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Todoroki has a bad feeling about this whole mission, from the moment they got the call that Deku was wreaking havoc on the outskirts of the city again.
Todoroki, having one of the strongest Quirks in the agency, spearheads the mission to apprehend or at least frighten off Deku and rescue as many civilians as possible. Thankfully it’s not in the heart of the city, Endeavor says. During rush hour, the collateral damage and death total would be enormous. Deku has the decency to pick on a smaller bit of town, but it’s near a kindergarten, the fucker.
Things go to shit when Bakugou stands up, his chair scratching sharply against the ground.
“I’m going too,” he says. Not a request.
Endeavor’s flames flicker at the insubordination. “We need you here,” he says. “If there’s a secondary villain attack—”
“Then you go stop them,” Bakugou snaps. “I’m going with that half-and-half bastard.”
Endeavor doesn’t like it. Todoroki doesn’t like it, doesn’t like him. They clash. They’re both too headstrong for their own good and it makes a mess of things when they’re partnered up together, because Bakugou doesn’t take orders very well. But even Bakugou respects Endeavor’s authority. The fact that he would defy him means he’s made up his mind. Neither of the Todorokis have the time or energy to argue with him when he’s like that.
But Todoroki knows Deku. He knows how Deku likes to talk. And Todoroki knows Bakugou. Bakugou likes to respond to insults. Violently. And the two of them were—once upon a time—childhood friends. It’s a bad combination. Endeavor knows it, Todoroki knows it, Bakugou knows it. But he’s still standing there with smoke coming from his palms and eyes burning. Bakugou is going on this mission.
On the way to Deku’s location, Bakugou is quiet. Todoroki doesn’t like how unusually not-mouthy he is. The look of contemplation and furrowed brow don’t suit him. Bakugou looks—he looks worried, but that can’t be right. Bakugou never worried about anything. And he hadn’t shown any hesitation in attacking his childhood friend in past battles, either.
When they arrive on the scene, all is quiet. Building are decimated, power lines down, small fires in the collapsed shell of buildings and a fire hydrant cracked and spewing water. Todoroki doesn’t see any bodies in the rubble, and any screaming that may have happened in the heat of battle has long faded. The quiet picks at the back of Todoroki’s mind, like an itch.
“No sign of him yet,” Todoroki says into his receiver. Bakugou ignores the wariness of the rest of their response team and marches in one direction.
He knows this street, Todoroki thinks before he calls out, “Bakugou. Don’t get headstrong on me in the middle of a fight.”
Bakugou glances back, slows his pace. Todoroki blinks in surprise. Bakugou doesn’t look furious. He’s not snarling or blasting his palms. His brows are still pinched tight. Todoroki sees a muscle in his jaw move.
Todoroki tilts his head to the side. Bakugou is worried.
“What’s going on?” Todoroki asks. He moves towards Bakugou, out of the range of their other team members, their safety net. “Bakugou, what’s going on?”
Bakugou’s fists clench and unclench. He looks towards the direction he was walking, to Todoroki, to the ground, back to Todoroki. “They’re just kids,” he says, voice strained. “They’re—” He bites off his words, growling. “I know them, okay?”
Gears are starting to click into place in Todoroki’s head. Bakugou, knowing those kindergarteners. Bakugou and Deku’s childhood together. The fact that it was here and not anywhere else.
“Fall back,” Todoroki says. “Fall back, this is an ambush—”
He hears a gurgle behind him and whips around. Two members of the Villain Alliance gut and slit the throats of his support. Todoroki watches one of them cough up blood and the other two crumple like sack of flour, bleeding from their stomachs. Their bodies jerk once, twice before they are still. And just like that, Todoroki and Bakugou are on their own with two villains. No. Three.
“Oh wow, you really came, Kacchan!” Deku exclaims.
Todoroki turns to search for the voice, but Bakugou has already spotted him, blowing a few warning blasts. Deku sits perched on top of the wrecks of one of the buildings, propping his arm against his knee and resting his head in his hand. His ankles are crossed and he kicks his legs back and forth, absentmindedly.
Deku’s eyes fall to Todoroki. “As expected, the prince of heroes figured out my plans faster than I could enact them,” Deku says, smiling warmly. “I’m not here for you today, though.”
That leaves only one option. “What do you want with me, Deku?” Bakugou snaps.
“Nothing much,” Deku says. “I want to have a little chat, for old time’s sake.”
“Come down here, then,” Bakugou calls, sneering. “I just want to talk, I swear.”
Deku raises an eyebrow, unperturbed. “Do you remember,” he says, “when you blasted my hero notebook and threw it out the window, just because you could? I always wanted to ask you—why did you do that, Kacchan?”
“I don’t know,” Bakugou says, baring his teeth. “Probably because I sensed the root of evil in you and wanted to snuff that light out before you got anywhere. Should have blasted your face off, in hindsight.”
“As expected,” Deku says, shaking his head. “The only language you understand is violence, huh, Kacchan?”
“And yet, you’re still talking,” Bakugou says.
“Some things can’t be discussed with fists flying,” Deku says. “Anyway, all I wanted to say is that I’ll never forget that day. You taught me something very important that I only came to realize later.”
Under his breath, Bakugou mutters, “This outta be good. “ Aloud, Bakugou calls, “Yeah? What’s that?”
“The arrogance of heroes,” Deku says, smiling. “You think you’re invincible because you have a strong Quirk. You forget the eyes watching you, monitoring you, analyzing you. I learned that you can defeat any hero if you observe them long enough, find their weak spot. You taught me that, Kacchan. Thank you.”
Todoroki shifts, uncomfortable. It was true that Deku seemed borderline undefeatable because he always seemed to know the heroes’ weak points before they even engaged in battle, defeating heroes left and right and never giving them a chance to find his weak point. They’d always assumed they had some kind of Quirk-detector villain on their side, or a psychic but…but was it really all just years of observation? That would make sense why strong, fledgling heroes did best against him.
“You taught me something, too,” Bakugou says. He raises his arm, pointing his grenade blaster at Deku. “All villains are the same—boring ass speeches about things I don’t care about.” He grips the pin.
“You won’t shoot me,” Deku says.
“Yeah? Give me a good reason why I won’t,” Bakugou says.
“I can think of twenty-four very small, frightened reasons why,” Deku says.
Todoroki’s blood runs cold. The kindergarteners… He glances at Bakugou. Bakugou looks gutted. His arm drops to his side weakly. He’s gritting his teeth, but his eyes are wide, unable to decide between disbelief, anger, and concern. Todoroki thought…he thought he knew Deku, but this was…
“You wouldn’t,” Bakugou says, voice raw. “They’re children, even you would never—”
“Of course I wouldn’t,” Deku says. “God, I’m a villain, not a monster.”
Bakugou looks as stunned as Todoroki feels. Had they walked into another one of his traps?
Deku sighs and pulls out a thin notebook from the back of his belt. “Bakugou Katsuki,” he reads in a monotone voice. “Explosive, reckless, and easily baited. Has holes in his defense, but a quick thinker. Puts a lot of effort into disguising emotional vulnerability. Volunteers at the kindergarten on his days off. Beloved by children. Probable weak spot—am I getting it all?”
Bakugou’s jaw drops. “You used them as a trap?”
“Yes, Kacchan,” Deku says. “I’m actually quite smart, not that you would have noticed. I’ve thought you were amazing, even as a child, so I watched you closely. It’s incredible that this information can have such practical uses, though.”
“How dare you,” Bakugou spits. “You fucking shitstain. You would really lower yourself to using children as bait.”
“They were never in any danger,” Deku says. “I don’t really care about them. It’s you I’m concerned with. I have a little experiment I’d like to run, if that’s okay with you.”
“That’s enough,” Todoroki says, stepping forward, between Bakugou and Deku. “You’ve made your point; you know our weaknesses. This doesn’t have to end in a fight.”
“Shouto, sweetheart, please stay out of this,” Deku says. “I wouldn’t want to get my associates involved in this situation, but if you interfere with me, I will have to interfere with you.” He winks at Todoroki, and Todoroki feels a shiver run down his spine. “Don’t worry; I have plans for you, too. Later.”
There’s something wrong. More than the setup, more than Deku’s knowledge of Bakugou, more than their strategic isolation from other heroes.
“This is a matter between childhood friends,” Deku says, and the way he says it makes Todoroki think this situation is actually far more dangerous than it appears.
“How about I tell you more of your vulnerabilities?” Deku suggests, addressing Bakugou.
Bakugou shoves Todoroki back, out of the way. “Go ahead,” Bakugou says. “Now that I know the kids are fine, I’m going to blow you sky high.”
“All Might is your next weakness,” Deku says, and Todoroki sees Bakugou falter again, which is two times more than he had ever seen Bakugou falter. All Might? The number one hero had disappeared right when the world needed him most, when Deku and Sensei appeared and the Villain Alliance started gaining momentum.
“I idolized him, like you did,” Bakugou says. “Congrats, you know about my shitty kid dreams. Great ‘weakness,’ jackass.”
“You know his secret,” Deku says. “So do I.”
Bakugou bristles. “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he says.
“Sure I do,” Deku says. “His Quirk is One For All. It’s passed on from successor to successor. And because of his injury and passing it on, All Might can no longer fight like he used to. He’s hospitalized.”
“How,” Bakugou chokes, “could you possibly—”
“Oh, didn’t you know?” Deku says, looking at his nails. “I’m All Might’s successor.”
Bakugou goes stock still. Todoroki, who barely understands what’s going on himself, starts to make the same connections. If All Might passed on his Quirk, then he must have given it to Deku before he turned to the villains. It made sense—Deku’s Quirk was said to rival All Might’s, and with this information, it was because he shared the same Quirk as All Might. But that would mean Deku had somehow—
“You tricked All Might?” Bakugou says. “You?”
“I guess, yeah,” Deku says.
“You motherfucker,” Bakugou snarls. He takes a step forward. “All that talk of admiring him, of wanting to be a hero like him—it was all a scam, wasn’t it? How long have you been planning to betray our hero?”
“I wasn’t always like this,” Deku snaps. He stands too, pacing atop the crumbling concrete and steel. “I wanted to be a hero, once. But All Might was the last of his kind. When you were trapped, no one came to save you. When that girl fell in front of the robot in the UA exam, no one came to save her, either. Everyone’s in it for the fame or the money. It disgusts me.”
“So you just—you just stole All Might’s power—”
“Silly Kacchan,” Deku says, waggling his finger. “I didn’t steal it; he gave it to me. Under Sensei’s guidance, I learned how to master it. If that means I sucked the life from All Might, it’s one unfortunate casualty in an attempt to make things right.” He leans forward. “Don’t you see, Kacchan? The world is in dire need of real heroes. I’m going to force real heroes to make a comeback by squeezing the current hero agencies until they burst.”
“People have died,” Todoroki says. “You’re okay with that, in your crusade?”
“Of course,” Deku says. “It wouldn’t be a squeeze if people weren’t dying.”
“You’re revolting,” Bakugou says. “You’re scum. I’m going to kill you.”
“Nah,” Deku says. “You want to know what’s really revolting though? Revoltingly touching?”
Bakugou’s face falls in the pause Deku leaves hanging. He frowns, thinking, and then his eyes widen. Bakugou’s already pale skin takes on an ashen tone. “No,” he says, “You didn’t see—”
“Of course I saw,” Deku says. “I’ve been waiting for this day for years.”
He clutches his heart dramatically. “Bakugou Katsuki, one of the few people to know of All Might’s condition, visiting him every day in the hospital, bringing him flowers or a new book to read. Who knew Kacchan had a heart underneath all the bark and bite?”
“That was personal, you fucker,” Bakugou snarls, voice shaking and palms smoking.
“You even cried a little, didn’t you?” Deku says. “Cried at his side, implored him not to die. Told him the world needed him. Talked to him about your work. Kept him company. How unlike you to care about another human being so intensely.”
“I know your game,” Bakugou says slowly. “You still care about him. This is all a ploy to attack me since I’m in the place you want to be.”
“Figured that out all on your own, huh,” Deku says dryly. “Of course I want to be by his side. Congratulations on the obvious.”
Bakugou bristles.
“But that’s not really why you’re angry, is it, Kacchan?” Deku asks. “I think it’s something else. I think you’re wondering how All Might could have overlooked someone as powerful as you as his successor and instead went for the one that turned into a villain. Are you jealous? Or just disappointed in him? How could he have made that mistake?”
Deku leaps down to the ground, landing solidly. “I think you know why, Kacchan,” he says.
Todoroki feels it in the air, electricity sparking between the two of them, reaching a fever pitch. Bakugou tenses, ready to spring now that Deku was within striking range. Deku, on the other hand, looks completely comfortable with his situation.
“It’s because I’m stronger than you, Kacchan,” Deku says, grinning. “You’ve known this all along. You tried to comfort yourself with the thought that I was Quirkless. Surely a Quirkless nobody would be below you.”
“Shut up,” Bakugou says.
“But you were wrong, and you knew it,” Deku says. “I had more heart than you ever did. More goodness in me than your sad, bully brain could comprehend. You poor, stupid fool. You tried so hard to pretend like you were the best.”
“Shut up, shut up,” Bakugou whispers.
“What’s it feel like, knowing you lost to a Quirkless loser? What’s it feel like to have to beat people up to reassure yourself that you have any worth? What’s it feel like to fake your strength? What’s it feel like, knowing All Might chose a villain over you?”
“Shut up, shut up, shut up!” Bakugou howls, launching himself at Deku with a blast.
Deku’s eyes shine and his smile doesn’t falter. Todoroki sees Deku’s fist curl, sees the bright sparks of energy dance along and under his skin as he activates his Quirk. He braces himself with one foot back, and prepares to punch Bakugou. Prepares to kill him.
Todoroki isn’t fast enough to warn Bakugou. He’s too slow to see through the design of Deku’s plot and because of that, he’s going to lose another comrade.
There’s a flash of red, and then Kirishima appears, racing past Todoroki without hesitation and putting himself between Bakugou and Deku’s swings.
Bakugou’s blast barely touches Kirishima, but Deku’s blow hits him dead-on in the side. The force of Deku’s punch sends both Kirishima and Bakugou flying back and smashing into a concrete wall, collapsing into each other. Todoroki whips his head around to see that Crimson Riot’s hero agency had sent a team to assist Todoroki’s team, probably because he hadn’t responded to Endeavor.
“Stand down, villain Deku,” one of Crimson Riot’s people says. “We have you surrounded.”
Deku clicks his tongue. “Damn,” he says. “I missed.” And without even acknowledging Todoroki’s back-up, he walks towards Kirishima and Bakugou.
------------------------------------
Bakugou comes to his senses slowly. His instincts are screaming at him, telling him he needs to get up and get the hell ready to fight, but his ears are still ringing and he’s probably got a concussion from smashing his head against hard concrete. He fights against the black seeping in at the corner of his eyes. There’s something more important going on—if he could just focus—
Oh, right. Deku.
Deku had taken a swing at him, the little punk bitch. He sure could hit. Bakugou got the wind knocked out of him, probably cracked a few ribs too. Still, was he holding back on him or something? A punch like that should have killed him. Shitty Deku, getting him so angry and then toying with him like he was nothing.
Bakugou’s lap is very, very warm.
It’s annoying. He shifts uncomfortably, but there’s something in his lap, holding him down. He shoves at it, grunting in irritation. He has to stand up, has to get ready to fight. Deku wouldn’t let him go this easily. He’s aware of fighting in the distance—the other villains, he remembers.
His hand comes back bloody.
Bakugou’s mind slows down. Slows way down. He remembers—faintly—swinging at Deku. He remembers Deku preparing to swing back at him. And then there was this blur, something red and tan and black and hard in between him and Deku. Bakugou looks down to see Kirishima in his lap, or what was probably once Kirishima.
Kirishima’s Quirk is hardening. It’s a dumbshit Quirk, really fucking hard to turn into a combat ability when it was designed to defend. He would have been better off teaming up with Bakugou as a pro-hero duo instead of going on to Crimson Riot’s agency. Yeah, he had a really great defensive Quirk—but Deku had All Might’s power.
Kirishima’s side is caved in. His skin is purple and red and bleeding. There’re—there’re bits of something sticking out of his side. His arm is twisted at an awkward, impossible angle, and there’re bits sticking out of his arm, too. His breath is wheezy and faint, and his eyes are closed.
“Eijirou,” Bakugou says, voice cracking. He reaches out a shaking hand to touch Kirishima’s head, to understand what the hell was going on that Kirishima was here, why was he here?
And then Kirishima is dragged from him, dragged across the dirt roughly, like he was nothing. Bakugou bolts forward, a migraine pounding his skull and his vision swimming. He tries to scream, be careful with him! He tries to say, give him back to me! He tries to make any kind of snarl to get Deku to release his hold on Kirishima’s shattered arm, but Deku pulls Kirishima away from him without even glancing at Bakugou.
“Please,” Bakugou whispers. “He needs a hospital; please, please, please—”
Bakugou doesn’t even know what he’s begging for. Doesn’t even fully recognize that he’s begging. The words tumble from his mouth before he can stop and think about them. He tries to crawl towards Kirishima, but his limbs are weak and floppy.
“He didn’t—” Bakugou says. “He was trying to help, he didn’t mean to—please, just leave him alone.”
He can’t save him. He can’t save him He can’t save him.
“I hate doing this,” Deku sighs. “Red Riot is a good hero; one of the few good heroes that came out of UA. I really, really didn’t want to do this to him.”
“Don’t—” Bakugou says as Deku crushes the entirety of Kirishima’s rib cage under his foot.
Kirishima doesn’t even get a last wheeze. He flops boneless against the ground, an empty, ruined vessel.
Bakugou doesn’t remember standing. Doesn’t remember screaming. Doesn’t remember swinging. All he remembers is that it was the first time in his life he’d really and truly wanted to kill someone.
Deku pierces his chest like a hot knife through butter.
Bakugou’s blasts fizzle out to nothing. He hangs there, impaled on Deku’s arm, shock killing any sense of pain he had from having an arm shoved through his chest. Blood chokes his throat, gagging him, and he spits in out, splattering against Deku’s villain costume.
“You always lead with a big right swing,” Deku says. “Especially when you’re angry.”
Bakugou looks at him, and Deku smiles.
“There it is,” he says. “That’s what I want to see. You have such a strong sense of bravado, Kacchan. It’s an honor to see you really and truly afraid. You’re going to die, Kacchan. I missed your heart, but it’ll be relatively quick. Your vision will start to fade, your breaths will get shorter and weaker, and you’ll feel cold seep into your body.”
Bakugou’s eyes burn.
“Don’t worry about Kirishima,” Deku says. “You’ll see him soon. For now, just take in the fact that you are dying at the hand of the one you called a defenseless guppy, a pebble in your path. Tell me, Kacchan: how does it feel to be utterly defeated?”
Bakugou closes his eyes.