Chapter Text
Izuku didn’t know where he was. Well, he did, but not really. Physically, he was in his eighth grade classroom, listening to his teacher explain how the application process would work as the students mapped out the high schools they hoped to enroll in. “Your parents should be filling out most of the paperwork,” the teacher explained, “but it’s important to understand how the transaction works. By now, all of you should be waiting for your high school of choice to either accept or deny your enrollment. Any performance-based schools like Yuuei should have already finished try-outs or whatever they call them.”
A girl with neon blue hair and a few scales spotted over her neck and forearms raised her hand. She started speaking before she was even called on. “Is it true a high school can really reject a student that’s applying? Isn’t that kinda mean?”
“Yeah, what if someone doesn’t get accepted to any school at all?” chimed in someone else who sat off to the left of Izuku.
A kid behind him snorted a laugh. “Pfft, I bet that’s gonna be Deku. There’s no way that loser is going to get accepted anywhere.”
Izuku froze in his spot. He was used to this, wasn’t he? This was a daily occurrence of his middle school life, ducking his head and biting his tongue when Katsuki would bark a mean comment at him. Except, that voice wasn’t Katsuki’s. Izuku didn’t recognize it at all.
“Oi, shut the fuck up!” Katsuki snapped, kicking the mean kid’s desk. “Izuku is gonna be fine. He and I are going to Yuuei! Ain’t that right, ‘Zuku?”
Izuku physically started shivering. Sure, it had been about a year since he was in middle school, but he knew it was nothing like this. Katsuki didn’t act like this. Not in the present day, and definitely not back in middle school.
This must be some sort of lucid dream, Izuku reckoned.
Katsuki tilted his head, eyes narrowed with concern. “Izuku? You good, dude?”
“Y-yeah,” Izuku sputtered. “I’m fine.”
For the rest of the class, Katsuki sent concerned looks his way while Izuku pinched himself in hopes of waking up.
When the final bell rang, Katsuki practically tackled Izuku as they exited the classroom. He swung his arm over Izuku’s shoulders, a devilish smile painted across his porcelain face. “Wanna come over to mine and play Mario Kart?” Katsuki asked, still slumped over Izuku as they began to walk home.
Izuku had trouble breathing. This dream was going on a bit too long. “Your place?” he echoed. “B-but…” He squeezed his eyes shut, cursing himself for stuttering. Hadn’t he gotten rid of that stupid, godawful stutter when he got into Yuuei? Why was he reverting back into his pitiful middle school self? Was it just part of the dream mechanics?
Izuku really didn’t want to think about it. He had to find a way to wake up before he had a panic attack from middle school Katsuki being so nice to him.
Katsuki unhooked his arm from Izuku’s shoulders, staring at him with furrowed eyebrows. “You sure you’re okay?” he asked. “I know I’m not that best at feelings and shit, but if something’s bothering you, you can tell me.”
Tears pricked in his eyes. His breath hitched in his throat. Why was this happening to him? What the hell was going on?!
Katsuki grabbed Izuku’s wrist, pulling both of them to a stop. Izuku had never seen Katsuki so angry at something other than, well, Izuku. Everything about this was too strange. “Was it that bastard Tesaki?!” Katsuki seethed. “Did he say something to you?! C’mon, we’re gonna go kick his ass right now!”
“Wha- Kacchan, no! Wait!” Izuku squealed as Katsuki started dragging him away by the wrist.
Katsuki came to a halt again, this time more pissed than before. “Then what is it?! Why won’t you tell me?!”
“It’s not- I- I just…” Izuku swallowed the lump in his throat, tucking his hands into his pockets as he took a step back. He took a deep breath to steady himself, and when he was sure he wouldn’t pass out, he spoke. “Look, I think I just need some space, okay? W-with high school applications coming up and everything…”
Katuski nodded, also stepping back to put some more distance between them. “Right. Uh, yeah, that’s cool, I guess.” He sounded so sad, as if Izuku just broke up with him or something. “You’re still going to Yuuei with me, right? When we both get accepted?”
Izuku paused. He was shocked his mind could even conjure up Katsuki saying something like this. He was so different, so kind and patient, still with his usual flare and overwhelming determination to get what he wanted. He treated Izuku as a friend, a partner in crime against the world, rather than a competitor or a fork in the road. Hearing Katsuki’s concern for him— hell, just hearing him say his name made Izuku want to cry.
Out of habit, he pushed the tears back. He didn’t trust Katsuki, not even the unusually caring dream version, to see him cry without bullying him for it.
Izuku left Katsuki’s question unanswered. It didn’t really matter, did it? This was just a dream. A sweet, sweet dream that made him want to cry gallons upon gallons of happy, relieved tears, but a dream nonetheless.
-
This is a fucking nightmare, Izuku thought as Katsuki shoved him back into the brick wall. School had just ended, but it only took a second for Izuku to realize things were off. There were two possibilities: he was either having a very vivid nightmare, or he died and went to hell. Either way, Izuku wanted out. Now.
“Look at this quirkless loser,” Katsuki cackled.
“Aw, I think he’s gonna cry!” Tesaki mocked. He drove his knee up, ramming the bone into Izuku’s bruised abdomen, knocking the wind out of him.
“You think you’re gonna get into Yuuei, Deku?” Katsuki spat. “Ain’t no way in hell.”
Izuku wiped his bloody nose with the back of his hand, smearing the red over his skin in an attempt to stop it from dripping onto his tattered uniform. “Oh, shut the fuck up, Kat,” Izuku scoffed, fighting to stand up straight. “You can cut the shit, okay? I don’t know what the hell is wrong with you today, but—”
Hashiga threw a right hook and hit Izuku square in the jaw, knocking him back against the wall. It took nearly every fiber of strength in his body just to stay standing after the back of his head smashed against the brick. “Don’t you dare fucking talk to him like that,” Hashiga snapped, his chubby face inches from Izuku’s as he fisted his collar. “Ya hear me?! You’re a quirkless nobody—”
Izuku cut him off with a right hook of his own, probably three times as strong as the one that left a nasty bruise on his left cheek. Hashiga practically flew backwards, smacking his backside against the concrete as he skirted away. But Izuku wasn’t done. He marched forward, dropping his red sneaker directly onto Hashiga’s thick neck, making the boy choke on his own oxygen. Izuku gave his heel a twist for good measure, then leaned down to taunt the boy.
“This quirkless nobody is about to commit murder if he doesn’t hear an apology,” Izuku sneered.
Hashiga sputtered some discriminatory, quirkist nonsense, his squinted eyes flying open as he glanced around for help. Katsuki and Tesaki stood like statues, completely frozen in time. It was like Izuku was a completely different person.
“Alright, let me break it down for you,” Izuku said, adding more pressure onto Hashiga’s throat. He crushed the boy’s adam’s apple beneath the heel of his sneaker. “You’re going to say you’re sorry before I get to three, or else I’m going to fucking kill you. Ya hear me?” Izuku mocked. “1… 2…”
“SORRY! S-SORRY! I’M SO SORRY! I’LL NEVER DO IT AGAIN! FORGIVE ME, I BEG YOU! PLEASE!”
Izuku smirked and removed his foot from Hashiga’s neck. He scrambled to his feet and sprinted away from the freckled boy who wore an unusually friendly smile on his beaten and bruised face.
Izuku turned to Tesaki, his eyes dark with malice and combating his friendly grin. “May I please have a word with him? If you don’t mind, of course.”
Tesaki dashed out of there in less than a millisecond. Katsuki swallowed the lump in his throat as Izuku approached him.
“Where the fuck did you learn how to do that, Deku?” Katsuki asked.
Izuku’s smile dropped. “That’s not my name.”
“Answer my fucking question,” Katsuki seethed.
Izuku didn’t back down. He narrowed his eyes, stepping dangerously close to the blonde. “Call me by my real fucking name, and I might consider entertaining this bullshit facade of yours.”
Katsuki rolled his eyes and took a step back, desperate to hide his fear. “The hell are you talking about, you psycho nerd?”
Izuku scoffed. “This really must be a fucking fever dream,” he muttered. “Whatever. I’ll figure it out by myself. Go fuck yourself, Katsuki.”
As Izuku began to walk away, Katsuki caught his wrist, feeling his heartbeat in every inch of his body. “Wait!” he blurted. “Hold on. You didn’t answer my question.”
Izuku snapped his wrist away, rubbing at the bruise forming around his left eye. “I learned everything I know from you, asshole. You taught me to protect myself.”
“I… what?” Katsuki said. “I never…”
“Like I said,” Izuku muttered. “I’m probably dreaming. Don’t worry about it. It’s my fucking problem, right? Not yours. Now leave me the hell alone.”
-
Izuku didn’t want to be left alone, but he was terrified of this strange world he was in. Everything was off. First, there was no such thing as All Might, which in and of itself made Izuku want to die. His room was still filled, every shelf and every inch of every wall covered with posters, but none of them were All might. There was Spider-Man, Batman, System Of A Down, Rob Zombie, Nirvana, Mirkou, and even Crimson Riot posters, but All Might’s face was nowhere to be seen.
Izuku even did a quick Google search to make sure he wasn’t going crazy. All Might did not exist.
Okay, Izuku thought. Maybe this is just a really weird and specific dream.
But even after he forced himself to fall asleep, he still woke up two hours later in the same place. No All Might. Just Serj Tankian's face from 1998 staring at him from across the room.
Lovely. Izuku rolled out of bed and checked his phone. It was almost five o’clock. In his normal house, his mom would’ve lost her mind if Izuku stayed cooped up in his room for longer than an hour. He usually only stayed in here for homework or because he was sick, other than sleeping obviously.
Izuku made his way downstairs, now curious about what his mom was doing.
He wished he stayed in his room.
In the living room was Katsuki, lounging on the couch with Izuku’s mother. They were sharing a bowl of popcorn, watching the Lego Batman movie.
“Hey honey,” Inko greeted her son. “Katsuki stopped by after school and told me you weren’t feeling well, so I thought it was best to let you sleep a while. How’re you feeling?”
“Ka…Excuse me?” Izuku choked out. “I… Oh my god, I think I’m going to be sick.”
“See, Auntie?” Katsuki muttered to Inko. “I told you something’s wrong with him.”
“Oh, my poor baby,” Inko mewled, helping Izuku to the bathroom. “Have you been taking your Sertraline, love?”
“What? What are you talking about?” Izuku squeaked. “I don’t… I don’t know what you’re talking about. This is all wrong, mom. This isn’t—”
“Katsuki, can you call the doctor?” Inko said, letting her son use her as a crutch as she beelined to the bathroom. “Hurry, please!”
Izuku was still hovering over the toilet bowl when the doctor showed up twenty minutes later. She acted like she knew Izuku for years, but in reality, Izuku had never seen that lady in his entire life.
“Izuku, sweetheart, can you tell me what’s wrong?” the doctor asked as his mom rubbed his back. Izuku had finished throwing up a few minutes ago, and now he just kneeled on the tiled floor, swaying under the yellow fluorescent lights.
“I don’t know,” Izuku muttered. He tried to ignore Katsuki who stood in the doorway, his ruby red eyes filled with unfamiliar concern. Izuku was so confused, it was making him physically sick. He didn’t know why the new environment was affecting him so negatively when, overall, it was much better than his real life. For every birthday he could remember, Izuku had wished for Katsuki to be his best friend, rather than his tormentor. Yet here he was, in a dream where his wishes literally came true, and he was throwing up his guts on the bathroom floor.
Izuku was starting to think this wasn’t actually a dream.
“He seems to be suffering from extreme delirium,” the doctor whispered to Inko. “I think we should get him to the hospital.”
“Delirium?” Inko echoed. “What do you mean?”
“Think of it like a panic attack but with confusion instead. This could be caused by anything from certain medicine side effects to low calcium to worsening lung or liver disease,” the doctor explained. “I’m guessing it’s something to do with his medication, but we’re better safe than sorry.”
Inko nodded, brushing the tears out of her green eyes. She turned to Katsuki as she helped Izuku to his feet. “You should get home, hun,” she said.
Katsuki shook his head. “I’m going with you guys. If Izuku is sick, I’ve gotta be there.”
Inko pursed her lips together. “Alright, I’ll allow it, but you have to call your parents and let them know.”
Katsuki nodded, taking his place at Izuku’s side as they escorted him to the car.
-
Izuku sat in his room, staring at the ridiculous decorations covering every inch of the place. He almost threw up as he entered, seeing some random man’s face plastered up everywhere it could fit. Posters, plushies, blankets, pillows, even the goddamn rug. The words “Plus Ultra!” accompanied the yellow, blue, and red theme, and after looking it up on Google, Izuku learned that this man’s name was All Might. He was the number one pro hero in Japan for the past two decades.
Izuku’s first thought was that the man had to be unbelievably old. What kind of pro hero kept working after turning forty? The whole point was to put your life on the line for the public’s safety and in exchange, you got to retire early with money and fame. This guy must’ve been the biggest narcissist to want to stay in the spotlight all this time when he could be on his own private island or something.
And clearly, the version of Izuku that lived here was falling for it big time.
“Symbol of Peace?” Izuku scoffed, ripping down one of the pictures and crumbling it into a ball. “Give me a fucking break.” He shot it into the All Might themed trash can in the corner.
This had been the deciding factor: there’s no way this was just a bad nightmare. Izuku had somehow gotten transported to another reality. One where Katsuki was a fucking asshole, and Izuku was a total pushover.
Usually, when Izuku was bored, he’d call up Katsuki and they’d play Mario Kart until their parents told them to eat something or go to sleep. Now, in this strange new reality, Izuku literally had nothing to do. This version of him apparently had no friends, which was pathetic, and no good books.
Where there wasn’t All Might merch on his shelves, there were notebooks. Sighing, Izuku decided to flip through the pages.
It caught him a little off guard that all the writing was in Izuku’s handwriting. In his own notebooks back in his reality, Katsuki usually did the sketches and occasionally jotted down some notes. Then Izuku would go in and be more thorough and fill in important information that Katuski missed. Here, well… It was just Izuku. All of it.
It was impressive, but the boy must be so lonely. Izuku couldn’t remember a time when his Katsuki wasn’t by his side, whether it was playing video games, beating up bullies, getting caught sneaking out together, or even attending anti-quirkism protests. This Izuku just had himself.
And this creepy “All Might” guy which, he had to admit, was making him pretty sick to his stomach as he continued to read.
As Izuku flipped through the journals, he stumbled across quite a few paragraphs describing brutal torture methods this reality Izuku wanted to try on Katsuki.
“Okay,” Izuku laughed nervously, “maybe he’s not a total pushover.”
A knock on his bedroom door snapped Izuku out of his thoughts. “Izuku, honey?” Inko said, slowly pushing the door open. She offered a gentle, weary smile. She didn’t comment on the bruises scattered over her son’s freckled face. “Are you alright? You’ve been cooped up in your room since you got home from school.”
Izuku snickered. “Besides the ass beating I got, yeah, I’m good.”
Inko’s shock was written across her face. Apparently this version didn’t curse. Whoops. Originally, Izuku didn’t, either, but he could only hang around Katsuki for so long before the bad words weaseled their way into his vocabulary.
“I’m sorry,” Izuku said. “I’m just a bit stressed. Don’t worry, mom. Everything is fine.”
Inko pursed her lips into a frown, her eyebrows sinking as her mind raced. “If you say so. Just know I’m always here for you if you want to talk.”
“Right. Uh, yeah,” Izuku said a little too awkwardly. “That’s cool, I guess. Thanks.”
Inko gave him a strange look before slowly leaving, closing the door behind her. When her footsteps died down, Izuku jumped up and locked the door. He sat back down at the desk, and suddenly his phone buzzed in his back pocket.
It was from an unknown number, telling him to open his window. Izuku squinted at the message, completely fucking baffled. Before he could even respond, there was a smacking sound against his window. He whipped his head in that direction to see a pebble hit the glass, making the same annoyingly cliché sound.
Izuku pushed the window open, peering down at none other than Bakugou Katsuki, preparing to chuck another pebble at his window. “What the hell, Romeo?” Izuku laughed. “Why are you throwing pebbles at my window? Do you know what year it is?”
Katsuki scowled through his embarrassed blush. “Well, I’m not gonna just waltz into your fucking house!” he cried.
“Just text me! How old are you, 95?”
“Shut up! And stop laughing at me, fucking quirkless pissboy!”
“Dude, you literally threw pebbles at my window like a lovestruck teenager,” Izuku teased. “If anyone is a pissboy, I can assure you, it’s not me.”
“Are you gonna let me in or what, asshole?!”
Izuku gasped dramatically, obsessing over how flustered he had the blonde who was shifting awkwardly in the grass. “Sneaking into my room, Kat? You really are quite the bad boy in this reality.” Izuku pushed his window all the way up, popped out the screen, and stepped out of the way. Katsuki took the hint and used his quirk to propel himself up to the second floor, ducking and rolling into the All Might themed room.
“We need to talk,” Katsuki snapped, brushing the newly formed wrinkles out of his clothes.
Izuku put the screen back in place and closed his window. “Really? I thought you came for a make out session,” he teased.
“I hate this stupid sassy side of you,” Katsuki growled. “It’s annoying as fuck.”
“You know what else is annoying?” Izuku snapped. “Waking up in a whole different reality, getting my shit rocked by my best friend who apparently hates me, and finding my room decked out with images of this weird, unnaturally muscular poster boy! That’s fucking annoying.”
Katsuki shook his head, then pinched the bridge of his nose. “Slow down, Deku—”
“Didn’t I tell you that’s not my name? Don’t you ever learn, Kat?”
“To be fair, Kat isn’t my name, either,” Katuski sneered. “Usually you call me ‘Kacchan.’ And I call you ‘Deku.’ That’s how things work around here.”
Izuku laughed bitterly, crossing his arms over his chest as he sized up the blonde. “Alright, well, no matter what dimension you’re in, one thing is certain: the whole world doesn’t revolve around Bakugou Fucking Katsuki. Grow up.”
Katsuki was quiet after that.
“Here’s what I know: one second I’m sitting in class at Yuuei listening to Mr. Aizawa talk about signing up for work studies, and the next I’m back in eighth grade, getting picked on by some loser version of my best friend. I don’t know how I got here, but I think I’m going to swan dive off the roof if I have to be here any longer.”
Katsuki paled. “Wh-what?”
Izuku waved him off. “Inside joke between me and my Katsuki. Some quirkist douchebag told me to kill myself like that and Kat and I have been making light of it ever since. What, don’t tell me you said that to your Izuku?”
Again, Katsuki was silent.
Izuku grimaced. “Dude, you are the fucking worst!”
“I didn’t mean it!” Katsuki snapped back. “I just- I don’t know, it slipped, I guess.”
“I bet he didn’t know that,” Izuku grumbled. “If your Izuku is anything like me, then he takes everything you say to heart. That’s why he was at the top of the building that night, though you probably wouldn’t know that.”
“What are you talking about?” Katsuki asked. “What building?”
Izuku narrowed his eyebrows. “Well, in my reality, after that kid told me to kill myself, I actually tried it. Thank god my Katsuki found me on the roof to talk me down.”
Katsuki shook his head. “De- I mean, my Izuku wouldn’t do that. He’s not suicidal.”
Izuku snorted. He tossed Katsuki a notebook. Not a hero analysis, but a diary, filled with paragraphs about how much he hated himself. Honestly, Izuku wasn’t surprised to see him writing those kinds of things. If it weren’t for his Katsuki, Izuku probably would’ve ended up like this, too. But his Katsuki found him, and they talked to Inko together and got Izuku a psychiatrist and a counselor and started him on antidepressants.
This Izuku didn’t have that luxury.
“I can’t believe this shit,” Katuski muttered. “He was gonna kill himself? All because I…”
“Yup,” Izuku answered, popping the ‘p’. “If that weird old man didn’t find him, he’d probably be dead. Ironic.”
“Weird old man?!” Katsuki hissed. “Don’t talk about All Might like that! He’s the number one hero! Best hero of all time!”
Izuku couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “You’ve gotta be kidding me. Is everyone here brainwashed by that blonde dofus?”
“The fuck are you talking about?!”
“Where I come from,” Izuku explained, “All Might doesn’t exist. I guess that’s why my Katsuki isn’t a fucking prick. He didn’t have this role model forcing toxic masculinity down his throat as he was growing up. And that’s probably why I don’t have an inferiority complex. This All Might guy was never around for me to compare myself to. And look how much cooler I am.”
Katsuki shook his head. “All Might saved millions of lives.”
“Uh, congrats?” Izuku laughed. “What, does he want a fucking cookie? That’s what heroes are expected to do. I could name a dozen heroes that save lives and don’t push negative stereotypes on the general public.”
Katsuki scowled at him. “No you fucking can’t. Shut up.”
“Hmm, let’s see… There’s Mirkou, Fatgum, Best Jeanist, Present Mic, Selkie—”
“Okay, okay, I get it,” Katuski grumbled. “Whatever. Let’s get back to the matter at hand. I want my Izuku back.”
“Pfft, you mean your human stress ball?” Izuku sneered. “Yeah, I think I’m gonna kick your ass a few times before I go home, just so you think twice before abusing him again.”
“It’s not ab—”
“Look at my face, Kat. You almost broke my fucking nose. Are you seriously going to tell me that’s not abuse?”
Katsuki shut his mouth.
“You need to be nicer to him. He might act like he can take it all, but eventually he’s going to lose it. If you really don’t care about his personal well being, then think about it this way: do you want to be the reason he turns into a villain? After reading through these notebooks… Jesus Christ, you better turn it around or sleep with one eye open.”
“… He wouldn’t…”
Izuku scowled. “He would. I’m serious. Stop being a jackass. He loves you, and you’re abusing him. You’re lucky he’s even still alive.”
Again, Katsuki stayed silent.
Izuku scoffed and headed to the door. “I need to see my doctor, see if there’s anything she can do about this migraine.”
“What? Your doctor?” Katsuki blurted. “You don’t have a doctor?”
Izuku frowned. “Shit, I forgot about that. Well, guess I’m going to the hospital then. C’mon, we’re going to go tell my mom that I just threw up my liver.”
“What?! I’m not going with you!”
“Uh, yes you are. I need someone to confirm my story. Now hurry up, Kacchan! Let’s go!”
-
“Well, this is a bit confusing,” the doctor told Inko and Izuku’s psychiatrist. “His records have him marked as quirkless, but the tests came back and say he has a super strength quirk, hence the healing broken bones in his right arm. It seems his body isn’t strong enough to handle all the power. Also, you said he’s on Sertraline?”
Inko nodded. “He has been taking it for a year and a half now,” she said.
“Well, there are no traces of it in his system,” the doctor answered. “So he hasn’t been taking it for at least a month.”
The adults continued to talk about how odd Izuku’s situation was while Izuku awkwardly filled Katsuki in on his situation. The blonde sat as close to Izuku as possible, with the uncomfortable plastic chair pulled up right beside the crinkly hospital bed. They had been there for at least three and a half hours now.
“So, to recap,” Katsuki muttered. “You’re from a different reality, timeline, dimension or whatever where me and you aren’t friends and also, some guy named All Might gaslit you into eating his hair so you wouldn’t be quirkless anymore.”
Izuku nodded. “It sounds pretty bad when you say it like that, though. All Might isn’t just some guy. And he didn’t gaslight me. He’s my hero and my inspiration. Yours, too.”
“Right…” Katuski pinched the bridge of his nose to force back the headache coming on. “Can you see why I might find this unsettling? What kind of creepy ass fifty year old man makes a fourteen year old eat his hair and push around a refrigerator at night alone on a beach?”
Izuku chuckled a bit. “It’s really not that bad,” he says. “I think it’s worth it. Now I’ve got a quirk! And you and I are attending Yuuei together.”
Katsuki frowned. “But we’re not friends.”
Izuku shrugged. “We’re getting there.”
“Ugh, that’s so ass. So you’ve been dealing with bullies all by yourself? Do you even know how to defend yourself? What the hell is your version of me doing while Tesaki and his asshole lackeys torment you?”
“Tesaki? H-he’s your lackey, Kacchan.”
All the color drained from Katsuki’s face. “What? You mean… I bully you, too?”
Izuku flushed red with embarrassment. “I-it’s not that bad, I swear! I—”
Katsuki raised his hand experimentally, and as he expected, Izuku flinched and covered his face with his forearms. Like he expected Katsuki to blast him or punch him or something. Katsuki sighed and took Izuku’s hand in his own. “That’s shitty of me,” he muttered. “I can’t believe I would ever do something like that. Especially to you.”
Izuku froze. The words were so foreign to him that they almost didn’t register in his mind. He didn’t want Katsuki to feel bad, especially this Katsuki who had been nothing but nice to him. “Like I said, it’s fine now,” Izuku explained. “We’re working on fixing things between us. Even if it’s slow, the progress is enough for me.”
Katsuki nodded solemnly, rubbing circles on the back of Izuku’s hand. Izuku stared at it, completely baffled. “Sorry if it’s weird,” Katuski said. “My Izuku says it’s calming.”
Izuku also didn’t know Katsuki was capable of apologizing. “It’s okay,” he said. “He’s right. It is calming. Thanks.”
“Another thing,” Katsuki said, “you don’t have to have a quirk to be a good hero. There are a bunch of quirkless pro heroes in this reality, and they all kick ass. Most of them are vigilantes, actually, but I think that makes them even cooler. I know you’ve got a deal with Ass Might—”
“All Might.”
“Pfft, whatever. Same thing. But seriously, you don’t have to keep this power. I think you’re just as badass when you’re fighting quirkless. I’ve seen it, trust me.”
Izuku smiled softly, his gaze warming as Katsuki gently squeezed his hand.
“And if your Katsuki is anything like me, then he cares a lot about you. He might not be good at showing it. I know I’m not, though I’m obviously better than him. That’s why I kick the shit out of all the people who try to hurt you. I care about you, ‘Zuku. You’re important to me, so I know you’re important to him, too.”
Izuku sniffled.
“Jeez, are you gonna cry?” Katsuki chuckled. “I guess that stands across all realities: Izuku is a total crybaby. Ha, don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone if you wanna cry. It’ll be our secret.”
-
“We found traces of Sertraline in his bloodstream,” the doctor told Inko, “but he doesn’t seem to have a prescription. Also, the quirk that suddenly manifested a month ago is completely gone. It’s like he’s a whole different person.”
“Well, this didn’t turn out how I wanted it to,” Izuku grumbled. “They think I’m a drug addict.”
Katsuki snickered. “That’s what you get, cocky bastard.”
Izuku smacked the blonde over the head, scowling at him. “Don’t forget I can kick your ass, Kat.”
“Yeah right,” Katsuki grumbled. “When did quirkless people get so annoying?”
“Around the same time blonde people got so fucking bratty.”
“I’ll kill you!”
“I’d like to see you try!”
“Boys, please,” Inko said. “We’re talking.”
Katsuki and Izuku both muttered an apology. “Look, the best course of action is to find a way back before I get this Izuku into any more trouble. Since you think you’re so fucking smart, how about you come up with some ideas?”
“How the fuck would I know?” Katsuki snapped. “You’re the idiot that got yourself into this situation!”
“Ah, you’re right! I think I remember hearing that I can go back after I kill your stupid ass!”
“Boys!” Inko cried. “Seriously!”
They muttered another apology and decided to whisper this time.
“Maybe it was some kinda freaky quirk,” Katsuki suggested.
Izuku shook his head. “That’s too predictable plot-wise. The author has got to be more creative than that.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
Izuku rolled his eyes. “Meta shit. Your dumbass wouldn’t understand.”
“You’re so weird.”
“Yeah, but my Kat likes it.”
“That’s gay.”
“Open your eyes, you closeted homosexual.”
“I’m not—”
“Nope, we are not having this conversation right now. I’ve had the biggest crush on my Katsuki since we were kids, and now that we’re both at Yuuei and on the right track with little to no drama, I was finally gonna confess. But no! Of course not! I had to get shoved into a new reality where you’re a total fuck nugget!” he whisper-yelled, jabbing his index finger into Katsuki’s chest.
“Uh, your homo problems aren’t my fault!” Katsuki whisper-yelled back. “That’s all you! Maybe the universe decided the world didn’t need any more fags.”
Izuku scowled. “I’m gonna let that slide because I know on the inside, you’re a raging homosexual.”
“I am not a homosexual.”
“You watch Rupal’s Drag Race, you play Stardew valley, and you listen to the Hamilton soundtrack in the shower. Your resting pose is with your hand on your hip, your hero costume includes thick eyeliner, and your favorite color is orange. If you’re not gay, then neither is Elton John.”
Katsuki pouted but he didn’t argue. “You know too much about me.”
“And you know too much about me,” Izuku beamed. “Look at that. A match made in heaven.”
Katsuki rolled his eyes. “Do you flirt this much with your Katsuki?”
Izuku smiled. “I try, but it’s a little more awkward to flirt with your real crush versus a stupid knockoff asshole version. Plus, he’s pretty dense. At least with me.”
“Well, he must like you a lot to put up with your mouth,” Katsuki grumbled. “You never shut up.”
Izuku froze, a blush creeping onto his cheeks. “Really?”
Katsuki grimaced. “Really what?”
“You think he likes me?”
“What— well, uh, yeah, but… I mean…”
Izuku’s sweet smile melted into a devious smirk. “You're projecting. You have a crush on your Izuku. But Ass Might—”
“All Might.”
“Yeah, whatever. Same thing. He made you believe weak people are worthless, so you felt the need to trample on Izuku rather than value him. Jeez, you are quite the charity case.”
“I’m going to kill you.”
“Feisty,” Izuku teased.
“I’m serious,” Katsuki growled.
“Oh no,” Izuku gasped. “Bad dog, get down. Well, you’re more like an angry kitten. Should I get the spray bottle or are you going to behave?”
“I swear to God—”
“Alright, son, you’re good to go,” the doctor interrupted. “Since you didn’t overdose, and the medication isn’t illegal, there isn’t much we can do. I advise you to stop taking medication that isn’t prescribed to you, of course, because overtime it could negatively affect your body. And of course the person giving you those meds needs to be turned into the police. But we can figure that out later. I’m sure you boys want to get home and have some dinner. It’s getting late after all.”
“Thank you so much, doctor,” Inko said. “For seeing us on such short notice and for being so kind.”
“Oh of course, Ms Midoriya! Anything for a gorgeous lady like yourself.”
Izuku and Katsuki both pretended to gag. “Anyway, mom,” Izuku said. “Let’s get back home.”
“Yeah, Mrs. Midoriya,” Katsuki blurted. “My parents are probably wondering where I am.”
“You didn’t call them? Katsuki!” Inko scolded.
Katsuki shrugged. “I forgot.”
Inko sighed. “Alright, let’s get you back home then. Thanks again, doctor. Goodbye.”
The doctor hummed dreamily. “Yes, goodbye.”
Izuku kicked him in the shins on the way out.