Chapter Text
Izuku felt like his heart might jump out of his chest. His fingers shook, but he held his gun tight. There was no time for self-pity.
Bakugo cracked a grin as he blasted forward, explosions snapping sharply from his palms. Izuku felt his mouth fall on the ground. So, this was his quirk? That was so cool. Unlike the wild chaos Katuski was, his movements were tight and efficient- each blast calculated and sharp.
Stain wasted no time dodging with terrifying speed. Izuku froze as his fingers tightened around the gun.
One bullet.
His body felt fragile, almost hollow. He was thin, underpowered, and his muscles burned. But he was fast. Maybe not so fast as Bakugo, but just fast enough.
Stain lunged for Bakugo, blade flashing.
Katsuki dodged the blade as he rolled on the ground. Izuku could only gape at what was happening in front of him. Bakugo wasted no time in shooting an explosion at Stain; the man jumped away with a snark.
The two of them were participating in an elegant, deadly dance.
Izuku could only stare with wide eyes.
Katuski stumbled, just one step, but that was enough for Stain. The man could make a tiny cut on his forearm and fucking- licked his katana.
Izuku stared with a gaze of disgust at the killer. What did he just see? And if that wasn’t weird enough, Bakugo fell on the ground. Stain smirked wickedly. He lifted his katana to end the boy and-
Izuku pulled the trigger.
The man jumped away, pissed. Izuku felt cold sweat all over him. He missed. The green-haired boy felt a manic laugh escape him.
They lost.
Izuku wasted his only bullet.
Stain bared his teeth at the boy. He walked over to Katsuki, slow and almost tauntingly. The freckled one knew he should do something. But his body was frozen.
“Do something, you coward!” hissed Izot with fury on his face. Standing next to Stain and Bakugo with a hardened look.
Something in Izuku snapped into action as he saw his reflection staring into his soul.
The green-haired activated his quirk.
His quirk wasn’t flashy.
It didn’t give him power. It took it away.
Izuku’s ability reacted to other people’s quirks. When someone tried to use theirs, his quirk answered by turning that power inwards.
Not copying it.
Not cancelling it.
Punishing it.
Izuku knew this because he tested it. Carefully and fearfully.
And every time, it hurt him too.
Stain's body reacted violently against itself. His muscles seized, joints stiffening as if they refused to cooperate. His hands locked up, fingers numb and unresponsive. It wasn’t pain like an injury - it was the body rejecting its own strength.
Stain hissed. “What is this-?”
Izuku felt it too. His vision blurred as his quirk always drained him fast. His limbs felt lighter than they should, like they might snap if he moved wrong.
But Bakugo was on his feet.
That was enough.
Izuku collapsed at the same time as Stain in sync. The blond looked angrier than normal as he walked to the killer, sparks flying from his hands. “You are dead.”
The Hero Killer seemed to realise in what position he was. Stain gripped his katana tighter as he glared at the two boys, “Next time, I won’t hold back.” And just like that, he vanished like a ninja in the dark shadows.
Bakugo seemed like he was ready to chase Stain. But stopped. The blond slowly turned around, facing Izuku, who was still on the ground. The freckled one looked at him with wide, fearful eyes. What did this Katsuki Bakugo even want? Was it smart to just lie there while the blond stared at Izuku with an unreadable expression?
Izuku’s vision blurred again. Then, Bakugo was in front of the boy, saying something. When did he get here? The freckled one tilted his head in confusion. The blonde’s lips were moving, saying something, but Izuku couldn’t figure out what. The only thing he heard was a ringing sound in his ears.
Izuku felt something dripping from his head. Slowly, he lifted his hand to the back of his head. It was blood.
Right.
His head was bleeding.
“-an you hear me now? Izot. Don’t look at the blood. Can you hear me?”
Yes. Izuku nodded weakly. “Not Izot.”
Katsuki paused at that, “What? You are confusing me. Speak in full sentences.”
“I’m not Izot.”
Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say. Because the blond was no longer kneeling by Izuku, but standing and glaring at him. “Fine. Play your games. What’s your name now?”
“Izuku.”
“Izuku, what?”
“Just Izuku.”
Katsuki stared at him like he was an idiot. Maybe he was one.
Katsuki yanked Izuku upright, slinging one of Izuku’s arms around his own neck while his other arm wrapped firmly around Izuku’s waist. It was awkward—Izuku was all sharp angles and unsteady weight, and Katsuki was taller, forcing him to hunch slightly to keep Izuku from tipping over—but it worked.
“Don’t make this harder than it has to be,” Katsuki muttered.
Izuku nodded weakly, letting himself be dragged along as they started moving, their steps uneven but steady enough to get them going.
“Where are we going?” asked Izuku as he looked at the sky. There were stars; the boy made it his own mission to count them all.
Katsuki’s jaw clenched as he looked straight forward. His grip was tight- but not painful. He was covered in mud, and his uniform was messy.
“Where were you?”
Izuku blinked slowly, “What?”
“Where were you? Five years passed. You look like you’re on the doorstep of death herself, and not in a good way,” Bakugo paused, he licked his dry lips. “You changed.”
“Five years passed? So, the last time that we saw each other, we were thirteen, right?”
Katsuki looked somewhat lost. “Yes.”
“That’s the age we graduated from the Academy. So, we were in the same class?”
“Yes.”
“Twenty-three to three. Where is the other one?”
At that, the blond stilled. He looked at Izuku with a haunting expression. “I hate you.” There was no real heat behind his words, but Izuku felt a sharp pain in his chest. He pushed the feeling down, not ready to deal with it.
“Why?” his voice was not louder than a whisper. Izuku decided they weren’t close enough for these emotions. This conversation held something deeper than it already was. Izuku thought that they weren’t that close for this conversation, but Bakugo thought otherwise.
“Because I have no place for you in my life. I moved on. I decided to make my own path in life, and such bullshit. Understood? You’re not part of it. I’m in my last year of the hero course. You can’t come after five whole years in my life and expect me to make room for you.”
Izuku was staring with wide eyes at Katsuki. His face didn’t look familiar, not one bit. But his voice did the trick. The boy recognised the way his loud, booming voice carried through the alleys. “I understand.”
But in reality, he didn’t. Why was Bakugo speaking to Izuku like they were close? Like, this information was supposed to hurt the boy? Don’t get the freckled one wrong.
He was hurt.
It wasn’t his lungs that burned. His body trembled because he overused his strength and quirk. It wasn’t his bleeding head or his bloodied hands from gripping the gun too tightly. The burns that he got from Jinu.
No.
It was a different kind of pain.
It was on a deeper level. But Izuku couldn’t name it.
Katsuki grit his teeth, “Why am I even bothering? You don’t remember shit.” He let out a single, broken laugh that carried through the alley. “They really fucked you up on this one, nerd.”
Izuku didn’t agree or disagree.
“What did they even do to you?” This time, their eyes met. Izuku reeled back, not expecting so much fury in his glare. But Bakugu paid no mind. “They were supposed to kill you for the stunt you pulled. But, I suppose you were their favourite. It would be a shame to dispose you like that.”
Izuku’s steps faltered.
Bakugo gave the boy a long look. “I wished you had died.”
The words landed clean. No heat. No hesitation.
Izuku turned slowly. “Listen—”
“Don’t.” Bakugo’s hands shook, clenched at his sides. “Don’t you dare soften it.”
His teeth grit. “You surviving didn’t save you. It ruined you.”
Silence presses in.
Izuku bit his inner cheek. “Just what sort of bond did we have in the Academy?”
“Rivals,” grumbled the blonde, “You were my rival.”