Chapter Text
“Ah. Kacchan.”
The sound of that nickname in a voice he hadn’t heard in the better part of a year is enough to freeze Katsuki in his step, provisional hero licensing exam or not. Whipping around, he is greeted with the sight of Deku of all people, standing in a Ketsubutsu uniform among a pack of Ketsubutsu students as if he had never given up on being a hero at all (which Katsuki supposes he hadn’t).
That expression of faint amusement and mild humor is new though. And he hates it.
“Deku? What the fuck are you doing here?”
“I-” Izuku clears his throat, rubbing at the back of his neck nervously, “I go to Ketsubutsu. The hero course–well, I suppose that’s obvious, since I’m here and all, which you can obviously tell since I’m standing–”
“How is that possible,” Katsuki snaps, “what do you mean hero course–”
“Well, it’s a long story actually but–”
“Midoriya!” A tall boy with dark hair and dark eyes claps him on the back and Izuku jolts forward, frowning back. “What’s this? Making friends already?”
Katsuki immediately hates this new guy, seemingly-welcoming grin pulling a little too wide to be genuine.
“Ah, Shindo, this is Kacc–Bakugo,” Izuku’s tongue stutters over Katsuki’s last name, “we went to middle school and elementary school together. Our moms were friends.”
Katsuki ignores the way his heart twinges at that impersonal reduction.
“Ah? A UA student? Some would say that you’re fraternizing with the enemy.”
Izuku flushes. “No one is fraternizing with anyone,” he says, “can’t you go harass the rest of the second years?”
“Why didn’t you go to UA, Midoriya?” Shindo slides a sneaky side-eye at the shorter boy, “with your dear childhood friend here? With a quirk like yours–”
“Oh hell no,” Izuku shudders, shaking his head, “I didn’t want to die. What if I had been put in his class? Definitely not. Can’t be a hero if I’m exploded. No offense, Kacchan.”
Katsuki’s still trying to process this new Deku, filled out and confident with friends at Ketsubutsu. He hates that his eyes linger over how well Izuku’s uniform fits him, compact, lean figure hardened by strong lines of newly formed muscle. He especially hates how casually close that Shindo fucker is to Izuku, ruffling his hair and slinging a relaxed arm around the younger boy. To add to his mounting displeasure and disbelief, he supremely hates how Todoroki of all fucking people walks over and is greeted in a bear of a group hug, Shindo bodily picking up the heterochromatic boy and spinning him around in a circle.
“What the fuck,” Katsuki utters.
“We’ve missed you, Shouto-kun,” Izuku grins, “how’s your awful dad?”
“How’s yours?” Todoroki replies, rare humor in his voice.
“Now now, boys, let’s be nice,” Shindo says, “save the trash talk for the exam.”
“Bet I can finish the course faster than you.”
“Excuse me, but what the fuck,” Katsuki finally snaps, “how the fuck do you know Deku, IcyHot?”
Todoroki sends him a mildly irritated glance (which, for Todoroki, is the ultimate expression of distaste). “We’re penpals.”
“Haah?”
“Shouto-kun and I met at last year at an Endeavor agency event. You know, there is this thing called the internet that lets you keep in touch with people who live outside of your immediate physical radius.” Like we could have, if we could actually stand each other, unspoken words hung in the air between them.
“How the fuck did you get invited to a pro-hero even–”
“How do you know our resident delinquent, Midoriya?” Todoroki interjects, cutting Katsuki off.
“Ah, Kacchan? We’re childhood frie–we lived near each other growing up.”
“Kacchan?” Todoroki raises a brow.
“Call me that you halfie motherfucker and I’ll blow your–”
“Alright, it’s about time for us to get going,” Shindo says not un-hastily, wrapping an arm around Izuku and tugging him away. “We’ll see you in there, UA. Shouto.”
Shindo pulls a stumbling Izuku away, leaning in to talk smack no doubt. Katsuki watches their fading footsteps, brain spinning with new information that he doesn’t know how to process, the question rising to the top one that has no answer, not one that Katsuki can comprehend.
“What’shisquirk,” he grinds out, turning to face Todoroki.
“You don’t know?”
“I–” but he doesn’t fucking have one doesn’t sound quite right so Katsuki snaps his mouth shut.
“Enhancement quirk,” Todoroki says, throwing him a bone, “like All Might, but obviously not as strong. You’ll see. Still strong though. Don’t underestimate him.”
Katsuki’s mind kicks into overtime. A quirk? Why would Deku have hid it from him? Did he think Katsuki wasn’t worthy of knowing about his quirk? What could possibly–
“Be careful of him,” Todoroki says quietly, eyes growing sharp, “he’s the only first year they’re letting take the test. Shindo and the rest of them are all second years.”
“What the fuck,” Katsuki utters, incapable of any other thought, “what’s so special about him?”
“He’s smart. His quirk analysis is miles above the rest of us, even taking into account that we’re at a disadvantage because we’re broadcast to the world through the sports festival. Midoriya’s different. He lives and breathes this stuff.”
“Bring it,” Katsuki’s palms crackle, familiar competitiveness rising to quell any feelings of indignation he might be feeling about Izuku’s deception, “we’ll win.”
Todoroki glances at him. “I think that’s the first time I’ve ever heard you use the word we.”
“Do you ever shut up–”
–
They did not win.
Well, to be fair, the rest of the class won, but Todoroki and Katsuki decidedly did not as the only two members of Class 1A to fail the provisional hero exam. Todoroki’s failure Katsuki can understand given that he fully almost burned Shindo to death, but in a way his defeat is almost worse because it’s not due to any one particular digression, just the way that he went about being a hero. Ears burning, Katsuki resolutely turns away from the sight of Shindo grabbing Deku in a headlock and knuckling that mop of curls in an affectionate noogie, Izuku laughing and sputtering in joy.
“We’ll be alright,” Todoroki says quietly, “the supplemental classes will be a pain, but–”
“Did I ask for your opinion, Half n’ Half?” Katsuki snaps. “Of course we’ll be fine. Now shut the fuck up.”
Todoroki, long since used to Katsuki’s disagreeable manner, only raises a brow at the blond. “So. What’d you think of Midoriya?”
What did Katsuki think of Midoriya? He didn’t know what to think was what he thought, brain spinning with images of Deku’s powerful, stocky frame ripping through the air in a crackle of green lightning, aim precise and sure as he took out target after target in a calculated display of strength. Deku, expression open and kind as he guided those creepy fake civilians to the safe zone, scarred hands big and sure on their backs like they would be on Kats–
Mina interrupts Katsuki’s wildly wandering brain with a cheery chirp. “Ah, Todoroki-kun! Could you–?”
“Yeah, no problem,” Todoroki intones with a barely there sigh, stretching out his palm and icing the offered arm, “is that alright?”
“Perfect,” Mina smiles, “you’re the best!”
Izuku meanders over at the sight, lips quirked up in a half smile. “Is this a common occurrence?”
“I don’t mind,” Todoroki says, brushing the last few ice crystals off of his palm, “but sometimes it does feel a bit. Like I’m being used? For my body? For my quirk?”
“You really don’t want to know what the ladies use my quirk for, Shouto,” Shindo’s lips twist into a grin at Todoroki’s furrowed, confused brow. Izuku chokes on his water and coughs up a lung, while class 1A stares in wonder at this handsome half-naked absolutely legendary comeback king.
“Don’t worry about it, Shouto-kun,” Izuku says, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand, “ignore this idiot. Stay pure.”
“You mean for physical therapy, right?” Todoroki cocks his head. “Like a massage chair? I could see how that could get annoying, especially after rigorous training.”
“Yes, it can be rigorous indeed,” Shindo says with an absolutely straight face, mouth barely twitching, “sometimes I’m so sore I can’t train for days.”
Katsuki stares at Shindo with something like newfound respect.
Izuku decks him in the head at this, effectively shutting up Shindo’s bullying tirade. “Enough. Let’s try to leave some of our school’s reputation intact, shall we?”
“Aw, Midoriya,” Shindo’s smiles sweetly, “jealous? Wasn’t enough for you last night?”
And any good will Katsuki had felt towards Shindo evaporates on the spot.
Izuku’s face flushes bright red. Then, he cocks his fist back, green electricity sparking, and socks Shindo straight in the stomach, full cowl streaking through his body. Shindo coughs blood onto the floor and passes straight out. Izuku slips an arm around his waist, hauls him up firefighter style, and slings him over his shoulder like a bag of meat.
Todoroki blinks. “So I’ll see you guys next weekend?”
“See you, Shouto. I would hug you, but–”
“You’ve got your hands full,” Todoroki waves a hand. “Tell him bye for me. And that he deserved that.”
“Will do.” Izuku casts a glance back. “Bye, Kacchan! Good to see you.”
“The feeling’s not fucking mutual, shitstack."
But the feeling is altogether too mutual.