Chapter Text
Izuku’s eyes are fixed on Nabu as they begin their slow departure. He looks over the settlements scattered around the island, the lush forests surrounding the town, the few remaining fishing boats floating anchored in the harbor. He can’t tell the Shimano siblings apart from the other dots watching their ship from the boardwalk, but he remembers Katsuma-chan’s parting smile and feels a lightness in his chest.
“We did good work here,” he says to Katsuki, who for some reason is still at his side. He seems more subdued than usual as they lean against the taffrail together, watching the island grow smaller and smaller.
Katsuki hums in agreement, a smirk on his face as he angles his head to look at him. “The brat reminds me of you, y’ know? When we were kids.”
Izuku’s smile only grows as he looks to Katsuki where he’s lazily bent over the railing. “I can’t wait to see what he’s like as a hero."
The conversation flows easily after that, even if it’s mostly Izuku chattering on excitedly. Katsuki keeps giving him sidelong glances, turning his gaze away whenever Izuku peers back curiously. The sky is a beautiful bubblegum pink when Izuku finally runs out of things to babble about.
“I heard Chimera had very minimal injuries.” Izuku eventually says, his fingers fidgeting.
“And who the hell is that?”
“Um, y’ know, the animal-looking one? His name is Chimera, or at least his villain name is. Todoroki-kun froze him from the inside out and he was in decent shape only an hour later. His durability must be amazing. Hmm, I wonder how long he’s able to hold his ‘beast mode’. Would he have survived the ice if he hadn’t been enlarged? Would anyone else in the class have been able to defeat him? And what if—”
“Hah?” Katsuki cuts him off mid-ramble. “If half and half could beat that furry then I could have done it easily.”
“Right.” Izuku smiles fondly at him, causing Katsuki to jerk his gaze away for what feels like the hundredth time that afternoon. “Then there was Slice. Tokoyami said she could harden and shoot her hair out like needles. Most of her hair was gone after blocking Ashido’s Acid Shot though. I wonder how fast it grows back...”
“You never got to see that mummy bastard,” Katsuki growls once Izuku goes silent, crossing his arms and glaring out at the horizon. “Annoying piece of shit.”
“That’s right.” Izuku turns to him with rapid interest. “Kaminari told me you got mummified.”
Katsuki’s indignant sputtering makes Izuku giggle and he instantly throws a hand up to try to contain the sound. He knows that Katsuki doesn’t like to be laughed at, and his chest tightens in panic, thinking he probably just ruined this strangely calm moment between them. But when he chances a look, Katuski doesn’t seem too annoyed, just stares back at him with a halfhearted glare. Izuku’s hand falls and he clears his throat. “He was smart to go after the strongest there.”
The scowl remains but Katsuki at least looks appeased. “Obviously.”
“Did it hurt?” Izuku slowly slides his notebook out of his pants and flips to a fresh page as he asks the question. “What did it feel like?”
Katsuki’s eyes nearly roll to the back of his head as he sighs, but he indulges him. “It was kind of like being captured by Sensei’s binding cloth, but even more restricting and... gross. Took me a while to regain control of my weapons. Had to sacrifice a gauntlet to blow out of the bandages and escape.”
“That was smart, Kacchan.” Izuku lifts his pencil from the paper as he smiles softly at him.
Katsuki’s cheeks turn a light pink but he shrugs and says nothing else.
A silence settles over them again as Izuku jots down more information, muttering to himself as his pencil flows swiftly over the lines.
“He could only control my gauntlets, not me.”
“Huh?” Izuku looks back up to find Katsuki peering down at the page he’s filling out.
“He could only control my gauntlets, not me. I think he can only manipulate inanimate objects.”
“Ah, I see.” He hesitates before returning to his writing, a giddy warmth running through his body as he stares up at him. “Thanks, Kacchan.”
“Whatever.” Katsuki’s eyes are lowered back to the water, but the usual tension in his shoulders has disappeared as he slouches against the railing once again.
The last time Izuku can remember Kacchan being this relaxed while in his presence, or the pair having a slightly normal interaction, they were both under three feet tall and Katsuki had yet to discover his quirk. The realization wraps around him like a cozy blanket and the nostalgic feeling sits heavy in his chest. Izuku doesn’t realize he’s been staring at him for the entire stretch of silence until Katsuki whirls back to him with a sharp glare.
“You’re not gonna write down the valuable information I just gave you, nerd?!”
“R-right.” His face burns and he buries his nose in his book. He knows the words he’s sloppily writing down aren’t organized to his usual standards, but he needs to hide his flaming cheeks behind the notebook. It doesn’t help that he can feel that red gaze still on him.
Waves break around the ship as it glides smoothly through the sea. The heat in Izuku’s face finally dies down and he slowly lowers his notebook back to the railing.
“You write about Nine in there?” Katsuki eventually asks.
Izuku’s head shoots up at the question. Slowly, and with unsteady fingers, he flips back a few pages.
“Um, so, Nine... He could only hold a certain amount of quirks at a time and that power seemed to be destroying his body’s cellular tissue. He took Cell Activation from Shimano-San but it wasn’t compatible with his blood type. I can’t imagine how strong he would have become if he took Katsuma-Chan’s power... They wanted to question him on how he received a quirk so similar to All For One, but they couldn’t find him after our fight.”
Katsuki is silent as he scans over the two pages of notes that Izuku created for Nine. Will speaking about the battle jog his memory? The thought makes Izuku squirm in place.
“And you and I defeated him?”
Izuku slowly nods.
“Did I get hit in the head or something?” Katsuki asks softly, his eyes crinkling in confusion. “I can’t believe I don’t remember anything.”
“I—” Izuku opens his mouth to speak, not fully knowing what’s going to come out, but before he can get another word out their friends finally find them.
“Bakubro! Midoriyaaaa!”
Izuku’s heart is still racing as he turns to Eijirou and Denki. He greets them with a smile, fearing how his voice will sound if he speaks out loud. He can’t tell if he’s relieved or dismayed that they were interrupted. Katsuki groans and mutters something about Eijirou and Denki’s ‘incessant chatter’ and attempts, in vain, to escape them.
The uncomfortable pounding in Izuku’s chest fades as he sees the pair simply ignore Katsuki’s murderous expression and follow him across the deck. He moves to sit next to his own group of friends where they’re waiting for him on a row of benches.
Tsu cocks her head to the side when he sits down, a large finger coming up to rest on her cheek. “Are you okay, Midoriya-chan?”
“Y- yes, I’m fine.” Izuku fidgets in place, tightening his hand on his notebook.
“You were speaking with Bakugou?” Ochako glances wearily over to where Katsuki is being cornered. “Was he giving you a hard time?”
"No!” Izuku blurts out and then settles back onto the bench, his face warm. “We were just... discussing the battle.”
“Are you sure?” Ochako’s usual sunny expression grows dark.
A slow smile stretches across Izuku’s face. “Yes, Uraraka-san. Thank you for defending my honor.”
“It’s my duty, Deku-kun.” Ochako gives him a firm salute before breaking back out into a grin.
“Your, uh, duty?”
“She often refers to us as the ‘Deku Protection Squad’,” Shouto says it in such a monotone voice that Izuku can’t tell if he’s joking. He hopes he’s joking.
“Anyway... Let’s talk about Chimera.”
He proceeds to ask Shouto, Tsu, and Tenya rapid-fire questions about their own separate fight. Uraraka chimes in every now and then with amusing commentary. Uraraka jokes about Shouto defeating a furry and Izuku is laughing loudly when he feels the heat of red eyes focused on him. He looks up shyly and locks gazes with Katsuki, his laugh slowly forming into a small closed-mouth smile. Their eyes are steadily locked on each other for a few long moments. The blonde is the first to look away, but Izuku still feels himself blushing fiercely all the same. There’s nothing hateful or exasperated in Katsuki’s expression, only something curious and considering like he’s seeing Izuku for the first time.
Katsuki can’t seem to remember sharing the power of One For All, or fighting alongside him in a battle for the future of their world, but Izuku has a feeling that everything between them has changed.
~~~
Once they get back to UA everything changes.
Or more like it remains the same, Izuku bitterly reminds himself.
It was like getting away from that beautiful island broke whatever spell was cast between them. Katsuki goes back to being short with him. Insulting him at every opportunity. Hissing out ‘Damn Deku’ whenever they’re partnered together during class activities.
Izuku tries not to let it get to him. He tells himself that he’s been used to it for close to twelve years now. This is what’s normal between them. Still, he has to fight to keep the hurt from showing on his face whenever Katsuki inevitably throws Izuku a dirty look or an annoyed 'tch'.
The only difference is that Katsuki seems to spend a lot more one-on-one time with Eijirou. He sends fewer insults the redhead’s way and seems to actually take Eijirou’s words to heart. Which, for Katsuki, is practically a love confession. Izuku becomes deeply acquainted with the once foreign feeling of jealousy.
He doesn’t bother pretending to be shocked by it. He doesn’t have to wrestle with his emotions or analyze why exactly he feels this way. For as long as he can remember, Katsuki had always been the person he chased after, trying to soak in even just an ounce of his greatness. His natural talent, raw power, tactical mind. Izuku could go on forever, has gone on forever, filling pages of notebooks with the strengths of his childhood friend. It also doesn’t help that Katsuki is easily the most beautiful person Izuku has ever laid eyes on. His soft blonde spikes, well-muscled form, and fierce red eyes have made more than one appearance in his dreams.
So Izuku is perfectly aware of the pathetic and long-standing crush he has on his rival slash begrudging ally. He was fine with it before and could ignore it easily enough. But to be so close to having a normal relationship with Kacchan, only to have it ripped away right before he could get it is so devastating in ways he can’t process.
His friends can clearly see that something is adding extra stress to Izuku’s life but he brushes them off with bright smiles and blames it on starting a new semester and the recent strain on his arms after Nabu. It’s not a complete lie.
It doesn’t, however, stop his friends from being a little more protective of him than usual. Shouto freezes Monoma’s feet to the floor after he shoots a petty insult Izuku’s way during their lunch period (one that Izuku himself didn’t even hear) and Tsu sends her tongue flying halfway across the room to smack Mineta in the face when he tries to cheat off of Izuku during a test.
Aizawa sees it all happen and says nothing.
It makes Izuku feel an odd mixture of anxious and supported. Mostly the former when Uraraka practically challenges Katsuki to meet her outside after school when he pushes past Izuku to get into class. Katsuki seems like he’s about to take her up on it when Izuku presses his hands into her back and forces her towards her seat, efficiently ending the conversation.
“But Dekuuu, I’m defending your honor like you said!” Ochako whines, dragging her feet as she’s manhandled to the back of the classroom.
“Yes, I’m very grateful that you’re using me as an excuse to fight Kacchan.” He huffs back.
“He’s just so punchable!” She exclaims and then chops her hand swiftly through the air. “Plus, I want a rematch so I can show him my Gunhead Martial Arts.”
Izuku can’t help but snort at that, which Ochako just takes as encouragement.
A smile lights up her face as she shoves her bag under her desk. “Let me know if he bothers you anymore, okay, Deku-kun?”
“Alright, Uraraka-san,” he says, but only to appease her.
Izuku gives her a final nod before turning to make his way to his own seat across the room. He goes to remove his own backpack but his hands stop halfway to the straps when he notices Katsuki turned in his seat and glowering straight at them. A sharp pain jolts up the back of his neck from how quickly he ducks his head, avoiding the glare as he walks to his desk.
“You gonna let your girlfriend fight all your battles for you?” Katsuki practically growls at him once he’s taken his seat.
“G-girlfriend?” Izuku spins around to look at Ochako but she isn’t paying attention to their conversation. “We’re just friends, Kacchan! We only went on one date.”
“You went on a date with her?!” Katsuki’s voice takes on that high pitched tone that he gets when he’s truly infuriated.
“Yes?” Izuku answers, unsure of what he just did that set him off.
“Whatever.” Katsuki twists away from him, slumping back into the chair and completely ignoring him once again.
The confrontation is over as fast as it began and Izuku is left floundering, his heart racing and mouth open.
Aizawa walks into the room and drops a thick stack of papers on his desk, causing Denki to throw his head back and groan.
“What the heck?” Izuku barely notices their teacher’s entrance and instead murmurs under his breath. “Why is he being like this?”
“Stop fucking muttering.” Katsuki hisses without turning around.
Izuku sinks further into his seat and completely misses the first five minutes of Aizawa’s lesson.
~~~
Weights go crashing downwards as Izuku releases the handles of the arm-press machine, sending a tremor through the floor and a ringing in his ears. He winces at the noise and the strain in his arms, knowing he overdid it. Aizawa would chew him out if he found out how hard he had pushed himself on what was supposed to be his rest day. He looks guiltily over his shoulder at the weight machine behind him.
It had been a good distraction though. Now he was much too exhausted to think about Nabu or Katsuki or the stress of following in All Might’s footsteps. He could take a shower, then go back to the dorms and study until he could barely keep his eyes open. He huffs out a small laugh at the thought, finding a twisted sense of humor in the fact that he had to work his body and mind to exhaustion in order to get a good night’s rest. Sometimes not even that worked when OFA’s successors decided to visit him in his dreams.
The water from his hydro flask is refreshing as he takes a long pull from it before starting his cooldown routine. He makes sure to put extra time into his stretches, relishing in the dull ache as he loosens his tight muscles.
After his shower he vigorously runs a towel through his wet curls until they’re fully dry, knowing it’s much too cold outside to walk around with damp hair. His curls fluff out around his head and he smiles at himself in the mirror, remembering how both Eijirou and Denki kept rubbing their hands through the poofiness the last time they worked out together.
He dresses quickly and slings his workout bag over a shoulder before stepping back out into the grounds of UA. The air is crisp and fresh as he deeply inhales it into his lungs.
He’s near Class 1A’s dorm when he begins to hear a hushed conversation, one voice sounding patient and the other replying in a hissed whisper. A jolt goes through him when the pair comes into view and he immediately recognizes them.
Katsuki and Eijirou are huddled together near the back of the building and it makes Izuku stop mid-step and stare over at them curiously. Eijirou has one hand on Katsuki’s shoulder and the other is waving around between them, his mouth moving rapidly as if coaching him through something.
Eijirou stops mid-hand motion as if sensing Izuku’s gaze and he turns to look at him.
Izuku immediately wants to dive behind a nearby bush but he knows it’s too late to act on the desire when he locks eyes with Eijirou. The redhead smiles brightly at him and jostles Katsuki with an elbow before waving at Izuku. Katsuki is frozen in place, his hands still in his pockets as he follows Eijirou’s gaze.
Izuku’s bag slides down his arm as he turns to them and he moves to adjust, stiffening when his limbs reject the movement. Izuku presses into the soreness in his chest, letting his fingers slide sideways to dig into the tender muscles of his deltoids and he hisses at the dull pain.
Katsuki immediately turns away from Eijirou, his fierce gaze softening as his eyes roam over Izuku’s body.
“You okay, man?” Eijirou calls out to him.
“I’m fine,” Izuku nods. “Just overdid it a little at the gym.”
He smiles slightly at Eijirou’s concern before shyly sliding his gaze back to Katsuki. Izuku recognizes the curious expression on Katsuki’s face and it’s enough to temporarily squash the fear of rejection. He approaches them with a wider smile and his mouth open to ask them a question about their next training session, hoping to break the ice and join their conversation. He doesn’t get the chance.
“Piss off, Deku.” Katsuki’s harsh glare has instantly replaced the open expression and he doesn’t bother to look at him again. “Can’t you see we’re busy?”
A hot wave of embarrassment goes through Izuku. A lump forms in his throat as he tries to swallow back the pain of being brushed off like a bug. His face is parallel to the ground as he stares down at it with burning eyes.
“I see.” He turns quickly on his foot, hoping that Eijirou didn’t catch the heartbroken expression on his face. “Sorry for interrupting, Kacchan, Kirishima-kun.”
Izuku takes off away from them and he’s rounding the corner when he realizes the walkway in front of him is a little blurry. The sound of feet running on pavement catches up to him and the same jolt of mortification goes through him again. Izuku scrubs furiously at his eyes. Stupid. Stupid. Don’t cry.
“Wait, Midoriya!” The call is obviously from Eijirou, not Katsuki, and it helps relax his stiffened spine. Izuku rapidly blinks before turning around and giving him his brightest fake smile.
It must not be good enough because Eijirou pauses when he sees his face. Izuku internally curses himself.
“Hey, sorry about Bakugou.” Eijirou claps him roughly on the shoulder. “He’s just in a bad mood, okay? I mean you of all people know how he is.”
Eijirou has the smile of an angel and Izuku feels a little of the weight in his chest lift.
“Right. That’s just Kacchan being Kacchan. Thanks, Kirishima-kun.”
Eijirou slaps his hand down on him a few more times in farewell- Izuku has to hold back a wince at the pain- before turning to jog back towards Katsuki.
Izuku resumes his walk with his head hanging. He thinks back to when he used to be able to brush off Katsuki’s insults, knowing not to take them to heart. He needs to work on getting back to that state of mind.
He repeats it over and over in his mind as he takes the stairs to his floor, but once he gets into his room he slams the door shut and slumps face-first onto his bed. The textbooks piled on his desk lay forgotten as a few tears escape and pool together in a depressing stain on his pillow.
He just wishes Kacchan could remember. How even during the heat of battle, when they all might have died, he still considered Izuku’s feelings and dreams. How powerful it felt to fight together. How right.