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Katsuki has always been adamant that Quirkless people can’t be heroes.
Because there is one thing that all heroes have in common, no matter what type of hero they are- Katsuki isn’t stupid , he knows that not everyone can be like All Might- or how popular they are with the public.
They all have Quirks.
They all have Quirks, and this is what makes a hero a hero. Because heroes need Quirks to save the day, to make right from wrong, to win the hearts of the masses and subsequently rise to the top of the polls.
Heroes need Quirks, much like surgeons need hands and chefs need knives. This is simply how it is, and how it will always be.
So, no, Katsuki never thought that someone who was Quirkless could be a hero.
He didn’t plan for Izuku to turn around and become an adrenaline seeking vigilante , though.
What a fucking joke….
—
He thinks it’s a joke, the first time they cross paths. Well, to be honest he thinks it’s a misunderstanding, at first, then some sort of hallucination- maybe his Quirk does have side effects, past the strain in his wrists and his lack of resistance to the cold- because surely Katsuki is wrong when he thinks he recognizes the boy jumping from rooftop to rooftop.
For fuck’s sake, Katsuki isn’t even twelve when it happens. Why would he assume he was right? Only a maniac would be roof-hopping in the middle of the night, especially at their age.
But Katsuki has always known that Deku was a weird little shit, and so when the mask-wearing, too-short-to-be-an-adult person jumps to a lower roof, Katsuki flares his Quirk, loud and hot and bright .
And emerald eyes stare back at him.
“No fucking way,” Katsuki says, and Deku stills. “Why the fuck are you on a roof, Deku ?”
“I- Deku?” Deku responds, and yeah, that’s Deku’s pathetic voice alright. “I haven’t seen a Deku around here.”
“I’m looking right at him,” Katsuki responds, tone surprisingly bland- but maybe that’s just the shock. Yeah, it’s got to be.
Especially with how Deku tilts his head, eyes somehow glinting in the light as he muses, “No, no I don’t think I’ve seen one. I’ll keep an eye out for that, though!”
And for a second, maybe, Katsuki almost buys it. Or maybe it would be more accurate to say that Katsuki wills himself to buy it, because this is Deku , but why the fuck would Deku be up so late, jumping from roof to roof? It’s bizarre, it’s abnormal.
Katsuki doesn't like it when things break routine.
“Get down ,” Katsuki snarls, and Deku tilts his head all the more.
“Now, why would I do that?” Deku asks, and Katsuki lets his palms brighten once more, anger let loose in little bursts.
“I’ll come get you down myself if I have to,” Katsuki threatens, and Deku’s head straightens, posture stilling, and Katsuki thinks he’s won.
But then Deku is lifting a finger, and he’s pointing at something…a camera.
Huh?
“Did you know,” Deku starts, and his voice wavers between shaky and firm, scared and serious, broken yet unrelenting like fucking always , “that Quirk usage is illegal without a license?”
Katsuki knows. Of course he does; everyone knows that rule. He doesn’t say this, though- Deku already knows, the creep.
“And did you know, the only reason a school like ou- yours can get away with it is because they delete the evidence? Especially when it comes to children with flashy Quirks.”
Deku tilts his head again; Katsuki feels like his soul is being judged.
“The streets are not so biased. They’re mandated to keep the footage going; deleting it is foul play. So try it, use your Quirk. See what happens when they see footage of someone being attacked without any provocation.”
Deku stares at him, but Katsuki doesn’t move. Deku leans back, more at ease than Katsuki has seen the boy in a long, long time.
“Smart. Get home safe, kid.”
And then he’s gone, jumping away, leaving Katsuki to look like a fool.
“Stop roof hopping!” Katsuki bellows, and Deku screams right back.
“It’s parkour!”
Whatever.
—
The second time Katsuki runs into Deku, that’s when he finally gets it, what Deku is really doing.
Because after the first time, he’d tried to brush it off. He told himself Deku was just being weird- or maybe the nerd had realized that his creepy stalker notebooks wouldn’t be enough for him to actually try for a hero school.
Not that Katsuki thought Deku would get in, but still. All talk and no action? That was the fastest way to piss Katsuki off.
But Katsuki rationalized it, as much as he could rationalize late night roof runs, at least, and called it good.
And then later, perhaps a year or so later, Katsuki is on his way back from a late night grocery store run for his mother- who had yelled and bitched until he went already, goddamn- when he hears a scream for help.
And then a scream of fear.
Now, Katsuki may be just reaching thirteen, but he’s the next Number One Hero in the making. He has heroics in his veins, and this? This is the next part of his origin story.
So Katsuki sprints around the corner, ready to drop his bags and fight.
But someone is already there.
And clad in dark clothes and a medical mask is a boy half his opponent’s side, absolutely beating the shit out of the assailant.
What the fuck.
There’s a lady, too, but she’s running away, shouting her gratitudes as she books it away, and Katsuki barely spares her a glance before looking right back at the fight.
Just as the boy pulls out a baseball bat from who knows where-
And slams it against the villain’s head, knocking him out cold.
Katsuki won’t lie. Whoever this guy is? Katsuki can admit the guy is kind of impressive.
Or, he would have, if the guy had not then turned to look at him, only to stiffen and squeak out, “Kacchan?!”
“Deku?!”
He takes it back. This isn’t impressive.
This is certified, guaranteed bullshit .
“What the fuck are you doing?” Katsuki asks, and then, “Is that a bat?! Why are you fighting random creeps with a bat ?”
Deku looks at him, then at the bat, then back at Katsuki. “What bat?”
Katsuki wants to scream.
Katsuki settles for raising his voice, hands clenching and unclenching- no explosions, can’t make a noise and risk someone coming, seeing whatever this is, because Katsuki will not be marked up for something that is Deku’s fault- as he asks, “Why are you fighting random thugs in alleys?”
Deku hums, then nods. If Katsuki could see his face, he’d think the nerd is smiling.
“I’m here to take hero notes and kick ass,” Deku decides to say. “And unfortunately, not many heroes patrol where the little guys need them.”
And then Deku just…jumps up the fire escape and scrambles up, ignoring Katsuki’s bewildered stare.
Katsuki hopes that he never deals with this nonsense again.
(Deep down, he knows it’s a lost cause.)
—
The third time Katsuki runs into Deku’s vigilantism habits, the Entrance Exam is two months away and Katsuki is getting impatient .
Because Deku has shown no interest in applying to Yuuei, and it doesn’t make sense.
So Katsuki stays up later, ignoring how his body protests for sleep, and he starts going about on late night walks again. Because Deku may disappear faster than lightning when the bell rings, but Katsuki knows there’s one thing Deku won’t avoid.
And it’s his weird little patrols.
So Katsuki wanders, and he seethes, and when he hears a shout, he takes off after it.
And to no one’s surprise, Deku is there.
“Do you need help getting home?” Deku is asking a little kid, the attacker already unconscious and tied up, a note scribbled and smacked on top. Huh, a new touch. The kid nods, and Deku nods back. “Alright! Want me to call for my favorite detective friend, or would it help if I took you home myself?”
“Can you?” The kid asks, all wonder and awe like Deku is their number one, and Katsuki wants to gag.
“Of course! Just hold onto me, and I’ll get us back faster than you can say-”
“Deku,” Katsuki cuts in, and-
And Deku doesn’t react.
Not this time, he doesn’t. No, Deku just tilts his head. His eyes are covered by goggles, mouth shielded by a guard, and his hoodie has been replaced with a jumpsuit and cloak. He looks almost…professional, and Katsuki almost asks where Deku got his outfit, but that’s not the point.
“This isn’t Deku!” The kid shouts. “It’s Dekiru!”
Katsuki raises an eyebrow. Deku shrugs, the movement oddly…at ease.
“It has a nice ring to it. Gives them some hope, yeah? Anyways, you lost as well?”
“Sign up for the Entrance Exam,” Katsuki says instead, and Deku readjusts his grip on the kid.
“Why would I?” Deku asks. “I’m nearly out of high school as it is.”
“No you’re not!” Katsuki shouts. “You’re in m-”
“I take classes on the side,” Deku interrupts. “I’m set to have my degree in a month. I’m starting university when I graduate from…my other school.”
“The fuck?” Katsuki shakes his head. “Why would you do that? You want to go to Yuuei- you want to be a hero !”
“You told me not to go to Yuuei,” Deku says calmly. “You said someone like me wouldn’t make it. That’s a fair assessment. I saw the Entrance Exam- it’s robots. You’ll get first, I’m sure of it. I’m going to go to university, then get into making gear. I’ve got contacts lined up, people who want me regardless of my status . Turns out people don’t care about that stuff when you save their loved ones.” Shaking his head, Deku says, “It’s not a big deal. Like you said, I’d never be able to make it as a hero. This is good enough for me.”
And then he walks past Katsuki, holding the child as if it’s second nature, leaving Katsuki behind like it’s routine.
And Katsuki loathes it.
It’s not good enough .
—
And it’s not good enough, Katsuki knows. It’s not good enough that Deku roams the streets as a vigilante while Katsuki gets into Yuuei. It’s not good enough that Katsuki places first, knowing that Deku could have gotten in. The nerd would’ve found a way, would have found some secret point system or something .
Or maybe he could have gotten in with brute force. Deku may keep his clothes loose, but Katsuki saw him change for gym class over the years. Deku got stronger, and everyone could see it.
But he didn’t apply to Yuuei. No, he kept his head down, graduated, and just as he said, graduated high school as well. His mother had been elated to talk about it, when she had heard from Auntie Inko.
And Katsuki had fumed.
Because that meant he was serious. He had taken his high school courses, and as such had no need for Yuuei. No one could go to a hero school just for heroics, that wasn’t how it worked. Deku knew that, and he still took the classes.
Deku knew he’d barred himself from the only school in Japan to accept Quirkless hero applicants.
And he did it anyway.
So no, it’s not good enough that Deku roams the streets while Katsuki sits in the classroom. It’s not good enough that Deku helps those who the daylight heroes can’t get to, because Deku could have gone underground, could have hidden from the spotlight and been useful on the sides. Deku could have been something.
But what he is? It’s not enough .
Katsuki can’t believe it, but- but he wants Deku at Yuuei. He wants Deku here, learning alongside him. He wants the nerd’s mumbling because as much as it frustrated him, it helped him when something just didn’t click .
And when portals begin to open up at the U.S.J.?
Katsuki definitely wishes that Deku hadn’t settled for less.
But then there’s the sound of glass breaking, just seconds after the portal opens, and a familiar figure hits the ground with a resounding thud. And then they’re standing, and Katsuki can’t see his face, but he sees how shoulders straighten underneath the cloak, and he knows.
And then he doesn’t, because Deku is looking back, and his eyes are sweeping over until he’s waving and shouting, “Oi! Eraser, want to give me a hand here?”
And Aizawa sighs, sighs despite the active villain threat, and murmurs, “Really Dekiru?”
But then their teacher is hopping in to fight, his weird scarf lashing out and taking out the villains that tried to hurt Deku while Deku lunges at another group. And Katsuki can’t help but stare, watching as Deku holds his own without complaint, without issue, going and going and never stopping.
The villains end up retreating, but only after Deku manages to take down an odd, grotesque thing that the leaders call a Noumu.
The area is silent, until-
“Really, Problem Child?” Aizawa sighs, and that’s all Katsuki needs to hear to come blasting down the steps.
“Deku!” Katsuki shouts, and Deku turns.
And so does Aizawa, catching Katsuki in his scarf, pulling him away.
“He’s fine!” Deku says. “This is Kacchan- I’ve told you about him!”
Aizawa stills, then stares at Katsuki. Katsuki, not one to lose, stares back.
“You’re Kacchan ,” Aizawa drawls. “Of course you are.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?!” Katsuki shouts, but Aizawa just sighs and lets him go. Katsuki takes the opening and darts up to Deku, grabbing him by the collar.
“You little shit!” Katsuki screams. “You’re supposed to be here!”
“I…am here?” Deku responds, and Katsuki snarls.
“No, you dipshit! As a fucking student!”
Deku stills, and Aizawa blinks.
“I knew you were young,” Aizawa says. “But you said that you graduated high school already.”
“I graduated early,” Deku breathes out, and Katsuki scoffs.
“He finished high school while attending our middle school. He’s supposed to be a first year student .”
“Kacchan!” Deku hisses, and Katsuki scowls.
“What?! He knows we know each other, he clearly knows you well, you think I’m keeping secrets?”
“Yes!” Deku shouts, and Katsuki lets explosions loose from his hands.
“Fuck you!” Katsuki responds. “Like I’m keeping secrets for someone who settled for second best! You could have been here !”
“How?!” Deku asks. “How could I have been here! Everyone said I couldn’t! You said I couldn’t!”
“I did,” Katsuki admits, and his hands fall. Deku’s do the same; Aizawa looks weary as his eyes flit between them. “And I was wrong. But if anyone could have proved us wrong…it would have been you.”
Deku freezes.
And then he’s lunging forwards, clinging to Katsuki, and Katsuki can’t bring himself to shove the nerd away.
“You mean that?” Deku asks. “You think I would have made it?”
Katsuki doesn’t speak, but he does let his arms wrap around his once childhood friend.
And that’s all it takes for Deku to start crying.
“I can’t,” Deku says. “I already graduated- Yuuei wouldn’t-”
“Let me be the judge of what Yuuei will and won’t do, Problem Child,” Aizawa says, and Katsuki feels like things are finally getting to the point that they should be.
Now, to get Deku to stop clinging on him…the tears are starting to leak out of the nerd’s goggles and it’s gross - and that’s coming from the boy who sweats nitroglycerin.
—
The next time Katsuki sees Deku, it’s not as a vigilante. No, instead the boy just waltzes into Yuuei, saunters into class 1-A with a confidence Katsuki has never seen the boy wear without his mask, and the nerd beams at everyone.
And his eyes are bright, just how Katsuki remembered.
“Good morning, class!” Deku greets. “I’m Izuku Midoriya, your new teaching assistant.”
“You may recognize him as Dekiru from the U.S.J.,” Aizawa adds tiredly. “He’s now a provisional license hero, and if you have any problems with his ‘training’, talk to me after class.”
The class erupts with questions, but Katsuki, for once, stays silent.
Because this…it’s not what Katsuki wanted, not quite.
But it’s good enough.
They’re finally on their way to a future once forgotten.