Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Katsuki glowered at his beer. Kiri had convinced him to try a new bar this week and between the way his elbows stuck to the bar top and the television blasting some nonsensical interview with Shoto fucking Todoroki, he wouldn’t be making that mistake again for a while. 

Icy Hot seemed confused as he answered what brand of socks he wore on patrol like he was trying to figure out if it somehow impacted his performance as a hero. They could have spent time talking about the surge of Trigger in Tokyo or anything related to actual hero work, but instead the whole fucking thing was focused on insignificant questions that anyone with a single brain cell could figure out by opening fucking google.

This is why Katsuki never did shitty interviews. It was a fucking waste of time. What was even more pathetic was how much that shit impacted the hero charts. Popularity had become a bigger pain in his ass than using his quirk in the winter.

Hawks once told him that if he ever hoped to break the top 50, he needed to put himself out there, gain some fans, and interact with the people of Japan . Katsuki tried it when he was 19 and ended up storming out when the overly chipper woman asked him what his fucking soap smelled like. If people needed to know how he smelled after a shower to become his fans, then fuck it, he would stay in moderate obscurity until he died. 

Doesn’t mean it didn’t piss Katsuki off. It had always been his dream to be the best hero, it just wasn’t until he had graduated that he learned that the best and who was number one definitely weren’t the same thing. 

“Man! I can’t believe Todoroki got on a primetime news spot!” Kirishima shouted over the noise, causing the few other patrons dumb enough to be drinking on a weeknight to jump and glance over at the boisterous hero. 

The place was a nearly empty back alley sports bar, probably something fucking Denki had recommended. Even the bartender clearly didn’t want to be there and was leaning against the bartop watching the TV with a glazed over expression. 

Katsuki rolled his eyes, “Dear old daddy probably pulled strings being Number One and shit. God! How is he more fucking awkward than when we were in high school.”

Kiri gave him the classic don’t be rude to your old classmates look and sipped his hard cider.

“Don’t give me that look, Shitty Hair. Nothing I said is fucking wrong.” Katsuki snapped.

“I didn’t say that you were wrong.” His friend started. “But… A lot of his fans find his awkwardness charming. People on Twitter are always on about how cute it is.”

Great. Not only did he have to sit in a shitty bar on a Tuesday night, but now he was listening to how fucking cute people thought the Half and Half bastard was. Normally he didn’t regret their weekly meetups, but tonight had Katsuki rethinking ever becoming friends with the idiot. 

“If only they knew he believes every goddamn conspiracy theory he hears. Remember when Tape Face convinced him that Mind Freak from class B was Aizawa’s kid?” Katsuki sneered.

The redhead’s laugh echoed through the room. “He only believed it because they used the same capture weapon. It took weeks of him snooping around class B’s dorms before Shinso finally showed him pictures of his actual parents. Even though he dropped it I’m not sure he ever stopped believing it.” 

Katsuki smirked into his half empty beer. He had more fond memories of that last year at UA than he would ever admit. It certainly helped that by that time, he’d been through enough therapy to get his head out of his ass and actually enjoy being around other people. 

An overproduced watch commercial interrupted his thoughts by assaulting his ears with flowery music and suddenly the voice of his boss flooded the room. He slammed his head against the wood hoping to drown out the sensual tones of Hawks before cringing, remembering how unclean the surface was. 

“I bet you could do commercials like that.” Kiri half wondered aloud. “You have the voice for it, but they would probably have to edit out all the times you start yelling and cursing at the production team.” 

“If you have ever considered me a friend, you will bash my head in before shit like this ever comes out of my mouth.” Katsuki said as he buried his face further into the grime desperate to ignore Hawks talking about a wristwatch like he wanted to use it as a fucking cockring. 

A heavy arm landed on his shoulders and he grunted at the sudden weight. They both had grown since first year, but Kiri was 6’6” of bodybuilder style muscle and not even Katsuki could fully ignore the sudden pressure. 

“I never get tired of how manly it is when you admit we’re bros.” Shitty Hair sounded genuinely thankful.

“I take it back.” Katsuki grumbled. “Fucking kill me now so I can avoid this conversation.”

He lifted his head wincing at the layer of skin he left behind. Kiri was beaming at him clearly about to go into some long winded speech about how thankful he was that Katsuki had grown enough to admit their bromance, but thankfully the idiot was interrupted by a notification on his phone.

If Katsuki thought Kiri’s smile was bright before it was nothing compared to the blinding shark teeth grinning down at the message.

“Bakubro. Dude.” He almost whispered. Kirishima ran the hand not holding his phone through his spiked hair. He hadn’t given up the hair dye, but without Mina living in the same dorm to redye it constantly, his black roots had become a part of his daily look. 

“Fucking spit it out, Shitty Hair.” Katsuki grumbled, finishing his beer and glaring daggers at the bartender when he made a move to refill it. There was no fucking way he would be staying for another round in a place like this. It was nearly 9pm and all he wanted was to get away from the constant reminder that anyone who would be number one had to have the approval of a bunch of fucking extras.

Kiri seemed engrossed with whatever was on his screen, ignoring the question. The Katsuki from high school would have blown up the idiot’s phone and told him not to ignore him, but the Katsuki six years into therapy pulled out his card and paid their tabs while he tried his best to find the patience not to walk out the door and leave Kirishima’s distracted ass behind. 

After a few minutes, the phone was shoved in his face. He recognized the site immediately. Hero News Daily was the most popular source for actual hero information. Normally they reported on villain fights or hero injuries, which Katsuki respected for being something of actual substance, but this was an article under their Hero Profile tab. Next to a picture of Kirishima on his knees after a battle looking moments away from breaking down in tears was a headline.

“ Hero Red Riot: Scared Stiff! ” Katsuki nearly bellowed. “Are you fucking kidding me? Who the fuck had the god damn stupid fucking idea to write this shit about you! I’ll fucking find this idiot and introduce them to real fucking fear…”

Katsuki’s rage was interrupted by a full body laugh. Damn, he knew Kirishima was good natured and all that shit, but something like this had to piss even him off. 

“Bakubro. It’s not like that. It’s just a clickbait title.” Kiri was still laughing. “I’ve been working on this interview for a while and I guess it finally came out.”

Katsuki was still furious. Partially because his best friend clearly didn’t give a fuck that some writer had the gaul to call him a cowered and because said best friend had went behind his back to do some shitty fanservice interview without telling him. Sure Kiri had done a few before, but they tended to be generic post fight bullshit or short magazine blurbs about upcoming heroes. He hadn’t, to Katsuki’s knowledge, ever sought out a chance to be the focal point of a major interview. Hero News Daily was a huge deal and an entire article devoted to him should have been on Katsuki’s radar. Fuck, maybe he was just a shit friend for not knowing what was going on in Shitty Hair’s life.

Kirishima was already halfway to the door when Katsuki finally untangled himself from his perceived shortcomings. 

“Are you seriously not pissed some interviewer was stupid enough to write this bullshit?” 

Katsuki knew his friend and he was far from a coward. He had seen the dumbass rush oncoming traffic to save small animals, sprint into collapsing buildings chasing after the sound of someone screaming. Sure, he had fears, it would be idiodic not to, but that never once in all of Katsuki’s years of knowing the guy, stopped him from throwing himself into danger to protect people.

Kirishima just shrugged and turned to grin at him, “You should read the rest of the article before you freak out.”

“You’re fucking impossible” Katsuki said shoving the phone back into his hand. He turned the opposite direction towards his apartment. 

“Oh and I’m never letting you pick the fucking bar again, you idiot!” He shouted over his shoulder, still radiating anger.

“Have a good night Bakubro!”

~~~

Katsuki was still pissed when he finished climbing the three flights of stairs to his apartment. He unlocked the door and threw his shoes by the mat. There was no point in calling out that he was home since there was no one that would have heard him, excluding the old lady next door, but that was thanks to the thin walls. It had been like this since he’d left UA. He liked having his own space, away from people that demanded shit from him. Control over his life wasn’t something he was willing to give up after finally getting away from the hag that was his mother. 

Roommates were messy, they stayed up past when Katsuki needed to be in bed, and people in general tended to be bad at giving him the space he needed to cool off when he was pissed. So after graduation he settled for a small, cheap single bedroom place a few train stops from Hawk’s office. 

It wasn’t terrible. The appliances, water, and thermostat all worked and three years of cheap rent meant he had plenty tucked away in his bank account. Katsuki had planned on getting a nicer place once he made it up the ranks as a hero, but that required playing nice with media vultures and he wasn’t desperate enough to stoop that low.

Speaking of vultures, Katsuki looked down at his phone and saw that Kiri had texted him a link to the Red Riot hero interview. 

Shitty Hair: dont blow anything up before you read it

Bakugo: Fine.

Bakugo: I’m still pissed you went the fanservice route to climb ranks.

Shitty Hair: i promise its not what you think

Shitty Hair: just read it bro. whole thing is super manly

How Kiri thought an article featuring a picture of him nearly trembling and calling him scared could be manly was beyond Katsuki, but he pulled out his laptop and opened Hero News Daily anyway. Despite respecting the news site more than others, he didn’t actually read it. Anything hero related he needed to know was covered in Hawks’ agency meetings. 

The article was under the Hero Profile section of the site, completely separated from the interviews. It only took a glance to find that every article here was written by the same person, they were all pieces about heroes, and they almost all had borderline insulting titles. Whoever wrote this was popular enough to have a dedicated tab on the website and clearly relied on bashing the people they interviewed to get views. Fucking vultures. 

Katsuki ignored the older ones before he found another reason to snap whoever wrote this in two and pulled open the one Kirishima had linked.

The same all too human face of his friend was front and center again. Kiri was in a half hardened state and looking closer Katsuki recognized that the photo had been taken after a particularly rough fight where his friend had been brought to his physical limits before finally bringing down the villain. It certainly wasn’t the most incredible Red Riot had looked, but Katsuki knew how much blood and sweat the hero had shed during the battle. Seeing someone use it to make him look weak sent sparks across his palms. 

Katsuki glared at the title again as if he could frighten the offending works off his screen.

Hero Red Riot: Scared Stiff

By Ze

Ejiro Kirishima doesn’t seem like much of a hero. He’s a Crimson Riot fanboy with a quirk nearly as simplistic as his outlook on life. His hardening certainly doesn’t make him invincible and provides no more advantage than a decent set of support armor. It’s difficult to look at him and see much more than an average sidekick with an obnoxious desire to be manly. Working under the number two hero Hawks seems to be all anyone can expect of him. No one would blame him for living a comfortable life in someone else’s shadow. No one, but Red Riot himself. 

I avoided asking about Ejiro’s fascination with everything manly for a while since I figured I already knew the answer. Manliness in my eyes is unshakable domination and power. It’s arm wrestling and beating your chest after victory. It’s never admitting that you’re wrong. Frankly it’s an outdated concept but to Ejiro it turns out, manliness is a lot more. It's compassion for the helpless, it’s kindness for those in despair, it’s beyond gender and classic masculinity, it’s about being the type of person Ejiro admires.

Never once in all of our conversations did Ejiro refer to himself as manly. It was a surprise at first because he would often rave about how manly some woman who helped him find his keys at the office was or how manly other heroes working to improve were. I realized after a while that manliness represented everything he strived for, both as a person and as a hero. He wanted to be eternally grateful for the stranger who held the door. He wanted to be infinitely kind no matter who had wronged him. He wanted to be as fearless as the heroes he admired when going into battle. They were ideals for him, but never reality. 

I asked him about the first real villain fight he was in. It’s a common question in interviews and one I tend to overlook, but I’m thankful I took the time. As it turns out Ejiro had two answers. His hero debut fight with some unnamed villain, and the first time he had the opportunity to act as a hero and didn’t.

It’s not difficult to find the first official encounter Ejiro had with villains since the League of Villains attacks on UA were widely publicized while they occurred, but his first solo encounter was a battle during his first year internship with Fatgum. It was a stereotypical battle. The villain had a quirk that allowed him to grow knives out of his body and enhanced his quirk using the drug known as Trigger. Ejiro was able to protect everyone around him and apprehend the villain. All of that is easily found in a few articles from the time. What wasn’t written about was how the villain was trying to protect his friend by attacking the heroes that had captured him and that Ejiro had admired the villain’s loyalty and passion for the people he cared about. He told me how he unknowingly kept the villain’s spirits high mid battle by praising him for those traits and how it was the fight he learned that defeating someone is about who gives up mentally far more than who is physically stronger. 

It seems ridiculous from the outside and there is a part of me that would agree, but there’s something endearing about a hero that is so encouraging that he forgets to discourage even the people he’s supposed to defeat. 

The second story Ejiro told me was far more defining for him as a person. It happened in middle school. He was obsessed with both Crimson Riot and the idea of becoming a chivalrous hero just like him. I’ll always be one to say that aspiring heroes lack a fundamental understanding of the real threat of violence. Our society spends more time idolizing heroic sacrifices and placing plastic heroes on pedestals without understanding that the shinny lie we uphold just makes kids rush into situations where people get hurt and killed. Most kids end up in a dangerous situation after years of telling themselves they will be a hero and end up doing more harm than good. 

That’s exactly what happened to Ejiro. After years of aspiring to be like the perfect version of Crimson Riot interviews sold him as, he finally saw a villain harassing a few girls. He told me his legs wouldn’t move, his body started shaking, and all he could think about was how to escape before he got killed. Suddenly every story he told himself shattered and he watched, frozen in fear, as someone else jumped in to do what he simply couldn’t. 

I think that’s when most kids give up on their dreams. They tuck it away with their All Might posters and start dreaming of something more realistic, but it had the opposite effect on Eijiro. He acknowledged his fears and decided that next time he wouldn’t be controlled by them, that next time he wouldn’t freeze. I asked him if he still gets afraid before facing villains and he told me that the same mind numbing fear shows up everytime he enters a disaster zone, that he still shakes while he fights, that he still wants to run away, that every time there is a part of him that wants to give into the voice telling him he isn’t strong enough to survive let alone actually help others.  

Looking at hero’s I always find their self sacrificing nature disturbing. People who have something to lose don’t run into disaster zones with smiles on their faces, they don’t grin while battling a villain trying to kill them. Either they want to die, or simply keep the lie of invincibility going until they have no more life to give. The hero Red Riot isn’t invincible and he doesn’t pretend to be. Red Riot is just a person, facing down the most dangerous situations imaginable, not with the lie of a smile in his heart, but the fear of someone who wants to live to see the next day. The line between bravery and stupidity blurs when I look at heroes, but I’ve finally pinned down where it is. Bravery has never been rushing into battles exuding absolute perfection. Bravery is being frozen with fear and finding the strength to fight anyway. 

Katsuki couldn’t help the grin on his face, but he would certainly deny the warmth in his heart. Kiri was right. This shit was good. Not the vapid bullshit most interviews spewed, but somehow this Ze person had captured his best friend’s heart in their writing. More impressively, they had figured out Kirishima as a person, not just the hero persona he was trained by UA to put forward to the public. Whoever they were, they were fucking incredible. 

The second half of the article was more hero analysis based, mostly how Kiri’s hardening quirk worked and how he had developed it through the years of training. It was well thought out and clearly done by someone who had a passion for dissecting quirks. 

Katsuki was impressed. He’d never seen something like this. Hell, he wouldn’t even call it an interview or profile, more an analysis of Red Riot as a whole. There were even bits about current and past support items and how they interacted with Kiri’s quirk. Half the shit Katsuki was sure Kiri didn’t realize himself, but the author sure as shit figured it out. 

If more people wrote about heroes like this Ze person, Katsuki might actually give a shit about reading them. At the end of the article were links to the author’s Twitter and a section for readers to leave comments. He scrolled to the top of the page, double checking the time stamp. It had been published while he and Kiri were getting drinks and over 2,000 people had already left comments. Even he knew that was an insane amount of interactions for as little time as it had been out. 

Clicking on the Twitter link showed that Ze was verified and had 4.9 million followers. Their page was nothing but links to Hero News Daily articles and the occasional tweets thanking the people who supported them. Katsuki couldn’t help feeling bitter. This Ze person was more popular than most heroes and all they were doing was their fucking job. 

Katsuki went back to the Hero News Daily page and clicked on the long list of hero profiles. Looking at the names, he was surprised to find that most of the heroes Ze wrote about weren’t the over-popular ones. Normally he would have expected Hawks, Mirko, and Endeavor as a start, but none of their names even came up in the search. There were a few popular ones scattered in, but looking at when they were published, they tended to be prior to the public latching onto them. If Katsuki had to guess he would say that a reason for their growth had been Ze's writing, especially given how popular it clearly was.

Katsuki was planning on leaving his fascination at that, but stopped when he saw a profile dated about a year and a half ago, Hero Uravity: Following The Money. Round Face and him weren’t particularly good friends, but after her performance against him in their first sports festival, he had a deep respect for the woman. She was determined and far more capable than anyone ever gave her credit for. 

Around the same time Ze had published their article about her, she started gaining serious popularity and cracked the top 50 on the hero charts as a result. Everyone loved that she was so determined to earn money to support her parents. Normally a hero looking for financial gain was frowned upon, especially since the days of Stain, but people accepted Uravity and saw the intentions behind her goals. 

Katsuki clicked the link and read through the whole thing. Ze captured her drive, intelligence, and unwavering effort better than he’d ever seen. Again they had an in depth breakdown of her quirk and support items through the years. He opened another article, this one about Shinhai, then another about Suneater, and another about Sugar Rush. 

It was nearly 3am by the time Katsuki finally closed his laptop. He hadn’t meant to stay up so late, but Ze's words were captivating. Their outlook on heroes was brutally closer to reality than most reporters ever got and their ability to break down each one was fucking astonishing. Half the heroes Katsuki read about, he had known for years, lived with, trained with, bled alongside, but this person somehow had a deeper understanding of each of them. 

Staring down his worn out reflection in his bathroom mirror while brushing, Katsuki made a decision. He was going to get this Ze person to write a profile about him. This was the only way he could rise up the charts without sacrificing himself as a hero.

Chapter Text

“Good morning Bakubro!”

Katsuki outwardly flinched at Kiri’s deafening voice echoing through the gym. The idiot was waving both his hands around like Katsuki was somehow incapable of seeing the six and a half foot tall dumbass. If the height and hair weren’t dead fucking give aways, the bright red vintage Crimson Riot muscle tank gripping the idiots pecks paired with bright white athletic shorts certainly were. 

“Who the fuck let you out of the house looking like that?” Katsuki said as he glared towards the white shorts. Kiri might have been coordinated when it came to hero work, but there was no way he wouldn’t stain those things.

Kiri just laughed and clapped him on the back. “You don’t look too great yourself, Bakubro. I know I was distracted last night, but did you actually drink enough to have a hangover for once?” 

“No Shitty Hair. Thanks to that stupid article you made me read, my sleep schedule got fucked.” Katsuki answered while walking towards the nearest sparring area. 

The gym they used was run by the Hero Association and was designed as a space for licensed heroes to train without the watchful eye of civilians. Most hero agencies had their own gyms of course, but this ensured that even heroes who worked freelance still had access to top dollar equipment. Katsuki liked that here tended to be less busy than the gym at Hawks’ agency and had the added bonus of no annoying Birdbrain poking his head in constantly. 

Katsuki ignored his friend’s confused look and began warming up. It didn’t take long for Kirishima to follow.

“Guess that means you actually ended up reading it!” The excited sparkle in Kiri’s eyes was almost enough for Katsuki to outright lie. 

“It was better than the bullshit most places put out. Hell I’m pretty fucking sure that author understands your shitty quirk better than you do.” Katsuki attempted to sound casual with the compliment, but Kiri caught the admiration behind his neutral tone. 

“Right! Ze is amazing, bro. The whole interview was super manly. You must have stayed up pretty late to have gotten dark circles like that!” 

Katsuki just grunted and went back to his stretches. He kept his hoodie on while warming up despite it still being the tail end of summer. If anyone asked, he always told them it was because his quirk was easier to use when he was hot, but in reality the hoodie had been a graduation gift from Kiri, Denki, Mina, Jiro, and Sero. They had gotten it made specially for him, black with his signature orange “X” across the chest. As a hero, he didn’t have any official merch given that he was just a sidekick and hadn’t grown a following, but if he ever did, this would be the first thing he’d make. 

His body had definitely grown since he was 18, but it was fine if he ignored the tighter fit on the upper body and arms. Where Kirishima’s body was ripped with body builder style muscles, his own tended to be more classically athletic. Katsuki’s shoulders, biceps, and chest were especially impressive considering the strain his explosions put on them, but he had worked hard to keep his legs nearly as strong. 

After both their muscles were prepared, Katsuki took off the hoodie and tossed it to the side with their water bottles. Sparring was something they had started at UA and the habit had carried into their adult careers. At first Katsuki only agreed because Kiri’s quirk meant that he didn’t have to hold back his explosions for fear of actually hurting the guy, but it evolved into both quirk battles and hand to hand practice. These days they met up the few times a week they had off from patrol, limiting fighting with quirks to avoid overdoing anything. There were always enough villains to keep exercising their larger attacks and this way they didn’t reduce their gym to rubble more than necessary.

Today’s hand to hand was going rougher than Katsuki cared to admit. The lack of sleep and his mind constantly nagging him to ask Kiri for a favor meant that he ended up on his ass more than usual. 

“You takin it easy on me, Bakubro?” Kiri teased after helping Katsuki up from the mat. 

They were both dripping with sweat and Katsuki took the break to wipe his hands on a workout towel he had brought along. Losing control of his quirk was pretty unusual since he started getting a better handle on his anger, but better to be safe than accidentally blow the face off one of the only sparring partners who could actually keep up. 

“Why’d that Ze person want to interview someone like you anyway?” He asked, ignoring the jab completely.

Kirishima picked up a bright red sports drink and popped it open. 

“Well. They sorta found me. I mean most heroes they interview aren’t super well known so I figure they probably watch smaller fights and find people that spark their interest.” He took a long drink from the bottle and Katsuki watched him spill out the side of his mouth and onto the previously white shorts. 

“This is why no one should let you leave the house in anything that can fucking stain. Between you and Iron Skull, it’s a fucking miricle either of you own clean clothing.” 

Kiri and Tetsu had been living together since graduation. Katsuki had turned down their offer to split rent on a three bedroom and after remembering the mess their dorms usually were and after three years there wasn’t a moment that he regretted the decision. 

Ignoring Kiri frantically trying to dab up the stain with other parts of his white shorts, Katsuki asked the question he’d been chewing on all morning. 

“Think you could get me intouch?” Katsuki glared at the wide eyes that bore into him. 

“Bro… You hate interviews. You said you would never and I quote let the media stick their hand up your ass and make you a puppet. ” Kiri paused thoughtfully. “You liked their writing that much huh?” 

“Yeah… That Ze person didn’t fuck around with any superficial shit. They kept it serious and actually managed to understand who you are as a fucking person not just the hero everyone thinks you should be.” Fuck it. If Katsuki was going this far, there was no point in avoiding the truth. “I’m fucking exausted because I stayed up until god knows when reading a lot of their work and it’s all just as good. Like every stupid hero profile they’ve done manages not to suck.” 

“I…” Kiri seemed lost for words. Katsuki only gave compliments when he seriously meant them, so praise like that was probably not something his friend expected. 

“Ze doesn’t really do requests or recommendations for future profiles from what I know, but I can tell them you’re interested.” A smile had formed on his face. Not the dopey ones Katsuki was used to, but one that brimmed with admiration. It made Katsuki want to punch it off before the idiot could try hugging him.

“You better. And now that I’m not distracted with that bullshit, get ready for me to kick your ass, Shitty Hair.” 

~~~

Four days later Katsuki got a text from Kirishima with instructions on how to contact Ze.

He was expecting an email or a number to contact, maybe even a call from the author's secretary, but instead Kiri sent him a Discord username and told him to contact Ze through there. He’d made a Discord after UA because Denki wouldn't shut up about playing video games together as a way to keep in touch with everyone. Their old class still kept an active minecraft server together, but it had been a few months since Katsuki had actually logged on. 

Ignoring the sudden desire to change his screen name to anything but Lord Explosion Murder, he added the author as a friend. Their name was simply Ze and the profile picture was the skyline of Tokyo clearly taken from the rooftop of a taller building. It was the kind of view Katsuki had become familiar with since his quirk made it easy to soar through city sky. 

Katsuki put his phone on the counter and started cooking himself dinner. Cooking was something he genuinely enjoyed, it also had the added benefit of helping him maintain his diet and budget. Besides, nothing calmed him down after a day of patrolling more than violently chopping vegetables. As background music to his process, he played classic rock through a portable speaker. The rough vocals distracted him from any doubts he had about speaking to Ze. 

Nearing the final few minutes of cooking his stir fry, the music was cut off and the sound of a phone-call blasted through the kitchen. Cursing, he wiped his hands on a towel.

“The fuck do you want Shitty Hair?” He asked, upset at the interruption.

“I.. umm wanted to ask if you were serious about the whole Ze thing?” Kirishima sounded nervous over the phone.

“No shit I was. Why the fuck else would I have added them on discord?” Had Kiri not told Ze that Katsuki was going to add them? None of this should have been a big fucking deal, but the idiot sounded like he was actually worried.

“Well… I’m not really supposed to talk about this since Ze doesn’t like people knowing about their interview process, but I’m worried you might not like it.” 

Fuck this. Kiri really didn’t think he could handle whatever this writer needed from him to write a good profile. 

“Listen. I decided a long time ago that if I was ever going to do an interview, it was going to be with the best. This Ze person is the best and so there isn’t anything on this fucking planet that’s going to fucking stop me.” Katsuki was annoyed. It had been a while since anyone underestimated him, especially his own god damn best friend.

“ I just… I want you to know what you’re getting into.” Kirishima seemed more unsure which only served to pissed him off even more. 

“It’s not like other interviews,” He continued. “ It requires a lot more and well, honestly it was really tough to be as open and self reflective as Ze asked me to be. I’m not saying you can’t do it and I know you’ve been working with that therapist, but it might be a lot for you.”

Both sides went silent. Katsuki clenched his eyes shut. Logically he knew his friend’s concerns were valid, but he wasn’t the same asshole from first year anymore. He had worked his ass off to handle situations with more maturity and less firepower. 

Unfortunately coming a long way and being fixed weren’t the same thing, so he smashed the end call button and resisted the urge to blow up the device in his hand. What was it his therapist always said? Three steps forward, two steps back. Today was definitely a two steps back day.

Katsuki tried not to think about the anger heating his face while he sat down to eat at his table. He had only gotten three chairs in hopes it would discourage other people from making themselves at home. That never worked with his friends however. Whenever he was forced to cook them dinner, they all just ended up grabbing plates and spreading themselves out on the floor by the coffee table or simply leaning against the counter. 

In his pocket, his phone buzzed with a notification. There was no way it was Kirishima. Anyone who called Katsuki their friend knew him well enough to give him space while he was like this. It didn’t take someone too many times of being threatened and having sparks thrown in their faces to learn that much. 

Opening it, he saw that it was a Discord message from Ze.

Ze: Hey. Is this Ground Zero?

Lord Explosion Murder: No shit. Who the fuck else would it be?

Katsuki knew he should be more professional, especially since not even a week ago he had been willing to beg Kiri for the chance to talk to this person, but the residual rage seeped into his message. 

Ze: Guess I should have expected that… You really have a bad way of handling people

Lord Explosion Murder: If you seriously are going to be that much of a dickhead I’ll take my interview elsewhere.

Ze: I wasnt aware that an unknown sidekick like yourself had other award-winning writers begging for your time

Ze: Oh wait… You had to call in a favor with Ejiro just to get my contact info. You would have been able to message me on Twitter… 

Ze: Damn actually you couldnt, since I didnt follow you back

Katsuki felt uncontrolled sparks lift off the hand not holding his phone. This person was an absolute asshat. In a matter of minutes, they had insulted his personality and his hero ranking. He should have put his phone down and walked away to cool off, but instead he typed out a message fully knowing this counted as a lot more than two steps back.

Lord Explosion Murder: I bet it’s real fucking easy sitting on a couch on the other side of a screen insulting someone who could easily throw your ass off a bride. 

He didn’t feel better after sending it. Lashing out never actually helped. It just confirmed everything his mother saw inside him. Foregoing cleaning up after dinner and figuring he had done enough damage for one day, he left his phone and went to take a shower. The warm steam cleared his brain and the heavy fall of water onto his bare back calmed the racing beat of his heart. Fuck, he was definitly going to have to talk about tonight with his therapist. 

Katsuki took his time in the shower, opting to deep condition his hair and do a few breathing exercises before drying off and retrieving his phone. The slew of insulting messages he had expected to come back to wasn’t there. In fact, there was nothing from Ze. Fuck it. His therapist had always said apologizing was a good start after shit like this. 

He wasn’t particularly fond of apologizing and he sure as hell wasn’t good at it, but he wasn’t so cocky that he couldn’t admit when he fucked up. 

Lord Explosion Murder: I shouldn’t have said that shit. I was pissed before we started talking and that’s my bullshit to deal with, not yours.

Your message could not be sent.

Mother… Fucker…

The asshole had actually blocked him. Katsuki seriously couldn’t keep his cool long enough to send more than a few messages to the one and only fucking hero interviewer he actually respected. He had definitely fucked up.

Before he managed to do anything else incredibly stupid, Katsuki turned his phone on airplane mode, only taking time to set his alarm for morning patrol. The apartment was silent while he cleaned up and finished settling in for bed. He didn’t even take the time to read before shutting off the night and praying that tomorrow Ze would unblock him and that maybe he could try again.

~~~

For the second time that week Katsuki had barely slept. This time he compensated by picking up a coffee on the way into Hawks’ office and of course Kiri clocked it the moment he arrived.

“Another late night bro?” Kiri’s voice was still chipper, but quieter than normal. He was clearly trying to feel out if Katsuki was still in the back away slowly or die mood he’d last heard. 

“Fuck off Shitty Hair.” There was no actual venom behind the words, but Katsuki still managed a half hearted glare at his friend.

Kirishima just fell into step beside him telling Katsuki about some new health supplement Tetsutetsu was trying. They made it to the locker rooms and into their hero gear before Katsuki finally spoke. 

“Ze blocked me.” He stated simply.

“Hate to ask this Bakubro, but I know they wouldn’t just block you for no reason…” Before he could finish Katsuki pulled out his phone and shoved the screen in his face.

Kiri scanned the Discord conversation and chewed on his lip like he was trying to figure out the best way to say something stupid without pissing Katsuki off.

“Fucking spit it out. I’m got over the whole dumb blowing up at people last night idiot.” It was the closest thing Kirishima was going to get to an apology and the other hero hummed in response.

“Well, I’m not sure how to tell you this, bro. You’re like 6’3”, pure muscle, insanely powerful with and without your quirk, and even your face has the whole bad boy I’m going to ruin your life vibe.”

“Okay, at this point it just sounds like you’re trying to fuck me, Shitty Hair. Something I should know?” Katsuki tried to joke, already dreading where this conversation was going. His mom had made it abundantly clear while he was growing up that she couldn’t find a bit of kindness in her son. Hearing that apparently the outside matched his toxic personality definitely wasn’t something Katsuki was too keen on. 

“I’m just saying that you’re intimidating.” Kirishima shrugged.

Katsuki looked up at his friend. Kiri was in full Red Riot mode, support items strapped to his exposed chest, thick boots clunking on the agency's floors. 

“Bro… You’re a pro hero now. I’ve seen you take down crazy strong villains in seconds and grin while literally standing on their passed out bodies.” Kirishima seemed to be floundering for his point. 

“You do all that and you sorta threatened to beat up a reporter… Like just a normal civilian. I’ve never actually met Ze, but I think anyone would freak out if a pro hero threatened them like that, much less you Bakubro.” He finished. 

Before Katsuki could form a response, a flurry of feathers seemed to envelope the doorway they were about to pass through. 

“Good morning my young sidekicks!” Hawks started in an overly friendly tone. “I’ll need you two on patrol route six for me today.”

Katsuki rolled his eyes at his boss. It was definitely bad manners, but Hawks always carried himself in a way that pissed him off. The man constantly seemed to be putting on a show and if Katsuki had to guess, the hero Hawks wasn’t much more than a mask the man put on for the public. Not a lot of people noticed or cared, but Katsuki had worked with him long enough to know better. Still, Hawks had recruited him out of UA and actually managed to do decent hero work between flirting with every camera he was in front of.

Kiri saluted with a stupid grin on his face. Patrol six crossed over Fatgum’s regular route and his friend still kept close with everyone from the agency. Katsuki didn’t understand how the guy could keep up with so many damn friends. The handful he had was already grating on his patience, but he never had much of that to spare anyway. 

Suneater was the only one at Fatgum’s that Katsuki didn’t hate being around. The guy had decided to stay as a sidekick even after being offered a job at his husband’s agency, making some excuse about not mixing his personal life with work, but Katsuki figured LeMillion drew more attention than the anxious hero could stand. 

“Two things before you go make the city a safer place. Firstly, congrats on the incredible interview, Riot. It’s a huge deal to catch Ze's attention and with how well the article is doing I’ll probably need to find a replacement for you.” Hawks was half joking about Kirishima leaving. Everyone there knew there wasn’t much chance of that without either Katsuki or Tetsutetsu agreeing to open an agency alongside him.

“Secondly, I need you to drop off this file while you’re out. Top secret and all that jazz so keep it safe.” The number two hero handed Katsuki a manilla folder and started walking further into the building calling over his shoulder, “Address is on the back, you should recognize who you’re giving it to.” 

“Birdbrain can’t fucking do it himself?” Katsuki tucked the paperwork under his arm and started out the door to begin their patrol. “Mother fucker’s quirk makes him faster than nearly every other hero out there and we still get stuck running his mail.”

Kirishima laughed alongside him, their interrupted conversation apparently forgotten. 

~~~

Two hours later, Kiri and Katsuki turned down a backstreet near the address they were given. It was only a block or two outside the normal route, but it had taken them twice as long getting there as any other day. Kirishima had been stopped by dozens of civilians asking for autographs and photos. Heroes getting stopped wasn’t uncommon, but before it only happened to them a few times a week. This shit was different. When a middle aged woman asked if Red Riot could harden isolated parts of his body, Katsuki genuinely thought about asking for a new patrol partner until this shit died down. 

“I’m going to buy bread crumbs on the way back and fry that bird.” Katsuki let off small sparks from his gloves when they arrived at the location.

Kiri gave him a thoughtful look, “It would probably do wonders for his KFC sponsorship.”

The two of them stood staring at the neon sign where they were apparently dropping off top secret information. 

“Only Hawks would force me to meet up with ex students in front of a sex shop. He’s always had a twisted sense of humor.” The voice that spoke from behind them was gravely and exhausted. They both recognized it immediately.

“Sensei! Damn that’s what Hawks meant when he said we would know who we were supposed to give it to.” Kirishima seemed far too casual and excited given their current situation.

“It’s Eraserhead outside of… you know what? Forget it.” Aizawa stepped out of the shadows into the pink glow of Sinful Sensations. He looked nearly identical to everytime Katsuki had seen him over the years. Heavy undereye bags, bright yellow goggles, tangles of black hair, and a hero uniform that screamed just rolled out of bed.

Handing over the paperwork, Katsuki couldn’t resist asking, “That actually some secret shit or did Chicken Wings send us to deliver a love letter?” 

“Pretty sure Present Mic wouldn’t appreciate me getting love letters.” Aizawa snorted and tucked the envelope away. “Figured you two would be working on it, especially since he sent you here. Well maybe not Riot considering the amount of media attention you’ll be getting for a while.” 

“So it’s not bullshit.” Katsuki hummed. There was nothing like an actual mission to distract him from the enormous fuck-up the last few days had been. “Think I might force Birdbrain to let me do something other than patrol.”

It had been a few months since Katsuki had been on an actual assignment, not that he wasn’t good enough to be put on missions, Hawks’s agency just hadn’t been involved in many recently. The last one was a minor underground support gear dealer that ended with far less action that he would have liked. Most of the actual fights Ground Zero got involved in were incidents out on patrol. 

“If there’s one thing I learned in the three years of teaching you, Bakugo, it’s that once you decide to do something, not even All Might in his prime could stop you.” The tired hero almost smiled fondly. 

“Well I’m going to leave before someone snaps a picture of us outside this place.” With that, Aizawa unwrapped part of his capture scarf and used it to scale a nearby fire escape. 

Katsuki thought about his homeroom teacher’s words. He wasn’t the type to give up and he certainly wouldn’t let his inability to keep his cool stop him from getting that interview. Fuck it, while he was at it, he was going to convince Hawks to put him on whatever fucking mission they just passed off to Aizawa. 

The declarations in his brain were cut off by Kirishima’s voice, “Wanna look inside?”

“I swear to god I’m going to kick your ass Shitty Hair.” 

“Bro, I’m serious. I mean I’m single and you haven’t gotten laid in God knows when… Sexual health is important. Tetsutetsu’s always telling me it is.” Kirishima was honestly looking at the front door like it held the answers to the universe. “I mean when was the last time you actually had sex, Bakubro? You never talk to us about dating or any of that.”

“That’s because it’s none of your fucking buissness who I’m fucking.” Katsuki dragged the idiot down the street back to their patrol route. 

It wasn’t that he wouldn’t tell Kiri about that shit, just that there wasn’t anything to tell. There never had been. Keeping up with his personal training as well as the daily life of being a hero didn’t exactly leave him with a lot of spare time. Though he wouldn’t admit it, that extra time tended to be used for getting drinks with Kiri or catching up with Denki, Sero, Mina, and Jiro. Besides, it had been made clear to him from a very young age that someone like him wouldn’t exactly make an ideal partner.

Patrol took longer than it should have. Katsuki lost count of the number of pictures he was forced to take of Kiri and extras. It got to the point that he nearly sent an email to Mei Hatsume asking her to integrate touch screen compatibility into his gloves so in the future he wouldn’t be forced to remove them for every stupid picture.

By the time they returned, Hawks was already out of the office so Katsuki couldn’t bring up being put on whatever fucking shit was happening. He had spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon patrol thinking up plans to get in contact with Ze again. They still had him blocked and their Twitter’s DMs were closed. There was one thing he could try, but it certainly was on the more extreme side and easily could backfire if he fucked up again.

Freshly showered and in civilian clothing, he boarded a train in the opposite direction of his apartment, praying he wouldn’t get arrested for harassment. 

The train ride into the center of Tokyo passed quietly. Katsuki was in his head planning out the least threatening way to force someone to write an article for him the entire time. He stopped at a convenience store to pick up a protein bar and sports drink knowing he would probably be eating dinner later than normal and approached the Hero News Daily headquarters. 

It was a mid-sized building for downtown, but nearing the end of the work day, plenty of people poured out of the doors. Katsuki pushed his way in, ignoring the pointed looks at his casual black shirt and joggers as he approached the elevators. Reading through the posted directory, he pressed the button for the 10th floor. 

When the doors opened, the atmosphere seemed quieter than the lobby. Supposedly this was where hero interviews and profiles were based. Behind a glass door labeled Interviews there were a few heroes Katsuki didn’t recognize waiting in front of the reception desk. Interns scattered around the office making copies and handing out forms to the seated heroes. The second door on the floor was less noticeable. It was clearly connected to a smaller area and the woman at the front desk seemed utterly alone. 

Katsuki pushed open the glass door, forgetting everything he had planned to say on the train ride.

“Interviews are down the hall and through the other door.” The woman said without looking up from her computer screen. 

Looking around there seemed to be a single couch with a coffee table collecting dust as a waiting area. Further back, there were three offices all with their lights off and doors closed. No interns scuttled around and the only noise seemed to be coming from the dull pop music blaring from the receptionist’s earbuds. 

“I’m looking to talk to Ze.” Katsuki said simply.

The woman sighed and took the earbud out of her ear. She had slick brown hair that stopped at her shoulders and was dressed in a simple gray pants suit with a name tag that read Mona.

“If you don’t have an appointment I’ll have to ask you to leave.” The woman said, regarding him with a bored gaze.

“How do you know I don’t have an appointment?” Katsuki approached the desk. “You haven’t even asked my name.”

“Well considering there’s nothing on Ze's schedule, I’m certain you aren’t supposed to be here.” She answered, turning her eyes back to whatever was on her computer.

“Fine, but I need to talk to them. And I’m assuming you’re the one that can make that happen.” He leaned an elbow against the desk causing her to make eye contact once again.

They both stared the other down for a few moments before the phone on the desk began ringing. Mona looked away to pause the music and Katsuki couldn’t help but feel like he’d won the encounter. 

“Hello, this is Ze's secretary.” Mona paused at the response.

“No, it’s been a fine day.” She looked directly at Katsuki as she said, “There just happens to be some man insisting he came to see you.”

Another pause. 

“Yes, very unlikely, especially since I’ve never seen you actually show up at the office.” The woman glared pointedly at Katsuki as she spoke.

She was on the phone with Ze. Katsuki was so close, if he could just get her to let him talk for a moment.

“What’s your name?” 

Katsuki was distracted by debating how pissed Hawks would be if he yanked the phone out of this woman’s hands that he almost missed the question.

“Katsuki Bakugo. I was talking to Ze a few days ago, but I need a new way of contacting them.”

She passed along the information and Katsuki waited for a response.

Her face bent a little in confusion, “Um, no. He’s just been asking to talk to you…” 

Another pause. “No, I’m fine.” 

Clearly Ze assumed that Katsuki just went around threatening everyone he spoke to. Not that he could blame them given their last and only conversation.

“Look Mona,” Katsuki forced himself to use her name and shrunk his shoulders in an attempt to seem less intimidating. “I’m not gonna do anything stupid, but I am going to keep coming back every day until Ze talks to me again.”

She glanced at Katsuki again, “You heard all that?” Pause. “Yes I’ll have him do that. Thank you.”

Hanging up the phone, she reached into a drawer and pulled out a pen and sticky pad.

“Name and phone number on this please. I’ll pass it on and maybe Ze will contact you.” She put her music back on and went back to ignoring Katsuki’s presence.

Katsuki didn’t hide the grin on his face as he made his way home. It wasn’t a promise of an interview or even a direct way of contacting Ze, but it was more than he had when he’d woken up this morning.

~~~

It was nearly 7pm by the time Katsuki entered his apartment. His body was suffering from the lack of food so he immediately began prepping dinner.

A few minutes in, the rock ballad playing from his phone was interrupted by a notification. Not wanting to get his hopes up, he finished slicing the zucchini and opened the text.

Unknown: Im willing to give you another chance but I have some rules

Katsuki didn’t care if Ze told him to only speak French or stand on his head the entire time, he would fucking do it. He quickly filled out the contact information for Ze and replied. 

Bakugo: Name them, but can we talk over the phone? I’m clearly shit at this whole text thing.

It was a risky thing to ask, but Katsuki had always been especially bad at getting his point across through messages. If Ze asked he would try, but after a bit Kiri would probably get tired of proof reading every message he sent the author. 

Ze: Thats fine

Katsuki smiled to himself. He was starting to feel confident that he could make this work. 

Bakugo: I get that I was a dick last time. What rules did you want to make?

Ze: 1: No threatening violence against me
2: No being overtly insulting or demeaning towards me
3: No cursing

Fuck. This was going to be harder than he expected. The first rule was a given and one that he fucking better be able to follow after years working on his temper. The second also wasn’t impossible. He had learned how to bite his tongue working with the Hero Commission since his brusk demeanor tended to get him into trouble. It was the third rule that worried him. Cursing had been the majority of his vocabulary since middle school and as much as Hawks tried, that wouldn’t be changing. 

Katsuki had gotten this far and certainly wasn’t about to let some as stupid as fucking words ruin it.

Bakugo: That’s fine.

Ze: Great. Considering you had the time to harass my secretary Im assuming you also have time to call tonight?

Ze: Just a short conversation so you have an understanding of what all this is going to look like

Bakugo: Sure thing. Call whenever.

Chapter Text

Izuku had often wondered what sort of karma his past lives had accumulated to end up in a lot of the situations he found himself in. Whatever it was, it must have been pretty terrible considering he had just gotten off the phone with his secretary who was apparently dealing with his childhood friend/bully practically begging for Izuku’s contact info. Well, as close as he imagined Kaachan ever got to begging. 

He had already panicked over Discord after Kacchan had not so subtly threatened to throw him off a bridge. The interaction had left him with the all too familiar feeling of being harassed by the boy in middle school. Izuku could almost hear Kaachan’s disgust through the screen. Figuring the last message was reason enough to block him without upsetting Ejiro, he’d done it immediately. 

The things Izuku said weren’t exactly the kindest either, but imagining the fiery kid he’d admired up until being told to take a swan dive off the school responding to each message had immediately put Izuku on the defensive. Fight or flight was something he was familiar with, but unlike when he was a kid, he mostly defaulted to fight these days. 

Blocking Kaachan was more flight than he wanted to admit, but something about the hero made him feel like a weak defenseless kid whose hero aspirations were still very much alive. When they were young, he never knew how to handle Kaachan and clearly seven years hadn’t changed that. 

Seven years apparently hadn’t impacted his inability to say no to the guy either. Thanks to that, he was now sitting on his couch eating leftover takeout, glaring at the contact titled Kaachan in his phone. Keeping the nickname seemed silly now, but Izuku’s hands had moved faster than his brain. He leaned his head back on the couch and stared up at the vaulted ceiling. 

There were a lot of reasons Izuku wanted to avoid doing a hero profile on Kaachan. Option One: Kaachan had become a decent hero, fulfilling both their childhood dreams and leaving Izuku behind completely. Option Two: Adult Kaachan had somehow become more violent and hateful than he remembered and would manage to destroy the things he still admired about his forgotten friend. Either way, Izuku really wanted to ignore this. Keeping the little bits of his childhood friend alive in his mind would almost be worth letting the hero harass his secretary. Kaachan would surely get bored and move on, it was just a matter of when. 

He closed his eyes. There was no way he could do that to Mona and a part of him was excited that Kaachan apparently found some sort of value in him after all this time. Not that he knew Izuku was actually Ze, but it counted. Sort of. 

He wasn’t particularly concerned about the possibility of being discovered. Kaachan probably didn’t even remember Izuku’s name given he exclusively called him Deku for most of their friendship. That was assuming Kaachan even remembered him at all. Izuku wouldn’t exactly blame him. He was an actual hero now with a life and probably didn’t spend much time thinking about some obnoxious kid that followed him around endlessly before moving cities part way through the last year of middle school. 

Izuku, on the other hand, was constantly thinking about the past. Everything from the douchebag his mom had remarried, to the conversation with All Might that had finally snuffed out his desire to become a hero. As an adult, he spent most nights finding ways to distract himself from everything he would rather forget. 

Giving up on apparently ever having a spine when it came to Kaachan, he typed out a message. 

It was a surprise when Kaachan agreed to follow the rules Izuku came up with. He wasn’t actually against cursing, but imagining the vulgar hero trying to censor himself seemed like it could be both amusing and give Izuku an easy out if he needed to block him again. 

Kaachan admitting he’d acted like a dick was even more shocking, but Izuku tried to ignore the hope lingering in the back of his mind. He didn’t want to believe they could get along only to be crushed later. Mitigating his expectations kept him from a lot of pain. 

Izuku stood up to get his laptop from the dining room, leaving the empty container of noodles on the coffee table. The dining table was used more as a desk with marked up drafts and handwritten notes scattered on the surface, hence why he normally ate at the kitchen island or on the couch. There was an office in his apartment, but he rarely used it for his work at Hero News Daily.

The island was easily the most used part of his kitchen despite the modern appliances and excess counter space. Izuku had told himself he would learn to cook after signing on the place. He’d also told himself that it had good spaces to entertain guests, but that didn’t happen often either. Most of his guests were strangers he brought back from bars or met on different apps and they hardly sat down together for a formal meal. 

Settling back into the corner of his couch Izuku put an earbud in and started a call with his childhood friend. 

After two rings a rough voice came through his earbud. 

“Hello?” 

Izuku had avoided all media when it came to Kaachan, not that there was a lot to begin with, so he was entirely expecting the hero to have the same pubescent voice he’d known during middle school. Instead if Izuku didn’t know who was speaking, he almost would have called the low voice soothing. 

“Ground Zero?” Izuku was suddenly glad his voice was no longer the same high pitched winning Kaachan had last heard. 

“No shii… shorts it’s me.” Kaachan barely managed not to break the third rule seconds into the call.

Izuku stifled a laugh with his hand. At the very least this would be entertaining.

“Wonderful! I’ll be honest, I was a little surprised when Ejiro told me you were desperate to hear from me.” He couldn’t help push the hero a little bit. If was going to commit to a full profile on the man, he needed to know how easily Kaachan lost his cool these days. From Izuku’s past experience, it wouldn’t take much. 

He heard a snort from the other end.

“I don’t know what that fu.. fudging idiot told you, but I don’t beg.” 

God, this no cursing rule was going to be endless amusement.

“Oh of course not. A super popular hero like yourself would never need to beg for an interview like this.” Izuku kept pushing, more for his own pleasure than anything else. 

“I don’t need a forking popularity vote to be the best god dan… rn hero in Japan and what the heck does some extra like you have to offer me anyway!” Kaachan bit back.

Izuku almost felt bad at this point, but a riled up Kaachan censoring himself might have been the funniest thing he’d heard in years. 

“You’re right. How could my award winning, widely popular writing ever hope to help someone as incredible as you.” He tried to keep the grin out of his voice, failing miserably. 

“Listen you pain in the artichoke writer…” Kaachan started.

Izuku fully lost it at that point.

“Artichoke?!?” He had tears forming in his eyes. “Fucking artichoke!”

“Oi. You don’t get to judge what I replace curse words with after making the supid rule.” Kaachan sounded more amused than anything at this point, apparently catching on. 

The hero on the other end waited patiently for Izuku to finish hysterically laughing, only interrupting to interject a few “Are you done?”s and “Really?”s. 

“And here I thought the famed writer would at least be a little professional, but apparently not.” Kaachan finally spoke when the laughter died down. 

“Sorry to disappoint, Ground Zero, but I’m as immature as they come.” Izuku snorted. “But I write damn good hero profiles as you already know.” 

“No shit. That’s the entire reason I’m on this stupid phone call anyway.” Kaachan said, dropping the PG vocabulary. 

The borderline praise filled Izuku with joy. Apparently, even after everything, there was still a traitorous part of Izuku that craved his childhood friend’s approval. He made a mental note to find it and kill it after the call before it posed a problem. 

“Well you’re welcome to hang up anytime you like, but I have a feeling you would just end up harassing Mona again.” Izuku stated.

“You’re a pain in the ass. Do you plan on being this much of an ass the whole time?” He huffed.

“That’s award winning pain in the artichoke to you.” Izuku giggled. Talking to Kaachan was easier than he expected. 

“But seriously, you gotta clarify your rules since the no cussing was clearly just to piss me off.” 

Izuku hummed. “I can’t imagine what you mean.”

“Yeah yeah, real funny.” Kaachan scoffed back.

“Okay. The third one was bullshit, but I’m pretty serious about the first two.” Izuku thought for a moment. He didn’t want to ruin the banter by limiting Kaachan more than necessary; it would also pose an obstacle in his pre-writing research. 

“Giving me shit is fine, but if I tell you to stop you have to listen.”  He added.

“Guess you’re not completely unreasonable.” Kaachan accepted easily.

Izuku appreciated his acceptance, but he had an uneasy feeling that the Kaachan he knew didn’t exist anymore. He should have been excited at the prospect that his childhood friend had changed for the better, but Izuku hated the concept that there wasn’t anything left he would recognize in the hero.

“Oi, you still there?” 

Apparently Izuku had been quiet for too long. He had a bad habit of getting lost in his thoughts, at least he hadn’t been muttering this time.

“Uhh yeah, sorry. I should probably explain how all this works since it’s pretty different from regular interviews, not that you’ve had a lot of experience with that to begin with.” Izuku rambled. 

“I wasn’t trying to imply that you don’t know how interviews work, just that you haven’t had much recognition in that sense…” 

“Slow the fuck down. Just explain whatever shit you need to.” Kaachan interrupted him. 

“Right, sorry. Well I don’t enjoy asking a bunch of generic questions so I tend to make things more informal during the process.” Izuku’s heart slowed as he launched into the familiar explanation. 

“Basically I like to treat everything like we’re friends having normal conversations. We’ll talk over the phone a few times a week until I feel like I have a solid understanding of who you are. Normally that takes between two and six weeks depending on how often we talk and how open you are with me. Some questions I ask might make you uncomfortable so please don’t feel pressured to answer all of them. I would rather you be honest than lie to avoid things. Because it’s more of a two way conversation you’re also welcome to ask me questions too, but I might not answer them either. Also just because I’m technically interviewing you doesn’t mean everything we talk about is on the record. You’re welcome to tell me not to write about any of the specifics we discuss.”  

“Doesn’t that stop you from actually writing a complete profile or whatever?” Kaachan asked.

“I tend to find that the more comfortable someone is, the easier it is for me to understand and get to know them. Everything helps me build a complete profile and just because I don’t write about specific conversations doesn’t mean what’s discussed doesn’t impact my overall thoughts.” Izuku was used to the question so the answer came automatically.

“You done with your sales pitch?” Kaachan snorted.

“Yeah, that should do it.” Izuku was a little embarrassed at how easily the whole thing rolled off his tongue. He’d been doing this since he was 17 so his brain tended to switch to autopilot. 

“What about the quirk and support gear shit? You gonna make me carry around a GoPro and take fan cams for you?” 

Kaachan really had read his writing. He knew a lot of people skipped the quirk analysis, but Izuku loved writing them anyway.

A body cam was an interesting idea though. That would help him get a better understanding of whatever quirk he was analyzing. It would be more consistent than using poorly shot news footage or social media clips too. The close proximity would cause issues when it came to larger scale attacks or seeing how the body actually moved mid combat, but a drone could possibly work…

“Oi! I was fucking kidding. You really are a fucking nerd when it comes to this shit.”

Shit. Izuku had probably said most of that aloud. Hearing the word “nerd” directed at him from Kaachan filled him with instant embarrassment and shame. 

“Pretty sure that constitutes being demeaning towards me…” He spoke quietly, suddenly wanting to curl up under a blanket. Of course Kaachan would think his quirk annalysis was stupid, years of destroying his hero notebooks should have taught Izuku that much. 

“It’s fucking true isn’t it?” Kaachan started. “You clearly know a fuck ton about quirks and enjoy breaking that shit down. Most pro heros don’t have the in-depth understanding you do anyway. They probably read your articles to learn shit they didn’t know about their own stupid quirks.”

“You’re not insulting me…” Izuku’s voice came out a lot more timid than he wanted.

“I get that I come across as a douchebag and had you met me before all the fucking therapy it probably would have been an insult.”

“You went to therapy?” Therapy and Kaachan seemed like polar opposites. Izuku wondered what act of god managed to get Kaachan to sit and talk about his feelings. Then he remembered that Eraserhead had been his homeroom teacher. So not god, just a quietly threatening insomniac. 

“Still do, nerd. It’s supposed to be an as needed thing, but the asshole likes to have check in sessions about once a month anyway.” He talked about the whole thing like the idea alone hadn’t just sent Izuku spiraling. 

“Oh… That’s good. Therapy’s good.” Izuku struggled through the words.

“No shit.” There was a pause before Kaachan spoke again. “Fuck it’s late.”

Izuku looked at his computer, “It’s 9:30…” 

He couldn’t imagine sleeping anytime before 1am, but Kaachan apparently hadn’t grown out of the early bedtimes. 

“Yeah, it’s 9:30 and I wake up fucking early. Being a hero doesn’t just happen.” 

“Guess so.” Izuku tried not to sound dejected at what he already knew. “Well when do you want to plan our first actual call?” 

“I have patrol for the rest of the week, but I can do Friday night. That work?” 

“Sure thing! I try not to do more than one of these at a time so my schedule is pretty flexible.” Spending his Friday night trying to dissect the personality of his childhood bully didn’t exactly fill Izuku with excitement and he hadn’t expected Kaachan to suggest it either. Friday’s were the perfect night to be out getting laid or spending time with friends. 

“Good. I’ll text you the time, nerd.” Kaachan said before ending the call.

Izuku held his face in his hands. The entire interaction had been stressful and he was fighting off the realization that this profile would be both better and worse than he’d anticipated. 

Closing his computer, he made his way down the hallway, and into his bedroom. Izuku didn’t have the energy to process what had happened, he just needed to get out of his head. Stepping over a pile of dirty clothing, he slid open his closet. 

Izuku had two main ways of distracting himself, neither were particularly healthy, but they both stopped the constant stream of messy thoughts that plagued him at night. A notification made the choice for him. 

Eraserhead: swing by my patrol tonight. commision requested you.

Izuku grinned, grabbing a garment bag that on the outside looked to hold a formal suit and began pulling on his gear. If he was lucky, he’d run into a few villains on his way to meet up with Eraserhead.

~~~

Izuku loved nights like this. The heat from the day had faded leaving cool air that brushed his face while he traversed the rooftops. Anyone looking up would have seen a black shadow flitting through the night or maybe the outline of black strands propelling Izuku around the sky. Those were a new toy courtesy of Mei Hatsume, electromagnetic controlled fibers stored in braces wrapped around each of his forearms. She named them Black Whip and they had easily become his new favorite gadget in the few weeks he had been testing them out. It was more controllable than Cellophane’s tape and didn’t leave any traces behind. Cellophane’s quirk still beat it out in the capture department, but Izuku had plenty of other gadgets hidden away to compensate. 

He’d met Mei in their third year during a collaboration project she had done with a Shiketsu support course student. After every hero course student refused to test her babies, she turned to gen ed. Izuku had spent nearly two years sparring with hero course students, but had never been allowed to try out any of their support gear. The high powered AI controlled grappling hook Mei forced on him dislocated his shoulder and left him in the nurse’s office for almost a week, but befriending the future number one support scientist certainly made up for the injury. 

These days Izuku could count on her passing along new tech every few weeks, some becoming a staple in his vigilante kit and others nearly getting him killed. At first he was thankful she had taken a chance on a quirkless loser playing hero, but these days he was pretty sure she just needed someone crazy enough to try out her more experimental creations. 

He never complained though. Mei had taken him from baggy sweats and running shoes to black combat pants lined with various weapons and capture gear, a breathable black flight jacket, and what looked like normal clunky red sneakers. All of it had been specifically designed for Izuku, but the sneakers were his favorite. 

Mei had complained that the red would take away from his dark and broody vibe, but she willingly filled them with the movement enhancing gear Izuku preferred. They had sound dampening elements that meant that even launching himself down fire escapes, he was nearly silent. The ankles were reinforced to help with the brutal force of landings and different mechanical parts helped him jump between buildings with relative ease. 

That wasn’t to say Izuku was useless without the support gear. From 17-19 he had relied mostly on what he could scrap together from hardware stores and his own strength. It had meant each run-in with a villain destroyed his body, the scars wrapping around his hands, arms, and parts of his upper body were evidence of that. Mei’s gear let him go from stopping back alley purse snatchers and convenience store robberies to catching the attention of a few heroes and even the Hero Commision itself. 

Vigilantism was technically illegal, but thanks to the poorly worded law, a vigilante was anyone who used their quirk to stop crime without a hero license. Izuku was quirkless so that law didn’t apply to him. The most questionably legal part was the gear Mei fit him with, but she would get into far more trouble for passing out unregulated support tech to some quirkless civilian. Not that Izuku thought the Commission would do anything to Mei. She was his age and already the top creator of hero support gear in all of Japan. The Commision was already fighting to keep her from running off to I-Island. 

None of that meant Izuku didn’t have to avoid getting caught by heroes. Detainment meant hours of questioning and eventually having to prove his quirkless status. Having gone through the process a few times, he wasn't eager to repeat it. That was actually how he had met Eraserhead. 

These days the Commision and him seemed to have an unspoken arrangement. Izuku didn’t get caught and they didn’t have to admit that they sometimes relied on a quirkless 21 year old to get shit done. It wouldn’t be a good look for them to announce that their meticulously groomed heroes weren’t always right for the job. 

Eraserhead’s patrol wasn’t like most hero’s. He didn’t stroll around city streets giving a false sense of safety. Instead he snuck around higher crime areas, listening in to police chatter, and taking out minor criminals before they used enough of their quirk to be classified as villains. The older hero had retired from UA and could always be found perched in comfortable places in Tokyo, waiting for action.

Izuku had worked with him long enough to know the few spots Eraserhead considered his patrol spots. They were always on mid-sized buildings with minimal lighting and something to lean against. 

Settling into one he knew was Eraserhead’s favorite, he swung his legs over the edge and started snacking on the gummies he kept tucked in his jacket. Ever since Mei had replaced his surgical mask and gray beanie with a choker that when activated sent an opaque black hologram mist coating his entire head, he was able to snack without revealing any of his face. 

The mist was one way, letting Izuku see uninhibited while everyone else only saw a black cloud. Because of its similarities to a storm cloud, he ended up with the unofficial vigilante name, Nimbus. 

Figuring it could take Eraserhead a while to actually show up, Izuku put in an earbud and hit shuffle on his music. He had set up his phone to cut through anything being played with nearby police chatter. The set up kept him sane on slow nights and ensured he wouldn’t miss out on anything exciting. 

Before anything interesting could happen, Izuku felt his phone vibrate. He opened it expecting Eraserhead to be giving him a more specific meeting location.

Kaachan: Oi. I forgot to ask. Everyone uses they/them for you. Are those actually your pronouns or just another way to be anonymous?

Welp, there went another one of Izuku’s expectations.

Izuku: I use he/him but when talking to people about me stick with gender neutral please

Izuku: Have to admit. Thats not a question I expected from you

Kaachan: I’m an asshole, not a bigot. Besides only fucking idiots can’t figure out simple shit like pronouns.

Izuku realized he was smiling at his phone. Only Kaachan could manage to make using someone's correct pronouns so aggressive. Even as a kid when stepping into help someone else he’d always been like that. Everyone else just saw a violent little kid looking for a fight, but Izuku had always thought there were kind intention behind those vibrant red eyes. Over the years Izuku knew him, those eyes got harsher until they almost looked cruel. This was a lot more like the Kaachan Izuku remembered before he began looking at Izuku with nothing but unbridled hatred. 

Off white fabric pulled a man up beside Izuku. The hero regarded him with a nod and pulled his goggles on to his forehead. Izuku didn’t bother deactivating the cloud, not that Eraserhead didn’t know his identity, but he preferred the ability to hide his facial expressions during conversations. 

“Nim.” Eraserhead greeted him. Izuku scooted over, giving the man a more comfortable spot to sit. 

Before he could join Izuku, another bit of fabric wrapped around the pipe and the hero Mindjack landed gracefully on the roof. 

“If I had known you were coming along, I would have worn something nicer.” Izuku flicked a gummy in Shinso’s direction.

“You would have worn the same thing you wear every time, Izuku.” Shinso replied flatly, catching the candy and slipping it under his mask. “Unless you’re referring to the worn out shorts and dorky shirts you wear around your apartment.” 

“Hey! My shirts are charming.” Izuku defended.

“An unwashed T-shirt that says Formal Wear is borderline sad.” He said back, rolling his eyes.

“You said borderline so I’ll take it.” Shinso was one of Izuku’s few friends and he couldn’t help flirting with the inexpressive hero. They had slept together a few times in the past, but Shinso wanted a lot more than just hookups and Izuku had never been the relationship type. Despite all that, every few months they tended to fall into each other’s beds, seeking familiar pleasure.

Eraserhead coughed pointedly, “ If you two are done, I would like to actually discuss this with time to sleep.” 

“Sorry Sensei.” Shinso plopped down next to Izuku, snatching a few more gummies from the bag.

“What does the all powerful Hero Commission need with little old me this time, Sensei?” Izuku teased.

“You weren’t even my student. Why the hell do you insist on calling me Sensei?” Eraserhead was constantly attempting to get his past students to use his hero name in the field. 

“He knows you hate it. There doesn’t have to be another reason.” Shinso said offhandedly and Izuku hummed in agreement. 

“If you know it bugs me, then why do you insist on…” Eraserhead started. “Forget it. Look this over now, can’t have you taking it home given the nature of everything happening.”

Izuku accepted the manilla envelope held out to him and began scanning through the documents under the dim lights.

Shinso sucked on gummies while he waited and Eraserhead had his eyes closed, leaning against the wall of a neighboring building. Izuku couldn’t help laughing when he finished reading.

He handed everything back to Eraserhead and rolled his eyes under the mist.

“I’m getting pretty sick of them setting me up as the fall guy for shit like this.” Izuku said bitterly. 

Anytime an investigation on someone involved in government positions or who worked closely with the Commission came up they called him in to do the footwork. That way if he got caught, there would be no one to blame aside from a loose cannon vigilante trying to expose someone in power. 

“They never have been a fan of getting their hands dirty. You know that better than anyone.” Eraserhead sounded almost sorry for him. 

Izuku got along with the hero almost immediately due to his personal conviction and drive to be the kind of hero he thought the country needed, not the prop everyone seemed to want. Izuku knew it was why he left UA too. 

Shinso nodded in agreement. 

Having the two of them agree didn’t make Izuku any less angry. He could turn down the job, but he knew the Commission wasn’t above making his vigilante life a nightmare if he did. Besides, the people he would be getting information on were part of a drug ring thought to supply the majority of Trigger in Tokyo. If it went well, a decent number of villains would be arrested and hopefully the source of a lot of drugs taken off the street. He could help people, far more than what he was able to by hijacking police coms and running around a few nights a week. 

“I’ll take the job, but you both knew that anyway.” Izuku sighed dejectedly.

“It’s not a job…” Eraserhead started.

“Yeah, a job would imply Izuku actually getting paid.” Shinso interjected.

“Not all of us can flash our pretty smile and have the Hero Commission throw money our way.” He laughed. “Besides, I make more than both of you combined with my day job anyway.” 

Neither of them knew what he did for a living. Every time they asked, Izuku came up with something generic or avoided the question entirely. There were a few people who knew he was Ze and none of them would ever be heroes. Izuku could be friends with heroes, fight alongside them, but he would never actually trust them. 

“Nim. You know if it were up to us, this would all be on the book, but that’s not how things work.” Eraserhead had his own negative experiences with the Hero Commission given the nature of his quirk, it was what had drawn him and Shinso together in the first place. Neither had battle type quirks, they weren’t flashy enough for the news, so they had always been overlooked. 

Izuku shouldn’t blame them, but when they had to fight to get their foot in the door, he’d never seen the building. 

“I get it.” He stated not bothering keeping the distaste out of his words.

Shinso still looked at him with pity in his eyes. Izuku hated that look. After all these years, he was finally strong enough not to have heroes looking down on him, strong enough to fight on his own, strong enough to not run away. He already hated his old self for being too weak, he didn’t need the reminder that even now the world viewed him as useless.

“You have some time to think it over. We are still working on getting Hawks’s agency involved since it’s in their jurisdiction. He’s never worked with you, so there’s a chance he will want a few of his own people supervising the whole thing too.” 

Great. More heroes to look down on quirkless Izuku. Instead of complaining, he just nodded. This was the game he had to play.

“Contact me when things are getting started, but you know I won’t work with heroes I don’t get along with. Anyone Hawks sends has to meet my usual criteria.” Izuku wanted to be a part of this, but he would walk if they paired him with some self-important hero who refused to treat Izuku like an equal or at least like an asset.

“We’ll make sure they have the potential to be a good fit before we introduce you.” Shinso assured him. 

Without responding, Izuku stepped off the roof, activating the black whips and sending him across the gap. He tucked the earbud away, knowing getting involved in any fights while submerged this deep in his thoughts would just lead to stupid mistakes. Playing vigilante was a decent distraction for most things, but not when the issue came from being a vigilante itself. 

He made his way through the city at a leisurely pace, getting lost in the busy sounds of late night Tokyo. Something about the buzz of drunken crowds and traffic, helped drown out his thoughts. 

After a while, he arrived on his favorite roof. It wasn’t an important building, but it was tall enough to look out over most of the skyline and the upper floor was closed to the public meaning that no one interrupted him. 

Izuku loved this view. Scattered lights reflecting off darkened windows, the sharp edges of each building a jagged collage of architecture framed by a distant sky showing the first hints of the morning sun. Whenever life seemed hopeless and cruel, he reminded himself that this was something he never would have seen without the pain of his past. If no one had crushed him. If he hadn’t been forced to rise up on his own, he would have remained stuck on the ground as a foolish, hero loving little boy. A view would never make up for everything Izuku had lost, but mornings like this, it was an easy lie to tell. 

Chapter Text

Kirishima was an idiot for worrying. The first phone call with Ze had been borderline pleasant as fuck. After Katsuki realized that the no cursing rule was a joke, the two had gotten along fairly easily. It wasn’t that he usually hated everyone he met, but Ze and him were able to joke like old friends. 

Katsuki had laughed a few times and even had to wipe a stupid smile off his face while the nerd was muttering to himself about GoPro footage. Talking to the writer felt easy. He understood now why Ze was able to learn so much about the heroes he interviewed. The guy had a charming, trustworthy sort of dorky charisma. 

For now, he sat up in his bed reading manga. Katsuki was distracted anticipating Friday’s phone call and kept losing interest. It wasn’t the story’s fault, the writing was fine and the character development seemed solid, but he couldn’t stop thinking about talking to Ze again. 

Fuck it. Katsuki closed the book and put it on the bedside table for when he could actually pay attention. He still couldn’t place why he liked Ze so much. Sure, the guy was clearly brilliant, funny as fuck, and a complete nerd about quirks, but he had hated plenty of people like that before. Maybe it was the guy’s habit of switching from talking shit to Katsuki to muttering like a nervous mess. The whole thing was almost endearing. 

He leaned back into his pillow trying to derail his thoughts by figuring out how to get Hawks to let him work on whatever was in that envelope they had delivered to Eraserhead.

~~~

Patrol Thursday hadn’t been any more peaceful than the previous ones. This time it wasn’t caused by Kiri’s new found fame, but because Dunce Face wouldn’t stop chattering his ear off the entire morning. Kaminari was his friend but god damn, the man hadn’t magically found the ability to shut the fuck up since leaving UA. Mostly Katsuki tried to tune the guy out, only listening when he was talking about things that were actually relevant.

By the time they got back to the agency, he knew Kaminari’s current favorite cereal, the song he’d listened to for six hours straight the other day, and the guy's looming crisis with his sexuality. Katsuki had always gotten disaster bisexual energy from him, but apparently Sparky had just figured out he might like dick. 

“Dunce Face, you’ve had a crush on the purple haired fucker from class B since he joined us for training first year. Is your brain seriously that fucking fried from your quirk?” Katsuki didn’t hold back on his friend while they changed out of their hero gear. They were grown ass adults and he was sick and tired of this idiot’s denial.

The idiot in question’s face turned bright red and little sparks flicked out around his body. Aside from gaining a little more muscle mass and a few scattered ironic tattoos, Kaminari’s appearance hadn’t changed much. Apparently the guy’s crush hadn’t either.

“What! Bakugo! I don’t… I didn’t…” Kaminari’s voice lifted a few octaves while he stumbled around the truth.

“Shinso is awesome. Like really awesome, but we didn’t even talk that much or anything. Besides! I still don’t know if I’m actually bi.” He whispered the last part despite the rest of the locker room being deserted.

“Bi, pan, queer, man-whore. Doesn’t matter what you call it. Mind Freak wouldn’t even need his quirk to get you on your knees.” Katsuki slammed his locker closed. He didn’t have time for this shit, especially since he needed to catch Hawks before leaving. 

“I… You can’t just say that! I had sex with one guy and like yeah it felt great, and I’ve always thought guys were attractive, but that doesn’t mean I’m gay or anything.” Kaminari ignorantly defended.

Katsuki glared at him. The amount of denial this guy apparently had was fucking impressive.

“If you are attracted to guys, you’re at least a little gay. And since you also want to fuck them, you’re more than a little gay.” Katsuki thought back to when he discovered his lack of attraction towards women. Japan was more accepting than ever before, hell gay mariage had been legal their whole life, but there would always be enough compulsive heterosexuality to confuse the fuck out of someone with as few braincells as Kaminari. 

“Listen Kaminari.” Katsuki wasn’t good at comforting people, more of a tough love sorta person. 

“You already know there’s nothing wrong with being queer and you fucking know the people in your life aren’t going to be dicks over something so stupid. We’ll all sit through this gay denial crisis you’re having because that’s what it fucking is. Fact is, you’ve never been anyone but yourself. So if you’re going to make dumbass excuses to hide a part of who you are, I will kick your ass until you’re literally begging Shinso to kiss it better.” 

He finished his lecture by harshly flicking the shorter hero's forehead and walking out into the hallway. Before he made it to the elevator, Katsuki was tackled from behind into a suffocating hug. Wet spots started forming on the back of his shirt as he groaned. That was definitely supposed to come out mean, not emotionally supportive.

“You’re actually like a really good guy, Katsuki.” The electric barnacle said softly into his now tear stained shirt.

“And you’re a gay fucking idiot.” He replied before peeling himself from the man’s grip.

All of Katsuki’s friends had seen him like this. He wasn’t particularly tactful when handing this shit, but more often than not, he knew what they needed to hear. All of them were strong enough not to need coddling and knew Katsuki well enough not to expect it from him.

Kaminari probably told him all that shit on patrol because he wanted someone to smack him upside the head with the truth. Seeing him as anything less than the idiot who could manage to make everyone in the room smile pissed Katsuki off. He would never admit it, but Dunce Face made him crack smiles fairly regularly and it was Katsuki’s favorite part about the guy.

The elevator stopped and Katsuki got out on the floor that held his boss’s office. It was less busy than other parts of the agency, in part because Hawks’ had a habit of leaving windows open after flying off. More than once an intern had set down a pile of papers only to come back to it strewn across the entire building’s floor thanks to the wind.

He didn’t bother knocking before stepping through the large door, Hawks would have locked it if anyone from the Commission was around. The office wasn’t as grand as someone would assume the number two hero used. It was mostly empty aside from a disaster of a desk, a few extra chairs, bookshelves, and a comfortable couch Katsuki had caught the hero sleeping on more than a few times. He assumed Hawks spent more nights in the agency than he let people see. After working under the man for a few years, it was clear that the guy almost never went home. Hawks played up the loose bachelor image to the public, but if Katsuki had to guess, Hawks was getting as much action as he was. Meaning none.

“And what can I do for my favorite sidekick?” Hawks stood up from the chair behind his desk. His feathers were ruffled, and he lacked the arrogance he normally wore like a second skin. 

“I want in on whatever shit you had Riot and I deliver.” Katsuki jumped straight to the reason he was here. There was no point in doing anything else. Hawks would catch on quickly and Katsuki hated being anything besides blunt.

Hawks appraised him with sharpened eyes. “You didn’t happen to look inside did you?”

“Didn’t need to look when I know it’s important.” Katsuki wasn't offended by the accusation. Hawks had a difficult time trusting anyone.

The number two hero sighed and slumped back into his desk chair. “No, that’s not really your style anyway. So you figured you would just saunter in here and demand to be put on the case?”

Katsuki gave him a shit-eating grin, confirming that it was exactly what he’d expected.

“Well I do need someone since apparently I can’t do it myself.” Hawks bit out before returning to his cheery demeanor. “Unfortunately you wouldn’t be a great fit.”

“The fuck!” Katsuki had grown to understand his personal limitations, but as a hero, he kicked ass. “You’re telling me I’m not fucking strong enough or some shit?”

The other hero laughed. It was forced and echoed without any actual joy.

“What do you think the most important part of being a hero is, Ground Zero?”

Fucking great. He hated that question and it was the last thing Katsuki wanted to be lectured about by his boss.

“Strength and speed.” He answered carefully. Those were the two things Hawks’s agency had required before hiring anyone. Katsuki didn’t agree, but this wasn’t exactly the time for moral debates.

“Eh. You’re not entirely wrong, but there’s something more important these days.” Hawks leaned forward as if preparing to tell Katsuki a secret.

“No one can truly be a successful hero without being appealing.” Plastering on the same grin he gave every camera in Tokyo, he continued. “People have to like you to want to work with you. Around the agency, you’ve earned the respect of everyone here, but frankly, Bakugo, you don’t exactly play well with new people. Whoever I send for this job has to make a good impression and you’ve spent your entire hero career refusing to even try playing it up for the crowd.”

“Seriously! You’re not going to consider me because I don’t put on some fucking show for the world!” Raising his voice at his boss was a stupid idea, but this shit pissed Katsuki off.

Hawks gave him a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

“Personally I admire that you don’t let the hero rankings dictate your life, but not playing the game has its drawbacks too.” 

“Just because I’m not obsessed with making every person in Japan fall in love with me doesn’t mean I can’t be a good fucking hero!” Judging by Hawks wincing, Katsuki had struck a nerve.

“Not all of us have the luxury to look past that shit.” Hawks didn’t try to hide the contempt behind his words. “I don’t have proof that you can get strangers to like you. Hell! I don’t even have proof that you know how to try. You shouldn’t be forced into a role you’re not comfortable with, this one isn't for you.” 

Katsuki had a thought. It probably wouldn’t change anything especially since Hawks was outwardly pissed at this point, but it was worth a try.

“I’m doing an interview.”

“Congrats.” Hawks said half heartedly, beginning to read through paperwork signaling the conversation was over.

“It’s with Ze.” Katsuki let that sink in.

“You’re doing an interview with Ze…” Hawks’s eyes were back on him and he was clearly thinking.

“I got in contact with them after Red Riot’s profile came out.” It was a risk to tell Hawks anything about the interview, but fuck it, he needed in on whatever mission not even the number two hero was qualified for.

“We’ve already talked a few times and have plans to again tomorrow.” Katsuki left out that the first time they spoke, the guy had blocked him almost instantly.

Before Hawks could answer the phone on his desk rang. Still eyeing Katsuki, he picked it up.

“Hawks’s line! What can the number two hero help you with today?” The public persona was back.

How the man managed to go from icy stare to people pleaser was beyond Katsuki.

“Ah, Eraserhead! I was just thinking about who to send.” Hawks paused to take in Katsuki again.

“Yep. He’s an old student of yours, I’m sure he’ll make a great impression on…” He was cut off by something said on the other side of the call.

“That will work. I’ll have him ready to go Monday. Always a pleasure, Eraserhead.” And with that, Hawks ended the call.

Katsuki held his breath while the man stood and walked up to one of the floor to ceiling windows.

“You’ll be on night patrol for a week with them starting Monday as a trial run. Gotta see if you’re really up to play the game.” Hawks pulled back on the glass, designed for easy coming and going for anyone who could fly.

He looked back at Katsuki as wind flooded the room. “Make sure you play nice, kid.”

With that, Katsuki was grinning alone in the empty office. He walked over to close the window. There was no point in losing papers. Night patrols were his least favorite given his strict sleep schedule, but he could manage a week especially given the potential reward.

Hawks had said them, so it wasn’t just Eraserhead he would be working with. Katsuki wondered who else had gotten pulled into this and more importantly whose ass he was going to have to kiss to pass the likability test. Regretting not keeping up with who worked alongside Eraserhead these days, he made his way back home for the day. 

~~~

Katsuki had been given the weekend off with the understanding that he would probably need time to adjust his sleep schedule. Not that it was actually helping him much. Despite turning off his alarm, he still woke up Friday morning at exactly 5am and as much as he forced his eyes closed again, he couldn’t help but feel restless laying in bed.

By the time evening rolled around, Katsuki had worked out twice, sparred with Kirishima, finished the absurdly long manga he’d started the other night, and prepped lunch for next week’s patrols. In this case it would end up being more of a midnight snack than actual lunch, but Katsuki fucking hated eating out especially while on duty.

Him and Ze had decided to call at 7pm. Originally Katsuki picked then to give himself enough time to eat dinner, but given he needed to force himself to become a night owl, dinner was being pushed back as far as his stomach allowed. It was 6:40 when he finally caved and crawled to his kitchen.

Leaving his curry on the stove to finish cooking, Katsuki put his phone on speaker and called Ze.

“Evening, Ground Zero!” The careful voice filled Katsuki’s kitchen.

“Hey, nerd. You can call me by my actual name, you know.” Katsuki said as he began to wash up the dishes he was finished using. 

“Oh!” Ze sounded surprised. “I just didn’t want to overstep or anything.”

“It’s not overstepping. Isn’t this supposed to be some casual bullshit?” He paused. “Besides, you call Shitty Hair Ejiro all the time.”

“Shitty Hair? You seriously call your friend Shitty Hair?” Ze's laugh rang in Katsuki’s ears. It wasn’t the same full body one that was interrupted by the occasional snort and cough he’d heard after the artichoke incident. This one was bubbly and bright. It reminded Katsuki of Christmas bells. 

Katsuki smiled slightly. “Damn right. I’ve seen Sonic the Hedgehog characters with more reasonable hair.”

That got a snort out of Ze and Katsuki’s smile morphed into a grin.

“When he falls asleep in the office, Dunce Face sees how many loose papers he can impale on the fucking spikes.” Katsuki never wanted the laughter to stop, just hearing the shitty sound could probably cure cancer. 

“Who the hell is Dunce Face?” The man choked out between snorts.

“Eh, you know how Chargebolt gets that stupid look on his face when he overdoes it with his quirk?” Katsuki asked.

“Oh my god! You can’t just call people that, Kaa…” Ze's laughter cut off. “I uhh, sorry Ground Zero.”

Katsuki tried not to feel disappointed. He had just told the nerd to use his name anyway, but something about doing so seemed to stress Ze out. 

“If my friends hated it that much, they would have stopped fucking forcing me to spend time with them years ago.” He didn’t dwell on whatever the fuck just happened.

“That’s probably true. Do you have nicknames for all of your friends?” Ze seemed happy to move on. 

“Damn right. I’m shit at names so it’s actually most people I meet. Force of habit.” Katsuki answered honestly. He’d gotten alright at remembering important people’s names, but for all the extras in the world, it was easier to recall physical features or personality traits.

“Hmm. Are they always so… insulting?” Ze asked quietly.

“Normally it’s just the first thing I think of when I see someone. So yeah. Pretty fucking much.” Katsuki snorted.

The author didn’t respond and Katsuki wasn’t sure if the guy was lost in his brain again or just didn’t know what to say. 

“Well should we get this shit started or whatever?” Katsuki covered the silence with a question. “Aren’t you supposed to be getting to know me or something?”

“That’s exactly what I’m doing. Learning how you interact with the people in your life is a part of what I’m looking at.” Ze still seemed weighted down as he spoke.

“I figured you would just ask me some stupid shit like my favorite color or something.” Katsuki tried to joke.

The laugh that came through the phone wasn’t like the ones he’d heard before. It was an almost broken sound. How the same person could have laughter that lightened Katsuki’s world and also let out a sound that tugged heavily on his soul was beyond him.

“We can do more surface level stuff if you want.” The sadness in the guy’s voice gave Katsuki the urge to strangle it out of him.

“What have you been doing today, Ground Zero?” Ze asked.

Katsuki gave in, surface level bullshit it was.

“Worked out, prepped lunches for the week, and now I’m having dinner. The usual shit.” He listed.

“Didn’t you have patrol today?”

Katsuki made his way back to the kitchen to turn off the stove and plated his curry.

“Got canceled.” He couldn’t exactly tell a reporter why he was being put on night patrols, but talking about his schedule probably wouldn’t hurt. 

“They’re switching me to night patrol next week so I was told to adjust my sleep cycle.” 

“Makes sense. Didn’t peg you for the night patrol type of hero though.” Ze pondered aloud.

“That’s cause I’m not. I like my fucking sleep, but it’s just temporary.” The curry filled Katsuki’s mouth with a familiar burning and he breathed out of his nose, feeling the heat as he exhaled.

“Ah. So where does a hero like you get dinner? I’m sure readers everywhere are dying to know.” 

Katsuki snorted. At least the guy seemed to be willing to banter again.

“It’s homemade, nerd.” He bragged. His cooking skills were the main reason he could count on every one of his friends showing up at his apartment at least once a month.

“Homemade?” Ze seemed surprised. “Did your girlfriend make it for you?”

“Firstly, fucking sexist to assume a woman made it. Secondly, I’m single.” He almost stopped there, but he remembered lecturing Kaminari about not hiding from his sexuality. “Thirdly, I’m gay as fuck.” 

Apparently Ze had taken a drink of something because the sound of sputtering and choking came from the phone. God, if this fucker was homophobic, Katsuki would definitely end up saying shit and get blocked again, not that he would care at that point. 

“That a fucking problem?” Katsuki growled, preparing to destroy the man’s entire existence depending on the answer.

“What? No! I…” Ze was stumbling over every word at that point. “It’s not a problem, I just… I sorta expected you to be straight. But I guess since you texted me about my pronouns I should have known you were at least informed about the queer community. I just figured you were an ally or something given that most of the people you seem to spend time with are part of it.” 

“No shit. We’re all a little squad of fucking rainbows.” Katsuki cut off the rambling before the nerd could say something exceptionally stupid. 

“It’s pretty common knowledge that Cellophane is non-binary, Earphone Jack and Creati have been together since high school, Mina is the best example of a she/they pansexual I’ve ever seen, and well Ejiro finally got together with Tetsutetsu. I just thought you and Chargebolt were the token straights in the group.” 

“Pretty fucking sure we don’t have any token straights anymore.” Katsuki didn’t want to out Kanimari, but Ze had said he wouldn’t write about anything Katsuki asked him not to and he didn’t expect the man to pull something so shady. “And the fuck do you mean Kiri and Iron Scull got together. Pretty sure he would have told his best fucking friend before some writer.” 

“I… you didn’t…” Ze stuttered. “I thought he would have told you given how close you were. God! Please don’t tell him I told you!”

“Like fuck that’s happening. Asshole’s got some fucking explaining to do.” Katsuki grumbled. 

He hadn’t even known Kiri had been interested in his roommate, but Katsuki knew he wasn’t exactly the greatest friend. Hell, Kaminari probably needed someone to make him feel safe and all that shit yesterday and all he’d done was chewed the guy out. Katsuki heard the condescending voice of his mother telling him he would never be good enough to be someone's friend and looked down at his dinner with disgust. 

He knew it wasn’t Ze's fault, hell it wasn’t Kiri’s fault Katsuki was a shit fucking friend either. On the other side of the call, Ze was practically hyperventilating as he begged Katsuki not to expose that it was him that let the whole thing slip.

“Fucking chill, nerd. Worst that idiot would ever do is pout in your general direction.” Katsuki tried to keep the annoyance out of his voice.

“He’s a hero. He could absolutely destroy me.” Ze panicked.

Katsuki was confused. The Red Riot hero profile had become popular, but he seriously doubted that Kiri’s new influence even came close to the chokehold Ze's writing apparently had on Japan. 

“I mean, he doesn’t know where I live or anything, but he could probably get the commission to trace my phone number or something.” Ze seemed to be verging on hysterical now.

“The fuck are you on about? Do you actually think Kiri would fucking hurt anybody?” Katsuki struggled to understand what the nerd was afraid of.

Ze actually seemed worried that Shitty Hair would hunt him down for telling Katsuki that he was fucking someone. Fucking Kirishima, puts spiders in cups to take them outside, apologies after kicking villains asses’ Kirishima. 

“He’s a hero.” Ze said quietly. “I’ve seen plenty of fights where he’s gotten really angry. It's not pretty.”

“Of course it’s not pretty, it’s his fucking job, but he wouldn’t hurt a civilian no matter how pissed off he was.” Katsuki knew he should be angrier that someone would assume something like this about his friend, but the fear in the writer's voice seemed so raw and honest. 

“Because heroes never hurt civilians right?” He responded bitterly. Clearly some shit had happened to the guy especially for him to be this afraid of someone as harmless as Kiri.

“Good ones don’t.” Katsuki assured him.

“I.. I guess.” They both went quiet for a bit, Ze's breathing finally slowing to a normal pace.

“So you know how to cook?” The writer finally broke the quiet with a shaky question.

Katsuki let it go despite itching to know what had made him so fucking afraid of heroes.

“Yeah. Cook all my meals. Makes dieting easier and all that shit.” 

“So you cook every meal, work out, and go to bed when it’s still light out.” Ze listed off the routine carefully. “Is there anything you do that isn’t related to being a hero?”

Katsuki paused. Being a hero had always been his goal. He refused to call it a dream because there hadn’t been a moment in his life that he’d expected it to be anything less than reality. 

“I worked out starting in middle school, but the moment I started at UA I realized that having a strong quirk didn’t make me special anymore. First combat training I went against some people I couldn’t fucking overpower. Made sure to devote everything I had into becoming stronger after that. Doesn’t exactly leave a lot of extra time to fuck around.” It was the life Katsuki had chosen years ago and until he spoke it aloud, he had been pretty content with it. He had everything he wanted, ignoring the bullshit hero rankings, but hearing it come out of his mouth made his heart feel heavy. 

“You don’t like, go out to clubs or parties?” The distraction seemed to have calmed Ze down successfully. Now he just seemed more astonished at the lack of Katsuki’s life outside of work.

“Never been into big crowds so there’s not much point in doing that shit.” Katsuki hated being surrounded by strangers. It always made him feel alone since he wasn’t exactly an expert at making friends. 

“I mean…” Ze hesitated. “That’s how most people meet and… umm well. You know.”

“Don’t exactly enjoy hookups either, nerd. If I ever actually sleep with someone, I would want to see their fucking face in the morning.” Katsuki didn’t exactly consider himself a romantic, but the bookshelves of romance manga probably meant that there was a part of him that was. 

“Have you never…” Ze started.

“Nope.” Katsuki cut him off. He wasn’t sure why he’d told the nerd he was a virgin, not even Kiri knew he’d never had sex. Fuck. Maybe he couldn’t be too pissed at Kiri for keeping secrets since apparently he had his own.

“Oh…”

“Listen, I don’t know if you were expecting some fucking playboy, but I’m a virgin and the closest thing I’ve had to any of that shit is reading fucking romance manga.” He knew it came across as defensive, but Ze deciding that Katsuki was some straight fuck machine bothered him more than it should have.  

“I don’t fucking like when people assume shit about me though. Spent enough time working to become who I wanted rather than what everyone else told me I should be.” He bit out through a clenched jaw.

“That… makes sense.” Ze sounded thoughtful. “I’m sorry, Bakugo. I just… I guess I’ve had this image in my mind about who you’ve become, but… well. I’m just sorry for that.” 

Katsuki smiled at the guy finally using his name.

“Don’t apologize nerd. I’m fucking used to it. Just let me set the expectations for who I am.” He said confidently.

“Yeah.” Ze softly laughed. “I can definitely do that.”

The silence that followed wasn’t like before. It was comfortable and Katsuki returned to his meal, cringing slightly at the temperature of the cooled rice. 

“How did you and Ejiro become friends?” The writer spoke after a while.

“Figured Shitty Hair would have told you that himself.” Katsuki responded.

“He did. Or at least he told me his side of how it happened. I guess I want to know yours.” Katsuki could hear the smile on the guy's face as he spoke.

Something about the gentle way Ze talked made Katsuki feel warm inside. The nerd was actually trying to listen to Katsuki and not be influenced by whatever other people’s perceptions had been. 

“Dumbass latched on to me first day of class. Followed me around everywhere. After a few weeks I gave up trying to scare him off. I figured anyone who could put up with my nasty attitude was worth keeping around… Besides, his refusal to leave me the fuck alone even when I lashed out was impressive. Like someone actually saw through the walls I was putting up and cared enough to try breaking them down.” 

Katsuki knew he didn’t need to add the next part, but did anyway. “It wasn’t the first time someone’s tried, just, the first time I actually let them in.” 

Ze didn’t say anything. Katsuki wasn’t sure if he’d said something particularly stupid or if the line had dropped.

“Oi, nerd? Did I break you?”

“No Kaa… Bakugo.” Ze sniffled. “It’s just good to know you have someone like that.”

“Are you actually fucking crying? I’m not that fucked up anymore, nerd. Still shit at making friends, but I don’t beat up everyone who tries these days.”

The other man snorted.

“Don’t worry. I’ve always been a crybaby. It’s basically the only part of my childhood I couldn’t leave behind.” Ze sounded distant despite coming through the phone clear.

“Eh. Nothing wrong with crying.” There wasn’t anything wrong with someone else crying, but inside Katsuki he knew he hadn’t learned to apply that to himself yet.

“You’re really something Bakugou.” Ze laughed through tears.

“I would say damn straight, but I don’t need you thinking I’m anything but gay.” Katsuki joked back. 

Ze let out that bubbly giggle from before.

“Fine, nerd. You said this was some two way shit. You gonna tell me a dork like you has more of a life than me?” He couldn’t help wanting to know about Ze. The guy was interesting and Katsuki actually gave a fuck about the type of person that laugh belonged to.

“Eh. I wouldn’t say I have the most interesting life, but compared to you it probably would seem like it.” The jab was light hearted enough to make Katsuki laugh aloud.

“Yeah, yeah, nerd. Can’t imagine you doing much more than geeking out over quirk usage and jacking off to fight footage.” He teased.

“Very funny, Bakugo. Unlike a certain pain in the artichoke hero, I actually get laid somewhat regularly.” Ze jabbed back through giggles.

“Oi. Just cause you get laid doesn’t mean you don’t also get off to watching me blow the face off some villains.” Katsuki wasn’t a fan of the jealousy creeping into his chest thinking about Ze having sex.

There was a choking noise from the other end. Katsuki smirked at the sound.

“Well someone sounds like he just got caught.” He didn’t bother keeping the cockiness out of his voice.

“Quiet! I wouldn’t do something like that. Sure there are times when heroes look attractive during battle, but even if I tried I would be too distracted analyzing the usage of their quirks to achieve anything sexual! And it’s entirely too bold for you to assume you would even be my type! I haven’t even gotten around to watching fights with you in them.” The writer sounded incredibly flustered and Katsuki thought it was fucking adorable. 

“I can send some if you want. I’m sure there’s a few where my uniform gets torn up a bit. Might help keep you on task.” At this point he didn’t want to stop. Katsuki had no idea what Ze looked like, but he smiled imagining the deep blush the guy probably had spread across his face. That idea alone made warmth pool in his gut.

“I can find fights just fine on my own!” Ze defended.

“Is that right nerd?” Katsuki teased.

“Not for that!” The guy was panicking again, but this time it didn’t worry Katsuki. 

“I don’t get off to hero fights and I don’t get off to you.” Ze finished defiantly. 

“Shame…” Katsuki hummed back.

“You don’t even know what I look like! Who I am! And you’re… flirting with me?”

“And I thought I was supposed to be the virgin here, but you’re getting so flustered.” Katsuki didn’t mind being called out for flirting. He didn’t have a lot of experience so a part of him appreciated the opportunity to practice with someone he’d never actually meet.

“You’re impossible.” Ze gave in with a sigh. 

“Eh. I’ve been called worse. Don’t stress about it, nerd. I won’t try to turn you gay or some shit.” Katsuki gave up the joke assuming Ze had enough of some gay fucker hitting on him. 

“I uhh. Yeah. It’s getting pretty late for you right?” Ze quickly changed the subject.

Katsuki looked at the clock above his oven as he started packing up leftovers and finishing cleaning. It was nearly 10pm, but the thought of hanging up pissed him off.

“Eh. I told you, I need to fuck up my sleep schedule anyway. I can keep talking for a while.” It wasn’t entirely an excuse, talking to Ze would help him stay up.

“I would, but umm I sorta have plans tonight.” Ze sounded apologetic.

Katsuki knew it was probably a lie. The guy most likely just felt uncomfortable after he’d pulled all that flirting shit.

“Hot date?” Katsuki tried to joke.

“Sort of?” Ze sounded unsure of the answer. “I am sorry though.”

“Stop apologizing, nerd.” Katsuki couldn’t help but feel disappointed. He actually enjoyed talking to the guy and he didn’t exactly look forward to keeping himself awake without Ze as a distraction.

“Still. You asked and I don’t exactly want to stop talking yet.” Ze seemed sincere.

“How about this? Tell me how old you are and we’ll be even.” Katsuki was curious. He assumed that Ze was in his 40s at least given how successful his writing was, but the guy talked like he was around Katsuki’s age.

Ze only hesitated for a moment. “21.”

“Goodnight then, nerd. Hope your date goes well.” He’d pushed the guy enough for one day, forgetting that this whole thing was supposed to be an interview, not some casual chat. Fuck, the guy had a way of disarming him. Katsuki assumed that was how he’d managed to write so in depth about who each hero was as a person.

“Goodnight, Bakugo.” Ze said quietly before dropping his voice even softer to where the phone barely registered it. “It’s not a date though.” 

The line went dead and Katsuki collapsed into his couch, ignoring the slight smirk Ze's last words had left.

Chapter Text

Izuku couldn’t keep Kaachan’s words from their last phone call out of his mind as he analyzed his childhood friend’s battle footage. It certainly didn’t help that the villain he was fighting happened to have an acidic type quirk and after a while, the hero's clothing had begun to suffer. 

There was absolutely no way to focus on the practical applications of the man’s explosion while the burned fabric of the abused uniform exposed his broad chest. Izuku could see muscles straining each time Kaachan let off a powerful explosion. He stared at the deep V leading down from his toned abs into his pants. Damn it. Kaachan had been right, this was something he could definitely get off to.

Sighing as he gave up any sense of shame, Izuku set aside his notebook and paused on a particularly attractive shot of the hero moments after being slammed into a wall. Kaachan’s crimson eyes glaring dagger at the villain and heavy sweat dripped down his abs. Izuku left the laptop open on the coffee table and laid back on his couch. Pushing his shorts and underwear down to his knee, he began to slowly work his persistent erection while staring at the man on the screen. 

Kaachan had certainly grown since middle school. His biceps looked like they could crush men and the already harsh features of his face had only grown sharper. The hero was 6’3” from what Izuku had read and would probably tower over his own frame with the excess five inches. He could imagine the feeling of Kaachan pressing up against his back, overpowering him entirely.

Precum leaked lewdly from the head of his cock as he closed his eyes trying to imagine Kaachan harshly groping his body. Izuku jumped when a loud thump came from his balcony. Standing outside, watching him stroke himself with a sinister look on his face was Kaachan. His clothing was destroyed like from the battle Izuku had just been analyzing.

Freezing, Izuku watched Kaachan open the sliding glass door and stroll into his living room, right next to the couch where Izuku was sprawled out. Kaachan glanced at the computer screen displaying a frozen image of himself and turned to smirked down at Izuku. He could feel the embarrassment flooding his cheeks, and he shivered as Kaachan took time to rake his eyes over Izuku’s exposed lower body. 

“Thought you said you didn’t get off to watching me fight?” Kaachan’s voice dripped with sex as he crouched beside Izuku, teeth exposed with a cocky smile. 

“I.. wasn’t. I didn’t mean to...” Izuku interrupted himself with the full moan Kaachan dragged out of him by running a gloved hand over his partially exposed upper thigh, grabbing it roughly.

“Did I fucking tell you to stop, Deku?” Kaachan leaned down and bit the flesh he’d been touching. 

Izuku let out a whimper and began using his hand to spread the precum over his impossibly hard cock for better lubrication. If this was actually going to happen, he would enjoy every moment he could.

“Good boy, Deku. Now cum for me like the whore you are.”

Izuku opened his eyes to see the bedroom ceiling fan lazily spinning overhead. He was painfully hard and wanted nothing more than to send his head through the nearest wall. It wasn’t entirely his fault. If Kaachan hadn’t made a point to tease him over the phone, this wouldn’t have happened, but thanks to his childhood friend’s apparent newly acquired quirk that allowed him to sneak into Izuku’s dreams, he hadn’t slept properly for the past two nights. 

He rolled out from under his covers and made his way to the shower. Taking care of himself quickly before he could dwell on what had caused his morning arousal, Izuku started getting ready for the day. 

There wasn’t much planned aside from a short visit to Mei. Izuku had gotten a message from Eraserhead near the end of his call with Kaachan asking if he could step in for Shinsou since it was his night off. They had gone after a few drug dealers Aizawa had caught wind of and in the short battle, Izuku had been thrown into the side of a car. 

The physical injuries weren’t too bad, mostly some bruising along the side of his body, but one the black whip arm bands Mei had given him took a nasty beating. Now whenever he activated it, the whips came out erratic and violent. Izuku couldn’t use it without becoming a danger to everyone around him. He needed Mei to fix the broken one and hopefully reinforce the pair before he used them again.

Izuku had felt sorry that he had ended the call with Kaachan so abruptly, but after two nights of wet dreams, Izuku definitely didn’t feel bad anymore. He could only hope Mei would serve as a necessary distraction.

The borderline flirting and finding out Kaachan’s sexuality wasn’t the only thing plaguing his thoughts. Izuku nearly had a full panic attack when he let slip that Ejiro was seeing Tetsutetsu. Logically, he didn’t need to be afraid of Ejiro, but after watching his stepdad take out the stress of being a hero on his mother and eventually him too, Izuku would never underestimate a hero’s potential for violent outbursts. 

Kaachan had handled the whole thing well considering Izuku had been a complete mess and was even polite enough not to bring it up after he had calmed down. Though, it was more likely that Kaachan just didn’t care.

Izuku couldn’t help being crushed when he heard that Kaachan’s nicknames were often the first thing he thought of when looking at someone. It meant that calling Izuku Deku was exactly what he already knew. Kaachan had seen him first and foremost as useless. And as happy as he was that Kaachan finally opened up to someone who spent time chasing after him, Izuku couldn’t help but wonder why he hadn’t been good enough to receive that treatment too. 

The whole conversation had left Izuku with bitterness and apparently the desire to see Ground Zero nearly naked during a fight. Drowning his frozen waffles in syrup and self loathing, he tried to convince himself that it was a good thing that Kaachan was basically a different person. The guy had clearly grown a lot and Izuku knew he should be proud of his childhood friend.

His mopping was interrupted by a phone call from Mei.

“Midoriya! Where the heck are you?” Mei shouted through the phone.

There was a crash in the background and Izuku could only imagine that Mei was working one handed in the lab on something that definitely required her full attention. He really needed to get her bluetooth headphones.

“I have an actual paying customer coming in a little bit and unless you want to add another person to the list of I know Midoriya runs around in all black, fighting criminals I suggest you getting here right the heck now.” She continued.

“People only pay for completed items, Mei. Besides, you get plenty out of our arrangement with me running field tests for you.” Izuku argued as he gave up on breakfast and poured his coffee into a thermos. It was nearly 3pm and Mei had told him to get there before 2pm when they had spoken yesterday. 

“Yes, yes. You’re a true saint. Whatever would I do without my favorite little lawbreaker?” Mei chided.

“You’d just rope some other idiot into doing it instead.” Izuku answered before telling her he’d be there soon.

Mei’s lab was tucked away in a warehouse district. She had said she liked the cheap space and easy access for larger deliveries, but Izuku figured she also got a lot less noise complaints outside of a residential area. The inventor tended to hyper fixate on a project until it was done, forgoing sleep entirely. That meant loud machinery reverberated the nearby blocks at all hours when she was focused. 

Izuku pressed a button next to the reinforced front door and moments later the unlocking mechanism clicked. There was no one behind it, but he easily found Mei by following the absurdly loud noise echoing through the messy workshop. Project blueprints were laid out on every surface including on some machines that looked like they would tear up the paper the moment they were turned on. 

He finally found Mei’s pink hair scrunched under a welding mask in a backroom. She was hunched over a pair of gauntlets adding the finishing touches to a sleek black design.

“Black Whip isn’t exactly shock-proof yet, Mei.” Izuku set the broken gear next to her as she abandoned her current project and began to inspect them.

Before she could lecture him about it somehow being his fault for getting slammed into a car, a buzz echoed through the air.

“And that’s good ole Blasty.” Mei pressed a button in her pocket and Izuku could hear the metallic front door opening.

“Oi!” An all too familiar voice shouted. “The fuck are you Geek Freak? Need that gauntlet shit for tomorrow.”

“Fuck… Fuck…” Izuku started panicking, it was one thing to talk to his childhood bully over the phone, but there was no way he could handle coming face to face with the guy, especially not when he was currently wearing a stained shirt that said PJs on the front.

“You have to hide me, Mei.” He whispered urgently.

“Back here, Blasty!” Mei called behind her, ignoring Izuku’s plea. “Just say you’re a friend or something. No need to go all red alert on me.”

“No, you don’t get it. I can’t see Kaachan!” Izuku started looking around for suitable places to hide.

“Kaachan?” Mei tilted her head in confusion and squinted her eyes in thought. “Fine, go hide in the locker over there, I sent in the babies I was keeping in it out this morning so you’ll probably fit, but you’re explaining this whole Kaachan thing once I’m done.”

Izuku happily slid into the locker, shutting the door behind him. It was nothing more than an oversized school locker Mei used to store completed projects out of sight so she wouldn’t be tempted to continue fiddling with them. There were thin slats in the metal that Izuku could peer out of without attracting attention.

“It’s bad fucking manners not to answer the door for guests.” Kaachan strolled in moments after Izuku had settled. 

He was wearing black jeans that had rips on the thighs and a crisp white T-shirt. The fight footage Izuku had been watching as research didn’t do the guy justice. Kaachan was unfortunately as handsome as Izuku’s perverted dream brain had imagined. His face held a mixture of annoyance and boredom as he took in the disaster surrounding Mei.  

Nope! Nope! Nope! Izuku was not about to start thirsting after Kaachan while watching him like a pervert from inside a locker. He shut his eyes for a moment, filling his mind with images of anything to distract him from the attractive clunk of combat boots on the concrete floor. Maybe Mei had been right to suggest boots for Izuku’s gear, they certainly looked imposing enough on Kaachan.

Mei picked up the gauntlets she had been finishing when Izuku arrived and turned to face the glowering hero.

“Alrighty, Blasty Boy. These babies have extra special sound dampening for your explosions just like you asked. I even added what’s essentially a flash hider so that you won’t look like you’re setting off fireworks in the dark.” Mei held her creation out for Kaachan to inspect. 

“It’s primarily designed for stealth mobility, but it does store a bit of your sweat for larger blasts too, just nothing like your usual gear. Hitting this button will deactivate the stealth mode and give you access to your quirk at full power which is important because you’re taking a real power cut using these babies.” 

“But I assure you that you will be able to get around without revealing your position, just a bit slower than normal.” Mei finished and immediately got distracted by the broken tech Izuku had brought her.

“Oi! I’m not leaving here until I test it.” Kaachan had clearly worked with Mei a decent amount. She ran her own tests of course, but her mind assumed each person would use the gear exactly how she designed it to be used. That left a lot of errors when someone decided to get creative. She relied on Izuku to find most of those errors himself.

Mei led Kaachan out of the room towards a heavily reinforced testing area. Izuku was thankful they had left quickly, but seeing Kaachan in person wouldn’t be helping his late night fantasies. He really needed to get laid if he was seriously lusting over his childhood friend/bully.

Izuku promised himself to actually go out that night and waited patiently for Mei to return.

Nearly 40 minutes passed before she wandered back into view, immediately beginning tinkering with the Black Whip tech again. Kaachan wasn’t anywhere to be seen, but Mei definitely would have told him after the hero left. Then again, this was Mei.

After another few minutes, Izuku let out a soft cough from the locker. When she didn’t respond, he tried again a little louder. Mei jumped back, arming herself with a nearby skrewdriver frantically looking for the source of the noise.

Izuku sighed. She had definitely forgotten he was in there. Stepping out he saw her relax.

“Oh! Midoriya. Oops.” Mei dropped the screwdriver and went back to adjusting the internal mechanisms on the tech. 

“You gonna tell me why you hate Blasty or do I have to lecture you about taking care of my babies in the field?” She asked.

“I don’t hate him, Mei.” Izuku pulled up a stool beside the inventor to watch her work.

“Okay, so not hate.” Mei tapped the back end of the soldering tool on the workbench. “So you slept with him? Kaachan is a weird name to call a hook up doncha think?”

“No! I didn’t sleep with him either.” At least not outside of Izuku’s dreams.

“Kaachan and I are… were childhood friends. Sort of? It’s complicated.” He settled for.

“Sort of?” She continued taking apart the equipment.

“Well, friend and bully. It’s a bit of a story.” Izuku wasn’t even sure how to quickly sum up their less than ideal history.

“Tell me. I’ve always wondered why Blasty is as… well you know.” It was strange for Mei to care about anything outside of her babies so either Kaachan really confused her or more likely, she was just bored.

“If you tell me I’ll fix these babies up and have them sturdier than ever by Friday.” She offered with a wink.

“Fine. Only because I’ve started to rely on them while I’m out.” Izuku couldn’t tell Mei about the interview without revealing that he was Ze, but reliving a messy childhood story was worth getting his gear back so soon.

“We grew up together, both wanted to be heroes, obsessed with All Might and all that. Kaachan got a really strong quirk, as you already know, and I ended up quirkless. After that, he started harassing me. Seemed like everything I did upset him. He even nicknamed me Deku because I was useless and did everything he could to tell me I would never be an actual hero.” There was no point in going into specifics with Mei. She preferred the most basic rundowns when it came to human interaction, always saying it took up less room in her brain. 

“Well he wasn’t wrong. You can’t actually be a hero.” Mei said without hesitation. “Even now with you being strong enough to hold your own without my babies, they wouldn’t consider you for hero licensing since you’re quirkless.” 

“I’m well aware, Mei.” Izuku bit out. He shouldn’t take his issues with hero society out on Mei. She just worked for the jerks.

“I was always chasing him around, trying to help him when he got hurt, but Kaachan just got worse through middle school until in the last year he told me some really messed up stuff.” He wasn’t sure why he avoided telling Mei that the guy had told him to jump off the school, but Izuku left it purposefully vague.

“Same day I was walking home and saw him getting attacked by a villain. I couldn’t stop myself from rushing in to help even though I knew it was the last thing Kaachan would have wanted. After that I couldn’t even face him anymore. It wasn't long before my mom remarried and we moved away. Haven’t seen him in person since then.” Izuku also left out that the same day of sludge villain showing up happened to be when he’d met the number one hero. 

Izuku had asked All Might if he could be a hero even without a quirk and the man told him to give up and find a more realistic dream. That was a conversation he vowed never to tell anyone, in part because it had the potential to destroy The Symbol of Peace’s perfect image, but it would also finally force Izuku to admit how much he had grown to hate the man he’d once aspired to become.

“You can pick these up Friday morning if you manage to get out of bed that early.” Mei said without looking at him.

Izuku was glad she didn’t seem interested in asking questions. He said goodbye before seeing himself out. 

~~~

It was nearly 4am by the time Izuku stumbled through his front door. There was a pleasant numb feeling that always followed early morning walks of shame. Izuku’s mind was finally quiet and his body was left pleasantly worn out. 

Both intense fighting and rigorous sex had the same effect of pulling Izuku out of reality and allowed him to focus on nothing but physical sensation. He didn’t care if it was pain, pleasure, or a mix of the two that did it, as long as he could sleep without nightmares. 

He’d left his partner asleep in the hotel bed, not particularly wanting to see the woman again. She had been nice enough and Izuku enjoyed the couple hours they spent indulging in each other, but if he were honest, she was incredibly submissive and Izuku had always preferred someone more demanding in bed, be it on top or bottom. 

There were of course the terrible moments when Izuku would close his eyes while thrusting into her and end up with images of Kaachan beneath him instead. He hated that even outside of intrusive dreams, the man had wormed his way into another part of Izuku’s sexual life.

The woman would probably be upset when she found that Izuku was gone, but he’d paid for the room and left a polite note about being called in early to work. It was an obvious lie, but not one that anyone would ever call out, especially since they had barely exchanged names, let alone contact information. She was looking for one night of fun as much as Izuku had been.

Collapsing into his unmade bed, Izuku put his nearly dead phone on the charger. He’d ignored it for most of the night, so there were a few notifications to go through. Most could be put off until morning, but he did take the time to open an email sent to his Ze account by the Hero Commission. 

The Commission had tried contacting him in the past, encouraging him to write profiles on up and coming heroes they thought would spark Ze's interest. Izuku had always ignored them. All they were doing was trying to boost the popularity of heroes who played their game. 

He was thankful that the Commission hadn’t made the connection between Ze and Nim. If they had, they most likely would have used the leverage to force Izuku’s hand on publishing the articles they wanted. It was also the main reason nearly no one knew Ze's identity. Izuku had started writing as a coping mechanism for his nearly debilitating fear of heroes caused by watching an abusive one send his mother to an early grave. It didn’t matter what the Commission tried though, he would throw it all away before supporting a hero like that in his profiles.

Izuku thought the email was strange since they seemed to have given up a little over a year ago. Opening it with the intention of adding whatever hero they wanted promoted to the list of never in a million years, he read.

It took him two times through to process exactly what they were asking of him. Apparently, they had made a deal with some high profile villain being kept in jail. The deal hinged on Ze coming to visit the villain and discussing the possibility of writing an article. It read professionally, but Izuku couldn’t help but notice the subtle tone of desperation the Commission seemed to have. Whatever the deal they’d made, it was important to them. 

Thinking it over, Izuku’s curiosity won out over logic. He sent back a short reply requesting more details as well as legal assurance that every measure possible would be taken to assure his identity wouldn’t be revealed to anyone during the process. One meeting most likely wouldn’t kill him.

Stripping down to his underwear and throwing the dirty clothing next to the bed, Izuku pulled the covers over his body. Now that his mind was running again, there wasn’t much to do besides stare up at the ceiling and await either the Commission's response or face the nightmares behind closed eyes.

Chapter Text

Entering the Tartarus prison required an absurd amount of paperwork. All of it had to be signed under Izuku’s pseudonym, but thanks to the same expert legal teams that often kept heroes out of jail, it was still binding. 

Amongst other protections, it ensured Izuku high tech equipment to obscure his face and voice from everyone inside the walls. In his opinion, what the commission had given him was less effective and far more clunky than Mei’s, but wearing anything designed by her was out of the question. Izuku needed everyone to think he was just some writer. 

They’d given him a thick plastic mask designed to wipe out recognizable facial features, leaving him looking like a thumb. Izuku had also used impermanent hair dye to change his green hair to black and put it up under a ballcap. Oversized nondescript clothing hid any muscles and distinct scaring. Even his hands were covered in thin leather gloves. He probably looked more terrifying than whatever villain he was meeting with.

As much as Izuku had tried, the commission refused to tell him who it was that he would be talking to. It only made him more excited to find out. 

Crossing the bridge to Tartarus even he was shocked by the abundance of security. Each checkpoint he had to show a signed letter from the Commission that gave him and his taxi driver the ability to pass.

When he arrived at the main building, three heavily armed guards started escorting him. They didn’t speak to Izuku as they led him down hallway after hallway, opening what seemed like an endless number of reinforced doors and security checkpoints. 

After walking for a while, the guards brought him into a nearly empty room and closed the door behind them, leaving him alone. Izuku scanned the area to confirm that there were no obvious recording devices and sat down at the single chair lined up with a table. One of the walls was filled with a large reflective surface that he assumed would be looking into the room holding whoever he'd agreed to talk to.

The commission had assured him that the villain would be on the other side of thick glass and would have quirk monitors set up to ensure Izuku’s safety. Apparently letting the number one hero writer die wasn’t on their list just yet. Setting out a fresh notebook and a few pens, he only had to wait for a few minutes before a bright light flickered on revealing an almost identical room.

Wheeled in on a high tech chair brimming with monitors and wiring was the most terrifying man Izuku had ever laid eyes on. The area above his mouth was entirely scar tissue and his sunken eyes were covered in flesh. He had a thick hose attached to a respirator over his mouth and there were straps forcing him into the chair. Even the man's torso was wrapped in a straight jacket. Izuku recognized the man the moment he spoke and instantly his blood felt like it was curdling.

“So this is the brilliant reporter I’ve requested.” All for One spoke confidently and sent him a stomach churning smile. 

Izuku’s knuckles went white under the gloves as he gripped a pen. This was the man who had ended All Might's career during Izuku’s first year of high school. Even hating the number one hero, it had been painful to watch the men level buildings in the historic fight. While the rest of Japan had cried as their Symbol of Peace stood victorious, but impossibly injured, Izuku finally saw All Might for what he was. He was nothing more than a man putting on the skin of a hero and smiling like he was invincible. 

All Might hadn’t been the immortal God the media made him out to be and the deflated broken mess broadcasted to every household in the country shattered that image in an instant. All Might had retired immediately after, choosing to teach at UA. 

“All for One.” Izuku’s voice came out higher thanks to the mask’s built-in voice changer and he prayed it would hide the unsteadiness. 

“You seem much younger than I imagined. To think a mere child has Japan infatuated with his writings.” All for One’s voice was muffled slightly by the respirator, but still dripped with condescension.

“You…” Izuku cleared his throat. “You’re the one who asked for me.”

“That I did.” He tilted his head as if he could see Izuku even without eyes. “I quite like your work. When posing this deal to my keepers, I requested several samples to ensure you could do my story justice.”

“If I agree to write it.” Izuku interrupted.

“If indeed.” All for One sighed. “Forgive my astonishment over your age, I hadn’t thought such spiteful words could be summoned by someone so young.”

“Spiteful?”

“Ah yes. Many might not be able to recognize it, but you hate heroes. Don’t you boy?”

Izuku’s silence seemed to be enough of an answer.

“You hate them, but you also find great value in understanding them, dissecting their beings.” All for One continued.

“I don’t hate them.” Izuku finally found his voice again. “A few, sure, but not all of them.”

“Pity. If hatred does not drive you, then it must be something just as primal.” Izuku shivered under the blank gaze. “Fear perhaps?”

“Yes... They terrify me. I want to understand them because someone once told me it would make me less scared.” He felt forced to explain himself to the man. If Izuku didn’t know the extent of quirk suppression happening on the other side of the glass, he would assume he had been hit with a truth quirk. It was far more terrifying that All for One just seemed to be that charismatic. 

“Ah. We do not fear the monsters beneath our beds once we bring them into the light. Am I right?”

“Yes.” Izuku answered automatically.

“But the admiration must come from somewhere too?” The man titled his head again, thinking. 

“You aspired to become one, but you were injured? No.” His head straightened. “You were too weak.”

Izuku just nodded. He was too afraid his entire life story would come out like vomit under the man’s questioning.

“I’ve always thought this world relied far too much on natural born power. All hero society cares about is the quirk one was born with.” All for One continued.

Izuku hated how much he agreed with the man who had terrorized Japan for decades if not longer. There were even rumors that he’d kidnapped a student before All Might defeated him, but since the situation involved a minor, the commission and police never denied or confirmed anything. 

“If we’d met before all this, I could have helped you. Much of my life was devoted to providing the weak with strength and removing power from those who were unworthy. There is no doubt that I would have deemed you worthy of my gifts.”

Izuku needed to get this back on track. Never before had he ever let a conversation with someone he was supposed to be interviewing get so far out of hand. He’d admitted more to the most dangerous criminal in Japan than was probably safe. 

“I didn’t come here to talk about myself.” Izuku stared pointedly at the man, though it was probably ineffective given the mask. “You wanted me to write you an article. Wasn’t that the deal you made?”

“I suppose it was. There’s nothing I can do to force you to write for me, and I won’t dictate how you choose to present what I tell you. All that I ask is for you to come back and listen to my story. Whatever comes of it is up to you.” 

It seemed reasonable enough. In fact it was far more reasonable than the strong arming Izuku had experienced from the Hero Commission once his profiles had started gaining recognition.

“So what? I just listen to you and you uphold whatever deal you have when I publish the story?” Izuku was trying to understand what benefit such a deal could have for a villain like this. All for One still had ties to the League, but within the walls of Tartarus, there wasn’t much control the man could actually have. 

“You misunderstand. I simply requested the opportunity to speak with you. I’ll return the quirks as the Commission requested no matter what you end up doing.” He said it like it was obvious.

Izuku knew All for One’s power had something to do with accumulating quirks based on the sheer number he’d used against All Might and judging by their earlier conversation, there was a chance that the villain could transfer quirks between people too. 

“Whose quirks are you supposed to give back?” Izuku asked.

“A few heroes that I deemed unworthy of such power.” All for One’s smile had grown impossibly large. “I’ll return them no matter what you do though.”

Izuku started laughing quietly. The idea of heroes who had relied on their quirks to gain power suddenly being left quirkless was amusing. The Commission had definitely hid this from Japan to avoid accusations of their heroes becoming weak. They relied on the powerful quirks to maintain control over society as much as the heroes that actually used them in battle. It had been the main reason All Might held the number one spot for so many years. The guy didn’t have the most rescues or villain captures, but the overwhelming power of his quirk was perfect for keeping society in line. 

“You say there’s little hatred in you for heroes, yet you laugh at their misfortune.” All for One seemed as amused as Izuku.

Izuku closed his book and stood up to leave.

“There’s just something ironic about a quirkless hero.” Izuku spoke, shaking his head. “It must be a damn interesting story for you to make a deal like this.” 

All for One laughed. Izuku thought that sound could have accompanied the gates of hell for how cruel it was.

“I’m sure you’ll be back. After all, what boy wouldn’t want to hear the actual story behind the Symbol of Peace himself?” 

Opening the door and signaling that he had finished, Izuku knew the man was wrong. He was trembling and it took every muscle he had not to collapse onto the floor. This villain was dangerous and no matter how incredible his story was, Izuku wouldn’t be the one to hear it. He’d had enough powerful people exerting control over him already. 

~~~

The breath he had been holding rushed back into his lungs the moment he stepped out the main doors. One of the guards stood by his side as they waited for a taxi to arrive. Izuku powered on his phone and was immediately shocked by the three missed calls from Kaachan. There weren’t any voicemails, but he had sent one text only a minute before.

Kaachan: Nerd. Pick up, I need to talk.

Izuku panicked. Even after everything that had happened, he couldn’t not rush to help Kaachan, especially when he was asking. Forgetting his surroundings entirely, he called the man back. 

Kaachan picked up after a single ring.

“Oi, nerd. Fucking finally.” Kaachan’s voice was ragged and didn’t hold the unshakable confidence Izuku had come to expect.

“Sorry about that. I had some work stuff going on.” Izuku glanced at the guard who seemed uninterested in the conversation.

“The fuck. What happened to your voice?” 

Shit. Izuku was still in his anonymity gear and he couldn’t exactly take it off in front of the most dangerous prison in Japan with the entire Commission watching over his every move.

“I.. ughh. I needed to hide my voice for a job.” He started. “I’ll give you a call back once I’m home. Shouldn’t take more than an hour.” Izuku got ready to hang up, but was interrupted.

“No!” Kaachan sounded desperate for a moment. “I don’t want to be alone right now. Doesn’t fucking matter if you don’t say shit, just… don’t hang up.”

“Okay, Kaa… ughh.” Izuku shouldn’t reveal who he was speaking to, much less let a stupid nickname slip. There had been enough close calls with that the last time they spoke.

“I’ll stay on the line with you and you can tell me what’s going on once I get home. Does that work?” He hated the heartbreaking panic Kaachan’s voice had exuded while begging him not to hang up.

“Yeah, nerd.” The hero seemed calmer now. “That works.”

The ride back was filled with a heavy silence and Izuku counted down the blocks until he was dropped off. The car stopped outside the same alley the Commission had arranged to pick him up from. Thanking the driver, he slipped out of the car. 

“Hey, Bakugo? Are you still there?” Izuku asked.

“The fuck else would I be.” Came the gruff reply.

“I have to put my phone down so I can change.” He wasn’t sure why he’d told Kaachan all that. “I just didn’t want you to think I’d hung up.”

He didn’t get a response. Ducking between a few dumpsters, Izuku pulled off the baggy clothing leaving him in the light weight shorts and tank he’d worn underneath. He threw the clothing, gloves, hat and now disgustingly sweaty mask into the trash and climbed up the fire escape with his phone tucked into his pocket. 

Quietly he jogged across the small building’s roof, hiding behind a few billboards, and slipped down the other side. After vaulting a fence, he made it to the populated street that his apartment was located on. He kept his head down while he slipped through the crowd and into the backdoor of the complex. 

The building manager had agreed to give him access after he made a show of bringing a few very loud, very horny strangers through the main lobby, attracting the attention of every other person who paid far too much to live there. Now Izuku was able to come and go without people noticing at any hour of the day. 

Finally slamming the elevator button for the 7th floor, Izuku pulled his phone back out.

“Hi. Sorry about all that.” He said controlling his breathing.

“That was a fucking long ass time to change…” Kaachan didn’t seem angry despite his words. “The fuck you going that you’ve got to change up your voice for?”

“It was for another interview. Have to keep the whole mysterious thing going.” Izuku tried to joke, but he could already tell that whatever Kaachan had called him about was serious.

He was rewarded with a subtle snort from the other end. At least Kaachan had found it somewhat amusing.

“So umm. Was there a reason you wanted to talk so suddenly?” Izuku tried to ask softly. “I thought we weren’t scheduled for another phone call until tomorrow.”

The two had been texting periodically since Friday, Kaachan sending pictures of homemade meals with sassy comments about not needing anyone to cook for him and Izuku responding with photos of his own instant or takeout meals to which the hero gave him lectures about eating healthy. It was strange to have the guy who at one point told Izuku to off himself now telling him to eat vegetables, but Izuku didn’t mind the casual conversations as much as he’d expected. They were comforting and he could almost pretend that Kaachan actually cared about his health. 

They had decided on Wednesday night for their next call in hopes that it would give Kaachan time to adjust to his night patrols. Izuku figured he shouldn’t even be awake right now given that it was past 1pm. 

“Someone died while I was on patrol.” Kaachan was blunt with the information. He didn't sound detached, more like he was trying to hold back anger.

Izuku was a touch confused. Kaachan had been a licensed hero since his first year at UA, there was no way he hadn’t been exposed to people dying on the job. Besides, as far as he knew, Izuku was just some writer who had no experience in those kinds of situations.

“I umm… Why call me?” He couldn’t help asking.

“Fuck. I don’t know. I don’t wanna deal with any of the other idiots in my life and you’re… You’re easy to talk to.” Kaachan cleared his throat. “This was a dumb fucking idea, just forget it.”

“No!” Izuku raised his voice slightly. “I don’t mind. I just figured you probably didn’t need someone like me to help.”

Kaachan ever needing his help seemed absurd to Izuku. Both men went silent for a few moments before Izuku spoke again. 

“I’m going to give you a few options because I don’t know how best to handle this for you. Do you want to talk about it, sit with me in silence, or have me distract you with something else?” 

Lucky for Kaachan, Izuku wasn’t just some reporter who’d never experienced death. He knew that everyone had different ways of handling these sorts of situations so he offered the three that usually worked best for him. 

“The fuck are you going to do to distract me nerd?” Kaachan clearly didn’t have the energy to flirt, something Izuku was immensely grateful for. He didn’t think he could handle an emotionally unstable and flirtatious Kaachan at the same time.

Izuku couldn’t exactly tell him that the best distractions were getting laid or beat up, so he settled for the next best thing.

“A movie and dinner.” He said simply.

“Like a fucking date?” Kaachan seemed less upset at the idea than he should have been given the situation.

“What! No!” Izuku quickly corrected. “I mean I’ll stream a dumb movie through Discord and you can order comfort food. Works for me all the time when I need a distraction.” 

It was Izuku’s favorite way of handling stress when other more complicated options weren’t available.

“I don’t even know any places that deliver.” Kaachan admitted.

Izuku laughed. Of course the man who cooked every meal and only broke his diet for weekly beers with Erijo wouldn’t have a clue where to get takeout.

“Send me your address and I’ll pick something for you. Don’t worry. I won't stalk you or anything.” Izuku added.

“Sure about that, nerd? You did just basically ask me on a date.” Kaachan teased, but a few moments later Izuku had a new text from him with an address.

“Very funny, Bakugo. Let me unblock you on Discord so get that ready.” Izuku found a place down the street from Kaachan’s building that boasted quick delivery times. 

“Yeah yeah. I’ll get this shit set up now.” There was a shuffle in the background as Kaachan set up his laptop.

Before Izuku could switch the call, Kaachan spoke again.

“It was my fault they died.”

Izuku figured that might have been the case, or at least that the hero was blaming himself for whatever had happened. It wasn’t uncommon during villain fights. Izuku had learned heroes weren’t the perfect beings everyone made them out to be, they were just people, good, bad, and certainly not immune from making mistakes. Their mistakes just ended with human casualties more often than not. Even as a vigilante, Izuku had messed up a few situations, leading to people dying. It made him feel like shit when it happened, but he’d helped a lot more people than he would ever let down. 

“What happened?” It was pointless to tell Kaachan there wasn’t anything he could have done, or that he didn’t hold the blame. Izuku didn’t know the situation and he’d grown out of overly kind words, they didn’t bring back the dead as he knew from personal experience. 

“I was too fucking slow.” Kaachan spoke bitterly. “I have these new stupid gauntlets and I’m not used to how they mess with my explosions. Some teenage brat got crushed by a car during a villain battle last night. Spent the whole fucking morning dealing with press and paperwork.”

“If you had your regular gauntlets would you have been able to save them?” Izuku asked.

“I don’t know. Probably fucking not, but that's not the god damn point anyway. I fucking lost.” Kaachan bit into the mic.

“Did the villain get away?”

“Fuck no.” There was a pause. “Just because I took the guy down doesn’t mean I fucking won.”

Izuku was at a loss for words. This couldn’t be the kid he grew up with. This wasn’t the Kaachan he knew cared only about proving he was stronger. This… This was someone entirely different.

“What… What does it mean to win then?” He didn’t know this person at all.

“Winning.” Kaachan scoffed. “Winning used to be nothing but who was more powerful to me. But some shit happened that changed how I see being a hero.”

“Kaa… Bakugo. What happened that changed…”

“Just fucking say Katsuki!” Kaachan cut him off abruptly.

Izuku bit his tongue. He couldn’t exactly tell Kaachan that the issue wasn’t avoiding using the man’s first name. It was also the first time over the phone he’d heard Kaachan actually yell. Normally aggression from a hero would have sent him spiraling, but for some reason in that moment, he didn’t feel afraid. 

“Shit.” Kaachan sighed. “I’m on fucking edge and you keep stopping yourself from using my first name like I’ll fucking beat you up or some shit. I don’t mind it, nerd.”

“Yeah… Okay.” Izuku said dumbly.

“You better get a notepad or some shit cause the answer is a fucking long one and probably something your nerd ass is gonna want to write about.”

Izuku didn’t get up from the couch. Whatever had been so impactful that it turned Kaachan into a stranger, Izuku didn’t want a physical reminder of its existence. 

“Growing up everyone always told me I was the best at everything. Even before I got my quirk people did nothing but blow smoke up my ass. The only person who didn’t was the hag I’m supposed to call my mother. She made it her explicate fucking goal to keep me humble .” Kaachan spoke painfully slow as if he were waiting for someone to quiet him.

“Bitch constantly pointed out everything I couldn’t do, anything I was bad at, and even picked apart my shit personality. By the time I hit kindergarten and got my quirk I was a fucked up combination of narcissism and insecurity.”

“So it was your mom that…” Izuku tried to speak but was immediately cut off.

“God no! You’re fucking shit at listening. Isn't it like your whole ass job?” Kaachan spoke over him.

“There was this kid I grew up with. Dorky fucking boy who followed me everywhere I went from the moment the two of us could walk. We both thought All Might shit gold and wanted nothing more than to become just like him.” 

Izuku knew this story and it took every bit of restraint not to hang up. He didn’t need more reminders of how much Kaachan hated him. He couldn’t handle if the only part of Kaachan that he still recognized was how much he despised Izuku.

“Day came where I got a strong quirk and he ended up quirkless. Fuck, he cried like such a baby when he found out. Same night I was at home watching an All Might interview with my mom. Reporter asked All Might what he thought the most important trait a hero could have. I always thought it was power, but this asshole said it was kindness. That a fucking hero had to have a kind heart over everything else. I knew it was bullshit. There was no fucking way someone could become a hero without strength, but my bitch of a mom grabbed my face, stared straight into my eyes, and told me that it was a shame that other boy hadn’t gotten a quirk. She said that unlike me, who would never be anything but cruel, that boy had the heart of a hero.”

“I thought she was just as full of shit as All Might, but a few days later we were playing out in the woods and I feel off a fucking log into a stream. It wasn’t a big deal. It shouldn’t have been a big fucking deal, but that boy, he fucking ran down to help me up. When I looked into his eyes, I knew my mom had been right. He had the kindest fucking green eyes I’d ever seen. I hated him because he had something I could never have. Looking back I know I should have admired it. But, fuck, it’s hard to admire something when you know you’ll never have it yourself.”

Izuku’s heart sank. He knew exactly how Kaachan had felt. Watching everyone he knew get quirks when it simply wasn’t a reality for Izuku, had left him beyond bitter. Imagining a 5 year old having his mother tell him he couldn’t be a good hero because he would never have a kind heart, couldn’t have felt much different than a doctor diagnosing Izuku as quirkless or his personal hero telling him to give up on trying.

“I got real fucking shitty to him after that. Figured there was no point in trying to become something I wasn’t. Fucking spent years bullying the kid, even came up with the name Deku.”

“Because the first thing you thought when looking at a quirkless kid playing hero was useless .” Izuku immediately completed. It was the first time he’d spoken for a while, but he needed to confirm what he already knew.

“No, dumbass. It was because every time I looked at him I could only see how useless it was to try changing myself.”

Izuku was stunned. 

“I can’t even remember when we stopped being friends. No matter how awful I was, he just kept coming back and looking at me like I was the most incredible person to exist. Pissed me off because he apparently couldn’t fucking see how fucking wrong he was.”

“The old hag got worse too. Started constantly yelling and shit. Third year of middle school, she hit me for the first time. Wasn’t like I couldn’t see it coming with how she acted. Just got tired of me being a little shit on the way to school I guess. I knew inside that I wanted to hit her back and something snapped in me. No one who was kind thought about hitting their own mom. No one who was worthy of being a fucking hero. Next time I saw the kid I took the nerdy fucking hero journal he was always carrying around and threw it out a window. Told him to just jump off a roof and die because he’d never become a hero.” 

Izuku had muted himself to hide the fact that he was openly sobbing. Hearing all of it was more than he could handle. Kaachan… Kaachan was so wrong about himself. Izuku knew he was. 

“It was the first time that I saw something other than kindness in his eyes. I thought I’d finally broken the bastard. That I had crushed the part of him I couldn’t compete with. That I’d won…”

“Coming home from school that day I got attacked by a villain. He was trying to take over my body with his quirk and it felt like I was fucking dying. The whole fucking time I watched as heroes stood back because their quirks weren’t suitable for the situation . I hated them so much. They were scared enough to watch a kid die before actually doing shit. There had to be almost 10 of them just looking at me and the only person who even tried was the kid I had just told to go kill himself. Izuku fucking Midoriya with his dumb kind eyes that were always filled with fucking tears and his ridiculous green hair was the only one who tried to save me.”

Hearing his name felt like an electric shock. Kaachan remembered him. He remembered his name. It shouldn’t have felt like a lot, but to Izuku, it was everything.

“Izuku was the only god damn hero there that day and ever since I’ve seen him as exactly the type of hero I want to be. I knew that every bit of hatred I felt hadn’t been for him. I hated myself for not being more like that boy. It sounds fucking cheesy, but Izuku was my first hero.” Kaachan finished quietly.

“Not… Not even All Might?” Izuku unmuted to choke out.

“Fuck no. Found out later that the guy was watching with everyone else too. All Might puts on a nice act, but I spent enough time at UA with him to know that it wasn’t much more.” Kaachan politely ignored the sounds of weeping Izuku was sure the phone picked up.

“So you actually thought he was a hero? Izuku I mean.” He had to ask to make sure he’d heard correctly.

“Yeah. Moved away before I could get my head out of my ass enough to actually tell him though. But thanks to him, I started finding heroic shit in other people. Like the way Kirishima never lets his fear stop him from acting. Kanimari’s ability to make everyone in a room laugh no matter the situation. Sero’s calm head. Mina’s unbridled confidence in who she is. Jiro’s willingness to work to achieve shit she’s not immediately good at. Hell, even Round Face’s stubborn refusal to give up even when completely overpowered is pretty fucking heroic. That’s not… I don’t have that shit, but that’s what makes them decent heroes. Guess I figured if I stuck around people like that enough, maybe I would pick up the habits. Fucking stupid, I know.” Kaachan finished. 

“Yeah…” Izuku sniffled. “It is fucking stupid.”

Kaachan made an indignant noise, warning Izuku not to overstep after he’d opened up.

“It’s really fucking stupid that you don’t see all that in yourself. I mean, you’re incredible Ka… Katsuki!” You’ve always been incredible, he added to himself.

Before Kaachan could respond there was a knock in the background. When he came back with his food, Izuku had calmed down a bit.

“You didn’t have to pay for it, nerd. Also how the fuck did you know I liked spicy curry? I haven’t had time to make it in the past week.” Kaachan accused.

“Just a guess. And I’m glad I paid for it after you told me all that.” Izuku snorted. He couldn’t exactly tell Kaachan that he remembered the guy begging Izuku’s mother for curry every time he was over for dinner.

“Whatever. Sob story aside. Thanks to all that and a fuck ton of therapy, winning became completely stopping a villain. It doesn’t count if they get away, if their plan actually works, or if anyone else gets hurt. I lost today because I didn’t shut down the damage the guy caused. Just like when I was being attacked, it wouldn’t have mattered if they caught the guy later. No one fucking wins if a kid dies.” Kaachan said firmly before hanging up and reconnecting over discord.

“Okay. So what sort of movies do you normally watch?” Izuku took the switch as a sign that the conversation was over. He wanted to ask so many more questions, but he needed time to process everything he’d learned first.

“Don’t fucking know. I don’t watch movies unless my friends drag my ass out.” Of course Kaachan didn’t know movies. The guy practically had no life outside of work and apparently romance manga.

“Well, romance seems to be your style, but right now I think you need something more mindless.” Izuku pulled up a movie he’d seen countless times.

“The A Team?” Kaachan questioned.

“Damn right! Mindless action and humor. Plus they fly a tank using the same principles as your quirk.” 

“You can’t fly a fucking tank, idiot.” Kaachan said as Izuku pressed play.

~~~

“They actually flew a fucking tank.” Kaachan laughed as the credits rolled.

It had only taken about 30 minutes of the movie for both of them to begin openly laughing and joking again. Kaachan had a nice laugh, rough and full. He never laughed as long as Izuku, but that was alright. Kaachan being able to smile after everything was enough.

“I told you they would.” He said through a mouthful of popcorn.

“Yeah, yeah, nerd. It was pretty fucking cool.” Kaachan yawned audibly over the call.

“You should probably get some sleep.” Izuku didn’t actually want the conversation to end. Being left alone would force him to process everything he’d learned about his childhood friend, but Kaachan had been up all night and it was past 4pm now.

“Eh. They’re giving me two days off after everything that happened, but yeah. I’m fucking beat.”

“I uhh…” Izuku tried to find a way to say thank you without having to explain what it was actually for.

“I don’t want to hang up either, nerd. Not exactly looking forward to the replays of last night while I’m asleep.” Kaachan sounded genuinely remorseful over stopping the call.

“No worries. Hopefully this… helped?” Izuku asked.

“Yeah, nerd. Thanks for this.” Kaachan paused. “If you still want to talk tomorrow night I’ll be around.”

Izuku smiled wide and nodded his head eagerly.

“We don’t fucking have to if you don’t want or some shit.” Kaachan said quickly.

“No!” Izuku chided himself for forgetting Kaachan couldn’t actually see him. “I was nodding, so yes. Let’s still call.”

“I’m gonna need to put a bell on you to hear that shit, dork.” Kaachan’s laugh was interrupted by another yawn.

“Go to bed, Katsuki. We can talk more tomorrow.”

“Goodnight nerd, or afternoon, or fucking whatever.” Kaachan said before hanging up.

Izuku yawned and thought back on his day. That morning, he’d met the most dangerous villain in Japan. Then everything had happened with Kaachan. He couldn’t blame his body for begging for an extra early night.

Before crawling into his bed, he sent off a photo of the messy sheets to Kaachan.

Izuku: Youre rubbing off on me. Im going to bed early like an old man

He didn’t expect a response but got one immediately.

Kaachan: 5pm is fucking old man bedtime.

Kaachan: Also make your fucking bed, nerd.

Izuku giggled, shutting off the light and putting his phone away. 

Kaachan hadn’t changed, he hadn’t become unrecognizable to Izuku. It turned out that there was a lot Izuku hadn’t known before. None of what he’d learned made Kaachan any less the boy he grew up with, but they had given Izuku the puzzle pieces he needed to understand him. 

If it were anyone else, Izuku could have stopped the interview process right then and written a fantastic article. He didn’t want it to end though. Kaachan had just come back into his life, admittedly not knowing who Ze was, but Izuku wanted to hold on to this as long as he could. Dragging out the process a few more weeks wouldn’t hurt anyone and maybe along the way, he’d find the bravery to actually tell Kaachan who he was.

Izuku fell asleep remembering Kaachan telling him that Izuku was his hero. It wasn’t the first time someone had said that to him, but coming from the person he admired most growing up, it felt better than any other time Izuku could remember. 

Chapter Text

Katsuki slept well considering everything that had happened yesterday, or the night before? Fuck, he really hated night patrols. He’d woken up a few times after hearing the crunch of metal on bone in his nightmares, but at least one of the dreams he remembered had been pleasant. 

In his dream him and Ze were watching the A-Team movie, laughing at the inconsistencies in fighting techniques and dragging the terrible humor. It was almost identical to their call over discord. This time however, Ze wasn’t a voice coming through the speakers on a laptop, instead he was a warm body curled in Katsuki’s arms. Katsuki didn’t have any clue what the guy looked like, but his mind still provided him the feeling of holding another person close. 

They had been texting most of the day, Ze's early bedtime leading to him waking up before 7am. The man complained to Katsuki immediately once he was up. Nearing the evening, Ze sent a picture of some god forsaken frozen dinner. Katsuki gave up waiting and started the call early. 

“Do you know how much fucking sodium is in that?” Katsuki barked. 

“Yep!” Ze said with a giggle. “That’s what makes it taste so good.”

“You can have food that tastes fucking good without it sending you to an early grave, dumbass.” Katsuki began eating his own homemade ramen. It was less healthy than what he normally made, but the nerd had convinced him to make comfort food tonight.

“An early grave doesn’t sound too bad. I mean I wouldn’t be waking up at 7am.” Ze joked. “Unless you’re admitting you might actually miss me.”

“Damn right I would, nerd.” Katsuki wasn’t about to deny the fact that he enjoyed the man’s company.

He could hear Ze choking on his dinner.

“With all the choking you’re doing…” Katsuki paused knowing where Ze would think he was going. “Sodium won’t be what kills you.”

There were more choking and coughing sounds over the mic.

“What, nerd? Thought I was gonna say something else? How could you think that about a pure virgin like myself.” It was too easy to tease the dork. All of his reactions were so amusing. Katsuki only wished he could see the man’s face in moments like these.

“Okay. I’m pretty sure I’m the one that should be making fun of you for sexual stuff.” Ze pouted.

“Yeah, well you’re fucking bad at it.” He shot back.

“Guess so.” That incredible laugh came through the phone again. Katsuki would give anything to hear it in person.

“Is there a reason you hate movies? Or just a Katsuki Bakugo thing?” Ze asked between giggles.

“They’re boring as fuck. Can’t keep focused on them like books.” Katsuki had discovered last night that watching movies with Ze meant constant babbling and conversations from the nerd. Movies with him Katsuki could actually see himself enjoying.

“That’s a shame. I’ve heard there are really good romance ones. Some of your favorite manga probably have film adaptations too.” 

“Wouldn’t fucking know. You know more about that shit anyway.” Katsuki tried to ignore the warmth in his chest just thinking about watching a romance with Ze.

“I’m not a big romance fan honestly.”

“The fuck not? You telling me your dating life is so incredible that you don’t need an occasional hit of it from fiction?” He really wanted to ask if the guy was seeing anyone. If he was then all the flirting Katsuki had been doing needed to stop.

“I umm… I said I have an active sex life.” Ze paused. “Not so much dating though.”

“So you’re not seeing anyone.” Katsuki hid the relief in his voice. Maybe he could ask the nerd out after the profile was written.

“Unless you count leaving a woman in a hotel room at 4am, then no. I’ve never actually seriously dated anyone either.” He admitted.

The hope from hearing that Ze was single was immediately overshadowed by the gendering of his last hookup. Not that bisexuality didn’t exist, but with how uncomfortable he’d been with Katsuki’s flirting during the first few calls, that seemed fucking unlikely. Ze's response had come across as more panic and than embarrassment.

“Kind of a dick move ditching like that. Didn’t think you had it in ya, nerd.” 

“Yeah… I tend to use sex as a distraction more than I should.” Ze said, clearly embarrassed. “Not that she wasn’t aware of my intentions, I just… It wasn’t great so I didn’t want to give her hope that it was anything more than we’d agreed.”

That was fair. Just because Katsuki wasn’t the kind of person to have one night stands didn’t mean he judged other people for them. He didn’t give a fuck what anyone else did with their body as long as everyone involved consented.

“So uhh… Let’s find any topic outside of my sex life.” Ze started. “What got you into romance? I mean no offense, but you seem like more of an action type person.”

“You can thank the hag for that one too. Bitch once told me that I would probably die alone because I would never make a good partner.” Katsuki felt comfortable admitting this to Ze, especially given yesterday’s topic of Izuku Midoriya. 

“Oh… So you did it to spite her?” The phrasing sounded judgmental, but Katsuki knew the guy was just spitting out whatever came to mind. He liked that about Ze, he never had to guess what the guy was thinking.

“Nah. Figured I should learn for when it finally happened.”

“You’re studying… romance.” Ze said slowly.

Katsuki snorted. “If you’re not good at something, you study right?”

“I… You could have just gone out and practiced like a normal person. I mean you wouldn’t exactly have a difficult time finding someone.” The guy seemed genuinely confused.

“Oh? Don’t tell me you find me attractive, nerd?” Katsuki waited for the denial.

“Of course you’re attractive, Katsuki… Anyone with eyes can see that.” Ze said without hesitation.

Katsuki hid a flustered noise with a cough. “Yeah, well… There’s a lot more to dating than finding someone hot. I wanna be good at all the other stuff so I can spoil the shit out of the guy I end up loving.”

“I have no doubt that you will…” Ze said quietly before speaking up again. “That still doesn’t explain why you haven’t at least tried sex. I mean if you want to be good in bed, experience helps. Reading can’t get you through stuff like that.”

“Wanna bet?” Katsuki smirked. “Pretty fucking sure I know more than the average guy about that shit.” 

Bubbly laughter filled Katsuki’s ears. He wanted to hear that laugh coming from the other side of his bed rather than through a phone. Fuck, this stupid crush was distracting. 

“Alright. Enough roasting me. What’s your excuse for not dating? Get your heart broken or some shit?” Katsuki asked, trying to direct the conversation so he could learn more about Ze.

“Ahh… I don’t have the best track record with people I love.” Ze answered cryptically.

“So that’s a yes to the shitty broken heart?”

“Honestly I wish that was it.” Ze let out a humorless laugh. “My dad left when I was a kid and my mom died when I was in high school. I’m ummm… not great at opening up to people after that.”

Katsuki felt like an idiot. Here he was bitching about his mom being an asshole while Ze apparently didn’t have family left.

“Who took care of you then?” Katsuki tried not to feel like a total dick for forgetting that other people might have fucked up trauma too.

“My stepdad for a while, but” Ze paused again, “he was pretty abusive so I left home when I was in high school.”

Yep. Katsuki was definitely a huge self centered asshole. If Ze weren’t clearly such a nice person, he would have been judging the fuck out of Katsuki bitching about his stupid fucking sob story yesterday.

“Damn. Sorry for making it seem like my shit was bad.” Katsuki tried to apologize, but Ze jumped in immediately.

“Oh my god! No! I only dealt with him for a little bit and most of that was focused on my mom anyway. Besides, it’s not like I was homeless or anything after leaving. Someone took me in and I even went to the same school and everything.” He rambled.

“A relative took you in? Hope they fucking helped you press charges on the guy too.” Katsuki said bitterly. Abuse was shitty, but thinking about a younger Ze experiencing that sort of pain pissed him off.

“Not really. He was a stranger. And I couldn’t really press charges or anything.” Ze's voice was incredibly timid. It reminded Katsuki of when he was panicking over Kiri being mad at him for outing his relationship with Tetsutetsu. 

“Well whoever took you in must have been a fucking great person. I’m glad you met them.” And Katsuki was. Ze deserved to have good people in his life.

“I wouldn’t say that. He’s definitely done some not so great things, but he was kind to me. He made sure I didn’t starve and had a safe place to live. Honestly I owe him a lot.” Ze finished.

“Seems like the kind of guy who would have helped you press charges though…” Katsuki wasn’t letting this go. Someone that had hurt Ze really didn’t deserve to be walking free on the streets.

There was a long pause and Katsuki could hear quiet muttering. It sounded muffled like Ze had put his phone down or was covering his mouth with his hand. After a bit Ze finally answered.

“It wouldn’t have mattered. My stepdad was a licensed hero.” Ze seemed to rush his next words. “If you look at studies there are actually a lot of heroes that end up abusing their family. The Commission pays to have the records hidden, but if you know where to look you can find the data. And every time a story like that comes out, they spin in as the family being unsupportive about the stressful situations that heroes get put in. Best case the Commission would have paid out a settlement in court and frankly I would rather die poor than have money meant to keep me quiet about my mother’s death.”

“He killed your mother?” There was nothing but venom in Katsuki’s voice. It was something he reserved for people he truly despised. Ze's breath did a sharp intake at the change of tone.

“He might as well have.” Ze finally answered.

Ze's panic about Kiri made a lot more sense now. Living with an abusing piece of shit who could turn around and played hero probably made the guy fucking terrified of all heroes. Katsuki had no idea why he would choose to write about them, but judging by the soft sniffles coming from Ze, it was time to drop the subject. That didn't mean Katsuki wouldn’t kick the ever living shit out of whoever had done that to Ze given the chance though.

Their conversation was kept light after that, joking and laughing about a number of topics. Katsuki even managed to convince Ze to try reading a few romance manga. In exchange Katsuki promised to watch more movies with him. It wasn’t much of a deal on the writers part, but he was blissfully unaware of Katuski’s new found appreciation for rambling nerds interrupting movies. By the time midnight rolled around, they were both exhausted again, but neither seemed to want to be the first to say goodnight.

~~~

Katsuki had picked his favorite bar to get drinks with Kirishima. He’d banned the idiot from decision making after the shithole they’d ended up in last time. Despite being a Saturday afternoon, the place was fairly quiet. People came here to have conversations and good drinks, not to get drunk and loud. Bartenders didn’t get nosy and they kept the televisions at a fucking reasonable volume.   

“Damn, Bakubro! Something good must be happening. You basically never smile at your phone.” Shitty Hair’s boisterous voice forced Katsuki’s eyes away from Ze's text.

The texting had become nearly constant with the exception of Katsuki’s night patrols and fucked sleep schedule. They had even called again on Friday because Ze demanded Katsuki was missing out on cinematic masterpieces having not seen the Pacific Rim movies. If he hadn’t had patrol that night, they probably would have watched the second one too. Sitting in a Discord call with the nerd excitedly rambling about special effects and hidden plot points had been the highlight of Katsuk’s day. It was great for his mood, but did nothing for his growing crush on the man.

Putting his phone away, Katsuki rolled his eyes and told Kirishima to fuck off.

“This isn’t a crush you somehow didn’t tell your best friend about?” Kiri nudged his shoulder playfully.

“Yeah. Cause I’m the one keeping shitty secrets here.” Katsuki didn’t bother hiding the anger when he spoke. They needed to have this out and the sooner shit got cleared up, the sooner they could both enjoy their drinks.

“What are you talking about, bro?” Shitty Hair’s voice wavered as he talked and his eyes shot down towards the cider Katsuki had ordered for him. That was all the confirmation he needed to know Ze had been right.

“Don’t pull that shit, Kirishima. You’re really gonna tell me you’re not fucking Iron Scull?” He tried not to slam his beer on the table.

Kirishima looked up shocked, then sighed. He’d been friends with Katsuki long enough to know when to give up a battle before it actually got started.

“Sorry I didn’t tell you, man.” Kiri couldn’t seem to meet his eyes. “I wanted to. I really did.”

“Did he tell you not to say anything to me?” Katsuki focused on his breathing to keep calm.

“No! Nothing like that.” He paused, slouching in his seat. “I didn’t want to make a big deal about sleeping with someone while you were in a dry spell.”

Katsuki laughed. His dry spell wasn’t something new and definitely didn’t require walking on eggshells over.

“You’re a fucking idiot.” Katsuki might as well get it over with. “I’ve never had sex, dickhead, so there’s no fucking point in sparing my feelings. I don’t give a fuck.”

To Kirishima’s credit, he didn’t freak out or ask a bunch of intrusive questions. His face morphed into confusion while he processed before speaking finally.

“Oh… That actually makes sense.” The idiot’s smile was back and it put Katsuki at ease again. “Just sorta figured you had.”

“So you gonna tell me about the shit with Tetsu?” Katsuki grunted. He’d rather not talk too much about his sex life considering for the first time, there was someone he’d actually want to sleep with. Too bad the nerd was definitely not interested in him. 

He’d expected Kiri to perk up at the opportunity to talk about his new partner, but the guy fiddled with his glass nervously.

“There’s not much to tell. I mean we’re sleeping together… Like a lot, but that’s it. It’s just a casual sorta thing.”

When had Katsuki become the fucking default therapist in his friend group? First Dunce Face’s gay crisis, now he had to deal with Shitty Hair either denying his feelings or making the idiodic move of hooking up with his roommate. Next time he saw his therapist, Katsuki was stealing a stack of her business cards to pass out in moments like this.

“Are you actually a fucking idiot?” He asked and Kiri winced. “Even you can’t be dumb enough to casually fuck someone you share a lease with. You fucking like the asshole right?”

“I like a lot more than his asshole…” Kirishima tried to joke, earning him a hard flick on the forehead.

“It just sorta happened one night and I was like cool, that was awesome. Then it kept happening and I guess I figured out that I wanted something more.” Kiri finally conceded.

“And you don’t want to mess up what you have now so you’re just going to keep quiet and hope that he says something first?” Katsuki filled in.

Kiri nodded. “I’m in a game of gay chicken, Bakubro, but we’re both really gay.”

“How is everyone of my friends a fucking gay disaster?” Katsuki asked. He understood Kirishima’s problem. It was the same reason he refused to do more than playfully flirt with Ze. Given the choice between keeping watching dumb movies and sharing shitty memes over text and freaking the guy out until he became a stranger again, there wasn’t much competition. A little bit from someone you like feels a fuck ton better than absolutely nothing.

“Us gay disasters have to stick together!” Kiri looked relieved that Katsuki wasn't pushing the subject more. He hoped that the guy would feel comfortable enough to talk to him about this shit next time, but Katsuki knew he wasn’t the easiest person to open up to.

“Bro!” Shitty Hair nearly shouted, forgetting his own problems. “How’s the interview going? Guessing from the lack of you texting me, you either hate them or things are back on track.”

Katsuki had told Kiri that they’d worked things out after the first phone call with Ze, but not much after that.

“It’s going alright.” He downplayed. In reality Katsuki was always anticipating their next conversation and greedily storing every bit of information he learned about Ze in his mind.

“Ze's actually pretty cool, especially for a reporter. I didn’t expect them to be so damn easy to talk to though.” Katsuki continued.

“Yeah… The way they get people to open up to them is super manly.” Kiri said softly. “Bakugo… As a warning from someone who's done a hero profile with Ze, don’t… don’t get attached.”

Well it was a little fucking late for that. Katsuki already knew his crush was a bad idea, but Kirishima was talking like he should avoid even becoming friends with the guy. He glared at his friend, silently demanding an explanation.

“Talking to Ze is really awesome. They’re like super accepting and funny, but it’s just an interview.” Kiri sighed. “You might feel like you’re getting super close, but they don’t even talk about themselves much. And after everything is written… It’s not the same. I mean I still text them pretty regularly, but it feels like you’re slowly falling out with a friend. I talked to a few other heroes Ze's done profiles on and they all said the same thing too.”

Katsuki had thought about how things would change after Ze no longer had a specific reason to talk to him anymore, but hearing the confirmation was sobering. It hadn’t even been a full two weeks and the thought of not talking to the nerd made him sick. Kiri was worried just knowing that once Katsuki became friends with someone, he didn’t easily let go. There had been plenty of flights in their group and Katsuki had always been the one to drag everyone’s asses back because he wasn’t about to lose the people he cared about. 

Noticing his silence, Kirishima continued.

“I know you get pretty protective about people you let in, but just remember, Ze is doing their job. Nothing wrong with that, but I don’t want to see you get hurt, Bakubro.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, Shitty Hair.” Katsuki finished his beer and stood up to leave. Kirishima followed him before separating to head back to his own mess of romantic feelings. 

Maybe Katsuki was friends with so many gay disasters because he was just as bad as the rest of them. At least Jiro’s love life was somewhat fucking stable. 

~~~

The last night of Katsuki’s trial run night patrol had been mind numbingly quiet. Despite being in areas with the high crime rates, there had only been a few minor incidents. Even the criminals involved had given up immediately once they saw that heroes had shown up. Katsuki was itching to fight someone, but that would probably have to wait for his next sparring session with Kiri.

Because Eraserhead and Mindjack worked as freelance heroes, they didn’t have to follow a strict set of rules. The Hero Commission gave each agency a section of cities to look after, requiring routine patrols and public appearances to maintain a sense of safety. 

Freelance heroes didn’t have the financial stability since they were paid per incident, but it meant they had full control over where and when they did hero work. They still needed permission from whatever agency was overseeing an area or the Hero Commission directly before doing much more than basic villain detaining though. 

Katsuku assumed that was why Eraserhead was being forced to work with Hawks. He could tell his old teacher wasn’t exactly thrilled about the number two hero overseeing his mission because whenever Shinso or him brought it up, the tired hero would grumble about the Commission overstepping.

Other than his sleep being royally fucked, Katsuki didn’t mind patrolling with the two. There were no random civilians asking for pictures and he didn’t feel like a toy being paraded around. He enjoyed the downtime sitting on the sides of buildings, listening in on police chatter. Even Mind Freak wasn’t bad to be around.

“Want one?” Shinso asked, holding out a bag of sour gummies he’d bought from a convenience store moments after they detained the guy trying to rob it. 

“Fuck that. Some of us actually keep diets.” Katsuki rolled his eyes. 

Shinso had bulked up a bit since UA and grew a few inches, but the biggest change was the guy’s hair. It was longer than when he was a teenager, reaching his shoulders easily when it was down. On patrols he wore a lazy half bun exactly like Aizawa sometimes did. Maybe Icy Hot wasn’t completely crazy for thinking there was some shared blood between the two.

“Damn… That’s too bad.” Shinso popped a few into his mouth. “That was the last test, but there’s no way he’ll agree to work with someone who doesn’t eat junk food.”

It was the first time either of the other heroes had mentioned the purpose behind doing a trial run. Since it had been officially a week, maybe Katsuki would finally start getting some damn answers about why this shit was even necessary. 

“Someone else is gonna be working on this?” Katsuki asked. 

“Yep. Guy’s real picky about what heroes he works with too. Didn’t actually expect Aizawa Sensei to let you meet him, but you’re less of a dick these days.” Shinso said uninterested, ignoring the sigh Eraserhead gave at the formal name. 

“That's why he turned down working with Hawks? I figured you and Eraserhead wouldn’t put up a fight over something like that.” He’d been interested in knowing why Hawks had been blocked from working on this directly.

“The guy you’ll be working with is particular about heroes. Doesn’t get along with a lot of them. Pretty sure he only barely tolerates Mindjack and I.” Eraserhead spoke up.

“So he’s not a hero then? Computer guy?” It wasn’t unusual for computer specialists to be brought in on jobs, but Katsuki had never heard of one holding so much power over a mission that he could stop the number two hero from working it.

Shinso and Aizawa glanced at each other, silently determining if Katsuki had actually passed enough to be let in on the information.

“He’s ughhh…” Shinso started, only to be interrupted by Aizawa.

“The guy does hero work without a license.”

Katsuki had heard of vigilante’s before, but they tended to be actively tracked down by the Hero Commission because of their illegal use of quirks. A lot of them ended up being declared full scale villains and it was never too long before they were arrested. He’d also never heard of them working alongside heroes.

“We’re working with a fucking vigilante?” He didn’t bother keeping the outrage from his voice. Imagining the Commission who always had a stick up their ass agreeing to something like this was insane.

“Not technically.” Eraserhead rubbed his temples. “He’s not a criminal since he hasn’t broken any laws.”

“Fucking still! Are we not good enough to do this shit on our own? Is the guy even fucking trained?” There were a million ways Katsuki could see this going wrong.

At his outburst Mind Freak stood up and started glaring down at him.

“Listen up, you walking advertisement for anger management.” His voice was cold and dared Katsuki to argue.

Katsuki winced at the insult. It wasn’t entirely incorrect.

“Nim helps more people than most heroes ever will and he does it without getting paid or celebrated. The Commission keeps using him when they are too scared to stick their own necks out. Whenever they need a goddamn scapegoat for something he’s first up!” Shinso was slowly raising his voice and Katsuki could see his hands shaking from being crushed into fists.

“Frankly there have been so many times he’s saved all of our asses, but you’ll never hear about it because he’s…” 

“Shinso! That’s enough.” Eraserhead never yelled, but whenever his tone radiated absolute order, everyone tended to respect what he said.

“Sorry, Sensei.” Shinso took a few steps to leave before speaking over his shoulder again. “It’s wrong and you know it too.”

With that he slipped into the night, leaving Katsuki and Eraserhead sitting on a building watching the first signs of morning.

“Shinso wasn’t lying…” Aizawa said after a few minutes of silence. “He’s just close to Nim and tends to go on the defensive.”

Katsuki didn’t say anything. Whoever Nim was, he had clearly earned the respect of both heroes. He knew from personal experience that wasn’t an easy thing to do.

“I’m only telling you this because you’re the only ex student of mine who doesn’t insist on calling me Sensei and because despite your complicated personality, I do think you and Nim will get along. Hell, I wouldn't have agreed to borrow you from Hawks if I didn’t.” Aizawa slowly pulled himself up from where he sat and looked Katsuki directly in the eye.

“Don’t underestimate Nim.” He finished simply.

“Are you saying that because it would be dangerous to underestimate him or because he deserves my respect?” Katsuki clarified.

Aizawa hummed. “Probably both.”

With that, he followed the Mind Freak off the building, leaving Katsuki alone with an infuriatingly bright sunrise. 

~~~

The next night, Katsuki met Shinso and Aizawa in a different spot than usual. It was on the outskirts of the city inside a large empty warehouse. It reminded him of where the Geek Freak did her support gear work, only this place had clearly been abandoned for years. 

Mind Freak and Eraserhead were already relaxed on discarded pallets and against support pillars when he arrived. They hadn’t said much, but were both visibly on edge. Katsuki clearly wasn’t the only one who’d lost sleep over making a decent impression, not that the other two looked like they ever fucking slept anyway. 

They didn’t have to wait long before the sound of distorted humming echoed through the dusty air. 

The figure that silently skipped out of the shadows was nearly a half foot shorter than Katsuki. A thick cloud of smoke surrounded his head matching the mostly black clothing the guy had on. Katsuki couldn’t begin to count the number of gadgets and gear strapped to him, even his forearms were wrapped in some sort of tech. 

Having fought enough people working as a hero, Katsuki could recognize the man’s strength. He carried himself lightly on his feet, despite the dorky looking red sneakers and though he wasn’t bulging with muscle like Kirishima, Katsuki could tell he had a lean frame capable of nimble movements. Even the guy’s hands sported gnarly looking scars marking him as an experienced fighter. They would have made him look intimidating if it weren’t for a light spattering of freckles crawling under the cuff of his jacket.

And fuck. Katsuki found him stupidly hot. 

Chapter Text

Izuku had been looking forward to breaking in whatever hero Eraserhead and Shinso were busy testing out over the last week. Since getting the black whip gear back from Mei, Izuku had found himself too busy to actually go out. He was itching to put some cocky hero in their place. 

The voice filter he always wore to meet someone new morphed his otherwise calm humming into a raspy electronic sound that reverberated through the warehouse. Shinso had told him it sounded creepy and he hoped whoever Hawks sent would think so too. Meeting a new hero always meant proving himself physically and he would use any tactic possible to gain the upper hand. 

Izuku stopped dead when he saw Kaachan leaning against a concrete pillar. He was wearing a uniform far more suited to stealth than his usual domineering get up and had Mei’s low profile gauntlets on either arm. The hero’s sharp crimson eyes were focused on taking in every inch of Izuku. He felt his face heating up under all the attention, desperately trying not to think about the last sex dream he had staring Kaachan.

Before anyone could break the silence, Izuku hurried over to Shinso, forced him to his feet, and started pulling the hero towards the door.

“Now’s really not the time for that, Nim.” Shinso dully protested.

“I’m not flirting with you, Shinso!” Izuku cried, peeking over at Kaachan just in time to see him cock an eyebrow at the declaration and smirk directly at him.

“That’s a first.” Shinso muttered before allowing himself to be dragged out of earshot of the other two heroes.

“What was that about?” He sighed exhaustedly at Izuku.

“Ground Zero! Hawks sent Ground Zero, as in Katsuki Bakugo!” Izuku whispered frantically. 

“I thought it was a mistake too, but I think he’ll do fine.” Shinso clearly wasn’t taking Izuku’s panic seriously.

“I know him, Shinso!” He tried to find the words to explain how incredibly bad this situation was.

“Okay. Did you sleep with him? Or are you just panicking because he’s your type and a hero?” It wasn't a bad assumption on Shinso’s part given Izuku’s record.

“Neither! Well he’s definitely attractive, but I think he’d kill me if he found out I thought so.” Izuku started. He was met with bored eyes.

“We knew each other as kids, Shinso!” Izuku tried not to shout.

“Okay? It’s pretty unlikely he recognizes you so why the freak out?” Shinso still looked unimpressed.

Izuku didn’t even know how to explain the swirling emotions behind a childhood of bullying and friendship. Not to mention his new found understanding of Kaachan’s personality because of an interview job that Shinso absolutely could not know about. That was also excluding the not so subtle flirting Kaachan had been doing over the phone. 

Shinso took his long pause as a sign that the conversation was over and started moving back into the building.

“If it’s that much of an issue, we can ask Hawks to send someone else.” Shinso said as Izuku followed him defeatedly back inside.

“Kind of a fucked up way to meet someone for the first time, Freckles.” Kaachan said the moment the two returned. 

The nickname sent heat to Izuku’s face and he was instantly thankful for the hologram masking his expressions. Freckles? Why nickname him that? Sure his body definitely had more freckles than an average person, but he was nearly covered in his gear. The only part that wasn’t were his hands. There weren’t even that many freckles on his hands anyway, especially compared to the scars. Was that seriously the first thing he’d noticed about him?

Kaachan slowly closed the distance between them, leaning down once he’d gotten close enough to whisper.

“The scars look badass, but it’s good to know the freckles don't stop there.” Katsuki said under his breath.

“I didn’t mean to say that outloud.” Izuku protested. It took every bit of willpower not to step backwards.

“Here I thought you looked like some angsty morally gray fucker, but you get shy so easily. Is an attractive man really all it takes to throw you off your game?” Katsuki smirked down inches from the hologram mask.

Looking to Eraserhead and Shinso for help, he found them almost entirely ignoring the interaction. They were used to Izuku demanding to deal with new heroes on his own to avoid any doubts that he could handle himself.

“Can we just focus on the mission?” Izuku said loudly as he stepped past Kaachan, hoping to catch Shinso and Aizawa’s attention.

Both heroes looked up suddenly at him as if he’d admitted to being All Might's secret love child. 

“There a fucking problem?” Kaachan asked them.

Shit. Izuku had instantly accepted Kaachan as a hero he’d work with. Aizawa had seen him break in new potential heroes and it never went this smoothly. Plus Shinso had personally been exposed to Izuku’s first day initiation. 

Izuku couldn’t help it. He already knew that despite the complications, he really wanted to work alongside Kaachan. The hero already had his respect despite knowing that it would probably never be mutual. But right now he wasn’t Deku or Izuku, he was the vigilante Nim. Nim who was a thorn in the Commission’s side, Nim who took down stronger villains than most sidekicks ever had a chance to fight, Nim who never let a hero look down on him. Izuku just needed to be Nim.

“Right… Umm before we get to all that, you sort of have to pass a test.” He hoped the voice changer made the wavering in his throat a little less pathetic.

“Already went through the fucking trial run shit with Mind Freak and Eraserhead. The fuck sorta test are you on about?” Kaachan narrowed his eyes, clearly annoyed.

“Well. That was their test. I have my own before I work with any new heroes.” Izuku looked away from Kaachans intense eyes.

“Fucking fine. Let’s get this shit over with then. What do I gotta do?”

“We’re going to fight. Nothing big and there will be rules, but I need to know you’re strong enough to handle yourself.” and Kaachan needed to trust Nim to handle himself in fights too.

At the mention of a sparring, Kaachan’s look of annoyance morphed into a toothy grin.

“Let’s fucking go then.”

Before Kaachan could finish dropping into a fighting stance, Izuku spoke up again.

“There are some rules though.” Izuku started. Kaachan raised an eyebrow waiting for him to continue.

“You can’t use your quirk for one.” He paused. This was normally when heroes protested proving their reliance on quirks.

“Yeah? And you gonna follow the same rules?” Kaachan asked instead.

“That won’t be a problem.” Shinso interjected. “Guy’s quirkless.”

Kaachan’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Quirkless… No fucking wonder you’re not licensed. Bet those dumbasses won’t even consider you for the exam.”

“Well yeah…” Heroes normally weren’t aware of the legal limits put on quirkless people when it came to becoming a hero. They normally just assumed no one quirkless had ever been capable of passing the licensing exam. 

“I’ll have a handicap too. I won’t be using any of my gear and to be honest, head to head battles aren’t exactly my style either. Plus with a destructive quirk like yours this building would definitely sustain damage and attract attention.” Izuku clarified.

“If one on one fights aren’t your thing, then what is?” Kaachan asked, taking time to remove his gauntlets since they were nothing more than hunks of metal without his quirk.

Shinso snorted. “Nim likes to fight dirty.”

“Shinso!” Izuku protested. “I fight smart, not dirty.”

“I’ve seen you get pretty dirty.” Shinso said under his breath, only to be silenced by a stern look from Aizawa.

“So no quirks and no gear. That it?” Kaachan stepped into the center of the warehouse giving them more area to use.

“You can use your gear as long as it doesn’t rely on your quirk. We’ll stop when Aizawa Sensei calls it. The point is to get to know each other, not actually cause injuries. Plus I don’t have access to the healing services you three do.” Izuku added. He was lucky that writing paid him well or else medical debt would have been a very big problem in his adult life.

Kaachan nearly doubled over laughing. “Your way of getting to know someone is beating the shit out of them? Fuck, I knew I liked you.”

Izuku giggled, but the voice changer morphed it into a growl. He slid his jacket off over his T-shirt and handed it to Shinso before joining Kaachan in the center of the area, not missing the way Kaachan’s eyes followed the muscles in his arms now that they were exposed. The jacket had some protective padding and only held tech he would be tempted to use so it had to go. The pants definitely couldn’t come off, but he could resist pulling out gear from there.

“Fuck… You really do have them everywhere, Freckles.” Kaachan said in a breathless tone that definitely wasn’t healthy for Izuku’s heart.

Instead of acknowledging the comment, he dropped into a fighting stance and nodded to let his opponent know he was ready. Kaachan immediately launched himself forward, winding up a heavy right hook which Izuku easily dodged. 

He turned back around only to find another fist grabbing the collar of his shirt and throwing him across the floor. On instinct, he dropped into a roll absorbing most of the impact. Seeing Kaachan fight up close was incredible. The constant strain of his quirk ensured his upper body was ridiculously strong and he clearly did more hand to hand training than most heroes.

Taking the moment of distraction to his advantage, Kaachan closed the distance and wrapped his hands around Izuku’s waist, slamming him into a pillar. He was close enough that Izuku could smell the burnt caramel sweat coming off the man’s hands. Izuku had muscles, but nothing like Kaachan’s. Each one he felt seemed chiseled out of stone compared to his own. Clearly strict dieting had its perks.

The knee crushing Izuku’s ribs pulled him from his thoughts and sent him flying across the floor. Kaachan didn’t wait before slamming his fist into the ground next to where Izuku’s body had been moments before rolling away. He looked towards Shinso and Aizawa, barely blocking the second fist with his forearms. The other two heroes looked almost bored, probably assuming Izuku was playing around with Kaachan before actually fighting back. 

Izuku leapt to his feet and dashed away from the onslaught, using a few piles of rubbish and broken pillars to launch himself onto the overhead beams above Kaachan. He desperately needed to get his thoughts under control. Being on the other side of Kaachan’s fists for the first time since middle school was forcing his mind into a nasty mix of overanalyzing and being turned on. 

There was no actual way he could fight Kaachan. Kaachan had always been everything Izuku could never hope to be. Even now, he was so sure of every strike. Unlike Izuku, he was an actual hero. Izuku was basically just playing dress up in comparison.

Missing the opportunity to avoid a wooden pallet thrown at him, Izuku tumbled back to the concrete, wincing on impact. He couldn’t force himself to meet the red eyes slowly stalking over to him, much less prepare himself for the hit that came moments later. Tears threatened to spill out of his burning eyes. Izuku was even more broken and useless than last time they met. Kaachan would probably laugh at him for being a crybaby if he saw. He’d think Izuku was… 

Kaachan’s words from one of their first phone calls broke through the fog of Izuku’s panic. Eh. Nothing wrong with crying. It was like a dam broke inside his mind and he was flooded with the memory of Kaachan telling Ze about the quirkless kid who’d been his hero, about Izuku. This wasn’t like before. Kaachan wasn’t hitting him because he was weak, they were sparring, as equals. Kaachan wanted to fight him, not because he hated Izuku, but because he saw him as a worthy opponent. 

Finally able to give a little focus to the fight, Izuku took the opportunity to redirect one of Kaachan’s right hooks and send the hero into another pillar. He didn’t need to rewrite how he saw Kaachan, he just needed to accept the kid he used to be and the man he’d become. None of the parts of Kaachan he’d known growing up were gone, they just made more sense now. 

Izuku gave him a faint before knocking out the other man's legs. Kaachan managed to get a hand on his wrist, pulling them both down. He wanted his childhood friend in his life again, but to do that, Izuku needed to move past everything that had happened. Not forgetting it exactly, but coming to terms with the fact that they had both grown out of their old roles. Kaachan wasn’t Izuku’s bully and Izuku wasn’t useless anymore. 

Izuku used his position over the hero to swiftly pin both his arms. Making eye contact with Kaachan’s vibrant eyes, Izuku decided that he could accept the man Kaachan had become and he hoped that one day, if he were ever brave enough to reveal himself, maybe Kaachan would accept Izuku as he was too. Smiling down at his friend, knowing the expression wouldn’t be seen under his mask, he slipped a small knife out of Kaachan’s hero uniform and held it under the man’s chin. Thick tears dropped out of the mist hiding his face and landed on Kaachan’s cheeks.

“And that’s enough.” Aizawa shattered Izuku’s moment. 

“What happened to no gear, Freckles?” Kaachan smirked up at him, not mentioning his quickly dampening face.

“I didn’t say anything about not using your gear.” Izuku laughed, loosening his pin on the hero.

“I told you he fights dirty, Bakugo.” Shinso seemed unimpressed by the miniature battle. “That being said, I’ve never seen him allow a hero to get in so many hits. Seriously, Nim. Did you really have to play around with him that much?”

Izuku settled softly onto Kaachan’s abdomen, flipping the knife in his hand. “Honestly, I got a little distracted.”

“Don’t tell me you're jealous, Mind Freak.” One of Kaachan’s hands playfully gripped his thigh, reminding Izuku that he was essentially straddling the man. He quickly climbed off before returning the knife sheepishly.

Aizawa coughed loudly, reminding them he wasn’t interested in watching 20 year olds navigate sexual tension. He put up with Izuku and Shinso’s flirting, but he always shut it down when he thought it would become distracting to their job. 

“Whatever, Bakugo.” Shinso’s glare didn’t leave the other hero.

“Oi, Eraserhead. If Freckles and I fought full force, who would win? Even I could tell the dumbass was holding back.” Kaachan said, standing himself up and adjusting his clothing. Izuku tried not to follow the hand adjusting his pants, a visible bulge disappearing beneath the fabric’s movement.

“Nim.” Aizawa answered simply.

“His gear that good?” Kaachan took Izuku’s jacket from Shinso observing it’s contents before noticing the black whip gauntlets tucked into the side pockets.

“Look at it this way.” Shinso started. 

"That was basically Nim fighting without his gear the same way a hunter would fight without a gun. You without your quirk is like a declawed, muzzled animal. It's definitely an actually competition."  He pulled the jacket back from Kaachan, returning it to Izuku.

“But let the hunter plan and set traps? No amount of natural strength could save you.” Shinso grinned dangerously at Kaachan.

“Give Nim five minutes and he can take down nearly any villain, give him an hour and not many heroes I know would stand a chance. I’m convinced that with enough time, he could take down Hawks or Endeavor.” Aizawa sighed. Praise only came sincerely from the older man and Izuku tried not to tear up again. 

“Someone like me wasn’t born with the advantages you guys have. So I make up for it by being smarter, faster, and more cunning than anyone else.” Izuku shrugged. 

“You’re a slippery little fuck even while distracted. And those thighs are definitely as impressive as they look.” Izuku blushed at Kaachan’s comment.

“Pretty fucking clear I don’t spend nearly enough time on hand to hand. Let me know if you ever need a sparring buddy, Freckles.” Kaachan crossed his arms and challenged him with a smile.

Izuku beamed under his mask. “That would be awesome! I mean you’re already insanely strong, but you probably only practice with people who rely on battle type quirks. If you actually focused on diversifying your attacks, you could probably give me a hard time.”

“As wonderful as it is that you’ve found a new best friend, we actually came here to get a job done.” Shinso pulled Izuku’s arm over to where Aizawa was seated. 

Izuku plopped down on the ground next to Eraserhead and waited for the other two to do the same. 

“Since Ground Zero hasn’t been let in on any of the information regarding the investigation, we’ll go over everything.” Aizawa began once they were all gathered around. 

“This is an unofficial investigation into the production of Trigger with the especially unofficial potential connections to Shoto Todoroki.” He paused, clearly assuming someone would interrupt him.

“The fuck! Icy Hot’s got himself into some drug ring shit? Why the fuck does he need that shit when his daddy’s number one?” Kaachan was the first to react. 

Izuku knew Shinso hadn’t been in the same class as Kaachan and Todoroki, but even he seemed taken back by the information. In all fairness, from what he knew about the hero, Todoroki didn’t seem like the type to become involved in something like this.

“Hence why the commission asked Nim to be the one looking into him.” Shinso said with an understanding sigh.

“They seriously use him as a shitty copout? And you fucking let them, Freckles!” Kaachan turned to Izuku with a pissed off expression.

“I don’t exactly have much choice, Ground Zero. Either I do what they ask, or they pin me with charges for use of illegal support items. Technically I can’t be a vigilante without a quirk, but the gear is still problematic.” He appreciated Kaachan’s anger on his behalf, but there was nothing any of them could do to change how hero society worked.

Kaachan let out an indignant huff. “That's fucked up.”

“Our jobs are to understand the reach of drug production as well as Shoto Todoroki’s involvement in all of it. We have an idea of where the labs are located and a few known dealers who get their supply directly from the source. Mindjack, Ground Zero, and I will focus on those and leave Todoroki to Nim.” Before Eraserhead could get into more details, Kaachan interrupted again.

“Like fuck he’s doing that shit alone! Are you seriously telling me none of us are even gonna be backup for the guy? Pretty sure you drilled that into our fucking heads at UA, Sensei .” Aizawa flinched at the venom Kaachan spat.

“Bakugo. If one of us gets caught working with a vigilante to investigate Endeavor’s kid, the commission will leave us out to dry. I’m talking about being destroyed in the media and barred from ever working as a hero in Japan again.” Aizawa snapped back.

Shinso and Izuku were quiet. There had always been a line drawn between the three of them, an unspoken understanding that if things went wrong, neither of the heroes would risk themselves to protect Izuku. He didn’t blame them either. It was the reality of what Izuku was doing.

“Either he isn’t as good as you assholes say, or you’re both too fucking scared to risk shit to get anything done.” Kaachan growled.

Shinso slammed his fist into the ground.

“You have no fucking idea how hard either of us had to work to get where we are. We weren’t born with a perfect quirk and unlike you, we’ve been fighting the Commission our entire careers to be able to even be called heroes.” He shouted.

“So you’ll fucking fight for your own shit, but the moment someone else needs it then it’s not your fucking problem?” Kaachan matched Shinso’s aggression.

“You gonna bitch about how unfair hero society is to you in front of someone who apparently has every fucking right to be licensed, but can’t even get the chance you did! That’s fucking pathetic, Shinso.” Kaachan leaned forward and sneered.

Izuku could hear the blood pounding in his ears during the silence that followed. People didn’t defend Izuku like that. He knew Aizawa and Shinso’s fears were warranted and had accepted them years ago.

“Fucking thought so.” Kaachan leaned back on his hands. “I’m not losing my license, but there's no fucking way I’m letting Freckles go into that shit alone. If doing the right thing gets my ass fried by the Commission, then I’ll go be a hero somewhere else.”

“Bakugo… You do understand the risk you're taking with your career by doing this?” Aizawa asked.

“Oi, Freckles. You can do this shit by yourself right?”

“Definitely.” Izuku answered confidently. Recon and planning were what he excelled at.

“Fucking good. There’s no way I’ll slow you down so there’s nothing for you two to cry over.” Kaachan delacred.

“Very well.” Aizawa gave in. “Let’s go over the details and set up a timeline for checking in with information.”

The next hour was filled with explanations of each potential lab location and dealer’s identity as well as the details of Shoto Todoroki’s involvement. A few papers exchanged hands with important addresses and identities, but everything related to Todoroki was kept strictly verbal to avoid any sort of paper trail.

Izuku was surprised at the apparent extent of Todorkoi’s involvement in the operation. He’d been seen leaving and entering multiple labs and even having dinner with a few of the dealers. The biggest red flag for the whole thing was the fact that Izuku knew there was no way the hero was using the Trigger being produced. 

After spending most of his life analyzing quirks, he understood the general rate of quirk growth and Todoroki’s ice had been keeping along a steady path as far as he could recall. The hero never used his fire openly so Izuku didn’t have any stored mental data about that. Still, it seemed unlikely that someone who had the fame, success, and power just being related to the number one hero would experiment in Trigger production. The only logical thing Izuku could think of would be an extreme rebellion against his father.

Shinso and Kaachan mostly stayed quiet, only asking questions when necessary and avoided eye contact with the other at all costs. Izuku hated the tension between the two and couldn’t imagine why the whole thing had upset Shinso as much as it had. 

Kaachan had a tendency towards strong emotional reactions, but normally Shinso was as outwardly emotionless as his teacher. The flirting could have been a catalyst, but Shinso and him had been keeping things casual and infrequent for a while now. Hell, the last time they’d slept together was months ago. Maybe Shinso just hadn’t seen someone else flirting so openly with Izuku in person. Whatever had happened, he wanted to avoid a repeat at all costs.

“Oi. Freckles.” Kaachan lightly pinched his thigh, pulling him back to the conversation.

“Ah! Sorry Ground Zero.” It was easier to avoid calling him Kaachan or Katsuki by using his hero name. 

“I was saying that since the sun won’t be up for a while, we should get a head start and scope out the area around Icy Hot’s place.” He repeated.

“That’s a great idea!” Shinso was giving Izuku a look that promised complicated questions next time they were alone.

“Let’s go do that right now!” Izuku jumped up and started towards the door.

“Nim! We’re going to talk about your inability to keep your sex drive out of big desisions.” Shinso called after him.

He ignored the comment, taking time to restrap black whip to his forearms and waiting for Kaachan to catch up. The man came out a moment later not making eye contact with Izuku, not that he could have with the mask anyway.

“He your boyfriend or some shit?” He asked as they started walking.

“Shinso?” Izuku exclaimed. “God no! I mean he asked, but that was a long time ago.”

“So you two aren’t together? I’m not gonna hit on someone who's committed.” Kaachan refused to look at Izuku.

“It’s nothing like that. He’s not good at the whole casual thing, but that’s all I do so it’s mostly friendly until he caves and comes looking for a one night thing.” He explained as they made their way towards the part of town Todoroki lived.

“Not a one night thing if it happens multiple times, dumbass.” 

“Eh. That’s all it is to me. I can’t control how he feels.” Izuku hesitated. “Besides, he’s using me as an escape as much as I use him. We both are pretty bad at our feelings, the difference is that he has the potential to do something about his.”

“You don’t?” Kaachan asked.

“Well, I don’t think I’m the kind of person who can love someone if that makes sense. It’s just not in the future for me.” And it wasn’t. Not since his mother. Letting someone into your heart meant letting them hurt you when they left. It might be selfish, but he didn’t have the mental strength to go through something like that again. 

Kaachan laughed bitterly before dropping the subject.

“We walking the whole way there or do you have a better way of getting around without everyone noticing the giant cloud over your fucking head?” The hero said after they had been walking for a while.

“Most people assume it’s a quirk and don’t question it actually, but if you’re up for something more exciting, I do have an idea...” Izuku challenged. The anxiety and soreness from fighting Kaachan made his legs ache to run across rooftops.

“That fucking so? How about a race, Freckles. First one to the building overlooking Icy Hot’s place wins.” Kaachan winked at his companion.

“So Ground Zero. What do I get when I win anyway?” The playfulness was lost in the distortion, but Kaachan’s smirk widened.

“Winner gets one request from the loser.” He answered before blasting off towards the nearest building, explosions muffled by Mei’s gauntlets.

Izuku laughed, activating black whip and sending himself into the air. 

Within a few seconds he was right behind the hero. He almost felt bad for sending a strand of his tech to snatch onto Kaachan’s torso and tugging him backwards. The stealth gauntlets definitely slowed the hero down.

Ignoring Kaachan’s curses about playing dirty, Izuku continued dashing over the skyline. Gaps he couldn’t cross on his own were easily covered with the help of his gear and the freedom of finally being out again carried him within a few blocks of Todoroki’s apartment. He was admiring the starless sky when a fist grabbed the back of his jacket, shoving him to his ass. Kaachan cackled as he rushed past Izuku.

It didn’t take long for him to recover and join Kaachan on the decided vantage point. The hero grinned and continued to laugh as Izuku flipped him off. 

“I thought I was the one who's supposed to fight dirty.” Izuku grumbled.

Kaachan just shrugged. “I don’t like to fucking lose. Plus now I get a request from you.”

“Fine.” He sighed. “What do you want?”

“Haven’t decided.” The hero winked down at him. “Don’t stress, dumbass. You can say no if you want.”

Giving up on arguing, Izuku turned to take in the residential building before them. Shoto Todoroki lived in an upscale part of downtown. The building was one Izuku had looked at before moving into his current apartment, but even making the money he did, there was no justifying the monthly costs. Judging from the apartment number Aizawa had given them, Todoroki lived near the top of the building too. 

Thanks to Izuku's prior knowledge of the building, he was able to narrow down which place was Todoroki's. Supposedly he lived alone and hardly left outside of hero work. Every window into his place had thick curtains drawn stopping any potential view either of them could have. 

Izuku groaned. There wasn’t much that passive observation would tell them about Todoroki’s residence. As he was contemplating whether simply tailing the man would be enough, Kaachan pointed towards the front of the building. It was difficult to tell from where they stood, but the distinctive red and white split hair told them it was Todoroki. Going out at nearly 4am certainly wasn't an indication of criminal activity. Izuku did it all the time, but he probably wasn’t the best example. Even so. It was definitely strange for a hero. Morning patrols started between 7am and 8am so there was a minimum three hour gap before the man should be at work.

“Jesus, the bastard wakes up earlier than I do.” Kaachan commented.

Izuku didn’t respond before sending tendrils of black whip across to the top of the apartment building and silently swinging himself onto Todoroki’s balcony. The longer they trailed the hero the more likely they would be noticed. If he was going to do something risky like this, it needed to be as soon as possible.

A moment later Kaachan landed behind him with a soft thud.

“The fuck are you doing! Are you seriously trying to get your ass caught not even 24 hours in?” Kaachan whispered angrily.

Izuku ignored him and took out a small magnet from a pocket in his jacket. It was a good thing he’d toured the place while thinking about living there. The front doors and lobby had impossible security but the balconies operated on a less reliable electronic system easily picked with a strong household magnet. Because the lock relied on electronic signals, there wouldn’t even be a record of the physical movement the magnet caused either. Izuku just hoped Todoroki wasn’t paranoid enough to install his own additional security. Not many people did living so far up and heroes especially tended to assume no one would be stupid enough to rob them.

A small click came from the door and Izuku slowly slid it open. There was no immediate alarm which was encouraging.

“The actual fuck, Freckles… We seriously breaking in to his place?” Kaachan grabbed Izuku’s wrist before he could open the door any wider.

“ We aren’t breaking in.” Izuku clarified. “ I’m breaking in and you’re being my lookout.”

With that, he shook off Kaachan’s grip and slid into Todoroki’s apartment. 

Izuku’s apartment always had a lived-in look. There were papers on most surfaces, mugs on every table, and blankets and clothing regularly scattered on the floor. In comparison, Todoroki’s place looked like a showroom. The throw pillows on his couch were neatly placed on the corners, looking directly out of a home magazine. The expensive glass coffee table only supported a decorative candle that had never been lit and a thick layer of dust. The flat screen television was equally as dusty and Izuku noticed that it wasn’t even plugged in.

Moving past the living room, Izuku found the rest of the space in a similar state. The whole place looked like no one had lived there in months. If it weren’t for a few utensils and glasses in the sink, Izuku would have assumed it was abandoned. Making his way through each room, he avoided touching anything. None of it would prove useful to their investigation anyway. 

Turning the handle on the last door at the end of a hallway, he found himself in Todoroki’s bedroom. Unlike the rest of the apartment, this room looked recently occupied. Containers from instant meals Izuku personally recognized filled a small trash can and dirty clothing almost entirely covered the floor. He remembered a cabinet in the kitchen being filled with hard liquor and noted the nearly empty glass on the bedside table. This was a depression room clear as day. 

After his mom had died, his life looked similar to this, minus the alcohol. Izuku remembered the days spent in bed drowning in his own thoughts, not able to imagine a future. He remembered his stepdad’s anger and the day he eventually chose to walk away from it all. Hell, he probably would have dropped out of school after he ran away if he didn’t have someone forcing him to go.

Izuku also knew more about what Todoroki’s childhood looked like than most people. He knew the cruelty Endeavor had inside and the insatiable drive for becoming the strongest that he tried to embed in his children. Izuku shook his head to clear his thoughts. It didn’t matter what he knew about the guy before, Izuku was here to find potential evidence of his involvement in Trigger production, not collect reasons to send him to therapy. 

A few minutes later, Izuku rejoined a pacing Kaachan on the balcony. He closed the door behind him, taking time to reset the mechanism. Before Kaachan could say anything Izuku climbed over the railing and used black whip to land on the same building they had come from.

“You gonna tell me what you found or am I not privy to your little cat burglary.” Kaachan demanded once they were both back.

“I didn’t steal anything.” Izuku tried to ignore the question. He didn’t want to explain how clearly unwell Todoroki was.

“Don’t fucking care. What did you find?” He pushed again.

“You were in the same class at UA right?” Izuku asked. “What was Todoroki like back then?”

“Icy Hot’s a bastard. Guy always made a big deal about only needing half his fucking quirk. Other than that, he wasn’t anything special. Didn’t have friends and spent all his time in his dorm room.” Kaachan answered, staring Izuku down.

So living like that probably wasn’t a new development. Izuku didn’t need to wonder what caused it, but he still couldn’t find a connection between drug production and growing up with shitty parents. 

“Why do you think he’d get involved with something like Trigger?”

“The fuck if I know, Freckles. Guy doesn’t talk to anyone. Probably just wants to piss off daddy.” Kaachan answered.

“So you don’t think he’s using?”

“Nah. Asshole never cared about that shit, just proving his dad wrong. If he actually fucking wanted to get stronger the bastard would just start using his fire.” Kaachan said angrily.

“Yeah… I think so too.” Izuku had a lot to think about. He needed to separate his own experiences with the Todoroki family from the job in front of him.

“It’s fucking early and I have a phone call later. Aizawa has my number so tell me before you go doing some stupid shit.” That was right, he was supposed to call Kaachan that night as Ze. Thankful that Mei had helped him set up a separate secure number on his cell for vigilante work, Izuku just nodded and took off into the early morning.

~~~

Rain plastered curled bangs to his forehead as he stumbled through backstreets. The fresh welt on his chin stung in the numbness of the cold water. He should have packed something before running off. Going back wasn’t an option right now. Images of his mothers cold corpse flashed through his mind. If only he’d done more, been stronger. If only he hadn’t been so utterly useless.

But Izuku wasn’t a hero, he was just some quirkless kid barely into his first year of high school. And now, he didn’t even have a real home to go back to. He was alone and the only thing that kept his body moving was fear. 

A low guttural scream caused him to jerk his head around. Someone was hurt and badly from the sounds of it. He should leave, find a hero. There wasn’t anything more for him to do. Passing an alley frantically searching for anyone who could actually help, he froze. Standing with a limp body in his arms was a silhouette Izuku recognized from TV. The man turned to glare at him, a bit of fresh blood on his lips.

“Go…” A weak voice came from the ground a little further in. The hero Ingenium lay in a pool of blood, unmoving. 

“Leave child. Let these false heroes die.” The Hero Killer threatened, baring a knife in his direction.

There was a pounding of blood in Izuku’s mind, dulling out the rest of the world. He remembered the pure terror on Kaachan’s face while slowly dying from the sludge villain. Before he could stop himself, his legs pushed him forward and he sprinted towards the men. 

He hardly had time to register the dull pain of a knife being plunged into his hand. In reaction, Izuku yanked away, tearing the blade from Stain’s grip. He ducked low and scooped up the body the villain had been holding. Setting the man next to Ingenium, he pulled the knife from his hand. 

Before the Hero Killer could lunge forward, a giant wall of ice separated them, pinning the two heroes and Izuku into the back of the alley. Shoto Todoroki slid down next to them. Izuku recognized him from the UA sports festival. He’d tried to watch, but ended up turning it off after seeing Kaachan’s first fight.

Todoroki assessed the situation before speaking over the sound of what Izuku assumed was Stain using knives as ice picks to climb over the wall to where he knew they were trapped.

“You’re crying.” The hero said simply.

Izuku raised the hand not brandishing a knife to his face. Like Todoroki had said, there were tears. Realizing he was probably smearing blood over his cheeks, he brought the hand down and nodded stupidly.

“Okay. These two can't fight.” Todoroki nodded down at the two paralyzed heroes. “Did he injure you anywhere outside of your hand and jaw?”

“I uhmm… No. It’s just the cut. The bruise is from before.” He tried not to think about the significant amount of blood coming from the wound.

“Fine. I reached my limit making that ice wall so I can’t lift us out. What’s your hero name and quirk?” Todoroki asked quickly as the sounds of chipping ice got louder.

“I-I don’t have one.” Izuku stuttered.

“It doesn’t matter if you haven’t picked a hero name yet. We need a plan.” 

“I’m not a hero candidate and I don’t have a quirk.” Izuku explained frantically. It had been immensely stupid to jump into another villain battle, but his feet had moved before he knew what was happening again. Todoroki would probably lecture him about getting involved if they somehow managed to survive this.

“You don’t have a quirk… Yet you came to help?” Todoroki looked down at him with wide eyes.

“Listen, I know it was stupid, but…” Izuku started.

“Immensely stupid, actually. But this man would have been killed if you hadn’t. Even I was too scared to try before I saw you run in.” Todoroki looked back at the ice.

“I mean it shouldn’t be too difficult for you. If you just use your fire to create a super charged explosion through the ice wall we can escape while he’s dealing with the broken ice.” Despite giving up on ever becoming a hero, analyzing quirks was something he still did subconsciously. 

“I won’t use the fire from my left.” Todoroki gritted his teeth, refusing to look back at Izuku.

“What! Even if you’re not in complete control of it, the temperature doesn’t have to be precise…”

“I won’t use my father’s quirk and become the same bastard he is!” The hero snarled.

A few years ago Izuku would have been surprised that such a celebrated hero could be called a bastard by his own child, but given the abusive creep his stepfather had turned out to be, it didn’t phase him. But he couldn’t understand Todoroki’s complete refusal of part of his power. Izuku wouldn’t have cared where a quirk came from because that would have meant he might stand on the same stage as everyone he used to admire.

The cracking stopped and the two boys looked up in terror at the steam coming off the blood thirsty villain. They would die here if they didn’t do something, more specifically, if Todoroki didn’t. Izuku wasn’t strong enough to protect anyone.

“It’s yours isn’t it! It’s your quirk! Not his!” Izuku shouted at the frozen hero in training.

“My quirk…” Todoroki finally met his eyes and a moment later the left side of his body was engulfed in bright flame.

Isuku sat up in a cold sweat. One of the scars on his left hand felt like it was on fire. The last thing he needed was to be reliving the time he and Todoroki had captured the Hero Killer together in the middle of investigating the hero. He had to separate himself from the kid he’d met that day. People changed and no matter how much pain Endeavor put him through, it didn’t give Todoroki a pass on any of this. 

Chapter Text

Katsuki was in an especially good mood after meeting the vigilante he would be working with last night. Nim seemed like a competent partner and hopefully someone he could get in more hand to hand training with. The guy didn't move in fights like the heroes he was used to. Instead, he used his entire body and every part of his surroundings. Eraserhead had been right by telling Katsuki not to underestimate him. 

It definitely helped that Nim was stupidly hot. Katsuki decided that it could be an opportunity to at least try getting rid of some the stupid fucking feelings he'd been harboring for Ze. Even while flirting with the vigilante, he kept being reminded of how cute always Ze sounded when he got flustered. Unfortunately, friends was the best he was going to get with the nerd and he wasn't going to let a shitty crush ruin that.

In a few minutes Ze was supposed to call again. They didn’t have plans to watch a movie, but had decided to use Discord anyway so that Ze could stream music while Katsuki cooked dinner. Apparently telling the nerd that he only listened to classic rock prompted an immediate need to expand his music library.

He passed the time by washing the vegetables for his favorite curry. Finally the nerd started the voice call.

“Hey, Katsuki!” Ze sounded to be in as good a mood as Katsuki.

“Sup, nerd. You eating some junk that will give you heart disease?” He started setting out spices on the counter.

“Probably!” The nerd giggled. “And you’re making some incredibly healthy meal that probably tastes like cardboard.”

“Oi! Don’t fucking insult my cooking. I bet I can blow away whatever shit you’re eating!” Katsuki knew he absolutely could live up to the threat.

“How forward, Katsuki… Are you offering to cook me dinner?” Ze teased.

“Hell yeah I am.” The tone Ze had confused Katsuki. It was almost as if…

“What a lovely househusband… You’d probably look cute in an apron too.”

It was almost as if Ze was flirting with Katsuki. Maybe the nerd was just teasing without knowing how suggestive he was coming across. It wouldn’t have been the first time.

“If you want a date with me, you can just ask.” Katsuki needed to know if Ze was aware or not. “But I have to warn you, curry wouldn’t be the only thing I’d be eating…”

Ze didn’t even hesitate. “Hmm… What were you thinking for desert?”

Holly shit. Ze was flirting back. Hell, Ze had been the one to fucking start it. Was the guy just finding a new way to tease him? Katsuki really didn’t fucking care. He’d take whatever he could get from his crush, future feelings be damned.

“Personally I’m in the mood for nerdy fucking writers who won’t shut up during movies.” Katsuki paused. This could quickly slip from harmless flirting to borderline phone sex if the heat in his gut was any indicator. 

“Not sure you would be very into me devouring you.” He was trying to give Ze a way out if he started feeling too uncomfortable.

“I’d let you…” Ze's confident voice came over the speaker. 

“You’d… let me.” Katsuki’s brain fucking broke.

“You could do whatever you wanted to me, Katsuki. I’d let you.” The writer whispered.

He opened his mouth, but couldn’t find words. Ze had just essentially fucking admitted that he’d let Katsuki have sex with him. But letting someone have sex with you and wanting to have sex were very different things.

His silence earned an awkward laugh from Ze. “Guess you really aren’t experienced with this sort of thing. I was starting to have my doubts given how adept you are at making me flustered.”

“You’d let me have sex with you…” Katsuki’s brain finally caught up to the conversation. “If I cooked for you, you’d let me fuck you.”

The laugh this time was more confident and the sound sent goosebumps up Katsuki’s arms.

“I mean, you wouldn’t have to cook for me first.” Ze said calmly. “I’d sleep with you anyway.”

“Are you fucking with me, Ze?” Katsuki’s heart (and dick) couldn’t handle if this ended up being a joke.

“No, Katsuki. I’m more interested in fucking you than fucking with you… Though I guess depending on the context those could be the same thing.” It was clear he was starting to get nervous. “Listen, I’m sorry if I’m taking things too far, but you’re the one who insists on making advances on me any chance you get.”

He smiled fondly. Despite just making Katsuki hornier than hell, Ze was still the same rambling dork.

“Calm down, nerd. Just surprised that you were giving it back for once.” The calm down was more directed at his own body. It didn’t matter how much he wanted to give into lust, Katsuki liked the guy and definitely didn’t want to end up in a Kirishima situation.

“Was I not supposed to?” Ze asked quietly.

“Fuck no!” Katsuki flinched, noticing that he’d raised his voice. “I just wasn’t expecting it honestly. Definitely don’t mind. It’s just…”

Silence hung over the call. He assumed Ze was also thinking about the temporariness of the situation. If what Kiri had told him were true, the writer probably didn’t get attached to the heroes he wrote about. Maybe he just slept with some of them… Ze had talked about having an open and active sex life. Fuck. Katsuki didn’t want to be just another hero for the guy to fuck around with. 

“What’s going to happen after you finish the interview?” He knew the question effectively finished killing the mood, but he wasn’t going to avoid the conversation.

“I… I don’t know.” Ze stuttered. “I’ve never… With heroes I don’t…”

“Breath. You don’t have to have all the answers right the fuck now.” Katsuki closed his eyes and tried to calm his heart. He clearly wasn’t just next in the line of heroes Ze took to bed.

“I’m not interested in some one time bullshit. Not with you.” It wasn’t a confession, but it was the closest he could get today considering he'd fucking given up on ever having a chance.

“Yeah… You said you don’t do hookups.” Ze paused.

“What do you want after the interview is over?” Katsuki felt bad putting the pressure on the writer, but he really didn’t have time to plan out how this should go.

“I… I want to meet you, Katsuki. I just… I don’t know when I’ll be ready to actually see you.” He could hear the soft hiccups from the nerd crying.

“I’ll wait. However the fuck long you need, I’ll wait.” Katsuki would. If he got to keep talking like this with the man, he’d wait his whole fucking life for the guy to feel comfortable. Even wanting to be around Katsuki considering he was a hero was astonishing. 

“I’m just so scared…” More sniffling came through the laptop.

“Fuck…” He knew Ze was probably afraid of him, but hearing it made his stomach drop. “I’m never gonna hurt you, nerd.”

“That’s not… I’m not afraid of you anymore, Katsuki.” Ze was clearly trying to pull himself together.

“After my mom died, I’m so afraid of actually caring about anyone again. I mean I can’t even bring myself to read the note she left before she killed herself. How… How am I supposed to open up to you when I can’t even let my own dead mother in.” He said, stumbling over his words.

Katsuki felt tears in the corners of his eyes. He didn’t even know if it was because Ze had been through something like that, or because the nerd wasn’t actually afraid of him. There wasn’t anything he could say that would take away the pain, so he settled for the first thing that came to his mind.

“I wish I could hold you right now.” It was a simple statement, but it elicited a sharp sob from the other end.

“You should probably make dinner if you haven’t…” Ze said after a few minutes of quiet crying.

“Probably… I need some shitty music though.” Katsuki was rewarded with a small giggle.

They kept talking through Katsuki’s dinner, listening to the never ending variety of music Ze had. He thought about telling the nerd how much he wanted to dance in the kitchen together, but that would probably be overwhelming for the guy. Nothing was concrete and neither of them had actually confessed, but it was enough. 

When Katsuki brought up getting some sleep, considering he had the day after off and Ze seemed emotionally exhausted, he was met with silence.

“You can’t just avoid sleeping, nerd.” He already could tell that the guy didn’t sleep enough based on the sporadic timing of the texts he received.

“I probably won’t be able to sleep anyway.” Ze said softly. “Normally when I’m like this I go out and distract myself so that my mind stops running. It’s usually sex, but… I… umm…”

Well, that explained the sexual activities…

“How can I help?” Katsuki assumed he wouldn’t be being invited into Ze's bed, but if he could help somehow without crossing the nerd’s boundaries, he sure as fuck would.

“Could you stay on the call with me?” He asked. “I… I just don’t want to be alone.”

“Of course I can, nerd.”

That night, Katsuki fell asleep with his laptop set next to his bed listening to the soft sounds of Ze sleeping, hoping that one day, he would hear the slow breathing in his arms instead of over a voice call.

~~~

Katsuki was not so patiently waiting in an alley near Icy Hot’s place. Nim hadn’t contacted him in three days so he’d forced Eraserhead to give the vigilante a spot to meet him. As much as he enjoyed the extra time to talk to Ze, he had a fucking job to do too.

After nearly an hour of glancing at his phone hoping Ze would finally respond, Katsuki felt eyes watching him. Sliding his phone away, he turned to face the silent creature perched on a fire escape above him. 

“You gonna get your dumbass down here or are you still ignoring me?” Katsuki called up to Nim.

The vigilante hummed as he landed softly on the ground next to Katsuki. 

“I’m not avoiding you, Ground Zero.” The distorted voice was hushed despite the crowds of drunk people on a Friday night being more than enough to hide their conversation.

“What do you call it when you’re supposed to communicate with someone and don’t then?” Katsuki asked. “If I’d known you were gonna procrastinate on this shit, I wouldn’t have offered to be your partner, Freckles.”

“I’ve gotten more than enough done, given the time passed. Now do you want to come hear about it or would you prefer to sit in an alley pouting.” With that Nim released the black tendrils from the bands on his arms that Katsuki had seen the first night.

Moments later they were standing behind a large neon sign on top of a building. 

“The fuck do you mean gotten enough done? That’s not how a goddamn partner works, dumbass.” Katsuki wanted to keep the possibility of sparing open, but seeing that he might have a chance with Ze, there was no point in flirting with Nim no matter how hot he was.

“I’ve been trailing him for a few days now collecting evidence.” Before he could continue Katsuki interrupted angrily.

“Are you fucking kidding me! You went by yourself to tail Icy Hot!” 

Nim flinched at the volume. “I couldn’t exactly bring you along you know…”

“Why the fuck not?” Katsuki really hated being underestimated. “Thought I had your respect or whatever.”

Despite his domineering attitude, Nim didn’t back down.

“You do, but tailing a pro hero dressed like a villain doesn’t exactly work well. I needed to be in my everyday clothing without a conspicuous black cloud over my face.” Nim clenched his fists as he spoke.

“And! How does that stop me from at least giving you backup?” Katsuki knew the answer, but he already had one person in his life that felt uncomfortable showing him their face.

“Putting aside the fact that I’m borderline breaking the law at best, I stay out of danger by not showing my face off to every hero I come into contact with.” Nim took a step closer to him, challenging him to disagree. 

“Besides. One random civilian doesn’t draw much attention, but one of Todoroki’s old classmates tagging along would probably get noticed. So yeah. I did it alone and not because I don’t trust you or think you’re not good enough. It was the best for the situation, but if I need an angry Pomeranian to cause a scene somewhere you’ll be the first person I call.” 

If Katsuki could see his eyes, he knew they would be glaring daggers. Nim wasn’t wrong, but it still pissed him off.

“Fine…” He started. “But you still acted like a shit partner. Fucking tell me next time so that I can look for your dead body if you get your ass caught.”

The other man stilled. 

“I guess that makes sense…” He said hesitantly.

“No shit. I get that you didn’t go through hero training, but that’s just common fucking sense.” Katsuki relaxed a little.

“This is new to me… The whole partner thing.” Nim clarified. “The heroes I work with tend to be fine sending me off to get caught or killed so long as it doesn’t impact them.” 

Katsuki had assumed that much, but it was still shitty to think no one had ever had Nim’s back. 

“How long have you been doing this shit?” Katsuki asked.

“Since high school…” The cloud shifted as he looked away.

“That’s not an answer, Freckles.” He sighed at the vigilante. “Doesn’t fucking matter anyway. You’ve got a partner now, so fucking act like it.”

Nim nodded before launching into the information he’d managed to gather.

From what he’d found, there was no way Icy Hot wasn’t involved in this shit. Between photos of him at confirmed drug production labs to audio recordings of meetings with dealers, the vigilante had been busy. Given another week or so, there would be enough solid evidence to publicly charge Todoroki. 

The whole thing still sat wrong with him. Sure, the guy was an idiot, but he never thought of Todoroki as the type to dive into villain activity. Nim seemed to agree, but they parted without openly expressing the shared opinion. 

~~~

Questions over Icy Hot’s involvement followed Katsuki to meet Shitty Hair for drinks the next night. He barely listened to Kiri’s recount of villain captures over the week. The asshole was touchier than usual today, finding every excuse to toss his arm around Katsuki and bump into his side. Touching didn’t bother him usually, but even for his affectionate friend, this was a lot.

“Oi! Fucking cool it.” Katsuki finally snapped.

“Sorry! Just excited to see ya! It’s been so weird not patrolling with you. What does Hawks even have you doing anyway?” Kiri must have forgotten his interest in their delivery to Eraserhead.

“None of your fucking business.” His friend should’ve known better than to ask about something work related that Katsuki didn’t bring up himself.

“Right… Classified big secret stuff.” Kirishima rocked back in his chair, draining the fruity drink in front of him.

“Did something happen with Tetsu?” He nodded to the much stronger beverage that had replaced Kiri’s usual cider.

“I… uhhh yeah. We had a fight.” 

Katsuki snorted. “Told you it was stupid to fuck you roommate.”

“Totally stupid.” Kiri turned fixing Katsuki with an intense stare.

“How’s your love life then?” He asked.

Telling Kiri about Ze hadn’t been on his list, but after a few beers and far too much hope given to him in the last few days, he caved and filled his friend in on the basics.

“Woah! So he actually wants to meet you? And he even comforted you after some person died? That’s so romantic!” The other hero was leaning in on his elbows.

“Whatever. It was just some curry from that place you and Sero are always bitching about me trying.” He hesitated. “I really like them.”

Shitty Hair jumped up excusing himself to the bathroom. He probably needed to step away before saying something that would piss Katsuki off about Ze. Groaning at an oncoming headache, he leaned back and reached for his phone. It wasn’t in the usual pocket so he began looking around on the floor to see if it had fallen. 

Dizziness overtook him and he nearly fell to the ground, caught by Kirishima’s legs.

“Whoa there! Looks like someone had a little too much to drink.” His friend laughed.

Katsuki looked around the unfamiliar bar in a haze. He’d only had two drinks and that was definitely not enough to leave him like this. Making glaring eye contact with the one bartender, he noticed the man looking away. It was uncomfortably quiet for a Saturday night, but that was why he’d agreed to the place his friend had chosen.

“Excuse me, sir!” Kiri called out to the other man. “Is there a room in the back that my friend can lay down for a bit? I think he might be feeling sick.”

Hazily, he felt himself being picked up and carried behind the bar. The world was spinning and every inch of his body seemed unresponsive. He tried to communicate to Kirishima, but was met with a soft hush as they were closed into a small storage room.

“Alrighty, Ground Zero! I wish we could play a little bit, but sadly Tomura said not to make you bleed…” The voice slowly morphed from his friends to a more feminine sounding one as darkness finished filling Katsuki’s mind.

~~~

There was a dull throbbing in Katsuki’s head when he woke up. Something heavy and metallic was keeping his hands pressed into one another and cloth covered his face. He had no doubt that he had been kidnapped and from the last moments he could remember before blacking out, that blond bitch from the League of Villains was responsible.

Heroes are trained to handle these situations with a heavy focus on observation and patience. They were meant to wait and find a subtle way to send for help or escape quietly.

“Oi! You fuck faces!” Katsuki began bellowing. “If one of you don’t get your ass in here I use my quirk to blow up this whole fucking place!”

“That would be inadvisable considering your quirk comes from your palms which happen to be in contact with each other at the moment.” He recognized the voice as Mr. Compress.

“Like I won’t blow up my own fucking hands to kill you dicks!” The threat wasn’t serious, but he still growled at the man.

“How are you more noisy the second time we kidnap you…” Dabi said from behind him before his face covering was removed. “Should have learned the first time to shut up and play nice.” 

“And you mother fuckers should remember the hell I fucking gave you while I was here.” Katsuki looked around the room he was being held in. 

Unlike the bar from when they took him in high school, it was a large room without windows, but decorated as if it were the common room of a dorm hall. Mr. Compress stood with his arms crossed a few feet away from the chair Katsuki was strapped to. Two of the couches held the lounging figures of Toga and Twice. Neither of them looked up at the commotion, instead choosing to continue their card game. 

“You’re right. It would be a shame if you getting captured managed to take down another number one hero.” Dabi stepped into his view, briefly checking his restraints.

“The fuck do you assholes want from me?” Katsuki tried not to shoulder more blame for All Might's retirement. “You know I won’t fucking join you lunatics.”

“You’re not the one we’re interested in, Ground Zero.” A raspy voice came from behind him and he felt rough fingers close around his throat.

Fuck. He’d be stupid not to know who they were talking about. They wanted something from Ze.

“Heroes really shouldn’t be getting blackout drunk alone you know… Even if they’ve just gone through a breakup with their roommate.” Compress spoke again. 

“We were just going to get Ze's contact information from Red Riot’s phone, but then I saw that you were his next interview subject.” Toga called out from the couch.

“It was simple to change your bar meetup location and send Toga in to drug you.” Shigaraki finished.

Katsuki started laughing. Fuck it was all so god damn ironic. If this shit had happened a week ago, he knew it wouldn’t have mattered. Ze would have refused any demands because Katsuki was just another attention seeking hero. But there was a nagging doubt in his mind that things had changed. 

“You think Ze is actually gonna do what you want to save me?” He tried to push away any thought that the man could actually care about him. 

“They fucking hate heroes, especially violent ones like me. You’d have better luck bargaining by kidnapping some random kid.” Katsuki tried to force himself into believing it. If the League found out there was even a chance of something deeper between the two of them, they would almost certainly use it against Ze.

“ I hope one day I’ll be brave enough to meet you Katsuki. ” Toga read from Katsukis phone dramatically before throwing it to a waiting Compress.

The two started laughing, Shigaraki grinning cruelly sauntering over to a seat by Toga. Dabi seemed fixated on Katsuki, and slightly grimaced as Compress read out more texts.

“Somehow I don’t think you’re as hated as you want us to believe…” Shigaraki leaned forward. “I can promise you, Red Riot’s conversations with Ze weren’t anything like yours.”

Any other moment, his heart would have swelled hearing that, but Katsuki knew that anything the writer felt for him was about to be used as leverage. 

“The fuck are you looking at you fried freak!” He spat at Dabi.

The villain narrowed his eyes back. “Can we get this over with? The longer I have to spend looking at this trash the more likely I am to set him on fire.”

“Fucking do it! Bet I’ll still look a hell of a lot better than you!” Katsuki didn’t hesitate. If Dabi used his flames, best case some of the restraints might melt allowing him to fight back, worst case, he’d end up dead and the League would lose their leverage over the nerd. Either way, it was better than the shit situation Katsuki was currently in.

“You can’t even fucking imagine what he…” His flames and voice were cut off by Mr. Compress using his quirk to shrink the violent man into a small marble.

“He’s been so fussy about this plan. I’ll let him out in a bit so try not to upset him.” Compress slipped his colleague into his pocket and waited for Shigaraki to continue.

Shigaraki lifted a finger to chapped lips while the phone rang on speaker. 

Please don’t answer… Please don’t fucking answer…

“Katsuki!” A cheery voice echoed off the concrete walls. “I’m really glad you called! I was thinking that we need to watch the Jurassic Park movies. I know a lot of the effects are outdated, but the story is really interesting… And well I’m just happy to talk to you.”

The nerd might as well have put up a fucking sign saying Katsuki and I are closer than anyone should be during an interview . Before he could yell at the idiot to shut up and not give into any demands, a scaly hand covered his mouth.

“I don’t think Ground Zero is in a place to be watching movies right now.” Shigaraki spoke into the phone.

“That’s really too bad though, Tomura! The Jurassic Park movies are a must see.” Twice enthusiastically added.

Katsuki expected the nerd to panic, start mumbling, and probably cry, but instead a voice he’d never heard came from the speakers.

“You’re going to tell me who you are and what you’ve done with Katsuki Bakugo before I come and find you myself.” Ze’s voice stretched through the silent room like a lake of ice slowly cracking. Even Katsuki felt that a single misstep would send them all to an icy death.

Shigaraki cleared his throat trying to dispel the suffocating atmosphere. “Considering we have him as a captive, I would advise you to listen to demands, not make your own.”

“By all means. Make some demands, but I better see some proof that he’s unharmed…” Katsuki had never heard Ze sound like this. He was negotiating with the most dangerous villain group in Japan and the man wasn’t wavering or showing a sliver of fear.

“Spinner…” He nodded to the man to release Katsuki’s mouth.

“Nerd! I fucking swear to god if you do anything stupid I will kick your fucking ass so hard you’ll never be able to talk to another hero without freaking the fuck out. Fuck rule number 1, I’ll throw you off a fucking bridge myself if you even think about giving these douchebags what they want!” The lizard freak shoved a cloth gag into his mouth, cutting him off again. He didn’t care if his words scared Ze or even made him hate Katsuki, as long as the nerd didn’t put himself in danger.

“Yep… That’s him.” Ze sounded sad, but not terrified as he’d hoped. 

“Are you prepared to hear our demands then?” The silence was all the answer Shigaraki needed. “We are looking to make a trade. You for Ground Zero. I’ll guarantee that he’ll remain uninjured if you agree.”

The nerd didn’t even fucking hesitate. “Fine.”

Katsuki screamed through the gag and pulled at his restraints until he felt bruises form under the skin.

“Take me somewhere he can’t hear.” Ze said calmly.

Before Shigaraki turned to leave he motioned to Katsuki while looking pointedly at Toga. She skipped over and plunged a needle into his arm. He remembered trying to headbut the bitch before blacking out again.

~~~

He wasn’t sure how long had passed. Judging by the hunger clawing at his stomach, it was probably at least 15 hours. His hands were still restrained but he was laying on a soft cot instead of tied to a chair.

“Don’t bother trying to get up. The drug Toga used is a real bitch.” 

Turning his head he was able to make out Dabi leaning against a metal door. He tried to speak, but nothing came out of his dry throat.

Dabi cocked an amused eyebrow at him and closed the distance. Katsuki braced himself for a blow, but was met instead with a straw. The villain held the glass of liquid up to his face expectantly.

“I don’t need to trick you into taking drugs… It’s water.” He rolled his eyes as Katsuki slowly slipped.

“I’ll fucking kill you for this.” Katsuki’s voice was ragged. “If you even think about hurting them I will rip that disgusting flesh from your face and watch you bleed out.” 

Dabi sat down leaning against the bed Katsuki was on and sighed.

“It makes sense that you’d care so deeply about him, but I can’t fathom why he would bother with you.” Dabi’s cold eyes analyzed his face like they somehow held the answers.

Not even Katsuki knew the answer himself. From what he could tell, he was exactly the type of hero Ze was terrified of. The guy had every right to let him die here. Before either of them could speak again, Twice opened the door with a flourish.

“Tomura wants you out of here so the hostage can rest before the trade off.” Twice contorted his body and spoke in a deeper tone. “We could just kill the hero and be done with this. It’s far too complicated for us.”

Dabi slowly got to his feet pushing the other villain out of the room. Katsuki was left alone in what was a slightly more comfortable prison cell, waiting for whenever they had arranged to meet with Ze.

Chapter Text

“Eat.” Dabi woke him up by shoving a box of noodles in his face.

Katsuki glowered at the man standing above him. His stomach clenched with hunger, but he ignored the pain.

Dabi rolled his eyes. “You can’t actually be trying to starve yourself…”

“Why the fuck not? Can’t make an exchange with a fucking corpse.” He sat up pressing his back to the wall.

“If you die of starvation after not even two days, that’s your issue.” The villain set the noodles beside the bed.

“The fuck do you want with the nerd?” Katsuki had passed out sorting through ideas of what the League could be planning.

Blue flames dripped out of Dabi’s left hand as he regarded the hero. Katsuki had seen him in battle before, but this was a different look. Normally the freak looked like he was having the time of his life killing people, but the maniacal smile wasn’t anywhere on his face. Instead thick hatred radiated from the man, more dangerous than the heat of his quirk. 

“I should be asking you the same question. Why he ever put up with a monster like you is beyond me.” Dabi spat, flames licking out the corner of his mouth.

“Think you should look in the mirror sometime if you think I’m the monster, Bacon Crisps.” Katsuki sneered back. “Why do you care so much? Jealousy doesn’t go well with burn marks.”

“That’s so far from what’s happening here, hero.” He took a step closer. “I should burn you alive for his own sake. Shigaraki’s plan be damned.”

Being roasted alive wasn’t on Katsuki’s top ways to die. He’d had enough burns from his own quirk to know that much. But dying here would stop Ze from getting taken by the league so he just spat at Dabi.

Instead of fire, a hand pulled him away from the wall and onto his feet. Dabi forced him out of the room without saying another word.

The rest of the League members were waiting for them in the same room Katsuki had been seen earlier. They were all dressed in their villain gear and Toga winked at him while sheathing a blade under her socks. 

Every bit of Katsuki’s body was exhausted. He’d maybe gotten a few hours of restless sleep and hadn’t eaten since before going to meet up with Kiri. The leftover drugs in his system weren’t helping either. For now, he focused on memorizing every detail of the villains hideout so he could find it and kick their asses later.

Katsuki expected to be drugged again before they left, but instead he was teleported fully awake with the rest of them into the back of a sprinter van. Compress and Shigaraki were missing from the windowless back, so Katsuki assumed one of them was driving. He counted each turn and listened for distinct road noises while Twice and Toga took turns bitching about the bumps.

After a short ride, the van pulled to the side of the road and stopped. Dabi took out a thick pillowcase and slipped it over Katsuki’s head.

“That’s really not fucking necessary!” He struggled. If this was the exchange point, he’d figure out the location after they trade him for Ze anyway.

“It was a request by Ze. Guess he can’t stand to see your face.” Katsuki hated Dabi’s smug tone.

Knowing the nerd still didn’t feel comfortable meeting face to face given everything made his stomach invert. The one not shit part of the whole situation had been the potential of seeing Ze for the first time and now that was fucked too. The sound of the van door opening ripped Katsuki from his pity party.

“Try not to cause any trouble or we’ll kill both of you and be done with it.” Shigaraki warned quietly, leading Katsuki out.

The ground beneath his feet was gravel or dirt of some kind, which he’d already assumed from the shaking of the van. They were clearly outside of town, probably in a secluded park or wooded area. Light didn’t permeate the cloth so it was most likely dark out. A few minutes of walking went by before he was pulled to a stop.

“I didn’t think you’d show up.” Shigaraki spoke into the night.

“You’re all fucking idiots. Of course Ze wouldn’t be stupid enough to actually show up.” Katsuki said, hoping he was right. “None of you have a clue what they look like anyway so good fucking luck.”

“It’s okay, Katsuki. I don’t need you to protect me.” He instantly recognized the gentle voice. 

“He’s right about not knowing if it’s him, Tomura!” Toga giggled beside him. “But he’s so cute, we should keep him anyway!”

“It’s him.” Dabi interrupted before Katsuki could process what the bitch had said.

“And how the fuck would you know!” Katsuki turned towards the sound trying to step forward before a solid blow to his stomach sent him to his knees. 

Before he could wince against the pain, warm hands gripped his shoulders.

“I told you not to hurt him!” Ze's desperate voice was right in front of him now.

Katsuki bowed his head and pleaded with the man quietly. “Please. Don’t fucking do this. Say you’re someone else, go home, please.”

A sad giggle shattered his heart.

“Can we get this over with? I brought the paralytic drug you asked for.” Ze asked nervously.

“It’s admirable that you found the substance we requested. I’m sure you don’t mind if we test it first?” Compress spoke from behind him.

Once they confirmed the drug, Compress continued. “Let’s double the dose, young man.” 

“That’s not what we agreed on! He’ll be paralyzed for almost 12 hours if we do that…” The nerd sounded frantic.

“Oi. League assholes! You fuckers want him for something right? That means you need him alive and healthy right?” Katsuki tried to sound controlled despite his entire body shaking with rage.

“We won’t kill him.” Dabi answered slowly.

“Then nerd, just fucking do what they say. I’ll come find you. Wherever they take you, I’ll come get you. I fucking promise you that.” He felt a traitorous tear slip down his cheek.

Ze sounded like he was trying to choke words out, but gave up after a moment. Hands found his upper arm again and there was a pinch as Katsuki was injected. It took seconds before he could no longer support himself on his own, collapsing forward into Ze. The man held him for a moment softly crying before hands tugged them apart and Katsuki fell face first into the dirt. 

The restraints were released on his hands, but no matter how much Katsuki willed it, his limbs refused to move. He counted the steps the group took before the sound of a car driving into the night left him with nothing but silence. 

After over an hour of counting minutes went by, heavy summer rain began pelting Katsuki’s back and the smell of petrichor filled his nose. He cursed to himself. The rain would cover any tire marks the van had left, not to mention that he was now soaked and covered in mud.

Surprisingly around two hours after the villains left, movement slowly started to return to his limbs. Using his arms which seemed more functional than his legs, he rolled himself onto his back. The cloth over his face had gotten soaked laying in the mud and was starting to hinder his breathing. Laying against the ground, he waited for the drugs to fade. Before much longer, he’d forced the pillowcase off his head and dragged his body until he was sat against a tree. 

The area they’d left Katsuki in was a large muddy dip in the ground and surrounded by trees. He watched in horror as the rain slowly filled the place he’d been laying. Those fuckers had left him paralyzed, face down in a fucking flood runoff ditch right before a summer storm. If the drugs had kept him there for 12 hours like the League had wanted, Katsuki would have slowly drowned in only a few inches of water. 

Pushing aside the nightmare images of choking on mud while his face was covered, he tried to come up with his next move. He needed to get in touch with another hero. His body was still barely responsive and couldn’t support his weight yet. Bloodwork would tell him more, but that required getting to a hospital first. 

Another few hours passed and he watched the sun rise through the forest’s leaves. Eventually he was able to stumble back towards where he remembered coming from and followed a dirt road until it ran into an actual street. Katsuki walked along it until he found a gas station. The person working behind the counter took in the hero’s muddy appearance and handed over his phone without arguing. 

“Hello?”

“Shitty Hair. I need...” Katsuki started.

“Bakugo! Bro, I feel so bad for ditching you the other night for drinks. I went early but I ended up drinking way too much and TetsuTetsu had to come bring me home. I even left my phone at the bar.” Kiri started explaining.

“Would you shut the fuck up! I need whatever heroes Hawks can find sent to whatever shitty gas station I’m in. They need to start a search of the nearby areas. Have them bring someone to test my blood while you’re at it. I don’t fucking know what they gave me, but the sooner I figure out the effects, the sooner I can fucking tear the limbs off of every bastard from the League.” He was about to launch into more details, but Kirishima cut him off.

“Whoa, Bakubro. You’re in hardcore battle mode right now. You said you were drugged? By the League… As in the League of Villains?” His friend was struggling to keep up.

“THEY FUCKING HAVE ZE!” Katsuki finally shouted. The man behind the register flinched at the volume.

“Oh shit… Send me your location. I’ll get people out there.” Kirishima said soberly.

“Fucking hurry. We need to find him.” Exhaustion buckled his knees and he sank down against the counter, making sure to send a GPS signal to Kiri.

It wasn't long before the sound of sirens came down the road. He gave all the details he could remember about the League to the heroes that arrived before Kirishima forced him into an ambulance. Neither spoke until Katsuki was laid up in a hospital bed with an IV drip, waiting on the results of bloodwork.

“We’re going to find them.” Kiri tried to sound reassuring, but both of them knew the last time they’d dealt with a kidnapping from the League, it had ended with All Might’s early retirement.

“No fucking shit. Once this blood test comes back you and I are going to kill those bastards.” Katsuki clenched his fists trying to wipe out the sounds of Ze's quiet cries from his mind.

“You’re not going anywhere, my dependable sidekick.” Hawks peeked into the room winking at Kirishima. 

Katsuki just glared back at the man’s smile. Hawks closed the door behind him and immediately his shoulders fell and his face became solemn. If he hadn’t dropped the act, Katsuki most likely would have blown the man up where he stood.

“You’re out for three days. It's the minimum time for being drugged.” Seeing Katsuki start to protest, Hawks added. “Being kidnapped is a week, so take what you can get.”

“Even with you working alongside everyone else, there’s not much more that can be done. The League famously went underground after All for One was captured, only popping up here and there. It also doesn’t help that we’re trying to track a ghost writer.” The hero leaned against the wall, his wings tucked neatly behind him.

“Fucking get records on Ze then. The Commission is up everyone’s ass all the time. They have to have some information on the guy.” Katsuki wouldn’t let the Commission half ass this just because the writer sometimes criticized how they did things.

“Ze's a man?” Hawks crossed his arms. “That’s already more information than we have.”

“I’m not the only hero that fucking knows shit about him. He’s done tons of interviews.” He shifted his glare to his friend who was looking away from the conversation.

“... Ze didn’t have you sign it?” Kiri asked quietly.

“Fucking sign what, Shitty Hair?”

“Non-disclosure. Anyone Ze’s worked with has records of one. No personal information can be shared about him without serious legal ramifications. Even Hero News Daily signed one. We reached out for personal details immediately, but they shut us out.” Hawks explained. “You didn’t know about any of this?” 

Honestly, it would make sense for the anonymous writer to have everyone sign shit like that. Katsuki had no idea why he hadn’t been forced to sign one too. Maybe it was something they did closer to the article being published, but that would give potential weeks for heroes to slip up before Ze could do anything legally.

“No…That shit doesn’t matter right now though. I mean the guy’s life is in danger.” He stared down the other heroes who both shared a knowing look.

“Ze's contract… It’s pretty strict.” Kirishima started.

“Normally lawyers put a clause in that allows for the contract to be broken if there is perceived life threatening danger to anyone involved. Ze's have the opposite.” Hawks continued for him.

“The fuck does that mean, Birdbrain?” He was getting fucking sick of both men being so damn vague. They needed to compile information so they could track Ze down.

“Ze's non-disclosures specifically restrict sharing information about the writer even in the case of him being in danger or potentially killed.” Hawks explained slowly.

Katsuki closed his eyes and focused on slowing his breathing before losing control. The nerd seriously put in legal writing that he would rather die than have anyone know the details of his personal life. He knew Ze was private, but that was fucking insaine. And since he was apparently the only person not under contract for some stupid reason, he was the only source of information they had to go off.

“I’m out for three days…” He opened his eyes, settling them on his boss. “Can I do desk work?”

“Umm… That would probably be alright.” Hawks seemed confused.

“Bring me a laptop with access to the hero database. I’ll fucking find the guy myself.” Katsuki had enough information about Ze's stepdad and mother to potentially uncover the guy's identity.

“Hero database? Sorry, Bakubro, but how is that going to help? None of the heroes that talked to Ze can say anything…” 

“His stepdad was or is a hero. Abusive dickhead. That’s enough information to narrow things down a bit. I’ll be able to recognize him when I find him.” Katsuki hoped it was the truth. 

Between knowing he was looking for a hero with potential abuse reports on his record with a dead wife and stepson, there was a real chance he could find Ze. Sure, an identity wouldn’t get him back, but between sitting on his ass for three days and trying to make some progress, this was the option that didn’t get holes blown through his walls in frustration.

Hawks seemed to agree because he left to set up an intern to deliver a laptop the next day.

Katsuki’s bloodwork came back showing that a powerful nerve paralyzing agent had been injected into his blood. When he told the doctor the dosage and intended effects she seemed surprised.

“That much should have kept you down fully for at least 12 hours, but the amount on your charts shows much less.” She paused for a moment, thinking. “My hypothesis would be that whatever you were given was diluted with some sort of saline solution. It still would test positive for the drug in question, but it would have produced less lasing effects. Whoever gave you that either had a bad supplier, or they really wanted you moving as soon as possible.”

He watched her leave, knowing that Ze's tampering with the drug had directly stopped him from drowning in a fucking puddle. He wasn’t sure if the nerd was aware of the League’s plans, but either way, he’d saved Katsuki’s life.

Shitty Hair stayed with him until he was released that night. He wouldn’t be much good on a search mission given his quirk anyway. They drove back to Katsuki’s place, only stopping when he asked Kiri to run in and get curry from the place Ze had ordered for him two weeks ago.

Kiri took the couch without being asked to stay. It didn’t matter if his friend was avoiding the apparent mess his own life was, Katsuki needed the company. 

The next morning over breakfast, Kiri took the laptop from in front of Katsuki and pulled up Hero News Daily. Information on Ze's kidnapping hadn’t been made public because of the involvement with such a popular writer, but it was possible that the Ze’s team had informed the nation themselves. What was pulled up wasn’t a missing person’s report, but a newly published hero profile. Katsuki’s hands shook as he read.

Ground Zero: Undefeated

By Ze

Katsuki Bakugo is the worst hero I’ve ever interviewed. He’s loud and cocky. He resorts to insults and violence before anything. He used to scare me beyond belief. The first time we spoke, I blocked him almost immediately and only agreed to talk to him again after he harassed my secretary (sorry Mona). I thought I knew everything there was about Katsuki before the interview even started. He’s an unstable hero, reliant on a flashy battle quirk and only cares about winning. To simplify, he is everything I hate about heroes.

When I begin the interview process I see each hero as a puzzle to solve. It’s simple to see all the pieces from the beginning and ask enough questions to slowly put them together. It’s not often that one conversation snaps the entire puzzle complete. To be clear, I wasn’t wrong about the individual pieces of Katsuki’s puzzle. He is overconfident and raises his voice whenever he gets upset. He relies on right hooks and overpowering explosions. He cares about winning more than anything in the world. Winning, it turns out, just looks a little different than I assumed.

He once told me that “No one fucking wins if a kid dies.” To him overwhelming victory is capturing the bad guys, stopping their plans, and most importantly saving every person present. There couldn’t be success without every piece. It’s not foolish to say that those are impossible odds. Heroes make mistakes, people die every day, and there will never be a person strong enough to foil every evil scheme. Yet, those are the standards Katsuki holds himself to. 

The most defining conversation we had was him explaining what being a hero looks like. This is a question that I never bother asking because it almost always comes back the same. I’m told about the first time someone saw All Might or Endeavor or some other popular hero taking down an impossible villain or saving hundreds of lives. Katsuki didn’t mention any of that. He told me he sees heroics in his best friends. Red Riot’s courage in facing constant fears, Pinky’s assuredness in herself, Cellophane’s calm presence, Earphone Jack’s determination, Chargebolt’s ability to make anyone smile. He even once saw heroics in a quirkless kid rushing in to help someone clearly stronger than him. 

He told me that everything he thought made all of them heroes were things he could never achieve. Personally, I disagree since it’s easy to find those traits in him too. Maybe they weren’t easy to see when he was younger, but I know now that they were always there. 

I could have written this profile after the third time I spoke to Katsuki, a real record considering these normally take weeks. Turns out I’m selfish. No matter how many times I tried to sit down and write, I found myself coming up with excuses for one more chance to talk to him. I kept telling myself that there was more to discover and there was. The fact that he cooks every meal and hates movies. That he only listens to classic rock and reads romance manga before bed. None of those matter in an article like this, but they feel important to me.

I haven’t actually liked any heroes since I was a child. I’ve met ones I respect and get along with as people, but I rarely find value in their hero persona. Katsuki is a terrible hero because he never puts on a mask. He’s always himself, the rest of hero society be damned. He sets the standard he thinks heroes should meet and refuses to give up until he gets there. There’s no way to separate the hero from the person Katsuki is. 

It’s funny. By the time this profile is published, I’ll be a hostage of the League of Villains. I’m even writing this while I wait to exchange myself for Katsuki’s life. I know I should be terrified, but I can’t help being excited. Later tonight I have the chance to save my favorite hero. That’s not something many people will ever get to say.

And Katsuki, because I know you’re reading this. I hope one day you’ll forgive me. I’m sure you’re convincing yourself that you’ve lost because of all of this, but you didn't. You won’t lose because I won’t die. Thank you for being the worst hero this country has ever seen and apparently the one I needed to meet. I will never regret knowing you.

Katsuki didn’t cry. He didn’t feel despair or anger. Instead he laughed, long and loud. Ze was fucking ridiculous. The nerd had seriously spent the time he should have been thinking about saving himself writing a stupid fucking hero profile for Katsuki. He was also an idiot for even implying that Katsuki would ever give up.

Kirishima looked concerned, like his friend had finally snapped. 

“It got posted early this morning.” Kiri said carefully. “The internet’s already blown it up and it’s sorta trending worldwide.” 

“Doesn’t fucking matter, Shitty Hair.” Katsuki grinned. “We’ve got a nerd to save.”

~~~

Two days later and nothing had changed in regards to Ze. The heroes in charge of searching for the League’s hideout were completely incapable of finding anything helpful and Katsuki was having just as much luck in the hero database. Major change only came when Kiri would show him the latest numbers on his hero profile or Hawks’ P.R. team trying to get him to come in for meetings. Katsuki ignored them all. He’d waited his entire hero career for this chance, he could wait until he found Ze.

He’d started with heroes working in Tokyo since he assumed that was where Ze lived, given his knowledge of curry places and ability to meet up for a hostage swap less than an hour from downtown. Narrowing down the heroes who worked around the time the nerd would have been in high school didn’t help either. Apparently the number of heroes who had abuse records and missing or dead spouses was higher than the public was aware of. Details were all locked behind classified walls, but none of them matched Ze's story.

It took a day to rule out Tokyo and he spent the next one slowly expanding to nearby regions, finding nothing that fit either. As frustrating as it was, it gave him something to do besides think about the few minutes he’d been with Ze in person. Even distracted, his mind would remind him of the feeling of the man's hands on his shoulders and the brief moment when Ze had stopped him from falling. 

The nerd had sounded so afraid for Katsuki despite being the one willingly leaving with a dangerous villain group. His voice had been kind and Katsuki’s dreams were filled with soft words from the man. 

Kirishima had been giving him space, only interrupting his search to force him to eat, sleep, and get a new phone. He appreciated his friend’s silent support. It wasn’t often that someone understood that Katsuki didn’t need anyone standing in his way, but instead needed someone beside him to help. They also hadn’t talked about TetsuTetsu. It was a conversation that could wait until Ze was safe again.

Rather than reading before the mandated sleep, Katsuki would daydream about what him and Ze would do once this was over. He thought about listening to the nerd’s shitty music and cooking together, seeing his flustered look whenever Katsuki was flirting, getting to hold the man in his arms, and finally hearing that laugh in person. A few times he’d even reread the article, allowing the words to warm him under the covers. Katsuki would find Ze and once he did, there was no fucking way he would ever let go.

The third night he’d been out of the hospital, Katsuki got a call from Ze's phone. He gripped it in anger as he answered, the calming thoughts instantly gone.

“I swear I will end your fucking life if he’s hurt.” He growled quietly as to not wake Kiri in the living room.

“Have you just been sitting on your ass these past few days, hero?” Dabi’s raspy voice came through the phone.

Katsuki clenched his fists to avoid sending off sparks from his palms. The asshole wasn’t entirely wrong. Logically he knew taking time to rest and not panic was the only way he’d make progress, but the self-destructive voice in his head taunted him for being too relaxed.

Dabi sighed. “The alley off 22nd and Pacific Ave. Two hours.”

“Why the fuck would I go somewhere you’re telling me, Bacon Bits?” He tried thinking through Dabi’s play, but couldn’t imagine what the man was up to.

“I’m bringing him. So you’ll be there.” The villain lowered his voice, dripping with threats.

“Are you seriously setting up another fucking exchange? Is the nerd not giving you what you wanted?” Katsuki hoped Ze hadn’t gotten himself hurt by refusing the League.

“You’ll fucking be there and alone or I’ll ensure you never have the chance to see him again.” With that, the line went dead.

Katsuki knew it was fucking stupid to go. It was even stupider not to take backup or tell anyone where he would be, but if there was a chance he could save Ze, he’d take it. Dressing silently, he left a short note with the location for Kiri in case he didn’t come back and stepped out into the night to meet Dabi.

Chapter Text

The restraints the League used on Izuku weren’t anything compared to the quirk suppressing measures they took with Kaachan. Aside from Dabi, the rest of them likely thought Izuku was just some guy writing popular articles. They probably didn’t see any real need to protect themselves.

He should have been afraid of walking between Shigaraki and Mr. Compress, but Izuku was entirely calm. Heroes scared him because he could never tell when they would drop their public persona and become violent. Villains were more predictable. Their actions almost always lined up with their internal intentions. Despite Dabi’s promise to Kaachan, Izuku knew there was a decent chance of torture if he refused the League’s demands, but pain he could handle. Compared to the psychological fear of waiting for his stepdad to snap, pain was nothing. 

Mr. Compress made polite conversation on the way back, silencing Twice and Toga whenever they became too rambunctious. The only person who really worried him was Toga. The woman latched onto Izuku almost immediately and seemed to have a sick fascination with cutting him up. She seemed a touch unpredictable. 

“Can I get you something to drink, Ze?” Mr. Compress asked once they were sitting around a large table in the League’s base.

“It’s Izuku actually. Izuku Midoriya.” There was no point in hiding his identity, they could easily use his face to figure it out. 

“And I would love a glass of water.” Izuku said with a smile. This was a tactic he’d seen the Commission use while detaining him in the past. 

Shigaraki leaned forward against the table carefully analyzing his new captive. The rest of the members sat around aside from Dabi who was leaning against the wall behind Izuku. Having Dabi there only made Izuku more confident that he could handle whatever the League threw at him, not that the villain would protect him, but he doubted Dabi would have agreed if they intended to just kill him right away.

“Are you comfortable, Izuku?” Shigaraki asked.

He held his cuffed hands above the table as a response and laughed.

“Well we can’t exactly take those off especially since we don't have that hero as collateral.” Spinner scoffed.

“Plus Izuku looks like he’d actually hold up in a fight!” Toga crawled over to sit on the table beside him, brandishing a knife and tracing one the scars on Izuku’s arm.

“Yeah! We should put more restraints on him before he uses some powerful quirk.” Twice called before switching voices and replying to himself. “That’s a stupid idea. We should just kill him right now.”

“Both of you should be quiet before I kick you out.” Shigaraki snapped. Toga rolled her eyes and hid the knife away again. 

“He’s quirkless, but the guy can probably knock a few of us on our asses anyway.” Dabi said from behind him.

Izuku just shrugged in agreement, using both hands to sip the water Mr. Compress had returned with.

“I don’t mind chatting, but I’d rather save the get to you each other thing until I know what you want with me.” He said simply. 

“To the point. I knew we’d get along.” Mr. Compress said with a wide smile.

“You can drop the overly kind act. I analyze people for a living and tend to prefer honesty.” Izuku smirked up at the man. “This is about me visiting your boss right?”

“More specifically, what All for One wants you to write.” Shigaraki didn’t seemed surprised by Izuku’s guess.

“Well sorry to tell you guys, but I’m not interested.” He sat back.

“You’re a hostage, you moron! You don’t get a choice!” Spinner slammed a scaly fist on the table.

“You clearly have a distaste for the Commission. This has the potential to dismantle their entire operation.” Mr. Compress said smoothly. “All we are asking is that you return and write the article he asks.”

Izuku really disliked the man. He was fake and manipulative. 

“I figured that would be the case.” Izuku sighed. “Listen, you’re right. I don’t exactly love hero society, but that doesn’t mean I’m necessarily trying to destroy it either. Picking sides doesn’t interest me. If I help take down heroes, it doesn’t guarantee that the next group to takeover will be any less corrupt.” 

He turned to share a look with Dabi. The man probably knew that with enough time, given the information Izuku already had on high-ranking heroes, finding a way to partially collapse the Commission was well within his power. If he’d wanted to start down that path, he would have done so already.

“What if we can guarantee that when we take power things will be better. We want a fair world for everyone and you can help make sure that comes to fruition.” Mr. Compress bargained.

Izuku sighed. “The Hero Commission started off with good intentions too. They wanted to allow the people who were working to keep Japan safe to be paid and protected legally. What’s the saying about power?”

“With great power comes responsibility! ” Twice enthusiastically shouted.

“Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely… John Dalberg-Acton” Shigaraki offered up.

Izuku smiled at Twice. “Both are true actually. It’s not that I trust them over you, but they are a known variable. I have no way of knowing what your Japan would look like and honestly I think that people’s plans for when they hold power change once they actually achieve it.”

“The quote I was looking for was actually, Power is always dangerous. Power attracts the worst and corrupts the best. ” He stared pointedly at Mr. Compress. “Either you’re being attracted for the wrong reasons or are underestimating your ability to remain committed to your original goals. Goals, I might add, that I probably don’t align with.”

The room’s quiet was broken by Dabi snorting.

“Good fucking luck getting Izuku to do anything he doesn’t want to.” He said before walking out of the room.

“Hold on…” Toga laid back on the table. “So your issue isn’t that we’re the bad guys… but that anyone who has a lot of power ends up being bad guys?”

“Sort of. I just think that people with a lot of power end up doing bad things. People themselves aren’t good or bad on their own.” She sat up abruptly at Izuku’s statement.

Before she could respond, Shigaraki told her to take Izuku to a holding room. She glanced at Izuku’s face while escorting him into a small room with a few pieces of bedroom furniture. Rather than leaving, she closed them both in and skipped over to sit on the side of the small bed.

“If you don't think bad people exist, then to you… We aren’t bad?”

Izuku walked over to join her, keeping a polite amount of space between them.

“I know that all of you have done some bad things and hurt people, but everyone has the capacity for that, even heroes.” He explained. 

There didn’t look to be an immediate way out of the situation, but getting to know a few of his captors could be useful for the future. It also helped that his mind was wired to handle stress by analyzing anyone that potentially made him feel threatened.

“Sooo.. Izuku sees us the same as heroes?” She kicked her legs back and forth.

“I see you as people. People who do good things and people who do bad things.” He didn’t miss the bright grin she threw his way as she finally left. 

Izuku settled into the bed, wondering how long it would be before the gentle asking turned into something more forceful. 

~~~

Toga came to visit him a few more times throughout the day, even bringing Twice to play Go Fish. Izuku actually enjoyed getting to know the villains. They both had stories highlighting the systematic issues of the current hero society. It was easy to see how they’d been pulled in by Shigaraki’s promise of a better world for people like them.

“Toga! You can’t threaten to stab someone because they took your Ace.” Izuku laughed, pushing the girl off of him easily despite his still bound hands.

“Why not!” Toga pouted.

“Shigaraki doesn’t want us to hurt him…” Twice told her once again.

“But he’d look so much better all cut up and bleeding.” She licked her lips and leaned towards Izuku again.

Ignoring the knife threats and his restrained hands, he could almost pretend it was a late night playing games with friends. None of it changed the fact that both people in front of him were murders. He was playing a careful game befriending them, but the more people who were hesitant to kill him the better.

“Can I ask you two questions?” He tried to sound casual. “You don’t have to answer or anything, but I can’t help being curious.”

Toga seemed to think. “Can we ask you questions too?”

Perfect.

“I mean yeah, but I might not answer some of them either.” Izuku smiled. Befriending someone was the easiest way to get information out of them. He’d done it with countless heroes so why wouldn’t it work on villains too.

“Are you dating anyone!” Toga blurted out.

“No…” Izuku rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t really date…” 

The answer came less confident than normal. He’d been struggling with the feelings he’d been nurturing for his childhood friend. Kaachan seemed interested in him and definitely as more of an actual partner than Izuku was used to. His voice during the exchange had been so raw and protective that Izuku had broken down. 

It wasn’t that he doubted his feelings for the hero, he’d had crushes before, but never one he actually considered acting on. Daydreaming was probably pointless considering there was no way to predict how Kaachan would react to finding out Izuku was actually Ze.

“Hmm. Well, would you go out with me then?” She jumped into his lap, making Twice complain as Izuku’s cards went flying.

“I don’t think so, Toga.” Izuku said, trying to maneuver her back to the ground.

She huffed. “Is it because I’m a villain…”

He laughed. “No. It would probably be less complicated if I said that was the reason though.”

Toga looked at him expecting an explanation.

“I sort of like someone, but I don't think they would want us to be together. Honestly I don’t even know if I want to be with them either.” Izuku sighed. “We have a complicated past.”

“Well that’s stupid!” She stabbed her knife through one of the cards on the floor. “If you like someone and they like you, then you should date.”

Of course even villains would lecture Izuku about his romantic life. He turned to find Twice shifting awkwardly and glancing at the now rampaging girl. 

“I think sometimes people value the friendship they have with a person so much that they are afraid of losing that someone entirely.” Izuku smiled at the uncomfortable man. 

“Can I ask you guys a question now?” He spared Twice from any continuation of the topic. 

Toga stopped her murder spree of playing cards and nodded at him. Izuku thought hard. He had so many questions to ask, but he needed to find one that wouldn’t get him instantly shut out.

“Why Shigaraki?” He settled on. “I don’t mean it in a bad way, I just want to understand what makes you think he’d be a good leader.” 

Toga and Twice shared a look. Before either of them could answer, the door opened and Dabi told them to get out. He walked over to where Izuku had been playing cards and began to collect them.

“Remember how to play Gin?” The man asked as he sat.

“Of course I do! Probably can still kick your butt too.” Izuku gave him a thankful look.

“You were always too smart for your own good.” Dabi lips held the twinge of a smile.

They played in silence for a while, Izuku avoiding keeping track of which cards had knife holes to keep things fair. He still won almost every game. Dabi didn’t seem to mind, he would roll his eyes whenever the younger man called Gin and relegated himself to reshuffling.

“You’re stronger…” Dabi said after a few games. “Guess you kept taking my advice even after high school.”

“Yeah… Still freaked out by heroes though, but it’s better. The writing helps too.” Izuku didn’t miss the hint of pride that flashed over Dabi’s face before settling back into a neutral expression. 

“When I told you to analyze heroes to protect yourself I didn’t think you’d make a career out of it.” Dabi sighed.

“I’m good at it though. And I’ve actually met a few of them that are different…” He’d always been thankful to Dabi for suggesting writing after he’d seen Izuku’s hero notebooks. You can handle the fear you know Dabi had told him after a particularly bad panic attack.

“Like Ground Zero?” 

Izuku flinched at the tone. Telling Dabi about Kaachan while they lived together had been instinct. Kaachan was such a huge part of Izuku’s childhood that when Dabi and him talked about their pasts, it inevitably came up. Clearly the man remembered.

“He’s…” Izuku started.

“What? Different? He’s changed? Made himself a better person. Put on the mask of a hero!” Dabi spat. “People don’t change Izuku! Pieces of shit stay pieces of shit until they die!”

Izuku sat in silence. The villain’s anger didn’t upset him because he knew the man sat in front of him. He’d seen him at his lowest and never once did he hurt Izuku. Even now, Izuku was pretty sure the only reason Shigaraki wasn’t torturing him was Dabi. 

“I’m not the same kid you took in…” Izuku held eye contact. “And he’s not the same kid who hurt me.” 

It was a simplification at best. Kaachan was the same person, just one who lived and grew without the pressure and abuse of people like his mother.

“Your profile came out…” Dabi clenched his fists, crumpling a few of the already destroyed cards. “Did you mean what you wrote? Are you… Do you actually think he’s worth anything?”

“Yes.” There was no hesitation. 

“God damn it… And from the looks of it, you’ve got a disgusting crush on the guy too.” 

“I umm… I don’t know what it is.” Izuku answered honestly. “I know I want him back in my life as the person he’s become.”

Placing the cards down, showing his winning hand, Dabi stood up to leave. 

“I can’t protect you forever, Izuku. You’ve got maybe a day before your sweet talk stops working.”

“Wasn’t that the whole point of what you taught me in high school? For me to become strong enough to not rely on you.” Izuku called as he walked away.

“The point was to ensure no one could hurt you like that bastard did. Not have you put yourself in the middle of all this shit.” Dabi hesitated at the door.

“I just wanted you to be safe. I wanted to give you the chance to get away from a piece of shit hero that no one ever gave me.” He finally turned to look Izuku in the eyes. “Don’t throw it away by running into the same situation.”

With that, he left Izuku alone. Crawling into bed, he thought about what Dabi had said. He did need to be careful, but he trusted Kaachan and after the past few weeks there was no pushing away his growing desire to be around the man.

~~~

Dabi was right. It took a day before the gentle requests turned into threats and demands. By the next, they’d moved on to physical retaliation. 

It wasn’t anything Izuku hadn’t experienced with as a vigilante, but he knew by the looks on Dabi and Toga’s faces that he must look pretty beat up. Even Twice cried out during the harder hits. Shigaraki, Mr. Compress, and Spinner were the only ones who offered to partake. The other three stood quietly and watched. Izuku had been surprised when Toga turned down Shigaraki’s offer to let her take a knife to him. 

Bringing him back to his room that night, Toga didn’t look at him even after shutting the door behind them.

“Why don’t you just do what he wants, Izuku…” She finally broke the silence.

“Weren’t you the one who told me that people should do what they want?” He sank into his bed, not caring about tending to his wounds. None of them were bad enough to actually kill him.

Toga didn’t answer, but later that night he heard arguing coming from down the hallway. The more dissent there was in the League, the more opportunity there would be for him to escape. He needed to gain the trust of either Twice or Toga. It didn’t feel great using them since he genuinely enjoyed their company and felt sorry for the life they’d led, but there was no way Dabi would fall for any of his tricks. The guy had taught Izuku most of them anyway.

A few hours after the fighting had audibly died down, footsteps approached his door. Izuku pretended to be asleep and adjusted his body to defend against a potential attack. There was a chance one of the League members had gotten sick of Izuku driving a wedge into their little family and figured he was more useful dead. The door opened quietly and before he could react, a hand reached under the covers and grabbed his restraints.

In an instant blue flames reduced them to ash, leaving the licks of minor burns along his wrists. He was about to ask Dabi what was happening when a needle was plunged into his arm and the world faded from view.

Chapter Text

Katsuki arrived early to meet Dabi. There was no point in trying to get anything fucking done before leaving. He’d worn loose fitting clothing, using it to hide as much hero gear as he could manage. It wasn’t much, a few smaller grenades and a knife, but taking anything more could end up pissing the League off. 

He paced angrily trying to figure out what the fuck the villain could be gaining from this, until he finally heard the sound of footsteps. This whole thing was probably a fucking trap, but the chance of getting Ze back was worth the risk. Stepping out of the shadows was Dabi and in his arms he carried an unmoving figure covered in the villain's signature coat.

“How the fuck do I know that’s him?” Katsuki stopped pacing.

“Do you want him or not?” Dabi narrowed his eyes. “I can take him back to the League or just make sure you never see him again.”

The last part should have sounded like a threat, but it came across more like a protective warning. Katsuki closed the distance and held his arms out. The figure was laid in his arms with more care than he thought possible of the man he’d seen fry people alive. 

“Don’t tell me you found a conscience after all this time.” He ignored the urge to focus on the man in his arms.

“You’re a real piece of work, Bakugou.” Barely visible blue flames flickered from the villains fingertips. “Between the two of us, I’m not the one he’s afraid of.”

Katsuki felt anger bubble in his chest. After years of working so fucking hard he couldn’t stand some asshole like Dabi treating him like he was still nothing but violent freak. But he had Ze, or hopefully Ze, to worry about. There was no way he could protect the unconscious writer and take down Dabi. 

“Fucking whatever.” He started to walk past the villain towards the main streets.

“You don’t deserve to be in his life.” Dabi muttered as he went by. “You’re going to end up the same person you used to be.”

Whipping around to stare the man down, Katsuki startled when he saw the look behind the villain's eyes. Dabi was glaring at him with disgust. It was the exact look his mother had on her face every time Katsuki was around. 

“You don’t know shit about me and you don’t know shit about Ze.” Katsuki spat back, refusing to back down. If he had to fight while protecting the nerd, then he fucking would.

“I know more about the two of you than you think… Kaachan .” 

The body in Katsuki’s arms suddenly felt impossibly heavy. He hadn’t heard that nickname in years, not since middle school, not since…

“The fuck did you just call me?” He tried to sound threatening, but his voice cracked part way through the sentence.

“Oh I’m sorry, Kaachan .” Dabi held his arms open and laughed bitterly. “I bet he doesn’t call you that anymore. It really would spoil the whole anonymous writer thing.”

“It’s not…” Katsuki tried not to look down at the still covered face. 

“God! Are you that desperate to deny the fact that you’re carrying your childhood friend. ” His voice dropped to a dangerous growl. “Or can you not handle the fact that the boy whose life you made hell was still willing to sacrifice everything for you all these years later.” 

“Do you know how many nights he cried to me about you? All the stories he told me? I was the one who built him back up after you destroyed him! The one who helped him not be useless after you convinced him that’s all he could ever be!” Dabi was inches from him now. 

“I saw the pieces you left behind and if you ever hurt him or make him feel as unimportant as he used to feel…” The villain leaned into Katsuki’s space to whisper. “I’ll turn everyone you’ve ever cared about to ash and drown you in their melted bones.” 

With that, Dabi brushed past him and disappeared back into the night, leaving Katsuki with the unconscious body of the last person he’d ever thought he’d see again. 

Snapping himself out of shock, he didn’t waste any more time walking out to the street and calling an ambulance. Katsuki wasn’t sure if the writer needed medical attention. He waited on the sidewalk with his eyes pinched shut until he heard sirens.

“Ground Zero!” One of the paramedics called out. He reminded himself that since Ze's hero profile on him, more random people would probably recognize him in public.

He let the man take Ze from him, turning away while they put him in the back of the vehicle.

“Did you want to ride with us? Or are you on duty?” The guy asked Katsuki.

“Fine.” Katsuki hesitated. “I’m fucking riding up front.”

No one argued as the hero climbed into the passenger seat. The nerd had wanted to keep what he looked like from Katsuki even while being kidnapped. Though Katsuki knew it was probably just to hide his identity, it was still a boundary he refused to cross without permission.

“Excuse me, Ground Zero, sir. Do you have any information on the victim?” Someone called from the back.

Victim… That implied something had visibly happened. Or maybe they had just assumed shit since a hero was the one bringing him in. Jumping to conclusions would just piss him off more. Closing his eyes, Katsuki could hear the soft beep of vital signs, so at the very least he wasn’t dead.

“Ummm sir? We can’t find any identification on him and medical records would help us understand what’s going on and warn us if there are any allergies to medication.” 

“Izuku Midoriya.” Katsuki finally spoke the words aloud. “That’s his name. He was most likely drugged.”

There was a pause that made Katsuki want to turn around and scream.

“Ah… yes. We do have him in the system and the photo matches.” Another pause. “I umm… You didn’t look at his condition before calling us?”

“No.” He replied curtly.

“Okay… Well I’m telling you this because you’re a hero and should probably find whoever did this to him.” The man said quickly. “They did a lot more than drug him. Honestly, with some of these injuries… I’d guess he was beaten or tortured.”

Tortured… The nerd was only captured by the League because he’d traded with Katsuki. It would have been fucked up if Ze had been some guy Katsuki had met in the last few weeks, but Izuku… Katsuki had caused the boy so much pain during their childhoods. If Izuku somehow didn’t hate him after everything, he fucking definitely did now.

Tuning out everything except Izuku’s heart monitor beeping, Katsuki hunched over and for the first time since he was a child, he openly sobbed. They were gut wrenching tears that sucked the air from his lungs. It was silent, but his heart burned and more than once he nearly vomited. By the time they reached the ER, Katsuki felt hollow and drained. Sharp inhales were the only sounds he could manage while he waited for Izuku to be brought inside.

“Ground Zero?” The driver placed a hand on the hero’s shoulder. “You can go up with him if you want.”

He did want to. More than anything, he wanted to hold the nerd and personally oversee every treatment, but Katsuki walked into the waiting area and slumped into a chair near the back. There weren’t enough people there to notice his welted red eyes and if they did, they weren’t stupid enough to ask questions.

Now that the nerd was in a place that could take care of the injuries he apparently fucking had, Katsuki allowed himself to think. Ze was Izuku which meant that everything they’d talked about over the phone… 

He remembered when Izuku moved away, he never knew why after the sludge villain attack the boy had avoided him like the plague. Not that Katsuki blamed him. The writer blocking him after one threatening comment made a fuck lot more since now too. But that also meant Izuku had lived with an abusive hero. Fuck… It meant that Aunty Inko was gone. She was dead and the boy who he remembered loving heroes to an almost creepy amount had it all destroyed by some abusive fucking wanna-be. 

Katsuki suddenly reddened remembering the blatant flirting he’d put the guy through. No fucking wonder he’d been so uncomfortable with it… Anyone would be freaked if their god damn bully started trying to fuck them. The nerd flirting back was probably just Izuku being too terrified to keep turning Katsuki down. It was a thought that choked him up again and he fought down tears.

None of this changed how he felt. His crush on the man pulsed in his throat and he wanted to rip it out. Dabi was fucking right. There was no world in which Katsuki deserved to be in Izuku’s life. He remembered the article Ze had written. When he’d read it, he was so sure that the nerd liked him back, but knowing Izuku at best it was probably the same misplaced admiration the dumbass always gave him growing up. 

Katsuki knew the right thing would be to walk out of the hospital and let Izuku live his life far away from an asshole like him. He tried to convince himself that he could do it. Just leave, no matter how much it would destroy him. But he stayed sitting, unwilling to take the steps to go to Izuku or to leave him behind. 

Beating himself internally for being fucking selfish, he almost missed two other heroes walk up to the ER desk and speak to the nurse. Eraserhead and Shinso didn’t notice him as they were led further into the hospital. There was no point in talking to them. Katsuki definitely looked like shit and they were probably here checking up on a lead or something.

The same nurse they’d spoken to came up and offered him a cup of water. He took it without responding and they left him quietly. Water coated his dry throat and numbed some of the thoughts, but his hands shook slightly while drinking.

Pulling out his phone to text his therapist and tell her that he needed her next open appointment, it lit up on its own with a phone call. Katsuki recognized the contact and stared frozen at the name before finally hitting accept.

“Are you seriously going to just sit in the lobby?” 

He inhaled shakily at the voice he’d come to find so comforting.

“I mean I figured you’d left after figuring out who I was, but then a nurse told me that you’re sulking in the waiting area…” 

The shaking spread and it took every bit of effort he had left not to let Izuku hear it in his ragged breathing.

“Are you seriously so mad that you won’t even talk to me!”

“I’m not angry with…” Katsuki finally choked out before being interrupted.

“Then get your ass up here before I tear out this IV and drag you up here myself.” The phone call ended abruptly. Katsuki would have chuckled at the nerd’s threat if it wasn’t for the looming idea of actually seeing Izuku.

Still, he found his feet and walked to ask the nurse what room Izuku was in. They had no issue letting Katsuki go up since heroes were allowed at all times. He barely noticed the hallways pass by while he followed posted signs to Izuku’s room. Before he could enter the hallway he’d been searching for, Eraserhead and Shinso turned in front of him. 

Eraserhead seemed to take note of Katsuki’s condition and set a hand briefly on his shoulder before continuing towards the exit. Shinso on the other hand scoffed at him.

“The fuck do you want, Mind Freak?” He asked under his breath.

“What do I… Are you actually kidding me?” Shinso grabbed the front of Katsuki’s collar and slammed him into the wall.

“What the actual fuck!” He snarled and tore off the man’s grip.

“Don’t give me that! You’re the one who made a huge deal about being a good partner and providing backup. Hell, you made it sound like Aizawa Sensei and I were horrible for letting him go off on his own all the time.” Shiso didn’t back down physically.

“This isn’t the goddamn time!” Katsuki didn’t give a fuck about anything right now except Izuku. 

“Not the time?” Shinso pushed an open hand against his chest, knocking him back again. “Not the time? When he’s just woken up from being drugged and tortured! Are you actually kidding me? What happened to having his back? What happened to treating him like an equal despite being unlicensed? Honestly, Bakugo, I thought you might have actually changed, but you really don’t give a damn about anyone else do you?”

It hit Katsuki that the same hallway Eraserhead and Shinso had come from was where Izuku’s room was… Drugged… Tortured…

“Izuku…” He said softly as if the word would break him.

“I don’t care that he trusted you with his identity, Bakugo. You knew he would run off without help and you just let him?” Shinso shook his head and walked away muttering to himself angrily.

Katsuki’s knees gave out and he let himself lean against the wall, processing that Izuku had not one secret identity, but fucking two. The same nerd who’d freaked out over Kirishima being mildly upset at him, was also the one who’d thrown Katsuki on his ass in a warehouse. 

It meant that both men Katsuki had been hitting on happened to be the same person, but that was less of a relief and more just another thing to add to the list of Katsuki making Izuku wildly uncomfortable. Thinking back to meeting Nim and fighting for the first time, he remembered how jumpy the vigilante had been. Katsuki, like everyone else, had assumed it was the guy playing around with a hero before actually fighting back. Now it seemed a lot more likely that being hit by the same fists that had hurt him as a kid sent Izuku into some sort of panicked state. 

Katsuki really fucking hated himself.

He knew the longer he stayed on his ass in the hallway, the more likely Izuku would make good on his threat to come find him. Standing up, he made his way to the door and pushed it opened.

Neither of them said anything as Katsuki entered the room. He was careful and locked his eyes on the floor in front of his feet. Crossing the visual boundary wasn’t something he would do without permission, plus, from what everyone had said, Izuku was visibly hurt and Katsuki knew it was his fucking fault.

“Wow…” 

Katsuki clenched his eyes closed to stop himself from looking up. The voice was one he could recognize anywhere. It was the same one he’d spent nights dreaming about hearing in person again.

“You really hate me that much…” Izuku said softly.

“The fuck…” Katsuki managed to start before being cut off.

“I mean I knew you would hate me after finding out I was actually Ze, but this is more than I expected.” 

“I don’t hate you…” He got out, eyes still shut.

Izuku laughed. It was one he recognized from their calls. He hated that laugh, it was just so fucking empty.

“You can’t even look at me… I thought the doctor was joking when she told me you even refused to ride in the back of the ambulance.” 

“That’s not… I don’t hate you.” He didn’t know how to explain that he didn’t want to cross a line Izuku had set for him too soon.

“Then fucking look at me, Kaachan!” Izuku's raised voice made him flinch.

Katsuki’s eyes snapped open and he raised them to the hospital bed. Izuku was crying because of course he was. Big stupid tears fell down his freckled face. He looked older, but still had a lot of the same boyish features. His lip was split and Katsuki noticed a few older looking scars scattered around his noticeably sharper jaw. The floppy green hair Katsuki always thought of was shorter now, still long on the top, but the nerd had a faded undercut that he clearly forgot the upkeep for regularly. 

“Hi…” Izuku tried to smile, but winced as he started to reopen the wound on his face.

It almost made Katsuki laugh. He was stupidly attractive even with his expression switching between pain and anger. 

“I ummm… You can use my old nickname if it's easier for you.” He looked away from the hero.

Katsuki promised himself a long time ago that he’d never call Izuku Deku again and sure as fuck wasn’t about to go back on that. 

“I don’t mind… Just talk to me, Kaachan.” The nerd pleaded quietly.

“Hi, Izuku.” Katsuki finally managed.

The toothy grin he was rewarded with felt like it started Katsuki’s heart beating for the first time in his life. Blood immediately started to drip from Izuku’s reopened lip and onto his chin.

“Mother fucker…” Katsuki cursed. “You’re a fucking idiot.”

He rushed over to the side of the bed, grabbing Izuku’s chin and started dabbing the cut with some gauze the nurses had left out. 

“Honestly, Izuku. You’re beat to hell already and you’re seriously trying to get this thing infected?” He scolded.

It was then that he noticed how close he was to Izuku. They’re faces were inches from each other. He glanced up to Izuku’s eyes and back to the jaw and lips he was holding. The tears had stopped and the nerd was looking up at him in astonishment.

“Fuck… Sorry.” Katsuki dropped the gauze and stepped back quickly. 

Izuku snorted before launching into bright laughter. Katsuki cursed again as more blood started dripping out of the wound. 

“Would you fucking knock it off before I call the staff!” He snapped.

“Sorry, Kaachan. I know my laugh is stupid, but I’ve just never seen you so jumpy.” Izuku covered his lip, slowing the blood.

“That’s not…” Katsuki tried to find words between your laugh is the most incredible sound I’ve ever heard, and shut the fuck up. 

“It’s not stupid, nerd.” He settled on.

“It's okay. I know it sounds weird.” Izuku brushed him off.

“It’s not! I like it.” Katsuki argued.

“Oh…” 

They stayed in silence for a few minutes, Izuku stopping the blood and Katsuki slowly taking in the man laying in bed. 

He already had a good idea of what Izuku’s body looked like in clothing after working with him as Nim. Honestly even without Shinso, Katsuki might have put it together on the guy’s hands alone. The light freckles continued up Izuku’s forearms and onto his biceps. He definitely didn’t have as many growing up. Even Nim’s distinctive scars were there. A few wraps and bandages probably meant that whatever the League had done to Izuku would be leaving behind more.

Katsuki wasn’t even surprised that Izuku had traded himself over to the League. It fit the self sacrificing nature he’d had as a kid all too fucking well. He was surprised when Ze agreed to the trade, given they’d only known each other a few weeks. A part of him had hoped that the writer was as emotionally invested as Katsuki was, but Izuku… Izuku probably would have done it even before the interview.

“Why the fuck did you go along with the hostage swap…” Anger was easier than saying thank you.

“ Wow, Izuku! You’re so brave and wonderful for getting me out of a deadly situation. ” The nerd started to parody. “ I never expected you to grow into such a capable, attractive man. ”

“You done?” Katsuki rolled his eyes at the bad imitation of himself.

“Nope!” Izuku said with a grin before starting again. “ The reason I stayed in the lobby is because it was just too intimidating to see you again…”

Katsuki pulled a chair up next to Izuku’s bed.

“You aren’t wrong about any of that, but that doesn’t make you pulling that shit any less stupid.” He noticed how Izuku’s eyes widened at Katsuki’s admission.

“I… ummm…” The nerd started sputtering. “I’m not useless like I used to be, Kaachan….”

“Like I couldn’t figure that shit out after you laid me on my ass in a warehouse… Also you were never fucking useless, dumbass.” He looked away. Izuku should have known after everything that Katsuki never meant useless as an insult to him.

“You… knew?” Izuku seemed shocked.

“No shit. Ran into Eraserhead and Mindjack on the way in. Shinso had some nasty words for me about letting you run off on your own …” Katsuki stared pointedly at the nerd.

“Oh… He does tend to get upset when I do that.” Izuku rubbed the back of his neck. 

Katsuki sighed. “Shinso was right. You really should have backup going into a hostage trade…”

“Well my partner happened to be the one who got caught first.” Izuku teased.

“Yeah, your partner is a real dumbass…” He snorted back.

“Sorry you ran into them though. I’m sure finding out right after the whole Ze thing probably upset you. It’s just that Eraserhead is sort of my emergency contact since I don’t exactly have much family…” Izuku trailed off.

Katsuki wanted to hug the pathetic sadness off the nerd’s face, but Izuku definitely didn’t need that shit right now.

“I don’t want to talk about my mom…” He spoke up before Katsuki could say anything. “I’ll answer other questions… Just not about her…”

There were so many things he wanted to ask, but a lot of them had answers Katsuki didn’t want to hear. If this was the last time Izuku would have Katsuki in his life, he couldn’t waste it.

“Was Dabi the one who took you in?” Katsuki settled on. “The asshole is crazy protective of you.”

“Yeah… He had a similar experience with a hero so when he found me, I guess he took me in out of pity…I know he’s done a lot of terrible things, but…” Izuku looked away. “Without him I honestly don’t know what would have happened to me.”

“Here I thought the asshole had a crush on you or some shit.” Katsuki didn’t miss the blush spreading quickly over Izuku’s face. 

He sighed. Of fucking course Izuku had a crush on that guy, but Dabi had been better to Izuku than he ever had so he couldn’t exactly blame the nerd.

“No!” Izuku said quickly, waving his hands around and wincing when the IV moved too much. “Dabi is like a brother. He taught me a lot, but that’s not… He doesn’t… It’s really not like that.”

“Yeah…” Katsuki ignored the relief filling his chest. “Was he the one who taught you how to fight then?”

“Sort of? He was pretty busy with the League, but he did teach me the basics. It was to help with the whole hero panic thing. I mean if you think it’s bad now…” Izuku trailed off avoiding Katsuki’s eyes again.

It was a question he needed to ask. They were alone in a room and if there was any chance that Izuku would let Katsuki be in any part of his life, they needed to address it.

“Are you afraid of me, Izuku?” He made sure to hold his face steady. Izuku’s reaction was more important than his words. 

The nerd slowly met his eyes, opening and closing his mouth a few times.

“Kaachan…” Izuku reached out his hand towards Katsuki.

“Answer me.” Katsuki said firmly.

Izuku retracted his hand and Katsuki immediately regretted saying anything.

“Not… Not anymore.” Izuku finally said quietly.

“I don’t believe you.” 

The nerd was definitely nervous with him being here. Tears started forming in Izuku’s eyes and Katsuki had to look away. He needed to leave Izuku alone. He needed to let the guy live his life. Katsuki stood up and started towards the door.

“Don’t… Please don’t leave, Kaachan.” Izuku hiccupped.

He pinched his thigh, trying to drown out the sound of Izuku’s sobs.

“I don’t want you to go… I…” The sobs got quieter. “I just found you again.”

Katsuki’s heart felt like it might beat out of his chest. The nerd had done so much for him, in the past and now. He had to be sure.

“What do you want, Izuku?” He said firmly.

“I just want you to stay… I just want a chance to be in your life again. Please?” Izuku pleaded.

He whipped back around making Izuku startle. Closing the distance between them carefully, watching Izuku’s reactions, he stood over the man’s bed.

Izuku looked timid, but his hands gripped the bed sheets with determination. “I like having you around, Kaachan. I… I like the person you’ve become.”

Katsuki’s body felt like it had been lit on fire. Logically, he knew the nerd hadn’t meant it the way he wanted, but hearing those words were enough to send him spiraling. There was no way he could open his mouth without his feelings spilling out. Izuku looked up at him, noticing the silence.

“I guess I just wanted the chance to keep doing what we were doing before you knew I was Ze.” He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. 

“You want to be friends with me?” 

“If… If that’s alright, Kaachan.” Izuku shrunk into the bed.

Friends… Katsuki could do that. It was a lot more than he’d expected and a hell of a lot more than he deserved. It was a chance to be in Izuku’s life. The thought alone snuck a small smile onto the hero's face and he reached forward to tussle Izuku’s hair without thinking.

“Okay, nerd.” Katsuki sat back down. “Friends…”

He rolled his eyes at the fresh drop of blood trickling down the idiot’s chin from smiling again. Katsuki would get to see the nerd’s face, hear his laugh, and be by his side, even if it wasn’t exactly how he’d wanted. It would be enough.

“You don’t have to stay. Most of the injuries are pretty minor now and the drug will be out of my bloodstream in time for me to be discharged later today.” Izuku told him after they’d sat together in silence.

He hated the thought of leaving Izuku. It was likely that the nerd had dealt with a lot more serious injuries running around as Nim, but given that the League had just held him captive…

“You live alone right?” Katsuki asked.

“I mean yeah?” Izuku said, looking confused by the question.

“Someone needs to stay and protect you for a while.” He said firmly.

Izuku’s mouth fell open slightly.

“Kaachan! I don’t need a babysitter. I can take care of myself just fine.” 

“Yeah… You’re capable as hell, but you also probably have the League coming after you and now that they know Ze's identity, it won’t be hard for them to find you again. There’s also the mess of the Commission still leading a manhunt for you.” Katsuki explained.

“There’s a handful of heroes I get along with so unless one of them volunteers for the job, it’s a definite no.” Izuku pouted.

He looked cute, crossing his arms with a childish glare on his face. Katsuki wanted to pinch his cheeks and tease him for being such a baby. 

“Tell me their names and I’ll find one who will do it.” He had a sinking feeling that the two most likely candidates were Eraserhead and Shinso. Eraserhead wouldn’t be so bad, but knowing Shinso and Izuku’s past, Katsuki really wanted to avoid them being at Izuku’s place for long periods of time alone.

“You, Shinso, Aizawa, and To…” Izuku stopped himself.

“Me?” Katsuki was too dumbstruck to notice the cut off final name.

“Of course you, Kaachan.” The nerd laughed awkwardly. “But it’s not like you’d waste your time doing that, so I can probably just ask Shinso.”

“No!” Katsuki’s voice came out louder than he meant. 

“No.” He said quieter. “I fucking do it, nerd.”

The smile on Izuku’s face was shy and matched the subtle blush. Fuck… The nerd was too god damn attractive. Living with him would be fucking hell.

“Okay! If you want you can go get some things from your place while I’m waiting to get cleared.” Izuku said brightly.

It was a good idea, but Katsuki wasn’t about to be dragged away from the nerd for anything.

“Nah. You can go with me tomorrow to pick up clothing. I’ll be fine for tonight.” He brushed off.

“I’ll get to see where you live! You can just borrow some of my clothing tonight. You’re definitely bigger than me…” Izuku’s eyes wandered down Katsuki’s frame, causing both men to blush.

“That’s not! I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to imply that you’re bigger or anything, not saying that you aren’t. I mean honestly it would make sense given your body and your hands that you would be, not that it’s a problem if you weren’t. I wouldn’t judge you or anything like that and I’m sure you’d still make a great partner in bed. I just…”

Katsuki held his burning face in his hands. “Hey, nerd… You gotta stop muttering about my dick.”

“Ah!” Izuku squeaked. “Sorry, Kaachan. I just meant that I probably have clothing that’s too big for me…” 

He leaned forward, awkwardly hiding the half erection he got from just thinking about Izuku’s dick and groaned. Staying at the nerd’s was something he needed to do to protect the idiot, but he was already seeing a few flaws in his plan. As long as Izuku stayed clothed and avoided rambling about Katsuki’s dick size, things would be okay. Probably.

“We need to figure out what to tell the Commission.” Katsuki changed the subject. “Since Shinso and Eraserhead think you’re in here for being a dumbass vigilante, everyone probably thinks Ze is still with the League.”

Izuku hummed in thought. 

“How about telling them that you and Nim managed to get Ze from the League? It would explain how I ended up here and outside of you, no heroes would know Ze's identity.” He said after a moment.

It would definitely fit and he doubted the Commission would spend too long looking into the story. Ze could probably tweet something stupid about being safe and everyone would hopefully shut the fuck up about it. 

“I’m the only hero who knows your Ze?” Katsuki asked slowly.

“Umm yeah?” Izuku seemed uncomfortable again. “The Commission used to try pressuring me to write about certain heroes and if they found out Ze was connected to Nim… I’d probably have to either give up writing what I wanted or give up being Nim.”

Katsuki grunted. It made sense that the fuckheads in charge would use Nim as a way to control Ze’s writing. 

“Oi, nerd.” He remembered talking to Kiri about the interview process. “Why didn’t you have me sign that fucking contract? People thought I was crazy when I told them I hadn’t signed shit for you.”

“Oh.” The nerd’s face flushed. “I forgot…”

Katsuki rubbed his face. “Are you fucking kidding me…”

Izuku giggled. “I probably wouldn’t have made you sign one anyway.”

“You’re a fucking dumbass. Why the fuck not?” Katsuki tried not to sound hopeful.

“I mean you’re Kaachan.” Izuku leaned over and moved Katsuki’s hand from his face. 

He tried to pull his hand back, but Izuku gripped it tighter. Katsuki could feel the calluses and groves from his scars. It made him shiver. 

“The nurse said I should try to get some rest…” The nerd looked shyly at him through long eyelashes. “Can you stay like this until I’m asleep?”

After asking, Izuku slowly intertwined their fingers until they were holding hands. Katsuki felt the other man’s hand tremble slightly in his own before squeezing back slightly.

“Sure thing, Izuku.”

He hesitated before whispering. "Thanks for saving me again..."

Izuku squeezed his hand with a soft smile. "Anything for Kaachan."

It didn’t take long before Izuku was asleep and breathing softly. Katsuki knew he should find something to eat or start talking to the Commission, but instead he just enjoyed the nerd dreaming peacefully. 

Chapter Text

“Kaachan…” 

Katsuki jolted awake to see Izuku awkwardly smiling at him.

“I sort of need to sign the release forms…” Izuku blushed down at their still connected hands.

He reluctantly let go and Izuku finished the paperwork the staff had brought him. Looking at the time, most of the day had passed and Katsuki’s stomach reminded him that he’d been neglecting food for too long.

Stepping out to let the nerd change, he thought over how all of this would work. Staying with Izuku, he could work on getting over his shitty crush and focus on being a decent friend. Katsuki could definitely do that. Sure, he was fucking bad at making friends, but Izuku already knew that and still asked him to stay.

His face heated up remembering Izuku’s definitely not a confession confession. There were so many reasons he couldn’t ask the nerd out. After reading romance manga for years, Katsuki had decided that the most important part in maintaining a relationship was trust. Asking Izuku to trust him like that was just fucking selfish.

The nerd interrupted his thoughts by stepping out into the hallway. Katsuki was already a few steps behind before he noticed Izuku was talking to him.

“Oi, nerd. Repeat that.” Katsuki caught up to him.

“I was saying that I technically have a second bedroom, but it’s set up to be an office. Not that I actually use it as one, but my couch is pretty comfortable and one of us can use that until I get a bed for the other room. Depending on how long you’re planning to play guard dog that is.” Izuku fell into step beside him.

They walked to the train station together discussing the logistics of where everyone would sleep. Katsuki had to shove down the horny voice in his head tempting him to ask Izuku to just share the bed. He finally convinced the nerd to sleep in his own bed considering his injuries and the fact that it was his fucking house.

Katsuki hadn’t been out much since the hero profile had been released and wasn’t expecting the number of people who tried to stop him. Most of them he ignored, but sometimes Izuku would force him to stop and sign autographs. He just wanted to go to Izuku's house and fucking eat something.

“We need to stop by a store.” Katsuki said once they reached Izuku’s train stop.

“I mean we could just…”

Katsuki cut him off immediately. “If you’re about to suggest whatever fucking crap you normally put into your body…”

“Hey now! Don’t call Shinso crap.” The nerd winked up at him.

“What the fuck are you…” It dawned on Katsuki that Izuku was talking about Mindfreak fucking him and he stopped to gawk at the smaller man.

Izuku laughed. “Oh come on, Kaachan. We’re supposed to be friends right? Friends joke about their sex lives and I have to make up for the lack of yours.”

He was right. Being friends did mean shit like that, but it didn’t stop the twist in Katsuki’s gut.

“Not with fucking Mindfreak.” Katsuki mumbled. 

“But Kaachan, you really should see what he can do with those capture ropes…” 

“I don’t want to hear about your god damn sex life, Izuku!” He finally snapped.

Before the nerd could jump back in fear, Katsuki knelt on the sidewalk cupping his face in his hands. Keeping his cool would was difficult even without the pangs of jealousy. 

Izuku crouched in front of him and forced his hands out of the way. The nerd didn’t seem afraid of his outburst, but had worry lines and soft eyes. 

“Okay, Kaachan. No more sex talk. I’m sorry for pushing it.”

That definitely wasn’t what Katsuki had meant, but if he had to hear Izuku talk about Shinso fucking him again, he might blow something up. 

Not waiting for him, Izuku grabbed one of his wrists and pulled him down the street, dropping his grip once they found a grocery store. They didn’t talk as Katsuki picked out the ingredients he needed to make a few meals.

Izuku’s building was a lot nicer than where Katsuki lived. It even had a lobby with a man sitting by the front desk talking to a few residents. He gave Katsuki a concerned look before returning to his conversation.

“Don’t mind him.” Izuku brushed off. “He’s just not used to me bringing people back through the main lobby.”

“Whatever.” Katsuki really didn’t want an explanation.

They rode the elevator up to the seventh floor and Izuku popped open one of the apartment’s doors, letting Katsuki enter first.

“It’s nothing impressive and it’s a bit of a mess, but the kitchen is nice so whatever you make should turn out pretty good.”

He took off his shoes and followed Izuku further in. The place was decorated with decent furniture and the couch looked comfortable enough to sleep on.

The nerd’s kitchen was modern and spacious. Katsuki desperately wanted to try out a few new recipes with all the extra room. After asking Izuku a few questions about where things were located, it became incredibly clear that the nerd never actually cooked.

“Seriously… How the fuck do you have a stove like this and no clue where your frying pans are?” Katsuki grumbled digging through the cabinets before finally finding some.

“Pretty sure it’s been established that I’m not the domestic one here…” Izuku sat up on the counter to watch Katsuki.

He rolled his eyes. “Go move your papers to your actual fucking office so we can eat at the table.”

“There’s plenty of room at the island though…” Izuku wined.

Before Katsuki could think, he walked over to Izuku, grabbed his waist and set him on the floor. It was something he did when Kaminari wouldn’t get out of his kitchen, but the moment Izuku’s feet touched down, they both froze. Hot oil sizzled in the background as they stayed inches from each other.

Katsuki was about to step back and apologize when Izuku’s arms wrapped around his torso and pulled him into a hug. After a moment, Katsuki relented and pulled the nerd closer, his heart pounding as Izuku buried his face in Katsuki’s shoulder.

“Thank you, Kaachan…” Izuku mumbled.

He couldn’t find the words to respond so he just wrapped the nerd tighter in his arm. This was something friends did. Kaminari latched onto him all the time and Kiri had always been touchy so something like this was probably normal for Izuku. As much as he tried convincing his body of that, feeling Izuku against him filled his head with every thought he’d been trying to avoid. 

Katsuki pulled away and turned to continue cooking.

“Clean off the table, nerd.” He said, hoping he’d stopped the hug before Izuku had noticed his arousal.

“Yes, sir!” Izuku brushed against his back as he left the kitchen.

Ignoring the feeling he got from hearing Izuku calling him sir, Katsuki finished dinner. When he brought out each of their servings, the table had been cleaned off and Izuku was typing something on his laptop.

“Oi. Put that away. We’re eating.”

“One second, Kaachan. I’m finishing an email to the Commission from Ze explaining our story. They will probably want to hear from you to confirm, but this is at least a…” Izuku trailed off when he saw the bowl in front of him.

Figuring it had been a long time since the nerd actually ate a home cooked meal, Katsuki went back into the kitchen to get them water. When he came back Izuku was dripping tears into his dinner. 

“Fuck…” Katsuki cursed, stopping himself from moving to wipe the tears away. “Izuku. What happened?”

“It’s katsudon…” Izuku whispered.

Was this something to do with Izuku’s mom? She had made it a lot when they were kids, but Katsuki assumed Izuku had eaten it since she died. Did he somehow manage to fuck up making Izuku dinner?

“I mean yeah… It was your favorite growing up.” 

Izuku looked up at him, still crying. “You… You remembered.”

“You really think you're that forgettable?” Katsuki sat beside him, shoving a napkin onto his lap.

"I mean... Yeah?"

He sighed and handed the other napkin to the nerd. "Not for me, Izuku."

After wiping his tears, Izuku started devouring his bowl. They were both starving after going most of the day without proper food and despite it not being one of Katsuki’s usual dishes, it turned out pretty well. 

“You really would make a great househusband, Kaachan!” Izuku joked as they cleaned their plates.

Katsuki rolled his eyes.

“I mean it was such a lovely view watching you cook me dinner…” He turned to wink.

“You don’t have to do that.” Katsuki clenched the dish towel in his hand.

Izuku looked confused.

“You don’t have to flirt with me because you feel fucking pressured.” He clarified. 

“I’m…” 

“It’s fucking late. If you have clothing for me that fit, I'll take them.” Katsuki cut him off.

Izuku glanced at the time. It was definitely too early even for Katsuki to go to bed, especially since both of them had slept most of the day off in the hospital.

“Sure thing, Katsuki…” Izuku said quietly before disappearing into his bedroom and returning with a pair of shorts and a T-shirt.

“There aren’t any toiletries in the second bathroom so you can use mine first…” 

Katsuki quickly got ready for bed, ignoring the constant eyes on him as he did. The nerd didn’t say anything, but seemed to be on edge the entire time. He probably didn’t like being called out for being afraid of turning Katsuki down.

When Izuku closed himself into his bedroom and Katsuki let out a breath. Being around Izuku was more difficult than he had expected. The guy seemed to be incapable of not tugging at Katsuki’s fucking heartstrings with everything he did.

He rolled over on the couch and groaned. 

~~~

Soft footsteps padded across the living room floor near the couch Katsuki was supposed to be sleeping on. If he had actually been able to fucking sleep, he might have missed them. Instead he saw a figure in the darkness walking towards the balcony leading outside.

Throwing the blanket off his body and lunging forward, he knocked the person to the ground and pinned them on their stomach.

“Alright, fucker. One move and you’re dead!” Katsuki felt the person tense under his grip.

“Ummm… Kaachan?” Izuku’s voice was muffled by the carpet Katsuki was currently shoving his face into.

He recoiled immediately, backing up until he bumped the wall. 

“Fuck… I didn’t… What the fuck are you even doing, Izuku!” Katsuki cursed, hoping he hadn’t just sent the nerd into a panic attack by jumping him in the middle of the night.

Izuku rolled over and sat up to face him.

“Sorry about that, Kaachan. I couldn’t sleep so I thought I’d go for a quick run.” He laughed awkwardly, looking away.

“And you thought to leave out of the fucking balcony!” Katsuki was shaking now. “You fucking realize that people are after you right? I’m sleeping on your shitty couch to protect your ass and you just were going to wander off into the night!”

His lungs weren’t getting air fast enough and he had to close his eyes to stop the room from spinning. He’d just attacked Izuku, the one person he definitely shouldn't be throwing to the fucking ground.

“I told you I don’t need a babysitter!” Izuku’s voice was getting closer and more perturbed. “Honestly! I’m a god damn vigilante and you really think I can’t…”

Katsuki waited for more anger, but instead a hand gently brushed his forearm. He flinched and opened his eyes to see Izuku staring up at him. 

“Kaachan. You’re shaking.” Izuku said softly. “What’s wrong…”

“Fucking nothing!” Katsuki’s voice cracked as he denied it.

Izuku sat on the floor and motioned for Katsuki to do the same. He sank down, incapable of making eye contact with the man. The sensation of Izuku’s hand on his arm was the only thing keeping him grounded.

“I fucking attacked you.” Katsuki finally admitted. “I didn’t fucking mean to, but I still did.”

“You’re like this because you threw me on the ground?” 

“No shit, Izuku! It’s fucked up in the first place because I’m a hero, but then there’s everything I fucking did to you as kids and…” He finally looked at Izuku’s eyes that hadn’t left him since coming closer. They were as kind as he remembered.

“You’re that scared of hurting me?” Izuku wondered aloud.

“No shit, nerd. You…” He was interrupted by Izuku climbing into his lap and pulling him close.

“I’m okay, Kaachan. It takes a lot more than that to hurt me these days.” 

Feeling the smaller frame in his arms, Katsuki could tell how sturdy it was. He’d expected the nerd to be freaking out, but Izuku was gently rubbing his back and whispering promises of being uninjured into his chest. After a few minutes the panic subsided.

Izuku noticed his regular breathing and gently pushed himself onto the floor. Neither of them spoke for a while, sitting in the soft light cast through the windows by Tokyo. Katsuki felt cold without the body in against him, but at least he was calm again and the nerd was alright.

“Other than leaping off your balcony to go on runs while the League of Villains is after your ass, what helps you sleep?” Katsuki still felt like an asshole, but he wasn’t about to let Izuku get captured again.

“Well… Normally I either go look for villains to fight or…” His face blushed slightly as he trailed off.

“You’re not fucking fighting villains less than 12 hours out of the ER and definitely not going out to get laid.” Katsuki fucking hoped that Izuku was being truthful about the run and not sneaking off to fuck some random person. 

“I wasn’t!” Izuku said quickly. “ I just wanted to wear myself out physically…”

He sighed, checking the time. It was almost midnight, but it didn’t seem like either of them would be sleeping anytime soon. Standing up he offered a hand to Izuku and told the nerd to get changed into non-Nim workout gear. He seemed confused, but went along anyway.

Katsuki had remembered passing a Commission gym on their way to Izuku’s place and after a few minutes they arrived in front of the building. It had a discreet appearance to avoid civilians pegging it as a workout spot for heroes. Most people wouldn’t even clock it as a gym. He led Izuku inside and missed the way his face switched from confusion to panic.

“Kaachan…” Izuku stood frozen inside the entrance. “What is this place?”

“It’s a hero gym, dumbass. It doesn’t close so I figured we could spar or some shit to get it out of your system.” Katsuki started walking further in. 

“I can’t be here…”

“Like hell you can’t. You’re with me so…” He turned around to drag the nerd behind him, but stopped quickly.

Izuku’s body seemed to be switching from preparing to fight to getting ready to run. He wanted to put his fist through his own face. Of course Izuku was freaking out. The nerd was terrified of heroes, something Katsuki forgot in this context considering Izuku ran around constantly alongside some of them, taking down villains.

They were already here and Izuku would probably sleep even worse after this if they left now. He closed the gap between them and held out his hand.

“They have private rooms we can use. I won’t let anything happen to you, Izuku.”

A part of him was expecting Izuku to turn around and leave or crumple into a ball of tears, but instead he took Katsuki’s hand.

“I trust you, Kaachan.” He said shakily.

Katsuki walked them through quickly, glad the layout was similar to his usual gym. There were only a few other heroes working out and none of them seemed to take notice. Izuku kept sharp eyes darting around to each person in the space. It was easy to find an open battle room given how late it was. Rooms like these were a lot like the ones they had at UA. They were larger than normal areas and had different environments heroes usually fought in. The expectation was that they would be destroyed while heroes were practicing with their quirks so the Commission repaired them about every week.

He picked the smallest one that was designed as the inside of a bank. Teller areas and a few desks were set up around the space. They didn’t need a lot of room since Izuku didn’t have his gear and Katuski wasn’t planning on using his quirk.

“Get warmed up, nerd.” Katsuki began waking up his muscles.

Izuku still seemed jumpy, but dropped into a few stretches as asked. Katsuki tried his best not to watch the nerd bend himself into impossible positions. It definitely didn’t fucking help that Izuku’s perky ass was facing him for most of the time. Every bit of his lower half wanted to pin the nerd to the ground and bury his…

“Ready, Kaachan?” 

He pulled his eyes away quickly, hoping Izuku hadn’t caught him staring. 

Izuku giggled. “I need my ass kicked, not ogled.”

“Shut the fuck up.” Katsuki snapped.

Heat flushed his cheeks causing the nerd to laugh even harder. He rolled his eyes and moved to an open area.

“I won’t use my quirk, but go ahead and use whatever you want in here. We can call it if one of us says stop.” 

Izuku slid up on one of the desks a few yards away from Katsuki, grinning dangerously.

“So I have no rules?” He swung his legs not breaking eye contact.

Instead of answering, Katsuki dropped into a defensive stance and raised an eyebrow. After a moment Izuku rolled his eyes and flung a book from the desk in Katsuki’s direction. He deflected it to the floor and was immediately hit with a kick to the side. Izuku clearly didn’t need his vigilante gear to move like a fucking freak.

Rather than striking back, he jumped out of the reach of the smaller man and waited. Izuku tilted his head before walking slowly closer. He was leaving himself open in about every way possible, but Katsuki stayed on the defensive. When the man was within arms reach he sighed before sweeping Katsuki’s legs out from under him and slamming him to the ground. 

Katsuki looked up to see an annoyed Izuku perched on top of him, not even bothering to pin him properly.

“Are you seriously not going to fight back… Like at all?” Izuku glared down and Katsuki tried to ignore the firm thighs around his hips.

“Point is for you to get tired, not for me to hurt you…” 

Izuku sighed and leaned back slightly. Katsuki could feel the curve of his ass gently pressing against him.

“You used to hate it when people underestimated you… Honestly, this is kind of hypocritical don’t you think?” He shifted again and Katsuki pinched his thigh to fight off his arousal.

“That’s not…” Katsuki started.

Izuku leaned forward until he was inches from Katsuki’s face, both hands resting on the ground on either side of his head.

“That’s what it feels like, Katsuki… So if you’re not going to actually try…” Izuku leaned in closer until he was whispering into Katsuki’s ear. “I’ll find someone else to fight me or fuck me until I’m tired.”

Katsuki harshly gripped Izuku’s hips and flipped them until the vigilante was beneath him.

“Are you trying to piss me off, Izuku?” He glared down at the giggling nerd.

Izuku ran his hands slowly over Katsuki’s biceps. He shivered at the gentle touch.

“If that’s what makes you take me seriously…” Izuku winked up at him before kicking Katsuki off of him.

The vigilante hopped up and settled into an athletic position. 

“Fucking Mindfreak was right.” Katuki got to his feet. “You fight dirty, Izuku.”

Izuku came running at him again, this time dodging a punch from Katsuki and ducking under his arm. Whipping around, he was met with empty space and silence. There weren’t too many places to go, but the slippery fucker had hidden pretty well. 

Katsuki used an arm to vault over the teller desk towards the only place Izuku could have gone, but before his feet reached the ground, his ankles were yanked and he ended up on his ass again.

Sitting up he felt the heavy weight of a body on his, Izuku’s legs pinning his thighs down and a ballpoint pen was held to his throat. 

“I can fight a lot dirtier than this, Kaachan.” 

Katsuki gripped the wrist holding the pen and threw Izuku off of him. Before slamming into an office chair, the vigilante ducked into a roll and landed gracefully on his feet.

“You’re still holding back.” Izuku warned. 

He lunged forward towards Izuku preparing a right hook but switching at the last moment to grab the man's collar and shove him roughly to his knees. Katsuki winced at the loud thud, hoping he hadn’t actually hurt the nerd, but stopped feeling bad the moment he looked down.

Izuku was looking up at him with hooded eyes, breathless with red spreading across his freckles. Katsuki froze. From this position he could just imagine Izuku’s parted lips wrapped around his cock. The nerd would probably cry when he choked on it too. He’d never found Izuku’s tears to be a turn on before, but in that situation, anything the guy did would be fucking sexy.

“Kaachan…” Izuku was no longer looking at his face, instead taking notice of the growing bulge not at all hidden by the athletic shorts the nerd had loaned him.

“I swear to fucking god…” Katsuki started, but was cut off by Izuku’s face rubbing on the inside of his thigh.

He let out a sharp exhale, trying to find the strength to back away, but his body wouldn’t move. Izuku was captivating. Light kisses scattered along his thigh just stopping before they got too close. Katsuki bit his lip and stared directly up to avoid grabbing onto Izuku’s hair.

At that same moment, the touching stopped and Katsuki was sent into a desk with a firm blow to the stomach. He coughed and winced in pain. Normally a strike like that wouldn’t wind him, but being completely relaxed and vulnerable left him fucking incapable of defending in any way.

Izuku held out a hand to help him up from the broken wood.

Katsuki allowed himself to be pulled from the floor. “What the actual fuck, Izuku?”

The nerd just shrugged before strolling over to drink from the water bottles Katsuki had brought. 

Following closely behind he asked again.

“You’re the one who said no rules.” Izuku sighed. “Pretty sure you knew I take any advantage in a fight, especially against someone as strong as you.”

“So you’re fucking tell me you get on your knees and nearly fucking blow everyone you’re up against!” Katsuki was still shaken both from the fight and the image of Izuku seemingly moments away from giving him a blowjob. 

“Only on people it works against. Although you’re definitely the first since normally anyone I’m fighting is too distracted to be thinking about getting off.” 

Katsuki felt his face redden and he glared at the amused nerd.

“Oh calm down, Kaachan. Is it really the end of the world if you’re attracted to me?” Izuku dropped the bottle and started heading back into the main part of the room.

Yes. It was the end of Katsuki’s fucking world becaue attraction was one thing. He could find someone hot with no problem, but add that attraction to the burning desire to hold Izuku’s hand, cook him his favorite meals, watch shitty movies, and that attraction became a lot more dangerous. Katsuki wanted all of Izuku, but there wasn’t a universe where he deserved even the little bits he currently had.

During the next hour Izuku didn’t pull anything similar. He still gave Katsuki judgmental looks whenever he could tell the hero started holding back, but they both ended up equally bruised and dripping in sweat. It was fairly even with both yielding to the other at different points.

When they walked out it was past 1:45 and Izuku didn’t flinch as they passed by the other heroes. If Katsuki had to guess, the guy could handle heroes while in his vigilante mindset. 

On the way back to Izuku’s they gave notes on each other's fighting techniques. Izuku explained that most of Katsuki’s attacks were being used at full power so he had a tendency to overextend himself which left himself open to counters. It made sense. Normally he only included a punch as a distraction or when he wanted to change up from using his quirk. They were meant to be strong one shot hits.

“You shower first, nerd.” He told Izuku when they got back.

Katsuki sat at the table and pulled out his phone. The Commission was aware that Ze was free and wanted confirmation that Ground Zero and Nim were the ones to save him. From the looks of it, the story Izuku had told them made it seem like Katsuki’s plan and gave him nearly all the credit. As much as he wanted to deny it, nothing but fucking problems would come from doing so.

“Shower’s free, Kaachan.” Izuku called from the hallway.

He looked up and felt his mouth gape open. The nerd was leaning against the wall, hair still wet and dripping onto his bare chest. Katsuki had been right. Izuku’s body was lean muscle, less defined than his own, but far more attractive in his opinion. Unlike his body, there were parts of Izuku that still seemed soft and pliable. The scars on his hands and arms extended onto the man’s torso. They wrapped his ribs and were scattered down to where his skin disappeared into shorts. 

And fuck… The freckles. They were less concentrated than on his face but even from a distance, Katsuki could start to count them. Izuku’s nipples were slightly raised from the temperature change between the shower and open air and Katsuki wanted nothing more than to sink his teeth into them and hear the nerd whimper.

Katsuki didn’t notice the shit eating grin on Izuku’s face until he spoke.

“If you’re done undressing me with your eyes, you can go shower.” He winked before turning away, glancing over his shoulder in time to catch Katsuki staring at his ass.

Katsuki cursed under his breath and avoided looking at Izuku on the way to the bathroom. 

Even the steam and hot water on his face couldn’t distract him from his arousal. Seeing Izuku so confident made his heart race. The nerd was adorable when he was muttering, but fixing Katsuki with daring green eyes, he was sexy as fuck. Part of him wanted to fuck the cocky attitude out of the dork until he was a stuttering mess and another part of him wanted Izuku to take complete control over his body and use it however he wanted.

Quickly working his throbbing cock, he closed his eyes and remembered the image of Izuku on his knees while they fought. He thought about gripping curled green hair and sinking his length into the nerd's throat, watching him gag. He wanted to feel Izuku’s mouth working him, desperate to please Katsuki. 

In an embarrassingly short time, he finished into his hand, Izuku’s name tumbling out of his mouth. He doubted that the nerd could hear him over the sound of the shower, but he still took his time washing up in hopes that Izuku would already be asleep. He’d seemed ready to collapse when they got back anyway.

Putting on the second set of clothing Izuku had found for him, Katsuki opened the door to find Izuku sat on the end of his bed looking at him. Fuck… Had he really heard him moaning Izuku’s name? No. The nerd would have been angry or ready to tease him if he had. Instead Izuku’s face was shy and he fidgeted with the blankets.

Katsuki cleared his throat. “What’s wrong, nerd?”

“I… Well you see I know you’ve helped me a lot and I know that I’m already asking a lot of you. Plus you’re staying here to protect me even though I really can handle myself now…” 

“Stop rambling. Tell me what you need.” Katsuki cut him off.

“Can you sleep with me?” Izuku finally got out. “I don’t mean like sex or anything, just in the same bed. It… It helps to be with someone. I mean it's one of the reasons I hook up when I get stressed…”

For all the secrets the nerd had, he was a shitty liar face to face. Katsuki would have been able to catch the lie even without that though since Izuku had mentioned not staying after hook ups on more than one occasion. It went against everything the nerd had told him. Why Izuku was asking was beyond him. Maybe Katsuki really had scared him about the League and he wanted his protection close. Whatever it was, Katsuki wasn’t about to say no.

He walked up beside the bed and waited for Izuku to crawl under the covers.

“You don’t have to…” Izuku whispered quietly.

Katsuki didn’t answer as he turned off the lights and he climbed in beside the man. He could make out the nerd’s smile in the darkness and felt one of his own creep onto his face. Izuku found his hand under the blankets and intertwined their fingers.

“So I can feel that you’re here…” 

“My quirk comes from my hands. It would probably be better if I just held you instead… For safety.” Katsuki knew his own lie was as transparent as Izuku’s, but he still felt the body next to his turn and shift closer.

He slipped an arm under Izuku and reached the other around his still shirtless chest until they were spooning. Katsuki could feel Izuku’s racing heart under his touch and grimaced as his dick begged for a repeat of the shower. Pulling his hips back to avoid making Izuku feeling uncomfortable, the nerd broke the silence.

“I don’t mind, Kaachan.”

With that, Katsuki pulled their bodies flush together and buried his face in the back of Izuku’s neck. He smelled like conditioner and Katsuki quickly fell asleep.

Chapter Text

Izuku was used to waking up alone. He normally preferred it, but when the empty space in his bed used to be occupied with Kaachan, things felt different. Asking Kaachan to sleep in the same bed had been risky, but it had led to the best sleep he could remember getting. He wanted to wake up looking at sleepy red eyes and feeling large hands holding him. 

Rolling over he thought about yesterday. Everything Kaachan did was confusing. One moment Izuku would swear the hero was into him, the next he’d be trying to walk out of his life entirely. Emotions weren’t something he was particularly good with, but Kaachan made him seem like a licensed therapist in comparison. 

Not bothering to put on a shirt in hopes of catching Kaachan checking him out again, he walked towards the smell of breakfast. 

Soft sounds of rock played from Kaachan’s phone and the man was facing the stove, humming along. He looked straight out of Izuku’s wet dreams. His back muscles were on display thanks to the tight fit of the borrowed shirt and Izuku desperately wanted to pull him back to bed. What he wouldn’t give to rake his fingers down those shoulders while being pounded.

Kaachan still hadn’t noticed him, so he silently slid onto a stool at the island and admired the view. It occurred to Izuku that he’d never actually wanted to wake up beside someone before, much less enjoyed the thought of eating breakfast with them. With Kaachan, a part of him wanted this every morning. 

After another song passed, Kaachan turned around to retrieve silverware from a drawer.

“Jesus fuck!” The hero jumped when he finally saw Izuku. “I’m gonna put a fucking bell on you…”

“Only if it’s on a collar.” Izuku grinned as Kaachan’s face flushed.

He didn’t particularly care that Kaachan had told him to stop flirting. As far as Izuku could tell, they were both attracted to each other and it wasn’t like he was just flirting with the hero because he felt pressured. Kaachan’s reactions last night were enough for him to confirm that he wanted to sleep with Izuku, but why he was holding back was still a mystery.

Kaachan turned away quickly, bits of red still dusting his ears.

“How do you like your eggs, nerd?” He asked.

Izuku sighed. “Scrambled?” 

“Anything in them?”

He slid off the stool and walked into the kitchen, making sure to brush against Kaachan’s back. The way the hero froze and shivered was the definition of a power trip. Pulling a bag of shredded american cheese from the fridge, he presented it proudly to Kaachan who took it with disgust.

“Are you fucking kidding me…” Kaachan rolled his eyes. “You’re getting a veggie omelet.”

“You’re no fun, Kaachan…” He complained while putting back the cheese. 

“Fucking put on a shirt while you’re at it too.” 

Izuku leaned against the counter next to Kaachan.

“Why? Am I distracting the cook?”

“Shut the fuck up. I don’t give a fuck what you wear, but put something on.” Kaachan was clearly struggling not to stare at Izuku’s torso. 

“Fine…” Izuku stepped closer. “Then give me the one you’re wearing.”

Kaachan just stared at Izuku before cursing under his breath and slipping the shirt off. Izuku had never seen muscles like Kaachan’s before. They rippled under each movement and cut strong lines into every part of his exposed body. He had noticeably fewer scars than Izuku, but the ones that were there looked gnarly. 

Izuku realized he’d been gawking and took the shirt. It was a bit big and he didn’t miss the way Kaachan turned away blushing after seeing him put it on. 

“And here I thought the view could be any better…” He slid back into Kaachan’s space, still not touching him.

The hero had seemed jumpy since he’d learned Ze was his childhood friend especially when it came to flirting. It definitely affected him, but he seemed to have completely shut down things on his end. Izuku would have stopped if the guy seemed genuinely uncomfortable.

Kaachan pinched his eyes shut. “Go fucking sit at the island so I can focus.”

Izuku sighed and gave up. Pushing the hero was amusing, but the last thing he wanted was to ruin their new friendship. 

Warmth seemed to be radiating from his chest as he watched Kaachan work. It was a strange feeling, comfortable, like he could stay in this moment forever. It was the same warmth he’d felt last night being held and he realized that for the first time since his mom died, he felt safe. 

There wasn’t any fear of heroes, hell, he didn’t even care that the League was probably still after him. His friend was here and that was enough. Before Kaachan could lecture him about staying seated again, he walked up behind the hero and hugged him. Kaachan jumped and turned around. Izuku expected to be told to knock it off or be pulled off entirely, but after a moment, Kaachan brushed his lips onto Izuku’s forehead. 

It was much too light to be considered a kiss and he could feel the hero’s hands shaking as he pushed Izuku towards the dining table before walking back into the kitchen. 

Izuku felt the place Kaachan’s lips had touched with his fingertips. It felt electric. Friends could flirt, they could have sex, hell they could even cuddle, but they definitely didn’t do that. It was too caring and as much as he hated to admit it, friends probably didn’t get warm fluttery butterflies thinking about waking up together every morning either.

He nearly slammed his head into the table in frustration with himself. Of course none of what he was feeling for Kaachan was strictly friendship. It should have been obvious, but Izuku hadn’t had more than a simple crush since well… ever.  Letting himself open up beyond friends and attraction was something he was sure would never happen again, but Kaachan made it feel easy.

Izuku definitely like Kaachan as more than a friend and Kaachan… probably liked him too? But if he did then why hadn’t he done something about it? Izuku hadn’t exactly been subtle about hitting on the hero since they met.

“What are you muttering about, nerd?” Kaachan seemed nervous while setting his plate down, his eyes avoiding Izuku’s.

Izuku didn’t know what to say. As easy as Kaachan made it for him to feel comfortable, he wasn’t ready to be the one pushing their relationship. Sex he could do, but feelings were messy. If Kaachan wanted something more, he’d have to be the one to take that leap. There were still too many doubts and fears in Izuku’s mind. 

Apparently Izuku took too long to respond to the question for Kaachan.

“Sorry about the thing in the kitchen…” 

“The thing in the kitchen? ” Izuku tried to figure out what Kaachan could have done to warrant an apology. Kaachan meanwhile huffed and looked at him like he was stupid.

“Oh! You mean the kiss?”

“Yes dumbass… I won’t fucking do it again. Hell if you’re uncomfortable I’ll even get Mindfreak over here to protect you instead.” He stabbed his own omelet violently. 

“Believe it or not, Kaachan, people have kissed me before.” 

The stabbing became more viscous and Izuku wondered whether the plate would crack or the fork would bend first.

“Not the fucking point…”

“How about you let me tell you if you make me uncomfortable?” He hoped Kaachan would take that as a sign to keep pushing the boundaries of their friendship, but somehow he doubted it.

Religating himself to eating, he cursed the universe for giving him a potential relationship stunted by the fact that neither of them apparently knew how to actually confess. Izuku had only ever been physically intimate and spent his entire life refusing anything more than that. Those habits didn’t exactly disappear overnight.

The trip over to Kaachan’s went better than breakfast. They both fell into comfortable conversations like the ones they had over the phone, minus the flirting. Kaachan told him stories about going to UA and Izuku shared his own about the early days of being a vigilante. 

Strangers interrupted them almost constantly to talk to Kaachan. Ze’s profile on Ground Zero had easily become his most popular and clearly the hero hadn’t had time to adjust to the recognition. Izuku held back giggles watching him try to find non threatening ways to get people to fuck off. Occasionally he would encourage the interactions which earned him glares from Kaachan. 

“They’re your fans, Kaachan, I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to be nice to them.” Izuku joked after a particularly obnoxious group of tweens finished getting pictures.

Kaachan muttered something about extras and started up a set of outdoor stairs attached to an apartment complex. 

Once inside Izuku couldn’t help noticing how modest Kaachan’s place was. It screamed first apartment after moving out, not pro hero residence. Even Shinso’s place was more luxurious and he got paid a lot less than most sidekicks. 

Taking off his shoes and following Kaachan further in, the first thing he noticed was the kitchen table. For someone constantly lecturing Izuku about not using the table to do work, his own was covered in paperwork. Files were half opened and marked to hell and an official looking laptop sat in the middle of the small surface. 

Kaachan walked back into what he assumed was the bedroom. Normally Izuku would have followed since it was the perfect time to try not so subtly flirting, but curiosity won out instead. 

Skimming through the files, each one held information on a hero. As Izuku explored more, the connection hit him. They all belonged to heroes with dead spouses and more importantly, some record of abuse. Handwritten lists of names were crossed out with only a few marked as potential. 

“You were looking for me…” Izuku said softly when Kaachan returned.

“Fuck… Izuku. It’s not what it looks like.” Kaachan moved quickly to stack the files.

“So you just happened to be looking into heroes with abuse records and dead wives?”

He paused, avoiding Izuku’s eyes. 

“I wasn’t trying to figure out your identity or some shit, but when the League had you… I couldn’t just sit on my ass hoping you would be alright.” 

The papers crumpling under Kaachan’s grip were the only noise in the room. 

“It wasn’t until you were gone that I started looking. You have to understand that, Izuku.”

“You cared that much?” He tried to keep his voice steady, but how long had it been since someone came looking for him. As far as Izuku remembered, once he ran away from home, no one ever ran after him.

“Still do, nerd.” Kaachan said quietly, finishing organizing the mess.

Izuku giggled. “This is a lot for some writer you met a few weeks ago.”

The hero’s face flushed slightly and Izuku started to feel bolder. He wasn’t particularly upset Kaachan had worked his ass off to try finding a lead, in fact he thought it was endearing. It certainly helped that the hero had tried so hard to respect his boundaries about his identity up until the point where it could have proved deadly.

“You sure there isn’t anything you want as a reward for saving me? I mean I do already owe you a request from that race you won…” 

He stepped closer until he could feel the heat radiating from the Kaachan’s body. Last night he’d noticed how hot the man seemed to run. It was much welcomed considering Izuku normally slept with enough blankets to suffocate in. Kaachan’s face flushed again as he put some distance between the two of them.

“Fine, nerd. You want my request?” He met Izuku’s eyes with harsh red eyes. “Don’t fucking run off on your own.”

Izuku opened his mouth to protest how unrealistic something like that was, but Kaachan cut him off with a glare.

“I was hoping for something more fun…” He muttered while walking over to the couch to sulk while Kaachan finished packing.

The rest of Kaachan’s apartment was so put together it made Izuku embarrassed of his own mess. Not that he was a complete slob, but Kaachan was clearly one of those people who had a weekly cleaning routine and remembered to do his laundry before 3am the night before he was supposed to go somewhere. 

It didn’t take long before Kaachan was ready to go. They stayed mostly quiet on the way back, Izuku being too in his own head and Kaachan interrupted by seemingly every other person on the street.

“Fucking seriously! Why the fuck do these damn extras not understand the phrase piss off? ” Kaachan grumbled in the elevator up to Izuku’s.

“Hmm?” Izuku tried pulling himself out of his thoughts.

“Oh.. I mean it’s not hard to tell that as crude and scary as you seem, you’re actually a big softie.” He shrugged at the hero. “My profile made it pretty clear that there wasn’t any real reason to be afraid of you.”

“There’s plenty reason to be fucking scared of me…” Kaachan muttered, but he thought he saw a bit of relief on the man’s face, too.

“You want to know how I know?” Izuku paused as the elevator reached his floor and started to open.

Before Kaachan could respond, he leaned up like he was going to kiss Kaachan’s cheek only to pinch the hero’s side and yank his duffle bag away before taking off down the hallway giggling.

Behind him he heard a string of expletives his neighbors definitely would have complain about if the sound proofing in the building wasn’t top notch. He was too busy lost in his own laughter to notice the hunched form sitting against his doorway until he nearly tripped.

“Oh god! I’m so sorry. Are you okay?” Izuku asked quickly. 

The man sniffled and looked up at him.

“You’re not Bakugo…”

Izuku froze. He hadn’t recognized the hero without seeing his face, but it was clear who was sitting outside his apartment.

“Oi! Dunce Face. What the fuck are you doing here?” Kaachan caught up and took the bag from Izuku’s hands, nudging the hero with his foot.

Chargebolt immediately latched onto Kaachan’s calf.

“Let me the fuck go, idiot!” He yanked the electric hero to his feet and flicked his forehead. “The fuck do you want?”

Izuku started backing away slowly. Sure Chargebold didn’t seem particularly threatening while wiping snot from his nose, but the panic still filled his chest. He could probably make it to the emergency stairs before either of them caught up…

Noticing his panic, Kaachan yanked the other hero away from the door.

“Don’t even fucking think about it, nerd. Inside.”

Without making eye contact, Izuku rushed to open his door. As it opened an arm fell across his back.

“Seriously, dude. You didn’t have to let me in, but…” 

Almost instantly the weight was ripped off and he heard Kaachan snarl at his friend to back up.

“I’m so sorry man! I just thought since he was opening the door…” Chargebolt started.

The last thing Izuku wanted was to upset one of Kaachan’s friends, especially a pro hero. He could handle a hero in his place for a little bit… Kaachan was there and he was safe with him. Besides, he could just hide out in his room until Chargebolt left…

“Would you quit muttering and get inside?” Kaachan interrupted his thoughts.

Izuku looked directly at his feet. “Please come in, Mr. Chargebolt, sir.”

“No need to be so formal, my guy. It’s just Denki.”

Izuku could feel the questioning look from Kaachan as he led the two heroes inside. Before he could slip into his bedroom, Kaachan caught his arm and pulled him into the kitchen.

“You wanna tell me what the fuck that was?” The hero demanded quietly.

“He’s your friend…”

“So fucking what? Doesn’t mean he gets to make you uncomfortable.” Kaachan leaned down trying to catch Izuku’s gaze.

“Hey guys?” Chargebolt called from the entryway. “I can leave if I’m interrupting something…”

“If you’re about to go fucking disappear into your room then I’ll talk to the idiot out in the hallway. I’m not about to let this shit make you terrified in your own home.”

After a moment of silence, Kaachan started back towards his abandoned friend.

“Wait!” Izuku grabbed his arm. “He… He can stay.”

Kaachan didn’t seem particularly convinced, but gave in anyway. After promising to tell him if it became too much, they walked back to face the confused hero.

“Oh! Umm… I really can leave if you want.” 

Denki Kaminari was shifting quickly from one foot to another by the door. His arms had a few small tattoos in seemingly random spots and his eyes were swollen from what Izuku imagined was crying. He certainly didn’t seem particularly intimidating, especially wearing a washed out T-shirt that at first glance looked like AC/DC merch, but actually read AD/HD. 

Izuku also noticed bright red and purple bruises on the hero’s neck that he recognized personally from years of hooking up. If he had to guess, Kaminari was here with relationship troubles.

“Make yourself at home…” He bowed to the hero, cringing at the stiffness in his own voice.

“Jesus fucking Christ…” Kaachan muttered under his breath.

Kaminari slid off his shoes and let Izuku awkwardly lead him into the living room.

“Can I get you something to drink? Tea perhaps?” He really hoped the answer was no considering Izuku couldn’t remember the last time he’d actually made tea, much less remembered to buy it from the store.

“No hot leaf juice for me please. But if you have a monster or red bull I’d take one of those.” The hero joked as he plopped himself onto the couch.

Izuku quickly rushed back into the kitchen and grabbed a red bull from the fridge. Kaachan facepalmed the moment he returned to present the drink.

“Oh shit, dude! I was totally kidding, but it’s good to know another caffeine addict wormed their way into Bakugo’s life.” 

“Kaachan’s always lecturing me about how bad coffee and energy drinks are…” He said softly.

“Right! I swear not all of us can wake up as bright eyed and cheerful as him.”

Izuku snorted at the thought of anyone calling Kaachan cheerful.

“Maybe that’s why he’s so grumpy all the time! He just gets his energy from telling people to fuck off.” Kaminari nudged the hero who had taken a seat next to him.

“Oi! All that shit is why you two are fucking short so I’d shut the fuck up.” Kaachan rolled his eyes at the laughter coming from the two other men.

“Kirishima drinks coffee daily and he’s taller than you!” The other hero grinned at Izuku, clearly enjoying the extra help making fun of his friend.

“Shitty Hair is a fucking exception. Now are you going to tell me how the fuck you found out where I was staying or just skip to whatever bullshit happened?” 

Izuku sat down on the loveseat trying his best to convince himself that Kaminari’s disarming personality wasn’t an act. 

“Well I showed up to your place this morning hoping you’d make me some brownies to drown my feelings in, but when you weren’t there I called Kiri because you basically only ever leave the house for work or to spend time with him. He told me you were staying with a friend for a little bit so I begged until he gave me the address and I just showed up here after eating way too many convenience store cookies.”

The hero clearly had a habit of word vomiting everything on his mind.

“But now I’m hoping you and your friend? Boyfriend? Partner? I’m sorry, I have no idea who you are…” Kaminari leaned forward and reached out a hand.

“Oh! Izuku Midoriya, but you can just call me Izuku.” He took the hero’s hand tentatively and shook it.

“Holly crap… Izuku… Midoriya. Like the Izuku? Like saved Bakugo from the sludge monster and gave him the basic emotional maturity to be less of a dick to everyone, Izuku?” 

Both Izuku and Kaachan turned red and looked away quickly.

“Wait! Are you two together!” Kaminari vibrated with excitement on the couch, flipping his head from one of them to the other.

“No idiot.” Kaachan was the first to pull himself together. “Yes this is him, but no we aren’t dating.”

Izuku’s heart felt heavy hearing those words. Logically he shouldn’t care. He never wanted to date before and only recently decided that he had romantic feelings for Kaachan anyway.

“I should probably leave so you two can talk in private.” He started to excuse himself from the conversation.

“Nah! You should stay. I mean you probably have more dating experience than Bakugo anyway. Plus I need someone other than the worlds most confident gay virgin to give me advice.” Kaminari joked.

“How the fuck…” Kaachan started to ask.

“Like it’s not super obvious. I mean you definitely aren’t the type for a casual thing and there’s no way you wouldn’t introduce us to someone you’re dating.”

“Who fucking said I would let any of you near any guy I’m with?” He grumbled avoiding eye contact with Izuku.

“Well I definitely don’t have a lot of experience with dating, but I’m more experienced than Kaachan so I’ll do my best.” Izuku tried to ignore the pain in his chest.

“Long story not so long, I got tipsy and hooked up with this guy I met at a bar a few weeks ago. It was definitely weird, but I kinda figured that sometimes straight guys experiment for fun. Like since it feels good why wouldn’t you right? So after that I’ve been sort of questioning if I’m actually straight or maybe attracted to guys. Like I know I’m attracted to girls, but like sometimes I think I could maybe see myself with a guy too. Bakugo told me that I might have a crush on someone from our high school and so I figured that I could start there to see if I actually was into him or just thought he was a cool dude…”

Izuku could see where this was going already.

“So I ended up asking him back to my place after getting dinner to catch up and one thing led to another and we are making out and things are going really well, but then I start freaking out because he’s talking about liking me and wanting to go on dates and all that. I panicked out and told him I was straight… Now he won’t talk to me and I don’t know how to say I think I like you too, but I just figured out that I’m sort of maybe not straight and I need time to process that, but I definitely want to keep hanging out with you and kissing you and probably a lot more. So if you could wait and be exclusive with me without all the benefits of actually dating that would be great… ” 

By the end Kanimari’s arms were flailing around in a panic and, impressively, he didn’t seem out of breath.

“Are you fucking kidding me, Denki…” Kaachan had his face in his hands.

Izuku leaned back and thought for a moment. There had never really been a question about his own attraction to men growing up given that his first crush had been Kaachan. Discovering being attracted to women was more of a shock in high school, but still pretty easy to accept. That being said, Kaminari’s panic was definitely not unheard of either.

“I can’t really relate much since I figured out I was bi pretty early, but I think it’s healthy to take your time understanding who you are. Everyone figures things out at their own pace and there’s nothing wrong with that. Even if you can’t put a label on your sexuality right now, it doesn’t mean you have to rush. If the guy you maybe like is a decent person he’ll be willing to give you the time to get comfortable with this part of yourself.” Izuku looked over at Kaachan who was smiling fondly back at him. 

“You have good friends, Kaminari… Blunt and caffeine-free, but still good friends. Even if that guy ends up being a jerk, you won’t be going through this alone.”

With that Kaminari leapt up and tackled Izuku into a hug. Kaachan moved to yank the hero off him, but Izuku shook his head slightly and hugged the man back.

They were still hugging when the sound of the front door opening reached them and a voice called out through the apartment.

“If you aren’t naked on your bed in two minutes I’m personally telling Eraserhead about the time you skipped patrol to have sex in a McDonald’s.”

All three heads snapped to an incredibly confused Shinso gawking at the scene before him. Kaminari looked pale and scrambled away from Izuku and Kaachan sent sparks out of an open palm.

“Midoriya…” Shinso said carefully. “Bedroom. Now.” 

At the demand Kaachan stood up, but before he could threaten Shinso, Izuku pressed his hands to his chest. 

“Just give me a minute, Kaachan.” He whispered, hoping to calm the man down.

“If you think I’m going to let him take you back there and have his way with you then you’re fucking wrong, Izuku.” Kaachan’s eyes never left Shinso, but he didn’t push past Izuku either.

“Firstly, you don’t get an opinion on who I sleep with considering you refuse to even talk about that stuff with me.” That made Kaachan wince and finally look down at him.

“Secondly, I’m just going to talk to him. While I do, maybe you should figure out why you’re so pissed off at the thought of someone else sleeping with me.” With that Izuku pulled a still stunned Shinso by the wrist into his room. 

All of this was a mess. Kaachan was so clearly jealous, but either too emotionally unaware or simply unwilling to confront it. Shinso didn’t seem to be faring any better, settling for sitting on the side of Izuku’s bed silently.

“What the hell, Shinso?” Izuku asked. “I know I don’t normally have guests, but I didn’t give you a key so that you could barge in and demand sex.”

“Yes you did…”

“Okay. I did, but that’s definitely not happening anymore.”

Shinso bent forward like he was nauseous. “I’m sorry, Izuku. I get that after that you don’t want to sleep with me.”

“That’s not…” He stumbled to get the words out. “I sort of like someone. It has nothing to do with you.”

“Oh.”

“Now would you tell me what’s going on? You basically only hook up with me when something is bothering you.” Izuku sat down beside the hero and waited.

“I… I got turned down by the guy I’ve been in love with since high school.” Shinso sighed and laid back onto the bed.

“Things were finally getting somewhere, but then he tries telling me he’s straight and starts freaking out about dating another man. Next thing I know he’s in your god damn living room.”

It was Izuku’s turn to be stunned. Shinso was the guy Kaminari had just spent a half hour talking about. 

“So you can see why I’m a little confused… I thought you weren’t friends with many heroes, but now you’re hanging out with Bakugo and Denki during your downtime?”

Izuku sighed. “Kaminari likes you. He’s just trying to process the whole attraction to men thing…”

“How would you even begin to know that, Midoriya?”

“Why do you think he showed up here looking for Kaachan? He panicked because he likes you and doesn’t know how to ask you to wait for him to understand how he’s feeling.” He rolled his eyes at the shocked look on Shinso’s face.

“He was in tears earlier about it. I get if you aren’t interested in waiting…”

“No!” Shinso interrupted him. “No, I just thought he wanted to experiment and mess around, not that… I can wait. As long as he needs. I just needed to know there was a chance.”

Izuku smiled. Shinso had always been earnest when it came to romance and he had no doubt that the man meant every word he said. As glad as he was to see his friend on the path to a happy relationship, it filled him with an emptiness he’d never felt. Despite how complicated things seemed for Kaminari and Shinso, they clearly both cared deeply for the other. Izuku wanted nothing more than that himself. 

“Hey Shinso…” He couldn’t bring his voice above a whisper. “How do you tell someone you like them?”

The hero rolled on his side to look at Izuku.

“I think we both know I’m pretty bad at that…” 

Izuku’s face must have given away his disappointment because a moment later Shinso was sitting up again. 

“I think the key might be to not overthink it. There won’t be a right way or right time, but if two people like each other then I think at some point they’ll both get their heads out of their asses and figure it out.” Shinso gave Izuku a tired smile. “It’s Bakugo isn’t it?”

The words spilled out of Izuku’s mouth before he could stop them. Everything from the interview to growing up with Kaachan and being kidnapped by the League tumbled out. Shinso was his closest friend and it felt freeing to finally open up about his life.

He waited patiently for Izuku to finish and even almost managed to keep the shocked look off his face when he learned about Ze.

“And here I thought my love life was going to be messy…” Shinso finally said.

“Yeah…”

“This is probably the most hypocritical thing I could say right now, but maybe give Bakugo some time. I mean you knew going into it who he was and he just figured it out yesterday. The guy probably needs a bit to process everything.” He hesitated. 

“Plus knowing who Bakugo is these days, it’s probably pretty difficult to imagine you wanting him around much less wanting to actually date him considering your past.”

It made sense. Izuku had needed weeks to stop freaking out about the whole thing, expecting Kaachan to instantly be at the same place as him was definitely unrealistic.

Shinso stood up and glared at Izuku.

“Just so we’re clear. I will never agree to an interview. I don’t care how much the world loves Ze’s writing.”

Izuku just smiled and followed him back to the living room.

When they returned, the two other heroes immediately went quiet. Kaachan was clearly searching for signs of sexual activity and Kaminari seemed to be finding Izuku’s ceiling fan particularly interesting.

Shinso cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.

“Nothing happened.”

“Fucking better not have.” Kaachan muttered.

“Denki…”

At Shinso saying his name, the hero looked abruptly towards him, blushing profusely.

“I like you. I thought you were just messing around with me and I got upset.” He started.

“Oh god no! I think I like you too, but I’m just new to this whole maybe liking guys thing…” Denki tried to frantically explain.

“Calm down. You can take your time to figure out what you're feeling. I’ll be here for you as a friend or anything you want me to be while you do.” Shinso held tired eye contact with the man.

“Are you… Are you going to like see other people? Cause I don’t know if I can handle that.” 

“No.”

“As fucking adorable as this is, can you two do it in someone else’s living room?” Kaachan complained loudly before standing up and walking out.

“Shit! Sorry dude. Thanks for letting us borrow your living room, Izuku.” Denki hesitated for a moment before grabbing Shinso’s hand and pulling him towards the door.

Before they left, Shinso brought Izuku into a hug and whispered. “For what it’s worth, I’m pretty sure Bakugo likes you too.”

Izuku found Kaachan in the kitchen angrily preparing sandwiches. He sat on the counter nearby and watched him work.

“You were right.” Kaachan finally said. “I have no fucking right to be… to be jealous of who you sleep with. You have every right to be pissed.”

The entire time he spoke, he never looked away from the tomatoes he was cutting, but Izuku could see the whites on his knuckles from gripping the knife too hard.

“I’m not upset.”

Shinso was definitely right, he couldn’t expect Kaachan to be ready to figure out his feelings right away. But he also hated seeing the man hurt.

“I won’t do anything that makes you jealous, Kaachan.” 

It was the only way Izuku could think of declaring that he wouldn’t sleep around without fully admitting his hopes for a future relationship.

Kaachan set the knife down and turned towards him.

“I’m not asking you to give shit up, Izuku.”

“Is that because you don’t care if I sleep with other people, or because you don’t think you deserve an opinion on my life?” He asked.

“What do you think…” Kaachan leaned against the counter next to where he was sitting.

“I think you need time to figure out how to tell me which it is…”

After a quiet moment, Izuku felt warmth on his hand and looked down to see Kaachan tracing his scars. Flipping it slowly, he let the man follow the ones on his palm until they finally intertwined their fingers.

“Izuku…” Kaachan stepped in front of Izuku, not dropping his hand.

Izuku leaned forward slowly, giving him plenty of time to move out of the way before gently placing a kiss on Kaachan’s forehead just like the one he’d received that morning. Before he pulled back fully, Kaachan rested his head on Izuku’s shoulder. 

He didn’t know how long they stayed like that. Izuku was certain the pounding of his heart could be heard through his shirt, but he was afraid of breaking the moment, like if he moved, one of them would remember that they weren’t the only two people in the universe. 

They stayed like that until Kaachan’s phone ringing broke them apart. He dropped Izuku’s hand to answer it. 

Izuku didn’t pay attention to whatever call was happening, too busy attempting to calm his heartbeat. He finally came to after Kaachan had hung up and was looking at him with a concerned look on his face.

“They arrested Shoto Todoroki…”

Chapter Text

“I swear if this isn’t life or death…” Mindfreak immediately started bitching the minute he joined them on the roof.

Izuku and Katsuki had already been there for a while going over what little information Eraserhead seemed to have on the situation. Considering the way Denki and him had left Izuku’s, it was a fucking miracle Shinso showed up as quickly as he did. Even now, the guy looked pissed at the last second call.

“You didn’t have to actually come…” Eraserhead was perched on the building edge, outwardly exasperated.

“Yes he did!” Izuku pushed his phone so that Shinso could read the headlines. “It makes no sense. I mean Todoroki’s dad was investigating his own son and ended up making the arrest a few hours ago?”

“It’s not like they are missing any evidence, Izuku…” He started before Izuku shot him a nasty glare. The nerd probably forgot he didn’t have his smoke mask activated.

“You’re really going to tell me that none of this seems off to you?” Izuku tried again.

“Everything Sensei and I were able to find pointed pretty clearly to Shoto Todoroki being in charge of Trigger production. It seems like a cut and dry case.” Shinso lectured while he finished looking through the official booking report sent to Eraserhead.

“I didn’t say he wasn’t involved, but there’s still no motivation, no explanation. It’s just a bunch of evidence that we got our hands on way too easily. And he was caught selling his own supply? How dumb do you think he is!” Izuku was pacing at this point. 

Honestly, the nerd did have a point. Icy Hot’s own father bringing him in seemed like a major conflict of interest. Plus if he had been officially on the investigation this whole time, wouldn’t they have been told?

Eraserhead stood up and put a hand on Izuku to stop him from walking.

“You have good instincts, but it’s out of our hands. Anything I try will be seen as his old teacher getting emotional. Even if there is something more happening, taking down someone this influential in the Trigger production process is bound to deter them for a while.” 

It was easy to tell that it didn’t sit well with Eraserhead either, but going against the number one hero would be a serious fucking headache.

“You can’t actually think that! They are just going to figure out a smarter way to deal and not get caught. If we don’t work now to take them down, who knows the damage they could do.” Izuku looked at Shinso expectantly. 

“What do you suggest we do then, nerd?” Katsuki stood up from where he’d been sitting against the wall. 

“Nope.” Shinso tossed the phone back to Izuku and backed away. “There is no way I’m getting involved in this. You’re getting emotional again, Midoriya. I know he saved you, but that was a long time ago. He’s a different person now.”

Saved Izuku? No fucking wonder the dumbass was getting worked up over this. The guy hadn’t given up on Katsuki even after years of being treated like shit, seeing the good in Todoroki wasn’t exactly out of the question.

Before Katsuki could demand someone tell him what the fuck happened between Icy Hot and Izuku, Shinso was suddenly laid out on his back. Izuku stood over him, gripping him by the collar. He was so used to the nerd being the calm voice of reason that seeing it the other way around was shocking. It was also stupidly fucking hot.

“Are you actually kidding me right now?” The icy tone he’d only heard Izuku use a few times was back.

Before the vigilante could tear into Shinso either verbally or physically, Eraserhead wrapped him in the cloth of his capture scarf. Izuku was yanked backwards and Katsuki saw his hands moving towards gadgets, preparing for an actual fight.

“I’d tell you not to poke around in this, but in the years I’ve known you that’s never worked so let me say this. You can’t fix whatever is going on.” Eraserhead’s quirk was activated even though it was pointless against Izuku. 

“So we shouldn’t even try! That doesn’t make you a hero, Aizawa. It makes you a fucking coward.” Izuku spat through gritted teeth.

“The Commission has their villain and won’t be willing to admit the number one hero was wrong. Give this up because you’re going into something dangerous on your own.” Eraserhead sighed before releasing him from the hold. 

“He’s not alone.”

Izuku’s head whipped around to Katsuki’s voice. 

“I don’t give a fuck if he’s dead fucking wrong about the whole thing. He’s not doing this alone.” He stepped between Izuku and the other two heroes. 

No one tried to argue with him. They had probably spent enough time around both Izuku and Katsuki to know how stubborn each of them could get. 

With minimal goodbyes Eraserhead and Shinso left the two of them alone overlooking the late afternoon bustle of the city. Neither of them spoke for a while, Izuku seemed to be stuck trying to form words, opening his mouth before closing it immediately.

“Hey, Kaachan…” He started.

“I don’t like the Half and Half bastard.” Katsuki cut him off.

“Umm..”

“He’s an arrogant dickhead whose daddy got him everything he needed to be a perfect hero. I fucking hate the asshole.”

“Kaachan…” Izuku looked desperately up at him.

“But he’s not a fucking drug dealer. At least not running some insane drug ring. Which means some other fucker is still out there finding ways to pump Trigger into Tokyo.”

The nerd’s face lit up into the most beautiful grin Katsuki had ever seen. Even if Izuku was wrong, he’d be there no matter what. He wasn’t ever going to let Izuku face danger alone again.

“So what’s the plan, Freckles?” Katsuki asked with a grin.

~~~

Whatever plan Katsuki had expected, it sure as hell didn’t include long ass train ride and a trip to fucking Miruko’s agency. 

He’d been to here a few times in the past. The current number 5 hero had offered him a job a year into Katsuki working with Hawks, but he hadn’t seen a point in leaving. 

Hawks’ building was spacious and full of windows. In comparison Miruko’s seemed to be designed for efficiency rather than appearance. The waiting area was small and Katsuki knew there were plenty of communal offices to process paperwork as efficiently as possible. If Hawks excelled at being the fastest hero, Miruko was the fastest agency.

It was clear that Izuku knew his way around. No one seemed to recognize him immediately, but that could also have been because fucking everyone seemed more interested in annoying Katsuki.

Assuming most of them weren’t civilians and actually fucking worked here, he took to flipping most of them off the moment they looked his way. Normally Izuku probably would have laughed at him or lectured him about being nice to fans, but the nerd seemed determined to get wherever the hell he was going.

Izuku was still in most of his Nim gear, but a lot of the gadgets were tucked away and he had his face exposed. Katsuki noticed before that the tech that produced the smoke cloud was a choker, but he still couldn’t take his eyes off of it. What he wouldn’t give to slip a finger under it and pull the nerd closer to him. 

Everything around his feelings were still a fucking problem. The nerd had amped up all of the flirting even after Katsuki told him to stop feeling like he had to. He seemed to look for every opportunity to get close to Katsuki. It felt like the world was testing him. Every time he started to cross the line between friendship and something more, a voice in him reminded him of how fucking terrible he’d been to Izuku. There was no chance in hell he deserved any of it, besides, Izuku was very upfront about being against dating.

“Mido-chan?” An airy voice pulled him out of self loathing.

Two heroes approached them looking directly at the nerd.

“OMG! It’s like totally you!” The girl pulled Izuku into a suffocating hug.

Katsuki recognized both of them, but for the life of him, he couldn’t remember their fucking names. 

“Hey guys. I need a favor…” Izuku was shifting awkwardly in the airhead’s arms.

“Mido! What can we do to help out an old friend?” The guy bellowed and joined the girl in crushing Izuku. He had the same stupid bravado Katsuki remembered during the licensing exam.

Anytime someone got especially close to the nerd, it was like the blood under Katsuki’s skin started itching. Izuku had called it jealousy and he definitely wasn’t fucking wrong, but as he had also pointed out, Katsuki didn’t have the right to feel that way. So he watched, fists clenched and jaw strung tight.

“I need to talk to the dealer the two of you brought in a few days ago.” 

They finally released Izuku and he smiled anxiously at them. Katsuki recognized the smile from their childhood. He looked so young and helpless.

“Mido…” the guy glanced nervously at Katsuki. “We don’t see you in months and you show up asking for something illegal. Besides, this is probably not an appropriate conversation to have in front of Ground Zero.”

“Oh! Shoot!” Izuku turned quickly to Katsuki, almost tripping over his own feet. “Let me introduce you to Kaachan.”

“Oh baby! We know him.” The blond girl pinched Izuku’s cheeks like he was a fucking child.

“Yeah. Did supplementary lessons after failing the licensing exam with this idiot, and that loudmouth nearly got into a fucking fist fight with Icy Hot during the same exam.” Katsuki slapped her hand away from Izuku’s face. “Still don’t give a fuck about your names though.”

“Don’t mind him. He’s just grumpy because we had a late dinner. He probably just forgot your names. This is Camie and Inasa. We went to Shiketsu together.” 

“Still don’t fucking care.” He glared at the two heroes.

“No damage, my man. It’s nice to see Mido-chan chillin with other pros. He was like so adorably afraid of them in high school.” Camie trilled.

Some fucking friends these two were. If they seriously thought that Izuku’s trauma was cute, then they needed someone to kick their asses.

“It’s great to see you, Mido, but I can’t let you see anyone in custody. You’re a civilian after all and unless you want to discuss this in front of Ground Zero, we should probably drop it.” Inasa hadn’t taken his eyes off Katsuki.

“Kaachan already knows.” 

“Duh.” Camie tapped the side of her empty fucking head. “Why else would Mido-chan bring him along?”

Between all the touching and Mido-chan Katsuki was going through every calming strategy his therapist had taught him.

“Wait! This is perfect! Baby, you gotta be my date for my ex’s wedding! You’ve like totally gotten hot.” 

Yep, he definitely wanted this bitch gone.

“Sorry Camie, but I’m really only here to talk about seeing that dealer…” The nerd said quietly.

“How about we all head down to a 24 hour café and catch up.” Inasa suggested.

“You really aren’t going to help me?” Izuku looked between the two heroes.

“Sorry baby, but we’d get massively lectured.” 

“Yeah Mido… I know you have your hobby, but this isn’t for amateurs.” 

How the fuck had Izuku ever put up with these asshats? They constantly belittled him and clearly didn’t fucking understand that the work Izuku did as Nim actually helped people. The only person he’d ever see treat the nerd worse… Was himself.

Fuck… They were definitely better than Katsuki had ever been growing up. Why did Izuku insist on letting people like him into his life? He deserved so much fucking more.

“Then it’s a challenge.” The nerd looked to Inasa. He didn’t have to look up much considering the hero couldn’t have been taller than 6 foot.

Inasa chuckled and started walking further into the building.

Izuku started to follow behind him, but Camie ran in front of him and held out her hand dramatically.

“Mido-chan! You’ve never like actually you know… won one of these.”

“The fuck are you talking about Airhead?” Katsuki interrupted.

“Oh, my god! So these two would always like have these mini battles over stuff. Like whoever won got their request granted or something. I remember one time Mido-chan had to teach my boy how to give rockin head because he finally got a date with Seiji-san.” 

Katsuki was going to throttle this girl. 

“I showed him on a banana! And will you please stop telling that story, Camie…” Izuku was bright red and scanning the hallway like he was looking for a physical escape from the conversation.

“Is this the first time you’re going to backdown after challenging me?” Inasa called over his shoulder. “It’s not like you have a chance, but that never stopped you before.”

They all followed Inasa into an open training room. It was covered in concrete and had large mirrors on a few walls so people could watch their own fighting forms. The walls reached about three floors up, but there was nothing else in the room. Knowing Izuku’s fighting style, this was probably the worst place they could have been. The nerd seemed to be constantly using everything around him in a fight and this didn’t leave anything to work with.

Camie and Katsuki stood near the door, mostly out of the way, but before Izuku could join Inasa in the center of the room, the hero motioned to his jacket.

“No gear, Mido. You know the rules.”

Izuku was already light on equipment as far as Katsuki could tell considering they were just meeting up with Eraserhead, but he slid off his jacket and piled any remaining tech on it before handing it to Katsuki. Lastly, he kicked off his dorky red shoes and walked out barefoot.

In his off hand, Katsuki produced a few angry sparks. This was fucking unfair. The asshole hero still had on his uniform while the nerd was even less prepared than when he’d fought Katsuki. No fucking wonder Izuku had never won one of these.

“Umm… What are you going to ask for if you win?” Izuku asked once he’d joined Inasa.

“You’re going to be Camie’s date when I beat you.”

Camie squealed with joy next to Katsuki and he counted back from 10 before he took out her fucking knees.

“Deal.”

Izuku started sprinting to close the gap between him and the hero, immediately getting knocked back by a gust of wind. He slid across the ground and gracefully rolled back onto his feet before trying again.

It wasn’t that Katsuki didn’t think Izuku was strong, but he couldn’t imagine how the nerd could possibly win. Inasa’s entire quirk was basically made to keep someone at a distance and Izuku didn’t have fucking anything to get him in close for hand to hand combat. 

After a few times of Izuku trying to dodge the smaller blasts of wind, Inasa seemed to get impatient and pulled out a larger move. He began rotating the air and before long a small tornado formed. The hero had gotten better at making his quirk almost impossible to see and the lack of dust or fucking anything in the room meant that the only way anyone knew what was happening was from the deafening noise and the way Izuku’s body twirled in the air. 

He looked helpless as his limbs were thrown around. After twisting his body wrong the cyclone spat him out and into a mirrored wall, shattering the surface. It all began raining down on Izuku. The wind stopped as Inasa looked at his opponent.

Izuku wasn’t moving and had a few cuts from the impact. Katsuki started to move forward before Camie put a hand on his arm to stop him.

“I’m not falling for that, Mido.” The hero called from across the room. “We’ve been friends for too long for that to work.”

Without even waiting for Izuku to respond, he started up the wind again and swooped the nerd into another twirling bit of air. Also picked up in the current was the broken mirror. Every shard and bit of shimmering dust swirled in the air in the room. They reflected off of lights and would have been beautiful if they weren’t slowly cutting into Izuku’s body. 

It was clear that Izuku was awake. He was actively moving to avoid larger projectiles and frantically looking around. It felt like this went on for an eternity. Katsuki and Camie watched as the splattering of blood was sent through wind and deposited onto nearby surfaces. Some of it stayed aloft in the currents and it was difficult to tell when Izuku had been cut again or just hit with his own blood.

“Fucking knock it the fuck off!” Katsuki screamed over the wind.

A moment before he dropped the nerd’s jacket and went after Inasa for fighting a battle he had clearly already won, Izuku twisted his body again, taking a large bit of mirror to the thigh and launching himself out of the current. He slammed directly into Inasa, sending them both to the ground. Before the hero could throw Izuku off again, there was a pointed shard pressing into his neck. 

“End!” Camie shouted from beside him.

Izuku got to his feet and extended a bloody hand to the man on the ground. He took it and looked at Izuku with unrestrained shock. Katsuki wasn’t sure if the shock was from the nerd winning or the fact that Izuku looked straight out of a fucking horror movie. It sure as hell didn’t help that the idiot was smiling while blood dripped down his face.

“How…” Inasa asked once Camie and Katsuki had gotten closer.

“I mean it’s pretty impossible to track all of your wind without something visible in it…” Izuku's grin widened. 

“Once I was able to get you to throw me into the mirror I could use the broken bits to track the directions, my blood definitely helped with that too. After I was able to see it, predicting how things were moving became a lot easier. I needed to make sure you weren’t able to hit me with a surprise gust. Then I just waited until you brought me close enough and with enough force that I could propel myself into you. Oh! And I grabbed the larger shard while I was pretending to be unconscious.”

Katsuki looked down at the nerd rambling proudly about his plan and was floored. The whole thing was fucking brilliant. Sure, Izuku probably had fought the guy in the past and knew his quirk better than anyone, but something like that was insane to even try pulling off. Most heroes would have written it off on the fact that it only worked after an injury. Izuku was incredible, an absolute dumbass, but fucking incredible. The vigilante's extensive, and hot, scars now made a lot more sense. The idiot probably allowed himself to get injured to win a lot of fights.

“Deals a deal then. Let’s go meet your dealer.” Inasa patted Izuku on the back and started leading him out of the room.

“Oi! Where the fuck do you think he’s going with those injuries?” Katsuki glared at them.

After a bit of arguing and Izuku proving that most of the cuts were minor, they settled for heading to the locker room to shower most of the blood off and make sure nothing got infected.

“Are you fucking done yet?” Katsuki called towards the showers. He was sorting through a first aid kit, pulling out bandages and creams to help with the healing process. 

“Sorry Kaachan! I got a little distracted.” 

He turned to lecture the nerd about wasting time, but his voice caught in his throat. Izuku walked in, still dripping with water, in nothing but a towel wrapped low around his waist. The not quick six pack on his stomach led down to a short bit of green hair peeking over the towel. Katsuki looked away as Izuku approached the pile of clothing Inasa had lent him. The nerd had refused to take anything into the showers saying he was afraid of getting them wet.

“Okay nurse, Kaachan! I’m ready for you.” Izuku winked when Katsuki finally turned and he felt his heart thrash against his ribs. 

Thanks to the deeper gash that needed tending on his thigh, Izuku was only wearing a pair of briefs. Walking over to the dirty towel pin, Katsuki was treated to the most beautiful view of the nerd’s round ass he’d ever seen. The way it fucking flexed as he walked was going to be the end of him.

“Looks like you’re ready for me too.” He winked at Katsuki, making it clear he’d caught the hero starring.

“Fuck off, Izuku.” Katuski shifted to hide his visible interest and waited for the sass to end.

“It’s okay, Kaachan. I like that you look at me.” Izuku sat down on the bench across from Katsuki and held out his hand for supplies.

Rolling his eyes and trying to ignore the excitement from hearing Izuku's admission, Katsuki knelt closer and started treating the wounds himself. For the most part they really were surface scratches. Still, for each one he applied some cream for infection and covered it carefully. 

“If you kiss them they won’t hurt as much.” The nerd flashed his classic shit eating grin again. It was a welcomed sight after the nervous mess he’d been around his high school friends.

Katsuki lifted the arm he’d just finished bandaging and brought a cut to his lips. He was shaking and his heart pounded in his ears. The only thing that made him keep going was the wide eyed look Izuku was giving him, complete with an adorable blush. This close he could count every mark and he took his time placing barely there kisses on each spot. 

He continued to the other arm until he almost couldn’t breath. It’s not like what he was doing was fucking anything, but being this close to a nearly naked Izuku made the air unbearably heavy. 

“I…” The nerd’s voice shook as he looked down at the crouching hero. “I have a few on my thighs too…”

Looking down, he saw that Izuku had a few more open wounds below the waist, but an obvious bulge in his borrowed underwear was the only thing Katsuki could focus on. Here he was applying a cream he knew stung like hell and Izuku was fucking turned on. He was at the perfect height right now to take fucking Inasa’s underwear off the nerd and…

Izuku covered himself quickly. 

“Ahhh… Sorry. I shouldn’t.” He started stuttering.

Katsuki wanted nothing more than to move the nerd’s hands… He wanted nothing more than to take Izuku right here while his friends waited just outside the door. Izuku would probably be so loud that they’d come check and…

“Kaachan…” He tapped Katsuki’s head to pull him back into the conversation. “This one is going to need stitches.”

The spot Izuku was pointing to was the place a larger shard of the mirror had dug into him right before the end of the fight. It definitely was going to need a few stitches and probably some quirk based healing to avoid scaring.

Izuku leaned over him still hard and grabbed the medical bag. He pulled out a small kit and before Katsuki could process what was happening, the nerd had a needle in his leg and was stitching himself up.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Katsuki debated grabbing Izuku’s wrist, but definitely didn’t want to yank on anything physically connected to the nerd’s skin.

Ignoring him completely, Izuku continued crafting one stitch before cutting the thread and starting a second. Stitches, Katsuki knew, weren’t fun to get. He couldn’t imagine being fucking stupid enought to do them yourself.

“You know they take records of anyone who comes into hospitals and looks like they were in violent situations?” Izuku winced slightly as he worked.

“I learned that when I was still living with my stepdad. He never let us get checked up in case someone started catching on. That’s why there’s no official record of abuse. When I started being Nim, I knew the less I went to the hospital the less likely I was to get caught and detained. It’s not hard to learn how to apply stitches and do basic post fight treatments.”

Katsuki was still speechless when Izuku finished the fourth stitch and disposed of the needle.

“Are you going to bandage that one too?” Izuku nodded to the fairly well done stitches in his leg.

His hands shook as he did.

“Does it get a kiss?” Izuku giggled softly.

Leaning down, for the first time since they’d entered the locker room, Izuku’s body didn’t seem sexual to Katsuki. Instead he looked at the scars and imagined a younger less experienced boy crying alone while he treated them. He thought about the fights Izuku probably had that left him beaten and isolated. 

Katsuki ran his thumb over the bandage gently and silently promised himself to never let Izuku patch himself up without help ever again. He pressed another barely there kiss to the skin next to the wound and rested his head on an uninjured part of Izuku’s thigh.

Calloused fingers ran through his hair, brushing it out of his face so Izuku could see him. Instead of stopping, they continued pulling through his hair and massaging his scalp. Nothing in the word had ever felt so intimate. The nerd was giving him a smile he’d never seen. If Katsuki was forced to describe it, he’d say it was loving.

“Kaachan?” Izuku whispered after a while. “I know you’re really tired, but Camie and Inasa are probably waiting for us.”

“Let them fucking wait…” Katsuki mumbled into Izuku’s thigh, but after a moment he managed to stand up.

Neither of them said anything while Izuku finished getting dressed. Even seeing the nerd in someone else’s clothing wasn’t enough to overshadow the lightness in Katsuki’s chest. The feeling stayed even listening to Camie reminisce about Izuku’s old hook ups. He was sure none of them ever had a moment as incredible as he’d just had with the nerd anyway. 

Inasa had woken up the dealer and put him in a private room for Izuku to talk to. Right before going in Izuku looked at Katsuki and gave him the same smile he’d seen in the locker room. 

~~~

“Fucking no, Izuku!” Katsuki tried not to yell as they walked from the station back to Izuku’s place.

It was late and he had already snapped at a few extras who tried to interrupt their conversation.

“Kaachan! You heard what the guy said. There’s definitely something else going on here!” Izuku was pushing through people trying to keep up.

“I don’t fucking care. You’re not doing that shit. It’s not fucking safe.” He flipped off another asshole shoving a pen and paper in his face. Why he’d ever wanted media attention before was fucking lost on him.

They reached the entrance to Izuku’s building and Katsuki pushed inside hoping to end the discussion.

“No Kaachan! You don’t get to pull that shit. There was no way after hearing all of that you actually think he was seriously involved.” 

He knew Izuku was right. The dealer had said every time he’d met the Icy Hot bastard that the asshole didn’t know shit about what was going on. The guy even said it sounded like Todoroki was reading off a fucking script.

“Just because you’re right doesn’t mean you get to toss together a half assed plan and expect me to fucking let you get killed.”

They got onto the elevator and Katsuki slammed the button to Izuku’s floor.

“You’re overreacting, Kaachan…” Izuku tried again.

“Overreacting?” He turned to glare at Izuku. Every bit of the fluffy feeling from earlier had been set on fire the moment the nerd told him his plan.

“I’m having a perfectly reasonable reaction to you telling me you want to break Icy Hot out of prison. Specifically fucking Tartarus.” Katsuki refused to back down.

“But I have a plan for that too! I just need to…”

“Your plan is to go talk to the most dangerous villain to ever exist! That’s not a fucking plan, Izuku. That’s a fucking death wish!” He interrupted Izuku immediately.

When Izuku had mentioned interviewing All for One as a way to get information for a prison break he’d thought the nerd was kidding, but the more he listened the more it became clear that Izuku was actually considering this shit. Katsuki had met All for One once before and there was no way he was letting Izuku anywhere near that monster.

“It’s not like I haven’t done it before…” Izuku rolled his eyes.

“You what?” Katsuki didn’t move as the elevator doors opened.

“I interviewed him or talked to him I guess. That day when I answered your call with the weird voice changer? I was getting done talking to All for One as a favor to the Commission.” 

“Do you even fucking understand how fucking stupid that was, Izuku! Why the fuck would you put yourself in that situation to begin with? Who gives a fuck what the Commission wants! What if something happened? Do you honestly think you’d stand a fucking chance?” His voice was definitely louder than he meant and a part of his brain warned him that he was probably scaring Izuku.

Instead of looking scared Izuku fixed him with a heart shattering glare. It was cold and spiteful. It reminded Katsuki of the way Izuku looked at him the day he’d told the nerd to jump off the roof. There was no kindness in the eyes that ripped themselves from Katsuki’s stunned expression and silently navigated the hallway. 

Izuku was nearly inside by the time Katsuki caught up. Before he could say anything else, Izuku threw the bag filled with his bloody clothing on the floor just beyond the entrance and began strapping on the vigilante tech he had pulled from his jacket.

“You’re not fucking running off to get yourself caught by the League or pull some stupid shit with a fucking prison break!”

Katsuki took a step towards Izuku, but before he got any closer, the vigilante grabbed something from his jacket. The tech wrapped around Katsuki’s bicep and shot out to stick to the closest wall.

“Don’t follow me, Katsuki.”

Izuku didn’t look back to see Katsuki flinch at the venomous usage of his name. He just sprinted down the hallway towards the emergency stairs.

Katsuki turned to the capture gear that had him stuck to the wall and yanked hard enough to rip the drywall open. It left a fist sized hole that Katsuki would definitely fix later. Right now it didn’t matter if Izuku hated him for destroying his wall or following him, as long as the nerd was safe. He took off down the hall after Izuku, only barely remembering to close the apartment door behind him.

Chapter Text

Izuku wanted to be as far away from everything as he could get. Each rooftop passed faster and faster as he ran. The noise of Friday night faded around him, leaving only the soft padding of his own feet and quiet thwips of Black Whip propelling him forward. 

He was such an idiot. Kaachan might not have been bullying him for being weak anymore, but the constant lectures about Izuku being in danger proved that nothing had changed. That Izuku hadn’t changed. While Kaachan got stronger and kinder, Izuku was still the same useless kid as before. 

Seeing Camie and Inasa had put him back in the headspace of a nervous teenager. Izuku hated hearing himself sound so unsure. He hated that he had almost listened to Camie and given up the challenge before it even began, but hearing Kaachan calling out during the fight hurt most. Stupidly, he’d convinced himself that Kaachan was being protective, that he just cared about Izuku being safe. 

Running on pure instinct he ended up skidding to a stop on his favorite roof. Air forced itself back into his lungs and his muscles screamed at the overuse. Slowly the world came back into focus, the Tokyo skyline materialized before him. Izuku walked to the edge to get a better view, trying to shake the pounding heartbeat from his ears. 

Something grabbed his arm and yanked him. He stumbled backwards in confusion and finally looked up to see Kaachan. 

“Are you fucking trying to die? Fucking tell me, Izuku!”

He pushed the hand off and backed away. Anger thudded in his temples. Of course Kaachan had followed him. Apparently he wasn’t even competent enough to relieve stress without a babysitter. 

“I told you not to follow me…” Izuku breathed out trying to keep his voice calm.

“And fucking let you run off into the fucking night to get kidnapped!” Kaachan on the other hand had no issue yelling.

The day seemed to have lasted forever and the last bit of patience Izuku had left his body.

“That’s bullshit! Why do you keep freaking out every time I do anything moderately dangerous? Believe it or not, I did survive just fine without you for years, Katsuki! Hell I’ve survived a lot worse than you’ve seen me face! And you still think I need you babying me constantly! I wrote it off because I thought we were friends, but that’s not it is it?” The words tumbled out of him as he squared his shoulders and held eye contact with the hero.

“You have no idea what you’re fucking talking about.” Kaachan uttered through a tense jaw.

“No idea what I’m talking about? All of your friends are heroes! Tell me, Katsuki. Do you get this way with them too? Do you freak out every time Eijiro or Kaminari go on a mission? Do you insist on being a part of every patrol with Mina?”

“It’s fucking different, Izuku…” The hero had clenched his fists, but Izuku could still hear the small sparks coming from them.

“Oh right! It’s so different. And why is that? Have you ever thought about that? About what makes me different from your friends…” Izuku scoffed. “You still see me as the same useless kid I used to be, Kaachan.”

“IT’S BECAUSE I FUCKING LIKE YOU!” Kaachan finally shouted.

Everything around Izuku froze. The night life of Tokyo, the rush of traffic, hell even the blood in his heart seemed to stand still.

“It’s because I don’t care about them the way I care about you. Fuck! Is it so fucking wrong to try protecting someone you have feelings for?” 

“You… you like me?” Izuku whispered mostly to himself.

“For fucks sake!” Kaachan cursed.

Kaachan liked him. More than a friend liked him. His mind whirred with the information.

“Then why didn’t you say anything?” Izuku stared dumbfounded at the hero.

“Are you actually asking me that, Izuku? You think I deserve fucking to confess or some shit after everything?”

He’d known. Kaachan had known he’d liked Izuku and was holding back. Izuku figured that the hero needed time to sort out his feelings, but here he was, keeping them from Izuku.

“You liked me… And didn’t tell me?”

“Jesus! Izuku, I treated you like shit. Hell I wouldn’t blame you if you hated me forever for the shit I pulled. So yeah. I didn’t say anything because I don’t fucking deserve being in your life as much as…”

“I already forgave you, Kaachan!” Izuku interrupted. 

“It doesn’t fucking matter.” Kaachan tried to argue, but Izuku kept talking.

“It’s you that hasn’t forgiven yourself!” He walked towards the hero, arms flailing in disbelief. “What the hell do I need to do so you finally accept that you’re not the same person you were back then?”

Catching his wrists once Izuku got close enough Kaachan let out a sigh and met Izuku’s glare.

“Then hit me. Scream at me. Put me through the same pain I cause you.” He released his grip and looked down at the ground. “Then maybe…”

Izuku was so tired of this. Screw Shinso’s advice to wait. Screw all of it.

Reaching around the back of Kaachan’s neck with one of his arms, he pulled the hero down and slammed their lips together. It probably didn’t even count as a kiss considering neither of them moved for the few seconds they were connected.

Izuku pulled back and nearly laughed at the shell shocked look on Kaachan’s face.

“I’m not going to do any of that, Kaachan. Because you don’t deserve it. You never did.” He rested their foreheads together and sighed.

“You were a shitty kid. You hurt me and it sucked. But you aren’t a kid anymore and the only way you’re hurting me now is by keeping your distance just like you did back then. So much has changed, but the one thing that hasn’t is that I just want to be close to you and you just keep finding reasons to push me away. So please, Kaachan, just stop…”

Izuku knew he was crying. Tears splattered onto the roof and he pinched his eyes shut to try stopping them. He did like Kaachan, but all of this… It was dangerous for him. His heart hadn’t been allowed anything like this ever and now the throbbing felt like it was killing him.

Warmth enveloped his damp cheek and he opened his eyes to see Kaachan’s shaking hand holding his face. 

“Please…” He breathed out.

Kaachan guided his face closer until their lips were brushing again. After giving enough time for Izuku to pull away, Kaachan kissed him. 

Izuku always imagined kissing Kaachan would be a battle, that they would have fought for dominance with teeth and force. It wasn’t. This kiss was impossibly tender. It tasted salty thanks to Izuku’s crying but the soft movement of their lips fell together perfectly. 

The hand on his cheek moved cautiously to the back of Izuku’s neck and his own hands were lightly pressed to Kaachan’s chest. When they parted, he tucked his head into Kaachan’s chest and wrapped his arms around the hero’s torso.

“Izuku…” Kaachan whispered into the top of his head. “Do you? Does this mean…”

He tightened his grip on Kaachan, not knowing how to answer.

“I… When I woke up this morning I was sad you weren’t still in bed with me. I realized I wanted to watch you make breakfast every morning and today in the locker room… I thought that running my fingers through your hair felt better than any sex I’d ever had.” Izuku hesitated. “I don’t want to be with anyone else like this, Kaachan… I don’t think I can.”

“Can I touch you?” Kaachan’s voice was hoarse and Izuku finally noticed that the hero’s hand hadn’t moved from the back of his neck. 

He giggled. “Didn’t I say I would tell you if you did something I didn’t like?”

Before Izuku could process the movement, Kaachan was kissing him again. His head was tilted back to deepen the contact and tentatively he pressed his tongue into Kaachan’s mouth. The hero met him and before he knew, they were making sloppy sounds as they explored each other for the first time. 

Kaachan’s hands finally started moving, leading Izuku backwards until he felt his back up against something. One hand was still holding his head while the other moved along his side. Their bodies pressed together and immediately he groaned against Kaachan’s erection. The hero seemed to have the same reaction, slipping his hand under Izuku’s shirt. It was rough and warm against Izuku’s bare skin.

“Wait…” Izuku pushed Kaachan away slightly.

“Fuck…” Kaachan’s breathing was heavy and his eyes looked hungry. “Fuck. Sorry Izuku. I… I shouldn't have.”

“No! That’s not what I meant.” Heat rose to Izuku’s face. “I really like it. But… Umm… You really shouldn’t have all your first times on a roof, Kaachan…”

God! Why was he so nervous? None of what they were doing was particularly new to Izuku, but with Kaachan everything felt more real. Being too busy internally panicking, he missed Kaachan’s smirk.

“Okay, Izuku. No firsts for me.”

Izuku was about to suggest they start heading back when Kaachan’s lips were on his neck. They kissed and sucked at his skin, never hard enough to leave a mark. It was like Kaachan was still afraid of hurting him. For Izuku, it was torture. He wanted to feel Kaachan’s teeth, he wanted bruises and pain. Making a note to have a talk about that with Kaachan later, he was interrupted by the realization that the hero was on his knees. 

“Ww… Wait. Kaachan!” He moaned as hands gripped at his thighs.

“I’ll stop if you want, Izuku. Just tell me.”

This definitely wasn’t how things were supposed to happen. They needed to have a talk about boundaries and safe words. He hadn’t even told Kaachan that he was clean.

“I get tested!” He squeaked out, voice cracking as a hand pressed through the borrowed pants and up against his cock.

“Izuku… You wouldn’t let me do any of this if you didn’t.” 

Kaachan’s fingers unbuttoned him and gently pulled the fabric away. The cool night air made him shiver and close his eyes. 

He was about to tell Kaachan that he absolutely did not have to do anything he didn’t want when a warm tongue ran up the side of his shaft. The moan that escaped him sounded pathetic even to his own ears and he heard Kaachan chuckle before taking the tip into his mouth.

Izuku’s hands gripped at his shirt, trying to control the rapid beating of his heart. Kaachan’s tongue seemed to test the foreign taste before pushing further. It was easy to tell that it was his first time, but before going so far that he’d choke, Kaachan covered the rest of Izuku’s cock with his hand. He started slowly moving, testing out his own personal limits.

Izuku had done some stupid stuff in public places before, but never like this. Just the knowledge that he was pressed against a wall, pathetically whimpering where anyone could see him sent waves of pleasure down his spine. Logically he knew he’d never run into anyone else up here, but it felt like the whole city was watching him receive a blowjob from Ground Zero.

The heat in his stomach coiled together and he finally dared to open his eyes. Kaachan was a sight to see. Somehow even with Izuku in his mouth, he still looked fierce. Izuku always teared up while giving head, but the hero met his gaze with fiercely smug crimson eyes. He sucked a little harder and Izuku threw his head back into a full moan. 

“Kaa…. Kaachannn. I’m close.” Izuku tried to pull back to avoid finishing down Kaachan’s throat but the hero tightly gripped Izuku’s hip with his unused hand.

His body shook into through orgasm and his voice called out into the night. Before he could collapse onto the ground, Kaachan stood up to catch him enough to keep him upright and smirked. He looked entirely too pleased to have rendered Izuku a moaning mess on a public roof. 

Whipping off the excess cum from his lips, Kaachan kissed Izuku deeply. He could taste himself in the hero's mouth. There was no way Kaachan had any idea how hot that was, but Izuku grinded his used cock against the tightened fabric of Kaachan’s pants.

“Let’s go…”

Kaachan laughed and more waves of pleasure shot through Izuku. He knew there wouldn’t be anything more than vanilla sex tonight, but images of a harsh Kaachan degrading and laughing at him before fucking him into a mattress taunted Izuku anyway.

“We don’t have to… I don’t mind waiting. Plus you just fucking came, Izuku.”

“If you want to then I definitely want to. Also if you think I get worn out after one orgasm you’re in for a surprise.” Izuku winked at Kaachan ignoring the part of his brain chastising him for being overzealous about finishing multiple times. Sure, he’d done it before, but it always took a lot out of him.

The smirk on Kaachan’s face widened until Izuku could see the pointed tips of his canines.

“My place is closer…”

Without waiting for more clarification, Izuku fixed his pants and took off in the direction of Kaachan’s apartment.

~~~

Izuku was still smiling when they reached the roof of Kaachan’s place. They had come to the unspoken agreement that spending any of the trip walking would have been a waste of time and had practically raced the whole way there. 

Now both of them were panting and covered in sweat. An arm pulled Izuku up by the waist and hoisted him over the hero’s shoulder. With the other hand Kaachan slowed their fall using his quirk and only put him down when they’d reached the front door.

“I can’t fucking wait, Izuku…” Kaachan's eyes seemed to be staring through Izuku’s clothing.

Having someone see them was definitely a bad idea considering the media attention Ground Zero was still getting. Izuku had expected some of it to die down with the Todoroki arrest, but it hadn’t as much as he hoped if today was any hint.

Keeping his hands off of Kaachan now that they were clearly visible to any of his neighbors was killing him. He wanted to beg the hero to hurry and open the door, instead he just shifted his balance between his feet and waited.

He heard a click and the door opened to a very tired and confused looking Ejiro Kirishima.

“Ughh? I thought you were staying with a friend for a while, Bakubro?” Ejiro looked over Izuku.

“I am, Shitty Hair. What the fuck are you doing here?” Kaachan seemed exasperated. Clearly the adrenaline was wearing off and the long day they’d both had was hitting him. 

Ejiro rubbed his eyes and gave them a forced smile.

“Sort of got into a fight with my roommate. Figured I could crash here since you were gone.” He made meaningful eye contact with Kaachan.

Izuku had talked to the hero enough as Ze to know that whatever had happened was pretty serious. Things with Ejiro’s roommate were complicated and if he needed space from the situation, Izuku wasn’t going to deny him that.

He stared up at Kaachan and gave him a smile before turning back to Ejiro and holding out his hand.

“Izuku Midoriya. I’m sure we can find enough space for all of us tonight.”

Ejiro took his hand and pulled him into a suffocating hug.

“Kirishima…” Kaachan growled at his friend. 

“It’s okay, Kaachan. Any friend of yours is a friend of mine.” He hoped Kaachan understood that he already knew the hero well enough that he didn’t need someone to step in.

“Fucking whatever.” Kaachan pushed in between them and into his apartment.

“Well since there are three of us and only one bed, someone is going to have to share.” Ejiro waited politely for Izuku to remove his shoes and led him inside.

“Oh…” Izuku started, trying to find a subtle way to suggest that he and Kaachan should sleep together.

“Don’t you worry, man! Bakubro and I used to crash on the same bed during UA field trips. You get the couch all to yourself.” Ejiro slung an arm over Izuku’s shoulders. “I’m Ejiro by the way, Ejiro Kirishima.”

“I ummm. I sort of know already.” He tried to hide the disappointment in his voice. 

“Oh right! The Ze interview!” 

Kaachan seemed to be watching the whole interaction closely. Izuku wasn’t sure if it was jealousy with how friendly the hero was acting, anger from their night being interrupted, or concern over how Izuku would handle being around another hero. He sighed before making his way to the couch. 

It was less comfortable than his own, but at this point he was too tired to care. Ejiro and Kaachan disappeared into the bedroom and he tried to curl up with the blanket and throw pillows that were there.

“Oi. Nerd.” Kaachan threw some extra bedding at him before walking over.

“You gonna be okay?” He asked, sitting down on the edge of the couch by Izuku’s legs.

“Yep! The couch isn’t bad and I mean you’re being a good friend so I can’t actually be upset.” Izuku happily wrapped himself in the second blanket.

“I meant me sharing a bed with Kiri…” Kaachan rubbed the back of his neck and pinched his nose. “You and I aren’t… I know we aren’t together together or some shit so we can’t exactly kick the asshole onto the couch, but…”

“Kaachan… I don’t want to be with anyone else and I definitely don’t want you to be with anyone either.” Izuku sat up and grabbed the hero’s hand. “But it’s Ejiro. He’s your best friend. Plus you’ve had years to put the moves on him so I think I’m safe.”

Kaachan snorted. 

Checking quickly to make sure they were alone, Kaachan left a short kiss on Izuku’s forehead. 

Once he was gone, Izuku put his face into the pillow and sighed. He definitely liked Kaachan more than was healthy.

Normally when Izuku couldn’t sleep it was because his mind was filled with fears and memories from the past. Tonight was the complete opposite issue. He kept smiling into his hand remembering every soft touch and Kaachan’s confession. Screamed on his favorite rooftop definitely wasn’t in his plans, but it seemed right for the two of them anyway. 

They still had a lot to talk about, but there wasn’t a doubt in his mind that things would work out. 

“Zuku?” A quiet voice called out in the dark.

“That’s a new nickname.” He giggled as Kaachan came to sit on the floor by his head.

“Figured it was a fuck ton better than Deku . Plus it reminds me of calling you Ze.” 

Kaachan was beautiful in the lowlight. The man was always attractive, but right now the shadows of his defined facial structure were extra visible. There was even a small scar under his chin that Izuku had never noticed. He reached out to trace it with his fingers.

“Where’s it from?” He asked.

“The hag gave it to me right before I moved into the UA dorms.” Kaachan took Izuku’s hand and brought it to his lips.

“Oh… I’m sorry.”

“I never told you why I was so fucking freaked out about you talking to All for One did I?” 

Izuku shook his head.

“First year at UA we had this training camp. Bunch of little shitty heroes in training up in the wilderness with the Pussycats. League of Villains attacked and kidnaped a kid. They wanted to ruin UA’s reputation or some shit, but they also thought the kid had the potential to be a good villain.” 

Izuku sucked in a breath. He’d avoided anything to do with Kaachan during high school, but he’d definitely overheard rumors that his childhood friend exhibited some villainous tendencies that first year.

“The fight that All Might had to retire after. I was there. He was there to save me. I saw what that bastard is capable of and fuck, it scared me. You’re strong, Izuku, there’s no denying that and I know I’m a fucking idiot for making you think otherwise, but I’m terrified of losing you.”

He squeezed Kaachan’s hand softly. The fact that Kaachan had fought to try to get Ze not to trade himself into the League was even more selfless. Kaachan had just been a kid when the League first took him, no wonder everything related to Shigaraki and All for One made him extra cautious.

“I understand where you’re coming from, Kaachan. I just… I hate feeling useless more than anything in the world and it seemed like you were convinced I couldn’t do anything on my own.” 

“I know. I was fucking dumb. Will you let me work on it?” Kaachan brushed the hair away from Izuku’s forehead.

“Of course… I should get used to not trying to face everything alone too. I mean I always wanted to stand by your side and now I’m stupid enough to not take you up on the offer.” He giggled as Kaachan rolled his eyes.

“Partners?”

“Partners.” Izuku agreed.

“Great. You can tell me about this suicidal prison break plan later and this time I won’t be an ass about it.”

He grinned up at the hero and a moment later the hand that had been in his hair moved to cover his face.

“Kaachan!” Izuku laughed into the palm.

“You’re not allowed to smile like that right now, nerd.”

He licked the palm of Kaachan’s hand and laughed when it was retracted.

“Why not?”

“Because it makes me really not want to go back to bed.” Kaachan glared and whipped the saliva on Izuku’s cheek.

Izuku sat up on his elbow and leaned closer.

“And why’s that?”

His flirting was rewarded with a soft flick on the forehead.

“Calm down you horny dork. I just like your shitty smile.”

It took a lot in sexual situations to embarrass Izuku. Sure, it seemed easier around Kaachan, but he had to cover his face and to try hiding the blush. Kaachan liked his smile. Now he was never going to be able to smile around the hero without feeling this bubbly.

“You could stay…” Izuku suggested through his hands.

“Pretty sure not even Kiri is that fucking dumb, Zuku… I only came out again because he sleeps like a damn rock.” Kaachan peeled one of Izuku’s hands away from his face and took it in his own again.

“Just for a little bit?” He put on his best innocent puppy dog face which was met with an eye roll.

“Move over, nerd.”

Kaachan climbed over him and against the back of the couch. There was hardly room for two grown men, but laying with Izuku’s back to Kaachan, they managed to fit. Moments later Izuku was wrapped in Kaachan’s arms and fell asleep without any problem.

~~~

The sound of glass shattering woke Izuku up. He tried to roll over to face the sound and immediately fell off the couch and onto the floor. Kaachan groaned from above him.

“Opps!” Kirishima started picking up bits of the glass he’d just dropped. “I just wasn’t expecting…”

Arms lifted Izuku from the ground before he could protest and Kaachan carried him past the still shocked hero. Izuku was still exhausted so he didn’t complain when Kaachan put him on the bed.

“Go back to sleep, Zuku. I’ll wake you up when breakfast is ready.” Kaachan kissed his forehead and muttered something about nosey friends before walking out of the room.

Izuku buried himself in blankets and drifted in and out of sleep until the smell of fresh bacon interested him enough to face waking up. 

Looking in the mirror he winced at what he saw. He hadn’t showered after last night so the sweat from running around the city stuck to his skin, and his hair was completely tangled. From the way his body ached, he knew there were a few bruises from his fight with Inasa too. Kaachan must really like him to confess while he looked like this.

The thought made him smile to himself. Kaachan liked him. And he liked Kaachan. He just needed to find the courage to officially say it back.

Figuring cleaning up could wait until after his stomach had been satisfied he braved leaving the bedroom.

“I swear if that asshat ever pulls something like that again…” Kaachan’s voice came from the kitchen as Izuku walked out to the hallway.

Ejiro had his head on the table.

“It wasn’t fair to expect him to just be sleeping with me. But it hurt, Bakubro.”

“Did you fucking say anything?” 

Izuku watched Kaachan start setting the table from his place in the hallway.

“No…”

“Jesus christ, Kiri. The guy won’t fucking know shit until you actually tell him.” Kaachan finally noticed Izuku watching them and snorted. “Take it from someone who made a fucking mess by keeping that shit to himself.”

Izuku grinned as he sat down next to Ejiro.

“At this point there’s probably no harm in being honest.” He tried to comfort the distraught hero who perked up at his voice.

“You think so?” Ejiro asked hopefully.

“Either you’re out a roommate or you start dating. Not that fucking complicated.” Kaachan put two plates in front of them.

Izuku’s mouth started watering instantly. Kaachan had made them bacon, scrambled eggs, and diced potatoes mixed with vegetables. His own eggs even had shredded cheese on them.

“What's the occasion?” He asked Kaachan. “Not that I’m complaining, but this definitely doesn’t fit the whole Kaachan’s healthy diet.”

Sitting down with his own healthier version of Ejiro and Izuku’s breakfast, Kaachan started eating.

“It’s the weekend. I can always expect one of these assholes to show up some night drunk off their ass and expecting breakfast the next morning.”

Digging in, Izuku completely forgot that there might be questions about why the two of them were cuddling on the couch last night until Ejiro brought it up.

“You should have told me that you two were together. I would have totally taken the couch.” The hero said with his mouth half full.

Thinking about it now, not being alone in bed with Kaachan was probably a good choice anyway. There was no way they would have just gone to sleep without continuing where they’d left off on the roof and if that had been any indicator, Izuku would not have been quiet enough to be respectful of someone sleeping in the other room.

“So are you two like…” Ejiro left the question hanging in hopes that someone would jump in.

Kaachan started to say something but Izuku interrupted.

“Boyfriend!” He said quickly and watched Kaachan’s mouth drop. “I’m Kaachan’s boyfriend…”

Instantly he started to feel panic in his chest. Wasn’t that was Kaachan wanted? To date. I mean he’d always told Izuku that he wasn’t into casual hookups and he literally confessed yesterday. Had Izuku gone too far? This was definitely a conversation that two people normally had before blurting it out at the breakfast table in front of company.

“Oi. Stop muttering, Zuku.” Kaachan was giving him a cocky smirk, clearly enjoying Izuku’s embarrassment.

“Oh damn! How long have you been dating?” Ejiro asked.

“I’d say about 20 seconds…” Kaachan’s smirk got wider as he spoke.

“Uhmm?” The other hero looked between them in confusion while Izuku hid his face in his hands.

“Unless you’re looking to take it back, nerd?” He teased Izuku.

“No!” Izuku groaned.

“Man it’s super cool that you turned the guy who saved you into your boyfriend, Bakubro.” 

“How do all of your friends know about that…” He pushed his hands harder against his face.

“Oh! This guy got drunk as hell during our grad party and spilled his guts to the whole class about you. The first real hero thing.” Ejiro laughed brightly.

Looking through his fingers, he saw Kaachan’s eyes still fixated on him.

“Can’t you have the decency to be a little embarrassed, Kaachan?” He pleaded.

“I think you’re embarrassed enough for the both of us, Freckles…”

Izuku pushed his chair back and took his nearly finished breakfast to the kitchen sink.

“I’m taking a shower…” He tried to declare confidently.

“Don’t worry. Boyfriend privileges extend to stealing my clothing.” Kaachan gave him one last cocky grin before disappearing into the kitchen to clean up.

Izuku had intended on keeping his shower short, but every time he tried to relax, he’d remember Kaachan playfully making fun of him. Before too long Izuku was working his way through an orgasm, quietly moaning Kaachan’s name into the tile. A part of him wished he had lube so he could pleasure more than just the front, but that would definitely make it harder to hide his voice and he wasn’t sure how thin Kaachan’s walls were.

Climbing out of the shower finally feeling clean and mostly satisfied, he searched Kaachan’s room for something to wear. He found a pair of underwear that almost fit and what must have been an older set of gym shorts. He was searching through shirts when he spotted something out of the corner of his eye.

Pulling it out of the hamper he smiled and put it on before going back to join the two heroes.

The moment Kaachan saw him, he knew he’d made a good choice. The hero immediately stopped talking with Ejiro and started tracking every small movement Izuku made.

“I didn’t know you had merch, Kaachan. This is really nice!” Izuku made a show of pulling the collar up to his face and burying his nose in it.

The Ground Zero themed sweatshirt he’d found was too long for him. It stopped right below his ass and hung slightly over his wrists. He looked cute and he wanted to make sure Kaachan knew it. 

“Oh!” Ejiro looked at his friend and immediately stopped talking.

“Kirishima…” Kaachan pushed his chair back. “Leave.”

Izuku gulped. He was expecting Kaachan to compliment him or get embarrassed, but this was different. 

“Sure thing, Bakubro…” Ejiro started towards the door, waving politely at Izuku.

“What? You don’t have to go, Ejiro.” Izuku called nervously.

“Yes he does…” Kaachan was closer now, eyes still taking in every inch of Izuku.

His knees felt weak under the intensity of Kaachan’s gaze. Whatever was about to happen, he was going to enjoy it.

Chapter Text

Katsuki should have known better than to trust the nerd in his closet. He’d read about people getting excited seeing a partner wearing their clothing, but he definitely wasn’t expecting the fire in his stomach. It didn’t help that Izuku had picked out the sweatshirt his friends had made with Ground Zero’s signature X across the front. It was almost as if Izuku wanted the world to know who he was with.

Boyfriends… Izuku had asked him to be his boyfriend. Well not so much asked as blurted it out with a mouth full of bacon. He was such a fucking dork and Katsuki couldn’t believe how lucky he was. 

The nerd was fidgeting quietly and chewing on his lip in the hallway. Katsuki wanted to tear him apart. Remembering how Izuku shook while he came just made him want to see the nerd fall apart again and again. Even though every inch of him was screaming to throw Izuku into the nearest surface and fuck him, Katsuki knew he needed to hold back. Izuku wasn’t fragile by any means, but considering their past, any sort of pain was off the table.

Trying to subdue his desires to a manageable amount, Katsuki closed the distance between them. He made sure to move slow enough that Izuku could have backed away or told him to stop before leaning down and kissing the nerd.

They both sighed into the contact, Izuku’s arms reaching up and around Katsuki’s neck. Once again, it was Izuku who deepened the kiss. Katsuki gently ran his hands down the nerds back, stopping right above his ass. What he wouldn’t fucking give to get a handful of that…

As if sensing his hesitation, Izuku bit Katsuki’s lip and pushed their body’s flush. Fuck it. They didn’t have to do anything more than this, but they were definitely going to his bedroom. Slipping his hands lower to the upper part of Izuku’s thighs, he lifted, allowing the nerd to wrap powerful legs around his waist. 

“Kaachan…” Izuku said breathily into his mouth.

“I’ll stop anytime you want, Izuku.” He started walking them through his apartment, peppering Izuku’s neck with kisses.

Katsuki wanted to leave bite marks and bruises next to the cute freckles that were fucking everywhere, mark him so the world would know he was taken. But that had the potential of hurting Izuku, so he didn’t.

Izuku on the other hand didn’t seem so concerned, digging his fingers into the back of Katsuki’s shirt, probably leaving red marks along his shoulders. 

“Ka… Kaachan. We need…” 

“Tell me what you need. I’ll give you fucking anything.” Katsuki whispered as he walked.

“Safewords…” Izuku was breathing hard and grinding against Katsuki desperately. 

“I’ll stop if you ask me to, Izuku.” He assured.

“No! I might… We just need them.”

“Pick whatever you want then.” Katsuki had finally managed to open his bedroom door.

“Red means stop. Yellow means I’m uncomfortable. Green means keep going.” The moment Izuku finished speaking he seemed to relax further into Katsuki’s hold.

“Sure thing, Zuku.”

“They are for you to use too, Kaachan.” 

Setting Izuku down on the edge of the bed he nodded. “Green means go. Yellow is uncomfortable. Red is stop. Now can I fucking blow you again?”

Izuku laughed and stood up from the bed. He brought his hands lightly up Katsuki’s torso, staring up at him with blown out green eyes. 

“Kaachan…” He kissed the small part of Katsuki’s collarbone that was left exposed by his shirt. “I’ve been waiting so patiently to have you inside of me. At least let me do it.”

Izuku’s sultry voice set off what felt like sparks of electricity in Katsuki’s body. His hands gripped Izuku’s waist as he managed to nod. He had no idea what Izuku was planning, but definitely wasn’t going to complain.

“Do you like seeing me in your clothing, Kaachan?” 

Slowly, Izuku stepped out of the shorts he was wearing and let the oversized sweatshirt fall over his borrowed underwear. Katsuki wondered if Izuku had put on a shirt underneath or if there really were only two pieces of clothing in between him and getting to see a fully naked Izuku.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” Izuku giggled, pressing his palm into Katsuki’s cock.

He painstakingly worked his way down to his knees, kissing and mouthing Katsuki’s chest through his shirt. It was fucking agony. In comparison, Katsuki’s pants came off in a blur, falling to the ground. 

Izuku nuzzled his painfully hard cock through his underwear and he groaned at the slight relief that came from the pressure. The image was nearly identical to when they’d spared at the hero gym. Only this time he was pretty sure Izuku wouldn’t be sending him into a desk.

A wet mouth brought him back from the memory. The nerd was sucking through the fabric apparently not giving a shit about the saliva he was leaving behind. After another moment, Izuku’s calloused hands reached up and freed him from his underwear.

“I was right…” Izuku muttered under his breath.

“Fucking about what…” Katsuki tried to keep his voice calm and his hands to himself, but fuck, it was a challenge.

“When I was rambling about your dick.” The nerd had the audacity to brush his lips across the tip. “You are bigger than me.”

Patience. Patience to not grab Izuku’s head. Patience not to cum instantly. Katsuki needed to stay calm right now.

“Kaachan…” Izuku scolded softly. “I’d like if you paid attention to me.”

Katsuki was about to find a kind way of telling the nerd to shut the fuck up, but was interrupted by Izuku lightly sucking on the side of his shaft. 

“Fuck… Izuku.”

“That’s better.” He grinned before taking Katsuki into his mouth.

The inside of Izuku’s mouth was tantalizingly warm and slick. Katsuki expected Izuku to stop pushing forward at some point, but in a matter of moments, his lips were pressed up against the base of Katsuki’s pelvis. 

The nerd moaned around his length, releasing mind blowing vibrations. He pulled back slowly until he just had the tip left and played with it for a second with his tongue before shoving back down. Slow movements began getting faster and Katsuki had to pinch his thighs to avoid being the quickest partner Izuku had ever fucking been with.

Closing his eyes might have helped, but Katsuki was mesmerized by the image of Izuku’s mouth wrapped tightly around his cock, eyes watering slightly as he took it into his throat. He was about to try imagining something else to avoid embarrassing himself, when he’d remembered Izuku’s request to pay attention. Instead he kept his mind strictly on the beautiful man pleasuring him. 

Izuku was going faster now, a few tears actually working their way out of his eyes. Gently Katsuki pushed a bit of hair away from his face and was rewarded with two beautiful eyes looking up at him. 

Sensing that, there was no way he would last any longer, not with the nerd looking both so innocent and fucking sexy at the same time, Katsuki tried to pull back, but Izuku’s hands kept him steady.

Desperate to not finish down the nerd’s throat without permission, he put both hands on Izuku’s shoulders and pushed gently. This time Izuku got the hint and started to sit back, but not before a final squeeze of suction around Katsuki’s cock. 

It was just enough to put him over the edge and he felt his fingers dig into Izuku’s shoulder muscles as he came harder than he ever had.

Breathing heavily he looked down in panic, expecting to find Izuku hurt or angry. The nerd was sitting back on his knees, his face covered in Katsuki’s cum. It dripped down his eyelashes and over his reddened mouth.

“Fuck! Izuku, are you okay?” Katsuki started to panic, reaching down to whip away some of the mess.

Izuku grabbed his hand and took the cum coated fingers into his mouth. Shivering against the tongue as it cleaned, he tried not to groan. This image would be enough to get him off for the rest of his life.

“I’m okay, Kaachan.” Izuku giggled. “Although I definitely wasn’t expecting a facial.”

Glaring at the cocky little shit, Katsuki pulled off his shirt and leaned down to help Izuku get cleaned up. As soon as he’d finished, he stole a glance at Izuku’s body again. His thighs were spread slightly and just beneath the fabric of Katsuki’s sweatshirt there seemed to be a bulge.

“Zuku…” Katsuki kissed him deeply. “Do you want to explain this?”

Izuku moaned lewdly as his erection brushed over Katsuki’s knee. He couldn’t help the smirk on his face. The nerd really was getting off on having Katsuki’s dick down his throat.

“Ahh... Kaachan.” He was bright red and kept avoiding Katsuki’s eyes.

“Will you let me try something?” Katsuki asked as he lifted the nerd and deposited him once again on the bed.

One nod later and Katsuki was pushing up the Ground Zero sweatshirt, trailing Izuku’s stomach with kisses. He slipped Izuku out of the underwear and leaned back to admire his boyfriend. 

Izuku had his hands over his face, already out of breath. With the sweatshirt just below his chest, Katsuki was treated to the sight of Izuku’s cock leaking slightly onto his abs. Leaning over to his bedside table, he brought out a bottle of lube. 

“Freckles…” He started before being interrupted by a wine from Izuku at the nickname.

“Look at me, Izuku.” Katsuki gently pried the hands down from Izuku’s face and showed him the bottle.

Izuku’s breath hitched. “Please…”

Smiling, Katsuki opened the cap and poured a decent amount onto his fingers. He’d tried this a few times on himself so he remembered to warm the liquid before touching Izuku with it.

With his clean hand, he lifted Izuku’s knees until they were bent and spread, carefully avoiding any bandages or bruises and admired the beautiful man beneath him. Katsuki didn’t need to be with anyone else to know he was lucky as fuck. 

He peppered kisses on the inside of muscled thighs and brushed a lubed finger over Izuku’s hole. The nerd jolted slightly and let out a gorgeous whimper. 

“Promise me you’re okay, nerd…”

“Green! Yes, please. God please touch me.” Izuku begged.

There were so many reasons Katsuki wanted to keep teasing the nerd. He wanted to watch him fall apart and plead until Katsuki allowed him to cum. Instead he slowly pushed a single finger into Izuku.

Izuku sucked in a breath and Katsuki tried not to imagine the intense feeling stretching Izuku with his cock would bring. Pushing as far in as he could go, he curled his finger up slightly. It was like Izuku had been electrocuted. His body twitched and let out a sharp moan.

Katsuki continued, only pressing on Izuku’s prostate directly every so often. It wasn’t long until he fit a second finger in and started kissing along Izuku’s shaft.

The noises coming from Izuku were more and more desperate with every second and he looked up to see hooded eyes fixated on him. Smirking, he took Izuku into his mouth.

This position was more awkward than when they were on the roof. It seemed like it would be a lot easier to choke, but he brought his other hand up to once again cover what didn’t quite fit. 

Working Izuku’s cock and ass made the nerd cry out nearly constantly. He was trying to muffle the sounds of pleasure with his hand, but was failing beautifully. Katsuki wondered how amusing it would be to tell Izuku to stay silent and see how long he could actually obey. More and more fantasies for him to enjoy on his own later.

After a while Katsuki tried adding a third finger. Izuku pushed his hips down eagerly on the extra digit and cried out. This time he was ready for Izuku finishing. He felt the tensing of Izuku’s body and the hastiness of his moans. Hell, he managed to actually swallow most of it this time too.

From where Katsuki had been positioned, he’d only caught glances of Izuku. Now, sitting back, he could see the absolute mess he’d created. The nerd was breathing heavier than he’d ever seen and flushed a deep red that Katsuki guessed extended down the man’s chest. Beads of sweat glistened across the exposed bits of his body.

Leaning down, Katsuki started kissing him. Izuku shivered at the contact and brought his hands up to Katsuki’s bare torso. 

“I will… I will never make fun of your diet again.” He said shakily.

Katsuki felt his chest swell with pride. He knew he was an attractive person and sure as hell worked hard on his body, though that was entirely for hero work. It still felt fucking good knowing the person he was with appreciated it.

Continuing to feel Izuku’s body, he noticed that every touch seemed to elicit shivers and beautiful little moans. Katsuki had spent enough time getting Izuku off that his dick was hard again and nothing the nerd was doing seemed to be helping him calm down.

“Zuku…” He sucked lightly on the nerd's earlobe. “Can I fuck you?”

Instead of an answer Izuku wrapped his arms around Katsuki's back.

“I… I really want to.” He started.

“But? I’m not going to be upset if you say no.” And Katsuki wouldn’t have been. A day ago he’d relegated himself to being Izuku’s friend for life and now they were kissing in his bed.

“I’m really sensitive right now, so… So I might end up being…” Izuku looked incredibly embarrassed.

“Not that I’m complaining, but what happened to once not being enough?” He teased gently.

At this Izuku’s blush deepened and he mumbled something under his breath.

“Oi. You gotta speak up, nerd.”

“I sort of already did in the shower…” He finally said.

Katsuki smirked. Horny bastard.

“I really want to. God I really really want to, but I’ve never finished more than twice so quickly and I’m nervous I won’t be able to.” 

“Would you still want to even if you can’t finish?” Katsuki asked, selfishly hoping for a chance to give Izuku something no one else had been able to. 

“Yes…” Izuku hesitated. “ I just want your first time to be good and…”

Katsuki snorted and cut off Izuku’s self doubt.

“Shut the fuck up, nerd.” He reached back into his drawer and found a condom. “I’m with you. It can’t be fucking bad.”

Izuku let out a beautiful giggle and started to call him romantic before being cut off by two relubed fingers entering him again. Opening him up was quick work considering how little time had passed and before long Katsuki was sliding on the condom and lining himself up with Izuku’s hole.

“You’ll let me know if I’m hurting you…” He demanded before hesitating. Izuku’s hole seemed so small next to his cock…

“Oh for god sake!” The annoyance in Izuku’s voice shocked him.

Before he could worry Izuku hooked his knee around Katsuki’s leg and flipped him onto his back. Izuku straddled him confidently and glared down.

“How many times do I have to tell you…” He lifted his hips and pressed the tip of Katsuki’s cock into his hole. “I’m not fragile.”

With the declaration, Izuku forced down and impaled himself on Katsuki. The heat of Izuku’s mouth was nothing compared to this and the tightness was nearly blinding. After a moment to pull himself out of whatever heaven Izuku had sent him to, Katsuki admired the whimpering sight of his boyfriend trying to adjust to his length.

Sensing the attention, Izuku shot him another glare before pulling out and thrusting back down. Katsuki’s hands pushed up the sweatshirt and gripped onto Izuku’s waist, hoping to steady the nerd. Izuku set a steady rhythm, moaning with every thrust that apparently hit just right.

After a little bit Izuku’s body started shaking like it had right after he’d came. Each time he lifted up seemed to take more out of him. Katsuki sat up and stilled Izuku on his lap. The nerd squirmed, rubbing his slowly rehardening cock against Katsuki’s stomach.

“I’m going to take this off, Izuku.” He kissed softly against Izuku’s lips and neck while he worked the last piece of clothing off.

It might have been the heat or the overstimulation, but Izuku looked incredibly worn out. As much as it turned Katsuki on, Izuku enjoying this was his priority.

“It… It’s too much, Kaachan…” Izuku whimpered against him.

“That’s okay. We can stop.” Katsuki started lifting Izuku off him but was met with the guy frantically clawing to keep them together and shoving his cock further inside. 

“Do you want me to take over?” He asked, rubbing circles into Izuku’s back.

“Please Katsuki…”

Any other context, Izuku not using his nickname would have pissed him off, but right now, it fed a different kind of fire. He carefully laid the nerd on his back before slowly pushing back inside. Izuku let out a cry as he immediately found the nerd’s abused prostate. 

Katsuki paid close attention to every reaction Izuku was making while he set a gentle pace. If he hadn’t been so concerned, there’s no telling how much quicker he would have finished. It didn’t take long before Izuku’s eyes started to leak tears again. Stopping everything completely he kissed the nerd’s damp cheeks.

“I really don’t want to hurt you, Izuku.” Katsuki hoped the nerd believed him.

“Please… I can’t… I…” Izuku buried his face in Katsuki’s collarbone.

He was about to pull out fully when he remembered what Izuku had said before they’d started.

“I need you to tell me what color…” Katsuki coaxed gently.

“Green! Please…”

There were still tears coming down his face occasionally, but Izuku had asked Katsuki to trust that he knew his own limits so he would. Picking up where he left off, he watched Izuku fall apart beneath him. 

It didn’t take long until Katsuki was again teetering on the edge of finishing. Izuku was holding onto him while he kissed the nerd through moans. His neighbors were definitely getting an earful, but he didn’t fucking care. A part of him wanted the world to hear Izuku being fucked out of his mind by Katsuki. 

“More… Katsuki!” Izuku cried out.

He leaned further down until their sweat covered chests were pressed together and started thrusting harder into Izuku. Praying Izuku wouldn’t mind, Katsuki started sucking on his neck. The contact made Izuku whipper and clench up around Katsuki’s cock. Moments later he felt warm liquid spill from Izuku between them.

“So close, Izuku. You’re so fucking incredible.” Katsuki panted into Izuku’s neck.

He didn’t remember biting Izuku’s neck when he came, but after the blinding sensation, a red mark below the hickey he’d left was clearly visible on Izuku. Katsuki rolled off to the side and looked over at his partner. 

Izuku’s breathing was slowly returning and he’d stopped crying. They were both covered in cum and sweat.

He groaned and started to get up only to be caught by Izuku’s hand.

“Can’t you stay?” Izuku’s still damp eyes pleaded along with his voice.

“You’re coming too, dork.” 

Katsuki lifted Izuku easily and carried him into the bathroom. Suddenly regretting never moving to a nicer place with an actual bathtub, he warmed up the shower while Izuku sat on the counter.

“Kaachan? It’s okay that I said we were boyfriends right?” 

It was definitely not something he should laugh at, but he couldn’t help it. The nerd was fucking ridiculous. Sitting naked after completely blowing away Katsuki’s expectations for sex after he’d screamed how much he liked the nerd on a fucking rooftop… Izuku was still insecure.

“You’re a dumbass.” 

Izuku winced and looked away at the harsh words. Katsuki took Izuku’s jaw in hand, forcing him to make eye contact.

“Here I was thinking that even if you somehow liked me that I would be spending weeks if not fucking months convincing you to go out with me and instead you instantly tell my best friend we’re together before I even get the chance ask.” He grinned at the returning blush dusting Izuku’s freckles.

“Okay…” Izuku pouted. “I get it.”

Katsuki kissed him.

“It was fucking cute.”

The nerd pushed himself off the counter and tried to glare menacingly at Katsuki before stepping into the shower. Katsuki smirked and followed.

Izuku was slowly removing a few of the bandages from his fight with Inasa. Thanks to the healing cream, the smaller ones were on their way to being healed. Even the stitches on the nerd’s thigh seemed to be doing alright. 

It was so easy to forget how capable the man was especially after watching him sob while being fucked open, but here Izuku was as strong as he was attractive.

“You’re beautiful…” Katsuki said half to himself.

Izuku paused and looked confused back at him.

“I’m covered in cum and injuries, Kaachan…”

He didn’t see anything wrong with that personally. Reaching his hand out slightly, Katsuki remembered the few marks on Izuku’s neck he’d left. After a moment of hesitation, Izuku scoffed.

“You’re going to have to stop doing that, you know…” The nerd rolled his eyes and continued to clean himself.

“I know…” Of course he needed to control himself better while being intimate with Izuku. 

“Honestly, Kaachan… We’re together.” Izuku flushed before continuing. “It’s going to make me think you don’t want to touch me…”

“What?” Katsuki was fucking lost. 

The nerd sighed and took a step closer. Stepping back to allow Izuku space, Katsuki’s back bumped into the tile.

“That!” He waved his arms in frustration before washing off the last of the soap and leaving Katsuki alone in the shower.

At this point Katsuki had no fucking idea what he’d done. There hadn’t exactly been a manga about getting together with your childhood friend that you also used to bully to base any of this off of.

Katsuki cleaned himself quickly and dried off before trying to find Izuku. The nerd was sitting on his bed wearing a pair of boxers and applying more cream and bandages to the wounds that still needed them. Tears splattered over his thighs while he mumbled quietly to himself.

The sight was heart wrenching. Not only was it pretty clear that he’d fucked up and made Izuku cry, but Katsuki imagined that crying while caring for cuts and bruises was something Izuku had done far too often in his life.

Quietly he went to sit next to Izuku, noticing the angry red bite mark he’d left on the nerd’s neck.

“I’m sorry…” Izuku whispered.

Again, Katsuki’s mind broke. What the fuck was the nerd apologizing for. 

“This is so new to me and I know it’s new to you too, but it just feels like you’re constantly hesitating and I’m just scared because I don’t understand why. I keep thinking that maybe you’re just confused and don’t actually like me or…”

“What the fuck are you on about?” He interrupted.

Communication. Katsuki was definitely shit at it and that needed to change if he wanted to seriously date the nerd.

“Izuku… I need you to tell me exactly what you’re upset about because right now I’m confused as fuck.” He said calmly.

“You… You always seem to stop yourself from touching me or getting close to me and it makes me think I’m doing something wrong. I… I like you and it makes me want to constantly hold your hand and kiss you and all that romantic crap, but you seem so worried about doing any of it that it makes me feel like I’m the only who…” Izuku trailed off, hiccupping softly. 

“We are actually fucking stupid…” Katsuki snorted.

“It’s not like either of us know what the hell we’re doing…”

But Katsuki did know what he should have been doing. He’d just been fucking worried that Izuku wanted something different and at this point Katsuki would give him the world if he asked.

“I keep thinking there’s no fucking way this can be happening. There’s no reality where you should have forgiven me, much less want anything to do with me. I’m constantly worried about making you uncomfortable, Izuku, so I just wait until you initiate.” 

He smiled at the nerd. “I like you so fucking much and if it’s what you want and if you promise to tell me when I fuck up… I’ll stop hesitating with that shit.”

“Prove it.” Izuku had stopped crying and was looking expectantly at him.

Katsuki grinned before pulling the nerd into his lap and kissing him immediately. This time he didn’t wait for Izuku to deepen the kiss, instead letting his tongue roughly explore Izuku’s. Despite the position, it didn’t feel explicitly sexual. The kiss felt intimate. Katsuki had never really understood the difference until that moment.

“Fine, nerd. Don’t blame me when I do that whenever the fuck I want though.” 

Izuku giggled, curling up further into his lap.

“Are you gonna tell me the details of this suicidal plan now that I’m not being a fucking asshole?” He asked after a few minutes.

After flashing him a dorky grin, Izuku launched into his not quite a plan plan for figuring out how to break Todoroki out of prison.

~~~

“Shouldn’t we call or some shit?” Katsuki asked, watching Izuku approach the outside of Mei’s warehouse.

“Trust me, sending a hey just dropping by to grab some things for an illegal prison break would upset her way more. The last thing we need is to be leaving a digital footprint.” Izuku seemed way too calm considering the situation and Katsuki wondered how many times the nerd had pulled off something like this.

“Geek Freak probably won’t even answer if she doesn’t know…” He started before the door swung open.

Shooting a wink back at him, Izuku walked in not even bothering calling out hello.

The workshop looked basically the same as the last time Katsuki had been here, not that he could keep track of the haphazard disaster the scientist worked in. His skin crawled just thinking about how many things were probably lost under all this mess, but Mei was the best of the best so he never brought it up.

They found her in one of the testing rooms, throwing a dummy off of a ladder and watching a puff of air blast it up a few inches right before impact.

“Hey, Mei…” Izuku pushed through the door waving at the inventor.

“Midoriya!” Mei jumped down with a thud, marking a few notes in her notepad. 

“I was just about to call you. Do you need more capture meds? What did you even do with the first ones? And why did you need them diluted? Also this baby is in desperate need of some field testing and I was hoping my favorite vigilante would…” She trailed off as she saw Katsuki enter the room behind Izuku.

He’d know Mei for a long time. Ever since her humiliation of Ida during their first sports festival, Katsuki made sure to remember the freak. In all that time, he’d never seen her more shocked as she was looking between him and Izuku.

“Uhmmm.” The inventor thought aloud before slamming her fist into her other hand and exclaiming. “You banged him!”

Katsuki wasn’t sure how well the two knew each other, but considering she mentioned Nim and he was almost positive the Black Whip tech Izuku used was in Mei’s workshop last time he was here, it was probably pretty well.

Izuku seemed unphased by the assumption, making his way to inspect the gear that she had just been testing.

“I’m not jumping off buildings with this, Mei…” He said, holding up a painfully bent part of the dummy’s arm.

“Ha! You’re avoiding it so I’m right… I knew you wanted to sleep with him. I mean who hides in a locker to avoid someone anyway.” She hurried over to where Katsuki was still frozen by the door. 

“Did he call you Kaachan in bed? I could probably use that as blackmail to get him to test out more of my tech…” Mei was bobbing excitedly.

“Firstly, it’s none of your fucking business what Izuku calls me while I fuck him. Secondly, the fuck locker are you on about?” Katsuki didn’t miss the way Izuku was avoiding looking over at him.

“Unless you want to find some other idiot to illegally test your support gear I highly suggest you drop it…” Izuku warned quickly.

At the threat, Mei pretended to zip her lips and bounded back over to Izuku to explain how her new baby worked.

The two were definitely close. Before yesterday Katsuki probably would have been bothered, but now he saw the little glances Izuku gave him. They no longer seemed out of fear, but now he could tell that the nerd was just openly crushing on him.

“Actually… I stopped by because I need a favor.” Izuku finally interrupted the inventor. “There’s something I need to do off the books and I was hoping to borrow a few toys.”

“How off the books are we talking?” She asked quizzically. 

Izuku didn’t answer.

Mei stretched and let out an exaggerated yawn. “Man! I am too darn tired to be working on such dangerous experiments. Good thing there’s a coffee shop 15 minutes away that I can run to right now…”

Katsuki rolled his eyes at the terrible acting. There wasn’t even a fucking point considering no one else was around.

The inventor made her way out of the testing room only popping her head back in for a moment.

“If you and Blasty are going to get busy in my lab, please make sure you clean up after yourselves. Oh and check for people hiding in lockers.” She winked at them and moments later they heard the front door slam shut.

Izuku quickly went out into the main area and started searching through boxes and drawers all while avoiding Katsuki.

“Lockers huh?” Katsuki tried only to be met with a bright blush.

“It’s just really embarrassing.” Izuku said quickly. 

“And? It’s not like it’s something that I’ll fucking judge you for…” He trailed off at the unsure look on the nerd's face.

“Fine, dumbass. You want embarrassing? While you were kidnapped the only way I could fall asleep was to make up dumb, sappy scenarios in my head about what I’d do when I finally found you. I thought about that shit constantly.”

“That’s not embarrassing, Kaachan. That’s just sweet.” Izuku rolled his eyes and moved on to a new area, setting aside a few smaller bits of tech.

Katsuki sighed. “You know the colors on my hero uniform?”

“Green, black, and orange. And your style can’t count either considering you literally grew up with fashion designers for parents.” 

Fuck, he really didn’t want to admit this to Izuku of all people. Getting drunk and explaining it at a grad party had been enough of a fucking nightmare.

“Orange is my favorite color. Black goes with everything. And green…” He really hoped he didn’t have to spell it out.

Izuku stopped his rummaging to look expectantly at Katsuki.

“Green makes me think of you, dumbass. And I fucking wanted something that reminded me of you or whatever. Plus whenever you drew your hero costume as a kid it was always the stupidest fucking green.” Katsuki really didn’t want to see the nerd’s reaction. 

The warehouse was silent outside of the quiet thunk of Izuku dropping something. He braved a look over.

In all honesty, he should have expected the tears. The nerd had been right when saying it was something he hadn’t gotten over as an adult. 

“Don’t say shit… And I’m not changing it.” He added with a glare.

Izuku snorted before breaking out into the same laughter Katsuki had fallen for over the phone.

“And I had convinced myself that you’d forgotten me after all this time, but you were running around honoring me in your costume?” Sniffles from the tears accompanied the laughing.

“I was here when you came to get your stealth gauntlets from Mei, but I freaked out and hid in one of her lockers for almost an hour. God I thought you wouldn’t recognize me or that you would and I wouldn’t know how to handle it.” 

“So you just decided to be a creep and watch me secretly?” At this point Katsuki was laughing too.

Izuku grinned at him. “Oh it was definitely creepy… I was having so many stupid sex dreams about you and then you just had to show up with those god damn combat boots on. I nearly jumped you right then.”

Katsuki raised an eyebrow. 

“The combat boots do it for you? Really?” He was glad they could tease each other like this again.

“Oh please, Kaachan. Everything about you does it for me.” Izuku shot back before fiddling with a box filled with tiny buttons. “Alright… Now I just need the receiver.”

It took another 10 minutes of rummaging around the warehouse and Katsuki definitely didn’t check out Izuku’s ass every time he bent over or climbed up on a shelf. 

“Got it!” Izuku proudly held up a phone sized tablet complete with a USB cable hanging out the side. “Now let’s get out of here before Mei comes back to force me into testing some half baked tech.”

Looking at what Izuku had picked out, Katsuki was more than a little concerned.

“I already have a pretty good idea of the security so as long as I get the structural layout and Todoroki’s location I feel pretty solid about our chances. And I’m just scouting things out first before doing anything really stupid.” He assured Katsuki.

Eraserhead had told him not to underestimate the vigilante. He seriously hoped his old teacher was right.

Chapter Text

He could definitely do this. Going behind the Commissions’ back was something he did constantly and intricate plans were his specialty. So why the hell did Izuku feel like throwing up looking at Tartarus through the taxi window?

It had been almost too easy setting up his second trip to the prison. Maybe he was just stressed after Kaachan spent the last two days giving him the rundown on every possible dangerous situation. The lack of sex certainly didn’t help either. Every time Izuku tried anything, Kaachan lectured him about needing to stay focused. 

It didn’t stop the hero from holding him close while they slept. Each night was full of gentle kisses and whispered stories from when they were younger. Each time Izuku’s gut churned with the desire to talk about his mom, but Kaachan seemed so happy that he didn’t want to ruin the moment. 

Adjusting the cumbersome plastic mask, he started walking towards the main building. Like before, guards met him immediately and started leading him through the front doors.

“Uhmmm…” Izuku squeaked through the voice changer. “Can I use the restroom?”

The head guard nodded and Izuku was immensely thankful that everyone here thought he was just an awkward writer. It made it easier to play off the nervousness.

Fighting the urge to throw up once he was in the bathroom, he waited a bit before flushing and turning on the sink. Izuku slipped the button he’d taken from Mei out of his pocket and slid it open with his fingers. It popped apart silently, leaving Izuku with two pieces of tech.

The first went right behind the tank of the toilet, attached to an external wall that theoretically was connected to the building’s foundation. Using his knee to get leverage on the counter, he stuck the second one to the backside of the bathroom lighting.

Surprisingly, this was the least nervous Izuku had felt since getting his confirmation to come to the prison. This he could do. It’s what came next that frightened him.

Knowing he couldn’t delay it any longer without raising suspicion for his actual intentions, Izuku left the bathroom and followed the guards through the first of many security checkpoints in the building. 

All of Kaachan’s prep hadn’t prepared him for seeing All for One again. He sat on the other side of the same glass, looking as amused by Izuku’s existence as the last time.

“I’m glad to see you’ve returned, boy.” He said with a spine shattering grin.

“Like you said, who wouldn’t want to know the real story behind The Symbol of Peace?” Izuku managed to spit out.

“Straight to it then? No formalities or greetings?”

He snorted. “I’m not sure that’s necessary considering your people kidnapped me recently.”

This got the reaction Izuku was hoping for. All for One’s face scrunched, a crack in the facade. 

“I wasn’t aware…” The villain started.

“There’s a lot you aren’t aware of, sir .” 

As quickly as it came, the crack faded. “I do hope they treated you well. Some of Tomura’s pets can be a little… unpredictable.”

That was certainly an understatement, but Izuku found he actually liked the unpredictable members of the League far more than the others. 

“I think Toga was more brutal with the Go Fish cards, but they did add a few scars to my collection.” Izuku leaned forward, tentatively enjoying the upper hand he’d gained by controlling information. “You should be proud because it apparently worked.”

The man frowned and the places where his eyebrows should have been twitched slightly.

“You aren’t here for me…” He finally said.

Izuku shrugged. “What else would I be here for?”

Silence stretched out before them, slowly draining the breath from Izuku’s lungs.

“What are you really?” All for One’s voice snapped out finally. 

“Your favorite writer from what I’m told. But writers can have hobbies can’t they?” Izuku could feel the control slipping again. Last time he’d been completely unprepared, but even now, the man was simply unnerving. 

“Hobbies?” The smile All for One flashed would star in Izuku’s nightmares for weeks.

“I suppose you are doing me a favor by coming back, especially after my friends were so inhospitable…”

“No favors. No paying me back. Just tell me your story so I can go home.” The last thing Izuku wanted was to be owed something by this man.

“What’s waiting at home? Something important?”

Izuku bit his tongue until it bled to avoid revealing anything.

All for One let out a long sigh. “Very well. Allow me to expose the true nature of One for All.”

~~~

Izuku wasn’t handling the stress well. Not exactly a surprise. Kaachan had made him promise he would come straight home after the interview and wait patiently until the hero got back from his first day back on official patrol. So now he was stuck, pacing inside the walls of his apartment without his usual coping methods. Another hour and he could jump Kaachan, but even then Kaachan would probably treat him with tenderness instead of destroying Izuku’s body. 

All for One had been right. What he knew now was more than enough to take down the Symbol of Peace and eradicate public trust in the Commission. The weight of it fell harshly on his lungs and the edges of his vision compressed. 

God, he wanted to call Kaachan. He wanted to tell him to come home. He wanted to be held and feel safe. But that would raise suspicion and undermine the entire point of his trip. 

Discarding the idea of even calling Kaachan to chat casually because there was no way the hero wouldn’t know something was wrong and immediately drop everything to be by Izuku’s side, he decided to wait. An hour. He could manage an hour. 

Izuku sat at the kitchen island and watched the clock on the oven. The hum of appliances and nearly inaudible buzz of electricity split the tips of his hair. 

Reaching for his phone, he plugged in the number of the one other person who seemed to be able to calm him down when he was like this.

“I don’t know who the fuck gave you this number, but I swear…”

“You can be angry at me later, but I can’t be alone right now.” Izuku cut off the smoke damaged voice on the other end.

There was no response for a moment and Izuku could hear the sounds of doors and distant voices in the background.

“Must be pretty fucking bad if you’re calling me.” Dabi finally said.

“It is…”

“Fine. Do you want to talk about it, sit in silence, or have me distract you?” The familiar words rushed over Izuku.

The first few months of living together flooded his mind. Izuku had been a disaster and Dabi, being not much older, had no idea how to handle any of it. This is what they settled for. Dabi would ask what Izuku needed and they felt things out from there.

“I’m breaking Shoto Todoroki out of jail…” He blurted out.

“Well I know you’re not inexperienced enough to be this panicked over something like that. So I’m guessing distraction.” 

“You and I both know he isn’t leading a Trigger production ring and just the fact that Endeavor was the one who brought him in makes no sense.” Izuku rambled, not caring what he revealed to the villain.

“No shit. Why do you think they put him in Tartarus? Where else do you put someone who has dangerous information? Communication is nearly blocked to the outside world there.” Dabi sounded bored but was playing along anyway.

It made sense. As strong as Todoroki was, it wasn’t like his quirk was particularly uncontrollable or dangerous. They easily could have put him in a regular high security prison with a few modifications. Besides, they had taken him in without a fight so why would they think he would try to escape? 

“Focus…”

“It’s about control…” Izuku registered aloud. “Someone in power needs to control the narrative.”

“BINGO… And it’s someone with some serious pull with the big guys too.”

“You knew… You’re letting this happen! But what about…” Izuku was cut off immediately.

“Tell me what the fuck I’m supposed to do! Tell me what Dabi , of the League of Villains, is supposed to do.” The man had mastered yelling at the volume of a whisper.

Dabi was right. He had every right to react this way. Even talking about this was asking a lot of the villain.

“I’m a bad guy, Izuku… And don’t give me that there are no bad people, just people who do bad things bullshit. We both know that’s not true.” He sounded defeated, like he was finally processing the years of pain.

Izuku couldn’t help but smile. “Kaachan once told me that whoever took me in must have been a fucking great person …”

He heard a snort from the villain. “It was pity… Nothing more to it.” 

“Oh please. I dreamed of being a hero my whole childhood only to end up quirkless, I know pity and that wasn’t it.” 

“Are you calm yet? Or do we need to continue this heartfelt exchange?”

A lot had changed about Dabi over the years, but nothing could ever get the man to accept gratitude he was owed.

“I’ll be alright.”

“If you end up needing someone burned alive for your prison break, let me know.” With that, the line went dead.

The pinch at the back of his thoughts was still present, but All for One’s story didn’t dominate his headspace anymore. It would be back if he relaxed so instead he dove into planning. 

Mei’s tech had already provided a layout of the building, both structurally and electronically. He started to map out where he remembered going through security checkpoints and guard locations he’d seen. With each bit of information Izuku collected, he could start to piece together an idea of where they were keeping Todoroki. 

It was doubtful that he was located in the heavy security area since he was a low threat compared to a lot of the other prisoners, so places with especially high electricity usage were crossed out. Public areas probably used by guards on break were also eliminated. 

Beyond that, he was stumped. There were still too many locations Todoroki could be so he started scrolling through the data both devices were collecting. Mei had outdone herself. Specifically, the tech attached to the outerwall was giving Izuku all sorts of different readings by sending out tinny vibrations and analyzing them in the tablet they broadcasted to. 

Originally the Commission had rejected these as support tech, arguing that there weren’t often buildings that they needed the full layout of and if any hero was close enough to deploy them, then they should just handle the situation themselves. Power over planning per usual. Eventually, Mei had redesigned them to provide less data and be deployed using a small air gun.

The ones Izuku had taken were the originals and because of that, they provided an overload of unfiltered materials data. One set caught his eye and he started researching what could be giving out those specific readings.

Aerogel. A whole room surrounded by the brittle airy material made up of microscopic vacuums. Otherwise known as the most high tech heat and cold insulation technique modern science had mastered. There was no better way to keep temperature from escaping… Perfect for keeping someone with icy and fire quirks.

Izuku was so enthralled with the discovery that he didn’t notice the noise of his front door unlocking and Kaachan returning.

A hand settled on his back and in a panic he threw the owner onto the floor.

“Whoops! Sorry, Kaachan.” He went to help the hero up.

“Okay, don’t fucking interrupt the nerd muttering. Got it.” Kaachan accepted the hand and looked over the layouts Izuku had been sketching.

“We can do it… And if I’m right and we don’t mess up the timing, you won’t need to be anywhere near the actual prison.” Izuku said while letting the hero look over his work.

“That’s a lot of ifs, Izuku…”

They had agreed to only go forward with the prison break if Izuku’s plan was borderline perfect. This was definitely the most dangerous thing Izuku had done as a vigilante and Kaachan wasn’t going to let him overlook anything.

Izuku started filling Kaachan in with what he’d discovered and the start of a hopefully foolproof way to get Todoroki free. Most people tended to get annoyed when Izuku explained during his brainstorming process. He often went into minute details and expected whoever was there to keep up. Kaachan didn’t zone out or snap at him. The hero asked questions and forced Izuku to explain parts he didn’t understand.

“God fucking damn it…” Kaachan cursed.

“What? I think it’s a pretty good plan. I mean there are a few technicalities to work out, but…”

“Not the fucking problem, nerd. I’m pissed because it’s probably going to fucking work. Which means I can’t tell you not to do it.” 

Izuku grinned. Even with Kaachan being frustrated and clearly still against the danger involved, he knew Izuku could pull it off.

“How are you going to deal with the outer wall? The aero-whatever might be weak as shit, but getting to it without setting off alarms is fucking insane. You’d need something that has crazy heat output control. If I had to guess, those security wires will detect the changes in temperature pretty quickly…” 

This was the part Izuku had been thinking over. It was definitely the riskiest part, but he was nothing if not well prepared.

“I’ve got that handled.” Izuku winked, finally letting his brain catch up with the fact that his boyfriend was home.

Yanking Kaachan down by the collar of his shirt, Izuku kissed him. Maybe he didn’t need sex to drown out the thoughts plaguing him, maybe Izuku could just kiss Kaachan until everything faded away. As he relaxed, All for One slowly seeped back into the front of his brain, until his lips became frantic and Kaachan pulled away.

“I get that you’re excited to figure this shit out, but I’m pretty sure you’re avoiding something…” Kaachan narrowed his eyes. 

The edges of objects started to blur and the sound of Izuku’s heartbeat was making focusing on anything else nearly impossible. He gripped tighter to Kaachan’s shirt and tried to imagine anything other than the smile All for One had given him.

He needed the world to stop spinning, to be doing something else. Anything, but hyper fixating on dread.

“Kaachan…” His words came out as whimpers against the hero’s chest. “Please do something.”

“By do something… you mean?” Kaachan waited for a response.

When there was none, he lifted Izuku. An arm under his legs and another behind his back allowed Izuku to still bury his face further into Kaachan’s shirt. 

The feeling of a mattress didn’t come next though. Instead Kaacahn sat him on the counter in his bathroom. Izuku wasn’t about to complain. He didn’t give a damn where they went… Maybe Kaachan would fuck him against the wall or something.

In the background, the sound of running water registered. Okay, shower sex. Shower sex was good.

“Oi. Can you take off your clothes or do you need help?”

Izuku quickly shed his clothing, nearly sliding off the counter with his underwear. 

Kaachan picked him up again and seconds later he was in a hot bath. Izuku shivered at the temperature change. The sent of a lavender bath bomb surrounded him. This definitely wasn't what he needed. Panicking, he turned to find Kaachan in the shower. 

Trying to stop his rapid breathing, Izuku plunged his head under the surface. The heat burned his skin and he waited for the gnawing feeling that came from lack of air to settle in. Any sort of physical sensation to distract his brain.

A firm hand yanked him to the surface and he coughed for a moment.

“What the fuck, Izuku?” Kaachan sounded angry, but also incredibly distant.

“You left… You were gone…” Izuku muttered.

“I just got off fucking patrol and needed a shower.” The hero pushed dripping hair back with his fingers. “I’m not going anywhere, Izuku…”

Wrapping his hands around Kaachan’s impossibly strong shoulders, Izuku pulled him into a kiss. He groaned as Kaachan sank into the bath behind him.

Turning around, Izuku straddled his boyfriend. They were both nicely hard and Izuku was instantly glad that his apartment’s bathtub was spacious. He would have to use it like this more often. Romantic sex like this wasn’t something he normally enjoyed, but anything with Kaachan would probably be incredible.

“Wait… Izuku.” Kaachan said against desperate lips.

Izuku slowed down slightly, but he needed this.

Hands gripped his waist and stopped his movements.

“Izuku. We aren’t fucking while you’re like this.”

Just like that, the panic was back. Tears joined the bathwater and Izuku felt his entire body shake against Kaachan. The whole time, the hero held him tight against his chest and combed fingers against his scalp. Vaguely, Izuku could hear reassuring words and feel kisses placed into his forehead.  

He’d never had this. He’d never had someone to hold him when he was like this. Someone stable, someone safe. Even his mother was always in her own state of panic when Izuku needed her most. 

But Kaachan wasn’t afraid. Honestly, Izuku didn’t think Kaachan had been afraid of anything ever. Except for losing Izuku, he’d been afraid of that. 

His fingers found comfort tracing the lines of Kaachans body, each muscle and scar proof of exactly how safe Izuku was in the hero’s arms. 

“You’re really strong, Kaachan…” Izuku murmured into the hero’s neck.

“The strongest…” Kaachan assured. “And I would fucking tear this world apart before I let anyone hurt you again.”

As more time passed, Izuku noticed the parts of his body exposed to the air getting cold. He turned around and sat against Kaachan’s chest, letting both the heat of the water and the security of his boyfriend envelope him. 

“He’s quirkless…” He said after a while.

“Who is?” Kaachan’s voice against the back of his neck made him shiver.

“All Might. Or at least he was.” Izuku waited for a response, but didn’t get one. “His quirk, One for All… It was given to him by someone else and it comes from All for One.”

“Shit…” The shaky breath meant Kaachan was understanding the implications of this.

“Apparently it’s some long line of people passing down a quirk that accumulates power. It started with All for One’s brother. He was apparently really weak and All for One gave him a quirk not knowing he already had one that allowed him to pass power onto someone else. It’s been used as a way to fight All for One by handing it to a worthy successor. The person who gave it to All Might… They admired the determination of a quirkless kid trying to become a hero. They decided he deserved a chance at his dreams.” His voice shook.

Kaachan held him tighter, pulling Izuku further into his body.

Izuku steadied his voice. “I met him once. He… He told me to give up on trying to become a hero.”

“What…” The quiet anger made Izuku flinch.

“The day with the sludge villain. He saved me earlier from the same villain and I followed him because I wanted to know… I needed to ask if someone like me could ever…” The words felt too thick to leave his throat.

“Bastard.”

“It was my fault too. The sludge villain attacking you. He got away while I was getting All Might’s attention. If it weren’t for me… If I weren’t so useless.” Tears started again, quiet ones, but they burned Izuku’s face.

“Shut up.” Kaachan spat.

“I’m sorry, Kaachan. I’m so sorry…”

“Shut the fuck up, Izuku! It’s not your fucking fault the Symbol of Peace sucked at his job. It’s not your fault that he stood there and watched while I was dying.” The hero held him tighter as if he was afraid Izuku would try running away.

“He told me it was my fault. After you were safe. He told me that if I hadn’t been chasing some unrealistic dream…”

“Villains escape every fucking day! They slip away and good heroes work to get them back before they hurt people. We never know the extent of their quirks so sometimes how we detain them doesn’t work. It literally happens fucking constantly.”

That… That was true. Even as a vigilante, Izuku had encountered that situation multiple times and each time he… Each time he stopped the villain before they could do too much more damage.

“All Might is a fucking coward and he was fucking wrong. Fuck! He should have seen how incredible you were that day and…” Kaachan’s words tapered off and hung against the steam in the air. 

“Kaachan…”

“He knew what it was like to be in your shoes, Izuku. He understood what it meant to be quirkless and he had the ability to help you.” The anger was gone and nothing but softness remained. “He should have passed that power onto you. There’s no one in the world who deserves it more.”

Izuku’s mind ran with the statement. Images of All Might training him, passing on his power, helping Izuku become the hero he always wanted to be.

“You would have gone to UA. We could have been hero partners… And you would have been one of the most incredible heroes this world has ever seen. God, Izuku. You’re fucking incredible now, imagine if…” 

He did imagine.

“I would have been stronger. Strong enough to stop him. Strong enough to protect my mom.” 

It was the first time Izuku had talked this openly about his mother with Kaachan and he felt the hero stiffen behind him. 

“She would have stayed in our old house. She wouldn’t have been forced to marry him and… And she wouldn’t have killed herself.” He finally bit out.

“Izuku…” Kaachan said softly.

“No. You don’t understand. I was so fucking weak, Kaachan. I tried to stop him. I tried to get my mom to leave, but there was nothing I could do against someone like him. I wasn’t strong enough to save you from the sludge villain and I wasn’t strong enough to protect my mom from that monster!”

“Look at me.” Kaachan’s demand cut through his anger. “Fucking turn around and look at me.”

Gripping the edge of the bath, Izuku noticed that he was trembling. He twisted himself around back into the position they were before. There was nothing sexual this time about it and Izuku couldn’t meet Kaachan’s eyes.

His jaw was gripped carefully and lifted until he was forced to confront Kaachan’s gaze. Much like his quirk, bits of ember flashed in his eyes under the bathroom light. They were the same eyes Izuku had always known, firm, confident, and unwavering. 

“There’s something very real you have to fucking understand. You were a child. A fucking teenager with a curfue and a comic book collection. Kids shouldn’t have to save anyone, especially not themselves. And yet here you are. Here you are because when there weren’t any real heroes to protect you, you became one yourself. The fact that you’re alive is a fucking testimate to how compitent you are and always were. Don’t blame yourself for the incompetence of adults in this world.” 

And there he was. The same boy who held Izuku’s hand when he was too scared to cross the street while walking to the park. The same boy who let Izuku sleep by his side during thunderstorms even after making fun of him for being afraid. The same boy that Izuku had spent years playing pretend heroes with. The same boy who he admired more than anyone in this world because in the end, there was no one more incredible than Kaachan.

“You weren’t enough because there’s no universe where anyone could have been. It’s not because of some quirk or anxiety. Someone else should have been there so you weren’t alone.”

Izuku wrapped his legs around Kaachan and pulled their bodies together.

“I’m not alone anymore.” He smiled into the man’s shoulder.

“And you won’t ever be again.” Kaachan squeezed until there didn’t seem to be any room between them.

“Do you think we still would have ended up like this?” Izuku asked. “Together I mean.”

“Probably not…” 

He already knew the answer, but it hurt hearing it.

“You’re right.” Izuku laughed dryly. “You probably would have hated me for having a quirk. You might have even thought I was keeping it a secret to make fun of you or something.”

“That’s not what I fucking meant, nerd.” Kaachan shifted under Izuku’s thighs. “It was always going to be you for me, but…”

Izuku pulled back to look at the discomfort on Kaachan’s face.

“Don’t look at me like that. It’s just that you probably would have ended up with someone else. Fucking Round Face or some shit…” The hero pinched his nose in disgust. “You two would have been stupidly perfect together.”

Round Face…  

“Uraraka?”

Kaachan rolled his eyes and nodded.

He didn’t mean to laugh. Kaachan was definitely feeling insecure and Izuku cracking up at the thought of him and Uravity dating definitely wouldn’t help. It was too ridiculous though.

“Me and Uraraka? Oh my god, Kaachan. I mean she’s a lovely woman, but seriously! I’d never make it a week dating her.” 

“Fucking why’s that? You’re both shitty nerds and way too nice to everyone. You’d be like the perfect doormat couple.”

Izuku snorted. 

“But Kaachan… You’re forgetting that doormats were designed to be walked over. And I definitely like being stepped on. ” He winked to emphasize the point.

Confusion covered Kaachan’s face for a moment before realizing what Izuku was implying.

“Honestly! That would be the worst sex I can imagine and I’ve had bad sex. We’d both be constantly apologizing and end up doing nothing but straight up vanilla shit the entire time. Like can you even imagine her trying to dominate me?” Izuku continued cackling at the fact that Kaachan looked like he was about to choke.

“Fuck…” The hero leaned his head back and groaned. “That means our first time was bad for you.”

“Huh?” That definitely wasn’t what Izuku was implying.

“I mean it was vanilla as shit or whatever.”

Vanilla… It certainly wasn’t the most experimental sex Izuku had ever had, but he wouldn’t exactly call what they’d done boring.

“Kaachan…” Izuku tried through more giggles. “You gave me a blowjob on a public roof.”

The hero’s ears turned red, but still didn’t look at him.

“Public stuff isn’t exactly vanilla… And sure you were pretty gentle with me when we had sex, but Kaachan, finishing three times in that short a period is definitely overstimulation and I’m not going to say that you enjoyed me crying while taking your cock, but you definitly didn’t hate it.” He nipped the underside of Kaachan’s jaw.

“Okay. I get it.” Kaachan finally replied. “So you like…”

“A little bit of pain. Yes. Nothing too crazy normally, but that’s why I keep trying to tell you I’m not fragile. I know I promised not to assume things about you, but I always imagined you being decently rough in bed. And the way you bit me when you came definitely makes me think you’re holding back.” Izuku started sucking marks into Kaachan’s neck, hoping next time the hero changed at work everyone would see them.

“That’s why you wanted safewords…”

He hummed into Kaachan’s skin.

“You imagined what I would be like in bed?” Kaachan’s voice was slightly more confident now and his hands rested on Izuku’s thighs.

“You should see the things dream Kaachan does to me…” Izuku teased, rolling his hips against Kaachan’s hardening cock. “You’ve forced me to masterbate while you watch, spanked me until I was sobbing. I had one where you tied me up while I was out as Nim and fucked me in an alley.”

Kaachan’s hands moved lower, groping Izuku’s ass. 

“I know you didn’t want to earlier, but what about now? Have I been good enough for you to fuck?” 

“Get out, Izuku.” Kaachan’s tone was serious and Izuku froze under the command.

“Kaachan… I’m sorry if I was pushing…” He started to apologize.

“Get out, dry off, and bend over the counter.” One of the hero’s hands left his ass and came up to twist one of Izuku’s nipples.

Izuku let out an unrestrained moan.

“Now, Freckles.”

Scrambling to get a towel, he nearly slipped. Kaachan caught him and gave him a judgmental look before drying off and stepping out of the bathroom.

Izuku felt a shiver when he heard Kaachan return. He was leaning on the counter with his ass out as Kaachan had requested, face in the crook of his elbow to avoid looking in the mirror directly in front of him. Sex in front of a mirror made him nervous since he wasn’t exactly the biggest fan of his scars. Besides, he was with Kaachan who had the very definition of a perfect body. His abs were firm and defined and those shoulders were actually terrifying. 

“I like your scars, dumbass.” Even without seeing his face, Izuku could tell the hero was smirking.

Izuku was about to respond when something warm and soft pressed against his hole.

“Ahh! What are you doing?” He squirmed as Kaachan’s tongue continued pressing against him.

“Quiet, Izuku…” Kaachan said before biting into one of Izuku’s cheeks.

The moans that managed to slip past Kaachan’s command were soft and pathetic. Kaachan used his hands to spread Izuku open, pushing his legs further apart until he was completely exposed before devouring him. As Izuku started to approach his orgasm, Kaachan stopped, taking his time to kiss up Izuku’s already quivering back.

“You remember our safewords right?” Kaachan asked.

“Yes, Katsuki.”

“Good boy.” He chuckled at the body beneath him shivering, before starting to suck on Izuku’s skin. 

Moments later, Kaachan pressed two lubed up fingers into Izuku. The stretch was immediate and he bit down on the arm he was hiding his face in.

“I knew you would be fucking bad at keeping quiet… Guess you just like my fingers in your ass that much?” A bite on Izuku’s neck followed the teasing.

Kaachan pressed down directly on his prostate making Izuku’s hips grind backwards on the fingers. Each time Kaachan moved, he continued to rub against it, reaching around with his unused hand to lazily stroke Izuku’s cock. It didn’t take long for Izuku’s body to start tensing and the sounds of pleasure to become unmuted.

“You’re getting close for me aren’t you?” Kaachan asked.

Izuku responded with something he hoped sounded like yes only to have Kaachan remove his fingers and grip tightly around the base of his cock. He whined into his arms trying to figure out why Kaachan seemed to have the worst timing for changing things up.

“I read about this once.” He said before pushing three fingers inside Izuku. “Didn’t you tell me that reading wouldn’t help in bed?”

The hand on Izuku’s cock stayed firm as Kaachan worked him open, not avoiding the spot that made Izuku shiver. He definitely regretted giving Kaachan crap about this.

“Do you know what I’m doing to you, Izuku?” 

Another orgasm was halted just before it happened. Izuku felt like crying or begging, anything to have Kaachan inside him. He shook his head in response. The best he could figure out was some sick form of torture.

“It’s called edging. I mean you came so many times when we did it last, it only seems fair that you don’t this time.” 

Okay… Kaachan wasn’t rough in bed. He was sadistic. Izuku had heard of edging, but never had a partner he trusted enough to actually try it with.

“What’s your color, Izuku?” Kaachan asked, massaging Izuku’s upper thigh with his lube free hand.

“Green! Jesus, Katsuki.” He managed to choke out.

Feeling Kaachan step back, Izuku started to protest.

“Calm down.” 

A firm hand landed a blow on his ass. It wasn’t particularly hard, but the sting forced Izuku to arch his back even further.

“You look so fucking good like this, Izuku…” The same hand carefully rubbed where it had just struck. “All ready for me to fuck you. It’s so tempting to leave off the condom just so I can see my cum dripping out of your little hole.”

“Please.” Izuku moaned into the counter. “Yes please.”

“Are you sure you want that?” An edge of seriousness came with the question.

“Yes Katsuki.” After all they were dating, and there was no one he trusted more.

Izuku squeaked as he felt Katsuki’s lubed cock rub in between his cheeks. 

“I’m not going to fuck you like this, Izuku…”

“What? Why not?” Had he done something wrong? From the soft grunts coming from Kaachan every time his tip caught against Izuku’s readied hole, he didn’t think so.

“You looked so fucking good when I fucked you before. I’d hate to be the only one who sees it for the rest of your life.”

The implications hit Izuku. Firstly, Kaachan had just implied that no one else would be having sex with him for the rest of his life. Meaning Kaachan wanted to be together… Well, forever. Secondly, Kaachan was definitely going to use the mirror he’d been avoiding.

“You can always say no, but I’ll let you cum if you do it.” Kaachan promised, still refusing to enter Izuku.

Cautiously, Izuku started to look up. His face was splattered with a deep blush and his eyes were damp in the corners. Behind him, Kaachan stood imposingly, hands spreading Izuku, giving the hero a better view of his cock rubbing against an aching hole.

He looked so perfect to Izuku. Probably to everyone. The way his still damp skin from the bath reflected the light, the pointed teeth in his cocky smirk, every stupid muscle flexing with each movement.

Izuku groaned. “Promise that you’ll teach me your diet and workout routine…”

Kaachan’s head snapped up from Izuku’s waiting ass. As they made eye contact through the mirror, Izuku knew he’d said something incredible stupid.

Without any more warning, Kaachan thrust into him. It burned as the hero stilled inside of him.

“I’m not teaching you shit, Izuku…”

Kaachan reached an arm around Izuku’s chest and pulled him back from the counter. Like this he was on full display in the mirror. His reflection showed everything from his plethora of scars to his aching cock, tip leaking and red.

“I’ll train with you to get stronger. I’ll cook you food so you don’t die from too many shitty frozen meals. But if you ever…” Kaachan pulled out and thrusted back in and Izuku watched his own face twist in pleasure. 

“And I mean ever, start some bullshit about your body not being fucking perfect.” The hero sneered. “I will fuck you in this mirror until you understand just how fucking attractive you are. Do you understand, Izuku?”

Without waiting for an answer, Kaachan started slowly moving in and out of Izuku. He felt so incredibly filled and the position allowed Kaachan perfect access to the most sensitive parts of Izuku.

He sucked on Izuku’s neck and used his hands to pinch and rub his nipples, each bit of movement accentuated with faster and faster thrusts. Eventually they became so much that Izuku’s cock bobbed against his abs, weeping for the attention Kaachan seemed to be refusing to give.

“You look so fucking good like this, Freckles. Everything about you is fucking perfect.” Kaachan grunted as he increased the pace.

Another orgasm quickly approached and just as Izuku almost spilled completely untouched in the front, Kaachan pulled out. This time it was too much and Izuku legs shook and gave out. Kaachan caught him easily.

“You… You said you’d let me cum.” Izuku cried, tears finally spilling over with desperation. He’d never felt the desire to finish more in his life.

“I promise I will next time…” Kaachan bit his earlobe and whispered. “If you beg me to.”

Before Izuku could answer, although to be fair anything he said would have just been begging, Kaachan resumed fucking him.

The hero held him up one arm around his waist and another around his chest as Izuku moaned with every brush of his throbbing prostate. 

Izuku let himself give in completely to the feeling of Kaachan’s cock milking him all while letting out pathetic pleas.

“Please… I need to finish.”

“I’ll be so good for you.” 

“I’ll never complain about my body again.”

The words came out quicker as the warmth in his stomach expanded. Izuku’s body felt like it was on fire, but he just wanted more heat. He stopped being able to form words outside of Kaachan and he felt the hands holding him up grip onto him tighter.

“You’re everything to me, Zuku. Fuck! You’re going to cum on my cock aren’t you?” Kaachan told him between short grunts.

Kaachan was pounding him at an alarming rate and finally moved the hand on his hip forward to stroke Izuku’s cock.

“Please Kaachan! Can I? I need to. Please.” He begged unabashedly at the pleasure.

“Fucking cum for me then, Zuku…” 

The raspiness of the words sent Izuku spilling over Kaachan’s hand in the most intense orgasm he’d ever experienced. It was like all the pleasure from every time he’d not been allowed to finish rushed out of him to the point where he hardly felt his quivering hole fill with Kaachan’s cum.

Kaachan loosened his grip and Izuku leaned forward onto the counter again. It had been at least a minute, but parts of his orgasm seemed to be still wracking his body.

“Holly shit…” Kaachan muttered from behind him.

He looked back to see the hero smirking down at his ass. A hand pulled his cheeks open and warm liquid spilled down his trembling thighs.

“That’s the hottest thing I’ve ever fucking seen.” The hero looked through the mirror at Izuku, smirk widening to show off his stupidly white teeth.

Izuku buried his face in his arms again, completely mortified that Kaachan was admiring such a lewd sight. 

His body was finally relaxing when two fingers pushed the cum up the inside of his thigh and back into his hole.

“Kaachan!” He cried out, looking back accusingly. 

“I bet you’d feel great with your hole stuffed with my cum… I should fuck you like this next time.” 

Izuku had to admit that it was an incredibly sexy idea, but he was pretty sure his body desperately needed rest at this point. Straightening up, he turned around and crossed his arms.

Kaachan snorted. “You know you’d look more intimidating if your face wasn’t covered in tears and you weren’t dripping my cum onto the tile.”

Heat flooded Izuku’s cheeks and Kaachan laughed again before kissing him deeply.

“You were holding out on me.” Izuku accused.

“I was really fucking freaked out that I would hurt you and you’d hate me, Zuku.” Kaachan went to restart the shower.

“Well… No more of that.”

“You really don’t have to worry about that one. I don’t think I can go back after how fucking good that felt.” 

Izuku let Kaachan help him into the walk in shower, appreciating the hands that were so rough moments ago, washing him down with immense care. He’d never been one for aftercare since the blissful buzz after good sex was perfect for keeping his mind from becoming overwhelmed, but with Kaachan it was different and he could certainly get used to this.

Chapter Text

Katsuki hated this plan. Even with the compromise he’d made with Izuku, it would still take around 15-20 minutes for him to get to the vigilante’s side if shit went wrong. He was sitting his ass in a park near the bridge to Tartarus calculating the best way for him to get over a fuck ton of ocean. 

They had waited three days for the weather to be right. According to Izuku, rain would help cool off the heat he was going to use on the outer wall of what they hoped was Icy Hot’s cell and not some giant walk-in freezer. Apparently this would avoid tripping some of the more sensitive sensors.

The rain also meant the bridge Izuku would be crossing would be fucking slippery as hell. It was also the main reason Katsuki couldn’t join him. Even with Mei’s stealth gauntlets, he wasn’t as quiet as the vigilante and not dexterous enough to make the journey on foot. 

Shoving the communication earpiece in, he waited for Izuku to turn his own on. Katsuki tried to appreciate the park. Any other Friday night it probably would have been busy with couples enjoying the scenic ocean view, but no one else was dumb enough to be out in this weather. 

He fucking hated Izuku for coming up with such a solid plan. A part of him was hoping to shut it down and let Todoroki rot in jail, but like always the nerd was fucking brilliant. 

“Enjoying the view, Kaachan?” Izuku’s voice finally came through. “I’ve heard it’s a really good date spot.”

“It’s a shit date spot when you’re alone.” Katsuki was about to say that he’d bring the nerd back once everything was over for a picnic or some shit when someone spoke from behind him.

“Guess it’s a good thing you aren’t alone.” A soggy Shinso sat next to him. “Though I’m not counting this as a date.”

He watched in horror as the other hero put in an earpiece and greeted Izuku.

“What the fuck…” He glared at Shinso.

“I told Izuku I wanted in on whatever scheme he was planning.” Shinso answered bluntly. “Consider it an apology for acting like an ass.”

“Welcome to the team!” They both heard awkwardly in their ear.

“And why the fuck didn’t I know about this?” Katsuki knew there were parts of Izuku’s plan that were secret, but it didn’t mean he had to like it.

“Well… I was hoping you two would workout whatever tension you have. I mean you’re sort of the most important people in my life and I really don’t want you fighting. Plus Denki and Kaachan are close too. Do it for your boyfriends!” 

Katsuki wiped the rain from his face before responding. “So you want us to hash out our bullshit on an open com with you?”

Shinso snorted.

“Not at all.” Izuku replied quickly. “Tap the earpiece and it will mute you.”

The two heroes followed Izuku’s instructions before sitting quietly for a moment. Katsuki shifted the backpack holding his hero gear around between his feet. He really didn’t want to work this shit out, but they could at least get to the point where they weren’t awkward or openly hostile around each other. 

“It took two months before Izuku agreed to work with me as Nim…” Shinso kept his eyes narrowed in on the black ocean. “I didn’t even know his identity until we started sleeping together. I worked so damn hard to earn his trust and respect and you just walked in after a week of patrolling with Eraserhead and I.” 

“You were pissed because he accepted me.” Katsuki hadn’t known Shinso well, but he’d heard getting into the hero course had been nearly impossible with his quirk. 

“I mean immediately! No drawn out tests or weeks of sparing, just one fight and you were deemed good enough. I get it now with Ze and you two growing up together, but damn! It was so frustrating. I mean you already have the perfect quirk to become a hero according to society and the one person who never gave a damn about any of that just accepts you instantly.” Even now, Shinso sounded bitter, not that Katsuki blamed him.

“And I thought you were just jealous because I was flirting with him…” 

Shinso laughed. “Nah. Izuku and I were always just friends. Even when I wanted more from him it was because the person I actually wanted wasn’t exactly available.”

He should have been pissed that Shinso had been using Izuku as a second choice, but he felt more bad for the guy than anything. The one sided crush had been torture for the short time he’d endured it, and Shinso had been going through that shit for a lot longer.

“Whatever man. Sorry for being a jealous asshole. Are we cool?” Katsuki ignored the hint of a smile the other hero was giving him.

“Sure thing, Kaachan .” Shinso taunted before adding. “You better not hurt Izuku though. He’s been through enough.”

“Fucking understatement of the century.” Katsuki snorted. “Same goes for Denki, Mindfreak. He’s an idiot, but he’s got a whole friend group that will bury your ass if anything happens.” 

“I wouldn’t blame any of you. He’s something else…” 

Katsuki wondered if he looked like this while talking about Izuku, lazy smiles and soft eyes. Probably, if he had to guess. Shinso was most likely imagining little things Denki did that made him blush or thinking about how comforting it was to hold each other into the night.

“I’m glad the idiot has you. Sure as fuck took him long enough.” He finally smiled at Shinso who seemed surprised by the genuine gesture.

“Kami was already asking about double dates even before I told him you were together. You two really weren’t fooling anyone.” 

“Yeah… Fucking guess not.” Katsuki hated that even Dunce Face was able to figure out how Izuku was feeling before him. “A double date doesn’t sound like the worst idea either…”

“Oh! We can force Kaachan to actually go to the movies or maybe do karaoke.” Izuku’s excited voice came blaring through the coms link.

“What the fuck…” Katsuki growled.

“Yeah… There’s no mute on these, but I’m glad you two worked things out.” The nerd really had the nerve to sound pleased with himself. 

“You’re an ass…” Shinso chided.

“And you’re probably my best friend… Well, you and Kaachan.”

This made Mindfreak sputter quietly and glare at Katsuki as if he was somehow responsible for Izuku’s bullshit. Before either of them could lecture Izuku, the sound of a greeting came from Izuku’s mic.

“Oi, nerd! Who the fuck is there with you? Aren’t you supposed to be getting ready to cross the bridge.” Katsuki asked, panic throbbing against his chest.

“Okay… I definitely wish these things had mute buttons now.” Izuku muttered.

The same muffled voice came through again. “I’m not taking that thing. I don’t need to talk to anyone but you.”

Oh fuck. That’s what Izuku had meant when he said he had an idea for melting through the prison walls. It was also definitely why Izuku had asked to keep the specifics to himself.

“Mother fucker! Are you serious right now?” Katsuki whispered angrily.

“I mean he was the best option and he offered to help.”

“Who are you two talking about?” Shinso asked, annoyed.

“Oh! I’m sorry.” Katsuki said dramatically. “Did Izuku not tell you it was bring a serial killer to work day? Cause he didn’t mention it to me either!”

“Kaachan… That’s really not nice.”

Shinso silently asked Katsuki for an answer, but got one a moment later when the villain apparently got pissed that someone had been talking shit.

“Listen up hero, I’m doing this as a favor to Izuku so keep your opinions to yourself or I’ll take a detour off this bridge and smoke your ass.”

“Oh…” Mindfreak mumbled as he pieced together that Dabi would be an integral part of Izuku’s plan.

“Unless one of you wants to risk being recorded breaking someone out of Tartarus, I suggest shutting up.” Dabi snapped.

“Not that this isn’t a fantastic conversation, but we have to get across this deathtrap so maybe we save the yelling at me for later?” Izuku had switched to his vigilante mindset, tunnel vision on the plan he was executing. 

Everyone seemed to agree and before long the only sound that came through the mic was from the heavy breathing of Izuku and Dabi and they worked their way across the water. 

The topside of the bridge was heavily guarded, but the bottom only had sensors triggered by quirk usage, perfect for a quirkless vigilante. Katsuki assumed he was helping Dabi across too.

On a good day, ducking and leaping along the underside would have taken about 20 minutes according to Izuku, but with the rain slowing them down it was nearly an hour.

“Okay.” Izuku sounded winded from the trip. “We are getting close to the main guards now so we have to be completely silent. I’ll let you know when we are outside Todoroki’s cell.”

The heroes sat fiddling and waiting for any subtle hint that something had gone wrong. It was his whole fucking job right now. Monitor hero lines for the smallest sign they’d been discovered. Katsuki wasn’t used to shit like this. Normally he would be directly in the action, taking the fights, dealing with the risks, but this time he was benched. Literally.

“I think we’re good.” Izuku said after a while. “Dabi, I need you to slowly melt an entrance through this area. I’ll monitor the temperature readings with this… Here. Let me mark the areas where the sensors are so you know to avoid them.”

“Is it weird that I’m proud of you right now?” The villain asked, probably forgetting the two of them weren’t alone.

“Yes.” Shinso said before adding. “Please don’t encourage him.”

Small sounds of fire crackled in the earpiece. “Sorry, hero. I can’t hear you over how much more helpful I’m being.”

Every few moments, Izuku would tell Dabi to stop and they would wait until the temperature reading was normal again before continuing. In the background, Katsuki waited for the sound of alarms and sirens, but only the crash of ocean waves came through.

“Nearly there.” Dabi grunted. “Get ready for it.”

Metal scraped slightly and a second later the sound of an object splashing into the water meant that they were successfully inside.

“Are you sure you’re okay doing this?” Izuku asked. “I’ll block out the cameras for a short period of time, but whoever goes in has a decent chance of being found out eventually.”

“It’s why I’m here, Izuku. Not much more they can add to my arrest warrant anyway and this time I’m actually breaking the law for the greater good or whatever.” There was a rustle before Dabi’s connection cut off.

Everything involved so much fucking waiting. Katsuki was genuinely thankful that Izuku wasn’t going to be the one to take the fall for this. Who knows what hell the Commission would have put him through. As much as he fucking hated to admit it, he was glad Dabi had come along. 

Shinso seemed to be faring better than he was. The hero had his hands folded and was looking out into the distance, still ready, but able to keep up a relaxed appearance. Katsuki hated to think how many times he’d been in this position waiting for the vigilante to get through doing something potentially deadly.

“Got him. The inner wall was as weak as you predicted, Izuku.” Dabi finally said, the connection stable again. “Drugged him while he was asleep so we have to carry him.”

A few muffled sounds later, they had apparently strapped the defamed hero to Izuku’s back and were starting their way towards the bridge.

Again, Katsuki waited for alarms, but none came. According to Izuku’s plan, they hopefully had until morning when the guards normally fed Todoroki breakfast. 

It took nearly twice as long crossing back. Without Izuku helping, Dabi had to take it a lot slower to avoid falling off. 

Both heroes let the relief wash over them when the three made it safely across. Things were far from over, but they were at least out of immediate danger.

“Where are you planning on keeping him?” Dabi asked.

“I mean I was just going to use my place for now…” Izuku sounded embarrassed as if he was just thinking it over because of fucking course all the intricate bullshit was planned perfectly, but he would forget where to store their literal fugitive.

“You can keep him at the old place.” The villain sighed, clearly expecting the oversight.

“Oh! That would be perfect. I didn’t know you still had it. Kaachan, I’ll send you where to go. Shinso, thanks for keeping him company. Keep an eye on the hero channels so we know when they figure out he’s gone.” 

Moments later, instructions popped up on Katsuki’s phone. Him and Shinso parted and Katsuki took off towards where he was supposed to meet them.

~~~

Katsuki hoped the instructions Izuku had given him were wrong, but something told him that a fucking discussing back alley was exactly where he was supposed to be. Even the metallic door seemed to be coated with grease from nearby restaurants, none of which would pass a health and safety inspection. Knocking quickly he tried not to jump to conclusions about what this place was used for. 

Much to his disappointment, Dabi was the one who answered.

“You look like shit.” The villain nodded to Katsuki’s soaked clothing and moved aside to allow him in.

The entryway was a small hallway with two closed doors, one on either side. From the left Katsuki could hear a shower running and assumed Izuku was warming up after being out in the storm for so long. 

A few steps in was probably meant to be a living area with a worn out couch and old TV set to a news network just waiting to display their crime. Currently the room was also acting as a holding area for Todoroki.

The passed out asshole was kept up right in a folding chair with a few restraints. None of them would hold the man for very long, but assuming they had used similar drugs to the ones Katsuki experienced, they would have a while before the Hot and Cold bastard could find his fucking toes, much less escape.

Dabi started rummaging through a minifridge on the far side of the room in what Katsuki assumed was meant to be a kitchen. In reality it wasn’t anything more than a sink, microwave, and enough counter space for a single cutting board. A folding table served as a small eating area in the corner with a folding chair that matched the one Todoroki occupied.

“I’d get that look off your face before Izuku gets out of the shower…” Dabi pulled out a sports drink before turning back to him. “He was already nervous about you seeing this place.”

“Why would he…” Katsuki trailed off watching the villain fish out a few bags of fruit snacks and set them on the table.

The old place. That’s what Dabi had told Izuku. As in somewhere they both used to… Live.

“There’s only one bedroom…” He said dumbly, taking in that this was where Izuku had spent his high school life.

“I took the couch, asshole.”

“No wonder the nerd can’t cook for shit…” He probably hadn’t had a proper kitchen before getting a job writing hero profiles.

Dabi snorted. “My bad. Sorry I didn’t have the perfect setup for taking in a homeless brat.”

That wasn’t what Katsuki had meant. 

“Go get changed. I know the carpet’s shit, but standing there dripping water is starting to piss me off.” The villain pointed to one of the doors in the hallway. “Pretty sure there’s some of my old clothes in the closet that’ll fit.”

His own footsteps fell softly on the ground as he walked to where he was directed. Everywhere Katsuki looked, he tried to imagine the middle school Izuku he’d known, studying late into the night, writing in nerdy quirk study books, trying to be a teenager in a place so clearly not meant for one. 

Katsuki expected the bedroom to match the rest of the place, minimalistic but not in a rich person I don’t need material goods way, but in a too poor to afford basic necessities way. 

Instead the entire room screamed Izuku. Papers were scattered on a small desk and taped haphazardly to the wall. Just from the doorway, Katsuki could see they were all hero related. Quirk analysis and support tech breakdowns mostly. In one corner an overused punching bag hung from the ceiling. Duct tape covered glaring holes and he couldn’t help noticing spots of dried blood in the fabric. Beside it was a wooden board set up as a target that still had a few small knives embedded into it. 

Izuku hadn’t talked much to him about what happened after he moved in middle school and Katsuki was starting to understand why. While he had been getting therapy and personalized training to prepare him for the world of being a hero, Izuku was living here. It was such a stark contrast to Aunty Inko’s quaint apartment Katsuki grew up playing hero in. 

What made it worse was that Izuku had chosen this over whatever hell he’d be living in before. 

Katsuki crossed the room to the closet, nothing really registering as he opened the door to look for dry clothing. His vision was pulled back into reality by a blast of blue, red and yellow. The All Might merch Izuku had collected alongside Katsuki was put away carefully on the upper shelves. Figures, blankets, t-shirts, posters, everything Izuku had covered his childhood room with tucked just out of sight, like he had been too afraid to let go of something he used to believe in. 

Wanting out as soon as he could, Katsuki quickly found something that looked like the right size and hurried to change. The partially singed black pants and acid washed tee looked straight out of Hot Topic, but he was just glad to be warm and out of that nightmare.

His head felt fuzzy and there was no fucking way he could deal with Dabi in his current state. He wanted to wait for Izuku to get done showering. He needed a reminder that the nerd was alright now, that Izuku had survived all this. 

Katsuki lowered himself onto the twin bed pressed into the corner, trying to use the same techniques his therapist had taught him for anger management as a way to slow the dread that seemed to be bending his ribs inward and restricting his breath. Just when he was almost calm, markings on the wall caught his eye.

They had been behind the door when he’d come in and the rest of the room had occupied his attention until that moment. Now he couldn’t take his eyes off of them. Carved deep into the drywall, ripping away the paint, was one word.

Deku

If Katsuki laid his against Izuku’s pillow and looked forward, it would be the one thing in his vision. Izuku had gone to bed looking at it for who knows how fucking long. 

Before he could register his own movements, Katsuki was across the room with one of the throwing knives, shredding the letters until they were unrecognizable. His hands worked quickly, desperate to correct his younger self. Desperate to prove to Izuku that he was anything but useless.

“Kaachan?” A quiet voice came from behind him.

The hand holding the knife trembled, but Katsuki couldn’t tell if it was from anger, fear, or hatred. The voice behind him sounded so nervous. Izuku sounded nervous.

“Kaachan.” The voice tried again, hand reaching forward tenderly to disarm Katsuki. 

There were so many things he should have said. So many apologies, years of pain he needed to make up for. 

He turned to Izuku, words scattered in his mind as Katsuki tried to find where to start. But he didn’t. Because looking at him were the most kindhearted eyes. They weren’t broken, or afraid. They were just Izuku, his stupidly incredible boyfriend.

Yanking the nerd into a suffocating hug he felt Izuku relax. Katsuki wanted this more than anything he’d ever wanted in his entire fucking life. Izuku had been right. He needed to get over this shit because there was no fucking universe where Izuku hadn’t already forgiven him. Maybe the kindest thing he could do for the nerd was to work on moving on.

“I’m pretty sure I’m supposed to be the crybaby here.” Izuku’s voice was muffled by Katsuki’s borrowed shirt.

“Just let me have this, Zuku.” He whispered into the nerds still wet hair.

“And here I thought you two were having sex…” Dabi’s voice interrupted.

Katsuki didn’t let go and instead just lifted one hand to flip the villain off. Part of him expected Dabi to give him shit about crying, but he didn’t.

“You know I’m not much for remodeling, but I don’t hate what you’ve done.” Dabi nodded to the wall that Katsuki had just been destroying.

Izuku pulled away and started laughing. “You should have seen how angry Dabi was when I first did that. I had to stop him from setting the whole wall on fire.”

He followed Izuku and Dabi back into the living room, almost enjoying the playful jabs they took at each other. Katsuki was sure it wasn’t always this easy between the two of them, but right now they seemed like brothers.

Izuku grabbed the drink and fruit snacks Dabi had left out and sat down looking at Todoroki.

“I feel bad leaving him like that…” The nerd said, nodding to the white prison jumper still stained and wet from the trip over. “Hey, Kaachan. Do you want to come with me to get him a few changes of clothes? The rain should be letting up now.”

It was probably an excuse to get Katsuki out of this place, maybe to avoid questions about living here, but he didn’t care. Getting out and breathing fresh air with Izuku sounded like exactly what he fucking needed right now.

“Make sure you check for people watching his place.” Dabi called after them. “And I swear if you get caught…”

Katsuki couldn’t help laughing. Dabi was such an overprotective figure in Izuku’s life. It was a stark comparison to the monster he’d always associated with the villain. 

They took the trip slow. Izuku was worn out from earlier and they were in no rush since it would be a bit before the drugs wore off enough for Icy Hot to wake up. 

Rooftops were still covered in puddles, sending up droplets from Izuku’s footsteps. They caught the warm light of the still sleeping city beautifully and looked like tiny explosions in Izuku’s path. 

The nerd was smiling the whole time too. Looking back, face uncovered by his usual mask, grinning at Katsuki. He was fucking beautiful.

After confirming with Shinso that no one had found out about their prison break yet and Izuku scouting out the area around Todoroki’s place thoroughly, they finally entered. This time there was no argument about Katsuki coming in with Izuku. What they had just done was a lot worse than breaking and entering.

Izuku had told him about what Icy Hot’s place looked like, but it was still surprising to see. He never cared for the guy, but it all left Katsuki feeling empty.

“Okay, Kaachan! I have a few changes of clothes and some toiletries.” Izuku held up a small backpack.

Katsuki took the bag and leaned in to kiss Izuku. He wasn’t sure how to talk about Izuku’s past, but this was hopefully some reassurance. Part of him was expecting Izuku to still be focused on the mission, but the nerd started lazily exploring Katsuki’s mouth like they weren’t potentially on the Commission's most wanted list.

“You know those drugs won’t wear off for a while and we should have a few hours before people show up here…” Izuku broke their kiss to start pressing his lips onto Katsuki’s neck.

This wasn’t like when Izuku had come back from seeing All for One. He wasn’t desperate or shaking, just calmed by Katsuki’s touch.

All the preparations and planning hadn’t left them with a lot of time for much romance or sex so Katsuki gave in. They definitely couldn’t have sex, but he could get the nerd off before they went back.

Shoving his knee between Izuku’s legs, he grinded against the hardness of his boyfriend. Katsuki knew he’d never get used to the breathy moans and desperate fingernails digging into him like this. It was such a high to watch Izuku give himself over, completely trusting Katsuki to take care of him. 

As he slipped his hand past the top of Izuku’s pants, the nerd threw his head back, lightly thumping against the wall. Finally he started kissing and nibbling down Izuku’s neck. He knew it drove the nerd crazy when the touches started light…

“Wait, Kaachan…” Izuku's breath came out heavy.

“What is it, Freckles?” Katsuki knew his boyfriend had a habit of asking him to slow down without ever actually meaning it. That’s why they had safewords after all.

Lifting Izuku’s shirt to expose his chest, Katsuki bit down on the nerd’s nipples.

“Kaachan…” Izuku gripped his hair. “Red. We really have to stop.”

Immediate panic hit Katsuki. Had he hurt the Izuku? Made him feel uncomfortable? Izuku had only used yellow once before when a position started giving him a bad cramp.

Completely ignorant to his boyfriend’s internal conflict, Izuku started pulling a dining chair through the apartment. He pushed it against the wall they had just been against.

“Izuku…” Katsuki tried to think back on what aftercare Izuku needed. Fuck, he knew he should have read more about this.

Izuku stood on the chair and pulled out a small knife. It was when the nerd started unscrewing the central air vent that Katsuki realized that whatever had happened had nothing to do with him.

“What did you find…” He tried not to sound frustrated. Katsuki didn’t give a fuck that Izuku used a safeword, but something like this probably could have fucking waited.

“Don’t you see it?” Izuku asked, passing down a screw to Katsuki.

“The way dust is building up on this vent is weird. Normally people clean these so you can’t really tell. Dust builds up pretty easily since heaters and AC’s are located in areas that don’t get cleaned as often, but this one is a lot cleaner right here.” The nerd got another screw down and pointed to the bottom middle of the vent. It did have a lot less dust than the other areas.

“Like something’s blocking the airflow.” Katsuki finished.

“Yep. Could be nothing or just a fluke, but…” Izuku finished the last two screws and pulled the cover away to reveal a small black box. “It also could be used for hiding something.”

Katsuki held the box while Izuku replaced the vent. He helped the nerd down and took the chair back to the dining table. Putting the box down, they stared at it for a moment before Izuku muttered something and opened it.

The plastic top slid away without resistance, exposing what looked like dozens of folded pieces of paper. They were haphazardly scattered around with bends, folds, and stains. A few even had singed edges. 

Izuku carefully grabbed a fairly clean one from the top and opened it.

“Holly shit…” The nerd whispered, pulling out another one and reading it. “We have to get these out of here. This box alone is enough to prove Todoroki wasn’t the mastermind behind everything.”

Chapter Text

“It’s not a crime to relax, you know…” Dabi said as he placed a beer in front of him.

Katsuki watched the condensation drip off the can and collect on the tabletop. 

“I didn’t poison it or anything…” The villain scoffed, making his way to sit on the couch.

Popping the top, Katsuki let the slight burn of alcohol coat his tongue. “It’s a fucking sealed can. How the fuck would you even poison it?”

“The rim probably.” Dabi answered, opening his own and staring past a still knocked out Todoroki at the TV.

After they’d gotten back from Todoroki’s, Katsuki offered to be the one watching Icy Hot while everyone else got some sleep. Izuku only agreed after Katsuki brought up that the other two had done a hell of a lot more physical work than he had. As much as he wanted to be curled up next to the nerd, it was more important that shit didn’t hit the fan before Izuku physically recovered.

“You can actually fucking sleep…” 

The villain nodded to Todoroki. “Not much chance of that with him here.”

Standing up from the folding chair, Katsuki made his way over to the couch. Dabi’s face twisted slightly as he sat down.

“Thanks…” Katsuki said after a moment.

“Jesus… It’s just a beer.” Dabi rolled his eyes.

“Not for that.” He tried to figure out exactly what he was thanking the man for. “You’re Izuku’s family and… I’m just glad you took care of him when he was alone.”

At this, Dabi’s face relaxed. He leaned back further into the couch.

“He deserves a lot better than what I could give him. Besides, I think I needed him as much as he needed me…”

They both went back to watching the almost silent news broadcast. It was nearing morning and at some point the TV or Shinso would tell them that the Commission had noticed the prison break. Katsuki just wanted to get it over with. The waiting was worse than anything else.

“I know this doesn’t change anything…” The staples on Dabi’s face reflected the light from the TV as he spoke. “After this is over, you’ll be back trying to bring me down.”

Katsuki wondered if that was true. He still had a job to do, a job he fucking enjoyed. It wasn’t as if Dabi was innocent either, but he didn’t know if he could actually do it. This was probably a conversation he needed to have with Izuku. 

“And I swear if you hurt that boy again…”

“I know. I know. You’ll kill me or some shit.” Katsuki finished.

“Oh, who am I kidding…” Dabi crumpled the empty can in his hand. “Izuku would never forgive me. He’s so stupidly into you.”

The villain scoffed at the smile Katsuki refused to hide. Izuku still had issues admitting stuff like that so it was nice to hear even if it was from fucking Dabi.

“Does that mean you’ll accept me dating him?” Katsuki pushed.

“I kind of have to at this point. You ever try stopping that kid from doing something?” Dabi snorted.

“Nice to know I have your blessing.” He tried not to sound too sincere.

“What, are you planning on proposing?”

“One day…” And Katsuki meant it. He couldn’t imagine anyone else in his life like this. He didn’t want to. Everything he could ever want was sleeping just a room away. 

Dabi didn’t look surprised at the declaration. Or at least not nearly as surprised as Katsuki had hoped. Instead he laughed. Normally hearing the villain laugh was grating on his ears, but this one was rough and honest. 

“Pretty sure I won’t be making it to the wedding.”

It made sense. Most of Katsuki’s friends were pro heroes, but knowing Izuku wouldn’t have family there fucking hurt.

“I’m going to be missing out on a lot after this…” He said quietly, twisting the can in his hands.

“The nerd will still find ways for you to be around.” Katsuki didn’t like the villain’s tone. He wasn’t sure if the guy was going to off himself or hand himself over to the police.

Dabi just shrugged. “I should have been gone a long time ago, but I kept sticking around in case he needed me again. But looks like I don’t need to protect him anymore.”

“Izuku’s not weak… From what I can tell, he’s been pretty fucking strong for a while too.” He knew it came off as defensive, but fuck if he was going to let someone underestimate the nerd after how badass he’d just been.

“Izuku has been sparring with hero course students since he was 17. God! He’s been able to knock me on my ass for years. Kid’s perfectly capable physically at least, but I don’t think he’s let himself heal from everything that happened with his mom.”

Aunty Inko was something they hadn’t really talked in depth about. Katsuki heard enough to know how fucked it was, but how the fuck was he supposed to bring that shit up.

“You talk like you’re going to fucking disappear…” He tried not to look over at the villain.

Dabi smiled slightly. “I had plans to get out a few years back, but I just couldn’t leave him alone like that.”

“Get out? Like of the League or…”

“All of it. I’d get ready cause you’ll probably be needing a new boss.” 

Katsuki stilled. “The fuck are you going to do with Hawks?” 

Dabi just laughed at the venom in Katsuki’s voice. Before he could answer, they were interrupted by frantic knocking on the front door. 

“I’ll get it.” The villain threw the abused can into the trash and left Katsuki wondering just how much he needed to worry.

At first Katsuki figured it was Shinso coming to let them know they’d been found out, but last time he checked, Izuku hadn’t told anyone but him where to go. In the background he heard hushed arguing, before whoever it was pushed past Dabi.

“And I’m saying that you won’t like the answer!” Dabi called out down the hallway.

“I don’t give a single fuck if I don't like the answer! You keep enough from me as it is and I can’t just look past this when…”

Katsuki was pretty used to surprises since meeting Izuku again. Hell, he’d learned the entire fucked up story of the biggest hero and villain in the country. Even after all that, he still didn’t expect the deadly sharp feather digging into his neck. 

“Jesus fucking Christ. Having Toga dress up as Shoto’s old classmate is so wrong!” Hawks didn’t look pissed. He looked deadly.

It wasn’t something Katsuki was used to. Normally the bird brain strutted around with an easy going grin. Sure, sometimes he’d caught the guy looking more serious, but nothing compared to this. One move and Katsuki knew his throat would be slit without a second thought. 

“Yeah… That’s not Toga.” Dabi didn’t seem all too phased. “And I’m pretty sure offing your sidekick counts as workplace harassment.”

“Bullshit…” Hawks whispered, still posed to kill.

There are a lot of things someone could say when they’re moments from death. Pleas or promises someone could make. Katsuki didn’t even bother.

“I fucking knew all that bullshit was for the camera.” He smirked up at his boss.

The feather was lowered and placed back in Hawks’ wing. He looked like he wanted to lecture Katsuki, but couldn’t find a good place to start. Not that Katsuki blamed him. After all, he was sat in a villain's hideout watching over an escaped prisoner.

It was then that Izuku wandered into the living room, probably woken up by all the noise. Katsuki always thought he looked cute, but he’d noticed that waking Izuku up from a deep sleep made the nerd almost fucking unbearably adorable.

He was still wrapped in a blanket, rubbing his barely opened eyes. Looking at the number two hero through a haze of sleep he seemed to wake up slightly.

“Good morning, Midoriya. It’s been a while. I’m sorry that this absolute idiot dragged you into something like this.” Hawks greeted with a curt nod.

“Hi, Keigo. Dabi didn’t drag me into anything actually. It was the other way around.”

Dabi just shrugged back at Hawks’ confused expression.

“This is going to be so much paperwork…” Hawks pinched his eyes closed. “Ground Zero, you better have a damn good reason for getting involved with this.”

Katsuki debated giving an honest answer, but Izuku was already making his way across the room. Still in his bundle, the nerd climbed onto the couch and into Katsuki’s lap, burying his face into his boyfriend. 

“Does that answer your question?” Katsuki pulled Izuku closer and smirked at Hawks.

“Okay, so I’m really supposed to believe that the kid you basically adopted just decided to break god damn Shoto Todoroki out of Tartarus?” Hawks turned back to a now openly amused Dabi. “How in hell did those two meet anyway? I mean the kid was always terrified of heroes and now he’s using Bakugo as a body pillow!”

He’d seen his boss flustered plenty of times, but Katsuki almost felt bad since the hero was so clearly not getting the answers he wanted. Into his chest, the nerd let out a groan and pushed away.

Izuku stood up slowly, letting the blanket fall off his shoulders. As he stretched, Katsuki watched as Hawks took in the forearms of exposed scars.

Finally meeting the hero’s eyes, Izuku spoke. “I was working with Ground Zero on the Todoroki case. Eraserhead dropped it, but I can prove someone else was blackmailing Todoroki into heading the production of Trigger. You’re welcome to try arresting us, but even without Kaachan’s help you might have a difficult time with Dabi and I.”

Fuck… Katsuki was sure there was nothing hotter than seeing his boyfriend threaten the number two hero. Probably a concerning kink, but damn was it impressive.

“If you were working together on the Todoroki case…” 

The three of them watched Hawks piece together the information.

“That would mean you’re…”

“Nimbus.” Izuku reached out to shake the hero’s hand. “Most people just call me Nim. Oh and Kaachan and I are dating.”

Hawks’ visibly deflated. “I can’t just let you three keep an escaped ex hero here.”

“Pretty sure you don’t have a choice, birdie.” Dabi held up his phone and winked at Katsuki’s boss.

Out of the device came sounds Katsuki never fucking wanted to hear. Whimpers and unrestrained moans not quite drowning out the obvious sounds of a sex filled the room. 

“Oh fuck! Please keep going! Fuck, baby. God fuck me!” 

“Would you turn that off.” Hawks’ face matched his feathers as he tried in vain to stop the villain from playing more.

“Even a pretty birdie like yourself wouldn’t be able to come back from the world seeing you getting fucked by a villain.” Dabi wrapped his fingers under the hero’s chin and forced him to look up. “And we made so many beautiful videos together…”

“Gross…” Katsuki and Izuku said in tandem.

“Come on, Keigo. Let’s talk this out where the kids don’t have to get involved.” Dabi led the flustered hero out the door.

“As if I wasn’t already scarred for life.” Izuku groaned as he sat back in Katsuki’s lap. “I thought once I moved out I wouldn’t have to listen to Keijo’s moaning ever again.”

Katsuki pulled the blanket back around the nerd, reveling at how quickly Izuku morphed from ready to take on god damn Hawks back to his adorable cuddly boyfriend. 

“How long has that shit been going on?”

“Years…” Izuku rolled his eyes. “They never dated or anything, but they love each other. If only they would just admit it.” 

Dabi’s comment about Katsuki needing a new boss made a little more sense now. 

“And here I was sure Hawks was getting laid as much as I was.” He snorted.

“Oh he gets laid plenty. They tried to be careful while I was living here, but neither of them are exactly experts at being quiet.”

Katsuki heard that years ago Hawks had infiltrated the League of Villains. Now he wondered how much of that undercover work involved getting fucked by Dabi. From the sounds of it, a lot. 

“You’re pretty comfortable with Hawks. Why did you refuse to have him on the Todoroki case?” 

Izuku looked confused. “I didn’t refuse to work with him… Eraserhead told me Keigo was sending someone from his agency. I figured he didn’t have time or something. If I had to guess, Eraserhead and Shinso probably vetoed that idea without asking me.”

“Well he does seem like the type of insufferable asshole you wouldn’t work with. It was fucking funny seeing him so upset about it. Just the thought that someone didn’t want him on a case pissed him off.”

“Damn…” The nerd actually looked concerned. “I should probably explain. He’s actually a really decent guy, once you get past the hero persona.”

Katsuki pulled Izuku closer, not wanting him to leave. “You don’t owe anyone shit.”

Soft lips met his own and Katsuki sighed. He prayed Icy Hot wouldn’t wake up to him getting excited from such a simple kiss.

“I know I don’t, but he means a lot to Dabi.” Izuku smiled softly and started heading towards the door. “I promise I won’t be long.”

Adjusting his pants to hide just how much he enjoyed every touch Izuku gave him, Katsuki tried to figure out how Hawks had time to show up here before Shinso could even warn them. Sure being the number two had to come with privileged information, but they were prepared for the entire Commission coming after Todoroki considering his apparent crimes.

The nerd had theories of course, but refused to share them until they could talk to Todoroki. 

Growing impatient after a bit, Katsuki picked up one of the clean shirts he and Izuku had brought back and chucked it at the sleeping hero. It opened midair and perfectly landed on top of the bastard’s head. 

The fabric shifted and a soft groan came from underneath.

“Pardon me?” Todoroki slurred. “Guards? I think there’s something on my face.”

Katsuki gawked at the absolute idiocy of his old classmate. He stood up and yanked the shirt off, glaring at the confused expression he was met with.

“Bakugo… Since when are you working here?” The Icy Hot bastard seemed to be blinking around at the living room, trying to process where he was. “This… This isn’t my cell.”

“How are you this fucking dense? Seriously! Top of our fucking class. You’re not in Tartarus dipshit.”

“Did my father send you?”

“No!” Katsuki started.

“Sorry Todoroki… We sort of kidnapped you from prison. Well not kidnapped exactly since it was technically a prison break, but I guess since we did drug you it might still count.” Izuku started rambling from the hallway. “Oh! You probably don’t recognize me or anything…”

“Midoriya?” Todoroki squinted towards the nerd.

Katsuki had fucking forgot that apparently his boyfriend and ex classmate had some sort of history. A mixture of jealousy and anger broiled in his chest. No one pissed him off more than Todoroki. The bastard’s refusal to use half his quirk while still out performing most hero course students was fucking cocky as shit.

“Fuck this! One of you explain how the fuck you know each other.” 

Icy Hot looked at him like he’d forgotten Katsuki was even there. “Oh. Forgive my rudeness Bakugo. This is Midoriya. Midoriya, this is my old classmate Bakugo.”

“I didn’t ask you to introduce me to my own fucking boyfriend!” Katsuki had forgotten just how fucking dense this idiot could be.

“Congratulations on your relationship then.” Todoroki nodded at Izuku who was giggling into the back of his hand.

“How. Do. You. Know. Izuku.” He hoped speaking slowly would get his question to sink into Todoroki’s thick fucking skull.

The bastard seemed to finally understand what Katsuki was asking him. “He helped me defeat the Hero Killer back in high school.”

The Hero Killer… Damn. Katsuki knew Izuku was a badass, but the Hero Killer had been brought in during the start of their first year of high school well before Nim started taking down villains. 

“I really didn’t actually help at all. It was Todoroki who did the work…” Izuku quickly blurted.

“Midoriya, you saved two lives that day. I would not have acted without your words.”

The nerd shifted on his heels nervously. “You would have done just fine. I probably got in your way more than anything.”

“Not at all! What you told me still carries weight even now.” Todoroki insisted.

“You still don’t use it…” 

Katsuki was fucking sick of whatever was playing out in front of him.

“Icy Hot! You’re kidnapped. Can you give a single shit about that?”

That seemed to snap Todoroki back to reality.

“You have to take me back. Immediately.” He said, turning to Katsuki. 

“I don’t give a fuck if you want to waste the rest of your life in some shitty prison since you already waste your fucking hero potential every god damn day, but you’re not going anywhere until you tell us who’s actually behind Trigger.” Katsuki sneered at the man.

“I don’t…” Icy Hot started.

“We found the box of letters, Todoroki.” Izuku gave a sad smile. “We know someone was putting you up to it.”

“Don’t act like you know anything, Midoriya.” Todoroki leaned forward as far as his still sluggish body would allow. “You have no right to be involved with any of this.”

Standing up from the couch, Katsuki could feel the heat in his palms growing with rage. How fucking dare this bastard. 

“Kaachan!” 

He knew he should stop. Katsuki should listen to Izuku and sit back down. Instead he reached forward and gripped the front of Todoroki’s shirt feeling the fabric singe slightly under his palms.

“You shouldn’t be part of this either, Bakugo.”

“And why the fuck not!” Katsuki lifted him slightly, the restraints pulling the chair up with him. He was pretty sure this was the first time he’d actually seen determination on the Half and Half bastard’s face and it fucking pissed him off.

“Because it’s a family issue.” He replied coolly. “So you and Midoriya should stay out of it.”

A cold voice cut through the tense air.

“Good thing I consider Izuku family then.”

Everything bit of emotion seemed to drain from Todoroki’s face as he stared past Katsuki. He dropped the idiot back down and whipped around. It was just Dabi, standing next to Izuku looking far more like the villain Katsuki recognized from years of destruction.

“What no reunion? Not even a glad you’re not dead?” Dabi took a step forward, partially shielding Izuku as if somehow the still drugged and restrained hero was about to pull some shit.

“Who…” Todoroki whispered.

“Don’t fucking tell me Dad never talked about your older brother? I mean he did nearly murder me with his training. After all, before you got your perfect power, I was his favorite.”

Izuku was avoiding eye contact and fidgeting with the edges of his shirt, lacking the absolute shock Katsuki was experiencing. If what the villain was saying was true…

“Toya?”

Yep. This was some complicated bullshit Izuku hadn’t bothered to tell him about.

Dabi’s arm flickered in bright blue flames. “That name is fucking dead to me…”

“Oh…” A look of confusion flashed over Icy Hot’s face. “I hadn’t realized you were trans.”

“I said dead to me not that it’s a fucking dead name!” 

“I recently learned that a classmate from UA was non binary so I’ve been learning about those things in preparation of seeing them again.” Todoroki answered like somehow that was the most important thing happening.

Katsuki whipped around to sit back down on the couch. “Yeah with a brain like that, you’re definitely running the biggest drug operation in fucking Tokyo…”

“Sorry Todoroki, but whatever is happening to you, we want to help.” Izuku smiled gently at the quickly deflating hero.

“If you’re To… Dabi’s family then you know enough. Just take me back before he hurts her.” Icy Hot said quietly before turning back to Dabi. “Don’t you want to protect her?”

The villain’s eyes narrowed. “I. Don’t. Care.”

“You can’t mean that!”

“God! Why the hell do you care so much about that woman? Protect her? She watched for years while Endeavor fucking killed me. I bet the same thing happened to you too. Hell, I bet that scar on your face was her doing right? I mean Dad didn’t like leaving marks other people could see.” 

With each word Dabi stepped closer and closer to Todoroki, heat and hatred coming off his body in waves. “You should let her rot in whatever hell he’s cooked up…”

He was cut off abruptly by Izuku leaping onto the villain's back and clamping a hand over his mouth.

“Stop saying things you don’t mean! Don’t pretend like I wasn’t the one you talked through your insecurities about leaving your little brother behind with! Don’t act like you don't care!” 

Katsuki readied himself for a fight to break out, for one of the most dangerous villains in Japan to lash out. It never happened. Dabi waited patiently for Izuku’s grip to loosen and finally release before turning around and walking away without another word.

Izuku sat slowly on the ground, not reacting when Katsuki came to sit next to him.

“He does care, Todoroki. I know it doesn’t seem like it. I know he probably seems as cruel as your dad, but…”

Icy Hot huffed out a sigh. “No… Our father was cruel because he didn’t give a damn who he hurt or killed in the name of power. My… My brother is cruel because he is hurt like I am. If not more so.”

“Please let us help you…”

“There is no help, Midoriya. The number one pro hero is holding my mother hostage in a psych ward and has promised to have her killed if I don’t follow his instructions. I need to go back to Tartarus and finish this.” Todoroki leaned his head back, looking up at the ceiling with an empty expression. Katsuki recognized it from the years they’d been in school together.

“Except you didn’t do everything he told you. You didn’t burn the letters in that box you were hiding. I mean how fucking stupid are you to leave literal evidence?” Katsuki glared still not understanding what fucking game Icy Hot was playing.

“It’s not because I wanted someone to find out…”

Izuku shifted next to him. “It’s because they said you were supposed to burn them. And you’re afraid of fire. Right?”

“How the fuck are you afraid of literally half your fucking quirk…” Katsuki grumbled.

“You get hurt by something long enough and after a while it’s impossible to find anything but fear…” The hand Katsuki was holding trembled while Izuku talked.

For a while none of them spoke. Katsuki didn’t know what to say. He didn’t have any idea what he could do to make things better.

“That’s why you have to take me back. He promised to finally let her go if I gave him what he wanted.” Todoroki finally looked back at them. “None of you have the ability to take down the number one hero in the eyes of the Commission or Japan.”

Izuku dropped Katsuki’s hand and leaned forward excitedly.

“But what if we did! I mean what if we could make sure everyone knew what he’d done?”

He started smiling at his boyfriend. All for One wanted Ze to take down the Hero Commission so taking down their top hero was definitely in the realm of possibility. The nerd started muttering excitedly about his plan.

“As much as Ground Zero has become a well respected hero, I personally doubt he has that much control over how Japan views its heroes…” Icy Hot stared at the two of them like they’d lost their minds.

“Kaachan might not get the country to listen, but I bet Ze could. You’d just have to let me tell your story.” 

Todoroki’s eyes widened. “You know Ze? I’ve always admired how realistic his understanding of heroes is.”

Pushing the nerd up until he was standing, Katsuki smirked at the tied up hero. “You could say that…”

“You know Ze now too.” Izuku untied Icy Hot’s hands and took one is his. 

“Would a second account help?” Dabi spoke from the hallway, avoiding the looks everyone gave him. “I mean I’m basically a walking example of why not to beat your kids.”

Izuku beamed. “I mean if you’d feel comfortable doing that, it would definitely help! You’ve already told me a lot about growing up, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable using it without your permission. I’ll still need to interview Todoroki so that I understand his experiences as well as the whole story behind Trigger.”

“Well you’ve got a bit of time before the Commission pulls out all the stops. Apparently Endeavor is freaking out and demanding that your escape be kept quiet. He’s apparently convinced you’ll give yourself over in the next week. Hawks only knew because he was on the same call when Endeavor found out.” The villain walked up to Izuku and patted his head.

“You in Icy Hot?” Katsuki turned to his old classmate.

There was a look he’d never seen on the bastard’s face. Usually he was expressionless or slightly confused, but right now he looked like for the first time in his life he actually had hope.