Chapter Text
It's Katsuki's first day off in weeks, and he starts it wide awake at the crack of dawn, lined up outside the mall along with fifty other nerds waiting for the release of a new limited edition All Might action figure.
He's been itching to get his hands on it since the day it was announced, and now, after spending hours waiting out in the cold and threatening the bastards who tried to cut the line, Katsuki emerges from the mall victorious, the coveted action figure in his hands at last.
But he doesn’t get to bask in his victory for too long.
As he prepares to cross the street, he spots several guys in tacky ski masks fleeing from a nearby jewelry store with bags of stolen goods in tow.
He heaves a sigh and places the action figure in his bag. It's his day off, but that didn’t mean shit if a crime was playing out right in front of him.
Predictably, it was a quick fight, the villains hilariously unprepared to face him, but one of them misfires his quirk—some kind of energy wave—and makes a nearby car explode. The resulting panic gives Katsuki more trouble than the robbery itself. Screams fill the air as people fled in all directions, and amidst the chaos, Katsuki picks up a child's cry for help.
He doesn't think twice as he blasts toward their direction, and quickly spots a little girl by the mall entrance, clutching a shopping bag tightly against her chest. Katsuki grabs her before she’s trampled by the people running out of the mall but the sudden movement knocks the bag right out of her grasp.
"No!!" She screams as she watches the bag gets crushed by the stampeding crowd. The girl starts bawling and she wouldn't stop, not even after Katsuki finally sets her down somewhere safe.
"Kid, where are your parents?" He tries to ask, but the little girl just continues to cry, thick globs of tears flowing from her wide green eyes down fat, freckled cheeks.
Katsuki takes a better look at her and finds himself in a crisis. Because blonde curls aside, this kid is the spitting image of his childhood friend.
“Tsumi-chan!” Katsuki looks up and finds another blond boy with similar green eyes and freckles running toward them. “Thank god you’re safe!”
“Nii-san!” The girl—Tsumi—wails as her brother sweeps her into a tight hug. “I lost Papa’s gift! I'm sorry!"
“No, no, it’s fine Tsumi-chan,” says the boy, running his hand soothing up and down her back. He presses a kiss on her forehead. “Don’t worry about that now. What matters is you’re safe.”
“B-But Papa’s gift,” Tsumi insists, burying her face on his shoulder as she continues to sob. “He's been waiting for that action figure for months. And I lost it!”
Katsuki frowns.
“You were here for the limited-edition All Might too?”
Both kids blink at him slowly, as if noticing his presence for the very first time. The girl gives him a blank look, while her brother’s face goes through a whole stock of emotions—confusion, suspicion, recognition, then utter shock and disbelief.
“Dynamight?!” He shrieks, green eyes bulging in a painfully familiar way. “Oh my god, Tsumi-chan! You were rescued by the No. 1 hero! Isn’t that amazing?”
Tsumi looks him over, unimpressed. She scrunches her nose and sniffs haughtily: “I like Shouto better.”
“Katsumi!”
Katsuki stares at the girl who glares back at him with a defiant pout, and can't help the grin the spreads across his face. “You’re a little spitfire, aren't you, missy?”
Tsumi looks like she's ready to bite his head off but her brother quickly clamps a hand over her mouth.
“I am so sorry sir!” The boy bows, flustered by his sister’s attitude. "Tsumi doesn’t know what she’s saying, I mean, obviously Hero Shouto is an exceptional hero, but he doesn’t hold a candle to you, sir! You've had the best stats across the board in the last ten years since you reached No.1, and your moves have a flair that no hero has been able to match, Howitzer Impact alone is—“
Tsumi rips his hand off her face and smacks her brother hard on the shoulder. “Nii-san, you’re rambling again!”
“Oh no!” The boy turns bright red, hands flying to cover his mouth. “M' sorry!”
“It’s fine,” Katsuki dismissed, half amused by the siblings and half freaking out about how much they resembled another freckled fanboy he once knew. “Anyway, about that All Might action figure—
“Yes!” Tsumi interjects. “Papa loves All Might! That’s why we woke up early to get him his special doll!”
“It’s not a fucking doll—you know what, that’s not my main concern right now.” Katsuki scowls. What kind of bastard makes his own kids wake up at dawn on a weekend and line up out in the cold, just to buy his hero merchandise for him? Indignation flares inside Katsuki. Once he finds out who this negligent schmuck is, he’s gonna give him a good ol’ ass-whooping until he promises to be a better father.
“That’s mighty irresponsible of him,” Katsuki tuts. “Your shitty dad should’ve known better than to—Hey!” Katsuki barely catches the pink boot that was thrown at his face.
“Don’t talk about Papa like that!” Tsumi hisses, squirming in her brother’s grasp like a hell-spawn gremlin ready to claw Katsuki’s eyes out.
“Oh god, Katsumi, stop!” Her brother pleads, flashing Katsuki another apologetic look as he tries to keep his sister under control.
“I’m so sorry, Dynamight, sir! My sister can get a little protective over our dad sometimes, but she means well!"
He gently pats her head, a hint of melancholy flashing across his face. "Our mom died when Tsumi was born, so dad's the only parent she's ever known. But he's been in the hospital for over a month now, and she isn't taking that very well."
Katsuki looks back at her and despite her fierce scowl, he sees a deeper fear in her big watery green eyes. A sharp pang of sympathy runs through him. This kid may be a vicious little shit, but at the end of the day, she's just a little girl worried for her sick dad.
“It’s fine,” he assures them and crouches in front of Tsumi. The girl hides behind her brother's leg, still glaring at him. "Sorry, kid, I didn't mean to insult your Papa," says Katsuki as he offers her pink shoe back like an olive branch.
Tsumi studies him for a few seconds before snatching the boot from his grasp. "Good," she huffs pompously. "Papa is the nicest person in the world. So he deserves only the best!"
Katsuki cracks a smile. "You love your Papa very much, huh?"
"Yes!" Tsumi declares, without missing a beat. "He gives the best cuddles and cooks the best pancakes! And he makes me smile and laugh even when I'm sick. So I'm going to make Papa smile too!"
The determined gleam in her eyes strikes a chord in Katsuki's heartstrings. Before he knew it, he was taking his prized All Might action figure out of his backpack and presenting it to the siblings.
"Here, you can take this instead."
Both kids gawk at him for a second before Tsumi squeals. She lunges for the box in Katsuki's hands, but her brother pulls her back.
"W-Wait!" The boy flounders. "Are you sure about this, sir? I mean," he hesitates. "Doesn't this action figure mean a lot to you personally? After your history with All Might at Kamino Ward and all."
Katsuki blinks, a little stunned by how much this kid knew about him. He's a die-hard fan alright.
"Nah, I can always flex my No. 1 status and ask the company to produce one more copy just for me." Katsuki shrugs and shoves the box into the boy’s hands. “So give this to your dad instead."
"We don't have the money to pay you back, sir," the boy argues, but Katsuki cuts him off.
"Kid, do I look like I need the cash?" He scoffs. "And I’m not giving you free shit either, I’m simply replacing the one you lost because of me. It's only fair.”
The boy chews on his bottom lips for a second before a bright smile splits across his face. And for one startling moment, Katsuki sees his childhood friend smiling back at him instead.
“Thank you so much!” The boy exclaims, dipping into another low bow. His sister, however, clearly doesn't give a shit about manners because she snatches the box from her brother’s hands without sparing Katsuki another glance.
“Yes!” She cheers, jumping up and down. “Papa will be so happy!”
“Hey brat, be careful with that,” Katsuki warns. “I ain’t giving you another one if you break that too.”
Tsumi quickly calms down and holds the box close to her chest.
“I will protect this with my life,” she promises with startling seriousness. She them grabs her brother’s hand, tugging on it insistently. “Nii-san, let’s go see Papa right now!”
“Okay, okay, we’re going, just calm down,” the boy chuckles and gives Katsuki another polite bow. “We’ll be going now, sir Dynamight. It was a great honor to meet you."
Katsuki raises an eyebrow. “Don’t you want an autograph or something?”
“A-Ah—right!” The boy starts rifling through his bag frantically in search for anything Katsuki could sign. Katsuki smiles at his endearing awkwardness and takes out a Dynamight trading card that he keeps in his wallet exactly for situations like this one.
“HOLY CRAP IS THAT A LIMITED-EDITION DYNAMIGHT "BLAST-OFF" TRADING CARD?!” The boy screams. “THEY ONLY PRINTED 613 COPIES OF THOSE!”
Yeah, that was done on purpose. Katsuki likes to make his Merchandising team’s life more difficult by imposing an unusual production limits to his merch just to mess with them.
"Got a pen, kid?"
The boy releases another excited squeal as he digs into his bag again.
"So who should I address this to?"
"Oh! Um, can you address it to my dad and I? He's also a big fan of yours and I think this would make him extra happy on top of the All Might action figure."
Katsuki snorts. "You know what, I'll just give you two cards so you'll have one each."
"W-What?" The boy sputters. "That's too generous, sir, I can't—"
"Give me names, kid, I ain't got all day," Katsuki snaps, but not unkindly.
"S-Sorry, sir!" Despite his initial protests, the boy was literally shaking with excitement. "My name is Kazuma! Or Kazu... whichever is fine!"
Katsuki hums, finishing the dedication with a flourish. He moves on to the last card. "And your dad's name?"
"Izuku. Midoriya Izuku."
The pen falls out of Katsuki's grasp.
Katsuki pauses in front of the hospital room, dread pooling in his gut. The name listed on the door glares back at him like an accusation.
Midoriya Izuku. Deku.
The last time they spoke to each other was at a small post-graduation dinner held between their families. Auntie had proudly revealed that although Deku didn't get accepted into UA, he managed to score a full scholarship to I-Island. They were moving out the next day.
Katsuki remembers being furious that Deku didn't tell him, and then bewildered on why he cared in the first place. The conflicting emotions led to a horrible outburst that ended up with Deku running out of their house in tears and Inko slapping Katsuki harshly across the face.
"Hey, you're blocking the way!" Tsumi whines, kicking his shin with her pink boot.
"Katsumi, for the love of God, please stop antagonizing the No. 1 hero!" Kazuma begs, but Tsumi just rolls her eyes at him. Katsuki finds their sibling dynamic hilarious.
"Don’t test me brat, I can still take back that action figure, you know," Katsuki teases, but Tsumi doesn’t seem to get the joke and grows tense, hugging he paper bag closer to her chest. Katsuki snorts at her answering growl. "I’m kidding, jeez."
Tsumi throws him a dirty look before stomping ahead, while Kazuma issues another flustered apology on her behalf. Katsuki is glad that neither kid noticed how nervous he was. His hoodie and gloves are soaking up so much sweat, he probably should avoid any open flames on the way home.
Kazuma pulls the door open.
"Papa! Surprise!"
Katsuki's breath hitches, wholly unprepared for the sight that greeted him.
To be fair, while the last time they spoke was over twenty years ago, it wasn't the last time Katsuki saw Deku again.
He had bumped into his childhood friend on several occasions over the last two decades, what with their chosen careers closely linked—a pro hero and a support engineer—it was inevitable that their paths would cross again. The last time he saw Deku was almost half a year ago, when he delivered a fresh shipment of support items to his agency.
Katsuli remembers thinking that the nerd looked really good back then, biceps bulging as he carried a boxful of gear, and when Deku dropped a pen and bent down to pick it up, his skinny jeans didn't leave much to the imagination.
But the Deku before him now looks nothing like the man he saw back then.
Katsuki tries not to gasp when Deku turns around to greet them.
He looks so frail and weak, freckled cheeks hollowed out, and bones protruding in sharp angles against sallow skin. He has a knitted red beanie covering most of his head, but the few green curls that peeked out are thin and lackluster.
"Dad, why are you out of bed?!" Kazuma runs up to Deku with Tsumi following close behind. "The nurse told you not to stand without anyone here!"
Both kids flank their dad protectively, with Kazuma grabbing his arm and Tsumi gripping the hem of his hospital gown, their eyes worried and fearful as if they're expecting Deku to fall over at the slightest breeze.
It's heart-breaking to see.
But then Deku laughs, and the sound brings summer in its wake, so warm and full of life. It instantly dispels the bleakness of their situation, and Katsuki can see both kids instantly relaxing.
"You guys worry too much," Deku teases, green eyes bright and gleaming despite the purple shadows beneath them. "They were setting up Christmas decorations outside and I wanted to see."
“But Papa should still be careful,” Tsumi huffs. “You won’t be able to come home if you don’t follow what the doctor says.”
A flash of melancholy appears on Deku’s face but it passes quickly. “I understand, sweetie, I’m sorry for worrying you,” he says, gently ruffling her curls. “I’ll be more careful from now on, okay?” Tsumi studies his face before raising her pinky finger. “Pinky promise!” She demands. Deku chuckles and loops his pinky with hers. “Pinky promise.”
With Tsumi finally satisfied, Deku turns to Kazuma and pinches his cheek hard.
"Ow!"
"What did I tell you about surprise visits, young man?” He scolds, though there isn't anger in his voice.
Kazuma rubs his cheek with a small pout. “Not to do them without informing Grandma?”
“Exactly!” Deku fishes a phone out from his pocket. “Your grandmother’s been worried sick since she arrived home and found your note on the fridge, saying you're going to visit me. You should have told her ahead of time!”
Kazuma rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. "I know, dad, I'm sorry, but we had an important mission to accomplish today and I couldn’t risk Grandma getting in our way."
Deku frowns. "What mission?"
Tsumi squeals and starts jumping up and down excitedly as she raises the paper bag above her head. "We bought a gift for you!"
Katsuki takes that as his cue to enter the room. "Hey brat, I told you to handle that thing with care."
Deku's head snaps towards Katsuki's direction, green eyes wide with shock.
"K-Kacchan?!"
Hearing that nickname makes Katsuki's heart flutter. It's been so long.
"Hey nerd," he greets, closing the door behind him.
"W-What are you—"
"I tagged along to make sure your kids didn't get into any more trouble," he explains, trying to act casual as he leans against the wall, arms crossed over his chest.
"Trouble?" Deku frowns and studies Kazuma. "What trouble? What did you two do?"
“We didn’t do anything!” Tsumi protests.
Deku looks unconvinced. Katsuki is surprised when the nerd turns to him, looking for an explanation. “They didn't do shit,” he explains. “Your brats were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Some villains stirred up trouble at the mall earlier today and caused a stampede.”
"Oh my god!" Deku drops to his knees and grabs Tsumi, who squirms as he inspects her for any injuries.
"Papa, I'm okay!" She whines and gives Katsuki the evil eye. "Snitches end up in ditches, you know!"
"Katsumi!" Kazuma groans. "Where did you even learn that? And youu should be more grateful! You were almost crushed to death!”
Deku gasps, and he pulls his daughter into a tight hug, ignoring the bag she's still trying to push into his hands. Katsuki can see the nerd's whole body trembling.
“My baby girl,” Deku sniffles. “I’m so glad you’re safe. I don’t know what I’d do if anything happened to either of you while I’m stuck here.” He pulls away, and Katsuki finds the nerd’s face streaked with tears. Deku brushes Tsumi’s hair back and plants a kiss on her forehead. “I love you, my little firecracker.” He reaches over and pulls Kazuma down into a group hug. “I love you too, Kazuma. Thank you for looking after your sister.”
Then he turns to Katsuki, green eyes alight with that same burning admiration that had followed Katsuki around many years ago. “Thank you so much for keeping them safe, Kacchan.”
Katsuki clicks his tongue, trying hard to ignore the way his ears burned. "It's no big deal. Just doing my damn job."
“What’s a ‘Kacchan’, Papa?” Tsumi pipes in, frowning at their interaction. “And why do you call Dynamight that?"
“Oh!” Deku chuckles, a funny look crossing his face. “Dynamight and I know each other from work—”
"WHAT?!" Kazuma shrieks. "AND YOU NEVER TOLD ME?!"
"Honey, calm down, we barely talk to each other," Deku explains, but his words felt like a slap to the face. They had crossed each other's paths many times but neither of them ever did anything beyond a sideways glance or offer a stiff nod of acknowledgment before they eventually had to part ways.
There was always something that got in the way—be it a villain, an urgent meeting, a work emergency, (and one time, a super typhoon), where Katsuki's opportunities to talk to him and apologize were consistently thwarted. His therapist claimed that Katsuki was just looking for excuses, but how does one even begin a conversation with a person they had terrorized for most of their lives?
Now Katsuki thinks back to all those missed opportunities and wonders—if he had just found the courage to talk to Deku back then, would he have learned about his kids earlier? His late wife? About the life he had lived away from Katsuki?
“—but I call him 'Kacchan' out of habit because we grew up together,” Deku adds, avoiding Katsuki’s gaze as he busies himself trying to tame Tsumi’s curls. “We were childhood friends.”
"That's so cool!!" Kazuma gushes, oblivious to the new tension in thenroom. "You should've told us! I can't believe I'm only hearing about this now!"
Tsumi, on the other hand, purses her lips and eyes Katsuki with suspicion. "Yeah that's super weird," she says. "If you're really friends, then why didn't Papa ever talk about you? I talk about my friends all the time. But only the good ones." She stops and points an accusatory finger at Katsuki. "I bet you were a bad friend."
"Katsumi!" Kazuma gasps, looking like he's about to faint from sheer embarrassment.
"Sweetie,” Deku scolds sternly. “We have talked about this many times. You can't just say those things—"
"It's true,” Katsuki blurts, the words slipping out before he could stop them.
Deku stills and meets his eyes across the room.
“The brat’s not wrong. I was the shittiest friend in the world.”
Katsuki pushes himself off the wall and dares to take a few steps forward, wishing to close this gap between them a little more. He knows he’s treading on uncharted territory, knows he's pushing against undefined boundaries, but Katsuki is tired—tired of pretending it didn’t hurt every time he watched Deku walk away, tired of stopping himself from reaching out or calling his name.
He's tired of being a coward.
Katsuki had known Deku’s number for years—it was in the engineering company’s directory—and had kept it saved in his phone thinking one day he’d wake up and finally find the courage to end this silence that had stretched between them for so long.
“There is not a day that passed where I don’t regret every shitty thing I said or did to you, Deku. Izuku,” he says, bowing low in front of Deku and his kids. Katsuki thinks one or all of them gasped, but he can't hear much beyond the blood roaring in his ears. “And for that, I’m truly sorry. I’m so fucking sorry for everything, Izuku."
It took twenty years for him to get there, and now the words that were choking him in his sleep are finally out in the open.
Katsuki keeps his head down and waits. His apology remains suspended in the air, the tension in the room growing tenfold as he holds his breath for Deku’s response.
After what felt like a millions years, Deku finally breaks the silence.
“Kacchan."
Katsuki dares to look up and he finds Deku, a small, sad smile across his face.
“I think we should talk. Alone.”
It takes a bit of convincing to get the two kids out of the room. Kazuma and Tsumi are understandably confused and curious about what's going on—it's not every day you see the great hero Dynamight prostrate himself before your dad—but after Katsuki gives them another trading card and 5000 yen to spend on any snacks they wanted, it's suddenly very easy to shoo them away.
The All Might gift reveal was postponed until their return, but Kazuma gives Deku the signed Dynamight trading card before leaving. Katsuki sees Deku's face brighten and hears his delighted squeal, and something in his chest just clicks.
The feeling startles him. When your world’s been rotating on a lopsided axis for over two decades, it’s jarring when things abruptly shift back into place. It leaves Katsuki a little lightheaded.
The door finally slides shut behind them. Katsuki suddenly finds himself missing all the noise and distraction. Because now it’s just him and Deku, and Katsuki has no idea what to expect.
Deku looks just as uncertain as he is, but maybe that’s just Katsuki projecting his own insecurities.
“Please take a seat first." Deku gestures at a nearby stool. “Would you like anything to drink? I have some tea and instant coffee.”
“No, I’m—“ Katsuki clears his throat. “I’m good.”
He watches Deku approach the bed with the slow, doddering steps of a man twice his age. He moves carefully, pausing for balance before taking the next step. Without his children there, Deku’s back hunches tiredly, and Katsuki realizes that the nerd had been putting up a front to keep them from worrying.
Katsuki fights the urge to reach out and help, unsure if his touch will be welcome. The last thing he wants to see is Deku flinching away.
Deku settles on the bed and lets out a bone-deep sigh.
“How have you been, Kacchan?”
Shouldn’t I be asking you that? Katsuki thinks, but answers with a shrug. “Tired,” he admits. “It’s my first day off in months. Didn’t realize being at the top would be this exhausting.”
“I see.” Deku hums as he stares down at the Dynamight trading card in his grasp. “But are you happy?”
The question throws him off a little. Happy? Was he happy? Katsuki frowns. He doesn’t remember what happiness feels like.
Instead, he says “I’m proud of what I’ve achieved,” and hopes that answer is enough.
“I’m very proud of you too,” Deku says, giving him a fond smile that makes Katsuki’s heart squeeze. “And it was a pleasure, watching you grow and become the amazing person I’ve always known you are.”
A sting suddenly appears Katsuki's eyes. He ducks his head, hands gripping his knees. Fuck, he's not ready for this. He's not ready for this at all. So he deflects. “Still the fan-boy stalker, huh?”
Deku laughs kindly. “Only for my Number One hero.”
Katsuki really can't take anymore of this. He looks up, glaring at Deku in disbelief. “How do you fucking do that?”
Deku tilts his head. “Do what, Kacchan?”
Katsuki swallows against the tightness in his throat as he drops his gaze again. He looks down at his hands, at how his nails are digging into the meat of his knees, the fabric of his pants pulled taut and fraying. “How can you say you admire me after everything I’ve done?”
When Deku answers, his voice is soft with an empathy that Katsuki isn't sure he deserves.
“The sun can boil seas and devastate lands, but no one will ever deny how brightly it shines,” he declares sagely. Katsuki steals a glance at him and finds Deku looking at the Dynamight card in his hands.
“You hurt me." Katsuki flinches. “Many times. With your words and your quirk.” Deku starts to trace Katsuki's autograph with his finger. “And I admit, there were times I wanted to hate you for it. I couldn’t understand—what did I do to deserve all that? I just wanted to be your friend. I just wanted to be a hero and stand by your side. Why was that so bad?”
Deku lies back on the propped pillows and shuts his eyes. For a long moment he doesn’t say anything, and Katsuki wonders if the nerd had accidentally fallen asleep. But just as he was thinking of leaving, Deku’s eyes fly open, and he meets Katsuki’s bewildered gaze.
“But despite everything you've done, I could bring myself to hate you, Kacchan.”
Katsuki can't bear to see the affection in those emerald eyes so he ducks his head again, hiding from. Deku's gaze. “You should have,” he argues hoarsely. “Anyone would have. I was a piece of shit.” His hands curl into tight fists as he adds, despairingly. "More villain than hero."
“No,” Deku replies sharply, startling him. “You were a child who made mistakes. That doesn’t make you a bad person.” He takes a framed photo from the bedside table. It's a picture of Deku, Kazuma, and Tsumi together smiling brightly. It looks fairly recent too—probably taken just around spring that year.
“If you ever have children of your own, you’ll understand a little better,” Deku adds, smiling at the photo. “My kids mean the world to me, but they’re far from perfect. You’ve seen how tenacious Katsumi can be. And Kazuma may seem meek and harmless now, but vigilantism is one of his hobbies, unfortunately.”
Katsuki's eyebrows rise as Deku shakes his head tiredly.
"He wants to be a hero so badly, and he won't wait until after he graduated from high school. I’ve lost count of the number of times I had to pick him up from the police station because of illegal quirk use. Fortunately, I've made friends with a lieutenant in the force, so he keeps my son out of jail. For now.” He looks at Katsuki, eyes light with teasing. “Can you guess what his hero name is?”
Katsuki grimaces. “Don’t tell me it’s Dynamight Jr or Dynaboy.”
Deku giggles, and the sound easily rips through the tension between them. “Close. The All-Mighty Explodoboy.”
Katsuki groans. “That’s so fucking lame!”
“Says Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight."
“Hey, that's an amazing name!”
“Of course, you think so,” Deku chuckles. “I’m just glad my son didn’t include ‘murder’ in his hero name too.”
“Tsk, it would've made it much cooler," Katsuki grumbles, earning himself another lovely laugh. The knots in his gut begin to uncoil.
“Maybe,” Deku sighs fondly. “But you see my point, don’t you?”
Katsuki pauses, turning Deku’s words over in his head. “Not really,” he admits. “Your brat gets into trouble, sure, but he does it with the best of intentions.”
He looks down at his hands. “I can’t say the same for me.”
“Even so,” Deku insists. “Look, I’m not making up excuses for your actions back then, Kacchan. But I know people change. Kids grow up. And you, I’ve been watching you from afar." He gives Katsuki a knowing look.
"I’ve seen all the anti-bullying campaigns. I know that your agency has the highest percentage of Quirkless employees. If you hadn’t lobbied so aggressively against the Quirk discrimination laws, I’d be out of a job.”
Deku holds his gaze. “You’ve been atoning all this time, haven’t you?”
Katsuki ducks his head and feels the tips of his ears burning.
“It’s too little too late,” he laments, a white-knuckled grip on his knees. “Everything I did, the horrible things I said—“ he chokes, remembering the vile words that haunt his nightmares. “Every time I look back and see how much of a bastard I was to you, I think about how your life would’ve been better off without me in it.”
“I disagree,” Deku interjects. “Kacchan’s amazing. Always have been.”
Katsuki’s heart flutters.
“Whenever I look at you, I—I feel like I can do anything ." A nostalgic gleam passes through Deku's eyes. "Like the sun, your light burns me sometimes, but it also nourishes and inspires me every day."
Deku raises the Dynamight card and turns it over so the sunlight catches on the holographic film, projecting a kaleidoscope of colors on his pale face.
“After learning that I was quirkless, everything just sucked for a while. But then I saw you, so defiant against our teachers and the older kids, and I realized that if Kacchan were in my place, he’d never give up no matter what the world says.”
He reaches over and gently cups Katsuki’s cheek, forcing their eyes to meet. “So I decided not to give up too.”
His breath hitches, heart pounding in his chest. Deku’s fingers are cold, but his touch sparks a warmth that spreads from Katsuki’s face to the rest of his body.
“I don’t think it needs to be said, but I’ll say it anyway,” Deku whispers. “I forgive you, Kacchan. I’ve forgiven you a long time ago. And I—“ Deku’s voice cracks, his lower lip wobbling. “I’m so glad,” he adds. “That I was able to tell you how much you mean to me before…before…”
Deku trails off, hand dropping from his face.
Something was wrong. Katsuki tries to wait, but the nerd seems to be lost in a daze. The resulting silence draws out longer than Katsuki could take, and he finally gives in to his curiosity.
“What’s going on, De-Izuku?”
Deku’s mouth twitches at his hasty correction, and the gloom in his eyes lifts a little. “It’s alright if you keep calling me that, Kacchan,” he says. “That name doesn’t mean the same thing it once did to me anymore.”
He looks back at the photo on the bedside table.
“When Kazuma was little, he kept misreading my name too. But he didn’t know that the kanji was meant to read ‘useless’—instead, his teacher told him that my name sounds like ‘dekiru’.” He sniffs. “My son thinks I’m the Deku who ‘does his best,’ and that’s the type of Deku I’ve always aspired to be. I know I didn’t become a hero, but I’m still proud of the life I’ve lived. I've had a pretty good run, no matter how short it is."
It was a heartwarming story, but the tears edging out of Deku’s eyes hit differently.
“Deku,” Katsuki insists, and removes his gloves, placing a hand over the nerd’s trembling fingers. Deku stiffens but he doesn’t pull away. “Why are you here?”
Deku looks at him as if searching for something. Then he closes his eyes and lets a few tears spill out. He takes a deep, shuddering breath.
When he opens them again, Katsuki finds sad, green eyes looking back at him.
“Kacchan,” he says, quietly. “I’m dying.”