Fork In The Road [Chapter 2]

[Chapter 1]

Izuku froze in the middle of the platform when he saw the figure waiting for him, bruises and burns marring one side of his neck, a purple smear forming around his left eye. His uniform was still surprisingly intact, which meant he hadn't gotten into a fight during class or on his way home, and Izuku somehow took that as a good sign.

“Kacchan?” He called, as he found the presence of mind to walk closer. “What did you do?”

Katsuki snorted at the question, turning his scarlet eyes up from his lap for a moment to glimpse the confusion on Izuku's face, the fear in his eyes as he looked down at Katsuki's wounds.

“Not 'are you okay?' or 'what happened?'?” he grumbled. “Just 'what did you do?'?”

“You hate it when I ask if you're okay,” Izuku pointed out, sitting down beside the slumped figure and settling his bag in his lap. “Explain the burns first, is that from chemicals or something?”

“Ice burn,” he explained, touching it lightly with his fingertips and scowling when Izuku swatted his hand away. “Half-and-half asshole in class.”

“Half and half?”

“Fire and ice.”

“That's so cool!” Izuku lit up at the thought, imagining the endless possibilities that would come from controlling two opposing elements. “How does it work?! Are they powerful or just minor manipulation?! Are they-”

“Deku,” Katsuki cut him off sharply. “Quit with the fuckin' nerdgasm.”

“Sorry! It looks painful, is it painful? I know you're tough, you can deal, blah blah, but does it hurt?”

For a moment Katsuki looked like he might shrug it off, but he conceded a tiny nod.

“A little. The eye is worse.”

“Same person?”

“No, some idiot who can harden his body or some shit. Packs a punch when he manages to land one, but he's slow.”

“Then why did you let him hit you?”

“Because he gave me a human shield from the ice wall and I used the recoil to blow their asses up.”

“Amazing, Kacchan!”

“Shut up.”

“Come with me, we'll get something to put on those burns, okay?”

“They're fine.”

“Please Kacchan,” he insisted. “I won't be able to sleep, knowing that you're hurt and that you might not have done anything about it! You won't let your parents touch it, right? And I don't believe for a moment that you'll do it yourself, so it has to be me!”

“Fuckin' whatever.”

He threw his bag over his shoulder and followed Izuku down a corridor, letting him lead the way to the convenience store where he tended to buy his dinner after a long day. With a little smile Izuku left him at the door, ducking inside to find some kind of cream or salve to help, Katsuki leaned against the wall to wait, sighing. His neck was throbbing under the burns, but the black eye was a much more stubborn, persistant ache. Every time he looked around or turned his head he was reminded of his stupid mistakes, the minor slips that the half-and-half bastard had taken advantage of.

“Got it, Kacchan!” Izuku said brightly, reaching into the bag immediately. “Come sit down, okay?”

For some reason he found himself obeying, following Izuku to a little bench out of the way of pedestrians, letting him pull away the rumpled shirt collar to look closer at his marred skin.

“Give it here,” he demanded, when Izuku reached into the bag.

“No, let me do it.”

He wasn't sure when the dumb nerd had gotten bold enough to argue with him, and he was double as unsure of when he'd decided to let him get away with it, but he found himself conceding.

“Fucking get it over with,” he growled, tilting his head slightly. “Hurry up.”

With the gentlest of touch, full of care and protection, Izuku coated the burns in an ointment that was, admittedly, soothing. He rubbed slow little circles along the skin, pain numbing under the cream, and Katsuki felt the tense muscles in his shoulders soften a little in response.

“Better?”

“Yeah.”

It was a strangely peaceful moment in the middle of a bustling train station, a little bubble of quiet as Izuku covered the wound with gauze, and when Izuku's fingertips brushed at Katsuki's hair, Katsuki only looked up questioningly.

“Can I do your eye, too?”

“It's not burnt.”

“I got other stuff too.”

“Fine.”

He smeared the tiniest amount of white cream on the thumb, tenderly touching the bruising and waiting for a flinch or cringe. When none came, he continued, spreading the sticky contents of the tube all around his bruised eye. Whatever was in it, it made his eye feel cold for a moment, but as Izuku continued to rub it in as carefully as he could possibly manage, the pain subsided.

“Good as new,” Izuku grinned, tucking the tubes into Katsuki's bag. “Hungry?”

He offered up a spicy beef sandwich that he knew Katsuki would be unable to resist, not at all surprised when he immediately stuffed it in his mouth. He returned to the bag for his own, less spicy than Katsuki's counterpart, and they sat in silence, side by side, as they bit off chunks of the contents.

“How was school?” Katsuki mumbled, his cheeks a little flushed at the awkwardness of the question. “You make friends like I told you?”

“I tried!”

“So no.”

“Well... No, not really.”

“Typical.”

They fell silent again for a moment, and Midoriya sneaked a glimpse at the dark bruising on his friend's face, now slightly shiny and sticky looking.

“Don't come home beat up every day, okay?” he requested softly. “I know you always win, I'm never scared of you losing, but I do worry about you getting hurt.”

“Can't save people if I get myself killed, stupid Deku.”

“I didn't say killed!”

“Whatever,” he grunted, crumpling up his sandwich wrapper and stuffing it in his bag. “You coming?”

“Y-Yeah, coming.”

He found his feet and began to follow, three steps behind the mass of intimidating energy stuffed into a teenaged package, smiling at the back of his head as they started toward their homes.

─

Quickly, the routine stuck. Every day Izuku would walk off his train to find Katsuki waiting for him on the platform, and every day Izuku held his breath as he stepped through the sliding doors, hoping Katsuki wouldn't be covered in wounds all over again. If he was, Izuku helped patch him up before his mother could yell at him about it, and if he wasn't, one of them would buy snacks to share as they caught up, before they made their way home for the night.

“You didn't tell me!” Izuku demanded, the moment the stubborn irises looked up at him. “You could have been killed Kacchan!”

“I wasn't, I'm fine,” Katsuki grumbled, glaring at the passersby who gave them curious looks. “All Might was there, he took care of it.”

“He looked so awful on TV though, so exhausted!”

“Yeah, it was... It was a rough fight. Me and half-and-half had to throw a few blows too.”

“It's no wonder you keep coming home beaten up! Are you okay?! Is everyone else okay?!”

“Yeah,” Katsuki shrugged. “A few people got hurt and stuff, but it was nothing the creepy nurse couldn't take care of.”

“Creepy nurse?”

“Old hag whose quirk is kissing people to speed up their healing. No thanks buddy, I'd rather do it the natural way.”

“You need to tell me about this stuff, Kacchan! I should have known about it, not found out with my classmates!”

“Speaking of which, did you-”

“No, I didn't make any friends,” Izuku cut him off stubbornly. “Stop changing the subject!”

“Fuckin' make me.”

“Kacchan!”

He stomped after the blond as he headed for the exit, fists clenched tight as he tried to find the right words to get through, but by the time they reached the quiet streets his anger was already wearing thin.

“Kacchan,” he said again, a lot softer. “I was worried. Please tell me things like that.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

“I mean it.”

“I know.”

He turned around, grabbing a fistful of Izuku's hair as he stopped in a hurry, and smirking as he pulled at it roughly. Izuku's vision blurred as Katsuki shook him, pouting as he waited for it to stop, a little whine parting his lips.

“You know what else I didn't tell you?” he asked pointedly, finally setting the messy curls free.

“What?”

“Sports festival is soon. I can get you a seat, if you want.”

“Are you serious?!”

“Uh-huh. Not bringing the old shits, so you can have one of my tickets.”

“You're the best, Kacchan! I promise I won't embarrass you in front of your friends!”

“Better not,” he smirked. “Otherwise you're never coming to anything again.”

“I promise!”

“And keep that stupid mouth shut, we can talk when we get home afterward, I want no shitty rambling and fawning while we're in the arena, got it?”

“Promise!”

“No taking notes while I'm performing.”

“Promise!”

“No taking creepy stalker photos.”

Izuku pouted, but nodded.

“Promise.”

“Alright, here.”

He produced a shiny ticket from his pocket, stuffing it into Izuku's hand, and watched emerald eyes light up with the same ferocity as when he watched All Might on TV. Something about it was oddly flattering, there weren't many people who got that look instead of the critical analysis face.

“Bet you dinner that I win,” Katsuki smirked at him.

“Like I would ever bet against you,” Izuku scoffed. “No way.”

“Fine, but I'm pretty sure it's polite to buy me dinner when I win anyway.”

“If you want to go on a date, just ask,” Izuku teased, laughing when Katsuki punched him – a lot more gently than he could have, admittedly. “I'll buy you the spiciest Katsudon in town.”

“Damn right you will.”

He tucked the ticket safely into his bag, and for a moment he was tempted to hug Katsuki for it. He opted not to, in the end, on the logic that he actually wanted to survive to see the festival, but the thought was there.

“They said the school was closed, after.”

“Closed? I mean, we had a day off, the school wasn't closed.”

“Oh.”

“Why is that such a concern to you?”

“Because you still walked to the train with me,” Izuku pointed out, seeing Katsuki's cheeks turn pink. “Was it so you wouldn't have to tell me?”

“I studied in the library, it's quieter than trying to study at home.”

“But you could have slept in and stuff.”

“Don't want to ruin my schedule.”

They feel silent for a minute, Katsuki not willing to offer more information, Izuku not willing to push it.

“Can I ask a stupid question?” Izuku spoke softly, not looking up to meet the ruby eyes that darted back to him in response.

“Wouldn't be the first time.”

“Why are you really being so nice?” he continued, ignoring the slight. “You were awful to me last year and now suddenly it's like we're back to being kids. Better than we were as kids, maybe.”

“I told you. You bombed the test.”

“You feel bad for me? You laughedwhen someone got expelled.”

“Not like that,” he shrugged, looking straight ahead again as they walked. “You were annoying before, when you were always going on about being a hero, even though you knew it wasn't gonna happen. You were in so much denialabout it and it was just infuriating to listen to.”

“I'm sorry.”

“Whatever. It's in the past, so forget about it. You asked, is all.”

“And that's really all there is to it? As soon as I accepted my fate, we were okay again?”

“Pretty much. I'm a simple man, nerd.”

“You're really not,” Izuku smiled softly. “You're the most complicated guy I know.”

“Shut up.”

“That's not an insult.”

“Everything sounds like an insult when you say it.”

“You're one to talk,” Izuku laughed. “You're gonna mortify some poor girl one day when you decide to propose, she'll think you're making a death threat.”

“Or guy.”

“What?”

“Huh?”

Katsuki looked as shocked as Izuku felt, raising his pace a little and squeezing his hands into tight fists. Izuku hurried after him, starting to grab at his arm and immediately thinking better of it.

“Do you like guys?” Izuku asked bluntly, following along behind him, keeping his voice hushed. “It's okay if you do, I won't judge or tell anyone or whatever. But is that what you meant?”

“Fuck off.”

“It is, right? Is it someone at school? You talked about the guy with the hardening a few times, is he cute or something?”

“Fuck off.”

“Kacchan, talk to me.”

“No fuckin' way.”

“Okay.” Izuku stopped in his tracks, tilting his head a little when, a few paces ahead, Katsuki stopped too. “I'm sorry, I'll stop prying.”

Katsuki didn't respond, but didn't move away either, and Izuku folded his arms as he contemplated.

“I get it, if it just slipped out or whatever and you're not sure, or you're not ready to talk about it. It's fine, okay? I won't push. But if you decide you want to talk, or when you make a decision, or work things out, or whatever it is, you know where to find me. You know I'll never judge you, Kacchan.”

“Yeah.”

“And I'd be totally cool with it, for the record. You know, if you were. If you did.”

“Okay.”

Tentatively Izuku took a few steps forward. Katsuki remained still until Izuku reached his usual spot, three steps behind, then slowly began to walk again, matching Izuku's pace.

“Do you have any new wounds?” he asked softly.

“No.”

“None at all? Did you not fight today?”

“Only verbally.”

“What's that supposed to mean?”

“The other classes hate me,” Katsuki smirked over his shoulder, but there was less enthusiasm in it than usual. “They know I'm gonna kick their asses at the festival.”

“I can't blame them,” Izuku smiled back. “They don't stand a chance.”

─

“What do you want for your birthday, Kacchan?”

“Haah? Since when do you buy me presents?”

“I don't know, I want to though!”

“Whatever. I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to ask the person.”

“But I want to get you something you'll like!”

“And you haven't known me since we were toddlers, or anything like that, right nerd? Haven't been stalking me our whole lives? Always three steps behind watching every move I make?”

“Kacchaaaaaan!”

Katsuki sighed, but still didn't answer, just closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat.

“Make me something,” he said quietly, after a long pause.

“Really?”

“Yeah. I don't know, make me a card or some shit, whatever. I don't need anything bought.”

“I didn't know you were so sentimental, Kacchan.”

“Shut your fuckin' face.”

“Okay, okay,” Izuku laughed, leaning in to nudge their shoulders together lightly. “Sorry.”

“Whatever.”

“I'll make you the best present ever.”

“Uh-huh.”

“You'll treasure it forever.”

“I changed my mind, no presents.”

“Kacchaaaaaaan.”

Izuku pouted, laughing when Katsuki tugged roughly at his jutting lower lip.

“Cut the shit.”

“Okay, sorry.”

Katsuki gathered their rubbish into a bag, stuffing it in his pocket to sort at home, and Izuku followed quickly when he began to leave without warning. He briefly wondered if maybe Katsuki had planned on ditching him, had wanted to escape, but the usual little glances over his shoulder told him otherwise.

He was Katsuki, after all. He never announced his actions, never softened his blows, he was just unapologetically Katsuki.

Izuku wished he had the confidence to be the same.

─

Izuku spent the rest of the week poring over online tutorials and hunting through stores, searching for the exact, perfect materials that would make the best gift ever for Katsuki. He even went as far as befriending a bunch of teachers he had no classes with, so that he could use school facilities for his creations, but when he finally wrapped it up the night before the big day, he smiled to himself. Katsuki would like it, surely. He had to.

Bleary eyed and clearly still half-asleep, Katsuki opened his front door, scowling at the excited idiot on his doorstep.

“It's too early for your shit,” he said simply, turning around to walk away, but Izuku only laughed at him.

“Good morning Kacchan! Happy birthday! I wanted to come give you your present so we have time  before the train, I'm all ready to go, see?”

He gestured toward his uniform, and Katsuki sighed, nodding faintly as he fell into a chair at the dining table.

“Okay, okay, fine.”

“Let me make you breakfast first!”

“You can't cook.”

“How dare you? I've been practicing all week!”

Katsuki lay his head down on his arms, his eyes falling closed again, and Izuku took that as permission to lay claim to the kitchen. His parents would have been out before Katsuki woke up, Izuku knew, so there was no danger of waking anyone with his noise – well, except Katsuki, but he wasn't sure if he was genuinely sleeping or not.

With painstaking care and effort he mixed items from his bag, picked up from the convenience store on his way over. A package of bacon, cut into pieces; some mushrooms cut up small; a ton of spinach because it always seemed to disappear as it cooked; and finally a handful of eggs, all beaten together and thrown in a frying pan.

He presented his work proudly with a little bowl of rice, watching Katsuki's nose twitch, and his eyes flicker open.

“You actually cooked.”

“Of course, Kacchan! Eat up, I hope it tastes good.”

His own plate of food was slightly lighter in colour, and Katsuki understood when he took the first bite, tasting the extra-hot chilli sauce mixed into the eggs. The nerd only might know one thing about him, but that one thing had served him well a few times now.

Izuku seemed relieved to see him eat it, and when they'd both cleared their plates, Katsuki reached out to pull Izuku's hair.

“Is that the only thing you can cook?”

“Pretty much.”

“It was good. You can make it again for my next birthday, if you remember how.”

“I'm gonna practice and make something even better next year,” Izuku grinned. “Do you want your present now?”

“Fine.”

He slid the box across the table, grinning like an idiot, and Katsuki sighed. He unwrapped the box slowly and pulled off the lid, blinking a few times when he looked inside, then lifting his gaze to Izuku across the table.

“Did you make these?”

“Uh-huh! You said I had to.”

On the top of the pile sat two matching leather objects, a wallet and a phone case, both stamped with the same style of cross from his hero costume, the one that ran right across his chest and made his pec muscles look so much more defined – not that Izuku would admit to noticing. He'd even gone so far as to include the little holes in the pattern over one shoulder, with two deeper nodules pressed into the leather.

“They're actually cool, nerd.”

“I'm glad you like them!”

Beneath the leather were a few smaller objects, black cloth this time, but still with the same familiar orange designs cut across them. Hand warmers, to aid his quirk in colder weather. A drink bottle cover, to keep his water cold at training despite his boiling grip. A collection of book covers, with his name embroidered beautifully in orange thread in one corner.

“My mother helped,” he admitted with a sheepish smile. “I did the leather stuff at school, but Mom helped me with the sewing machine and did the kanji.”

“I'll thank her later,” he nodded faintly. “I, um... I'm impressed, sh- Deku. I didn't expect you to be so... What's the opposite of half-assed?”

“I wanted to make it special,” Izuku grinned. “I hope they come in useful.”

“They will, you made sure they would.”

“But you should go get changed, Kacchan, we need to go to the station soon.”

“Ah, yeah, I should. Gimme a minute.”

He grabbed his schoolbag from the entryway and slipped his new gear into it for later, handing the bottle-cozy to Izuku after a moment of thought.

“My bottle's in the freezer, grab it for me.”

“Okay!”

He ruffled the messy curls lightly, hoping the nerd would get the point, and Izuku shot him a fond smile in return as he gently laid his hand over a much bigger, more callused one. He paused for a second with their hands touching, then gently pried it off, pushing it back to Katsuki's side.

“Go get changed, Kacchan.”

“Yeah.”

Izuku couldn't stop sneaking glimpses at Katsuki's arms when they began their walk, stunned by how much more bulky and defined they'd become in such a short time.

“Some of us actually go to the gym,” Katsuki snarked knowingly. “You want to come with or something?”

“Me?” Izuku laughed nervously. “I couldn't, I wouldn't know my way around or how to use anything or even where to find anything! I'd just be standing awkwardly in a corner watching all these insane people with special quirks and-”

“Idiot,” Katsuki muttered under his breath, but didn't bother to elaborate.

“A-Are you s-saying... Y-You would...?”

“If you want,” Katsuki shrugged. “The school gym is always stupidly packed. There's probably somewhere local we could go, it might be a bit calmer. At the right times, at least. Early.”

“If... If you don't mind...?”

“If I don't want to do it, I won't do it,” Katsuki reminded him stubbornly. “Quit with all the nervous shit.”

“Sorry! Okay! Sure! If Kacchan doesn't mind showing me around, I'd like to learn!”

“Was that so hard? For fuck's sake. After the festival, then. I'll look at some places in the area, maybe somewhere near the station so we can go before school.”

“Okay!” He agreed enthusiastically, jumping when his bag bumped into his leg heavily as he brushed past other commuters. “Oh! And Kacchan! I have something for you!”

He rummaged through his bag, producing a familiar notebook, and Katsuki pulled a face as he accepted it. Izuku waited pointedly, doing his best to keep a straight face, but failing miserably. As soon as Katsuki flipped open the cover and immediately fell silent, Izuku couldn't help but let a massive grin stretch across his lips.

“That's him, right?” he asked eagerly.

“Yeah,” Katsuki agreed softly. “You did that quickly, I'm... Kind of impressed.”

“I had some old notes on him too, from ages ago! Just rumours and things really, he's pretty undercover? I guess it makes sense with his quirk, he wouldn't want people to anticipate- anyway, it's all in there. Once I had his name and quirk it wasn't hard.”

“Thanks,” Katsuki mumbled, as if the word physically pained him.

“You told me to make useful notes for you,” Izuku teased, “I'm just doing as I was told.”

“Yeah. Keep doing it.”

“I will!”

With a hint of a smile Katsuki tucked the book into his bag to pore over later, ready to torment his homeroom teacher the moment they got back to class. He took a glance at Izuku's grin, at the shining emerald eyes, so proud of himself for doing a good job, full of so much more life than he had been for a while now, and after a moment Katsuki ruffled his tangled curls again lightly.

“Maybe you aren't entirely useless after all.”

[Chapter 3]