Chapter 2
The Complexity of Katsuki Bakugou
(Musutafu, Japan)(Hoth Kindergarten, Classroom) (Next Day)
"HA! Have you heard of it? Worthless Deku is Quirkess!"
"Why bother saying all of that? They all mean the same thing in the end!"
"Ha your right! Guess we can keep calling Deku!"
"I heard him muttering again too. About being a Hero still."
"Seriously?! HA! He's an even bigger loser than I thought."
Katsuki sat at the table with his group, listening to them all insult Izuku. Upon hearing about that Hero comment, he turned to glare over at the Quirkless boy in question. Just like the day before he had his nose stuck in a notebook, occasionally muttering to himself while being isolated from the other students.
Yet the look in his eye looked different. Normally, he would have this dopey, bright expression. After hearing the news of his Quirklessness, he should have been looking sad and disappointed. However this Izuku's gaze seemed far more focused than normally, his gaze filled with more energy than ever before.
And it made him mad.
Meanwhile, Izuku didn't miss the insults or jeers in his direction. He certainly didn't miss the glare Katsuki Bakugou sent at him either.
He by all means did not like Katsuki Bakugou. He was overall a bully, hotheaded and thought himself better than anyone. And if you showed any defiance to him, he'd just used his quirk on you specifically in order to make sure you learned your place.
Can't forget the time he said "If you want a Quirk so bad, then take a swan dive off the roof and pray you get one in your next life." He especially 'loved' that one.
It was because of torment like that for ten years that had forced Izuku's confidence to come to a stand still. By the time he was 14, Izuku was reduced to a scared, easily startled boy who would cave in at the most negative things while grasping at even the slightest compliment. Or anything good really.
How he somehow changed, Rukido could only barely understand. The best reasoning came from him seeing people with Quirks that were just as powerful or in some cases even far greater than his own. He was no longer the strongest and it only fueled his drive to be the very best. At the same time, it was because of those people who could challenge him that he could actually act civil…to a degree.
The other thing came with the League of Villains. More specifically the end of All Might's career as a Hero. He was clearly distraught about what happened, even going as far to blame himself despite All Might's Quirk already fading. Then of course was the Paranormal Liberation War where society practically fell apart, Heroes were giving up and a bunch of High Schoolers were forced to grow. Katsuki included.
By all means, the smart thing to do would be to just drop Katsuki Bakugou as a friend. It was not his job to make sure that Katsuki became a better person than he was. That was the job of his parents and not long after himself. He thought himself better than everyone and would let that be the deciding factor of when he became a PR scandal when he says or does the wrong thing, then fine. Not. His. Problem.
...Of course it was his problem. Because there was one very important factor that he had to consider...Katsuki was a dumb kid. An extremely dumb kid who let power go to his head, but a dumb kid all the same. It did not help that everyone from the other kids to the teacher promoted the idea that he would just automatically be the greatest Hero. He couldn't fully blame Katsuki for how he was.
...The Midoriya in him also didn't want to let go of a friend either...besides, what kind of Hero would he be if he gave up like this?
He then looked down at his drawing with a frown before tearing it out and tossing it away.
(Dagobah Park)(One Week Later)
"Alright, I say we're going this way!" Katsuki claimed, holding a stick up. Tsubasa and two other boys agreed while Izuku followed behind with a notebook in hand. "Hey! Pay attention, Deku! You're a part of the Bakugou Hero Agency out of pity so act like it!"
"I am." Izuku said, his nose never leaving his notebook as he wrote.
"Forget about that loser, Bakugou! Let's just head on and find some villains to beat up!" Tsubasa claimed, already moving forward. Katsuki gave another look to Izuku before scoffing and walking ahead.
'How am I gonna make this work...' Izuku thought, easily catching up. He needed to find a way to make sure their friendship doesn't sour anymore than it already is. 'Then there's Tsubasa...fuck me, I forgot that his Grandfather is a Villain and that kid is gonna become a Nomu!'
And what could he do? He was still a damn four year old, with a weak body, no power, but most importantly, no one he could speak to. So many things he would just love to leave even the slightest note about or to just talk to someone about. There was no proof outside his own knowledge and that alone couldn't be taken seriously. The thought alone about so many people that could be helped out...it annoyed him to no end.
"You still writing in that stupid notebook, Deku?" Katsuki questioned, a slight glare on his face.
"Yup. I still wanna be a Hero after all, Kaachan." Izuku said, making sure he had called the boy by his nickname.
"Are you stupid or something? You can't be a Hero without a Quirk, idiot." Katsuki hissed out, feeling annoyance build up.
"Says who?"
"Say-What?"
"Says who? I don't remember hearing anyone needing a Quirk." Izuku answered.
"What? Of course you need one! You can't be a great Hero without one!" Katsuki argued.
"Did All Might say that?" Izuku asked, making Katsuki stop a bit. "Or any Hero? I only heard that from the others."
"Shut it, Deku! You don't know what you're talking about." Katsuki said, stopping and popping an explosion in front of them. "You see this? I already know I'm gonna be an awesome Hero! Just like All Might is! The teachers said so themselves!"
"Of course you're gonna be an awesome Hero." Katsuki smirked at the words. "But I'm still gonna be a Hero." The smirk died a cold, ugly death.
"You're nothing without a Power, you moron!" Katsuki claimed, his next explosion used to destroy the notebook in his hands. "Weak, Quirkless people like you Deku don't get to become Heroes! So forget about it already!"
Katsuki growled as he turned away and started stomping to where the others were. Izuku watched him for a moment before pulling out a second notebook from his bag. He fully expected it and was just using it to draw. However he bagged the burned notebook for later.
Following behind, Izuku watched how they all played around and yelled out. Katsuki was still leading them of course with all of them following behind him. They all still made fun of him, make no mistake about that, but they hadn't tried anything physical yet either. He could handle it all the same. Perks of being mentally 32 as of the moment.
...Damn it, he was gonna be old as hell by the time he got into U.A.
"This way! Try and keep up already!" Katsuki ordered them to a rickety bridge. It wasn't that high off the ground, there was even a small river underneath them that didn't look that deep.
'Wait, this looks familiar.' Izuku thought before the memory came in full. "Hang on! This isn't safe!"
"Shut it, Deku! Bakugou knows better than you!" Tsubasa claimed with a sneer. Katsuki was about to yell as well, but he was already on the bridge as he suddenly heard a loud creaking. The next thing he knew, he was falling into the river below.
"Son of a-KACCHAN!" Izuku yelled, dropping his notebook and rushing over. He spotted the others scared stiff before they started to move away. "Hey! We need to get down there!"
"Forget that! T-this is your fault as far as I'm concerned!" Tsubasa said before turning heel and running. The others followed suit, leaving Izuku to scowl at them before shaking his head.
Without any hesitation, he went along the side and made his way down to the river. He spotted Katsuki sitting in the river, clearly scared from what just happened despite it being such a little drop. Regardless he made his way over, his hand extended out to help him up.
"Are you okay?" Izuku asked, genuinely worried. Katsuki however didn't appreciate the gesture and showed it by not just slapping his hand. No, he had to use his quirk to do so, not caring about the burn he would no doubt leave. "OW! YOU LITTLE-"
"I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP DEKU!" Katsuki yelled, clearly angry and looking close to throwing a tantrum. "LEAST OF ALL FROM A USELESS, QUIRKLESS, DEKU OF ALL THINGS!" He moved to stomp away, but Izuku stepped in front of him, much to his annoyance. "OUT OF MY WAY!"
"No."
"QUIT ACTING LIKE YOUR BETTER THAN ME, DEKU!" Katsuki yelled, firing off explosions in his hand.
"I said no. Why are you even acting like this? You weren't like this back then, but the moment you got your Quirk you decided to be like this." Izuku fully planned on calling him out on his bullshit. Oh yes, this likely could have waited, but he knew that this was the moment that their friendship would have died. "You have an amazing Quirk, but you can't just bully people or act like they are beneath you because of it. You're better than that, I know you are."
"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! YOU DON'T KNOW A THING, DEKU!" Katsuki yelled, his face turning red. He was having a tantrum, from his fall, from dealing with Izuku, from being talked to like he was lower. "EVERYONE KNOWS I'M BETTER THAN THEM! THOSE EXTRAS! THE TEACHERS! EVEN YOU SAID IT! SO QUICK ACTING LIKE YOUR BETTER THAN ME! YOU HAVE NOTHING AND YOU WON'T BE NOTHING!"
"...All Might would hate you." Izuku said bluntly. Something snapped in Katsuki as he lunged forward, ready to explode Izuku's face. However the boy had surprised him, side stepping out the way while Katsuki tripped over a rock. He slammed face first into a tree before falling on his back unconscious. "...Seriously?! You better be alright! I swear if I have to-"
A loud crack of Lightning struck before it started to rain.
Tsubasa and the boys heard a flurry of curses that they had assumed Katsuki had learned.
(Midoriya Household)(Later)
Katsuki awoke with a groan, blinking a few times before he sat up slowly. It didn't take him long to realize he was in Deku's home. He had been here far too many times. He heard the sound of All Might's laughter and snapped his head towards their TV. It was his debut video, the most popular video in the world, and right in front of it was-
"Deku!" Katsuki hissed, earning his attention. He was writing in a new notebook while his burnt one laid next to him.
"Hey, Kacchan! You alright?" Izuku asked, only to get a growl in response.
"You Quirkless bastard! Who do you think you are!" Katsuki yelled, popping explosions as he jumped on his feet. He was about to show him his place until dread came in the form of a deafening scream.
"KATSUKI BAKUGOU!" He froze in place, slowly turning around to his mother standing in the kitchen. She alone looked pissed, his Aunty Inko looked shocked and horrified while his father, Masuru looked disappointed. "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY!"
"Wha-What are you doing here hag!" Katsuki said, his face turning red.
"WHAT AM I-YOU LITTLE BRAT! I CAME HERE BECAUSE I GOT A CALL FROM YOUR AUNT THAT IZUKU HAD CARRIED YOU HERE THROUGH THE RAIN AFTER YOU GOT HURT!" Mitsuki was furious, that much was certain. "Of course that's after I heard from Inko that you've been bullying Izuku here!"
"Who cares about that? It's just a Deku." Katsuki snarked before imminently freezing up from Inko's stare. He was used to seeing it from his mother, but seeing his aunt stare at him with such a look was beyond unnerving. 'S-scary!'
"His name is Izuku Midoriya and you should know better since you've known him since you were babies!" Mitsuki yelled, while Katsuki flinched back a bit before snarling.
"LIKE HE MATTERS! I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT HE ISN'T GONNA BE ANYTHING BEYOND USELESS!" Katsuki was so adamant. "WHY DO YOU CARE ABOUT HIM? ANY OF YOU!"
"Katsuki Bakugou!" He yelped upon seeing the enraged look on Inko's face. Her eyes had a scary green glow around them. "That boy is my son! The one I raised! The one I took care of for all of his life! And you want to question why I care about my son!" The anger faded and it was a look of sadness. "Oh when Izuku came home and showed me the burns on his hand, I-I thought it was just an accident, but..."
Inko looked close to breaking down while Mitsuki comforted her.
"Katsuki." Katsuki looked to his father, the look of disappointment was something far too new for him. No one, not even his mother had ever made him feel...feel like this. "I...I don't know what to say. I know you've gotten a bit cocky after getting your Quirk, but...son, this is wrong..." Masuru pressed his fingers into his nose, no doubt having suffered from the sudden news and stress. "God...Katsuki why would you do this? To your best friend?"
"BECAUSE HE'S NOTHING! THAT'S ALL HE IS AND THAT'S ALL HE'S GONNA BE!" Katsuki yelled, explosion popping. Izuku sighed behind him while sitting up, going unnoticed. "WHY? BECAUSE HE'S A USELESS, QUIRKLESS, DE-GAK!"
"IZUKU!" Inko yelled out from shock upon seeing her boy strike the top of Katsuki's head with a book.
"Sorry, but he was talking stupid." Izuku said rather plainly.
"HUH?! WHO DO YOU THINK-" He freaked upon Izuku turning to him, book in hand and raised up. He gave him the same stare his mother just did, though it felt even more terrifying.
"Zip. It." Izuku said calmly before turning his attention to the adults. "Please don't be mad at Kacchan. It isn't his fault that he's thinking stupid."
"But Izuku, you heard what he said right?" Inko asked, clearly worried for him. "It isn't right for any child to think like this."
"But it's not his fault, Mama. It was those Teachers who kept saying that Kaachan was gonna be the best and better than the rest of the class." Izuku said, using his best innocent tone. "They even said that I was stupid for wanting to be a Hero and that Kaachan shouldn't hang around me if he wanted to be the best."
"THEY DID WHAT!" Inko questioned, rage clear in her tone.
"Yeah, even the other kids were saying it." Izuku said. He wasn't a lie, they had honestly said he was delusional and that he would get nowhere. Even trying to keep him away from the other kids.
"Tch. That's because the teachers obviously know better, Deku! That's why their teachers!" Katsuki said as if it was a fact of life. Izuku could only shake his head while the parents went silent. "What? It's what everyone says? They know I'm the best and that Deku is nothing."
"See? He listens to stupid things." Izuku explained it so simply.
"Quit that! And stop looking down on me Deku!" Katsuki said.
"And did Tsubasa say that?" Seeing Katsuki growl, but nod, made him heavily resist the urge to facepalm. For fucks sake, you dumb problem child.'
"So it was the teachers overall..." Mitsuki muttered, sounding like she was gonna murder someone. "Putting that bull in my child's ears. They're gonna have a handful when I get my hands on them."
"By both of us." Masura said, his glare even more serious. "I should have known when we started receiving those letters from the Teachers about how good Katsuki was that something was up."
"They're just telling the truth." Katsuki said, before imminently hissing in pain upon his mother striking his head. "OW! WHAT WAS THAT FOR!"
"For listening to stupid things at school!" Mitsuki yelled. Inko in meantime moved over to her son while bringing him into a hug.
"Izuku, I'm so sorry!" Inko exclaimed, tears threatening to break free. "If I had known then I would have spoken to those teachers about what they've been doing."
"It's okay, Mommy." It was gonna continue either way. Least at this school. Inko pulled away, wiping away "I just wanted to tell Kaachan to be better."
"I am better! I'm gonna be the next Number One Hero! You don't have a Quirk so you can't!" Katsuki yelled, feeling annoyed and confused about the whole situation. Before anyone could say anything Izuku spoke first.
"You can be the Number One if you really want to, but that isn't gonna stop me from being a Hero." Izuku said, shockingly giving a grin as he spoke. "After all, it's what we talked about. Becoming Heroes together so we can be as greater as All Might is!"
"But you can't become a Hero without a Quirk! Everyone's always said that you need a Quirk. " Katsuki said, his mind not changing so easily. Mitsuki went to say something, but her husband shushed her.
"Let it sort itself out. We'll step in if it gets heated." Masuru said, making sure to keep an eye on Katsuki. The boy seemed far more temperamental than he had originally thought.
"Then I'll be the first Quirkless Hero. It sounds pretty cool to me." Izuku said.
"But you're weak! You aren't even good at things!" Katsuki pointed at him as he said this, growling too.
"Yeah, I know I'm weak." He was a kid for crying out loud! "That's why I have to get stronger and better so I can help people and fight bad guys in the future." Katsuki looked ready to argue, but Izuku quickly continued. "That's why I want you to train with me!"
"Huh?"
"You heard me! We should train together so we can get even stronger than All Might." Izuku said, his grin turning teasing. "You're gonna need to if you're gonna keep up with me for when I get super ultra strong after all."
"I-I don't need to train! I can just blow up whatever is in my way!" Katsuki said, popping a small explosion to prove his point.
"I've seen sparklers with more fire power." Izuku said bluntly. Mitsuki snorted while covering his mouth to hide her laughter. Katsuki was merely smoldering in embarrassment, red in the face as he sputtered out. "But I know it can get more Powerful than it is right now. That's why I want you to train with me!"
"Why should I train with you! I should be training with someone worth my time! Not a Deku!" Katsuki snarled dangerously.
"I'm not afraid of you for starters." Izuku said, not flinching upon seeing Katsuki's explosions. "Tsubasa and the others ran off when you fell, I didn't even see anyone come on the way back. But I went down there and I carried you all the way back in the middle of the rain too."
"T-that doesn't mean that they're afraid of me!" Katsuki yelled in disbelief.
"No, but it also means they aren't your friends either." Mitsuki added in, ignoring the glare her son sent her way. "If they can't be bothered to help you after a fall like that, then they certainly aren't your friends."
"I DON'T NEED HELP! HEROES DON'T NEED HELP!" Katsuki declared, shaking his sturbonly.
"Even Heroes need help every now and then. Even All Might! He teamed up with so many different Heroes around the world!" That wasn't too surprising, it was something he did back in cannon too. Izuku just needed to push Katsuki into understanding it. "Besides, we're gonna be Heroes someday and when we are, I won't run away from any kind of bad guy!"
"Who do you think you are?" Katsuki growled while Izuku smiled.
"Your Best Friend, the one who's gonna become a Hero." Izuku claimed, unwavering throughout everything. He then held out his hand to Katsuki, who looked shaken by it. "Well? What do you say? Wanna be Heroes together?"
Katsuki looked at the hand for a moment, contemplating what he should do. He then slapped his hand into Izuku's, causing an explosion while gripping.
"IZUKU!"
"KATSUKI/BRAT!"
Katsuki froze, having done the small explosion by accidently. He was about to pull away, but stopped upon realizing Izuku didn't scream. He looked up seeing a somewhat forced smile, but unchanged eyes that Izuku held. He was even gripping his hand tighter than he had expected.
"Don't forget our promise this time, Kacchan." Izuku said firmly.
"And don't you dare slow me down, Deku." Katsuki growled, yet having a feral grin as he did so. The parents smiled, happy with the outcome while fully planning
That was the main issue when it came down to the complexity of Katsuki Bakugou. His Ego was built upon hearing the praises of teachers and fellow classmates while they discouraged Izuku constantly right in front of him. Katsuki at the age of four, listened to those same words for over ten years, becoming a bully while taking everything to heart.
Izuku needed to challenge that Ego and break it ever so. Granted it was just the start to make sure that Katsuki didn't become too much like his cannonself. He was at the end of the day a kid, who listened to annoying people. It was natural to do so, kids absorb information like a sponge and take it to heart all the same. Katsuki was no different and it shaped his mind over the years.
Was he by all means manipulating him? No shit.
Did he regret it? Fuck no.
If there was one thing that he was not going to deal with, it was dealing with Katsuki Bakugou's bullying and threats. Besides, all he did was further along somewhat of how he changed. He was fairly certain that Katsuki was gonna be as aggressive when it came to being a Hero, maybe more so with their promise reborn...especially with Mitsuki Bakugou as a mother.
With this night, he managed to become friends with Katsuki Bakugou once again.
(Midoriya Residence, Izuku's Room)(Late Night)
Both Izuku and Katsuki had wanted to have a sleep over after that and the parents couldn't help it after seeing their children work things out. They only watched the All Might debut Video a few times before Katsuki called it at 8:00 PM on the dot. He still listened to what his parents had to say.
Izuku however was still up, allowing Katsuki to have the bed tonight due to his fall and head still hurting a bit. He was fine with the floor, he had a camping bag and everything! Besides, he could listen in somewhat on their parents talking about what they were gonna do with their school. He didn't care that much, focusing more on his notebook.
This however wasn't for Hero work. It was a sketchbook.
'I may be in another world for right now, but I haven't forgotten anything from my home.' Izuku thought, a sad smile as he looked at the small picture he had made. It was four adults, three male, one female. All dressed in suits, drinks in hands and laughing about. 'I don't know if I'll see any of you again. I doubt it, but I'll keep your memory close to my heart until then.'
He then shut the notebook completely before hiding it behind his cabinet. He then laid back down, allowing sleep to take him over. Rest was needed for when it came up to the upcoming years and he'd be ready for whatever comes.
Well, as best as he could anyway.