path. Entering, only one woman was sweeping the floor, the small bell on the door causing her to look up and smile, "Be right with you!"

The woman had long iridescent hair that seemed to ripple like water as she finished sweeping and made her way to the small counter at the front. "Do you have an appointment?"

Izuku smiled and gestured towards Katsuki. "I called yesterday and made an appointment under the name Jack for my friend here." 

"Oh yes, I have you written down right here. Please follow me back. You are welcome to join us; I have a spare chair at the station, so you don't have to stand up here." 

It finally dawned on Katsuki that he had no clue why he was here. Shooting a confused look at Izuku, he followed the woman and sat heavily in the chair as she wrapped a cape around his neck. 

"So you said on the phone you just wanted a touch-up on the undercut and a quirked hair coloring? I think I explained it, but my quirk only allows the hair to change color for about 72 hours before it fades back to normal." The woman started pulling at the different locks causing Katsuki's scalp to tingle. Just as he was about to open his mouth to complain, Izuku cut in with a bright smile. 

"Oh, I know, he lost a bet and now has to deal with a different hair color for at least a day. 72 hours is perfect." 

Katsuki glared at Izuku, snarling and showing his teeth slightly as the green boy just smirked, not bothering to meet his eyes. 

"OH! I love customers like you two. Does Blondy here get to pick the color?" 

"Nope!" Izuku chirped, popping the P loudly. 

"WHAT?" Katsuki growled. 

"Part of the bet! Don't you remember?" Izuku finally met his eyes. There was a hint of nervousness to them, but also, his face glowed with impish delight. Katuki growled but didn't say anything to refute him. It made sense; if the pro really wanted to search for Katsuki later, they could eventually look at salons for people changing their hair color temporarily. They were young enough to get away with the made-up bet story but old enough that the woman clearly didn't care about parental permission. Honestly, in this day and age where everyone could have any color of hair imaginable from birth, coloring a teen's hair wasn't as big of a deal. 

"Perfect, let me touch up this undercut first, and then we will discuss color!" The woman stopped running her hands over Katsuki's hair and turned for the clippers. While her back was turned, Katsuki sighed quickly to Izuku. " We are sparring later; you better run, Rabbit. " 

Izuku, in turn, had the nerve to stick his tongue out at him in return. 

The undercut took no time at all, much to Katsuki's dismay. Thankfully the woman never once commented on the weird burn patch at the base of his neck. "Now, what color are you picking for him?" 

"Dark Green like me! You said your quirk can do all the hair on the body? Make everything green!" Izuku grinned as Katsuki nearly swallowed his tongue. Red eyes narrowed at Izuku, and Katsuki silently plotted his revenge. 

"Oh, I like it! You two will look like brothers! Green is good; it will go with his complexion and not look ridiculous." ' I look fucking ridiculous with any dye in my hair, ' Katsuki couldn't help but think back to their attempts with the wash-in dyes. 

"Now hold still; I just need to run my hands through your hair while I concentrate. I'll also need to touch your eyebrows as, for some reason, my quirk will skip those when I change color over the whole body. Ready?" Katsuki jerked his head up and down while openly glaring at Izuku. 

"Great!"

Walking out of the salon, Katsuki felt weird. He had the same colored hair all over his body as Izuku. In darker light, it looked nearly black, while the bright evergreen shimmered in the sunlight. With his red eyes, Katsuki felt like a Holly bush. Izuku finished paying and stepped out behind the former blond with a smile on his face. 

"There, all ready for tonight!" 

Katsuki turned to face Izuku as the younger paled at the murderous look on his face. "Run."

Katuski and Izuku raced through the streets, leaping over benches and dodging people left and right. Izuku slammed a purple ball-haired child to the ground, screaming apologizes as he ran from the imminent death that was Katsuki. After spending the rest of the day playing chase and sparring. Izuku took some time to teach Katsuki some of the meditations the Stain wanted Izuku to practice to increase his speed; they showered and settled down in preparation for meeting the sidekick. 

"I still don't get it. Why green? Doesn't that immediately draw attention to you?" Katsuki said while shoveling food in his mouth. "I have to go to work and practice with GREEN HAIR!" Katsuki just realized. "FUCK!" 

Izuku just smirked. "Well, even if it does draw attention to me, that's fine. They won't know if they met with the real Jackalope or someone with a face-changing quirk. It can almost be a calling card or a way to confuse them more. You are going to wear your mask like normal, so they won't know much beyond green hair and red eyes. If I meet them face to face with a mask, they will see green hair and green eyes. So it forces them to question what they see." 

"Do you ever stop thinking of shit?"

"No. It's my curse." Izuku giggled as Katsuki flicked rice at him. "And it's only one practice; it will fade before the next one!" 

Katsuki just growled once more before getting dressed and leaving. They had discussed maybe having Izuku watch from afar, but Giran said to expect other sidekicks patrolling the area since this was a first-time deal. Not wanting to risk it, Katsuki agreed to call Izuku and leave the phone running in his pocket as he approached the shop. 

Katsuki made sure his face mask was snug as he watched everyone he passed on the street leading up to the shop. He had the sealed envelope tucked in his hoodie and his phone in the front pocket as he chose the same booth that Giran had when they picked up the hearing aids. The man behind the counter winked at Katsuki before sliding two glasses of water onto the table and leaving him alone. 

Katsuki could pick out the sidekick the moment they walked into the shop. Sweat glimmered on their forehead as they glanced around; they were a young adult, clearly fresh out of high school or college. Still, Katsuki couldn't tell which new Hero they were, definitely a rookie. They wore business casual, clearly taking a page out of Gang Orca's book as they scanned the room. When their eyes met Katsuki's, they widened for a moment in surprise; Katsuki hoped with a bit of fear as well before they approached and sat across the table from him. 

"Um. You're The Jackalope?" They asked, the soft tenor of their voice not carrying in the busy shop. 

"Ha, no. I'm KEM. I am just delivering this." Katsuki kept his voice low and calm as he pulled the envelope out and set it on the table but left his hand on the documents. 

"A kid works for an underground analyst?" The Rookie swallowed hard before taking a sip of the water in front of him. ' Wow, a real rookie. I could have fucking drugged that. '

"Not a kid," Katsuki growled, causing them to stiffen. 

"My apologies. Um. I was only told to pick this up… Is there anything else?" the Rookie eyed Katsuki's hand still sitting on the papers. 

"Nah, Just curious why Gang Orca sent a Rookie for a pickup, though," Katsuki smirked behind his mask. Maybe having a little bit of fun, now that he is in a position of knowledge for this instance. 

"I…I-Gan… um… The Boss is really busy, and can't always meet his… um… well, you know contacts and well…The Boss thought it would be good to broaden my skill set." They admitted softly, looking around, clearly scared that they had said too much. 

"Fair enough. Well, later." Katsuki pushed up from the table, leaving the envelope on the table and just walking out into the street. 

Katsuki could feel eyes on his back as he walked and made sure to make a few random turns down alleys until that feeling disappeared. Pulling the phone out of his pocket, he could tell Izuku was still listening as he put it to his ear. 

"The Purple Fuck paid you for this shit, right?"

Izuku snorted. "Yup! Thanks, KEM. Were they really that scared? They sounded terrified."

"Rookie had no clue what they were doing. Giran was right, though. There were more heroes in the area than normal. The Fuck even drank the water that was just sitting there." Katsuki sighed before pulling off his hoodie and tucking it under his arm. The chilly night air caused him to shiver, but he wanted to change his outfit slightly before climbing into the train. 

"Yea, well, Gang Orca also doesn't know me, so it makes sense they would send someone to learn as well. Plus, like they said, It wouldn't be good to have Gang Orca roll into a ramen place to meet with a teenager. A no-name sidekick draws less attention."

Katsuki just hummed; Izuku was right. It would be dumb of the Whaleman to just meet his underground contacts in the open like that. "Alright, see you at home."

"See you soon!"

Life seemed to settle after that meeting. Izuku got his monthly requests from Giran; Gang Orca sent two other cases over the next few months forcing Katsuki to have his hair changed each time. No other pro-heroes had reached out to The Jackalope, but Katsuki could tell the name was spreading. Each meeting he had with the Rookie to pass off information, they attempted to learn more about KEM and Jack without luck. Katsuki actually ended up laughing at them and their poor attempts at probing one night as he walked out of the shop. 

The Jackalope also started meeting with some other criminals and villains. Of course, he still had his biweekly or so training with Stain. Still, a few small-time mobsters and yakuza reached out for personal analyses. One larger yakuza family head invited The Jackalope and KEM to his compound to help his son with their quirk. Dabi accompanied them as backup, all three of the teens wearing dress shirts and slacks under their ordinary jackets. 

At first, that meeting was awkward as Dabi had been avoiding Izuku since the night they got high and kept his distance. Katsuki figured that he was unnerved at the fact Izu knew who he was. But as they stood there playing bodyguard, watching Izuku work with the small eight-year-old, something changed in Dabi. The child was struggling with their quirk, able to grow bone claws, but when he retracted them, they caused severe pain, resulting in the boy hating his quirk and body. His father worried about the boy's mental and physical health, wanting to see if there was a way for him to not harm himself or learn to love the quirk. The Jackalope ended up being the last resort as they had seen many quirk counselors, but none had figured out a less painful way to use the quirk. 

It took less than an hour for Izuku to figure out that the bones were meant to break off, not retract. Something about super strong glass drops but having one weak part and that the bones were like the glass thing. Izuku taught the boy that the bones were meant to separate and regenerate less than a minute later, thus making them spikes, not claws. Dabi watched as Izuku took the time to reassure the boy, analyze the quirk and then take two more hours to write down what the child could learn to do with them. The possible DNA testing of the bones, calcium and vitamin D-rich diet plan, and much more. By the end of the meeting, Dabi was making faces at Katsuki every time his mind was blown, causing the blond to snort behind his mask and discreetly flip Dabi the bird. As the child screamed with delight showing his father and mother what he could do now without pain. Izuku received a private bonus, outside of any deals with Giran, for bringing such joy to their son. The mother broke down and cried as she cradled the boy. The father broke this strong, stoic Yakuza character and smiled softly at the sight as the boy giggled in glee. In the end, The Jackalope also had a promise of one, no questions asked favor if he ever needed it. 

Dabi was around much more after that, agreeing to pick up Izuku's files now and going back to their easy banter. 

Soon the fall months turned to winter, and the holidays approached. Katsuki still went to his classes, though the old man complained that Katsuki learned too quickly. Izuku still took dance classes between their school work. The boys agreed not to buy each other anything for the holidays, just promising a good meal and a night playing video games to pass the time. Seeing so many families out and about shopping seemed to put a damper on any potential holiday spirit they may have had. Izuku insisted they visit a shrine at New Year, and Katsuki couldn't refuse him. 

Aldera school district did, in fact, burn, with many of Izuku's abusers seeing jail time or severe black marks on their records. Nedzu had taken the time to personally appoint new staff, and the cases were closed in record time thanks to evidence submitted by an anonymous source. Katsuki's anxiety over Stain and Eraserhead seemed to fade away as well. He was sleeping better, and while he never took up any invites to Dabi's for a smoke session, he and Izuku did try the gummies one night. Causing the boys to have such strong giggle fits that their abs and cheeks hurt the next day. 

During this time, the boys were growing both physically and mentally. Izuku rarely stuttered anymore, almost creating a persona that he slipped into as soon as he wore the Jackalope hoodie. He played pranks on Katsuki and Dabi, even going as far as leaving cryptic messages in files for Giran and Gang Orca to mess with them. He smiled easier, and his hands shook less. Katsuki also grew, though more physically than mentally. He still found reasons to spiral, to fear, and look over his shoulders when he wasn't protecting Izuku enough in his mind. But physically, he grew an inch or more, with his muscles becoming more defined. Tails liked to tease him for being so buff as a middle schooler. Once or twice, while Izuku trained with Stain, Katsuki and Dabi trained with their quirks. Primarily on trash dummies that they could incinerate without care. Dabi was still an asshole and had days where it was clear to Katsuki why he became a criminal. Or, well, a Villain, as he had admitted one training night to killing people, among other things. But Dabi took on the role of a distant older brother to the two boys. Never close enough to truly build that relationship, but would be there when needed. 

Katsuki never went back to his vigilante activities. Even after his realization, he and Izuku agreed that it was better to try and keep a clean… well, as clean as it can be, record for now. But Izuku and Katsuki started returning to the orphanage at least once a month to offer quirk counseling or some self-defense classes. Which eased that pit of uselessness Katsuki felt from time to time. 

It was snowing one evening well into the new year. Katsuki had finished cleaning the dojo and was headed towards the dance studio to pick up Izuku. As the dojo was further away from the apartment, it was a habit that Katsuki would just swing by the studio and pick up Izuku before heading home for a late dinner. The snow came down with such a steady pace that everyone on the street hurried from place to place, tucked deep in their coats. As much as Katsuki hated the cold, this evening, for some reason, felt peaceful. The soft patter of the flakes on the wet sidewalks seemed to create just enough white noise to hold any dark thoughts at bay. 

As he approached Izuku's meeting spot, Katsuki couldn't help but let his eyes be drawn to different people on the street. Even if he was not truly afraid of being caught, the habit of watching everyone around him never dissipated. Far ahead, a girl with pink skin waved at someone else wearing an oversized coat before disappearing from sight. A businessman on the phone rushed from an office building into a waiting cab, and a little girl smiled up at her mother as they caught snowflakes on their fingers. Tucking his face into his scarf, Katsuki kept watching. The figure in front of the studio, the pink girl, waved to, seemed to lean against the back of a bench with their elbows as if looking at their phone. It was dark, but the light from the building shined on their backside, illuminating a nearly perfect ass and thighs. They wore skin-tight leggings with tiny booty shorts covering the important parts, but it didn't prevent the bubble of the ass from stretching the fabric taught. Katsuki's mouth filled with saliva at the sight.

Katsuki forced his eyes away as heat creeped up his neck. He had been getting more and more of these thoughts recently, causing him to blush or heat up around his neck and other areas of his body. Swallowing hard, he kept walking past, heading toward the corner, not wanting to wait next to the perfect ass and legs in front of the studio. He couldn't even tell if they were male or female with the coat they wore. And he really didn't want to make an ass out of-

"Kacchan?" Izuku's voice called from behind him after he had passed the mysterious perfect ass. Turning, Katsuki felt the ground give out from under him. Izuku was standing up from leaning against the bench, his cheeks flushed from the cold as he pulled his hood tighter against his head. 

Katsuki felt his heart stop beating as he couldn't help but look at Izuku's legs in the leggings and shorts combo. That was definitely not what he was wearing when they left the apartment. 

"The fuck are you wearing?" He barked out, sounding pissed off.

"OH. Is it weird? It's weird, I know. But we were pole dancing tonight, and well, I did a drop, and my sweats ripped. Can you believe it, big hole too, no saving them. So Mina offered me her extra pair of leggings she had brought, and well… the leggings were a little tight, and I couldn't really wear my boxers under them, so we dug through the lost and found and got the shorts out. But the leggings actually are really comfortable, and I was able to perform some of the moves better, but it's weird. I'll take them off as soon as we get home and-" Katsuki reached out with a gloved hand and covered Izuku's mouth. 

"Chill, Nerd, it's not that weird. Just… didn't recognize you standing there." Katsuki really didn't want Izuku to change out of them. ' Wait, what the fuck!? No, you are not having your gay awakening over Izuku of all people. That's just fucking… wrong. Stop it FUCKER! Think of something else…. Crispy fuck… that shitty cat kid from class…. Ass Might…No, not asses! '

"Oh, ok!" Izuku chirped from behind the glove before moving away and heading down the street. "So what do you want for dinner? I was just looking at delivery places. I kinda want Thai food tonight. What do you think? If I order it now on the app, it will make it to the apartment just after us." Izuku rambled, holding up his phone, oblivious to Katsuki's inner turmoil. 

"Yeah, that's fine," Katsuki grunted, keeping his eyes anywhere but on Izuku. "Order me something with spicy vegetables."

Izuku hummed in agreement as he turned his attention back to his phone. Walking side by side, the quiet night was no longer as calming to Katsuki. He suspected he might have been gay or bi, at least because girls had never caught his attention like some guys. But to literally drool over Izuku felt wrong. Katsuki had known that Izuku was filling out more and more, his speed and strength was evident when they spared, but until that evening, Izuku only ever wore loose-fitting sweats. Katsuki had not realized how lithe and muscular he had become. ' Damn, all that running and dancing he does really paid off.'

Both boys turned down a dark alley about two blocks from their home. This was their usual path; while dark and mildly sketchy, it saved them an additional block of walking along main roads. Izuku was humming a song under his breath as they made their way, clearly enjoying the cold night air. Up ahead, a few people were standing around a back door to a bar that Katsuki knew was on the main street. This was not anything unusual as they just kept their heads down and kept moving. 

What was out of the norm about this evening was what Izuku was wearing, causing a few people to wolf whistle at the two of them as they passed. 

"Hey Sugar, ditch Blondy there and come have a drink with us." A voice called as the others laughed. There were three in total, and the jeers caused Katsuki to snarl and Izuku to stiffen. But they kept moving, not paying them any mind. ' Keep moving, don't pick a fight. '

"Aw, don't be like that," the big one called once more. His voice was gruff, almost animalistic. 

"Yea, a pretty little thing like yourself should be enjoying a night out with us!" a high-pitched, almost nasally voice called next, while the third just giggled drunkenly. 

Izuku pulled his phone out to pretend to be listening to music when suddenly the small device flew from his hand, zipping back to the assholes at the door. 

"Hey!" Izuku turned in an attempt to grab his phone back out of the air before finding it in the hand of a yellow-haired man with a greasy smile. 

"Oh, now they pay attention to us." the man snarked as Katsuki turned in a rage. 

"Give it back, asswipe." 

"Oh, the little boy got some bark." the big man chuckled; now that they were looking at them directly, it was clear this man had a bear quirk. Probability polar bear seeing how he was shirtless and had white hair and patches of fur on his arms and chest. The last one was still giggling while guzzling from a bottle. 

"Now. Now, we just wanted to talk to your friend here." the one holding the phone waved it around. 

"Hi, there we talked. Give me back my phone." Izuku demanded, holding his hand out. They were about 30 feet from the group, neither daring to get closer. But that didn't stop the men from taking a few steps closer, out of the light from the back door. 

"Aw, come on, you two shouldn't be out this late. We will walk you home." The Bearman grunted to himself as he elbowed the super drunk one. 

"Fuck off, just give us his phone back!" Katsuki snarled, keeping the attention on him as he took a step forward. Izuku slipped his hand into his coat as he slowly shifted into a fighting stance. 

"I… Hick … Wonder if they…. Hick … can hold… hick … their booze?!?" The super drunk one giggled to himself as Katsuki felt a wave of dizziness hit him like a slap to the face. He stumbled to the side, catching his footing while the three advanced on them. But the three turned to six… no nine in Katsuki's vision. 

"The fuuuuck is this?" he growled as he struggled to stand straight. Izuku was in a similar state but holding himself up against a wall with a knife now visible in his hand. 

"Hey, you boys should be thanking us; you get to experience the thrill of being drunk without taking a single drink!" the blond one sneered as he slowly approached Izuku. The Bearman was eyeballing Katsuki, raking his eyes over his body. 

"Ya know, Blondy here ain't that bad looking either." ' FUCK, I hate that nickname. '

"Fuck off!" Katsuki lifted his hand and unleashed a blast that sent him flying back and landing on his ass. 

The Bearman just stood there laughing, unaffected by the blast. Izuku was slashing out wildly with the knife until the greasy fuck pulled that off him as well. 

"Damn, these brats got spunk. It's almost a shame we are gonna break them!" Greasy giggled as he grabbed Izuku in a headlock.

"Get off him!" Katsuki tried to aim a hand in their direction, but it was hard to tell which greasy fuck was which. Three Izuku's were also causing Katsuki to pause the blast.

"Aw, is he your boyfriend?" The bear sneered as he grabbed Katsuki by the wrist, sharp curved claws digging into the soft flesh, causing him to yell out in pain. 

"KEM! Get off me!" Izuku kicked wildly while pulling on the arm in front of his throat. Katsuki could tell Izuku was trying to get a footing and throw the fuckhead off him, but he was too short or drunk to get the leverage. 

The Bearman pulled Katsuki up by his now bleeding wrist, dangling him as his fish breath blew into Katsukis face. Hot blood ran down his arm staining his coat. Katsuki reached with his free hand grabbing the bear by the face and letting loose an explosion at point blank range. 

Screaming could be heard all around as, once again, Katsuki slammed into the brick walls of the alley. The impact caused all the air to rush from his lungs forcing him to gasp and cough as he fought the drunk urge to vomit. 

The bear was clutching his face screaming in pain as the drunkard and grease stain grabbed their own knives. One pressed against Izuku's neck and the other pointed at Katsuki as he struggled to stand. 

"I'M GONNA KILL HIM!" the bear roared as he clutched his face. One of his eyes was missing, and a distinct handprint was burned into his face. Blood poured from the wound, staining his white fur crimson. Katsuki couldn't tell if he had a nose or not anymore as the gore that was the man's face shone in the darkness. Suddenly the sound of fabric seemed to echo in the alley.

Katsuki was not sure what had happened. One moment he was lying on the ground, struggling to stand and fight; the next, he felt something wrap around his waist and drag him towards the mouth of the alley. Instantly the drunkenness faded, causing him to gasp in pain as his wounds registered in his sober mind. Sounds of fighting brought Katsuki out of his pain as he looked into the dark alley. Izuku was freed as the grease stain that held him was now on the ground out cold. The drunk asshole was running in the opposite direction of Katsuki and away from the fight. While the Bearman roared, lashing out with claws and brute strength against a dark fast unknown figure. 

Katsuki pushed himself up and ran towards Izuku, grabbing him and his phone off the cement. He pulled the green boy towards the alley entrance, where he was slid to before looking back at the fight. But it wasn't much of a battle as the bear was now wrapped tight in gray cloth, pinning him to the ground as he struggled and screamed in frustration. The figure, the one who stepped in to save them, stood looking at the bear, making sure the bindings were not going to break before turning to face Katsuki and Izuku, his long black hair still floating. 

Katsuki felt his heart fall to his gut as the man in front of them was the one and only Eraserhead. 

"Eraserhead," He heard Izuku whisper as he stared at the dark-haired Hobo before them. Eraser seemed to stiffen at being recognized until he realized who he was rescuing. A myriad of emotions seemed to flicker across the Hero's face before settling into what Katsuki thought was relief as his hair fell back to normal.

"KEM. It's been a while." 

"Drunk fuck is getting away." Katsuki snarled, pointing to the way the coward ran off. He really did not want to have this conversation with the man. 

"Prioritize the … civilian," Eraserhead responded before taking a moment to handcuff the yellow-haired man. But he kept an eye on the boys in case they bolted.

' If he called me a fucking victim, I was gonna blast his ass to dust. ' Katsuki growled to himself before checking Izuku over. "You good?"

"Y-yea, I'm not hurt. Wait, you're bleeding!?" Izuku spun, grabbing Katsuki's arm and pushing the coat up to see the puncture marks from the claws. 

"I'm fine," Katsuki grunted as Izuku moved the arm back and forth, inspecting. He knew the cut was probably pretty bad, and his ribs definitely bruised but fuck if he was going to tell Izuku that here and now.

"Here" Both boys jumped when Eraser's voice sounded right beside them, holding out a small roll of gauze. ' Shit, I forgot how quiet he was. ' Izuku took it with slightly shaky hands before wrapping Katsuki's wrist firmly. Katsuki watched the dark-haired man, though, ensuring he didn't try anything. But all the Hobo did was watch Izuku wrap the wrist, offering to hold a part of the gauze while the greenette tired it off. 

"I would have a doctor check that out; no clue what kind of bacteria he could have had under his claws." Eraser said while keeping an eye on the asshole in question. "I need to call this in, he needs medical attention, or he will bleed out from that." Eraser nodded toward the Bearman. Yea, he was missing a nose and an eye as the blood loss seemed to cause him to black out in the time it took to bind Katsuki's wrist. 

"Kay Bye," Katsuki stated while turning away. 

"KEM." Eraserheads voice was filled with something Katsuki couldn't place as he quietly called out to the boy. 

Katsuki froze and sighed before turning back to the man. "Text me. Please. I'll let you walk away from this without giving a statement, but… we should talk." Eraser looked conflicted while he spoke. Clearly, he was going against the book by allowing them to walk away from this, but he also looked worried. 

"Fine. Tomorrow night." Katsuki grunted before dragging Izuku away. ' I owe him that much. ' Even if Katsuki's stomach churned at the thought of it. He could feel a tightness in his chest that was not just from being slammed into the wall.

Izuku squeaked as he bowed twice quickly to the Hero. "Thank you, Eraserhead, Sir!" 

Eraser seemed to smile softly, tucking his chin into his capture weapon before pulling out his cell phone and calling the cops for pick up and medical. Katsuki and Izuku made a quick escape, nearly running toward their apartment. When they arrived, their food was waiting on the door handle, but neither boy was hungry after the night's events. 

Izuku mothered over Katsuki, redressing his wrist and putting bruise ointment on his ribs. Izuku got out of the fight with a few bruises on his wrist and neck from where the grease stain grabbed him. It was late by the time they climbed into bed; neither boy was talking much as they stared into the darkness. Katsuki felt numb; so much had happened so quickly in that hour that he mentally could not process it. Covering his eyes with an arm, he felt a single tear run down his cheek. 

Eraserhead had found them. 

Chapter Text

"No."

"Kacchan, please? Let me just call Nami and get you healed. That bruising is worse than just bruised ribs; I think at least one is broken." Izuku whined as he followed Katsuki around the apartment. But Katsuki wouldn't hear it. After checking the cuts on his forearm this morning, they were a little pink and swollen; Katsuki had refused any other medical treatment. 

The blond insisted that he make breakfast, even going as far as doing some stretches to limber up before showering. During the stretches, Izuku noticed the deep purple, nearly black bruising that had settled on his lower ribs. Sure there was a bit of pain with the movements, but nothing Katsuki couldn't handle. He wasn't wheezing at all.  

"No. It's a waste of fucking money, and I really don't want to go meet Doc anywhere." Katsuki stated while cleaning the dishes. 

"It's not a waste of money!" Izuku pouted as he dropped onto their couch to complain from the living room. "If we are meeting with Eraserhead tonight wouldn't you want to be completely healed in case he pulled something? He did say get a doctor to look at the cuts, at least. Polar bears have curved claws, so I am sure that gross man had some sort of nastiness under them."

"Eraser won't pull shit if he knows what's good for him," Katsuki growled as he rinsed the plates. "And who fucking said you are coming?! I haven't even texted him yet." 

"You said you would." 

"And I will… just later."

Izuku fell silent for a moment, allowing Katsuki to finish the dishes in peace. Music filled the space as Izuku played on his phone, flipping between playlists. A hard knock sounded at their front door, sounding very similar to how the local delivery guy announced a package at the door. 

"The fuck did you order now?" 

"It's a surprise!" Izuku smirked, looking guilty like he always did when he ordered something slightly expensive.

Clicking his teeth, Katsuki stormed to the door while wiping his hands on a towel. "If this is heavy, you're carrying it." He growled as he ripped open the door. 

But it wasn't a package; it was a woman the same height as Katsuki. Causing their eyes to meet with the familiar feeling of warm honey that seemed to flow through his body, slowing reality for the moment. 

"Two hairline fractures to your right floating ribs and a mild infection to the cuts on the arm. Hey Kid, long time no see." Nami smiled, her lengthy hair pulled back in tight dreads as she was dressed in fashionable clothing, a messenger bag hanging off her shoulder. Katsuki thought her pants were from his parent's fashion line, causing his stomach to churn in discomfort. The woman did not hesitate to push her way past and into the apartment, where she greeted Izuku as Jack while toeing off her shoes.

Katsuki felt the metal of the doorknob heating under his skin as he clenched his teeth and breathed through his nose. Now that Izuku was getting better mentally, he was starting to turn into a bit of a shit-stirrer. Slamming the door shut, he didn't give two fucks if the neighbors complained. 

"The fuck are you doing here?" Katsuki growled as he watched Nami sit beside Izuku on the couch. 

"Jack texted me. Said you were acting bullheaded and asked if I had time to stop by." Nami smirked as she crossed her legs. Izuku looked less guilty than Katsuki though he should and didn't bother apologizing. 

"I was right! The bruising was from the fractures." Izuku looked at Katsuki pointedly. 

"You were! Have you been studying first aid? The wrap on his arm is expertly done." Nami nodded to where the white gauze sat snug against his wrist. 

"Oi, don't fucking encourage this!"

"I have! Just some online tutorials when I can't sleep. Well, that and coding. I already knew a lot of the basics but being able to tell the different types of bruising is new for me." Izuku smiled his megawatt smile. Nami's golden eyes softened before shooting a glance at Katsuki and smiling. Katsuki may have been an emotionally stunted gremlin. Still, even he could tell she was saying, 'look how well you have done helping him' with her eyes. 

Katsuki looked away while grinding his teeth. "You want a drink or something?" He grunted, remembering his manners. 

"Water would be great; get one for each of us. Thank you," Nami turned to open her bag while Katsuki slipped into the kitchen area. He could hear Izuku and the Doc chatting about different things, nothing profound, just surface-level polite conversation, while Kats took his time getting the waters. 

Approaching the pair, Katsuki gently set the waters on the side table for them before taking a seat on the floor. "If the fractures are hairline, I don't need fucking healed," Katsuki grumbled. 

"KEM, come on." Izuku pouted while Nami poured some powders into all three glasses. ‘ Why hers and Izukus?’

"Mmmhmmm. You are technically right. Clearly, the ribs are not so bad as to hinder you, but I can at least speed up the process and get rid of that infection before it scars." Nami nodded towards Katsuki's glass. "Just the Hydro Powder again; I'm a bit dehydrated myself. I have been working all morning on a photo shoot, and the woman who ran the models is a real dragon when she wants to be. No real breaks." Nami sighed before taking a long drink of her glass. 

Katsuki and Izuku shared a look but otherwise just nodded in empathy. The likelihood that Nami would work for Mitsuki was low but not impossible. Katsuki didn't want to risk bringing attention to it as he drank his weird-tasting water. "So, If I am right, you can just be on your merry fucking way," Katsuki growled. 

"Aww, don't be like Dabi. The little punk won't let me actually heal him most of the time, only when it's debilitating. I don't want some of my favorite boys having to suffer with something I can fix faster than you can twerk." Nami waved her hand dismissively.

"Don't compare me to that Burnt Twig. Favorite? Favorite boys, we met fucking once?!"

"Then don't act like him! And don't think Auntie doesn't let me know about you two. Best fucking off-the-book residents she has ever had. You pay upfront for 6 months at a time. No one has ever called the cops on you or complained, and even my nephew liked you. Auntie gave me a pie for sending, and I quote, 'Some good fucking brats for once,'" Nami smirked. "So yea, some of my favorite boys you two are! Plus, this is only the second time you have ever called for me, so clearly, you're doing something right."

"We never did thank you for giving us Auntie's number. This has been a great place for us." Izuku started to stand and bow to the Doc. 

"Hey hey hey, none of that now. Sit. I didn't do anything but give you a card and a chance. You did the rest." Nami pulled Izuku down by the hem of his shirt, stopping attempts at bowing.

"Yea, well… thanks," Katsuki said also. Remembering how fucking hard it was to find a place that would rent to them and be semi-clean.  

"You can thank me by switching places and letting me heal those ribs." Nami challenged. 

"Fucking…. FINE" Katsuki shoved himself off the floor, wincing slightly when he felt the ribs shift before switching places with the woman, settling down, so he was leaning against the arm. 

"You remember the drill?" She asked while cleaning her fingers with sanitizer and pulling out a packaged needle. 

"Yea, fucking Honey Blood, will be hungry after, Blah blah blah Doc, I remember," Katsuki grunted. 

Nami smiled before allowing a significant drop of blood to enter Katsuki and closing her eyes. Once again, that sticky tar feeling rolled through his body, gathering the energy needed to heal the ribs and the wrist. This time it felt like it took longer to muster the energy, or maybe it was because he wasn't bleeding from the brain that it seemed to take longer. But just as the itchy pain eased from his ribs, Nami opened her eyes and smiled. "There, all healed. The ribs will be tender, and the cuts on your arm are sealed up. They shouldn't scar, but they are still pink and sensitive."

Katsuki pulled up his shirt seeing for himself that the deep purple had faded to a light yellow-green before pulling off the gauze and seeing just some light pink scratches where the claws had pierced the skin. 

"Thank you!" Izuku chirped, seeing the healing for himself. 

"Your turn Jack."

Izuku squeaked before turning to face Nami. "But I'm not hurt?" 

"I don't believe that, seeing how you have bruises around your wrists and neck. Just let me check at least, yea?" Nami finished cleaning her hand up and disinfecting it again. 

Izuku chewed on his lip before nodding and sitting where he could easily look into the woman's eyes. Katsuki didn't think she was actually worried about the bruises. Still, he suspected she was using this as an excuse to check in on Izuku, to get a deep read on him. He watched closely as they looked into each other's eyes before relaxing. 

"You are right. No injuries, but you do have a bit of a vitamin D deficiency. That's not uncommon for some people in the late winter. Eat some oranges more often, and you will be fine. Oh, and use this on the bruises; it's hospital grade, so better than what you can buy at the drugstore." Nami fished out a jar of cream, sliding it into Izuku's hands. 

"You haven't been eating vegetables??" Katsuki snapped, elbowing Izuku.

"Hey! I eat them. When you cook them. I don't like take-out veggies because they are always soggy." Izuku elbowed him back. 

"Fine, no more take out for a while then."

"But KEEEMMM!" Izuku pouted. On the nights they had dance or training, it had become a habit to just order take away, and Izuku almost always got something carb heavy. 

"Then order more veggies, asshole," Katsuki grunted while finishing his glass of water. The first pangs of hunger are already hitting after being healed. "I'm making lunch; you want some?" He asked Nami as he stood. He liked the Doc, don't get him wrong, but he was not in the mood to socialize. Katsuki was pissed that Izuku had her come to their apartment out of the blue like this. No one had come to their apartment yet, and having the Doc here felt like someone invading their territory.

"Thanks, but I'll take a raincheck; I gotta trade out cameras for a different shoot later this afternoon." Nami had gathered her things and ruffled the top of Izuku's head. "I am digging the undercuts, boys; they work for you." 

Izuku smiled at her again, "Thank you. How much do we owe you?" 

"Invite me over for lunch one day when you don't need healing, and I'll call it even." She smirked, turning down the payment for a second time. Izuku frowned. "But, you turned down money last time. You did so much for us; can't I give you something now?"

"Nope!" She popped the 'P,' "Clearly, KEM can cook, so I wanna try his cooking. I like spicy food, by the way. Don't go easy on the seasoning." She smiled while looping her arm through Katsuki's before he could slip away. "Walk me out." 

"Fine," Katsuki grumbled, walking her the short distance to the door while Izuku huffed and returned to his music searches. 

Katsuki watched as Nami slid on her shoes and opened the front door. As she stepped out, she motioned for Katsuki to lean out, giving them a little privacy from Izuku. 

"You are doing great, KEM. He is so much better than where he was the first time we met. You should be proud. Hell, I am proud of you." Nami gently laid her hand on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze. Katsuki felt his throat close with emotion as he looked down at his bare feet. He didn't feel proud; he didn't deserve to feel proud. He has fucked up so many times it's a wonder Izuku hadn't just left his ass by now. 

"Stop that. I don't need to look into your eyes to tell you are thinking horrible things about yourself. You both have survived so much, and look at where you are now. Even if you are not at your end goal, be proud of how far you have come in the meantime." She squeezed slightly harder before releasing him. 

"I expect a spicy dinner, Kid, and I will come to collect." She grinned impishly before starting to turn away. 

"I'll make a meal so spicy you will be shitting fire for a month," Kasturi called out loudly as she just laughed, heading down the stairs. 

"No, KEM! I can't eat that much spice!" Izuku called from the couch as Kastuki closed and locked the door. 

"You are going to for fucking telling Doc to come here after I said no," Katsuki growled. Nami had only been there half an hour, but the interaction still exhausted him.

"I already texted her before I even asked you." Izuku snarked back and squealed when Katsuki jumped on him, tickling his sides in revenge. 

After lunch, both boys did their daily school work, Izuku finishing before Katsuki and moving on to whatever his current knowledge fixation was. It was just pushing into the evening when Izuku started asking Katsuki about Eraserhead again. 

"So, did you text him yet?"

"Fucking No. Been doing homework." Katsuki didn't bother looking up from the computer. He had finished the homework hours ago and was working on the next two months worth of homework. He was stalling and knew it. 

Izuku stood up and looked over Katsuki's shoulder. "That's next month's classes Kacchan. Even I'm not that far ahead." Izuku gave Katsuki a look out of the corner of his eyes. 

Katsuki reached up and pulled the laptop closed with a snap. "So what? Homework is homework." Katsuki grunted, pushing himself up and heading towards his safe place, the kitchen.

"Kacchan-"

"I fucking know, alright?" Katsuki snapped before closing his eyes and dragging his hands through his hair roughly. "Sorry… just. Texting him makes it all real; it makes it that all of this can go away." Katsuki sweeps his hands through the air indicating the apartment and their freedom. 

Izuku chewed on his lip before walking up and gently hugging Katsuki. As close as they were, they could lay on each other and sleep next to each other without a second thought, but they rarely hugged. Katsuki stiffened before relaxing and wrapping his arms around Izuku's shoulders. 

"I'm scared too," Izuku muttered into Katsuki's chest. "I'm not scared." Katsuki weakly argued, causing Izuku to squeeze his ribs tightly, aggravating the bruises. "Ow! Damn Nerd." Katsuki winced but never attempted to push the other away. 

"I'm scared too, but out of everything that has happened, Eraser is the only one who never asked anything of you or us. He helped with food, never turned us in, helped train your quirk, and somehow got the school in trouble. Clearly, he figured out who we were and are, but not once did a cop or Hero come searching for us. He never asked anything other than for you to text him." 

"I know," Katsuki sighed, "Just hard to trust heroes." 

"You never did explain why you became so anti-hero when we ran away. I mean, the flaming trash heap, I can understand. But the rest seemed a little out of the blue." Izuku slowly let go of the hug but didn't step away, green eyes looking up into red filled with curiosity. 

Katsuki had to look away from Izuku's eyes; they were filled with trust. Too much faith in the blond. Katsuki didn't deserve that trust. Leading Izuku over to the couch, he sat them down and, without looking at Izuku, started to tell the story. How he reached out to Mount Lady, Ingenium, Ms. Joke, the cops, everyone and anyone he could, save for his parents, to get Izuku help. How each of them turned him away or ignored his cries for help. After seeing Izuku get punished again for Katsuki's actions and Katsuki's parents turning against him, he couldn't take it. He didn't want to be a hero for just bigoted or 'normal' people. He wanted to be a Hero for everyone. Even if his original idea of heroism was just protecting the weak and that he was strong, that was automatically his job to take. That his inflated ego caused him to seek out heroism as a career. 

"I know you asked me not to get help at the time. But it was getting to the point where I thought you were dead on the days you didn't come to school. You kept getting hurt by my actions, and I just couldn't take it anymore." Katsuki refused to look at Izuku; he had broken that promise long ago. He didn't deserve Izu's trust or affection; he didn't deserve the title of Hero that Izuku called him. Katsuki was a fraud, and now the Heros had found them again. Everything they built would be stripped away, and their freedoms are one text away from burning to ash.

Katsuki didn't realize he was hyperventilating until he felt Izuku start rubbing a pattern into his back. The feeling of Izuku's hand jolted him out of his thoughts, causing him to feel the crushing weight in his chest, the rapid breaths, and the dryness of his unseeing eyes. 

"Kacchan, you didn't fail. You are my Hero. So what? You broke a promise to get me help. You broke a promise that needed to be broken. I couldn't see how bad things were from where I stood; you did and acted on it. Even if the outcome wasn't what you expected, you still acted when one else would. You are my Hero." Izuku shifted so he could look at Katsuki. The younger boy's eyes were filled with tears, and his cheeks were wet. 

"Why are you crying?" Katsuki asked dumbly. 

"Why are you?" Izuku countered before reaching up and rubbing at the wetness on Katsuki's cheeks. Katsuki jerked back, his hand flying to his face. ' I'm crying?'

"Yes, you are." Izuku smiled softly. "And mumbling." 

"Fuck."

Izuku snorted before getting up and getting some tissues for them. Katsuki took a moment to reconnect to his senses; the weight of his phone felt like an anchor holding him in pace from his pocket. When Izuku returned, it was with tissues and water allowing them to recover from the emotional story. 

"I understand now, Kacchan; I get why you don't want to text him. But I think ignoring him will just cause us problems down the road. Why don't we do this? You text him a place to meet tonight, and we go but as Katsuki and Izuku. Don't tell him that I am Jackalope if he already doesn't know. But in the meantime, we pack backpacks again, everything super important to us in case we need to run away again. I don't think we'll need them, but it won't hurt to be ready for anything, right?" Izuku pulled at his lip in thought. "I mean, if things really go bad, we can pull favors and hide." 

Katsuki nodded along while taking a drink of water. It wasn't a bad idea. Katsuki's gut reaction is that Eraser wouldn't pull anything, not now, not after everything. But the risk was still high with unknown rewards. Izu had contacts and favors to cash in. They could restart and survive just fine if need be. 

"Where do we want to meet him?"

"Some place private. Honestly, I wish I had an office or something; I am tired of Giran's warehouse," Izuku sighed. "Maybe the rooftop of the dance studio? It's close and within his patrol, if last night proved anything. But far enough away that it won't connect us directly to the apartment?" 

"Works for me. Can you access the roof?" Katsuki slowly pulled out his phone, the weight settling in his warm palm. 

"There is a fire escape we can use. And there shouldn't be any classes today; I think it gets cleaned on days off." Izuku smiled. 

"Fine." 

Pulling up Eraser's contact, and opening a new message. With each tap on the glass and each letter typed into the small box, Katsuki felt his terror and curiosity grow. What would Eraser say back? Would he even be able to meet tonight? What would they talk about? Katsuki typed out the address, and time, to meet them on the roof. No formalities, no greetings, or anything else. If the Hero showed up, then fine; if not, that's even better. After hitting send, Izuku hugged Katsuki from the side once more before getting up to start packing a bag. Not even two minutes after sending the text, Katsuki's phone vibrated. Looking down, Eraser's basic reply illuminated the screen. 

-Hobo : I'll be there. 

________

It was bitter cold that night; a late winter cold front blew in, causing temperatures to drop below freezing. Izuku and Katsuki were bundled deep under multiple layers as they shuffled from foot to foot to generate heat. While it was wise to meet the man this late, having the darkness on their side for a quick escape, Katsuki was freezing his balls off and was pissed about it. 

"Fuckers late." the stream from his breath whipped away in the cold winds. 

"He's not late. He has five more minutes." Izuku countered by rubbing his hands together. 

"Too fucking cold for this shit-"

"You chose the location to meet." a dry voice cut through the darkness as Eraser pulled himself onto the roof behind them. The man was dressed in his typical hobo costume, but this jumpsuit appeared much heavier than the one Katsuki remembered him wearing over the summer. 

"Yea, well, didn't want any fucking extras around. And didn't fucking know Okami would take a shit on us like this," Katsuki grumbled, as Izuku elbowed him. 

"I can imagine you wouldn't." Eraser stated, tucking his chin into his scarf. The man's dark eyes seemed to memorize every detail about the boys in front of him, flicking back and forth, taking in any visible scars or injuries. "How're the injuries?" 

"I'm fucking fine. They weren't that bad." Katsuki looked down at Eraser's boots. 

"We saw a doctor. He is mostly healed up." Izuku supplied. "I- Um… Sorry we haven't met before this, well, other than last night. Which thank you again, Mr. Eraserhead, Sir." Katsuki could tell Izuku was not even attempting to use his Jackalope persona, as there was a slight tremble in Izu's voice that was not from the cold. ' He is just as nervous as me. '

Katsuki just grunted, still not meeting Eraser's eyes. "So I assume you're the friend he was so protective of?"

"Oh, quit the shit, Hobo, you know who the fuck we are." Katsuki snapped, the ice in his voice colder than the winds softly whistling around them. 

Eraser didn't seem to react, his hard eyes might have twitched, but Katsuki couldn't tell in the darkness. Before, a puff of hot air seemed to drift from the scarf as Eraser silently sighed. "You're right, I do know. But I only found out after our last conversation." Katsuki stiffens at that as a bit of anger releases from his gut. Knowing that Eraser hadn't lied to him that entire time helped ease some of the low boiling fury that had settled along his spine. A burst of cold wind caused them to shiver as they tucked their faces to save their skin from the bite of ice. 

"Look, about four blocks over is a coffee shop. I know the owners; they are discreet. I can get us a private booth to talk. At least hear me out, I swear to you here, and now, you will be free to leave at any moment." Eraser sighed as he shoved his hands deep into his pockets. 

Izuku looked at Katsuki and shrugged, signing with one hand hidden from the Hero, "Don't think he is lying."

Katsuki clicked his teeth; getting out of the cold would be nice. They hadn't looked at the weather before setting the meeting, and while the roof was a good idea, Katsuki hated life at the moment. "Fine but you're buying." 

Eraser nodded once before heading towards the fire escape. "What, not going to do your ninja shit off the roof?" Katsuki couldn't help but snark at Eraser's back. 

"That would be illogical. We are all going the same way. I don't go around showing off." Eraser responded, slowly walking down the steps. 

Izuku snorted as he followed the Hero, mouthing, 'Be nice, Kacchan.'

Katsuki flips him the bird as he brings up the rear. The small group made their way through the empty streets with ease. Both boys followed behind the man about three steps back, clearly following but keeping a healthy distance. No other conversation occurred, causing Katsuki's anxiety to skyrocket during the short walk. 

The coffee shop the Hero led them to was a large shop but clearly empty as only one other person appeared to be nursing a late night drink while reading a book. Stepping in, the sound of lo-fi music drifted through the air, but the immediate relief from the cold caused both boys to shiver. 

"Look what the dog dragged in." a snarky voice called out as they wiped down a large coffee machine. 

"You are the only mutt I see, Jiro." Eraser grumbled as he walked up to the counter. 

"You wound me; I might just have to spit in your coffee." The man, Jiro, smirked as he tossed the towel he was using over one shoulder. "Whatcha want?"

"Large, three shots, no cream but with some cinnamon," Eraser grunted before waving his hand at Katsuki and Izuku, who stood there watching the interaction. "And whatever they want, I'm taking over the back room for a bit." 

Jiro just rolled his eyes and nodded before looking at the boys for the first time. "And you two?"

"Um… I'll have a large moc-" 

"No. He will have a large hot chocolate. The Nerd doesn't need caffeine; he won't sleep; I'll just have tea." Katsuki interrupted, giving said Nerd a glare. `How dare he attempt to get that much caffeine this late at night . Izuku pouted slightly before mumbling ' rude,' causing Eraser to snort while handing over the yen. 

Jiro, however, smirked and nodded as if in understanding. "Coming right up." 

They waited at the counter while the drinks were made. Still, no conversation was had while they stood there, but Katsuki could feel Eraser's eyes on them, watching, studying. It was making Katsuki feel like ants were crawling over his skin. But luck was on his side as the drinks came up quickly, and they made their way towards a small staircase leading to a second floor. This area had more booths than just tables and chairs, with private study rooms tucked away. But Eraser moved past those rooms and opened a door with a large sign saying 'janitor's closet.' But as the door opened, the area was anything but. The room was a small living space, filled with couches and beanbag chairs with a private bathroom tucked away in one corner.

"The Hotta Brothers use this as their nap room between shifts. Not many people know it's here, and only they have the key to it. Since it's only Jiro working tonight, no one will bother us while we talk." Eraser said as he pulled open a coat that Katsuki thought was part of his jumpsuit and settled down onto an oversized couch. 

Izuku and Katsuki did the same, shedding just enough layers to be comfortable and warm as they talked. But everything was within reach for a quick escape. Before, they, too, sat down in large chairs just across from Eraser. Silence took the room once more as they all nursed their drinks. Izuku seemed extra happy about his hot chocolate. 

"So what?" Katsuki couldn't take the silence anymore. He had to know what the fuck the pro-hero wanted. 

"So what, what?" Eraser responded as he spoke around the lip of his cup; the man was nearly chugging the hot drink. 

"Don't be stupid. What do you want? You know who we are, yet you haven't done shit? Why?" Katsuki growled. 

Eraser's eyebrow flicked up before his face settled once again. Leaning forward, he rested his elbows on his knees before sighing. "I knew this conversation would be hard to have, but there is no easy way to go about this. Yes, I know you are Bakugou Katsuki and Midoriya Izuku. I know you ran away from abusive homes and have been living alone for some time. But beyond that, and beyond the few times we have interacted in the past, I know little else. Last night was the first I had seen or heard of you since we last spoke." 

Izuku seemed to twitch at the term abusive homes but didn't say anything. Katsuki could see his mind going a million miles an hour as Izuku's knee started to bounce. 

"If you know who we are and now roughly where we are, why haven't you turned us in?" Katsuki asked. 

"Why would I? If I had found you starving or hurt more than you were last night, I would have taken you somewhere to get help. But while I don't know and don't want to know if you have broken any laws, why would I take you in?"

"Because we ran away?" Izuku asked back, just as confused. 

"Yes, from abuse. While I wish you had a healthy parental relationship in your lives, and I wish others before me had not failed you. I won't return you to a life of hell when you can clearly survive on your own." Eraser stated while looking directly at Izuku. Katsuki could tell the man was trying to be open and honest to gain their trust. It made Katsuki suspicious. 

"Why did you take down the school? I never fucking told you about that." 

"Because no one else would."

"Bullshit! Why the fuck do you care?" Katsuki slammed his tea down onto a side table. "Why the fuck would you go out of your way for something that happened in the past?" 

Eraser slowly sat his own, now empty, cup of coffee down as well before giving his full attention to Katsuki. "Because what that school did, the teachers and the administration, what the people in your old neighborhood did, was wrong. As a Hero, I could not let that go; they needed to be punished for it."

Katsuki opened his mouth to argue more, but Eraser spoke up before he could get a word out. 

"I know you went to the cops and other Heroes. I know no one did anything or made things worse with interference. But I had the ability and the privilege to gather the evidence, to gain support from a few who truly care about fixing injustice in the world, and take all that information to Nedzu. Who then had the authority and, frankly, the masochistic or vengeance-seeking personality to truly make sure that place burned for the harm they had done. I cannot speak for the harm the police or some of the other Heroes did to you. But I can say that Mount Lady was sent for re-education classes for handling reported crimes. Ingenium fired the sidekick he assigned the case to because they were quirkest and didn't do the job. That man will never have a career in heroics in this country because Tensei mass reported him to every agency, informing them what he had done. The cop you reported all this to also was fired and removed from service. And well… Joke. Her mistake hit her hard. She also retook investigation and reporting classes. She actually unranked herself as a lime-light Hero while she figured out how she could be better for her students and anyone who reached out to her. Ms. Joke is still a licensed Hero, just taking a step back from any ranks and popularity for the time." Eraser said while keeping that open and honest appearance. 

"I never wanted to get someone fired because of me," Izuku whispered, looking down at his bouncing knees. 

"And you didn't. They did not follow the law nor had any compassion for others. Them getting fired was a benefit to the public, not a harmful outcome. You are by far not the reason why they got fired. It was their own actions that led to that outcome." Eraser stated firmly. 

"Fucking dickbags got what was coming to them…." Katsuki grumbled as he leaned hard back against his chair. So much has happened that they didn't know about. Learning about the school was blindsiding, but learning that everyone who had fucked up also got some sort of punishment felt…weird. As if a darkness that Katsuki didn't realize was there lifted, it was sweet like vengeance but bitter because even though they were punished, it doesn't change anything. 

"So, you took down the shitty school. You said you had help? Who?"

"Well, it was primarily me, Present Mic, and Detective Tsukauchi who gathered the evidence. The Bakugou's had brought on a private investigator to search for you, Katsuki, in the first few months you were gone. I met with them one night, and they gave me all the evidence they had collected about the abuse and the conditions in the school. The PI was actually an international underground hero, and she was the one who lied to your parents and said you were shipped off to Russia."

' Just like how Blue Dick set it up.' Izuku was nodding along but frowned. "You said she lied, so she knew he wasn't in Russia?"

"Right. She had tracked you down, but other than keeping tabs on you and making sure you were safe until her visa ran out, she didn't want to interfere with your lives." 

Izuku frowned more, as did Katsuki. The thought of someone being able to track them for so long without them knowing was equally impressive and disturbing. "Who was she?"

"The Hero name she gave me was Loup Garou. She is a Bounty Hunter Hero with a Japanese Private Investigator license. She is also keeping tabs on your mother in America in case we ever want to charge her with anything." Eraser said. The words seemed to have pulled themselves out of his mouth. Katsuki didn't think Eraser initially planned to disclose so much but refused to lie to them. 

"My mom is not even in Japan?" Izuku looked wide-eyed at Katsuki. "Wait, charge her for what?" his head snapping back to the Hobo.

Eraser sighed, "Well, unfortunately, without you," he nodded towards Izuku, "We can't fully prove the abuse. You would have to work with us and probably testify against her. I have as much of the evidence as there is, but with you being declared dead, she kind of gets away with it." 

"Fucking bullshit," Katsuki growled, not really to anyone in particular. But Eraser nodded in agreement. Izuku looked pale as he pulled at his lip in thought. 

"Look, honestly didn't mean to bring this up here and now. I'm not asking you to jump into the legalities of an abuse case just to chase down one or two people. You can leave it behind if you want; your survival has no right or wrong. I just wasn't going to hide it from you when answering your questions." 

This causes Izuku to pause and look up at the Hero once more. Green eyes seemed to search for something before nodding once. "I'll think about it." 

Eraser also nodded before looking back at Katsuki. But the blond was ready. "So what, all this is just you doing your job? Clearly, you don't have much support, so you had to be doing this shit in your free time. Why the fuck do you care?" 

Eraser pauses before looking off to the other side of the room, his eyes distant. "I can't honestly say why. I've seen what you had done to Izuku when we dug up the video footage-" both boys flinched hard at that. Still, Eraser acted like he didn't see it, "so I had seen firsthand how much you changed and what you went through when you stood up for your friend. I might see a bit of myself in you, Izuku, the hardship you experienced. I never had it nearly as bad as you, but I was thrown out by my family, bounced around some real bad foster homes and a few good ones too. But it took a friend reaching out to me to see how unnecessarily hard my life was. That friend is like you, Katsuki, loud, very independent, and had also run away from a rough home. But where I was in the system, he hid. Worked jobs on the side and built a life for himself. He fought tooth and nail to be where he is today, and it's thanks to him that I am where I am." Eraser sighed as the slightest smile tugged at the edge of his mouth, but he looked back at the boys, meeting each of their eyes. "I can't say why I care directly, but I can say I see a lot of potentials, and I want to help you in the way my friend and I never had. Perhaps save you from some of the heartbreak that happens when you don't have a backup."

Katsuki huffed and looked down at his own weathered boots while Izuku stared at Eraser hard before mumbling, "Present Mic." 

Eraser's head twitched and tilted much like a cat as he gave Izuku a stern look. "How did you know that?" 

Izuku looked scared for a moment before Katsuki could see The Jackalope persona come to the surface. "Um. Well, first, you speak highly of them, and while I have never seen you and Present Mic team up officially, I know you both work at UA and graduated the same year. Also, Present Mic hosts a radio show where he chooses a new foundation to fundraise for every month, and often it's for homeless teens and orphanages. Though recently, he did a few for foundations that help the quirkless get jobs and homes and such. Which if he helped with the investigation, I guess I know why. But he is also loud and very independent since he opened his own agency and studio within two years of graduating from UA. And has been running it solo this entire time. I also remember a story he told one night on his show about how he used to be homeless and that helping teens in bad situations was important to him. And he speaks all the time about his coffee-loving partner and the cats he has, so I'm guessing you two are married. And when Kacchan told me about your meetups, he said you mentioned you have an adoptive son. Most orphanages won't allow single men to adopt, pro-hero or not, so it supports that you have a partner." 

Eraserhead looked shook, which caused Katsuki to snort and hide his mouth as he fought back laughter. "You… figured that all out just that little I told you and… Mic's radio shows? And you knew we both worked at UA? I'm not listed on the faculty." 

Izuku blushed hard, Jackalope slipping back into its rabbit hold of Izuku's mind as the boy stammered, "I-um well. Y-yea, I mean, it's not hard to figure out if you know both sides of the story… Most people don't know you exist, so it's hard to figure out otherwise. Before we met you, I thought Mic was married to some librarian or something. And you are like my favorite Hero, so I follow your career as much as possible, and I'm sorry, I'm being creepy; I'll stop." 

Katsuki kicked out with his foot, tapping Izuku's bouncing shin just hard enough for him to feel it. "Oi, the fuck did I tell you? You're not creepy." 

"He is right; it's not creepy. Uncanny and impressive beyond my thought abilities, but not creepy. But you are also correct. The fifth year after we graduated from UA and we both got college degrees, we married. I also run my own underground agency, if you will. But really, it's just me, and I use the basement of Mic's agency to store files. I trust that you won't go and inform anyone about this. Mic doesn't say he has a son; we only agreed he could speak about the cats and me in an abstract way on the show. We want to protect our family as much as possible." 

"Oh! I promise! I won't ever tell anyone you two are married or have a kid. I would never put personal information out there like that." Izuku waved his hands in front of him while still blushing. ' This is exactly why he refuses analysis jobs that would hurt a family. Fucker to too damn smart…and kind, ' Katsuki sighed. "We won't say shit." 

"Thank you." Eraser also looked embarrassed while pulling at his capture weapon. "I have to ask, why out of the hundreds of Heroes out there. Why am I your favorite? You have to be joking." 

"B-because you fight quirkless. You prove that a quirk is just a tool, not the definition of a person. You can take away that tool anytime, leaving them quirkless, and so few people respect that." Izuku said softly. Eraser's eyes widened, his face filling with an unknown emotion before it all was wiped away with a blink of an eye as he nodded in acknowledgment. 

"We are getting off-topic here. Fine, I can accept you want to help, do good, and all that happy horseshit. But what do you want from us?" Katsuki groused as he picked up his now cold tea. 

"Really, all I want is for you to check in sometimes. Let me know you are alive, and let me know if you ever need help. If you want, we could go back to training, and Izuku, you are welcome to join that as well." Eraser paused and sighed in exhaustion. "I'll admit that Mic may have gotten a little attached to you while on the investigation. He demanded that I invite you over for dinner at least once. But maybe make it a once a month thing, only if you are willing." 

"That's it? No fucking cops? No putting us in the system? Just fucking dinner once a month?" Katsuki eyed him in suspicion. 

"That's it. I will call you whatever names you wish, Mic is the only other one in the household that knows your real names, but he will also adhere to anything you want to be called. Outside of KEM, I don't know any other aliases you may have. I do not want to track you down and drag you out of whatever home you have made for yourselves. That is unless you don't have a place to live right now or a place without heat?" he looked at them in question. 

"Fuck that; we have a nice place." Katsuki huffed while Izuku nodded in agreement. 

"Good, then no. Just let me know you are alive and if you ever need anything, and I mean absolutely anything, I hope you trust me enough to reach out. That's all I ask. We don't even have to have the dinners; Mic would have just gutted me if I didn't extend the invite." 

Katsuki and Izuku looked at each other, both sharing different emotions on their faces. Kasturi looked guarded, unsure, but nowhere near as angry as he had before. Izuku looked interested, curious, maybe a little hopeful as he bounced slightly in his seat. 

"Think about it, talk it out. I'm going to head downstairs and get more coffee. I'll knock three times before coming in." Eraser took his and Izuku's empty cups before heading out the door, leaving the boys in the rather comfy sleeping space. 

The moment the soft click of the door sealing echoed through the room, Izuku looked at Katsuki while chewing on his lip. "Kacchan?" 

"I don't fucking know." Katsuki deflated, staring up at the roof. "If he wanted to put it in the system or send us home, he could have done so already. The fucking PI could have done so without us even knowing. But here we are, free from all that bullshit. And all he is asking for is us to keep in touch and have dinner? I don't get it. What does he get out of it? Why?"

"Maybe that's what makes him and Present Mic real Heroes? I mean, that's what a Hero is supposed to do. Like, Stain is always complaining that Heroes get paid and that they really don't care about people. Only their egos. But Eraser doesn't seem like that; he is just worried about us and wants to help." 

Katsuki huffed. "Fucking Stain is cracked in the head if he thinks people are going to do a full-time job just for the good feels of it." 

Izuku nodded in agreement, "It's where our debates seem to stall often." 

"Well, Eraser offered to help train us. Would you take him up on it?" 

Izuku was contemplative for a moment before softly shaking his head. "No, I think if you did train under Eraser and I kept going with Stain, we could combine their teachings when we train together. And honestly, between dance, martial arts, Stain, work, and class, I don't think I could pick up more even if it's only a few times a month." 

Katsuki continued to start up into the white plaster above them. Izuku was right; he was already stretched thin. Having to miss dance classes often to train under Stain, Katsuki would never ask Izu to drop one of the few things he does just for himself and his happiness. "I might take him up on the offer. The old man was complaining that I learn too quickly and I don't care about belts to go to competitions." 

"This might be the real divergence point between KEM and Jackalope," Izuku said softly. 

"Hah?"

"I mean, not like that. But KEM is already my Pro-Hero liaison. And there is the whole reason why we agreed your training with Stain was bad. Maybe becoming Eraserheads unofficial apprentice will help KEM stand out?" 

Katsuki grunted before falling quiet once more. This meeting did not go in any way he expected it to. They were not running for their lives, not hiding from the cops, or threatening the Hero not to expose them. All Eraser wanted was for them to meet up once a month with his family to have dinner. With some training tossed in there as well. And really, was it that much to ask for? Katsuki knew that he and Izuku were isolating themselves more often than not. Sure they went to their respective training and classes. Still, all the rest of the time, they hid within their apartment, being domestic and working on their own projects. Dabi, Stain, and Giran did not count as socializing as those fuckers were stupid to talk to. 

"Fine." 

"Fine?" Izuku looked over at the blond. 

"Yea, fine. I'm fine with it all." Katsuki waved a hand in the air dismissively. 

"Are you sure, Kacchan? We can say no." Izuku kicked at Katsuki's boot to make him look up. Katsuki pushed himself back up to a sitting position and looked at Izuku, red eyes full of sincerity. 

"Yea, it's good. I agreed to your ten-year plan, and this supports it. He doesn't seem to be lying and has done a lot to help even if the Hobo doesn't realize how much it did." Izuku nodded in agreement. Three soft knocks sounded before the door slowly opened. 

"You boys good?" Eraser stepped in, carrying three new streaming to-go cups. 

"Yes, please come in!" Izuku squeaked before jumping up to help the Hero. 

"Oh, thanks, here I just got another of what you all ordered before. I figured the warm drinks would help on your way home." 

"Thanks." "Thank you!" 

Eraser nodded before grabbing up his coat and preparing to leave. "Wait. I mean. Unless you have to go fucking play ninja somewhere else," Kastuki grumbled, playing with the hot tea in his hands. Eraser paused before taking his seat back, watching them. 

"We agree to the dinners. And… Yea, I wanna fucking train some more. But if the food is shitty at all, we won't be back!" Katsuki grumbled, not meeting the Heroes' eyes. 

Izuku smiled into his to-go cup as Eraser nodded. "Well, I'll just make sure that Mic is the one who cooks then. I often burn the rice, so I'll leave it to him." 

"How the fuck do you burn rice?" Katsuki growled, looking at the man in disbelief. Izuku giggled before nudging Katsuki, "You said the same thing to me two months ago when I forgot to add enough water." 

Katsuki sighed and rubbed his eyes, "Fucking insane." 

Eraser watched the interaction with amusement before nodding once, "Well, this Sunday, we are all off work, so if you would like, we can make our first dinner then. After you judge Mic's cooking, we can figure out if we want to make monthly dinners?"

Izuku nodded this time, "That's great for us." 

"Good. Regardless of the circumstances and the fact that I have talked more tonight than I have all month, I am glad to see you both doing well." Eraser smiled softly before hiding his face in the scarf. "I will text you where to meet and when. Kats-um... KEM, you have my number. I'll be in touch." With that, Eraser quickly left the room. Whether to get home or to get back to work, Katsuki didn't know, but the boys soon followed behind and out of the shop as well. 

Jiro waved as they left, giving Izuku a wink as the green boy waved back enthusiastically. Walking out into the bitter cold, both boys seemed to hunch over their warm drinks and started to make their way back to the apartment. About halfway back, Katsuki noticed that Izuku's shoe was untied. After mentioning it, Izu asked Katsuki to hold his drink while he fixed it. 

Huddling over two steaming cups mentally helped against the cold. The sharp scent of the tea tickled Katsuki's nose, while the bitter, rich aroma of coffee and chocolate seemed to relax him. He had always loved the smell of coffee, even if Katsuki didn't drink it, and had to limit how much Izuku drank. Just as he was about to hand back Izuku's cup, he froze, pulling it back before sniffing Izuku's drink. It was a mocha, the chocolate, and coffee blending together. Looking down, the cup was nearly empty already. Izuku looked sheepish as he pulled the cup from Katsuki's hands. 

"YOU HAVE BEEN DRINKING COFFEE THIS WHOLE TIME?" 

Chapter Text

' Faster. I need to move faster! ' Katsuki dodged to the left, just narrowly avoiding the rubber knife swiping at his face. Izuku's arm twitched, changing direction. Suddenly the fake blade was stabbing at Katsuki's throat. The blond barely got his arm up in time to take the brunt of the impact before they both jumped away from each other, slowly circling, watching, waiting for one to drop their guard.

"Point to me," Izuku smirks as sweat drips down his brow. Katsuki could hardly hear him as blood roared in his ears with how hard his heart was beating. Both were panting, the harsh breaths echoing through the warehouse. "One more hit, and I win, Kacchan." Izuku taunted with a smirk.

As Katsuki opened his mouth to challenge Izuku, the smaller boy lunged. ' Shit! ' Katsuki wiped his sweat-soaked hands on the front of his shirt as he dodged backward. It was rare for Katsuki to be put on defense like this. Honestly, it was the first time Izuku had pushed the blond this hard. Katsuki attempted to whip his leg around, kicking out at Izuku's knees. Izuku responded by throwing his fake knife at Katsuki, pushing them both off balance and each attack failing. They quickly fell into a game of cat and mouse. Attack, dodge, counter, miss. Attack, dodge, miss, counter. Neither boy gained the upper hand, but Katsuki felt he was always on his back foot.

Izuku had gotten so much faster in his time training with Stain. Where Katsuki had refined his technical skills in classes, Izuku had learned to utilize speed and ambush attacks. They were fighting without quirks; the only allowance was Izuku could have three rubber knives on his body while they fought. Each successful hit counted as a point, and head or vitals hits counted as double points, with the first one to twenty winning. Izuku had yet to win one of their bouts so far, with the first time Katsuki winning by twelve points ahead. But now they were neck and neck, with Izuku having nineteen points and Katsuki having eighteen.

Izuku lashed out in what almost appeared to be a blind attack. Katsuki felt a spark of triumph as he quickly grabbed Izuku's arm, turning the knife back and disarming him. Izuku used Katuki's own arm and strength against him, twisting his lighter body up around in a complicated spin that landed Izuku on top of Katsuki's shoulders, his head crushed between thighs, falling backward as they both slammed their backs onto the hard concrete. Reaching up with an elbow to slam into the inside of Izuku's knee, he froze when he felt cool plastic press against his throat.

Both boys remained in place for a moment, the dust they kicked up sticking to their overheated skin; the cool plastic felt like ice to Katsuki as the match ended. For the first time since they started practicing together, Izuku had won.

The blade fell away as Izu deflated under Katsuki's back. His legs fell off his shoulders, and Izuku starfished on the gross floor, panting. Katsuki rolled off Izuku, too hot and sweaty to be touching as he gave up and starfished on the ground breathing hard.

"I…Won…Ha!" Izuku weakly put a fist up before allowing it to flop back down hard. A goofy smile painted on his face as he panted between words.

"How the... FUCK... did… you get… so fast?" Katsuki responded as he, too, struggled to catch his breath.

“Stain… and dance…. I do… tons of cardio for both." Izuku huffed, looking at Katsuki out of the corner of his eye.

"Fucking hell, nerd," Katsuki smirked before pushing himself off the floor. Blood rushed to his head as he staggered for a moment. Finally catching his breath, he leaned a hand down to Izuku to help pull him up off the floor.

"Too tired," Izu whined, rolling away from the offered hand.

"Fine, stay down there and roll in rat shit." Katsuki lightly kicked Izuku's foot as he stepped over him, heading towards their water bottles.

"Ew, that's gross, Kacchan!" Izuku squeaked while pushing himself up to his feet.

"Gross but true," Katsuki smirked while tossing the green water bottle at Izuku. Izuku caught it easily and started to guzzle. Katsuki does the same, dumping half of his water over his head to rid himself of some sweat. The blond couldn't even bring himself to care that it was late winter and would have to walk back to the apartment with damp hair.

For the first time in a long time, Katsuki's mind was peacefully numb. Almost like a fuzziness had settled, not making him fuzzy in his thoughts, but that peace that comes from just turning off the brain for a while. Fighting, challenging, complex fights always seemed to settle him. Izuku once called it his meditation, which Katsuki found accurate. Battle felt primal to the blond, trusting your own skills and body to protect and attack. No over-complicated thoughts, no wondering about the future. You fight and only focus on the fight; it could be your death if you don't. Nothing else matters but existing in that one moment. Katsuki was personally surprised that he wasn't even mad that Izuku won.

Standing there wiping his face with a towel, Katsuki can't help but look over at Izuku. Seeing the green-haired boy standing tall, covered in just as much sweat and dirt as Katsuki, he couldn't help but feel proud of Izuku. It had been months, and while that scared, beaten child still existed within him, Izuku now seemed confident in his abilities. Had anyone told Katsuki less than a year ago that Izuku would kick his ass in a hand-to-hand fight, the blond would have exploded the person, exploded Izuku on principle, and then laughed his ass off over the notion of the idea. But now, he stands the one beaten and feels… proud? But not hurt pride?

Katsuki felt his face heat up again as he rubs the towel violently, causing his already spiky hair to frizz and spike more in the front.

"I was thinking." Izuku's voice echoed around the old warehouse as they slowly started packing up.

"The fuck else is new there," Katsuki muttered, shoving his damp towel into his bag.

"First off, rude. But second, now that I finally beat you without using your quirk, maybe you can use it against me next time." Izuku was pulling on his hoodie and missed how Katsuki froze. ' He wants me to use my quirk against him. But… what fuckhead? He just kicked your ass; he doesn't need you to baby him. '

Katsuki let out a low breath, the fuzziness from the fight already starting to fade away. "Sure, but with rules. I don't want to call the Doc for our spars, so I won't be going all out." ' And if I start training with Eraser again, I can work on fine control, so I don't hurt him in an accident .'

"Yea! I thought you could use it for mobility first. Since you're not training to be as fast as me or Stain with just your body, that way, it will help me get faster. Then we can move to attack with it, so I can dodge once I have the speed. It will help me improve because Stain's quirk isn't offensive, it's an ambush, and yours is perfect for training against. And Kacchan has great control, so we can focus on specific moves before we spar. And…” Izuku slowly dissolved into mutters, just low enough that Katsuki's hearing aids had trouble picking his voice up as Izu finished packing his own bag.

' At least he wants to do it in steps, and I have time to train more fine control .' Katsuki thought to himself as he led the way out of the old warehouse and back to their apartment. After scaring an old woman doing laundry on their roof, the boys had to find a new place to train. Giran had permitted them to use the warehouse during the day when they were just with each other.

The sun started to set as the shadows between the taller buildings grew longer. A cold wind pulled at their hoodies and made their joints creak as they jogged home as a cool down. As they walked through the door, Katsuki's phone buzzed, forcing the blond to check.

Hobo: No food allergies, right?

Katsuki sighed before throwing his bag across the room, allowing it to slam onto the couch. Typing a quick reply, he felt the fuzziness fully fade from his brain as he started pulling out the dirty towels for the laundry. They might have been teenage boys but fuck if Katsuki was going smell his own stank, let alone Izu's.

"Who was that?" Izuku asked, doing the same before Katsuki could yell for his towels.

"Eraser, wanting to know if we had food allergies."

Izuku smiled softly. "That was nice of him!" Katsuki grunted in reply before slamming the washer lid closed. "Dinner is at seven, right?" Izuku asked, looking at his own phone for the time. They had a few hours to clean up and find the hero's place.

Katsuki grunted again in confirmation before heading to shower. Katsuki always showered first because neither boy wanted him to touch more than he needed to keep their apartment somewhat clean of nitroglycerine. Once in the shower, Katsuki felt the tightness he had learned to live with slowly creeping up his neck. He didn't think this dinner was a trap but fuck if it felt unsettling to be walking into a pro-hero home, with his pro-hero husband, as runaway criminals. Has Eraserhead even learned of Jackalope yet? Will he ever? Would he force them into something? Even if Katsuki couldn't fathom what something would be.

The room was beyond steamed up by the time Katsuki stepped out with towels wrapped around his waist and shoulders, clouds of vapor following his escape. Izu was slowly lowering into a backbend in the living room, his upside-down face lighting up when he saw the bathroom freed.

"What the fuck? You look like the girl from The Ring with your rat-shit hair hanging down like that." Katsuki rubbed the towel through his soft hair as Izuku squawked in protest.

"Mean Kacchan! And I only have rat poo hair because I haven't showered yet. Doing that last flip and landing on my back made it tight, so I was just stretching while waiting on youuuuu." Izuku started to crawl backward, groaning like a ghost and reaching out for Katsuki's ankles as the blond skipped back.

"Oi! Knock that shit off, weirdo." Katsuki slammed their bedroom door shut while Izuku giggled from the other side.

The next few hours went quicker than Katsuki would have liked. Izuku insisted on bringing something to the dinner. After a quick stop to pick up sweets, both boys found themselves in front of a rather lovely building with a security guard giving them looks from inside the glass doors.

"So, are you sure you are good with using our new names?" Izuku asked while fidgeting with the box of cakes and cookies they bought.

"No, but I want to keep KEM separate from our civilian life, and you should want to keep Jack that way, too," Katsuki grunted while pulling out his phone to text Eraser. 

KEM: Your security guard is giving us shitty looks.

Hobo : Be right down.

"Yea, but now when we get into UA, they will put two and two together," Izuku muttered, pulling at his lip.

Katsuki tucked his phone away and tucked his chin into his jacket. This could all blow up in their faces at any moment, and here they were with fucking cupcakes.

"It's not like they wouldn't have done so instantly as soon as we walked into the school." 

 Izuku tried to hide his nervous energy but couldn't help but toe-walk in the place, bouncing softly. Katsuki knew Izuku's energy wasn't because he was scared of being caught but because he was getting to meet another of his favorite heroes personally. 'Let's just hope the loudmouth isn't like AssMight. '

Just as the security guard was pushing up from his desk to approach them, the elevators dinged, and a not-so-hobo-looking Eraserhead stepped out. The man was wearing a black knit sweater and what appeared to be jeans. His hair was loose and wild as ever but clearly combed, and maybe his eye bags weren't as dark. ' Did he actually clean up for this? '

Izuku greeted him with a bright smile as Eraser held open the door for them. "Glad you decided to come."

"We said we would, didn't we?" Katsuki grumbled, giving the security guard the stink eye, while Izuku elbowed him softly.

"We brought dessert!" Izuku held up the box, clearly happy to be contributing. Eraser nodded in thanks as he led them to the elevator. Katsuki couldn't help but smirk at the confused security guard, but just as Eraser was about to step into the cart, he paused and looked at the guard.

"If either of these two shows up at the front door, please just let them in and up to our floor. They have unlimited access. I can provide names later to you for your records."

The guard quickly bows, "Of course, Mr. Aizawa, I will make a note and let the night shift know."

Eraserhead/Aizawa nods and allows the doors to close behind him. Katsuki raises an eyebrow at the man, "I told you before you can come to me for anything. That includes coming to my home. It was only logical to let security know."

"I'm surprised you live in a building that has security. It doesn't really seem to fit… well you." Izuku mumbled, looking at the spotless interior of the elevator as they rose higher and higher through the building.

Eraser sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. It was weird to see him without his scarf. "I honestly hate it. Too many eyes watching if I return from patrol hurt or covered in blood. I'm tired of telling people not to call for an ambulance. But when we adopted Hitoshi, some evenings he was left alone while I worked, and Mic hosted his radio show. I trusted him to be home alone, but heroes make a lot of enemies, and we wanted more peace of mind for when we are not here."

Izu and Katsuki shared a look behind the hero's back, both surprised and respectful of the man's choices. Neither of their parents would have even considered moving to do something for them. Eventually, the elevator stopped; of course, it was on the top floor. Katsuki mentally prepared himself for bullshit grandeur but was surprised when the door opened to a standard apartment hallway. Only four doors were found lining the walls as Eraser led them to the one on the end and paused. 

"The door will remain unlocked; you are free to stay or leave as you want. I promise you this." Eraser said, watching the two boys. They nodded at him in response. Eraser did the same, then without hesitating, he opened the unlocked door and stepped into the entry.

"I'm back." He called into the apartment as Katsuki and Izuku slowly toed off their shoes. Jackets and Eraser's scarf hung from pegs beside the door, and small cubbies were filled with different shoes and boots as Eraser handed them two pairs of plain black house slippers. A crash was heard from the kitchen as footsteps rapidly approached from around the corner.

"Welcome, Listeners!" A tall blond man slid to a stop with a broad smile and shining green eyes. Even with his hair down and half pulled back into a bun, the man could have only been Present Mic. He wore a simple but nice outfit with jeans, a plain colored shirt, and a yellow and purple flannel rolled up under an apron. "Please make yourself at home! I'm Yamada Hizashi, but you can call me Hizashi or Zashi, Sho, and Hito do."

Katsuki glanced over at Eraser, who was rolling his eyes at his husband's enthusiasm before pushing past and into the apartment.

"Um. Thank you for inviting us, Mr. Yamada. We brought some cakes for dessert," Izuku held out the small box to the blond man. Katsuki just nodded once, really taking all his concentration not to sneer or appear grumpy and more than likely failing.

"Oh, please, just Hizashi, and thank you so much! I love this bakery; their blackberry scones are to die for! Come on in, make yourself comfortable. Hitoshi is playing video games in the living room; I'll put these in the kitchen." Hizashi smiled just as brightly as Izuku sometimes, forcing Katsuki to look away. Turning his attention to their apartment, he couldn't help but note where doors and windows were located just in case they needed a quick escape. Though at this height, Katsuki didn't want to think about the drop they would have if things did go wrong.

Stepping further in, for as fancy as the building looked, the apartment was large and well cared for but clearly lived in. Minor scuffs could be seen on the walls, but few and far between all the photos and music posters that lined everything. A large balcony could be seen on the other side of the living room with plants and a small step ladder. Between them and the sliding glass doors was a large room with a massive fluffy sectional couch, low table, and TV. Knick knacks and books lined the built-in shelves with a small candle burning giving off a warm scent. A box of cat toys seemed to be overflowing on the table, and small amounts of cat hair coated everything, but no cats were within sight. The video game paused on the screen as Eraser sat beside what could have only been his son.

The son looked up at them as they stood in the room's entryway. Hizashi could be heard back in the kitchen directly behind them, leaving the teens to eye each other carefully.

"Be nice," Eraser grunted as he grabbed the controller off the boy and turned his attention to the TV.

"I'm always nice." The boy muttered as he pushed himself up to stand. He was taller than Katsuki and Izuku, with wild purple hair that defined all gravity. He was dressed more casually, wearing a nice tracksuit as he bowed softly in greeting.

"Shinsou Hitoshi, my dads haven't told me much about you two other than you were coming for dinner and being part of a case they were working on," Shinsou smirked as Eraser grumbled something about not even needing to know that from the floor behind them.

“Mikumo Izamu, and this is Akatani Katsu. P-pleasure to meet you." Izuku smiled and bowed softly back. Nerves kicking in, causing his stutter.  

"Mikumo and Akatani? Didn't you just transfer into my online class a few months back?"

"Your class?"

And then it clicked for Katsuki, the purple, the cat toys, and the Cheshire grin. The blond took a half step forward, growling, "The purple cat fucker."

"Oh, wow, you do cuss just as much in real life," Shinsou grinned even more as Izuku caught on and snorted. "Cusses more than you can imagine."

Before Katsuki could seek revenge for all the times this purple bean pole egged him on in class discussions, a disturbing thump echoed around the room. Glancing down, all three found Eraserhead face down on the table, the thump being his skull hitting the room as he groaned.

"Sho? What's wrong?" Hizashi asked from behind Katsuki and Izuku, clearly walking in at a weird moment.

"You two have been enrolled in Hitoshi's class since fall?" Eraser asked as his voice was muffled by the table.

"Yea?" Katsuki asked, confused.

Eraser let out another long groan before lifting his head and dropping it back onto the table as Hizashi yelped, "Sho!"

All three teens share a look. Katsuki's more hostile than the others but shrug in equal confusion. Izuku's curiosity won out as he asked, "Why?"

Eraser then sat up, his forehead a nice cherry red as he looked at the teens. "I've been searching for you two for months, and you were right there in the same class as my son . Right in front of me." The sheer look of defeat and exhaustion washed over the hero's face as Kastuki snorted, quickly turning into Izuku and Hitoshi laughing.

"Oh, well, we couldn't have even guessed; Sho, don't crack your skull over it," Hizashi said while walking around to run his fingers through his husband's hair, but his face and lips were pinched as he, too, fought back laughter.

"So, you two were the ones they have been looking for. How did dad find you?" Shinsou asked, turning back to Izuku and Katsuki.

"Hitoshi." - "Tosh, they do not need to explain anything." Both the heroes started at the same time, looking at their son with a warning.

"We don't need to tell you shit," Katsuki growled, looking Shinsou over. He was a beanpole, tall and skinny, but Katsuki could tell he did train, built more like Izuku. Katsuki thought he could take him in a fight. "I'm gonna kick your ass for fucking with my grade in class discussions, you purple shithead."

Shinsou put up two hands as if in surrender as he chuckled. "I didn't do anything; I just was discussing topics like we are assigned to do. I don't force you to curse your posts."

"No, but you piss me off enough to make me curse," Katsuki growled

"Should proofread better then."

"The fuck you say to me?"

Izuku quickly stepped in front of Katsuki, elbowing the blond back as he smiled nervously. "We are guests, don't pick a fight here," turning back to Shinsou, "and you know for a fact you egg him on in class, so don't be surprised he isn't happy."

"That's enough, you three. Hitoshi apologize and knock it off. Mikumo and Akatani?" Eraser's voice sounded conflicted using their new names, "Sorry for his shit stirring; he is good at it and already being trained to be better at it. He just needs to figure out when to use that skill." Eraser sent a pointed look at his son.

Katsuki clicked his teeth and looked away, glancing towards the kitchen. Shinsou rubbed the back of his head and clearly scolded, "Sorry. It's a habit, and honestly never thought I would meet a classmate face-to-face like this. Internet asshole distance protection and all that."

"It's okay; you tend to bring up good points in your posts; just maybe stop picking at Kacchan directly." Izuku smiled at the teen, causing Shinsou to blink at the brightness.

"Alright, I have heard enough cussing for this evening!" Hizashi clapped his hands together and smiled. "Chow time, boys! Oh, wait, sorry, I hope that wasn't insensitive." His smile dimmed, clearly worried that he had offended.

"Nope! He/him pronouns for both of us." Izuku ignited Hizashi's smile as the man led them to the dining room with a table overflowing with food.

"I wasn't sure what all you liked, so I made different options. If there is anything you really like, we can pack it up for you to have for lunch later! Please dig in." Katsuki couldn't help but run a critical eye over everything but was surprised that all the food looked great. Chicken, fish, rice, veggies, tofu in different sauces, dumplings, steamed buns, miso soup, and much more covered the table, barely giving the empty plates room. Eraser sighed from behind him as Izuku and Hitoshi sat across from each other at the table.

"Sorry, he went overboard. I was banned from the kitchen and couldn't keep an eye on him." Eraser said lowly while pulling out a chair beside Izuku for Katsuki.

"This all looks amazing, Mr. Hizashi. R-really you didn't need to go through so much trouble." Izuku said nervously, tucking his hands in his lap.

"Nonsense! I love to cook, so I am happy to make all this and more if nothing here is to your liking. What would everyone like to drink?" As Hizashi passed around waters for everyone, Izuku shared an overwhelmed look with Katsuki. Villains and criminals didn't overwhelm them anymore, but extreme kindness did. Swallowing hard, Katsuki took his spot between Izuku and Eraserhead and started to fill his plate like Shinsou.

"Wow, this looks great, pops," the purple-haired teen commented before digging in.

"Aw! Thank you! It was fun spending time in the kitchen today!"

"I bet it was better after you kicked me out," Eraser mumbled as he started digging in. Hizashi kicked his shin from under the table lightly. "Yea, since you were restricting my creative freedoms." Shinsou snorted in amusement.

Katsuki and Izuku slowly started to dig into their own plates after that, tentative bites, testing, and trying a little of everything to be polite. That was until Katsuki discovered that the chicken dish made was spicy, and from then on out, he would only eat it and veggies. Izuku fell more towards the dumplings, eating them with different dipping sauces. Izuku slid a dumpling onto Katsuki's plate covered in chili sauce. When he looked at Izu in confusion, Izuku quickly signed under the table, " it reminded me of when you made bento boxes for me at lunch. Spicy dumpling. "

The food Katsuki was chewing stuck in his throat, forcing him to swallow hard. It felt as if years had passed since those days when Katsuki was Izuku's only source of food. Looking down at the lone dumpling on his plate, he missed the look shared by the adults before someone cleared their throat.

"So Mikumo and Akatani, the school year is ending here soon. What are your plans for high school?" Hizashi asked. He smiled at the boys, clearly hoping to engage them with small talk. Hizashi clearly thought school was a safe topic since they shared a class with their son. Trying to get them to open up. Izuku snuck a look at Katsuki before answering.

"Well, we are going to apply to different schools, so not sure where we will get in, but the backup plan is staying with online schooling if our other picks don't work out."

"Oh? What schools are you looking at?" Hizashi clearly was engaged and excited to hear Izuku open some.

"Oh. Um. Well, UA is our top pick, but-"

"You want to go to UA too?" Shinsou interrupted, looking up from his plate.

"Um, yea. I guess that's where you want to apply to?" Izuku put his utensils down so he wouldn't fidget with them.

"Yea, I'm applying for the hero course and general education. As a backup."

"Ha? You have two pro-heroes as parents; why do you need a backup for the hero course?" Katsuki asked as he finally was able to swallow his food.

"Because Hitoshi does not want to be recommended for the hero course, he will try to get in with everyone else. So, if he makes it into the course, it's on him and him alone." Eraser said, looking at his son with pride.

"Oh, that's… sorry, I'm surprised you wouldn't want to be recommended. It's a bold choice." Izuku said, looking at Shinsou like he was a puzzle.

It caused the purple boy to blush and rub the back of his head once more. "Well, everyone always said I couldn't be a hero, so I want to do it this way. Prove them all wrong. Well, everyone except my dad's."

 "Why?" Izuku snapped his hands over his mouth. "Sorry, that was rude! You don't have to tell me or, well, anything. S-sorry, I asked."

"Chill, nerd," Katsuki said, but his body leaned toward the green-haired boy, ready to jump to his defense if needed.

"Nah, it's cool. I mean, there is trauma and all that with it, but it's because of my quirk." Shinsou watched them closely, his body language daring them to say something about it in front of his parents. "It's called brainwashing. I can verbally take control of other people. So needless to say, in foster care, I was the villain to everyone for everything."

Katsuki felt Izuku begin to vibrate in his seat. Taking a deep breath, he sighed through his nose as he leaned back away from Izu and went back to his dinner, muttering under his breath, "Fucking started it now…."

"That quirk is amazing for hero work! You can stop a fight before it even starts! Let alone calming down people in a panic! You said verbal, so is it call and response base? What is the trigger? Can you control more than one person? What does it feel like when you're being controlled? How much of the higher brain function can you manipulate? That must be why your voice sounds so good; Present Mic's voice also does, and I know vocal quirks almost always sound more appealing. Can you use it for crowd control? Or as part of interrogations? Can…”

Katsuki zoned out, focusing more on this spicy chicken, trying to pick out the flavors so he could make it at home. But he could hear both Shinsou and Hizashi wheezing in surprise. Eraser seemed to smirk but didn't interrupt Izuku as he spilled his questions.

"Could you brainwash me?"

That question brought life back into Shinsou and startled him so much that he lurched out of his seat, stumbling backward, eyes wide with tears welling up.

Izuku saw this and immediately shrank back into himself. "Oh… I-I'm sorry. I got excited. I didn't mean to c-creep you out. I'll stop. I'm sure you already know all this from your dad. S-Sorry." Izuku looked as if he had been scolded. Seeing the fear in Shinsou's eyes, he bit his lips and tucked his head. Causing the purple teen to gasp once more.

"N-n-No! It's… I... You said you wanted…. I… I just need a moment." Shinsou fled the room down the hall; they had not explored, and the sound of a door shutting hard caused Izuku to flinch and curl in on himself more. Eraser rubbed his hands on his napkin as he stood up and followed his son out of the room, leaving them with Present Mic.

"I-I'm sorry; I didn't mean to ruin dinner. W-we will leave. We didn't mean to intrude." Izuku started to push himself up from the table, knowing Katsuki would follow him anywhere before Hizashi screeched and ran around the table to stop him.

"Nooo! Listener, please sit back down. You didn't ruin anything."

"But I made your son cry by being creepy," Izuku muttered, not looking at the man but not sitting back down.

Hizashi reached out and touched Izuku's shoulder, causing the boy to flinch and Katsuki to shoot to his feet. Hizashi pulled his hand away as if burnt and held them out clearly within sight and in surrender.

"No, you were definitely not creepy. You took us by surprise, but that's on us, not you, Mikumo. Hitoshi is in shock right now. Honestly, I also with how fast you picked apart his quick without him explaining anything. But Hito has had a rough life because of his quirk and has been called a villain all his life without cause. Hearing someone his age gush about how cool or heroic his quirk is, was just too much for him. He doesn't show emotion well, so he has to step away. You didn't do anything, I swear to you." Hizashi leaned down to be at eye level with both Katsuki and Izuku, making his movement clear and telegraphed well before he moved.

"Still counts as ruining dinner," Izuku muttered, leaning towards Katsuki, some but much less tense.

"It's okay if you leave. If you are uncomfortable, the door is unlocked, and you are more than welcome to come and go if you wish. But there is plenty of food left, and we still need to get to your epic cupcakes for dessert. Sho has Hitoshi; please continue to join me for dinner?"

Izuku looked up at Katsuki, the questions clear in his eyes. Katsuki, however, gave Hizashi a hard once over. He knew there was slight manipulation for them to stay, but it was more out of kindness and wanting to feed and get to know them better than to harm them. Katsuki wasn't thrilled but didn't feel they were in danger by staying. "Nerd, I have told you a thousand times you are not creepy. Sit down and eat some damn vegetables. I have been watching you only eat meat and dumplings all night, fucking get some greens in you."

Izuku huffed a soft laugh before rubbing at his eyes and nodding. "Yeah, okay."

Hizashi smiled brightly, offering to refill their waters before sitting down and digging in himself. They kept the small talk light; it was clear that the man was giving Izuku time to recollect himself before a soft door click could be heard and two sets of footfalls could be heard approaching them. Eraser looked at the table and nodded, seeing Izuku and Katsuki still in their chairs before returning to his place. Shinsou had been clearly crying, but as he approached his seat, he bowed softly at Izuku.

"Sorry about that. I… got overwhelmed and had to take a moment." Shinsou paused and, in a very small voice, asked, "Do you think my quirk is heroic?"

Katsuki watched as Izuku's eyes turned determined, that hint of Jackalope shining through only visible to him. "No quirk is heroic or villainous. Quirks are tools that people either learn to use properly or exploit others. Do I think your specific quirk is heroic? No, but it's not villainous, either. Do I think you can be an epic hero with the quirk you have as a tool? Yes, absolutely."

Shinsou let out a wet laugh as he rubbed at his face once more and sat down at his place. "You sound like dad now."

Izuku blushed, not daring to look at the man in question. "Well, he is right," Eraser's voice almost commanded the room, "it's illogical to think of quirks as anything but a tool. In the right or wrong hands, a gun is more deadly than a quirk. No human is above or below another based on quirk or lack of quirk status." Eraser's eyes focused on Katsuki and Izuku, making them swallow back their emotions on the topic. The room was quiet for a moment, as all the teens seemed lost in their own heads before Hizashi spoke up.

"Alright, enough with the heavy topics for now! It's dinner, and this is after the desert talk. What I want to know is your opinion of the food, Akatani. Sho said additional dinners after this one depended on whether you liked my cooking. So, Mr. Super Chef, how does it stand up?" Hizashi turned the power of his smile fully on Katsuki, causing the blond to blink in surprise before clicking his teeth and forcing a scowl.

"The food isn't shitty." Izuku snorted behind his hand, shoulders shaking with quiet laughter.

"So that means it's not bad, right? Meaning you will come for more dinners?" Hizashi pushed his eyes filled with mischief.

Katsuki grumbled before giving in. "Your food is not bad. So, I guess we could come back again." He sighed before quickly adding, "But if we end up with food poisoning after, I get to kick your ass next time!"

"So, there will be a next time! What are your favorite foods, so I know?! Does next week work for you two? I'll make sure to put it on the calendar."

"Zashi."

"Oh, hush Sho, I get to have more dinner parties. You are not pooping on my party planning." Causing Izuku and Shinsou to giggle louder and both Katsuki and Eraser to sigh.

Chapter Text

The winter turned out to be one for the record books. An early spring blizzard causes much of the city to shut down, causing rolling blackouts and some fresh food shortages for about two weeks. During the worst of the storm, Eraser and Mic kept texting the boys, offering them space and food in their apartment, doubling down on the offers when the rolling blackouts finally caused the boy's electricity to go out for three days. Katsuki got to the point where he put his phone on do-not-disturb and told both of the pro-heroes and their annoying purple cat son to fuck off and that they were fine.

Izuku had more manners than that, but after the second day of the "are you sure?" Shinsou informed them that they, too, had lost power at that point which really killed the wind in Present Mics' sails. It had been a few weeks since the initial dinner. While they did not meet weekly for dinner parties, Katsuki would meet with Eraser one or two days a week, depending on the hero's schedule to train. The blond had cut back on his hours at the dojo, only going in to clean after the big group classes and to use their old gym equipment. That free time now went into training his quirk and gaining better control.

Eraser had even started taking him to a quirk gym, renting out a blast-proof room and working on fine control. The hobo was pissed to learn that Katsuki's previous quirk counseling only focused on making bigger and stronger blasts. The man had Katsuki run laps while he grumbled to himself and restructured his training goals for the boy. Now they focused on the absolute smallest shots Katsuki could create. Honing in on his ability to heat his hands to nearly exploding and seeing what that heat could do.

Eraser also taught him more street skills, including focusing his blasts on one finger to explode a lock without damaging a door.

"Why the fuck are you teaching me about different locks and how to explode or pick them? Doesn't seem very heroic?" Katsuki asked one evening as he played with a beginners lock pick set. Eraser had bought a second set for Izuku even if he didn't come to their training. Katsuki had been working on the first-level training lock for about ten minutes.

"The same door that is locked to keep people out can be locked to keep people in. Good heroes can rescue themselves when dealing with villains and kidnappings. It's a tool for you to use, just be smart about how you use it. Now the lock you are working on Is nothing more than a bedroom door lock; a toddler can pick it. What are you stuck on?"

During the blizzard, training was suspended as even Eraser was told not to patrol due to the bitter temperatures. No one was moving in the city after sundown, not even villains, as people fought to stay warm. However, KEM had a delivery even if Katsuki wasn't training (or attempting to keep up with Izu learning to pick the locks Eraser had sent home with him). Gang Orca once more had sent a request in for help with old cases, this time directly contacting Jack. Jack had started a secure website he had directed the hero towards in a cryptic note in his last delivery. This way, the hero didn't need to operate through Giran and could send requests to Jack directly.

One bright afternoon, the snow had slowed to a flurry with bitter winds causing car-eating drifts between the buildings. So, Katsuki crunched his way through the deep snow towards the closed Ramen shop they always met the sidekick at. Even with the break in the storm, so few people braved the winds that the streets were empty and quiet. It was safer for Katsuki to walk in the middle of the road as most walks had not been shoveled, and the drifts could block entire buildings. Even with his six layers of clothes, heavy hat, and face warmer, Katsuki felt the wind cut to his bones. ' Fucking fish breath, no fucking criminals are out now. Couldn't this had fucking waited? Not like the fucker can run anywhere. If Izu is right, it's a fucking water quirk; they will probably find the asshole frozen to death in his own bed. '

The small puffs of breath that made their way out of the face warmer caused the air to sparkle in front of his face, as the water vapor formed crystals instantly. Which only caused Katsuki to be more pissed off about the cold. Izuku had offered to do this drop himself since he knew how much the blond hated the cold, but Katsuki shut that down quickly. As he turned the corner towards the shop, Katsuki had to pause. It wasn't some scared shitless sidekick, but Gang Orca himself in his full hero costume with two large steaming mugs.

After the initial shock, Katsuki kept moving; his head was down against the wind. He used his hands tucked deep into his layers to blindly send a text to Izuku telling him the whale had shown up in person. The hero never left the cover of the shop's overhanging banner. Still, he kept an eye on the figure moving closer to him. Katsuki tried to be discrete as he watched the man just as much, reading that his body posture was relaxed but tight, like maybe he was nervous? The man had yet to meet with them, but he was standing in this wind and snow like he was on some balmy beach. It made sense seeing how he was a killer whale mutant; this cold was probably a relief for him. As Katsuki got within earshot without the need to shout, Gang Orca was the first to speak.

"Hey, you shouldn't be out in this wind; the blizzard warning has not passed yet. Do you need help?" His deep voice carried over the wind, and a slight growl could be heard as he tried to keep his tone level helpful.

"I wouldn't need to be out here if you didn't fucking request more help from Jack in a blizzard." Katsuki shot back. But in the back of his mind, he couldn't help but feel bad for the hero. Gang Orca is one of the good ones in their book, but he got a lot of shit for being too scary to be a hero or considered villainous. The man's normal voice was intimidating, so Katsuki was sure it would be hard to get anyone to trust him when he rescued them.

"You're KEM?! Sorry, they said you were taller." Gang Orca looked as if he was about to rub the dorsal fin at the back of his head but then remembered he was holding two large cups and awkwardly lowered his arm so as not to spill. "I…um, I bought some tea for both of us. It's just green; I figured a warm drink would help." The large man held out one of the cups while sipping his. Clearly, he was trying to show that they were spiked. Katsuki felt that a hero like him wouldn't try to drug him, but if he had shared news of Jackalope with other heroes, there might be a tracker in the cup.

"Seriously? When describing someone, you need better sidekicks if they can't get height accurately." Katsuki grumbled, pulling one of his hands out of his coat to take the foam cup. Gang Orca visibly flinched at that before sighing. The steam from the tea caused a large cloud in front of him, not unlike a whale breaching in the ocean.

"Yea, that one couldn't hack it. He had visions of grandeur, like he would be the next Aquaman or some other prequirk hero… Namy man? Numor? I can't remember. But he quit once he started facing villains and was forced to help people without fame. Started working as some showman at a water circus or something. I hope he wasn't uncomfortable to deal with?"

"Uncomfortable, no, just stupid. Here." Katsuki pulled out the green folder that had become Jack's signature and held it out for the whale to take. Gang Orca's hand practically dwarfed the folder as he held it open. He also pulled a pair of reading glasses out of his top pocket to skim the material. ' I wonder… '

"Oi, do you need the glasses because you're old or because the text is too small?" Katsuki asked, watching the man.

"Oh, no, I can see fine. Just normal print is hard to focus on when my face is shaped the way it is. I run things on jumbo size, so I am not straining. Why?"

"How the fuck did you read the reports before?"

"Oh, I scan them and enlarge them on my computer. I save the files you give me, but for my ease, I have to digitize them." Gang Orca slowly closed the folder, careful not to damage the papers.

"You contacted Jack through his site, yea? He will send your reports digitally now. If you can't even read what he is sending you on paper, he will make sure you can read it on the computer." Katsuki felt weird speaking for Izuku like that. Still, he knew that when Izuku learned Gang Orca needed some sight considerations, he would 100% accommodate the whale.

Gang Orca looked shocked as his teeth slowly became visible from his slouching mouth. Before he snapped himself together and gave Katsuki a stern look. "Are you Jackalope?"

"No, I'm KEM. Fucking hell, didn't the sidekick get that right?"

"I mean, he did, but you speak as if you know what Jackalope will do, so I had to be sure."

"Because I fucking do know!" Katsuki snapped back.

"Look, you have to see it from my eyes. A kid-""Not a fucking kid…" "-shows up, gives the report like you have been for a while, and then says that his employer will now go out of his way to make a pro-hero's life a little easier. I know who Jackalope is partnered with, and if the damn hero commission won't change its forms for me, why would some back alley analyst?" Gang Orca was just like him, Katsuki realized at that moment. Just like with the hearing aids, did he need them to survive? Hell no, but they make his life easier. The world is tiny to a mutant whale who continues to grow yearly if Izuku's theory is correct. A mutant hero whose own employers won't accommodate him because he could survive without them. A hero, who is called a villain more often than not. Katsuki felt the fight slowly drain out of him.

"Your reports will be delivered digitally now because I know that Jackalope will do that to help you. Just because he is a back alley analyst doesn't mean he isn't compassionate."

"And what about you? Is that why you work for him? Because he is compassionate?" Gang Orca looked to be on his back foot. This was different from how the man had pictured this meeting would go.

"HA! No. First off, your information sucks if you think I work for him. Second, not everyone has the privilege of chasing their dreams. Sometimes people are handed such a shitty hand in life that they can do nothing but fold. I'm sure you know this personally. People do what they have to do to survive." Katsuki turned to walk back through the snow. He could feel the wind cutting even more since he had stopped moving, and the small amount of sweat he had built up while walking through the snow was starting to chill him. He had said his bit. The whale would get over it or never reach out to them again. Katsuki and Izu wouldn't care either way.

"Wait. I… Thank you. I have one last question. Other heroes need help with cold cases. Very few are willing to work outside the commission, but the few are good people. Good heroes. Can they commission Jackalope also?"

Katsuki paused for a moment, glad that he and Izuku had planned for this question. "If you send them the link that you have, sure. But to get into the website, they will need to figure out the riddle before they gain access. We will know when you are not accessing the site, so every new hero will get a different riddle. If they are smart enough to figure out the riddle, it shows they have basic reasoning. If they can't, then they need to look back at their cases themselves because clearly, they are not smart enough to figure it out on their own or are just lazy. We won't do your job for you."

Gang Orca snorted; Katsuki assumed it was a snort as he clicked and whistled softly. "That's fair. Get home safe. The wind is picking back up, and another round of snow will be rolling in soon."

Katsuki waved a hand in dismissal and slowly headed up the street. After about two blocks, Katsuki dumped the tea in a frozen trash bin and went home. Needless to say, Izuku was immediately upset that Gang Orca hadn't mentioned he struggled with standard-sized paper and print, sending the hero a strongly worded message that if he or any other of the hero contacts that made it past the riddle needed accommodation to see reports to inform him.

Four days later, Katsuki caught the flu. The blizzard had just started to break, and electricity had been restored to their apartment once more, so he was at least warm while suffering. Kastuki spent two days hugging the toilet and sleeping with cold compresses to keep the fever down. Once more, Katsuki fell into a fever delirium that caused Izuku to take care of him again. In his dreams, Katsuki wasn't plagued with nightmares this time, but his dreams made him restless. He dreamt of making it into UA, fighting with Eye Bags. And Eraser ran him through drills, but in every dream, Izuku wasn't in his class. He knew Izuku would try for support or general education, that he wouldn't be in the hero course, but Katsuki's fever mind panicked when the small green boy was out of sight, that he couldn't find him in the maze that was a dream UA.

Izuku updated his notes on the blond and spoke to the Doc about why Katsuki's fevers hit him so hard. Turns out, when your body sweats for a quirk, your body temperature is either naturally higher, or the fever causes Katsuki to lose control over his temperature regulation. Midway through Katsuki having the flu, a client requested a face-to-face meeting. Izuku called in Dabi to be his backup, and when he told Katsuki that he had to leave for a few hours, the blond damn near had a meltdown. He insisted he could come help during the meeting, even if he couldn't stand away from the toilet for longer than fifteen minutes. After some meds and talking him down, Izuku slipped out for the meeting while Katsuki slept.  

When Katsuki awoke, he found Izuku curled up on his futon beside him, sleeping soundly without a scratch on him. After downing some water, and miso that Izuku had left at his side in a small thermos, the blond was tired of watching the room spin and promptly fell back asleep.

The blizzard passes, and the world moves on. Izuku also caught the flu, though not nearly as bad as Katsuki, and is only down for a few days. After they both are better, their life settles into a comfortable routine. Once every other week, they meet with Eraser and Mic to have dinner or brunch. Eraser and Katsuki meet up weekly for training. Izuku meets up with Stain for training though that had started happening less and less due to Stain traveling more. Izuku starts meeting regularly with one client who provides Izuku with an actual challenge. The misty fucker brings Izuku multiple quirks and asks theoretically how they would operate together or how they may react when combined. Apparently, the guy's boss had a quirk that allowed him to use multiple quirks for a short time, even combining them. The boss wanted a better understanding of how to anticipate quirk reactions when they are combined. He pays well, and Izuku is buzzing with ideas when he works on Misty's shit, so Katsuki doesn't question it.

Izuku goes dancing and completes his classes while focusing more on work. Katsuki slowly started focusing more on his studies, going less to the dojo as he learned more mixed martial arts styles from Eraser. Somehow Izu and Cat Brain began sending memes to each other and dragging Katsuki along to cat cafes. Katsuki refused to say they were friends; Izuku was the only one worthy of being his friend. Still, he would admit that debating on topics in person with the Fucker was more fun than the class discussions.

Once while visiting the orphanage, Katsuki caught sight of that Ears girl he had helped escape from some idiots. She and what appeared to be her father was playing music at a café as the boys walked past. They both realized instantly who the other was, and without missing a note, Ears nodded and smiled at him as he passed. Katsuki kept his natural scowl on his face. But, a warmth settled in his stomach, privately happy to see that she was doing well and didn't come back to the area without backup.

Eventually, it came time to submit high school applications. Really the boys were only applying to UA or to continue online schooling. Izuku tried for about a week to convince Katsuki to at least apply to other hero schools. Every time Katsuki would respond, "It's UA or bust, Nerd. Your plan depends on me getting into UA. So, I will." Izuku applied to take both the support and general education admission tests. Where Katsuki was only going to submit for the hero course exam, but Izuku forced him to choose general education as a backup. After submitting that application to test, Izuku cut back on some of his work for a while, telling Giran that he would only make regular requests and that all new requests were on hold for at least a month. The Purple Fuck only smiled and wished them both luck in their exams.

Two weeks after submitting the application to test, they received letters back from the UA board. Due to so many applicants, the process every year became more and more complex. First, you had to apply to the test and hope that you made it into the thousand or so students selected to attempt UA. Then you had to take the test and hope you became one of forty heroes, one of forty support, or one of eighty general education students. Katsuki knew there was a business school but did not know how many classes or the acceptance rate. Then and only then could you call yourself a UA student. The majority of people didn't even get to test. So, when both received letters, Katsuki knew they had made it to the next stage.

The boys sat across from each other at the table and ripped into the letters simultaneously. After skimming some bullshit about thanking him for applying to UA blah blah blah, Katsuki found the big check mark beside the hero course. Flipping through the pages, he found test times, a non-disclosure agreement about leaking test secrets, a list of gear he was allowed to bring, and what to expect during test day. Looking up, he noticed that Izuku had a much smaller packet that the green boy was folding away neatly.

Izuku looked up from what he was doing, saw the scattered papers on the table from Katsuki's letter, and smiled brightly, "What day is your test?"

"Next month, It says all testing is done on one day."

"Oh, I must have skimmed that part. Mine is next month too." Izuku's smile dimmed slightly before grabbing Katsuki's papers. "Oh man, they didn't approve you for the general education test, only the hero test? That's odd."

"They already know I'm gonna make it, that's why." Katsuki huffed with a smirk leaning back on his chair.

"Yea, because Kachan is already a hero!"

Katsuki clicked his teeth and turned away, his neck getting hot. "Did you get support?"

"Oh. Um, no… o-only general education. They mentioned my quirk status."

"Oh, those fuckers!! I'm telling Eraser that his school board needs to get their head out of their asses!"

"NO! Don't! It's fine. We expected this. Really no need to pester Eraser or Mic about it. They have their own school worries, and who knows, maybe I will be in Mic's class!" Izuku pulled nervously at his fingers and chewed on his lip. "Really, I'm ok. I just need to process this for a bit."

Katsuki stood to start making dinner but paused to ruffle Izuku's curls. "Fine, I won't bitch to Eraser but kick their teeth in with that test. You deserve to be at UA, fuck those assholes."

Izuku started tearing up, his shoulders hunching in on themselves as he smiled softly at Katsuki. His smile did not reach his green eyes, but he nodded one before taking his letter and slipping into their bedroom.

Katsuki decided to make some katsudon for dinner in hopes of cheering Izuku up. It could have been better, but they were at least one step closer to their goal. They find out later that night that Shinsou also made it into the hero and general education tests.

The month before the test passes quickly. Eraser can only meet sometimes as he has to work more at the school to prepare for the entrance exams. But they make time about a week before the exams to have a twilight chat on the roof of the dance studio.

"So, are you ready for the exam? You know it's more than a fight to show your abilities." Eraser asked as he sucked down his pre-patrol coffee.

"Yea, I'm not fucking stupid; I've been studying. I'm ready to crush that exam." Katsuki huffed while staring up at the sky. Eraser nods before asking, "Is Izuku?"

"We told you to use our new names Hobo Fucker. And yea, I think so. He has been holing up in his office more and more. Said he has been studying even though he doesn't need to. Fucker is too smart."

"Good, I am glad you both are ready for this. While I won't oversee either the hero or the gen ed exams, I know you will do great." Eraser finishes his coffee, tucking the thermos into his jumpsuit. He looks like he wants to say something else but doesn't as he sits and stares out over the skyline.

"Oi, just fucking spit it out. I can smell the smoke from your brain from here." Katsuki snapped, annoyed that the hobo was not just speaking his mind. They had an agreement, Eraser could ask anything he wanted, and Katsuki could refuse to answer at any time. However, it was rare for the blond to deflect as Eraser rarely asked anything invasive.

"Brat." Was the only thing he would say before sighing and turning to face Katsuki. This caused the blond to sit up and meet the man as well. 'Oh , this is something serious .'

"I was invited to a small group of heroes who agreed to work with a new underground analyst. This analyst has helped Gang Orca out with some challenging cases. Because my trigger case is so old and widespread, Nedzu suggested that this analyst check it out to see if they come up with any angles I am missing."

' OH, fuck…. '

"But here is the kicker. The reports are delivered either via email if requested or in person by a runner. Gang Orca said the runner's name is KEM."

' Fuck Fuck Fuck Fuck Fuck, abort! Bad topic .' But before Katsuki could open his mouth to deflect, Eraser continued.

"And this analyst goes by the name Jackalope. Do you know what a Jackalope is? Nedzu was quite tickled to learn the name because Jackalopes are mythical pre-quirk-era cryptids of American jack rabbits with antlers. They are said to be born when lighting strikes the ground forging a spirit of nature with a will of fire. Some cultures considered them a bad omen, and others a guide to knowledge. Cryptic but could appear harmless. Two sides of a coin, so to speak. So, I am asking you this KEM. Do you work for this Jackalope? And can I trust them with my case?"

Katsuki felt like time had frozen; cold sweat caused his hands to go clammy as he could only stare back at Eraser's dark eyes. Katsuki didn't know what to do. Should he lie? Should he run? Eraser had said in the past he didn't care about how he got money in the past, but he also didn't know Izu was Jack! He didn't ask who Jack was, only if he would trust them… Maybe half-truth?

"Yea, I work with Jack. Yes, you can trust them with your cases. Best fucking analyst out here. I won't tell you more than that." Katsuki wanted to wipe his hands so badly on his pants the sweat was pooling and making his skin itch.  

"Work with, not for. Gang Orca said something similar. Is Jackalope the only one helping train Izuku's analysis? Don't think I haven't noticed over the months he has improved." Eraser didn't sound mad, maybe disappointed? Which caused Katsuki's throat to go dry. "I ain't saying shit."

Eraser stared at him for a moment before sighing. "Sorry, I knew you both had to find work somehow; I shouldn't be disappointed that it was not legal to work. Just be careful, please. Not all heroes will let you walk away from a drop-off."

Katsuki stood up slowly, making a show of dusting off his pants from the roof dirt, not just his sweaty palms. "Yea, I know. That's why Jack had been thinking about purely digital. He knew I was going to start high school. I won't be meeting many people in person now." Not a complete lie, but Katsuki and Izuku already had discussed cutting back on "work" hours for KEM. Since hero courses run six days away with additional training after school. And this way, Izuku could send reports at all different hours so no heroes pick up that he may be in school.

"Good. Gang Orca said they were reasonable to work with. It appears they treat you with respect as well." Eraser also stood brushing off his jumpsuit. "Be safe, Brat. I'll see you at UA."

"Fuck off, Hobo. Don't let some old ladies call the cops on you again." Katsuki walked towards the fire escape. Izuku should be getting out of dance class shortly, and he needed to get some distance between him and Eraser.

"That was one time!" But Eraser only shook his head before jumping to the next building in the opposite direction.

Standing outside of the dance studio, Katsuki couldn't help but pace. Eraser knew about Jackalope but had yet to put together that Jack was Izuku. This is fine. He could work with this; he had to tell Izuku as soon as they got home. It would be fine. UA test we next week; they would get in and go to school. Ride out the last months of the deal Izu had with Giran, then start on their plan. Even if Eraser found out that Izu was Jack, there wasn't anything he could do about it without getting the other heroes who worked with them in trouble… right?

A squeal of laughter with the slamming of the studio doors brought Katsuki out of his spiraling as Izuku, and the pink girl came running out together.

"Give it back, Mina! It's a prank!"

"Nooo, way Greenie! I gotta meet this roommate of yours who pranks you with BDSM Pancake flippers!" as the one Izuku called Mina held up the cursed Midnight spatula. ' Oh yea, I forgot I put that in his bag .'  

Izuku slowly chased the girl around, giggling as she lightly swatted his arms and thighs with the cursed item before Izuku slowly made his way over to Katsuki. "Kacchan, why did you have to hide it in my bag this time? "Izuku whined, tossing the said bag into Katsuki's arms.

"Honestly, I forgot I shoved it in there yesterday," Katsuki grunted as the bag's weight slammed into his chest.

"So, you're the one who owns this thing?" Mina had bounced over and waved the spatula around, an evil glint in her eyes.

"Fuck no! And back the fuck up. The Nerd got it as a freebee when we ordered new pots of something, and it's been the cursed thing ever since. He is the one who started this war by putting it in my pillowcase!" Katsuki sneered, taking a step back; Mina was a bit much to have in his personal space.

"I told you! It doesn't mean anything." Izuku lunged and snagged the offending object out of her hands.

Mina giggled as Izuku shoved the spatula back into the bag that Katsuki was still holding. Mina eyed Katsuki, "Man, your boyfriend is helpful and funny! You got lucky, Greenie." Mina sighed wistfully, and Izuku choked on his tongue, causing him to double over coughing.

"We are not boyfriends, you damn pink raccoon! We live together!" Katsuki snapped while slamming Izuku on the back, allowing him to get air once more.

"Could have fooled me!" Mina winks before skipping away. "Bye, Izu-babe, see you next week for pole dancing!"

"She is fucking insane," Katsuki growled as Izuku slowly collected himself.

"She is nice. A bit out there, but she really kind to me." Izuku huffed, taking his bag back from Katsuki and walking towards their apartment. The walk home was longer now, as they did not take the alley shortcut anymore. They didn't want to risk running into the drunk guy again, who never was caught. As soon as they walked into the door, slowly collapsing onto the couch, Katsuki sighed while rubbing his face hard.

"So, we gotta talk."

Izuku had smothered his face into the couch, decompressing from the day, and hummed in response.

"Eraser knows about Jackalope and is about to request work from you."

"WHAT?!?" Izuku shot up and spun to look at Katsuki.

"That's not the worst part."

"Does he know I am Jack?"

"No."

"Then what could be worse?"

"Jackalope has caught Nedzu's attention."

"Oh fuck."

Chapter Text

Izuku spent the next week triple-checking his website security to determine if Nedzu had somehow hacked into his system. Izuku went as far as contacting that Bluebeam motherfucker to see if he could help secure their files and double-check that their new aliases were holding up. Luckily everything appeared to be in the clear. The fear of Nedzu knowing who they were, occupied their minds enough that they didn't stress too much about the upcoming entrance exams.

Katsuki had aced all the mock exams; he rested his body for three days before the exam and made sure to hydrate thoroughly. Izuku spent a lot of time in his office, Katsuki assumed it was because of Nedzu, but the boys honestly didn't speak much during this time. Katsuki was starting to wonder if Izuku was avoiding him for some reason. But they shared a meal daily at least, and nothing was uncomfortable, so Katuski pushed the thoughts away. That was until the day of the exam.

Slamming his fist on Izuku's office door, the blond didn't give a shit about the neighbors hearing them so early in the morning. "Come on, Nerd! We are going to be late! You have 30 fucking seconds to get your ass out here now."

"I'm coming! Just making sure I have my notebooks! Go ahead and leave without me. I'll catch up!" Izuku yelled from inside; the sound of tools and paper shoved around muffled Izuku's voice.

"No fucking way! Let's go!"

Just as Katsuki was about to start pounding on the door, a very harried-looking Izuku was standing in front of him, a mostly empty backpack on his back.

"Ready? I'm leaving."

"Wait, I need my coffee!"

"Tough luck, your out. You drank the last of it yesterday." Katsuki grunted as he tossed his over-packed duffle over his shoulders. He snagged the additional bento he had prepared and shoved it into Izuku's chest.

"Noo! I was up late last night. I need my coffee! I'll just have to pick some up on the way." Izuku pouted while placing his lunch in the bag. Both boys were dressed business casual. While they did not have school uniforms to don, Katsuki's letter requested that at least slacks and a button-up shirt be worn for the written portion of the test. The irony of them wearing some of their Jack and KEM clothing was not lost on them as Izuku nearly picked up his Jackalope hoodie before remembering and just grabbing a soft pullover instead.

Katsuki wondered if anyone at UA would give him shit for wearing a bandanna on his forehead. The scar from when he was forcefully merged with a dumpster had faded well enough, but it drove Katsuki mad to watch people's eyes flick up to it when speaking to him. So while he wore his button-up shirt and slacks, a solid black band on his head wasn't the most professional looking. The collar of his shirt was tall enough to hide the worst of his Endeavor scar. Only the portion that reached his hairline would be seen, and with the undercut, it was difficult to tell that the area was a burn and not just a design cut into his hair.

"I'm not waiting for you at some stupid coffee shop."

"That's fine. Shinsou says there is one halfway down the hill from UA. I'll just pop in there, and you can keep going. It's not like we will be in the same testing halls." Izuku mumbled, looking down at his phone as they walked.

"Are you seriously texting Eye Bags already? It's too fucking early to be dealing with his shit."

"Shinsou says 'good morning to you too.'"

"Fucker."

The train ride to UA was uneventful. It was clear that they were not the only UA hopefuls on the train. The pre-exam jitters could be felt, making even the regular commuters uneasy. Katsuki took this time to study Izuku, looking down, trying to be discrete. The blond expected Izu to nervously pull at his fingers or shift from foot to foot. But the Nerd was calm, collected, maybe resigned? It was a strange cold look that Katsuki had not seen on the smaller boy before. Like he had already accepted his fate, this was all theater for him.

"Oi, you're going to show those fuckers. You're going to kick ass today, and we both will be in UA."

Izuku turned away from looking out the window and smiled softly at Katsuki. "Of course! You are already a hero; they would be dumb to reject you." But the smile never reached Izuku's eyes. Katsuki felt like something was wrong, but before he opened his mouth, they had arrived at their stop. The boys were forced to follow the crowd as they stepped onto the platform, and Izuku started to beeline toward the street.

"Coffee, sweet coffee, I need you." Izuku sighed as he started up the hill toward the campus. Up the way, a small crowd could be seen around the coffee shop, causing Izuku to whine. "I'm going to run ahead and get in line for coffee. Don't wait up! Good luck with the test if I don't see you at the gates! Don't explode anyone." Izuku giggled before trotting off, not even waiting for Katsuki to respond.

The blond slowly trudged up the hill to the oversized campus. His hands deep in his pockets, Katsuki felt a strange weight seem to settle on his shoulders. Was Izuku just accepting that UA was going to reject him? Katsuki couldn't tell, but something was off with Izuku today. Hell, this whole week, the more he thought about it. But as he passed the coffee shop, Izu stood in line, slightly swaying back and forth, listening to music like normal. Like he didn't have a care in the world. Katsuki couldn't read this Izuku, and he didn't like it.

Shinsou was nursing his own coffee just inside the gates, swaying back and forth while attempting to stay awake. "Where is Mikumo?"

"Coffee." Katsuki jerked a thumb over his shoulder and kept walking. Shinsou hummed and started to walk in step with him. "You ready for the hero exam?"

"It's all the same fucking shitty written test. The physical is probably the least of my fucking problems." Shinsou snorted, but his face remained neutral.

"Yea, yea. If it's anything other than live people, I might be shit out of luck and need to try for the hero course via the Sports Festival."

"I still don't see why you didn't just take the fucking recommendation exam."

"Spite."

"Fucking idiot."

They fell quiet after that. Neither of them would admit they enjoyed the others' company, but the easy silence was always welcome. Approaching the registration tables, some older students and staff were directing people to different testing halls forcing the boys to split up.

"Hey, text me if you see the Nerd. The fucker had better make it in time for the test."

"Sure, I'll keep an eye out during the written portion. But we both are going to the hero practical after this; we may not see him."

"I know. He was acting weird this morning, and I don't like it."

"Mother hen."

 "Fucking die."

Katsuki stormed off, finding his testing room and taking a seat in the back. He was normally a middle-of-the-class, if not second-row, type of student. However, the thought of having strangers behind him, able to see his neck and sneak up on him, did nothing to help with his testing anxiety. So he tucked himself away in the corner closest to a door but with no seats behind him. As he prepared his space for the exam, a familiar blond also walked into the room. Tailz nodded once towards Katsuki, silent good luck and glad to see you, before taking one of the remaining seats near the front. Katsuki couldn't help but wonder who all they knew was trying for UA today. Izuku had mentioned that Pink Bitch was also accepted to test, which surprised Katsuki, seeing how she didn't seem the type to actually buckle down and study.

A hero named Ectoplasm arrived, and after a quick explanation, he distributed the tests and started the timer. Once reviewing all the directions, a small upside-down printed paragraph caught Katsuki's attention just before the essay portion of the packet.

Hero course examines are not to answer essay question 4. Instead, provide a scenario you can imagine experiencing when you become a hero and how you would solve it (i.e., bank robbery, hostage situation, natural disaster). Be specific to the type of heroics you care to specialize in and provide sufficient detail of your actions.

This small, upside-down text was on the back of another page, making it easily missed. After rereading the instructions, Katsuki looked up from his test and directly at the hero proctoring the exam. The blue man in question was watching everyone closely. Most of the students had just started right away on the multiple-choice questions, not bothering to read all the instructions for each section. But seeing Katsuki flipping through the packet first, the hero nodded when Katsuki's head shot up to verify.

' They are not only looking at the test scores but how well you follow directions and how realistic your dreams of becoming a hero are. Eraser always spoke highly of Nedzu, and I can see why now. The fucker is tricky for sure, but I bet this weeds out most of the people applying. '

Katsuki sighed before settling into the test. He had three hours to get through as much of the packet as possible, and he was starting with the essays.

Three hours later and Katsuki wanted to fight something. The test overall was fine. He approached it logically, first taking on the more complex, longer questions. Then speed-answering all the questions he knew for a fact and left the ones he was unsure of or didn't know to the end empty. He wasn't sure if this was a deduction system where he got points deducted for being wrong but not for leaving blanks. He wasn't going to risk anything by blindly reaching for answers.

No, he was pissed because the Rat hid questions within questions causing logical or moral circles that the blond had to make sure he didn't fall into. Like he understood, they needed to test to see if the students were intelligent enough both academically and emotionally but fuck if that didn't cause Katsuki's hackles to rise. ' Well, Izuku should have enjoyed this test .' He thought to himself as he found a small courtyard to sit in and eat his perfectly arranged bento. Fishing out his phone, he texted his location to the group chat with Eye Bags and the Nerd.

Da Bomb:  Eat your lunch here. {Location}

Mini Greenie:  Wha! I just left campus to run home and grab my laptop while I wait for you two to finish the hero exam. Sorry!

Eye Gucci:  I'll be there. Let me grab mine from Pop's office.

Da Bomb:  WTF! Why would you go all the way home? Why didn't you just bring it!? Why are you not eating lunch?

Mini Greenie:  I forgot it this morning! I was in a rush! I'm not hungry right now. I'll be there when your tests are done and eat while I wait.

Da Bomb:  You fucking better!

Eye Gucci:  Pops wants you two over for dinner after the tests. He didn't leave room for debate, and dad wasn't here to shut him down. Apparently, he has pork marinating for katsudon.

Mini Greenie:  We will be there!

Da Bomb:  WTF!

Katsuki slammed his phone back into his bag and leaned against the rough tree. Why the fuck would Izuku run home? That feeling of unease slowly tightened in his chest, making his bento appear unappetizing.

Shinsou joined him shortly after, carrying a can of cold coffee and a packed bento. "Why did Mikumo need his laptop?"

"I don't fucking know! I told you; he is being weird today." Katsuki grumbled, finally opening his own lunch.

"Maybe he has the exam jitters and can't just sit still while he waits for us?"

"He was pretty fucking calm this morning." Katsuki stabbed into his lunch and started forcing the food down his throat. He wasn't hungry now but knew he would need the calories shortly. He even brought some stupid hydration packets that the Doc kept pushing on them every time.

"I dunno. But we can ask him after the hero practical." Shinsou cracked open his coffee and slowly started to eat. In a quiet, unsure voice, he asked, "Hey did you catch the essay question for the hero course?"

"Fuck yea, I did! Kami, that test sucked. I thought Izu was bad with moral dilemma questions." Katsuki growled while Shinsou sagged in relief.

"Oh, thank fuck. I thought I was going nuts; no one else was actually reading the questions and just blowing through them. I thought for sure I was doing something wrong. Though there was this one yellow-haired guy who looked as confused as I was."

"I'm sure you did something wrong, but that wasn't it."

"Oh, fuck off."

An hour later, Katsuki was in his combat pants and a tank top sitting on a shitty bus overcrowded with Extras. Once more, he was separated from Eye Bags and sent to different testing sites. However, Katsuki was fine with the separation. Katsuki actually felt bad for the purple shit. They were about to fight robots, and Shinsou didn't have a chance in hell of his quirk working on the machines.

"Well, dad always said, can't be a one-trick pony. Let's just hope my other tricks can actually get me some points." Shinsou muttered dejectedly as they changed before the test.

"There is more to heroics than just killing robots. You better fucking crush this exam."

"That was weirdly motivational coming from you."

"Or just die for all I care. I hope a robot falls on you."

"Good luck to you too."

So now Katsuki stood in front of the small crowd just before the door. Slowly rotating his shoulders, stretching the last of the tightness out as his mind replayed all the training sessions he and Eraser had. All the spars that Izu had kept him on his toes. All the dodging he perfected running around the warehouse with Dabi. The martial arts the old man and Tailz taught him and the absolute fine motor control and situational awareness he had established so as to not hurt anyone with his quirk. Inhale, exhale, not allowing his mind to linger on Izuku acting weird today, not allowing the fear of being discovered to cloud his judgment. Katsuki was here to prove he was worthy of being a hero, even if he didn't make it into UA. He would act like the hero he should have been for years leading up to this. Heroes knew when to save and when to fight. And even if this was just a fight against robots, Katsuki would keep control.

He heard Present Mic scream out above all the testing areas, his voice high and optimistic. Everyone around Katsuki paused to look up at the hero. Still, Katsuki kept his focus on the doors, waiting to hear the groan of them opening, and the test started. Just as the doors clicked and started to open, Mic screamed go. Only Katsuki moved. There were too many people behind him to blast off like he wanted. Still, he reached the door in no time, forcing his body sideways to squeeze into the arena just as Mic announced there were no countdowns in life.

Katsuki got a whole block into the mock city before anyone even was close to him. Turning the corner to keep ahead of the crowd, he ran almost head-first into a one-pointer. The red eye of the machine swirled and zeroed in on him. Katsuki felt a feral smile spilt his face as his palms lit up, and the robot fell into a smoldering heap. His first of many robots kill. Katsuki kept ahead of the crowd as best as he could, overtaking ground and getting closer to the higher-scoring robots. But after approximately five minutes, the mock city was in chaos. Quirks flew everywhere, teens screaming about others cheating, some running and hiding in fear while robots chased them.

One girl with antlers sticking out of her head was trapped in an alley with three robots closing in. She appeared to have hooves, but one was twisted to the side at an uncomfortable angle that didn't allow her to run away or charge them. Katsuki quickly jumped between her and the robots. Honestly, it was no different than when he would step between women and abusers in dark alleys. After securing her behind him and making sure no one was in the path behind the robots, Katsuki unleashed one widespread blast. That one blast melted them as if they were plastic, instantly dead.

"You good?" he asked the deer girl? Deer boy? Didn't male deer have antlers? They looked female, though…

"Yea, I am ok now. Um, thanks for the help. I had one grab my leg earlier, and I think it might be broken."

"Yea, that doesn't look good. But I know UA will have healers after the exam. Here." And Katsuki reached over, exploding the lock off a door, forcing it to swing open into the empty building. "Hang out in there for now. It would be dumb to keep going on that leg because you will only make it worse. I'll either come to get you or send a teacher to get you after the exam."

They reached up and rubbed at the tears on their face. "Yea, you are right. I'll just try again next year or something. I like running too much to ruin my leg more."

"Smart. If you make it into Gen Ed, you can always try via the sports fest." Katsuki quickly helped them hobble into the empty building.

"Thank you. I didn't know that. You…. You better go. I don't want to waste your exam time anymore." They whimpered softly as they lay their leg out on the floor.  

"If I get points docked for helping others, then this would be a shit hero school to be in," Katsuki grunted but made sure they were at least comfortable before turning to leave. "Later."

"Thank you again!" they yelled after Katsuki as he shot up onto the roof with a controlled blast.

The exam was chaos at this point. People purposely stole robot kills, were being shoved out of the way and were hurt or scared. Katsuki officially didn't give two fucks about the robots. He didn't bother keeping track of how many he killed, but seeing so many people scared, Katsuki kept seeing the people on the streets beaten down or about to be hurt, but in different ways.

So, Katsuki started helping. Pulling people from the rubble, blasting open doors to give people safe places to hide. He didn't have any medical equipment on him, so in the end, his tank was ripped to shreds providing temporary splints or bandages for those who needed them. His bedside manner was absolute shit as he screamed at an extra to fucking run away if they were that scared, but a few thanked him profusely for helping. With three minutes left in the exam, Katsuki could not tell you or even guess the number of points he had. Still, he could say how infuriated he was that the exam was structured in such a way. Most of these Extras would make horrible heroes. More Endeavors and wanna-be All Mights' that only focus on the glory and looking good while playing with their quirk. And in the back of his mind, Katsuki couldn't help but think, ' you were just like them too. '

The ground started to shake, causing him to brace himself against the building he had just opened for people to hide in. Three people who were hurt were tucked away in his building, but now they were in the direct path of what appeared to be at least a ten-story 0-Pointer robot fucker. With only Katsuki standing between them and it. The remaining participants started to run away down the street, not even attempting to fight it, knowing this robot wasn't worth any points. A few screamed and actually ran away in fear, but Katsuki was frozen. The people behind him couldn't run away. Their injuries were too bad for them to run, but UA wouldn't allow a building to fall on potential students, right?

The 0-pointer reached up with one arm and crushed the nearest building as if it were made of toothpicks. Creating a cloud of rubble that obscured the area. Ok, they would bring down a building on future students. Snarling, Katsuki saw one other person not running from the robot but scared, if not in shock. This extra had flat black hair and spikey teeth as they stared slack-jawed at the towering machine.

"OI, YOU! FUCK HEAD!"

The black-haired teen was startled and quickly pointed to himself, asking, 'who me?'

"Yes, you! Look, there are hurt people in here. I'm going to distract the fucking robot, but make sure they get out if the damn thing gets too close?"

"You really think you can take that thing on?" The Spikey mouth yelled as he jogged closer. Another building was turned to rubble, creating more dust in the air and coating them all in plaster.

"Doesn't fucking matter. They can't get out of the way in time. I must slow it down," Katsuki blasted forward but kept low to the ground, using the dust to hide his movements. The 0-pointer kept moving forward steadily, crushing the pavement and rubble like glass. Katsuki didn't have a plan, but he knew it might stop moving if he could take out the knees. There was not enough time to work up a sweat strong enough to blast this thing without blowing out his shoulders. But he had picked up enough mechanical information from Izuku; he knew how to spot weak points or areas meant for movement. And that is where he aimed.

"DIE FUCKER!"

Being metal, the robot had some natural fire resistance, making it more difficult to blast through the steel. The dust burned Katsuki's eyes, and the stones cut at his skin, but he got right up on the 'foot' of the robot without the sensors taking agro on him. The feet were more like tank tracks, heavily armored for such a delicate area. Studying the outcomes of different wars, Katsuki knew not to focus on the tracks themselves but to flip the machine or disconnect it from the tracts to disable the whole thing. Katsuki suspected that even All Fucks would have issues flipping this thing. So Katsuki focused all of his sweat into one superheated blast after another, right at the ankle joint. The force of the explosions slid him across the road into a small pile of rubble, but he kept pumping sweat into blast after blast, wearing down the armor and melting the joint. A low groaning of metal could be heard as the robot realized that it was under attack and was bringing its arm down toward the blond, that was not moving out of the way.

Little did the blond know that a dark-haired hero was watching, white-knuckled on the edge of his chair. Watching both Katsuki and the robots' sensors for damage taken. Katsuki felt the skin on his hands start to peel away. Each new blast takes a layer of skin with it. The pain not registering until he heard the satisfying groaning of metal on metal and a thunderous snap. The machine's weight caused the damaged joint to collapse as the robot lurched to the left. Its arm was thrown off course, slamming into the building beside Katsuki. The 0-pointer slowly began to list to the side, falling into the skyscraper beside it. The ground shook with such force that it brought the teen to his knees as the sound of grinding metal and concrete overloaded his hearing aids.

Now Katsuki began to run; the building and the robot were unstable, he didn't need to be an engineer to know that, but the pain of the skin melting off his hands. The tightness of his shoulders prevented him from running away as fast as he should of. Like an avalanche, the building turned to rubble falling and filling the street with concrete and plaster. Chunks rained down on Katsuki, forcing him to dodge like he had trained. But as he used his hands to parkour over the corpse of a two-pointer, the pain flared, causing him to slip on his own blood and land on his side. Pushing up, the last thing he saw was Shark Tooth screaming out at him as the last of the rubble came raining down.

Being buried by a building wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. The metal body of the two-pointer helped create a small cave in that he was slightly sheltered. He was still pinned, with the weight of a concrete slab lying on his back, but he wasn't dead. Keeping his breath shallow, he tried to dig his way out, or at least push the block off, but the skin on his hands was half melted, leaving bloody hand prints everywhere and causing more pain.

"Fuck, this sucks." He growled to himself. Pissed off that he allowed his hands to get this bad. Pissed off at UA for such a stupid exam. Pissed off that after all this shit because that robot was not worth any points, there was a real chance, he wouldn't make it into UA and ruin Izu's plan. Muffled voices reached his ears, causing him to reach up and confirm he still had his aids in. Though now they needed to be cleaned from the dust and the blood on his hands.

"I'm coming, bro! Just hold on!" sounded like Shark Mouths' voice as dust shifted around him.

"Not like I can fucking go anywhere," Katsuki growled as he attempted to kick the concrete off him with his legs.

"OH, I heard him! Here! He is alive!"

"I'M NOT FUCKING DEAD, YOU IDIOT!"

"Akatani, please stay calm. I will have you out in a moment." And that sounded like a hero, but he couldn't place the voice. The concrete around him seemed to liquefy, become weightless and fold away like a flower. Shark Mouth, the three he had saved before, Eraserhead, and a gray, blocky man that Katsuki assumed was Cementos were standing around watching the earth flow away.

"You're ok, Bro!" Shark Mouth yelled, pumping his fist in the air.

"I'm fucking fine," Katsuki growled as he pulled himself up off the ground without the use of his hands. Eraser approached gently, grabbing his forearm to steady him. "Recovery Girl will determine that." He said as dark eyes scoured Katsuki's face and body for more injuries.

"It's just my fucking hands. I pushed it too much to melt the metal."

Eraser's eyes filled with relief, but he kept a hand on him to steady him, just in case he slipped into shock. "I'll make sure Akatani makes it to RG. You there, what is your name?" Eraser asked Pointy Mouth.

"Kirishima sir, Kirishima Ejiro." Eraser nodded as if he recognized the name.

"Please help those three to the medical tents at the gates. Cementos will start sweeping the city to help those still in buildings." And Katsuki felt Eraser's hand tighten on his shoulder. Was it pride that he had seen Katsuki hide people for safety?

Kirishima nodded and smiled brightly, so bright that it reminded Katsuki of Izuku. But before the teen escorted the others away, who was still staring at Katsuki, he turned and bowed to the blond. "I gotta say, man, what you did was so manly there! Thank you for protecting everyone." Kirishima stood, hitting Katsuki with his own megawatt smile. Katsuki felt his neck go hot as he clicked his teeth. He was about to respond, but he noticed Kirishimia's eyes flick to his forehead before snapping back down to his face. Katsuki had lost his bandanna somewhere in the rubble, allowing the scar to be seen, the pale shiny skin standing out even more with the grime on his face. Seeing people's attention on the blemish caused Katsuki to want out of that conversation more than anything.

"Thanks. I guess." Katsuki growled but turned away quickly, leading Eraser away. It was a slow process, Katsuki's body sorer than he had realized, but even with the slow pace, Eraser never rushed nor babied him. Just kept a steady hand on his shoulder should he need it.

"I can't say anything about the exam, but know you did good, Kid. You showed everyone what it means to be a hero today. I'm proud of you." Eraser murmured softly as the medical tents came into view. Katsuki stiffened but only nodded in response. He was angry, and there were a million reasons why, but Katsuki couldn't say what for sure was pissing him off now. And he did not feel like trying to dissect why with Eraserhead here. Silently they just trudged their way to the med tents.

Very few people were actually hurt. Most people complained of bruises and scrapes. The deer person was one of the most injured with a fractured leg that Recovery Girl had healed up in no time. But Katsuki's hands took time. Between the dust in the air and the rubble he crawled over, they had to be scrubbed clean of any dirt before Recovery Girl would heal him. Eraser had to help hold his shoulders and elbows locked in place as the assistant nurses washed the melted skin with a special soap. Each swipe of the soft bush caused Katsuki to jump and attempt to jerk his hands back out. They assured him that it was natural to jump, that his mind wanted to protect his hands more than anything, but Katsuki still felt weak, hissing in pain as the dust was washed out.

After what felt like hours but was only twenty minutes, Katsuki sat on a gurney, his throbbing hands laid out on the clean white sheets, palms up, air drying. Eraser had left not long ago, stating a need to check in with the staff and to let Shinsou know, and through him, Izuku, that Katsuki was still in medical. Shinsou also ended up at the medical tent for a little reason. Or so that is what Katsuki was told. While waiting, a short elderly lady slowly approached his small curtain cubical, holding a file with his fake name.

"Akatani, while it is a pleasure to meet you, perhaps maybe wait until you are in the hero course proper to need my services?" She smiled softly as she lay her cane against the bed.

Katsuki clicked his teeth and looked away. Had he been injured anywhere else on his body, he would have walked out already. However, seeing the open burns that covered his palms, Katsuki knew better than to risk the use of his quirk. He was stupid for pushing this far; those Extras would have been fine. He didn't need to draw this attention to himself. But between the challenge of the 0-Pointer and the fact that there were real people who needed help, Katsuki acted without much thought.

"Not one for small talk, are you, Sonny? I can respect that. I'll just explain what I am about to do. First, I will inspect your hands and back before I heal them. Make sure all the dirt is cleaned out. Then I am going to kiss your hands. Oh, don't make that look; it's how my quirk works. Think of just getting a smooch from your grandmother. But you are going to be exhausted after. You may even just fall asleep. If you do, that's fine; Aizawa said he would monitor you and call your parents if it gets too late." The woman, who Katsuki decided was Recovery Girl, busied herself with putting on fresh gloves while she spoke. He was a little glad that Izuku wasn't here for this. He knew how much the Nerd idolized her, and he would totally geek out over her quirk. But Katsuki was still pissed and really wanted to go home.

"Will my hands be healed when you are done, or will I need to do more shi- stuff to them when I get home?" Katsuki nearly cursed, but one strong side-eye from the woman caused him to change his mind.

"Good question. They will be fully healed, but newly formed skin from burns like these tends to be much more sensitive for a week after. So, there will not be a risk of infection or bandage changes, but I will wrap your hands and place compression half gloves on to protect the skin. No, using your quirk for at least a week, got it?"

Katsuki nodded, annoyed but understanding. ' At least I don't have any KEM duties this week. '

"Alright, Sonny, lean forward for me; let me see that bruising." Katsuki leaned forward, his abs and back protesting the movement. He was starting to feel like a building had dropped on him; the contusions on his back provided a beautiful mosaic of the event. "You are a tough kid, and clearly take care of yourself if you had a building drop on you and all you have is some bruising. Though this scar is concerning. It didn't heal the best, did it?" RG commented while softly touching some of the worst bruises, checking for any internal bleeding. Katsuki kept his mouth shut about the burn scar on his back; having his top torn to shreds didn't help hide anything.

Satisfied, she gently laid Katsuki back and picked up his hands. Slowly turning them over and gradually stretching the skin. Katsuki hissed in pain as the open palms had dried just enough that the skin cracked with her touch.

"Could you explain your quirk to me in your own words? Your file seems rather ambiguous about it."

Katsuki swallowed and nodded, reciting what he and Izuku had come up with. "Where I touch, I can make explode. It has severe drawbacks because I am touching the object where it explodes, so my hearing is busted. But I have recently figured out that by touching air, I guess that's what the analyst called it. But touching the air or the molecules or something allows me to project blasts because the force is now focused away and not constrained by the object. I think that's it, at least. I know my hands heat up, and things explode."

"Hmmm, I had noticed the hearing aids and the note of partial deafness in the file. I am only curious because you appear to have enlarged sweat glands in your hands. They don't seem to be infected, but I will make a note in your file just in case you ever have complications." Recovery Girl wasn't looking at Katsuki, still inspecting the skin on his hand, twisting them left and right, triple checking all the debris was out of the burns. Katsuki only nodded dumbly. Maybe this was a mistake; he was so going to be discovered; he should permanently dye his hair. They had gotten cocky. Eraser taking so long to figure out who and where they were giving them too much confidence. And now they are willingly walking into the Rat's den? When Jackalope caught Nedzu's eyes?? Katsuki regretted this entire day.

"Alright, your hands are clean, and I can heal you just fine. Now I want you to lean back and relax. If you are tired, don't fight it. Just take a nap, and I will have some energy gummies set out for you to go home. Eat a big meal tonight." Recovery Girl gave him a stern look while Kastuki nodded in understanding. "Good."

Leaning down, the woman placed her lips softly on Kastuki's hands; a soft glow emanated from his palms before a wave of exhaustion overtook him. Katsuki's neck immediately gave out, causing his head to crash into the pillows as, limb by limb, his body felt like it turned to rock. Even his tongue felt heavy in his mouth as he fought to keep his eyes open.

"Easy there, Sonny, don't fight it. Just nap; you are safe here." Even with her words of encouragement, Katsuki fought the exhaustion with everything he had until he had no more. Darkness overtook his vision as he last heard Recovery Girl sigh. "Poor lad, not very trusting, are you. Don't worry. I'll make sure you get a good nap." Katsuki felt a soft hand pet his hair, slowly pushing it off his face as Recovery Girl studied the scar on his forehead.

The phantom touch to his hair was the first thing he felt when he came to consciousness. But he quickly realized that no one was touching him. However, soft snoring could be heard beside him. Slowly peeking his eyes open, Katsuki came face to face with a sleeping Shinsou. Blinking in confusion, Katsuki saw the purple boy leaning back in a chair beside the blond's bed, snoring lightly. Looking around, Katsuki was still in the med tent, but this time it was dusky, with hanging lights casting long shadows as the sun had started to set. Katsuki pawed at the blankets tucked around him but flinched as his hands felt tingly. His hands were wrapped in gauze with compression gloves on top to protect the palms, but each touch felt a hundred times more sensitive than before. Slowly flexing the digits, Katsuki could tell all his built-up callouses had melted away, that the skin was like a newborn, soft and oversensitive. Katsuki distantly worried that his quirk would be painful to use like it was when it first developed as a child.

"Fuuuuck," Katsuki buried his head in his hands. It would take months to build back those callouses for his quirk again.

"That's what you get for fighting the 0-Pointer." A deadpan voice announced that Shinsou had awoken while Katsuki inspected his hands. "Dad told me what happened. I thought I was the one who was going to get yelled at for breaking my wrist earlier. Lucky for me, you get that lecture."

"Fuck off, I'm not listening to that shit. I'm going home. Where is Izu?"

"Did you forget about dinner?"

"I'm not fucking going."

"Well, might want to re-think that. Since Mikumo is already at the apartment with Pops."

"HA?"

"Yea, apparently, while you were out, Pops found him sitting outside the gate waiting for us. Once I got to my phone, I texted him to let him know what happened, but Pops kidnapped him to help make dinner."

Katsuki wanted to scream. He wanted to scream and rage and blow up this fucking tent. All Katsuki asked for was to go home, eat, sleep, and maybe talk to Izuku about this plan. But no, now he had to go fucking play nice with two fucking heroes who think they need help. Katsuki closed his eyes, breathing hard in through his nose, out through his mouth. Could he really do this? Could he mask up and play nice for the night? He told himself to look at the good in this. First, Izu hasn't been waiting all day for them; Mic at least distracted him for now. Mic is making Izuku's favorite food, food that Katsuki doesn't need to cook with his fucked up hands. Oh, fuck now he actually had to use oven mitts. Ok, go to dinner. Then home. Katsuki convinced himself that he could do this.

As he peeled open his eyes, Katsuki witnessed Eraser pushing his way into the cubical curtain. "Good, you're both awake."

"I was awake when you left." Shinsou defended himself.

"Yes, but you were snoring thirty minutes ago when I checked in." causing the teen to huff.

"Why didn't you wake us up then?" Katsuki demanded.

"Because I had to call your  parents  and file that paperwork. Speaking, I offered to take you to the train station to meet them." Eraser glared hard at Katsuki, clearly telling the teen to shut the fuck up if he wanted to keep his cover.

Katsuki flushed, "Yea, ok. Thanks. Am I clear to go now?"

"Yea, Shinsou grabbed your duffle from the locker rooms; feel free to get changed, and we can head out."

Twenty minutes later, Katsuki was walking with Eraser and Shinsou toward the train station. "Sorry, Zashi took the car earlier to get dinner ready."

"It's fine. I'm good enough to ride the damn train." Katsuki grumbled. He had pulled on a clean hoodie and bandanna, keeping his bandaged hands deep in the kangaroo pocket. Eraser eyed him but kept quiet; Shinsou did the same, either playing with his phone or looking out the window while they traveled. It was interesting to see Eraser and Shinsou interact while Eraser was in his hero costume. They definitely did not act like father and son, more like hardly tolerable distant cousins or something. Barely speaking, not using names or honorifics, they existed in their sphere but nothing connective. Clearly, a practiced trait to protect them, but Katsuki couldn't help but wonder if it actually worked. Villains were more intelligent than heroes gave them credit for, and even a cousin or nephew wasn't protected if you crossed the wrong person.

They arrived at the apartment without issue. As Katsuki dropped his duffle and kicked off his boots, a green blur slammed into his side, nearly causing them to fall.

"KACCHAN! Are you ok?" Izuku hugged him tighter and pulled at Katsuki's hands to inspect them.

"I'm fucking fine, Nerd. Just pushed it a bit much. We are only late because the old woman's quirk knocked me out." Katsuki sighed, allowing Izuku to inspect the bandages.

"I was told a building fell on you!"

Katuski shot a dark glare at Eraser and Shinsou, who were smart enough to leave the small hallway. "A part of a building fell on me, but I was out in a minute. It wasn't a big deal."

"It is! What was UA thinking about hosting a practical like that? It's insane. No wonder you had to sign so many NDAs."

"Speaking of, I have forms for your  parents  that need to be signed to promise they won't sue the school since UA already healed you," Eraser grunted as he walked past into the small dining area.

"Yea, yea, we will get them signed and back to you," Katsuki growled, following the man toward the table. "Thanks for the cover. I tried not to pass out, but…."

"It's fine; Recovery Girl did ask me if you were in a safe home. She wasn't happy to see a poorly healed scar on your back, but I explained that you are in a better place now."

Izuku shared a look with Katsuki that screamed, 'Oh fuck’ but Katsuki nodded and just mouthed later. They would talk later about all this. Present Mic decided to appear from the kitchen carrying a tray of soups. Once the hot liquid was secure on the table, the hero reached up and gave Katsuki's head a pat.

"You had us terrified for a moment, Kiddo; you definitely went Plus Ultra there. We are proud of you, though. All of you! The UA exams are nothing to sneeze at." He smiled brightly while also rubbing Izuku's hair.

Shinsou huffed as he plopped himself down in a chair. "Robots? Really? What the fuck, Pops?"

"Language. And we did offer the recommendation exam. But don't worry too much, Toshi. We all saw you saving people left and right. Though breaking your wrist wasn't great, you did amazing!"

"I got like ten points. And broke my wrist hitting one."

"Ten more than most people!"

"Zash." Eraser lightly scolded before gripping Shinsou's shoulder, making the teen look at him. "You did amazing, son. Even if those idiots on the board don't see it, we know you will be an amazing hero. Hero course degree or not. You still have options IF you don't make it in. Don't dismiss your chances before you know the results."

Shinsou sighed but nodded, leaning into Eraser for a hug. "That whole thing was a lot. So many of the other teens in that test were terrified. All I could do was try and get them out of the way of the machines."

"Trust me. I hate this exam with a passion. Unfortunately, it is what it is until Nedzu can replace the entire board."

"Thanks, Dad."

Katsuki and Izuku stood slightly awkwardly away from the table, allowing the family to have this moment. Izuku kept inspecting him for more injuries until he was satisfied that it was just his hands before leading the blond to sit at his spot at the table. "I made some spicy katsudon for you! Hizashi didn't know you could make it spicy, so I showed him the recipe you like." ' Hizashi, huh? Guess he finally convinced Izu to drop the hero worship. '

"Thanks, Nerd."

Izuku beamed as the group started loading up their plates. After the first few bites conversation picked up once more.

"So Mikumo, what testing room was you in? I thought I was in the general education testing room and didn't see you?" Shinsou asked while chewing on his pork.

"Wait, you were supposed to be on the gen ed lists? I didn't see you on the lists?" Mic asked, looking up confused. "I thought you were in support course tests?"

"Wasn't in my group. I never saw Mikumo's name on the support course lists; I thought he was only in the gen ed exams. That's what Toshi had said?" Eraser asked, looking at his purple teen, who was nodding.

However, Katsuki was watching Izuku. The green-haired teen was slowly sinking in on himself, his food largely untouched as he looked down at his cooked fingers. Izuku mumbled something low enough that Katsuki's hearing aids didn't pick it up.

Mic started again, "There are only two exam rooms for gen ed, and I run the check-ins for those tests; I never saw the Listener until I ran into him leaving campus."

"Maijima would have been geeked to get a quirkless student trying for support. We would have known if he was on that list because Maijima would have been dancing for joy in the lounge," Eraser said back, confusion permeating the room. Katsuki's eyes never left Izuku, who was trying his damnedest to become part of the chair he was sitting on. Just as Shinsou opened his mouth to ask Izuku again, Katsuki slammed his fist on the table, instantly silencing the group.

"Repeat what you said, Nerd. Loud enough for the hard of hearing to actually understand?" Katsuki growled, his voice low, threatening, like a bully. The stress of the day finally wrung out the last of Katsuki's patience.

Izuku looked up at Katsuki with watery eyes, his lip chewed and already cracking. He looked terrified, and honestly, Katsuki felt a little bad for slipping back into the tone of voice he used while bullying him. But Katsuki couldn't read lips very well, but what he did pick up from Izuku was causing ice to form around his heart.

"Kacchan… please. Please understand I couldn't tell you before now. I…I…” Izuku was crying now, his wide green eyes locked on Katsuki's ruby.

"Tell him what, Lil Listener?" Mic asked softly, encouraging Izuku.

"I…I wasn't invited to take any of the UA tests. The letter I got was…was a scolding from the board of directors. They rejected me because I don't have a quirk and scolded me for even applying." Izuku hiccupped as he reached out to touch Katsuki, to ground each other like they had done countless times. Katsuki pulled away.

Izuku started sobbing. "I couldn't tell you; you wouldn't have tried for UA if you knew! Kacchan deserves to be a hero. If you had read the letter, you would have ruined your career in your attempts to defend me. I … I didn't want that for you." Present Mic stood and approached Izuku, offering a grounding touch, but Izuku only had eyes for Katsuki.

Katsuki felt like his world was shattering again. Izuku had lied to him. Lied and tricked him into completing something Katsuki wasn't even entirely sure he wanted to do anymore. Izuku, the only one he could trust in this world, LIED TO HIM. Hiding the fact that Izuku wouldn't be going to UA, period. If Katsuki was pissed before, it did not hold a candle to the cold rage that had frozen his heart. Blindly Katsuki stood, the back of his knees causing the chair to topple over, breaking the spell the dinner had fallen under.

"Kacchan?" Izuku started to stand, but Mic wrapped his arms around the smaller boy holding him. Eraser also stood reaching out toward Katsuki as if to support him. But Katsuki slapped his hand away hard.

"Don't. Fucking. Touch. Me." Katsuki growled low, deadly as he turned toward the door and picked up his boots.

"Now let's just take a breath and figure this out, Listeners. I'm sure there is something we can do to fix-"Mic started but was cut off when Izuku tried to surge forward. "Kacchan! Wait, please. Let me explain." Izuku begged, reaching out for the blond, but the cold rage had frozen Katsuki's heart. There was no fiery anger that he normally experienced; no, this was a cold numbness that Katsuki didn't know how to process. The only thing he knew was to get away. To Run. Work up a sweat to feel again.

As he ripped open the front door, the knob slammed against the wall causing the wood to rattle on its hinges. As he stepped from the threshold, Eraser's voice called out, "Katsuki! Kid, just wait, don't do this."

Katsuki paused, Eraser breaking all white lies they had built between them to protect identities. But frankly, Katsuki couldn't give a shit less if Shinsou knew the truth, knew who KEM was, or even if Eraser figured out who Jackalope was. Izuku clearly had his own plans, and Katsuki needed a break from them. So, in response, the blond slammed the door closed so hard he crushed the doorknob on the outside.

Soul-crushing sobs echoed down the hall as Izuku wailed after him, but no one pursued him. That didn't stop Katsuki from sprinting down the steps, not bothering with an elevator. Leaping from one landing to the next, bouncing off the walls to make the turns faster. Slamming his way through the stairwell door, he charged past the annoyed security guard and went out into the street. Reaching up, Katsuki ripped out his hearing aids, deafening him to the chaos on the roads. Leaving Katsuki with only the roaring of his own blood in the veins. As he pulled his hood up and looked to the sky. The sun was mostly set, the dusk blue sky dominating the last red light rays. The mostly full moon was just starting to crest the skyline to his left, with the stars hidden amongst the light pollution. Tightening his bootlaces, Katsuki turned left and ran. He ran fast and hard, never paying attention to where he was going or what streets he passed. Only keeping the bright, ever-climbing moon in his vision. Determined to chase the cold moon until the end.  

Chapter Text

Every footfall radiated pain throughout his body. Each heavy drop of the boot felt his shins shattering for an instant before holding his weight and pushing off once more. The shoes wear down on his ankles, burning the skin like shackles. Hellfire filled his lungs, and muscles seized in stitches at his sides. Katsuki did not know how long he had been running. Time was nonexistent. Sure, neon lights became brighter, crowds of people became thinner, and eventually, soft home lighting cast long shadows over the alleys. Still, time did not move for the blond boy running from himself. Katsuki's eyes were only open to see the moon and chase every turn that would bring him closer to the cold night beacon. 

His heartbeat throbbed through his newly healed hands, sweat filling the gauze wraps, making them feel heavy against the smooth newborn skin. Cresting a hill, the latest of many hills to hide the moon from his gaze, causes Katsuki to stop short, instantly gasping for breath as he is shocked out of his trance-like state. Two moons now fill the dark of night, but as Katsuki blinked away the dizziness, he realized he was staring out into the deep dark ocean. Its calm waters create a mirror for the moon, creating its twin. Gasping, gripping at his stitched sides, Katsuki leaned back, the blood rushing through his ears. He forced himself to truly catch his breath for the first time. 

Pain radiated from his ribs and throat, each breath drier than the tundra burning, demanding moisture. Blinking back sweat from his eyes, Katsuki finally registers his surroundings. He was on the outskirt of a small shopping district more residential; he frowned when the names of roads sounded familiar. With weak knees, he starts down the hill toward the ocean; small family shops start lining the street, and some spark of recognition dawns in the teen's head. ' Im close to home… ' as Katsuki walks towards Dagoba Beach. Approaching from the side furthest from his parent's house,

' I could just go back ,' a cold voice whispered in his mind. Katsuki falters in his step but recovers quickly, his joints protesting the sharp movements. 

' Sure, to more liars and more rage. Better off alone than back there still .' he weakly argued back. A tiny spark of fury caught in his heart as he thought about liars but was quickly put out by the ice still running through his veins. Reaching the bottom of the hill, Katsuki was almost disappointed to see that it was late enough that the little kobini at the end of the road was already closed for the night. With a click of his teeth, he moves on, finding one of the multiple steps down onto the trash beach. 

Nothing much had changed in the past year at the beach, more trash and most likely more rats. Kicking a can out of his way, Katsuki finds an old box freezer that gives him a view of the water. Climbing up, he tried to be careful so as not to snag his gloves on the rusted metal, with limited success. A light breeze blew across his face, washing away the stench of trash with a salty brine perfume, but caused Katsuki to shiver slightly as his sweat-soaked body caught a chill. 

Katsuki sat in stunned silence for a while. The moon slowly makes her nightly voyage across the stars reaching close to the horizon. Katsuki's heartbeat slowed, and the pain from running faded into numbness as his ass also felt like a stone after some time. As his body fell asleep on the cold metal, Katsuki fought to keep his eyes open, always watching out into the water as his mind kept running. One word kept repeating over and over without an answer. One word that always leads to trouble, one question that is the hardest to answer, the word most hated and most loved. 

" Why? "

And Katsuki didn't have an answer. He wasn't sure even Izuku did. 

A few cars drive along the road now and again, slowly moving through the neighborhood quietly. Or Katsuki assumes it is quiet; he still has not bothered putting his hearing aids back in, only ever noticing the lights flashing across the piles of trash. However, one set of headlights does not move on from the garbage as someone parks near the Kobini. Katsuki couldn't help but tense as it was way too late for beachcombers. Chewing on the inside of his cheeks, he discretely slips his hearing aids back in, in time to hear steady footsteps crunching across the sand in his direction. The slow, purposeful steps were the same that Eraser used when he was training awareness with Katsuki in the past. Growling, Katsuki calls out without looking at the man.

"Get the fuck away from me." His voice was raw, clearly parched, and Katsuki fought off the urge to flinch at the pain in his throat. 

"I just wanted to make sure you were ok, Kid" Eraser sounded harried but relieved, almost as if he had been searching for Katsuki. The teen couldn't bring himself to care.  

"I'm fine, Fuck off." 

"Clearly," Eraser muttered, barely loud enough for Katsuki to hear. But it was enough to ignite that fire in his heart once more. ' Who the fuck did he think he was? WHO gave him the right to pretend to care? WHY THE FUCK DOES HE CARE? ' Pushing himself off the old icebox Katsuki launched himself at Eraserhead, swinging wide with a right hook intending to scare the man off. Leaving Katsuki in blessed isolation. 

"I fucking said LEAVE!" Katsuki screamed, his voice cracking and his eyes frantic. Eraser blocked the attack and sidestepped the next sloppy attack. Not bothering to respond to the screaming teen, blocking his third attack from landing in a very uncomfortable place. 

Katsuki kept attacking; after the fourth weak and sloppy attack, it was clear Eraser would not fight back. Only evading or blocking each attempt Katsuki threw at the man. 

"If you're not going to fucking leave, then FIGHT ME PROPERLY!" Katsuki screamed, leaping up against the piles of trash to try and get behind Eraser, attempting a lock. But the man merely grabbed Katsuki, casually threw the teen over his shoulder, and dropped him into the sand. 

"FUCKER!" Katsuki scrambled to his feet, grabbed a fistful of sand, and flung the grains at Eraser's face. The man hissed in pain as the sand erupted in his eyes, forcing him to paw at his face. Katsuki snarling in false victory, kicked up harshly, attempting to kick the man back and away. Still, his boot was caught by the blinded man. Katsuki screamed in fury as, once more, his ass landed in the sand. His body protested all movement, exhaustion causing his limbs to feel like lead. However, nothing would ever stop Katsuki, not even his own body. 

Launching to his feet once more, Katsuki felt his hands heat up as his quirk began to sear his soft skin, before a coldness, an emptiness that he had felt before but was nonetheless shocking as his quirk was erased, causing him to stumble and land face first into Erasers chest. Strong arms circled him as he gripped the rough jumpsuit in front of him. Katsuki attempted to pull away, pushing the man off of him. But the coldness had not abated, and the strong arms wouldn't budge as that fire, the raging bonfire of pain and hurt was doused in icy water, causing Katsuki to finally collapse.  

Gasping, Katsuki felt his body's pain; his hands throbbed once more, and tears stained his face as he weakly punched at Shouta's chest. His screams and snarls muffled in the man's chest as he held Katsuki close, taking the punches, holding the raw nerve of a teen up on his feet out of the trash, nearly silently allowing the boy to just feel everything he was running from. They stood there together for an unknown amount of time. Katsuki's knees eventually grew weak, and Eraser slowly lowered them into the sand, highly aware of the trash around them. As they sat there in the shadow of a trash mountain, Katsuki shuddered, rubbing at his face violently. His broken voice betrayed how raw he felt. 

"Why?" Katsuki didn't recognize his own voice. It cracked in such a way he had only heard when Izuku was broken down the most. Why did his voice sound so weak? 

"I don't know. All I know is Izuku thought he was doing the right thing. He made Zashi, and I promise not to speak to Nedzu about this." Erase spoke quietly as he kept a hand on Katsuki's back. 

"Don't make that promise. He never fights for himself." Katsuki grumbled, pulling his knees up to his chest. 

"I promised I wouldn't until classes started. I was worried about you, and Izuku made us promise before I could even leave the apartment." ' Too fucking smart… ' Katsuki growled. 

"Why wouldn't he tell me, though. I knew taking that test was a fucking mistake. I regretted it as soon as it started." Katsuki growled, glaring at the trash around them. 

"Sometimes those closest to us, while meaning well, hurt us the most. I don't think you need to forgive Izuku, but maybe understand he didn't feel like he had any other option." Eraser finally pulled his hand away and buried his chin in his scarf. "Don't worry too much about the test; I have your back." 

"You should never have needed to have my fucking back." Katsuki hissed, kicking out at the sand. "What the fuck was that test? Seriously, is that what UA really stands for?" 

Eraser sighed heavily, looking up at the sky. "No. That test is horrible, and Nedzu and I have attempted to change it many times. But the board dictates how people are tested for entry and who tests. So, No. Unfortunately, that's not what UA is about, but that is what modern heroics is about."

' How the fuck am I supposed to make the changes Izu wants to see if all of heroics is like that? Who the fuck am I? Why should I go along with this plan? I would do better as an actual villain.  

They sat in silence once more. Eraser is ready to wait out the teen, not forcing him into anything but still there. Katsuki wanted to be pissed off, angry. He wanted to feel that heat running through his body, empowering him, but he only felt cold. The chill clung to his sore bones, making him shiver in the early morning. But stubbornly, he sat. Katsuki didn't want to talk  with Eraser. He didn't want to go to UA after seeing how much bullshit was in the entrance exam alone. Katsuki didn't want to go back to his parents. Not tonight, and not through UA when he was eventually found out. He didn't want to leave Izuku. But at that moment, Katsuki couldn't face Izuku either. 

A single beep echoed through the night as Eraser's phone went off. With a sigh, he pulled out his phone, the screen lighting up the tired man's face. After a few clicks of the screen, the phone turns off again. 

"That was Zashi; Izuku got home alright." 

"I don't fucking care." He did. Katsuki felt a minute amount of tension release from his neck.

"Alright. Would you like a ride somewhere?" Katsuki snapped his head over to look at the man with a frown. 

"The fuck do you mean by that?" 

"Well, I won't leave you here in this dump, even if it is close to dawn. And I won't force you to go anywhere you don't want to. That's what I meant by it. You have your own place, you can stay at ours or elsewhere. I can take you there." Eraser shrugged, but his eyes were only what Katsuki could describe as soft. It wasn't pity, Katsuki would have blown his face off if it were, but it was the concern and something more. Something that Katsuki had never seen on an adult's face toward him. It made his skin itch. 

"I don't fucking got anywhere else to go." Katsuki huffed, looking back toward the water. 

"I didn't want to assume, but I wasn't sure when I found you here." 

"HA? You thought I was going back to the Hag? Fuck you." Katsuki would have stormed off and told Eraser where he could shove his car's gear shift if his body wasn't so fucking exhausted. The old woman's quirk had drained him earlier, and he hadn't eaten since lunch yesterday. His abs tightened at the thought. 

Eraser just hummed in agreement. 

"How the fuck did you find me anyway?"    

Eraser coughed into his scarf as he leaned back, "I might have had a friend keeping an eye out for you on the traffic cameras. He would tell me your last seen location while I drove around." 

"Fuck you. Fuck you and your connections and being so fucking stupid for how long it took you to figure out who we were. Fuck you for doing illegal shit over us. Fuck you for covering for me at the shitty fucking test! Fuck you and your fucking family dinners! WHY? WHY THE FUCK DO YOU CARE?" Katsuki screamed, his eyes flooding with tears again. 

Eraser reached forward, grabbing Katsuki by the head, forcing the teen to look him in the eye. "Because I do. I care about you and Izuku. I care because I know how shitty the world is. I care because you are a survivor and will do great things in your life. I care because I was you at one point in my life. I care because you deserve care." Katsuki tried to turn away, but Eraser's grip tightened, forcing red eyes to meet black. "You do deserve care, Katsuki. No matter what you think, no matter what others might tell you. You deserve care. You are a Hero to Izuku. And today, at that shitty test, you showed a whole panel of heroes what true heroic spirit is. Whether you decide to attend UA or not, you have a good heart, and you will do great things with it." 

Katsuki felt his throat seize and stick closed, causing him to whimper and hide his face in his knees. Eraser released his neck and rubbed his back as Katsuki broke down for the second time that night. The blond didn't even know what he was crying, and every time he tried to force himself to stop, he would only sob harder. Once he started to calm down, Katsuki's eyes began to drop as he slowly slumped against Eraser's muscular frame. 

"Alright, Kid, you gotta tell me where you want to sleep. I don't want you to wake up in a panic." 

Katuski huffed in annoyance but mumbled softly. 

"Home."

"Alright, I'll get you there, kid." 

Katsuki doesn't remember how he ended up in the car. He does remember being handed a cold sports drink, the liquid unlocking his throat and softening the roughness in his eyes. He doesn't remember drinking the sports drink, three bottles of water, or the ride to his home. However, as he pulls up to his apartment complex, he's not even surprised that Eraser knows where they live now. Kicking at the bottles littered around his feet, he unbuckles himself, his limbs moving slowly. 

"Want help up the steps?" Eraser clearly wanted to help the strong-willed teen. 

"Fuck no. I'm fine. G'nite." Katsuki paused and nodded once to Eraser before closing the door and walking up the steps. Each step was torture, his hands throbbed as he pulled himself up by the rail, and his knees shook with each weary step. But eventually, Katsuki slumped his way into the shared apartment. 

As usual, the living space was dark; Iuzku's shoes were right at the doorway. Katsuki didn't know if he could confront Izuku right now. If ever. But peeling his boots off, hissing in pain, Katsuki decided that was a problem for future him. Fuck that guy. All he wanted was sleep. Making his way into the bedroom, he found Izuku sitting on his pad, not in PJs but chewing through his nail beds as he clicked away at his phone. At the sound of Katsuki's entrance, he jumped to his feet, eyes bloodshot and frantic. 

"Kacchan! I…” Before he could go on, Katsuki held up his hand, forcing Izuku to pause and watch as Katsuki purposely reached up and pulled out his hearing aids. The message is clear. ' I don't want to hear it. '

Izuku gulped visibly, his eyes watering slightly as he nodded in understanding. His fingers twitched out a goodnight as he stepped back, giving the blond space. Katsuki nodded before stripping out of his nasty sweat-filled clothing. His feet were cracked and raw, his ankles bloody and bruised, but Katsuki didn't care. Pulling on clean boxers, the blond dropped onto his sleeping pad, separated from Izuku's. He rolled until he was facing the wall. Katsuki didn't hear the soft hiccups of Izuku crying. Katsuki didn't see the sunlight peeking through the windows as dawn finally arrived. Kastuki finally gave in to his body's demands and promptly fell asleep. 

Kastuki didn't speak to Izuku the next day. Didnt, speak to Izuku the following day either. Kastuki stopped counting how many days they existed within the apartment without speaking. But Katsuki knew it only took three days before he started using his quirk again. After the fourth burn to his fingers, while cooking, the blond slammed down the pan, turned off the heat, and stormed out of the apartment. Making his way up onto the roof, he retrained his hands, working back up the calluses that once covered his finger pads and protected his skin. When he returned that evening, he cried silently into his shoulder as he soaked the irritated skin in cool water. The last time his quirk had hurt him like this was when he was seven. He learned what happened when he let the sweat build up too much. But every day after, Katsuki would sit on the roof and slowly build his hands back up. Retraining on making small isolated explosions like Eraser has started training him on. How Katsuki should have been trained to begin with. 

Izuku began sleeping in his office. His sleeping pad remained in the bedroom, but the comforter and pillow disappeared. And Kastuki didn't care. If he was worried about the Nerd, he would put in his hearing aids and listen for the music through the door. Izuku kept the music low, but it was always a sign that he was in the room. Izuku also kept going out at Jackalope. While coming in from training all day, Katsuki would cross paths with Izuku wearing his hoodie and now a facemask. The neoprene mask was a gift from the purple people eater, Grian. He said it was a gas mask that filtered out everything. The black mask with green stitching matched the hoodie pulling the look together. But Kastuki never went out as KEM. No new heroes to play delivery dog, too, since most information was now being sent encrypted via the website. Katsuki did attempt to apply for online high school, the next school up from the one they were currently enrolled in. But the testing date had already passed, and he would have to wait for next semester to test in. Checking the website, Katsuki found that Izuku scored third overall and was already accepted into high school. ' Fucker is moving on without me .'

So with no KEM duties, Katsuki refused to meet up with Eraser repeatedly. He also isn't learning anything from the old man, the Tailz, at the dojo anymore; he was, but he didn't want to compete; Kastuki was left alone to his own thoughts. Many days he only bothered getting out of bed late in the morning or afternoon, and only then would he work on his quirk. Izuku would linger in the bedrooms in the morning or when he returned from playing cryptid and find Katsuki in the same spot, worrying his lip but eventually leaving the blonde to his own devices. 

Around ten or twelve days into the silence, Katsuki received his UA test results. The thin envelope felt too light. Katsuki returned from the mailbox to find Izuku pouring himself a bowl of cereal. Seeing the envelope the blond glared at, Izukus's mouth opened as to ask about it, his eyes alight with excitement before he froze and slowly closed his mouth, returning to his task.

Kastuki sat at the table, willing to leave the results on the table so he wouldn't need to speak to Izuku about them. ' Probably a rejection letter or something. If I was accepted, wouldn't they have sent some stupid packet or some shit?'  He thought to himself as he tore open the top. A small flat black disk fell onto the table; Izuku looked up from his bowl of food with a frown as he stared down at the small disc. Katsuki reached for the disc with a huff when the small projector turned on. Ass might's face overtook the space above their table with a loud over-the-top greeting. "It's me! All Might! And I am here to deliver your results! Young Akatani! You showed true Heroic Sp-" All Might's voice cut out suddenly as Kastuki grabbed the small disc and whipped it across the room, shattering it against the fridge. Plastic and computer chips exploded throughout the kitchen. 

Izuku screamed in surprise, "Kacchan!" but the blond snarled and stormed into the bedroom, slamming the door shut. 

Three days later, sitting on the table was a large packet from UA, and a handwritten script of what Kastuki assumed was on the projection. Izuku had pulled the audio from the shattered disc and transcribed it for the blond with his opinions and quips. At the end of the transcript, which was easier to read than listening to Ass Might's voice, a single line was written by Izuku; "Kacchan is amazing! I am proud of my hero. And I am sorry for hurting you like I did. I'm not asking to talk, but please know I am sorry. -Izu" 

Kastuki felt his eyes burn as he flipped back through the transcript. He had taken first place in the exam results. He had scored over 89 points by killing robots and helping people, supposedly a new record. Still, Katsuki didn't give a shit about that. Reading about the rescue points made a small dent in the bitterness he felt about that test, but by taking first place, it meant he had drawn too much attention. He wasn't supposed to stand out yet; he needed to get through school to make the necessary changes. Wait, was he even going to go to UA?? 

Katsuki had been avoiding the topic of UA in his own head. Unsure of even what he wanted. But his inner thoughts already assumed he would be going? Was he going to accept UA? Before he could fall down in the spiral of his thoughts, Katsuki's phone went off. Grabbing the offending device, he found a text message in the group chat from the Troll doll. 

Eye Gucci : Hey. So, I know it's been a while since we all last spoke and everything. My Dads filled me in on your situation with the names and everything. I swear I won't tell anyone or anything. That shit you guys dealt with is on a whole other level of fucked. But well… I am curious if you got into UA? Um. I did. I was like 30th in the ranking, but I made it. And I don't have anyone else to tell, I guess. But, like, just tell me what you want me to call you guys, and I promise I will stick with it. 

Katsuki sucked in a breath through his teeth as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He had forgotten that Shinsou was now in on all this shit too. Amazing what you can block out when you don't think about shit. Katsuki's phone buzzed again. 

Mini Greenie:  That's amazing Shinsou! Congratulations! You are going to be a fantastic Hero! And, um, thanks for keeping it secret. I'll let Kacchan speak for himself, but you can call me Izu when it's just us, but please keep Mikumo in public. 

Eye Gucci:  Ok, I guess just call me Hitoshi then too. Makes things easier. 

' Ah fuck this guy and first fucking names. ' Katsuki grumbled to himself. 

Mini Greenie : OK! ＼(≧▽≦)／

Katsuki sighed as he started to type. 

Da Bomb : Just call me Kats, I fucking guess. And Yea, I got in. Good Job, Troll Hair; I figured you would be fine.

Mini Greenie : (☆▽☆)

Eye Gucci:  That's some high praise coming from you. 

Da Bomb:  Fuck you.

Eye Gucci:  Hey! But congrats and all that too. Do you guys maybe want to meet up for some ice cream or something? If you're busy, that's fine too. 

Mini Greenie:  Aw, sorry, Hitochan! I can't meet today but maybe this weekend? 

' What the fuck is the nerd up to? '

Eye Gucci: Oh, no worries, it was pretty last minute. Does Saturday work for you?

Katsuki flipped over to his private chat with Izuku. 

Da Bomb:  You're not in your office? 

Mini Greenie : Um, no. I'm meeting a new client today. 

Da Bomb:  Fine. Don't do anything stupid. 

Katsuki dropped his phone for now, letting the Nerd and Troll figure out their plans and shit. Those text messages were the first direct interaction Katsuki had with anyone in the past two weeks or so, and it had already exhausted him. What the fuck did he care that Izuku was out playing Jackalope right now. Fucking Nerd moved on without him, so whatever; he had his own things to do. But the thought of reviewing the documents from UA felt insurmountable at that moment. Was he really going to go to UA? Troll face just assumed he was because he got in. Could the student who took first place in the test really turn down going to a school as prestigious as U fucking A? 

Kastuki found himself just staring off into space on the couch for many hours. He wouldn't admit he was waiting to see Izuku safe with his own two eyes before the Nerd scampered away into his office. He wouldn't admit that the stack of papers on the table terrified him. No, that numbness clung to his bones and kept his brain running through molasses. It was pushing nearly ten at night when the Nerd stumbled in the door. His body was hunched over as his hand covered a sluggishly bleeding bicep that accidentally smeared blood on their entry hall wall. 

"The fuck happened to you!?" Katsuki snarled, leaping to his feet. Izuku looked rough, small patches of his hoodie were missing, and he had a black eye. It was clear he had been in a fight. Izuku's eyes locked on Katsuki's in shock before he grimaced. His mouth opened like a fish as Katsuki pulled his hand away from the bleeding wound. 

"Well?!?"

"I..um… the new client and I did-didn't get along." Izuku winced as his hand pulled free, revealing a patch of skin just flat-out missing like he was shaved with a knife into his bicep. "Actually fuck that guy, oh Kacchan, you would have killed him! I swear he was nothing but a man-child! This was from him throwing a temper tantrum when I said I wouldn't join his group. I'm really ok; I got sucker punched and then fought back. This was from his quirk. He can disintegrate anything he touches. He just was able to snag my arm when I was about to stab him. He still got a knife in the thigh but took some of my skin." Izuku seemed to deflate the more he vented. Katsuki helped him clean and bandage the wound. Saying that the doc should check him out. But he listened. Katsuki listened to Izuku, hearing his frustration, fear, and strength. Agreeing that the man-child deserved it. It was another hour or more before they both were clean, and Katsuki was cooking them food. 

"Kacchan? Can I ask you a question?" 

"Just fucking did." 

"Oh." 

"What's your fucking question?"

"Um…Why did you start speaking to me again today?" Izuku rested his hurt arm on the table, holding an ice pack to his swelling eye. He looked scared at what Katsuki was about to say. And what could the blond say? He didn't know what broke his silence today. He didn't know what he was going to do about UA. He didn't understand why he spoke to the Troll doll earlier or jumped up to help Izuku. Maybe it was because this was the first time Izuku came home hurt when he wasn't there to help? Perhaps because he was proud that he made it into UA even if Katsuki didn't know what he would do? Maybe because he fucking missed the damn Nerd sleeping next to him or rambling about his work or tinkering. So Katsuki glared down into the boiling pot of noodles as he could only respond with one thing. 

"Thank you for the transcript today." 

Izuku froze but melted into a wide smile. "Your welcome, Kacchan! I don't know if it makes much of a difference, but I am proud of you. You are so amazing!" 

Katsuki felt his eyes begin to water as he kept his back to Izuku, blinking back the tears. He didn't know that hearing that from Izuku would cause him to cry. Fuck him for being so fucking weak lately. But knowing Izuku was proud of him…. Helped. 

They didn't talk much the rest of the night. Small talk mainly, more venting from Izuku, but they ate dinner together and, for the first time in a long time, slept in the same room together. 

Chapter Text

Katsuki sighed as he forced himself to walk down the sidewalk; his feet felt heavy as the weight of a dreaded conversation pulled at his bones. Katsuki wasn't afraid; he wasn't really. Just because he delayed submitting his UA information packet until the absolute last possible hour didn't mean he was scared. He chose not to speak the Eraser or Mic during this time either, not because he was afraid, but because he didn't know what to say. It was different! 

Quickly, the days went by, then became weeks, and now he was only about three days out from starting at UA officially. Much to Katsuki's annoyance, he found himself walking to Eraser's apartment, a tiny envelope with cash to replace the money they had to have spent on a new door burning in his hoodie pocket. It was midafternoon, and Katsuki was praying that everyone was out of the apartment so he could just slip the money and a note under the door and call it good. He wasn't scared, but starting the school year off with your homeroom teacher pissed off at you for wrecking his shit would be a bad start, even on top of starting without Izuku. 

The cherry blossoms were in peak bloom as the harsh winter winds had melted into a rather beautiful spring. Izu had mentioned that the brighter the flower, the better the year would be, but Katsuki couldn't believe it. He was about to start school without Izu for the first time ever because of classist, quirkest assholes. And somehow, on top of this all, Izu had prevented Eraser and Mic from fixing it! They still have not spoken about that, why Izu is so adamant now about not going to UA, but Katsuki could kinda understand not wanting to be in a place where you are not wanted, but it still fucking hurt him. 

Katsuki huffed as he pushed open the lobby doors to the apartment building; the same scruffy security guard sat at the desk, giving Katsuki a quick look over before returning to his computer. Climbing onto the elevator, Katsuki felt his stomach tighten with the swoop of lift. 

'Please don't be home…. Please don't be home…. ' he thought as the elevators opened to his destination. With what felt like a blink of an eye, he was standing in front of the pro-hero's apartment. As expected, they had a new door knob, no evidence of his tantrum.

"Go figure, it's not like they were going to wait months for you to stop being a bitch and pay them for damages," he muttered, staring at the door. The hall was quiet, the nearly silent whorl of the elevator being summoned to a different floor the only sound. Swallowing hard, Katsuki knocked at the door, his eyes closed, praying no one answered the call. After waiting a moment, no one came to the door, and Katsuki sighed in relief. Kneeling down to shove the small envelope under the door, the paper was promptly stopped by a solid seal. 

"Ah fuck," of course, the door would be secure from shit entering from the seams. Heroes lived here, they needed protection from shit like this. Katsuki forced himself to his feet, stomping back to the elevator, cursing himself for not thinking ahead; maybe they had a mailbox he could shove this in. As the elevator doors slid open, Katsuki, without looking, slammed into a warm body, his eyes widening in horror as he watched a bag of groceries tumble to the floor. 

"Ah, shit!" Katsuki reached down to clean up the spilled items. 

"Don't worry about it, Kid," Eraser's voice called from above, cradling the other bags from falling. "You grab that one, and I have a free hand to open the door." Katsuki froze for a moment before nodding, still facing the floor as he scrambled to grab the fallen veggies. Eraser stood so that the elevator wouldn't close while Katsuki cleaned up the mess. 

"What are you doing here? Need something?" Eraser asked as Katsuki tailed behind him towards the door he was fleeing from. 

"Um... I have something to give you, but um… no one answered the door when I knocked, so I was just going to leave it at the desk or something," Katsuki mumbled. 

"Strange, Hito should have been home," Eraser mumbled seemingly to himself as he keyed open the door. Suddenly, the pair were greeted with loud music echoing through the apartment from Hitoshi's room. But the purple teen was nowhere to be seen. 

"That explains it," Eraser sighed as he entered the kitchen. "HITO TURN IT DOWN!" Eraser barked with the quick dampening of music as the teen stuck his head out, shouting, "Sorry! Oh shit, hey, Kats! When did you get here?" 

"Language."

"Um, just now." Katsuki shifted on his toes, uncomfortable. 

"Do you want any tea? I'm making some before my nap." Eraser called from the kitchen, the sounds of a kettle being turned on. 

"I'll pass; I'm going to finish this chapter I was reading real fast. Don't leave just yet; I just wanna finish this cliffhanger!" Hitoshi hid his head back into his room, his door pushing mostly closed, clearly reading that Kats was nervous for some reason. 

Katsuki nodded and made his way to the dining table. The exact spot he ran from so many weeks ago was the space they saved for him and Izuku. Katsuki stared down at the wood grain of the table, his eyes following the spirals of knots, knots just like those lying heavy in his stomach. 

"What's up, kid?" Eraser asked softly, his voice not dominating the still slightly loud music. A mug of mint tea is placed in front of Katsuki, the warmth singing his palms as he wraps his hands around. 

“I…I… Look, I don't…. I'm sorry." Katsuki muttered into his cup, unable to look at the hero before him. 

"Hmmm. Sorry for what?" Eraser hummed as he sipped at his own mug. 

"For… fucking everything, I guess. I didn't mean to break your door. I've come to repay the damages." Katsuki fished out his now slightly crumpled envelope and slid it over the table. "Um, yea… I tried to shove it under the door, but it didn't work."

Eraser looked down at the slip on the table and promptly flicked it back towards the teen. "Apology accepted, money rejected. It didn't cost us anything to replace it. We have a deal with the property owner."

"What? No, I mean… Just take the money?" Katsuki huffed, sliding the envelope back. 

"Katsuki, I don't want your money for something that costs me nothing. You being here so I can check in after the radio silence is enough. How are you doing? How's Izuku?"

Katsuki huffed before finally meeting Eraser's gaze; the man's eyes were relaxed and open; he was honest in wanting to know more. Just like always. 

"We're fine. Got the UA shit figured out. Izu made my costume application for me after I designed the look. So, who knows what the hell he is putting your support companies through." 

"That's good. I was worried when your entrance documents were received so late. Yours were the last to come in."

"Yea well… I couldn't decide on some things." Katsuki grunted, looking back down into his tea. 

"Well, I look forward to having you in my class. Please don't give me too much of a headache with Hitoshi being there."

"We are in the same class?"

"You didn't know?"

"I guess I didn't pay that much attention… But, yeah, it will be fine." Katsuki mumbled, glad at least one person he knew would be in his class, even if it wasn't Izuku. "Are you really honoring that deal Izuku made you agree to when all this shit happened?"

Eraser sighed heavily, "I didn't want to. I wanted to charge Nedzu and fix it, but after we all calmed down, Zashi convinced me to wait until the first day of actual classes like we promised. We don't want to break the trust either of you have in us. But now, after the opening ceremonies, I will attempt to fix this." 

Katsuki chewed on his lower lip before nodding once. "You know he really wanted to be in support. I think he might have signed up for the hero test to try with me but did not expect to get the chance." 

"I know. I have already dug up Izuku's application and prepared it to send to Nedzu. I know the hero course can't accept late entrances besides the sports festival, but I'm unsure about the support course. Powerloader would love to have him as a student. I am positive. Just need to get through the hoops to get him there. Izuku mentioned a cyber school?"

"Yeah, he is staying with our system, just moving to high school levels. They made him test twice to confirm his scores, but he got in." Katsuki growled, kicking his heels against the floor. 

"It's good for his case that he continues his education regardless." Eraser lapsed into silence, and alternative rock music hummed through the walls before the underground hero stood up and started digging through a leather backpack that Katsuki knew was not his. "Found it… Here, this is for you, and this is for both Izuku and yourself." 

Eraser slid a small wrapped box of orange birthday paper over to Katsuki and a small baggie with two house keys in it. "We were going to invite you over for dinner soon but did not want to harass you right before class started. But since you're here, Happy Birthday."

"Birthday?" Katsuki carefully peeled back the paper, revealing the absolute newest technology for charging his hearing aids. Katsuki's jaw dropped as he turned the small box over. "What? Why? This had to cost a fortune!?" 

"Do you know what day it is?"

"HA? No? What?" Katsuki dug out his cell phone and felt faint. It was April 20th. His actual birthday. "HA?!?" 

Eraser chuckled as he clapped Katsuki on the shoulder. "Happy Birthday, and don't worry about the cost of things. Zashi gushed about his new charging kit and insisted on getting you one, too. He kept saying it would be perfect for your survival training as the box pulled errant electricity out of the air to charge? I don't know, talk to him or Powerloader about the tech in it. Just don't keep your cell phone beside the case; it will drain your phone battery." 

Katsuki just stared at the small box in awe; he knew what it could do, so he was pricing them to start with. And he couldn't help but think, ' This would have been perfect while we were squatting .'

"And the keys?" 

"Those are for you to hang out here whenever you want." Hitoshi's voice floated from the hall as he reappeared. "Dad and Pops said if Izu wanted to do his cyber school here in the afternoons, we could meet him here after class or whatever. They normally have meetings after classes or patrol, so it's easier for you to come and go whenever… that is if you want." Hitoshi joined them at the table, his sleeves pulling down over his hands.

"Um, sure, I don't know what Izu would want, but he at least has the options," Hitoshi smirked and nodded once. 

"Speaking of Patrol, I'm going to take a nap. I don't care what you do; just don't wake me." Eraser clapped Katsuki once more on the shoulder as he turned to leave. 

"Um, Is it cool if I hang out with Kats like outside, maybe hit up an arcade since I didn't KNOW IT WAS HIS BIRTHDAY?" Hitoshi growled at Katsuki, who just shrugged. 

"Yeah, take your phone and be home or check in before I leave for patrol." 

"Thanks, Dad!" 

"Be good. Don't do anything dumb. Sleep." Eraser disappeared down the hall, seeking refuge in his blacked-out bedroom. 

After the hero left the room, Hitoshi turned and gave Katsuki a look, "Is it seriously your birthday?" 

"I fucking guess so? I haven't been paying attention to the dates; I just kinda have a countdown to UA." Katsuki sighed as he rinsed his tea mug before pocketing his gifts. 

"Damn, I feel that. Well, give me like five to change clothes, and we can go." Hitoshi rushed back into his room, killing the music, and stuffed some things into a backpack. 

Meanwhile, Katsuki once more bought out his phone and texted Izuku. 

Da Bomb:  What are you doing right now?

Just as Hitoshi met him at the door, Izuku responded. 

Mini Greenie:  Have KEM Meet me here in an hour (address) 

Katsuki frowned; it wasn't an address he recognized. He glanced over at Hitoshi; he wore ripped-up jeans and a dark purple hoodie as he tied on his shoes; it was good enough. 

Da Bomb:  WHY? I have Hito with me. 

Mini Greenie:  EVEN BETTER! 

Da Bomb:  The Fuck, you mean better?! 

Mini Greenie:  It's OK, trust me. 

"Everything OK?" Hitoshi asked as he watched Katsuki frown at his phone, "If you don't wanna hang out, I understand; I mean, it's your birthday." 

"Nah, nothing like that. Izu is being shady. He better not be doing anything dumb, but he wants us to meet him in an hour, and it looks like the place is a shopping center? Are you good for that?" 

"Yeah, I'm good with whatever. I just don't want to try and be quiet all afternoon; I have too much energy today." 

"Keep blasting music like that. You'll end up half-deaf like me, you dumb fuck."

"Is that how you went deaf?"

"Ha? No. Quirk did it. Something about using it too often as a kid and underdeveloped ear drums or some shit."

"Oh, that sucks. Sorry to ask."

Katsuki grunted in response as they boarded the elevator and started their journey to wherever it was. Izuku asked them to meet. Along the way, Katsuki couldn't help but feel off; it was his birthday, and he had honestly forgotten about it. The last time he had attempted to celebrate a birthday resulted in scars. Previous year's birthdays for the boys were spent trying to get more established as KEM and Jack; the days passed quietly together with a special dinner, nothing more. They didn't want to celebrate it or risk a celebration when money was still building for them. 

But this year, Katsuki has completely forgotten about his own birthday because of his procrastination about UA. He even had people who he would never say out loud were friends, but they were. People in his life who cared for him as himself, not the hero he might become. One sat beside him, quietly flipping through his phone on the train. 

Katsuki sighed as he re-read Izuku's text. "So… I know your dads explained the name thing…"

"Hmm? Oh yeah, no biggie, I call you Kats, right?" Hitoshi whispered softly back to him as the train rattled around them. 

"Yeah, that's fine… but I don't know what shit Izu has planned right now. He said it's cool you were coming, but he also mentioned another nickname we have, so I guess… Just don't fucking act weird when people call us weird names ya?" 

"How weird are we talking because honestly, your 'names,'" Hitoshi air quotes. "Kinda suck, and I'm shocked you were not found out sooner."

"Fucking CAN IT! We know!" Katsuki growled back as someone shushed them. Both teens looked back down to their phones, not wanting the attention. Katsuki's phone pinged with a text from Hitoshi.

Eye Gucchi:  So, more names?

Da Bomb:  Fucking hell. Don't! Tell your dads about this.

Eye Gucchi:  Got it! Promises! 

Da Bomb:  Jack and KEM. Are the names you will hear. Don't be fucking weird about it. 

Eye Gucchi:  Which one are you?

Da Bomb:  KEM

Eye Gucchi:  That's a fucking weird name. 

Da Bomb:  DUCK YOU!

Da Bomb:  FUCK*** YOU!

Eye Gucchi:  Quack.

Katsuki elbowed Hitoshi in the ribs, causing the teen to grunt in pain. Their stop was announced for the next station, causing Katsuki to stand and be prepared to run out of the doors. 

Eye Gucchi:  Rude. But should I have a secret Code Name, too?

Da Bomb:  Sure, it's Troll. 

Eye Gucchi:  I don't get a say in this? 

Da Bomb:  Fine, what do you want your dumb name to be. 

Eye Gucchi:  Just call me Shin. That way, it's familiar but a common enough nickname, too. 

Da Bomb:  Shin Troll got it

"You're such a bitch” Hitoshi grumbled as they disembarked at their station. 

"Takes one to know one," Katsuki replied, going through the crowds. After breaking free of people, Katsuki led them to the shopping center Izuku had mentioned. 

"So, one last question: why do you have three names now?" Hitoshi asked while walking beside Katsuki, eyeing up shops as they passed. 

"Look, I don't know what all your Dad explained to you, but we had to make up nicknames because people recognized Izu's nickname for me. And we had to take up work in some shitty parts of town. We didn't want to be caught. But then those nicknames got some clout or power behind them, so we couldn't just change them again." Katsuki sighed, stopping within sight of the plaza Izuku had indicated. 

"That makes sense, so are we meeting criminals?" Hitoshi was still looking around, but that slight fear caused a small, nearly unperceivable tremble to his voice. 

"We shouldn't fucking be. I don't know what Izu is doing, this isn't a normal meeting spot for us. But even if we were, your father would castrate me if anything happened to you, so don't worry. Izu wouldn't put us anywhere bad." 

Hitoshi nodded at Katsuki, the relief causing his eyes to relax. "Yay, you found it!" Izuku's voice cut through the area as he jogged up to the teens. Izu was wearing his full Jackalope get-up, the suit standing out compared to Katsuki and Hitoshi's hoodies. 

"The fuck is going on?" Katsuki growled, giving Izuku a look after eyeing the outfit. 

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!" Izuku responded with a wide grin, hugging Katsuki around the waist in response. Hitoshi laughed at Katsuki as he froze in shock. "Come on, follow me!" Izuku grabbed both of their sleeves, dragging them up the street. Causing Hitoshi to laugh harder. 

"HA!? Hey, wait! Damn it!" Katsuki allowed himself to be drugged but couldn't get another word out. Izuku pulled them into the nearest highrise and shuffled them onto an escalator. "The fuck are you doing?" Katsuki hissed to Izuku as Hitoshi brought up the rear. 

"It's a surprise! Just let me handle things. Hi Hito, it's good to see you! Glad you could join us. I was trying to think of a way to get you here too, but Kats made it easy on me." Izu beamed at the purple teen. Who just smiles nervously, rubbing his neck. 

"Thanks for the invite, I guess?" He responded by looking at Izuku's outfit. "Though you should have warned us, I feel really underdressed next to you." 

"Don't worry about it! I've got us covered." Izuku turned to lead them off the moving stairs towards a very eloquent-looking restaurant. Both Katsuki and Hitoshi paused outside, honestly not expecting Izuku to waltz right into a high dining place that clearly had a dress code that they needed to meet. 

"Wait!" Katsuki hissed just before Izuku approached the Maître D'. The Host wore a fine fitting tux and held a tablet to his chest as he frowned at whatever he saw. Izuku, in his nice but nowhere near as nice of a suit, approached as if he owned the place. 

"Excuse me, we have a reservation," Izuku announced. 

The Maître D' turned his nose away from the tablet to look down at Izuku, causing him to scoff. "Shove off, kid, this place isn't McDonalds."  

Izuku sighed, and Katsuki almost felt the annoyance radiating off the green teen. "I believe I said we have a reservation." 

"And I said to fuck off. This isn't a playground. Your parents must be educated on our dress code if they have a reservation. Now leave before you embarrass yourself." The shitty man actually stepped forward to shoo the boys away from the main door. 

"I will only say this one more time. I have a reservation, and if you do not seat my friends and me, I promise that come morning, you will not have a job. Now check your little tablet there for the name Jack." 

The man snorts in amusement. "Who in their right mind would reserve a table under the na…." He trails off as he reviews his tablet, refreshing it repeatedly and becoming irate. "Now, what the fuck have you done, kid? There is no way you reserved our best…" The man's yelling was cut off by a young woman rushing up to him and whispering in his ear. Katsuki and Hitoshi could only watch, mouths agape, as the Maître D' pales to a sickly green shade. The waitress who approached bowed sincerely to Izuku before nudging the man to do the same. 

"We apologize for the confusion, Jack-sama. I personally have sat your other compatriots in our conference suite. If you would be so gracious as to follow me, I can seat you and your company." The dark-haired woman stayed bowing until Izuku nodded. 

"Thank you, if you would just show us the way." Izuku never bothered looking at the man, now entirely bowing to him. The woman quickly nodded and led their group through the mostly empty restaurant and upstairs to what had to be their private suites. Katsuki and Hitoshi were too stunned to do much other than gawk as they followed the woman and Izuku. The Maître D' never broke from his bow to them as they passed. The restaurant was absolutely stunning, with views overlooking the affluent shopping district. But as they approached the second floor, the views were blocked with private dining rooms, with the woman leading them to one of the largest and bowing deeply again. 

"My sincerest apologies, sirs; I will surely have some of our finest drink options sent to you immediately." 

"Thank you. Please just have what I requested ready when it's time," Izuku responded as he slid open the door. 

"Of course, it will be as you requested." 

Katsuki and Hitoshi numbly followed Izuku into the room, sliding the door shut behind them. 

"Alright, what the…"

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Katsuki was cut off as strong black arms wrapped around Katsuki's neck in a side hug. Jumping in surprise, Katsuki sees the Doc giving him and Izuku both side hugs as Hitoshi slowly backs away. Looking around on the other side of the table is Dabi, leaning back in his place, face mask covering most of his scars as his boots stain the white tablecloth. 

"What the fuck is all this?" Katsuki finally got a complete sentence out. 

"It's a surprise party! Well, surprise dinner! Giran and St…um, the others couldn't make it for obvious reasons. Still, I wanted to have dinner with everyone for your birthday and celebrate you two getting into UA! So it's a party!" Izuku gushed, bouncing in place, a complete 180 from his previous persona. 

"Wait, this is for me too?" Hitoshi asked, pointing at himself, confused. The Doc laughed loudly before dragging the three of them over to sit at the table. "Of course, kid! It's not everyday punks that make it into UA, of all places! I don't know you, kid, but damn, you should be proud of it. I'm proud of this lil fuckhead” She rubbed her knuckles into Katsuki's hair, causing him to growl and swat at her much like siblings would. 

"Ya woo… brats made it into UA. And the pomeranian made it around the sun one more time. Couldn't we have done this at the ramen shop or someshit? Do you know how hard it is to get anywhere looking like this?" Dabi groused from his side of the room, his arms crossed. 

"I told you already, this place has the best spicy curry in the city, that's why!" Izuku hissed back just as a knock on the door sounded, and trays of food were ushered in. Even Izuku was shocked at the amount of food and drinks provided. 

"Excuse me, I don't believe we ordered this much?" Izuku asked the waitress who seated them. 

"Do not worry about this; it's on the house. Our manager was informed of what occurred at the front door and wanted to ensure your celebration was covered completely." She bowed again before explaining what all was provided. There were family-style servings of spicy curry and mapo tofu, beautifully plated sushi with fugu, intricate plates of fruit and melons, rice, salads, champagne, and tea. And explained that anything they desired would be sent up as requested. Everyone within the room was amazed, just nodding along with her, and stayed quiet for a moment after she left them for their meal. 

"Well fuck…. Can't let this go to waste," Dabi hummed before breaking the spell that caused them all to settle in. 

"So, what's your name, kid?" The Doc asked Hitoshi as everyone started filling their plates.

 "Oh, um, just call me Shin." 

"Alright Shin, Nice to meet you! That prick over there is Dabi. Don't let his attitude fool you; he is a big softy," which caused Dabi to flip her the bird as he ate his curry. "And you can call me Nami! Seriously, when Jack said he wanted to celebrate KEM's birthday and that both of you got into UA, I couldn't pass up this party. So no matter what your story is, be proud of what you have done and will do in the future!" Nami beamed, her bright yellow eyes squinting as she started filling Jack's and KEM's plates full of fruit alongside what they were picking, causing Katsuki to yell at her to keep her hands on her food. 

"Um, thanks. N-nice to meet you, too. This is all a shock as I didn't know, um. J-jack had this planned." Hitoshi mumbled, digging into the sushi on his own plate. A loud pop echoed through the small room as Dabi pushed the cork out of the champagne, pausing one moment to fill the Docs glass before pouring himself a very large flute and then chugging it down with a refreshing sigh, "Ah fuck that tastes good." 

"Damn it, Dabi, you couldn't wait for us all to cheer for the kids at least?" Nami sighed in defeat. 

"What? It's not like they can drink it! Fuck," Dabi poured himself another large glass before picking it up. "Happy Birthday Punk. I hope UA doesn't ruin you." He promptly downed the flute once more.

"DABI!" Nami cried out as Katsuki leaned back and laughed like it was the funniest thing he ever heard. Izuku looked done with Dabi and Katsuki while Hitoshi watched in amused silence. 

Izuku reached over the table and grabbed the bottle before Dabi could pour more out, giving Katsuki, Hitoshi, and himself a splash for taste in their empty flutes before holding his up. 

"Happy Birthday to you, my best friend. AND Congratulations to the two people who absolutely deserve to be the heroes I already know they are!" Izuku drank his champagne before making a face at the taste. At the same time, Katsuki ducked his head and blushed, embarrassed, and Hitoshi smiled up at Izuku with a small tear in his eye. 

"To the future Heroes!" Nami cheered while Dabi covered up a scoff with a loud, drawn-out burp that caused all the teens to giggle. The group spent the afternoon chatting and enjoying the absolutely divine food. After about an hour into their meal, a beautifully crafted chocolate spice cake was delivered, as well as a fresh round of fruits for dessert, causing the group to sing the birthday song to Katsuki, much to his annoyance. After the cake, Dabi was the first to leave, citing that the stuffy restaurant was giving him hives or some shit. As he chugged the last of the champagne directly from the bottle, he tossed a balled-up brown paper bag at Katsuki's face before he walked out the door. "See ya, punks." 

Katsuki cautiously opened the bag to see a few packs of THC gummies rolled up within it. Izuku peaked over his shoulder to spy what was in the bag before sighing. 

"Was that a good sigh or a bad one?" Katsuki asked as he squirreled away the bag in one of his pants pockets. 

"More like, why did I expect anything else? Sigh. He really isn't on the UA bandwagon here." Izuku hummed. 

"Not surprised as to why are you?" Katsuki asked, taking another bite of this rich, borderline unholy cake. 

"No, but… I don't know, the others are rooting for you; I just don't understand why he is so… him about it." Izuku leaned on his hands. 

"The others are not direct relations to a shitty hero either," Katsuki whispered back. 

Just as the sun began to set, casting the private dining in soft amber light, the Doc sighed, patting her belly. "Wow, I have not eaten so good since Auntie Ibo stopped cooking big meals ten years back. Thanks, Jack, for the invite!"

"Yeah, thank you. You didn't have to do all this and include me," Histoshi mumbled. 

"Thank you both for coming and kinda putting up with Dabi. He isn't a fan of UA, but don't let his opinion get you down. UA will be great!" That caused Katsuki to snort in defiance and Izuku to elbow him, much like how he did to Hitoshi on the train. 

"Dabi is Dabi; you can get through that thick skull sometimes. But seriously, kids, keep kicking ass; you have come so far." Nami smiled before she gathered her bag. "Thank you again, boys; enjoy the rest of your birthday night!" 

Once they were alone, Izuku summoned the waitress to try and settle the bill but was told everything was already taken care of. After getting the cake wrapped up to go home with them, the boys left the restaurant, much more filled by this time of night, and started on their way home.  

"So… um, do you still want to go to an arcade or something? I didn't get the chance to get you a birthday gift or anything since some dick didn't tell me his birthday was coming up. I'll pay for us! It's the least I can do since you… well, did all that," waving his hand at the highrise they just left. 

"Noo! You don't owe me anything! But if you wanna go to the arcade, we can. Or we can pick up a new game and play it at the apartment?" Izuku bounced around like a bunny. 

"How the fuck can you bounce like that after eating so much?" Katuski grumbled before looking up at the quickly setting sun. "I'm kinda burned out. Can we head to the apartment?" Izuku nodded frantically, smiling. 

"Oh well, I guess I'll go home then," Hitoshi said, looking kinda distant. 

"What, why?" Izuku stopped bouncing

"Well, you two wanna go home?" Hitoshi frowned, unsure.

"Yeah, but that's because Kats hates crowds, and I'm sure the whole surprise thing was a bit much. You're welcome to join us at the apartment! Ooooo! Can we have a sleepover? I've never had one… That is only if you want to Hito! Nice nickname, by the way; I had hoped Kats would explain the situation." Izuku resumed bouncing as they walked. 

"Explained that you must be some powerful mob boss, No. He just explained you go by Jack and KEM. Seriously, what was that?" Hitoshi gushed. 

"Oh, don't worry about it. It's nothing big. I asked a client who had the absolute best spicy curry in the city, and he swore this place was the best. His nephew was the chef, and I got the table. The Host was just an ass and pissed me off. So Sleepover?" 

Katsuki knew there was more to the story but wouldn't pry with Hitoshi around. "It was damn good curry. And I don't care about the sleepover; do whatever you nerds wanna do." 

"You're really inviting me to spend the night? At your place? Where you live alone? That Dad just learned the location of like a month ago? For a sleepover?" Hitoshi sounded shocked. 

"I mean, yeah… only if you want to?" Izuku paused, forcing them all to stop. 

"I want to! Just… never thought I would be invited to something like this." Hitoshi pulled at his hoodie sleeves like Izuku did when he was anxious. 

"Good, then it's settled." Katsuki sighed while pulling out his phone. He knew if they didn't make a choice right there, both of their anxiety would talk them out of the thing they wanted to do. He pulled up Eraser's phone number and passed his phone to Hitoshi. "Tell your dad what's up because I don't want him hunting us down later." 

"Oh shit, yea, hold on, I'll call him from mine. Might be less cranky if my call wakes him." 

Moments later, all three boys were on the train towards their home. Eraser was fine as long as Hitoshi was home the next day by lunch. Mic started blowing up Hitoshi's phone, asking if they needed any snacks or drinks for the party. He offered to order them to the apartment or deliver them himself. Still, after some convincing, the boys were left alone for their remaining night. Arriving home, Hitoshi was comfortable before Izuku carried out a large wrapped box from his workshop. 

"WHAT THE FUCK!?" Katsuki screamed from his position on the couch. 

"Hush, I couldn't bring this to the restaurant, so you get it now."

"IZUKU!" Katsuki whined as he threw a pillow at Izuku's head. Causing Hitoshi to giggle from his place on the floor. 

"Shut up and open it," Izuku huffed, dropping the box on the coffee table before them. Katsuki growled as he ripped open the paper. Inside the box were three other medium-sized boxes, causing Katsuki to growl more. 

"One is from me, one is from Giran and the others, and the last is from the Doc. So it's not all me!" Izuku exclaimed, hiding behind the pillow thrown at him. Blindly, Katsuki reached into the box and pulled out what appeared to be a black ammo case. Clicking it open, Katsuki found a fully stocked emergency room-level first aid kit. Blinking in surprise, he pulled out the small card tucked on top. 

'Wasn't  sure how stocked UA would keep you for rescue ops. I wanted to ensure you were set up right from the start. Try not to need this for personal use ;) Best of Luck, Kid! -Nami'  

Katsuki sighed as warmth filled his bones as both Izuku and Hitoshi peered into the box, letting out low whistles. "Oh, look! There are some of those instant casts! That's handy!" Izuku grinned. 

"You're not allowed to use it!" Katsuki hissed, closing the box. "She specifically says on the note not for personal use!" causing Izuku to giggle. 

"Do you need first aid often?" Hitoshi asked with a shit-eating grin. 

"Fuck off." Katsuki reached in for the next box, pulling out something else in what appeared to be a small wooden crate with a latch. 

"Oh! Wait, Wait, Wait. Um... Sorry, Hitoshi, but you really, really can't tell your dads about this. If you want plausible deniability, we can take this in the room for now…" Izuku chewed on his lip. 

"Nah fuck that. I wanna see the illegal shit. I won't tell my dads." Hitoshi smirked, eyeing the box. 

"If you're sure…" Izuku mumbled as Katsuki ripped open the crate. Inside was a set of what could only be explained as very thin gauntlets. Katsuki pulled out the black metal braces and slid them over his hands; the metal seemed to warm at his touch before conforming to his forearms and wrists. 

"Alright, nerd, what are they?" Katsuki asked as he could feel Izuku damn near vibrating out of his seat. 

"They are support gauntlets! They will protect your wrists and forearms; it's a Newtonian metal! It's scarce, but it's kind of soft when warm. They solidify when there is intense pressure, so they will always be soft while you do everyday tasks. However, harden the second you use them for defense or use your quirk. The blowback from your explosions will allow the metal to brace you better! Now… I asked for this metal for your costume for UA, but I'm unsure if they will give it to you. This metal is hard to find, so these are KEM gauntlets until we see what UA gives you. Oh, and one more thing!" 

Izuku reached over and ran the palm of his hand over the back of the gauntlet, causing the soft metal to harden outwards like a knife. "Well, you can guess whose idea this was, but just run your hand back over it, and it will go down. There is no tech like communications or computers in them, but these are as discrete as you can make support like this!" Izuku was bouncing on his knees on the couch as Katsuki slowly ran his hands over the strange fabric-type metal. Hitoshi let out a low whistle as he stared from afar. "Dad needs those for his capture weapon; it's hard on the wrists and forearms. I've tried to learn it and lost track of the rub burns I've gotten just playing with the scarf." 

"Oh, I bet! It would work great for him, though I would get longer ones that protected his elbows more. I can see if I can get more materials…" Izuku began to offer before Katsuki quickly butt in, "Noooo, we are not putting Hitoshi in debt to our idiots for something like this. I'm sure Eraser can get something like this from UA; just gotta tell him where to look."

Izuku blushed. "Ah yeah, sorry, you're right. We were just saying he couldn't tell his dads about this…"

"Yeah, it's cool; I'll do some side research and might request it for my costume after all." Hitoshi rubbed the back of his head. 

"Tell the Purple fuck and No-nose I said thanks, and thank you, Izu," Katsuki mumbled while sliding off the gear. 

"I will, and you're welcome! Now, the last one is the best!" Izuku cheered, bouncing once more. 

"Not sure how you will top that," Hitoshi said, leaning back on his hands. 

Katsuki reached into the box one last time and pulled out a wrapped box this time. The birthday paper was covered in superhero-themed onomatopoeias. Giving Izuku the side eye as he opened it, Izuku and Hitoshi cheered when the latest and greatest game consoles were revealed with all the new battle games taped to the box. 

"GAME NIGHT!" 

"Oh, you fuckers are going DOWN!!" 

Chapter Text

Katsuki stood in front of the UA gates, attempting to calm himself. He had arrived nearly an hour early for the first day of classes. He was seriously debating on just turning around and going home. ' Fuck fuck fuckity fuck…. This is so stupid. I am definitely going to get found out. Then they will send me back to the old Hag. Fuck being a hero. I could just go be a real vigilante work under the direction of Izu. It could work… ' But before his fears won out, a familiar head of gravity-defying purple troll hair casually came strolling out of the gates. 

"Figured I would find you here," Hitoshi drawled, holding a steaming travel mug to Katsuki. The blond took the offered drink, sniffing the contents to pleasantly find tea, not coffee. 

"The fuck are you doing here so early?" Katsuki grunted, wrapping both hands around the warm container to help steady himself. 

"Dads had to come in early, first-day prep and all that. They said I didn't need to ride with them, but my nerves about missing the train and being late won out. So when Izu texted me that you had left already this morning, I figured I would wait for you at the gate." Hitoshi acted relaxed, but Katsuki could see the subtle tremor in his voice. He was just as scared but for vastly different reasons. 

Katsuki grunted before mumbling a quiet thanks into his cup, which Hito smirked at. "Wanna go find a quiet place to sit for a bit or head right to the class? I'm sure we won't be the only early birds, but fuck if real social interaction feels too much right now. Actually, waking up at a normal human hour will kill me." 

Katsuki took a moment to weigh the pros and cons of going to the classroom. He still felt like he would bolt, so he shook his head. "Let's just go sit in the classroom for now. If I'm out here much longer, let alone when the crowds build up, I will probably just go home." 

Hitoshi nodded in sympathy as they slowly began their trek to the classroom, "That bad, huh?"

"Stupidest fucking decision of my life applying for this fucking school. It was bad enough that your parents figured us out, but this place is run by Nedzu. I'll probably be back in the Hag's claws by the end of the week." Katsuki mumbled, hiding his face in the cup. Hitoshi paused before they reached the main building, turning to face Katsuki directly. 

"You know dad wouldn't allow that. He has your back, Pops too." 

"Sure, but they are also heroes who must adhere to the laws. It would be out of their fucking hands." Katsuki grunted before forcing Hito to keep walking. "It's fucking whatever I knew what I was getting into, we will just see how long it lasts." 

Hitoshi seemed to want to say more but was wise enough to shut his trap, allowing them to quietly walk through the massive school. They find the door to 1-A quick enough, and Katsuki pauses, causing Hitoshi to look at him with a raised eyebrow. Katsuki pulled at his collar, the tie too tight, the walls were closing, and he felt his skin crawl. All he had to do was open the door and be done, he was sealing his fate with this. With a snarl, he reached up again, ripped off the tie, shoved it back into his bag, and pulled out the plain black headband to cover the scar on his forehead. He adjusted his hair and undid his top button. He officially didn't care if he got kicked out of the school, not that Katsuki would for this; he had already submitted paperwork for uniform adjustments and received his approvals. But he refused to feel out of place in his own skin for this bull shit. Slamming open the door, they were the first to arrive, unsurprisingly. 

Hitoshi quickly checked the seating chart and was happy to see he was sitting directly behind Katsuki, "At least dad wasn't heartless," he joked before they both settled in their seats, Hitoshi putting his head down with a quick "Wake me if something interesting happens." At the same time, Katsuki propped his legs up on the desk and tried to meditate. Or what he thought was meditation. 

Not long after a few people started to arrive, Katsuki didn't bother attempting to interact with them, so most just quickly found their seats. A blue-haired teen walked in with a rather stiff gait as he sat his bag at his seat and robotically made his way over to Katsuki and Hitoshi. 

"THIS IS UNBECOMING OF UA STUDENTS! How dare you defile the desks many great heroes have used for years. And you! You need to wear the proper uniform! You shouldn't be sleeping either; a hero must always get a full night's rest, and clearly, you have not! The disrespect!" 

"Fuck off," Katsuki said in a low tone, not bothering to look at the boy. 

"EXCUSE ME! How dare-"

"I SAID FUCK OFF, ROBOCOP!" 

"You delinquent, you don't deserve to be here; how dare you behave like this. This is completely against the code of conduct-"

"Code 4.5 of the dress code- students and request uniform adjustments within reason so long as there is a record of the change. SO FUCK OFF GLASSES OR DO I HAVE TO MAKE YOU?" Katsuki felt his anger truly spiked now; he was sweating more than average, forcing him to pop off excess sweat from his hands. 

"Are you threatening me?!? How dare-"

"I do fucking dare you overstuffed dildo, pull that stick out of your ass and go fucking sit down before I make you!" Katsuki couldn't help but burn a few more mini pops to remove the sweat. 

"Hey, Glasses?" Hitoshi finally picked his head up to address the teen. "You're the one picking the fight here. None of what we do is your business. Now leave."

"You heard the troll doll, Fuck Off." 

"I will be informing the teacher of this! You both are inexcusable!" 

By this point, most of the class had filed in and was watching this interaction when a cold, stern voice from the floor echoed, "Don't bother; I've seen the whole thing. Iida, go sit down; they are right; you're not code enforcement. Akatani, curb the swearing." Aizawa slurped a fruit pouch while lying in a hideous yellow sleeping bag. Causing a few of the females in the class to scream in shock. 

"None of you noticed me even though I have been here for the past 10 minutes. And it is taking you too long to quiet down; I expect better tomorrow." The teacher stood and unzipped himself from the bag, pulling out gym clothes. "My name is Aizawa; I will be your homeroom teacher for as long as you are in UA. Now, collect your assigned gym clothes and go change. Meet me at ground beta." And he turned and left the room, still slurping on his pouch. 

Katsuki turned to look at Hitoshi after Eraser had left the room; the purple boy was gripping his face as his shoulders shook from laughter as Katsuki dead stared at him. "Come on fuck face, let's get this over with." 

Katsuki and Hitoshi were the first two out the door and out onto the field, knowing Eraserhead wasn't fucking around. The other boys in the locker room seemed to gaggle and try to get to know each other while changing. Still, Katsuki wasn't interested in making friends with these hero fucks. He was pleasantly surprised to see Tailz in the class, giving the other blond a firm nod that was returned with a slight grin. Katsuki was glad to see the other teen accomplish something he worked hard towards. 

But standing out on the dusty field with Eraser alone was a nice moment to breathe. The underground hero raised an eyebrow at them both. "You both doing okay?" Katsuki just shrugged, not bothering to respond when Hitoshi nodded, "Didn't expect Iida to be so uptight with how Uncle Tensei acts around you." 

Eraser sighed, scratching his stubble, "Yeah, he is a bit uptight. I hope it won't be a problem moving forward, but I'll keep an eye out." Eraser spotted the rest of the class slowly making their way across the field, chatting, being typical teenagers. Until the horde stood before Aizawa. 

"Too slow; Shinsou and Akatani were the only punctual ones, I expect better. In heroics, time is everything, and if you're too slow changing gear, you're late on the scene, and people die. I'm here to teach you how to be good heroes and the skills that will allow you to see your twenty-fifth birthday. I expect better from all of you moving forward." 

A small hand extended into the air. "Excuse me, sensei, but what about the welcome ceremony?" a girl with pink cheeks and a short bob haircut called out. 

"We won't be wasting our time with that. At UA, teachers can run their classes as they see fit. Today, instead of sitting through the Rat's lectures about conduct, we will be conducting a Quirk Apprehension Test. Until now, unless you attended special training, you could not use your quirk in physical tests. That is ridiculous and changes from this day on."

Excited chatter filled the air before the mistake of someone calling out that it would be fun to use their quirks. "Fun? Is that what you really think? It's a cold world out there; clearly, so few of you are ready for it. Nothing about Heroics is fun. You can and will die on this job. Life isn't fair, and just because you have a quirk that may be slightly flashy doesn't mean you will get everywhere in life. If this is all just a game to you, then leave." When no one moved to leave, Katsuki thought about turning around until he felt Hitoshi lightly grab his shirt to keep him in place. Eraser continued. "If you are not going to take this seriously, then you will be expelled. The person who comes in last place during the test will be judged to have no potential and will be removed from the course effective immediately. Do I make myself clear?" 

"Yes, sensei," the collective called out. 

"Now, Akatani." Katsuki looked slightly betrayed by Eraser for calling attention to him, "You had the most practical points in the entrance exam; come stand in this circle." Katsuki grumbled to himself but did as he was told as a softball was handed to him. "Throw this ball as far as you can." Katsuki nodded, tossing the ball up and down, feeling its weight. He knew he was to use his quirk for this; it was a quirk test. So he channeled all his rage, his fear, his unease into this blast, imagining the ball as the chains of his old life he was so scared of as he cocked his arm back, screaming "DIE" with all his might and rocketing the ball away with a large explosion. 

One whispered voice seemed to cross the field with a soft "So Manly…" as a pink-haired girl giggled. 

Eraser's phone beeped as he held up the screen; Katsuki had launched the ball well over 700 meters with one blast. "This is why it is ridiculous that quirks are not trained properly from a young age. You will all conduct a series of tests, and I will grade you on how you use your quirk and how creative you are. Next will be…" Katsuki exits the ring and takes his place beside Hitoshi, who is smirking. 

"Can I use my quirk on you when it's my turn?" He whispered to Katsuki. Katsuki glared out of the corner of his eye but grunted, "Sure, but don't make me do anything stupid; I will get revenge." Hitoshi nodded once, a scheme clearly forming in his mind. Katsuki watched as a kid with some sort of laser quirk tested to see if the laser would ruin the ball before his throw. A slight tap on his shoulder caused him to turn to face the other purple student in the class. It was Ears, the girl he had saved from the creeps a few years back. She was giving him a coy smile. "I wasn't sure it was you until I saw your quirk. Glad to find out you gave up vigilante work to become a real hero." 

"Didn't give up shit when I wasn't one to start with Ears." Katsuki groused. Hitoshi raised an eyebrow at Katsuki but continued paying attention to the other tests. The large teen with multiple arms glanced their way but quickly minded his own business.

"I see you haven't changed a bit either." She smirked while spinning her ear lobes. 

"Nothing to change," Katsuki smirked. "Didn't expect to see a musician in the hero course, though." she nodded, straightening her back to her full height. "Someone made me see that we all have a duty to each other, and I wanted to do right by that. I just wanted to come over and say hello again. Let me know if you ever want to study together or whatnot." With that, Ears turned and walked away as it was her turn to try the ball toss. 

In the end, Hitoshi brainwashed Katsuki into throwing the ball for him; some midget bitched that it was against the rules until Eraser put a stop to that real fast. Kastuki tried to do his best in the tests; he needed to move his body to shake out the nerves he felt by being here, so the test was a good distraction. Ears and Tailz also did alright from what Katsuki saw, and he noted down any quirk details he could come up with for the class for Izuku to geek over later. There were a few students who Katsuki couldn't help but wonder how the fuck they got into the course, and their rankings showed it. 

Overall, Katsuki was satisfied with his ranking of 3rd, with the two recommendation students coming above him. Hitoshi took a solid 8th, and some other purple fuck took last. The midget started bitching loudly about how the test had to be rigged against him. Aizawa wasn't taking any of his shit, calling out his lack of motivation and the crude comments he had made towards the girls in the class.

"That's enough; you are expelled from the hero course. If you keep up with the complaints, I will expel you from UA completely. For the rest of you, get changed, grab a syllabus from the classroom, and enjoy the rest of your half-day. Classes officially start tomorrow, and we will hit the ground running. Dismissed." Aizawa snatched up the bitching grape midget and walked off. The rest of the class stood in shock, clearly not expecting the last-place student to actually be expelled. 

Katsuki clicked his teeth before being the first to move back to the lockers. Hitoshi followed without a sound. They were halfway back when a loud voice called out, "Hey, bros! Wait up!" A buff redhead bounded up to them, skipping in front of them. "Hey! That was so manly, you two! I don't know if you remember me, but I was there when you took down that monster of a robot at the entrance exam!" He smiled wide, and Katsuki finally realized that the kid beside them was Shark Mouth. 

"Didn't you have black hair?" Katsuki groused, not slowing his walk. "Hey, you do remember! The name is Kirishima! And Yea, I dyed it after I found out I got in. Wanted a more Manly look!" The teen punched his fists together as they crunched like rocks. "Seriously, I wanted to say you were so badass at the entrance exam and the test today!" 

Katsuki grunted as he pushed open the door to the lockers. Hitoshi was still following but with a smirk as they quickly changed. 

"So what do you think about our sensei? Kinda scary if you ask me." Kirishima looked nervous as he pulled on his dress shirt. "I didn't think we would have to worry about expulsion from the start." 

"I'm sure he has reasons; Eraserhead doesn't do things without logic," Katsuki grumbled as he, too, pulled on his dress pants. 

"Eraserhead? Our teacher is a Hero?" Kirishima cocked his head, much like a puppy. 

"All our teachers are Heroes, idiot," Katsuki grumbled, slamming his locker shut. "He is just underground." 

"So manly! Underground Heroes are so cool! I don't know many, I mean, other than Midnight, but that's awesome!" 

"Midnight is a twilight hero not under but close enough." Hitoshi drawled beside them before looking at Katsuki. "You ready?" 

Katsuki grunted in agreement before turning to leave. "Wait! Wanna exchange numbers? I mean, It might be good to have more contacts in the class, though I think you already know each other." Kirishima looked nervous, as if they were going to reject his overt friendliness. Katsuki and Hitoshi shared a look before holding out their phones after a quick swap and the promise to text… eventually. They left the locker room, grabbed their course list, and ran. 

"I feel like this class is going to be chaotic." Hitoshi groused as they were talking across campus. "Didn't expect you to know so many people already, though," Hitoshi smirked. "I thought I was your only friend, not counting Izu, of course."   

"I'm not friends with any of those loud fucks. Tailz is okay. We went to the same dojo for a while. I helped Ears out a few years back out of a tight spot. And Shark Mouth was just around during the entrance exam. I didn't expect to fucking see any of them here." Katsuki kicked a rock along their path. "I don't want to make friends with these fucks. I don't want to be here either, for that matter. But fuck if the world wants that." 

Hitoshi stopped them before the crowded gates, "Look, I know you're sour about shit, and for good reason, but really I'm glad you're here; I wish Izu was in support like he wanted, but it helps me that you're here. So thanks... I guess." 

Katsuki grunted before sighing, "Yea, I shouldn't be bitching like this, but, yea, it's easier with you too. I don't have to hide with you."

Hitoshi smirked before rubbing the back of his head. "Uh um… Pops wants you both over for dinner this weekend. I know it's been a while since all that, but Dad convinced Pop to wait until at least the first week of school is done to harass you. So, heads up?" 

"Ha, I'll let Izu know." Katsuki sighed. 

"Do you wanna go get a boba or some gelato? I don't want to spend the rest of the day at my apartment." Hitoshi asked as they left school. 

"Sure."

Making their way back to the Katsuki's and Izuku's apartment to drop their bags and pick up the greenette, they spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying boba and hitting up an arcade. Izuku grilled them both about their classmates' quirks, much to Katsuki's amusement. They also learned that the pink girl was Izuku's friend from dance class, so Kastuki braced himself for her to put two and two together eventually. 

Overall, Katsuki couldn't complain about his first day at UA. As scary as it was to be found out, he didn't need to sit through a bullshit orientation; he got to exercise his quirk and saw some faces he at least recognized. Izuku had filled the day with his own online orientation and working on some analysis. So, as both found themselves winding down from their days relaxing into their futons, Katsuki felt a semblance of normal. Pulled from his dark thoughts to a minor degree, he only could wish it would last. 

The following day, while in homeroom, Kirishima decided to hang out at their desks, accompanied by a knockoff Spiderman and a battery pack of a blond. Pinky quickly found them also, choosing to break the ice by telling the group about Izu and his ongoing battle of the Midnight Kink Spatula hiding contest. Katsuki threatened to end them all if they told anyone else that story as Hitoshi laughed so hard he wiped tears from his eyes. At the same time, he texted Izu to get in on the shenanigans. 

By lunch, Katsuki and Hitoshi couldn't shake the rest of the extroverted idiots. So what should have been a quiet lunch turned out into an energetic get-to-know-you between them all, with Hitoshi adding snide comments here and there and Katsuki grunting responses. Walking back for their afternoon classes, Hitoshi whispered to Katsuki, "So much for not making friends. Seems like the extroverts have absorbed us."

"Fucking sucks," Katsuki growled, shoving his fists deeper into his pockets. 

"Awe, they are funny, at least." Hitoshi nudged Katsuki before taking his seat. 

But Katsuki did not respond. He didn't know why he refused to interact with the group; it felt wrong. He shouldn't be here having the stereotypical high school experience. At the same time, Izu was stuck at home, doing online schooling and just working. Not making new friends. Fuck he even lost his one friend other than Katsuki as he learned that Pinky had to stop taking classes to make sure she had time for Hero courses. It wasn't fair to Izuku. Katsuk didn't like it. 

Before he could ruminate further on Izuku being excluded once more, the door to the room slammed open, and a loud voice announced,

"I AM HERE, Entering the room like a normal person!" as All Might dressed in his full hero outfit. Katsuki stiffened in his seat while the rest of the class cheered in excitement. Hitoshi didn't cheer, but Katsuki could see some excitement shining in his usually dead eyes. 

' Well, I am for sure being found out today. Not even two days in. All Might has to recognize the kid who punched him in the nuts. Fuck fuck fuck. I'm not going to be about to outrun him a second time…. FUUUCK. '

"Today, you start your path to being great heroes! And all heroes need to not only act the part but look the part as well!" The wall beside Katsuki moved, showcasing twenty or so suitcases.

"We will be running through some BATTLE TRIALS! So get suited up and meet me at Ground Alpha!" All Might didn't even wait before he rushed out of the room, leaving behind a class full of excited but confused students. Suddenly, a rush of students grabbed their cases and ran toward the locker rooms. 

Katsuki, however, dragged his heels, picking up his case last and slowly making his way to the lockers. By the time he even opened his case, most of the guys were already half-changed, gushing about their costumes. Katsuki couldn't even bring himself to be excited about the costume Izuku designed for him. He went as far as changing in one of the private rooms, slowly pulling on the gear as the locker room quieted. 

The outfit Izuku designed wasn't far off from his original idea as a kid. A black bodysuit with a large orange X emblazoned across his chest. However, Izuku added thin armor sewn into the bodice, protecting all his vitals without causing restricted movement. A high metal collar was designed to protect the back of his neck and help brace his shoulders. The gauntlets he wanted were slimmed down, discrete, almost like the bracers he got as a birthday gift, but small chambers were seen for storing some sort of liquid but empty. (Izu had submitted some BS about using different chemicals in the future to explode) Baggy but strong pants and thick steel-toed boots. Overall, his costume was practical, close to his design, but more protective than he would have asked for on his own. The orange X is the only real splash of color. 

Exiting the private room, only a handful of people remained, struggling with parts of their costumes. However, Hitoshi stood there, fully dressed like the mini Eraser that he was giving Katsuki a curious look over his mouthguard. 

"You good?" his purple eyes are full of concern. 

"Yeah… I'll tell you about it later." Katsuki quickly stashed his case in his locker before locking on his bracers. They left the room together and promptly caught up to the class. All Might praised them and their looks, while Katsuki did his best to become a wallflower. He really didn't want to be here; he didn't want to be wearing this hero get-up. This all just felt wrong. 

"The first round will be Iida and Akatani as the Villians versus Uraraka and Todoroki as the Heros!!" All Might announced loudly, explaining the rules of the game briefly before sending them out into the makeshift city. 

Battle Trials allowing super-quirked kids to fight it out in an enclosed space. What could go wrong? 

Chapter Text

"I believe we got off on the wrong foot. And my brother suggested I apologize to you. As such, I am sorry, for I believe the saying is jumping on you yesterday? I did not know you had previous approval for your clothing choices, and perhaps I allowed my nervous habits to overtake my actions yesterday. But while I personally dislike the label of villain, for this assignment, I understand the need for an adversary. So, In the spirit of teamwork, I will be a villain with you, Akatani." Iida spoke, facing forward as they approached their "villain base" in the fake city, his hand chopping the air as he spoke. 

Katsuki stopped short, forcing the taller teen to stop and turn; just as he opened his mouth, Katsuki shoved a hand in his face. "So what I am hearing is your not fucking apologizing; your brother was the one who got it through your thick skull that you, not a rules lawyer? Fuck off, Glasses. You clearly are not apologetic even after Sensei shut you down. Pull your head out of your ass. I don't accept this fucked so-called apology. You are only doing what you were told to do, you spineless fuck." 

Iida gasped, scandalized, his mouth opening and closing like a fish as Katsuki continued. "And to your teamwork point, I don't care to work with you. You are more worried about fucking titles than the objective. We are against the fucking stoic Peppermint, and if he is who I think he is, he is most likely going to just freeze the whole fucking building. And because I need my fucking hands for my quirk, and you don't, you're on fucking bomb duty. Keep your coms on, pay attention to the fucking building, the second it feels cold, grab the bomb and jump. That's it; just play fucking keep away with the bomb. Got it fuck face?" Katsuki pushed forward, shoulder checking the wanna-be knight and storming into their 'base'. Iida's arm was still chopping, yelling something about being rude and teamwork, but Katsuki didn't give a fuck. He had just a few more moments to find the bomb and then find a hiding spot where he could avoid the two-toned prick's ice. 

Iida eventually found him in the bomb room, he looked like he wanted to say more, but with one look from Katsuki, the teen wisely shut the fuck up. Before Katsuki left the room, he paused. "I intend on finding a spot to avoid the ice. Don't close this door; you will be trapped in the room when the ice comes. I'll distract the fucker; you play keep away from floaty bitch. I'll report once the ice hits me if it comes from the ground floor, so you might have a chance of avoiding it." with that, Katsuki walked out. 

Walking around the empty building felt strange; it almost reminded Katsuki when he and Izuku had squatted in the abandoned building. His boots echoed as he passed empty room after empty room. Katsuki had no fucking clue how he was going to avoid the ice that Todoroki fuck was going to produce, other then jumping. The quiet, brooding shtick wasn't sold on Katsuki. If his understanding was correct, this was the youngest son of Endevwhore, aka the younger brother of Dabi. Rubbing at the band on his temple, Katsuki found a nice corner where he could easily perch himself if the ice came up from the ground floor. But seeing how Todoroki conducted himself during the quirk test previously, Katsuki was pretty damn sure the prick didn't know what restraint was, nor teamwork for that matter. All Might's now annoying voice came across the earpiece, starting the trials, and Katsuki steeled himself. 

Katsuki was nervous; regardless of all the bravado with Glasses, he knew he was making many assumptions. But It would have been the stupidest move for them to stick together and get iced. Calming his breath, he tried to rein in his wild thoughts, needing focus for the battle ahead. ' Why the fuck were they fighting each other in the first class anyway? ' Katsuki sighed deeply, his breath fogging the air in front of him. Katsuki's eyes snapped wide open as he leaped as high as he could, using small pops from his hands as a sheet of ice wrapped its way up the stairs, covering the floors and walls nearly instantly. 

"Glasses ice!" Katsuki snapped as the wave of cold passed him. Katsuki allowed himself to land back down on the now slick surface just as he heard the main entrance open. ' Fucking knew it, asshole.'  

" Akatani, Warning received, and the bomb is safe. Though, I will not be able to run on this ice. " Iida's voice crackled in his ear. "Noted, just fucking play; keep away; they are coming up the front steps," Katsuki hissed as he repositioned himself into a room where he could be behind anyone coming up the steps. The cold was already causing Katuki's teeth to chatter lightly and his breath to be seen in the light. His body suit does not provide much insulation, so he is making a mental note to have a heating system installed even in his summer gear. Soft, steady, confident steps could be heard coming up the icy steps. The small cleats in his shoes allowed Todoroki to walk on the ice calmly, casually sweeping each room; Pink Cheeks followed behind, floating up the steps as she looked nervous. 

"Do you think the ice hurt them?" She asked as they passed the room Katsuki was hiding in. Katsuki covered his mouth and nose with his glove to hide his breath.  

"If that is the case, perhaps they are not ready to be heroes." Todoroki's monotone voice replied. "You should keep looking for the bomb; I assume Akatani will be elsewhere." Pink cheeks looked for a moment to want to disagree but, in the end, just nodded and floated herself up the next level of steps as Katsuki watched Peppermint Prick start sweeping the rooms properly. Katsuki slowly crept from his spot, wanting to take down the arrogant prick with his bare hands, but the ice under his boot cracked, causing a loud crunch to echo down the hall. Todoroki mostly had great instincts as he shot ice at Katsuki without looking at what caused the noise. But Katsuki was ready after months of training with Izuku (indirectly Stain), which caused him to dodge the icy blast with ease. 

"Wow, what if I was Pink Cheeks? You didn't even look at your target." Katsuki huffed, sending a blast of his own back at Todoroki, forcing the two-haired teen to dodge into a side room. A wave of ice burst through the wall, sending plaster and ice shards everywhere as Katsuki was forced to run. 

"Seriously? I've had snowball fights scarier than this," Katsuki quipped, leading the other teen up a floor, his explosions helping him bounce from wall to wall as Todoroki sent wave after wave of ice with each semi-clear shot. The entire building was frozen; each wave of ice caused the air to become even colder, resulting in Katsuki's blasts becoming smaller and smaller.  'I have to end this quickly,'  he thought, as the next floor didn't have individual rooms but held large support pillars. Clearly, this floor would be for cubicle offices if this was a real fucking building.  

The bomb was on the next floor, and Katsuki thought he could hear Iida monologuing. Still, Katsuki had his own problem with an overly aggressive Frosty following him. The moment he spotted that stupid fucking hair Katsuki attempted to blast the prick back down the steps, but ice shot through the floor where he stood. The pillar of ice clipped his side, the ice quickly ripping through his bodysuit and skin. Warm blood was shocking compared to the icy air as Katsuki was forced to move again. 

"Fuck!" He hissed, clamping his hand over his bleeding abs. It was a deep cut, but two more ice pillars burst through the floor, forcing the shivering teen to keep moving, the tail of blood beginning to grow. A low groaning could be heard echoing through the building as some of the previous ice pillar attacks broke under their weight. 

"Give up, Villain; you are done." Todoroki huffed at the top of the steps, his breath coming out in short, foggy bursts as his fists were clenched to his side. "Don't make me hurt you."  

Katsuki couldn't help but laugh in the prick's face. "Bullshit, your fucking ice hurts you too; I can see you shivering, Peppermint. Awe, what's wrong? Didn't you get any of Daddy's fire? Shame." Katsuki hissed as he lifted both hands and prepared to let out a large blast. However, the explosion was anticlimactic, barely reaching the space between the two teens. ' Fuuuuck'.  Between the cold and now blood coating his gloves, Katsuki knew he was fucked. 

"I refuse to use his fire!" Todoroki growled as he unleashed a massive iceberg at Katsuki. Leaping up into the air once more, Katsuki nearly got away, but his left foot was snagged by the ice encapsulating the leg up to his knee. In contrast, the other leg was free, but he was stuck in place. The iceberg, however, was massive, ripping apart a few of the support pillars, causing ice and cement to rain down on the two teens. 

As the dust cleared, Katsuki found himself near the ceiling of the floor they were on, ice trapping him up to his left knee. At the same time, his other leg struggled to find a perch to stand on, his boot slipping on the ice, forcing his one leg to hold weight. He could feel his knee push uncomfortably out of pace as he braced his hands on the ice and ceiling. The low groaning could be heard again, this time much closer in the building, as Katsuki coughed some of the cement dust out of his mouth. Looking around, he saw Todoroki staring up at him in fear, not at him but past Katsuki in fear. Twisting his neck, Katsuki saw what was causing the bi-colored teen so much worry. The ice had broken through the ceiling, busting into the bomb room, with very concerned Glasses and Cheeks looking down at them through the holes in the floor. A hole in the floor where a support pillar once was located, a floor now only held up by groaning beams of rebar, which was slowly bending downward towards Kastuki's head. All the teens were frozen as All Might's voice called over the coms, reprimanding Todoroki for going too far.  

The groaning grew so much louder as multiple bangs louder, then gunshots went off as piece after piece of rebar snapped between the cold and the weight shifts. "RUN FUCKERS!" Katsuki screamed as he shoved his hands in the air to catch the large slab of floor that was dipping towards his head. Bracing himself into the ice more with one leg, Katsuki wedged both hands against the concrete flooring as the final bar snapped, pushing a few hundred pounds of pure rock and metal down on the trapped teen. 

"Akatani!" Multiple voices screamed out as the teen held the floor the others were standing on. Katsuki couldn't see anything but the ice that trapped him as he felt the floor become lighter for half a moment before the weight returned, causing him to grunt from the strain. Blood was rushing in his ears, so Katsuki couldn't make out the rushed, frantic calls for assistance. More ice pillars appeared to his side, allowing him to shift some of his weight to his other leg. With each beat of his heart, Kastuki felt himself weakening. He was shivering and couldn't produce sweat to blast the floor off him. Even with the additional support, his foot kept slipping on the ice. The idiots in his class were just watching as the concrete floor slowly began to crush the blond teen. 

The rough rock settled across Katsuki's shoulders, his arms not strong enough to hold an entire floor. Small flash-bang explosions went off beside his head as Kastuki attempted to do anything with his quirk. The edges of his vision began to darken; Katsuki wasn't sure if it was the strain on his neck or blood loss causing him to lose sight along with his hearing. Hot blood ran down his side, soaking the band of his pants, causing the wetness to freeze against his skin. Kastuki couldn't tell how long he struggled to hold the floor up; seconds felt like hours. He felt like Sisyphus, pushing against the rock only to be crushed at the end regardless. 

Katsuki wanted to scream and slip back into his old habits of blaming and raging, but his body felt too numb; all he could think of, the one thought that kept repeating in his brain, was, ' What a stupid way to train heroes.'

Shaking and weak, Katsuki felt his arms fall, his body pitching forward, the ice cutting into his knee, but he wasn't crushed. Blinking, he found himself being braced by Eraserhead, his capture weapon allowing the Hero to climb the ice as Cementoss and All Might deal with the flooring. Eraser's mouth moved, but Katsuki felt as if he was underwater; shaking his head, he tried to explain that Katsuki couldn't hear, but the darkness overtook him as he passed out in Eraserhead's arms. 

Katsuki was getting really tired of waking up in random recovery offices. Growling to himself, his shoulders burned as he reached up to shield his eyes. He was out of his uniform, in scrubs, and felt his side tightly bound in bandages. A knock on the door heralded Recovery Girl as she tutted at him. "Try not to move too much, dear. I haven't healed you yet; your body was too exhausted." 

Katsuki opened his mouth to say he was fine but seemed to deflate in the bed. He knew he wasn't OK; he had been bleeding too severely earlier. Recovery Girl was busied with a few charts before approaching him with a handful of gummies. "Please eat these; they will help get you home." Katsuki nodded once before just shoving the whole handful in his mouth, aggressively chewing, killing the shit out of those lil bears. Recovery Girl nodded in approval before leaning in and kissing him on his cheek. Katsuki felt another wave of exhaustion hit him, but the burning in his shoulders eased significantly. 

"Thank you," Katsuki muttered, allowing himself to relax briefly in bed. 

"Relax until those candies kick in. You were not out long, and I have requested one of your classmates to bring your bag here once the lesson is finished." 

"They're still going?" Katsuki was surprised. 

"Battle trials Kami, No. Aizawa shut that down. They are doing a costume review with Cementoss while Aizawa and All Might discuss what happened with the Principal. You should have never been in that position, but you did good. Reckless and antagonistic, you used your quirk in moderation for the enclosed space and assisted in saving your classmates as holding the floor up allowed them to escape."

Katsuki looked down at his exhausted body; once more, he didn't know how to feel. Recovery Girl just lightly patted his knee. "Your classmates are fine, by the way. Uraraka had a case of quirk exhaustion; she attempted to lighten the floor but quickly reached her limit. Iida and Todoroki were fine; Todoroki just needed to be warmed up." 

"Didn't ask," Katsuki grumbled, not looking up, but at least he knew he really one-upped that Peppermint Prick. Katsuki could already hear the lecture on power moderation coming to the class.  

Quiet settled across the room as Kastuki was left alone with his thoughts. He didn't know how to feel about the whole scenario. Katsuki knew All Might was an idiot; that was clear when he was in a rush to return a minor to their abuser. But he had not realized that his incompetence extended into his teaching. Katsuki thought about telling Eraser about what All Might had done the first night they ran away but quickly dismissed the thought. While Eraser would most likely believe him, would the number one hero actually get in trouble? Doubtful, it was the word of a runaway criminal vs. a hero who probably does not remember him. Hopefully, Katsuki wished he had his phone; he could at least text rant to Izuku, but he assumed it was still safe in his locker. 

A soft knock at his door announced the arrival of Eraserhead and All Might, the latter looking rather sheepish. They both approached the bed, Eraser quickly scanning his body to ensure he was healed before nodding once at him. "Akatani, glad to see you awake. Just to confirm, you remember everything during the battle trials, correct?" 

Katsuki grunted in an affirmative. "That's good. I saw the tapes, but I would like to hear what happened in your words, with minimal expletives.

"Well, we started the trial, I told Glasses-" "You mean Iida, I assume" "Sure. I told him to be on bomb duty because his quirk was in his legs, so he could grab the damn thing and run, while I prepared for IcyHot- ""Todoroki?" "Yeah, I suspected he would ice the whole building, which I was fuc- um right. So when I felt the temperature drop, I avoided the ice. Told Glasses about the ice on the coms and prepared for a fight. I snuck up behind Pep-Ice-shit Todoroki and tried to take him out quickly, but he started shooting wave after wave of ice at me, breaking through walls and sh-stuff. I might have kinda said some shit, but really nothing more than banter since I was playing a villain, I guess, but then when we got to the next floor, a few pillars got hit. He kinda went overboard, and I almost fucking got away. But then the ice caught my foot, leaving me hanging there like a rag doll before we noticed his ice taking out a pillar. There was a hole in the floor where I could see Glasses and Pink Cheeks looking down at me, then the rebar began to snap and I had to catch the floor or be crushed. I really don't know how long I was holding the thing. It was kinda a blur, but yeah, that's it." Katsuki huffed, crossing his arms. Aizawa nodded to himself as he listened. 

"That lines up with what the other students said as well. While I am disappointed that this was the outcome of the first-semester class, I will say you conducted yourself well enough. You limited the damage and kept your head in an emergency situation." Aizawa attempted to appear uninterested, but the slight uptick of his lips allowed Katsuki to guess he was more proud than he was letting on. 

"As Young Aizawa stated, you did very well today, Young Akatani!" All Might's voice boomed. "You should be very proud of yourself; thanks to your efforts, your classmates could escape the building without issue! And um… I also apologize for allowing you to be placed in this situation without training. I… Well, I made the mistake of choosing battle trials as the first class." All Might looked as sheepish as a mountain of a man could look, his feet shuffling. 

"It's whatever, I guess." Katsuki rubbed at the back of his neck, scratching at his undercut. Aizawa rolled his eyes; however, "Classes will be out in twenty minutes. I have asked that Kirishima be released from class early to bring your clothing before the bell. If you or your guardian is worried about your health due to this incident, please have your guardian contact the school, and we will provide funding for any additional medical services you may need." 

' Why is he even wasting his breath with this? He knows we don't give a shit. ' Kastuki tried not to roll his eyes but couldn't help his sigh. "I'll be fine." 

Aizawa nodded once before turning towards the door to leave. However, All Might remained at his bedside, "Young Akatani, If you do not mind, you seem very familiar to me, but I haven't put my finger on why. Have we met before?" ' Ah FUCK ’ 

"No? I think I would remember meeting the Number one hero." Katsuki huffed. Where All Might chucked awkwardly, "Yes, I understand. You must just have one of those faces. Thank you, Young Akatani." All Might turned to leave, passing Aizawa at the door. Aizawa, hearing the question, flicked his eyebrow up at Katsuki before leaving the room. 

Katsuki enjoyed his last moments of quiet before the red-headed loudmouth appeared with his things, spouting some shit about manliness, and Katsuki practically ran away from campus. He went straight home, avoiding everyone from his class, and Hitoshi, for that matter. Katsuki could not stand social interactions anymore. He would have just blown up in someone's face, and as much as Hitoshi gets on his nerves, Izuku would make him feel bad for blowing up on the Toll Doll. 

Izuku was away when Kastuki arrived, but that wasn't surprising. Katsuki decided to lay down for a nap; his shoulders felt tight from nerves while he was healed, and a nap sounded perfect. After his nap, he spent the evening doing laundry, ironing his school uniform, and making dinner. Dinner was nearly finished when he heard the front door open and Izuku kicking off his shoes. The greennette was wearing his Jackalope outfit and was carrying what suspiciously looked like a sword wrapped in cloth; Izu's face-planted into the couch, his face buried in the cushions as he groaned loudly. 

Katsuki didn't bother saying anything as he finished making dinner. Izuku needed a moment to regulate, and frankly, Katsuki needed to mentally prepare for what Izuku would tell him. Since Katsuki learned that Izuku lied to him for so long, they have fallen into the habit of not just jumping on each other when something is wrong. Sometimes, Izuku needed to decompress and feel his feelings before speaking, which allowed Katsuki to mentally prepare for Izuku's emotions. Izuku had been keeping some information to himself to enable Katsuki to have some deniability. Still, sometimes things just got to be too much for Jackalope for Izuku to keep to himself. 

As the beef and veggies finished on the stove, Katsuki approached the teen, attempting to smother himself with the couch and lightly karate-chopped his curls. 

"Foods ready, Nerd." 

Izuku whined on the couch but lifted his head to look at Katsuki, "Thanks, Kacchan. I'm starving." As the teens settled down at the dinner table, Kastuki looked over at Izuku and merely lifted an eyebrow in expectation. Causing Izuku to sigh. 

"Today was just a weird day, Kacchan. I finished up some work for Giran and decided to take it to him directly because Stain wanted to have a quick chat before he left town." Izuku paused to shovel more food into his mouth before continuing. "So, like, it started out normal, but Giran was acting weird, like really weird. He kept saying he was fine and just had a meeting, but he kept looking at me like he was trying to figure something out. I don't know. But then he practically begged me to meet with the client who tried to disintegrate me. I kept telling him no, but then he explained that they only wanted me to look at one of their plans to ensure they were using their people's quirks right. And they would pay me ten times the amount, and it would be the last time. So I agreed as long as the man-child is kept away from me, and Giran promised that they wouldn't be near me." 

Katsuki huffed and crossed his arms. "Seriously? Why the fuck are you going back?" 

Izuku rubbed his face and leaned back in his chair. "Because it's the last time I'll work with them, and they offered nearly 3.5 million yen for a 30-minute meeting." Katsuki couldn't help but let out a low whistle. "And the crusty who hurt me got a knife in the thigh, so I don't think he is keen on seeing me either." Katsuki wanted to demand that Izuku not take the meeting; he wanted to require that he be there, but he forced himself to take a bite of food instead before asking, "When is the meeting?"

"At the end of the week, and this time, I will be ready." Katsuki nodded once. His gut was not happy with Izuku's choice, but he knew he had no right to demand he change his mind. Izuku could hold his own now. Though maybe Katsuki would text Dabi tomorrow to at least have the Nerd's back. 

"But after all that! Stain, well, he is going off to do what he does in some other cities for a while. Tried to talk him out of it again, but clearly, that didn't work. But he… well, he said he didn't have anything else to teach me. He said he had instilled all the basics in me, but now I need to move forward with my convictions, and he gave me a sword." Izuku struggled to keep his voice level; there was a slight quiver as Izuku looked at the wrapped blade leaning against the wall. "So… s-so I guess I graduated." Izuku turned to smile softly at Katsuki, tears building up in the corner of his eyes. Katsuki huffed before reaching over and pulling the Nerd into an awkward hug. 

"Congrats Nerd. If No-nose says you graduated, it means you kick ass on your own. You will have to show me the sword after dinner. And be sure to take it fucking with you now to your meetings." 

"Kacchan! I can't just carry a sword around in broad daylight!?" Izuku huffed, squirming away from the hug. 

"Go buy one of those sword cases or some shit. It's fucking Japan; just make it look like you are a student with a practice sword; no one will give a fuck." Izuku mumbled in agreement. 

"Oh, Hito, also let me know what Mic wants to have dinner on Saturday night. I told him we would be here." Izuku smiled as he finished his dinner. 

"Yeah, Troll Doll told me." Katsuki huffed as he stirred his own food around his plate. "What's up Kacchan? How was your day?" 

Katsuki took a deep breath before telling Izuku that  All Might  was his heroics teacher and they were doing battle trials. He regaled Izuku on how Todoroki was just like his father, going overboard with his quirk, and how the trial ended with Katsuki holding up a cement floor instead of being crushed. Izuku let out a distressed whine and jumped up to look at Katsuki's neck and side to ensure he was healed. 

"I'm fine! I'm fine. Really, Recovery Girl healed me up. But in the office, All Might asked if we had met before, and of course, I lied. He truly is a fucking idiot." Kastuki grumbled, pulling back down his tank top. 

"What the fuck is wrong with that school? Like is this really how they train heroes? You have needed medical attention more at the school than we did living on the streets." Izuku huffed after he had completed his inspection for injuries. 

"All Might got in trouble. I guess the class should have been a costume review. But they get away with training like this because they have Recovery Girl." Izuku grumbled to himself before settling down. 

"Kacchan is so cool, though. YOU HELD UP AN ENTIRE FLOOR! So strong! You are the best Hero!" Izuku gushed, bouncing around. 

"Oi, knock it off, Nerd. It's not that big of a deal." Kastuki felt his neck and ears warm. "Shut up and show me your sword." 

The rest of the night resulted in the teens gushing over the custom sword, with green accents, and relaxing with some games before Kastuki fell into a deep exhaustion sleep. 

Chapter Text

"No."

A beat of silence before;

"WHAT?!"

"Dude?"

"Disrespectful…"

"He can't be ser-"

"Madness."

"So Manly…"

"ENOUGH," Katsuki felt his quirk slip from his grasp as Eraserhead awoke from his "nap" and confronted the teens. Allowing the yellow monstrosity of his sleeping bag to slide from his frame, their sensei pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

"Akatani, is there a reason why you are rejecting the nomination of the class president?" he asked, exasperated?

"I don't want it. There was no option to opt out of the nominations, and while it's fucking insane that six of you voted for me when you don't even know me, I don't have the time for this shit. I have afterschool commitments that I won't give up for the position of class Prez." Katsuki huffed, crossing his arms and leaning back in his seat. Glasses and Ponytail paled, never even considering that there were people who didn't want the nomination for the position and just held the vote.

Aizawa sighed again and muttered, "Language please," before nodding and addressing the class, "Are there any others who wish to remove their names from the pool of possible nominations?"

Multiple hands went up, causing both Iida and Momo to blanch in embarrassment. Feathers, Frogger, Rocky, Soy Sauce Face, and, to Katsuki's surprise, Shinsou put their hands up along his.

"Very well, please recast votes excluding those with their hands up. Do it quickly; this is a waste of time." Aizawa huffed before zipping back into his sleeping bag.

Ultimately, Ponytail won class president and Glasses as vice, which wasn't a shock to anyone. After the acceptances were given, Aizawa started homeroom properly reviewing what to expect across the semester and handing out permission slips for multiple trips. The first being at the end of the week.

Present Mic entered the room for English following homeroom, and the rest of the morning was a blur.  Shinsou and Katsuki hid from the class at lunch, eating their bentos in a quiet gym, avoiding the chaos of the cafeteria. They discussed the class nominations, Shinsou stating that it didn't make sense for a wanna-be underground hero to be in such a spotlight position as a UA class president. Katsuki couldn't argue with that; it was a small reason why he didn't want the position, but the other was Izuku. He didn't want to spend more time at UA than he needed to without the Nerd. That cold bitterness of Izuku being rejected still hurts Katsuki daily. He felt exposed without Izuku to help watch his back. He has already made too many stupid mistakes with his identity and fighting skills; Katsuki felt as if it were just a matter of time before he was found out. Might as well avoid adding the shame of being found out while being class president. Shinsou didn't like his reasoning but understood it, letting the matter drop.  

Just as lunch was about to finish, a blaring alarm sounded across campus, causing the teens to flinch wildly.

"The fuck is going on?" Katsuki hissed, covering his ears.

Shinsou stood, leading Katsuki back into the grassy area outside the cafeteria. They could see the students rushing out of the building and grouping by class. Heros were running around, trying to establish order as the alarm continued to sound.

"There was a break-in," Shinsou explained, looking around for class 1-A.

"Who the fuck could have gotten through the gate?" Katsuki asked.

"No clue. But we might as well group up with the rest.

After about ten minutes of chaos, the school announced that the press had broken past the gate and that the students were to return to class. Katsuki suspected there was more to it than that, but he also knew the school would never say anything about it. Gotta save face and all that.

There were no physical hero classes that afternoon, allowing the hero students to be dismissed at the same time as the rest of the school. Katsuki saw Glasses and Ponytail attempting to approach him but quickly slipped out the backdoor of the classroom, slipping through the crowded hallways with ease. Pushing his way out into the warm spring sunlight, Katsuki felt himself just breathe momentarily. He wasn't in the mood to hear the rich kids give more false apologies to him for the nominations this morning. He really didn't care.

With a deep breath, Katsuki approached the destroyed front gates to take the train home. But his peace was quickly interrupted by two voices calling out to him as Shinsou and Shark Bait jogged to catch up.

"Hey, man! How are you so quick in the crowds? One moment, you were there. The next, you were halfway down the hall!" Sharky pumped his fist with a wide smile.

Shinsou smirked as he nudged Katsuki's shoulder as he spoke to Sharky behind Katsuki's head. "Kats here is a slippery one; many have tried, but they can't pin him down… well unless you're a two-ton chunk of flooring," Shinsou gave Katsuki a shit-eating grin.

"Fuck off."

"No way, man! What you did yesterday was so MANLY! You gotta share your workout routine with me if you could hold that floor up for so long. ON ONE LEG AT THAT! You should have seen peoples' reactions in the observation room; people were going wild cheering you and the heroes on." The redhead bounced beside them through the courtyard.

"Is that why so many of you idiots voted for me this morning?" Katsuki groused as he shoved his hands deep into his pockets, his shoulders up to his ears.

"Yeah, man! Like that was Hero 101 right there; no one else did what you did, so it made sense. Well, at least to me." The redhead rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish smile.

Katsuki just rolled his eyes and kicked a rock along the path, "Stupid reason, I just did what I had to to survive in the moment. I might be the biggest idiot with money or have an ego complex as large as Endevwhore. None of us know each other; it's stupid to hold elections right off the bat like that based on one physical hero class."

"Yeah, but that's what we had to work with, so it made sense to vote for the more heroic one of us to date," Shinsou responded, leaning his head back onto his hands as the gate came into view.

"BOTH of you fuckers voted for me?" Katsuki hissed.

"Sure, I did."

"Duh."

"Fucking Idiots." Katsuki huffed as he tried to pick up the pace, but the crowd of students kept him in check. As they reached the now destroyed gate, Katsuki and Shinsou moved right towards the train station. Kirishima paused and looked to the left.

"I take a bus home, so I gotta go the opposite way, but I'm serious about wanting to learn your workouts. Could we… Like train together sometime?" he asked with puppy eyes.  

Katsuki couldn't look at the puppy eyes and grunted a non-committal "Fuck if I care." Shinsou nodded once. "That's Kats for sure; we will let you know when."

Kirishima pumped his arm with a cheer, "Thanks, man! Have a great night! See you tomorrow!" before turning down the opposite direction.

Katsuki didn't bother with a response as Shinsou gave an amused salute at the redhead's back, "He sure is energetic."

"Too much."

"Izu would like him."

"Izu would befriend an ant if it said hi to him," Katsuki grunted.