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The wind was dry, cold and unforgiving, easily chapping abused Izuku's lips. The air was quiet, everyone either in class or in the library, Izuku's class had a free period. If he was normal he would've probably been spending it playing soccer or something with the other boys, instead though, he was sitting in this dusty clock tower room.
Loud stomps rang out behind the green haired boy, making him tense. Had his bullies followed him up? Were they going to stuff him in a cubicle or put his legs in a toilet?
He quickly stuffed his belongings in his bag, eyes flying around the desert clock tower room, the only was down was through the door that the stomper was to come through, the room was too high up to even hope to jump from without dying, an easy five stories, he had no escape.
Panic bit at him, making him tremble and bite his already bleeding lips as the door finally burst open. He froze, whimpering slightly as he's eyes fell on the person who opened the door.
Red eyes with wet lashes and pink whites, face splotched from tears and mouth curled into an angry looking frown. The boy who opened the door looked devastated. He's uniform was slightly messy, in a personalized way, top buttons undone and tie absent, hair spiky and a startling shade of blonde.
The boy's eyes met Izuku's, an immediate change of expression taking place, instead of devastation, a look of cold snarling indifference took over his face. He nodded slightly to Izuku, walking with his chin raised to the rooms large, stone-silled, glassless window.
Izuku watched cautiously, unsure of what to do. He knew this boy, not personally but in passing. Katsuki Bakugou, star student, straight A's, good at sport, good looking and great quirk but also a rather nasty personality.
People worshipped the very ground he walked on, but Izuku had never really seen him interact with his classmates nicely, when he did he just called them rude names and frowned at them. Talk about an ego!
Izuku wondered what could've gotten the normally angry boy so upset. He stayed watching the boy as he set down his backpack and removed his shoes and socks, pink toes peaking out from beneath slightly large uniform slacks. Izuku tilted his head as Katsuki turned to the clock tower window, wondering what the blonde boy could possibly be doing.
Unminding of Izuku, Katsuki continued whatever he was doing, climbing up onto the stone window sill and shuffling to the very edge, toes now hanging off the edge.
"Um Hey, what're yo-" Izuku began now slightly concerned at how close the vermilion eyed boy stood to the edge.
Katsuki ignored him, closing his eyes and mouthing something as Izuku spoke. He rocked, He tittered and he fell forward.
Izuku blanched, yelling in alarm as he jumped forward to grab the boy. He bent at the waist, reaching forward quickly and catching Katsuki by his collar before he could fully leave the ledge and hugging the boy to his chest. A slight 'omph' sound escaped Katsuki as he fell into Izuku's chest, back first.
"What the fuck?!" He yelled as he pushes Izuku away from him, shoulders heaving and red eyes shining with anger filled tears.
"You were gonna- I couldn't- I can just let you- You can't!" Izuku stuttered, starting multiple sentences but never finishing them.
Katsuki growled, face like a tempest, he stalked forward to a panicked Izuku, like a predator, "I can't what, Deku!?" He yelled, using the name Izukus bullies used to taunt him. His Bare feet making little padding sounds from his stomps that were way less effective when he was not wearing his clunky shoes.
"You just tried to commit suicide!" Izuku cried back, shocked and confused, "And that is not my name!" He snapped at the boy, arms shaking with fear and adrenaline.
Katsuki huffed and crossed his arms across his chest, chin raised in a steely regal look that likely made others shrink, any other time, Izuku might've shrunk under that gaze too, but then, adrenaline, concern and shock coursing through his veins, he felt untouchable.
"Fucking duh!" Katsuki said, "How the fuck is that any of your business though?!"
Izuku shook his head quickly, "You tried it while I was right here! I couldn't just let you toss yourself out of the window while I'm here!" Izuku yelled back.
"Then leave, you wuss! I didn't ask you to stay!" Katsuki called turning around briskly and stomping to the window again, soft pink feet slapping the polished clay floor.
Izuku jumped at him, tackling him away from the window with a scream, "No! I won't let you do it!" He cried, now slightly angry, "You don't even have a reason! Why do you, the most popular guy in this entire freaking school! Want to kill yourself?!!" He continued, now struggling with the red eyed boy in question.
"Get off of me you crazy bitch!!" Katsuki yelled from beneath him, pinching and scratching at him as they tussled.
"No!" Izuku yelled back, "Not until you tell me why!"
Katsuki stopped struggling for a moment, watery red eyes, squinted in anger staring into own glaring green ones. "Will you let me die if I tell you?" He asked, looking very tired again. Izuku's eyes softened, heart aching for this boy he just met, "No." He answered quietly.
"Then fuck off!" The blonde set a stunning explosion off in Izuku's face, making him jump back, and climbed to his feet quickly, booking it to the window again.
Izuku blinked away the light from the explosion and rushed equally fast after Katsuki, catching him by the collar just before he fell again and pulling him into his chest.
"Fuck!" Katsuki screamed, voice cracking at the end of the word, "Let me die!"
Izuku shook his head and squeezed the blonde boy tight as sobs shook his body.
"No," he whispered, turning Katsuki around so he could cry into his chest. The smaller boy did not protest, continuing to cry and yell incoherent things while hitting Izuku weakly but never pushing him away, a few explosions crackled off his hands, more light than anything, and Izuku watched them silently, his shirt slowly soaking.
What a strange way to spend his free period.
.....
The next day came, Katsuki looking like always, malicious grin, high chin and proud red eyes. He acted normal, scoffing at and brushing off any and every one. He called them all extras like normal, never paying specific attention to anyone, except the teacher. He wrote notes, he handed in homework and he continued to act normal. He was normal, to anyone other than Izuku, who had seen him pull that very same expression back on like a worn glove right after having a whole breakdown in front of him.
Izuku was skeptical, to say the very least, hence when free period arrived, he raced to the clock tower and sat behind the door, knees tucked to his chest and mind made up. He would not let Bakugou Katsuki kill himself.
Familiar stomps echoed through the ancient stairwell, Izuku's heart quickened as he prepared to tackle the blonde boy as soon as he crossed the threshold.
The door flung open in that aggressive way that Katsuki seemed to open the door in, and Izuku attacked.
"No!" He shouted as they fell to the floor.
Katsuki groaned but did not fight, "I didn't even get to take off my shoes this time," he grumbled pushing Izuku off him.
Izuku tumbled off him but held onto his hand to ensure he would not move to the window. He shuffled to the wall, dragging Katsuki with him. Katsuki stayed limp, like a ragdoll, letting himself be manhandled.
Izuku plonked down, back leaning against the wall, and turned to Katsuki, "Are you gonna keep trying to kill yourself every free period we have?" He asked, tilting his head.
"Yurp," Katsuki drawled back, closing his eyes.
"Why though?" Izuku asks, like a toddler to an extremely tired parent.
"I don't want to live," Katsuki answered simply.
"Why?"
"Because life sucks."
"Why does life suck?"
"You sure do ask a lot of questions, Deku"
Izuku frowned facing him, "And you sure do a lot of not answering them, Kacchan" he replied snarkily, the nickname rolling off his tongue like water. If Katsuki could call him a degrading nickname, so could he.
"Kacchan?" Katsuki asked, opening his eyes in outrage.
Izuku rolled his eyes, "Still not answering my question." Katsuki stayed silent, not looking at the ceiling blankly.
Izuku sighed, looking down at his lap and playing with a loose string on his uniform with his free hand. "I just- I just don't get it, y'know. You have it all," he began and watched as Katsuki's face soured,"Awesome Quirk, good grades, people like you and encourage and you're good at sports too. You'll probably make an amazing hero too!" Izuku finished, watching Katsuki.
The blonde face was now of pain and anger (though now Izuku just thought anger might be a permanent fixture in his features) "You think so huh?" He asked with a humorless chuckle and closed his eyes again. The room fell silent, Izuku's brow furrowing.
"My quirk is making me deaf, I only have good grades cause I work my ass off to get them, people worship me, meaning I have no real friends 'cause they'd rather watch and worship from afar, sports are not hard and being a hero sounds like a whole Lotta work" Katsuki finally answered. Izuku tilted his head and found that everything he said was true.
He looked to the window, his tanned freckles hand curling tighter around Katsuki's smooth pale wrist.
"You still shouldn't kill yourself over that," he reasoned.
Katsuki stayed silent, eyes closed and face slightly scrunched. Izuku looked down and shook his head, staying silent too.
"Why do you even care?" Katsuki asked tiredly. Izuku looked at the boy, his eyes were still closed, blonde lashes brushing his high cheekbones, pink mouth cast in a neutral line. He thought for a moment.
"If you stayed alive, you could become an awesome hero," He said finally.
Katsuki shook the hands Izuku was keeping at his side, trying to free himself, Izuku held tight and firm. A frustrated sigh escaped the blonde, "You don't know that," he hissed, eyes narrowed at Izuku.
"I do," Izuku answered confidently.
....
More days passed, more bullshit excuses, more tackles and more crying (most from Izuku this time)
The fifteenth time Katsuki climbed the tower, Izuku intercepted him with a soft hug, both having moved past tackling by the sixth time Katsuki wanted to leap. Katsuki breathed in deeply through his nose, flopping his head into Izuku's steadily firming chest (one builds muscle when he wrestles someone of the ledge every day), Izuku wrapped his arms around Katsuki's small but firm waist, arms now familiar with the nine inch plain of skin for how many times he had to grab it to stop Katsuki from falling.
"Why can't I kill myself today?" Katsuki asked, sounding so very tired.
"You'll traumatize me and everyone who'll see your dead body," Izuku said back.
"Why would I care about that?" Katsuki asked, raising his head
"Common decency?" Izuku answered, unsure.
A small chuckle fell from the blondes lips, Izuku smiled.
....
"Why can't I jump today?" Katsuki asked in a sing song voice, from beside Izuku. Izuku laughed, tapping his chin in mock contemplation.
"You'll make me cry," he said finally and Katsuki gasped in mock surprise.
"Wow I- I never really thought of that, Izuku. Now I'll never try to kill myself," he cried, flopping over the viridian eyed boy dramatically.
Izuku giggled and pushed him off, cheeks flushing slightly at the mention of his name. Katsuki had been calling him Deku and Izuku for the past week. He no more minded the former from the blondes mouth, because when Katsuki said it, he said it like a challenge. One dared Izuku to prove the degrading name wrong.
He was definitely more fond of his proper name falling from Katsuki's mouth. At first the boy had used it like a weapon, on bad days where his face was wet and angry, spitting it like an insult at Izuku but over time it got softer and fonder, now filled with jokes and merriment.
"I'm serious though," he said between giggles, "I'll cry so hard, I'll drown the school!"
Katsuki barked a laugh, rocking forward slightly, blonde spikes saying slightly, "Now that is believable," he said pinching Izuku's freckled cheek.
Izuku shook his head free and continued, "And so would your dad and your mom and your friends," he listed off his fingers and Katsuki scowled.
"They wouldn't even notice," he scoffed, waving his hand dismissively.
"Sure they will!" Izuku protested, and the blonde scoffed again, looking down at the floor, brows furrowed, "Kacchan, I'm serious. People care about you. I care about you," he said, voice stern. Katsuki looked up, scanning his face for lies and nodding.
"Yeah, sure ,whatever."
Izuku now scowled, he grabbed the blondes shoulders, "I care," he said shaking the boy slightly.
"Deku, I get it-" Katsuki began, trying to shrug off his freckled hands.
"I care!" Izuku now yelled, shaking him more, surprised laughter leaked from Katsuki.
"I get it! Now get you-"
"I CARE!" Izuku exclaimed, now hugging the boy to him.
"Get off me you psycho! I-" Katsuki said, laughter fully now.
"I CARE ABOUT YOU!" Izuku cried, ignoring Katsuki's protests.
"Deku, I swear to god, get off m-!"
......
"And today?" Katsuki asked kicking up his feet and wiggling his bare toes. They were sprawled over each other, limbs tangled and warm. Izuku looked at him, with a smile. He hadn't approached the window in four days.
Izuku hummed in thought and leaned over bopping Katsuki's nose, red eyes crossed, blonde eyelashes catching sunlight and shading pink dusted cheekbones.
"You're too pretty to die, Kacchan!" He said with a bright smile, green eyes squintedmas his smile stretched his freckled face. Katsuki sputtered, ears going red and hands sparking as he yelled incoherent protests against his beauty. Izuku threw his head back in laughter and Katsuki's protests quietened. He turned to Katsuki, who was now looking at him with a strange expression, Izuku tilted his head and lifted his brow. Katsuki blinked and shook his head.
"Damn Deku," he muttered, ears still pink.
.......
It was raining, hard, rain pelted against the roof of the tower, wind blew a little of the rain to Izuku and Katsuki, who sat at the very end of the room, Katsuki tucked into Izuku, hands sparking little explosions as he stared into space.
Izuku placed down his book as thunder clapped loudly, Katsuki flinched, a slightly bigger explosion setting off his hands.
Izuku took his hands into his own and rubbed them, life made its way back into the blonde's red eyes. Izuku smiled, "There you are," he whispered.
"Why not today?" Katsuki asked, equally quiet, Izuku could not remember the last time the blonde had used the words 'kill myself', always these vague questions.
Izuku looked out the window, watching the rain fall, "The weathers bad," he responded bluntly. That made Katsuki laugh.
......
"You wanna go to UA?" Katsuki asked, shouldering his back pack. Izuku nodded timidly, "Hero course?" He continued, and Izuku nodded, wringing his hands nervously. Everyone had laughed at him when the teacher had mentioned it, he worried Katsuki might too.
"Kickass!" Katsuki cheered, punching his shoulder excitedly and jumping, Izuku laughed, shoulders untensing, "Guess we'll be together, nerd," he added, ruffling Izuku's green curls.
Izuku's eyes sparkled and he laughed along with the excited blonde. That was basically a promise to stay alive.
They walked down the path talking loudly and dreaming of UA, Kacchan seemed so sure Izuku was going to get in, it made the green boy's heart race with hope. Maybe that's why he didn't notice when green sludge crawled from drains and crawled after them.
He blinked and Katsuki was choking and clawing, explosions lighting up the world and setting it ablaze. Izuku was crying, running after the fast moving sludge, feet hitting the floor. Heroes arrived and he sobbed harder in relief.
They would do something, they would save Kacchan.
He continued to cry, screaming at the heroes and explaining Katsukis quirk to help , he watched as hero after hero arrived, pushing the crowd back and talking to each other, but no one did anything to help Katsuki. He hed back against the ro ushering him away, "HE'S DYING!!!" he screamed, "WHY ARENT YOU DOING ANYTHING?!!"
"Kid calm down, we're waiting on heroes who are better fitted for this situation," the hero soothed, uselessly.
Izuku head became hot, anger flushing into his veins. This boy, this lovely boy who he had spent days and days with, pulling away from deaths hands and building a friendship of gold with, was being suffocated as everyone watched. He shoved the hero away, running before he could process anything.
He slung his backpack off his shoulder, and tossed it at the green slime's yellow pulsing eyes, a wretched scream cooking from the monster, Katsuki got a space to breath. Red eyes, tear filled and frightened, looking into Izuku's own eyes. Izuku's heart thundered against his ribs and he began clawing at the slime, reaching and slapping, trying to get ahold of Katsuki so he could pull him out.
Just as he found purchase and tugged, a booming voice yelled, "I AM HERE!" And a strong gust of wind knocked both boys and the slime away.
He fell back, catching Katsuki as he went and rolling on the ground. The wind passed and he uncurled, looking Katsuki up and down while sobbing.
"Are you okay?!" He sobbed, tears streaking his face as he patted the blonde up and down, heroes stormed them, yelling at Izuku but he pages them no mind, only focusing on the blonde boy in front of him , who was being fussed on by paramedics. No one else payes attention to them, all enamored by All Might.
In true Kacchan style he brushed them off, rising shaking to his feet with a scowling and helping a hiccuping Izuku up. He set off an explosion and slouched his shoulders, "Leave us alone!" He snapped, nodding to Izuku and bolting away, Izuku in tow.
Voices yelled out behinds them, telling them to come back. They ignored,running away and laughing.
....
"You think we lost em?" Katsuki asked, finally slowing to a stop, cheeks red and hair wind blown.
Izuku looked behind him, "Yeah," he said breathily and they looked at each other, bursting into new laughter. They fell over each other, laughter intermingling and suddenly there was crying, Katsuki hugging Izuku and burying his face chest.
"Shit!" He said, "That was so fucking horrible!" A wet laugh fell from Katsuki's lips as he pulled back and wiped his eyes quickly, "Ew!" Katsuki cringed as he picked a bit of slime from his hair.
Izuku laughed too, "Are you good though?" He asked, running his hands through the blondes hair to help him pick more grime out. "Fuck No," Katsuki answered bluntly, batting his hands away but leaning into him.
"Wanna cry about it more?" Izuku asked, slightly lost on what to do with the rapid emotion changes of his best friend.
"Ugh, no," Katsuki responded, making a face.
"Okay," Izuku said simply. They stood in silence, catching their breath and rearranging their thoughts.
Foot steps came from behind them and the two boys turned, a skinny looking man with sunken blue man, approaching them with a wide smile.
...
"I have chosen you as my successor.."
"No fucking way!" Katsuki screamed, Izuku shrieking along with him through his tears as they both high five in joy.
...
The click of the phone being answered, "Kacchan, I got in!"
"Me too, nerd!"
More cheers.
......
The air was crisp and cold, sky that pinkish blue of morning ,the two boys walked side by side, feeling larger than life in their new uniforms, UA building looming over them as they walked closer to their future.
"Hey nerd," Katsuki said, nudging Izuku. Izuku turned his head to look at the blonde.
"You think they got a clock tower here?"
They both burst into laughter.