Work Text:
It was a busy day in Tokyo, Japan.
At 6 in the evening the streets were bustling; salarymen, students and various individuals of different professions rushing to the crowded train stations, taxis, buses and most public transportation filled on a Friday rush hour. One by one the tall towers started to light up, the entire city covered in neon lights. Red, orange, green— the crossroads were packed. The weather itself was also not helping. It was cold and drizzling but definitely not unusual for a rainy month like June.
Cling. Cling.
“Irashaimase!”
Katsuki clicked his tongue as he lowered his hood, heading inside the store and not even sparing a glance. His jacket was dripping wet and water trickled down the floor but too bad the workers aren’t brave enough to approach a rather strong looking customer. Perhaps it was the scowl on his face? The blonde hair? Red eyes? His friends always told him that he had quite intimidating features but he originally wasn’t even the friendly type of guy.
He was quite familiar with this scenery of shelves and shelves of books. In the corner, a group of people was crowding on a certain display— Revolutionary by Deku, released last year, but still up for display due to strong demand. A best-seller; always sold out online and frequently restocked. There were tons and tons of fan art, people of all ages and critiques praising it online. The reviews were good, incredible even. Most of the author’s work was well-known both local and overseas, it couldn’t get any better than that.
Then again, this writer, Deku, has always been a mystery. Despite all the fame and praise, he has never appeared to the public nor conducted a signing event. He had a twitter account but that was it— no photos of his face or friends, and mostly updates about his books and messages replying to fans. No one knew his true identity, just his alias. And although he lived somewhere in Japan, people assumed that it was most likely somewhere far, far, away from the center of the city due to his frequent radio silence.
“Pluton was also good though—“
“You mean his second work? It was quite short,”
“I wonder if he’s going to make a sequel—“
“Ah, if it’s a sequel then maybe Last Sentence—“
Katsuki walked down the aisle, heading towards the commercial section. He could still hear those girls talk about Deku’s work, quite critical but also filled with compliments. Nowadays it was quite difficult for a novel to gain popularity in the market. It’d have to compete against works like manga and comics, types of popular printed text to the Japanese public. Perhaps that was another reason why Deku’s work was so admired— defying trends, universal controversies, and topics mixed with metaphors of real human life. Japanese readers were quite philosophical after all.
The blonde stared at the displayed section, contemplating for a good minute and a half. He couldn’t remember which fashion magazine he was supposed to buy. Gritting his teeth, he opted for the next best option which was to buy one of each, of course. The workers at the store sent him worried glances before he headed to the counter to pay. None of their business, he thought.
“Will this be all?”
He nodded, handing the cashier his credit card, watching her wrap it in a paper bag.
Ethical but would definitely not go well with the rain outside. Complaining about it would be petty though so he simply kept his mouth shut, trying to find a way not to get the package wet since he obviously did not have an umbrella today.
Ding. Dong.
Izuku blinked, getting off his laptop before heading towards the door of his apartment, opening it to see a very wet and upset childhood friend of his. Upset was a bad term, annoyed would be more fitting. Katsuki’s clothes were drenched from head to toe, jacket folded in an unusual way. There was a small puddle forming beneath his feet, the blonde taking his shoes off before entering.
“You should have taken a cab, Kacchan!”
Red-eyes focused on green. This was the famed Deku they were talking about?
Katsuki had known him since he was six and he wasn’t really anything that special. He was just a nerd who liked staying inside most of the days. Sure, from time to time Izuku would go to the gym that the building had but that was it. He’d rarely go and hang out with friends.
“There weren’t any and I didn’t want to wait,”
Since it was crowded and a little rain wasn’t going to hurt. It was also just a ten-minute walk from the main street here. It wasn’t that big of a deal.
“Let me borrow your bathroom, shitty nerd,”
Not even waiting for permission, Katsuki headed towards Izuku’s room, knowing his way around. It was a rather large unit located on the eighth floor of the Minato ward. Even though it only had one bedroom, the bathroom, and the living room was huge. He insisted for Izuku to invest in a nice place since he had the means to do. Also, the kitchen was nice—the main deciding factor he’d say.
“Your clothes are—“
“In your closet, I know!”
It wasn’t unusual for the other to drop by or stay over once in a while. Their mothers— Inko and Katsumi were best friends so they’ve known each other since they were children. They’ve had a rough patch during middle school, a fall out in high school but that was easily fixed during their second year. It was a misunderstanding on the blonde’s part and now that they look back on it, the fights did seem quite unnecessary.
Izuku walked towards the kitchen counter where the other’s jacket was, opening it to see a damp file of magazines. The paper bag was already ripping and the pages were slightly bleeding into each other but the damage wasn’t that big. Also, since the cover was glossy, the water only seeped through a few parts. He sweatdropped when he realized that there were four despite having asked Katsuki to only buy one. He could somehow guess what happened though.
And oh, the jacket. He’d have to put it in the drier later since it was raining outside.
Plopping back down on the couch, magazines on the coffee table, Izuku scrolled through his laptop trying to remember which page he was as at. The light reflected unto his glasses, quite fashionable and convenient, in courtesy of Katsuki of course. The blonde was rather fashionable, much more than he was which was why he relied on him when it came to things like clothes and accessories.
Click. Click.
Izuku narrowed his eyes at a certain paragraph, looking discontented.
He became an author right after he finished college. It was a four-year course and it has been three years since then. He worked countless sleepless nights on his final output, hoping that it was enough to get the teachers interested. His first work was called Last Sentence, a crime/mystery novel that talked about the unequal power in law and justice, a story full of heartbreak, revenge, and portrayals about society. Because of the genre, it was expected to not sell well but unexpectedly, a lot of people said that it was a good read.
So good that a few weeks later, a publisher came with a book offer and it progressed just like that.
Currently, things weren’t going so good though. Izuku, for the first time in forever, was experiencing what they call a writer’s block.
“You’re still on page 10?”
Katsuki sat down on the spot next to him, hair still slightly damp. Izuku groaned, throwing his head back to the couch, not trying to stare at the blank screen in front of him. Eight days into writing and he was still in the introduction part, not even one-third of the introduction part. He had thought of a flexible plot but now that he had to write it down, it all didn’t seem that good of a storyline. He was getting quite indecisive. If he went through with what he had in mind now he was sure that he’d get stuck later.
“Why do you have a file titled I HATE EVERYTHING open?”
The blonde asked, noticing the document name. He snickered as he scrolled through, pressing the down the key.
“Wow, this seems really deep.”
Blank page. Blank page. Blank page. Blank page. Was this guy even taking this seriously?
“This is thought-provoking. Beautifully written. I think this will be a worldwide seller again, Deku,”
“I don’t know what to write,”
“Fuck,”
At times like these, leave it up to Katsuki to voice out what they’re both thinking. There hasn’t been an instance like this before. Izuku had always been quick and productive when it came to writing. He had pages full of ideas, character breakdowns as well as sources and references to follow. Writing was natural to him and if he was stuck… well. This was kind of his first writer’s block so he didn’t really know what to do. Was he supposed to wait it out? Contact his publisher? The latter seemed a bad option since they already had a meeting a few days ago he couldn’t just back out.
“When’s your deadline again?”
“September 19,”
“That’s in less than three months,”
Two months and a half to be more exact.
“And I even went to the store because you said you needed reference for your character’s clothes,”
“Kacchan,”
The author wailed, closing his laptop and lying down the couch, feet landing on his childhood friend’s lap. The blonde clicked his tongue while Izuku hugged a pillow close to his chest.
“Stop reminding me that I have deadlines. And thank you for buying magazines. Four is a bit excessive though.”
It brought a lot of pressure, much more now that he had no plausible storyline. He wasn’t receiving demands from his publisher to put out a best seller but it sure did feel like it. Also, he thought that it would be embarrassing to put out one that was rushed.
“Isn’t that it? Since you always write crime, you’re out of ideas,”
“You think so?”
“After four books it’s bound to run out, nerd,”
Well, Katsuki did have a point. Four books worth 300 pages each was bound to exhaust someone’s imagination no matter how skillful. Plus, those four weren’t even connected, they were stand-alone novels. Unlike certain genres, you could only do so much with mystery and crime without making it seem cliché. If it wasn’t good then the readers were better off buying Sherlock Holmes. There were tons of good works out there.
Izuku groaned, closing the file and creating a new one entitled OH NO.
“This is a love story, Midoriya,”
Izuku’s editor, Aizawa Shota said after he finished reading the draft. It took the author eight weeks to finish 300 pages, leaving the remaining sixteen days for editing and proofreading. It was quite a sprint since he had already wasted quite a bit of time prior to starting. The author’s efforts were visible on the bags under his eyes due to the lack of sleep. He was a professional, he could do this.
“I didn’t expect you to write a romance novel,”
They were holding a one-on-one meeting in a coffee shop; table littered with a cup of Americano, a Macha frappe, a cinnamon bun, and a breakfast sandwich. There was a dreadful expression on the older male’s face, one which consisted of too much work and stress. Izuku tilted his head to the side, wondering if the other interpreted it wrong. He didn’t write a love story. All his works were about crime and mystery, with a bit of thriller on the side.
“No, it's not. It’s crime/mystery,”
“It’s a love story,”
Aizawa insisted, tone saying that he was not going to back off no matter what. He had a master's degree in literature and he’s been the editor of various writers before. He also had years and years of experience in this field. What made Izuku think he could fool him? Also, he’s read the work at least twice trying to search for plot holes during the third. This wasn’t because of his reading comprehension; it was because of the work itself. Aizawa was a hundred percent convinced that Izuku’s draft was of the romance genre.
“That—“
Izuku tried to reason out but the other seemed to be ignoring him, panning through the pages.
“Page 78, Kingpin visits Ground Zero’s house because he’s injured and although he’s a villain he’s asking for a hero’s help. There’s an entire scene where he talks about how he wants to prevent the outbreak of quirks from happening in the future because there’s a possibility of evolution, this Lesser Theory of his,”
“Well, it’s because he can’t really go to the hospital and Ground Zero is—“
“Let’s talk about how Ground Zero won’t surrender Kingpin to the police? Or how he has these quote-unquote secret meetings with the villain? Or how Kingpin’s the missing childhood friend? Explain why he says that he’s giving up just so that Ground Zero gets credibility. Or how Kingpin literally dies in Ground Zero’s arms?”
“Uhh…”
“What about the four-page long monologue on why Kingpin thinks that justice is alive because of Ground Zero? Or how Ground Zero’s begging Kingpin to stop his villainy?”
“It’s… It’s really not a love story though, sensei,”
Izuku remarked, trying to clarify things. He certainly did not mean to convey that type of message. It was supposed to be about villains and heroes fighting each other—a battle between good and evil, light and darkness, justice and criminals.
“I based it on the relationship between me and Kacchan. I can’t be.”
Aizawa narrowed his eyes at his protégé before groaning exasperatedly.
“Are you kidding me? That childhood friend of yours who always drops by your apartment to cook dinner? That Bakugo who buys you reference materials? Does that not tell you anything, problem child?”
Izuku grumbled, gently hitting his head on the table. The older male knew that the younger was a bit naïve and dense but he didn’t expect it to be this bad. He kind of pitied the blonde to be honest. Perhaps this was the side effect of Izuku focusing on the crime genre way too much. Or cramming 300 pages in eight weeks in general. They really needed to get that head of his fixed. He was already twenty-five for goodness sake.
“Do you not like Bakugo?”
“Of course I do! Kacchan’s amazing!”
The response was instantaneous and Aizawa almost smiled. Of course, he did, it kind of reflected on his work—the rivalry, the process of logically trying to break down difficult situations together, picking bad choices but making up in the end. The entire work itself was basically homage to how great of a hero Ground Zero was despite his spit-fire personality. Sure, although the main character, Kingpin was a villain, Izuku did nothing to justify his evil deeds. It was almost like he was downplaying himself.
“And this is your work. If you’re Kingpin here and Bakugo’s Ground Zero, you almost make it seem like you’re in love,”
“I am?”
“That’s what it looks like to me,”
Now he was confused. Sure, he liked Katsuki but their relationship was purely platonic. He’d never thought about it before, not in that way at least. Not to mention the fact that the other was definitely not interested in him! Izuku had spent his entire youth running after Katsuki’s back but the other never turned back once, that was evidence enough. At some point, he had grown tired and stopped running—
“Have you realized it yet?”
Aizawa teasingly held up the folder and Izuku groaned, not really understanding anything at this point. He’d just keep quiet then, not say anything about the genre. Deep in his heart, he knew that it was a crime/mystery novel. There were villains after all and the police as well. Plus there was theft, killing, and guns. No romance novel would be that dark. There was also too much action. He was the author, he out of all people should know.
“Is it good? Should I make revisions?”
“It’s good. I stayed up three nights reading it. You should make revisions though. You use the word pretty way too much when describing Bakugo,”
Izuku groaned for the third time of the day.
The hero’s eyes flashed to his. They were ringed with gold—stunning. Even with bruises, the man was alluring. Like wildfire, or a summer storm swept in off the Gulf of Oro. This man wasn’t like wildfire—he was wildfire, deadly and uncontrollable, slightly out of his wits. Amidst flashing lights of Hosu, the red named Ground Zero seemed to glow. Kingpin was amused, a smile showing up his face as he moved closer towards the building’s edge, a hand extending out to him.
“Stop right fucking there!” the hero screamed; face distorted in anger after the two-hour goose chase he’s played with the heroes and police. This was starting to get tiring and he just wanted to rest. Also, this guy was pissing him off. “You’re under arrest, villain. Don’t fucking jump!”
Kingpin slightly tilted his head to the side, chuckling at the remark, “Will you also arrest me if I jump?”
“You can’t jump; shitty nerd. You’re quirkless and you’ll die. For a mastermind, you’re pretty dumb—“
Red eyes widened when Kingpin moved one foot backward and started to fall. Above their heads, a helicopter hovered, the spotlight on them, legs dashing on the rooftop trying to make it in time.
There was a smile on his face, unreadable for the other since he had a mask. The villain saw Ground Zero jumping in tow, quirk at work with his arms extending out before they wrapped around his shoulders. For once Kingpin felt a bit warm, not counting the adrenaline rush and curses shouted at his ear. It definitely felt like jumping off a hundred story building, kind of like he just won a race.
“Caught you!”
Ruby-red met green.
“So when are you going to pop the question, dude?”
Kaminari asked all the while biting into his bacon double cheddar cheeseburger. Their squad—Kirishima, Mina, Kaminari, Katsuki, and Sero always met up during the weekends to talk and hang out. Most likely because they weren’t the type to remain sitting in one place, except for their explosive friend that is. Kirishima curiously stared at his friend, the rest just as curious and interested.
“I’m not,”
Mina groaned. This whole push-pull thing has been going on since their third-year in high school. It was during that period in time wherein Bakugo Katsuki realized that he had feelings for his childhood friend, Midoriya Izuku. It’s been seven years since then and the blonde was still convinced that he’d somehow make the other confess first. Ah, the pride boys have. Also, it’s not like Izuku noticed as well. The boy’s as dense as a rock it’s so painful to watch.
“He’s not gonna confess to you first,”
“He will just you wait and see,”
“Midori’s not the aggressive type, you know,”
A statement that made Katsuki scowl because Izuku's aggressive enough. He’s aggressive when he wants to stay at home, aggressive whenever he makes a mistake in his work, aggressive whenever Katsuki refuses to cook Katsudon because it’s way too fucking unhealthy. Then again, what do these people know? They probably thought that Izuku was some soft boy or some shit. They all had the wrong idea and Katsuki could present multiple pieces of evidence to support his claim.
Also, why does he have to confess first?
“Man, I don’t really want to hear you complaining about him again. Just go and date him already!”
Kaminari prayed to the gods, hoping that someone would play cupid. They’ve done it multiple times before but it just doesn’t work. They needed someone of a higher caliber, someone powerful—they needed an adult. Because they could hardly be considered as one with all the junk food they ate on a daily basis. Katsuki and Kirishima were exceptions since they went to the gym but still, those guys had personality issues as well.
“Just tell him that you’re gay, Bakugo. He might get conscious,”
“I’M NOT FUCKING GAY!”
“Oh yeah, I forgot. Exclusive to Midoriya Izuku, my bad,”
Sero groaned, not really knowing what to do. Their friend wasn’t the type to get attracted to physical looks. He wasn’t the type to fall for just a good personality either. In conclusion, Bakugo Katsuki could only fall in love if he had a long on-going history with said person, an established relationship. Obviously, in his life, only one person fits the bill— the childhood friend. Mina was convinced that Izuku was the one because out of all the people they knew, said guy was the only person who would handle Katsuki’s brattiness and explosive tantrums.
“But the thing is… what if he’s already in love with someone else?”
Chew. Chew.
Mina ooh-ed while Katsuki sighed, confident in what he believed in.
“What’s this? Some sort of shoujo manga rom-com shit? He’s not in love with someone else,”
“Awfully confident, aren’t cha?”
The blonde frowned, remaining silent for a while. He knew that Izuku was just like him— someone who couldn’t fall in love with a new person, someone who could only fall in love unless they got to know that individual incredibly well. They’ve never talked about things like relationships after they made up during second-year. It was an odd feeling really, a thought which made Katsuki’s stomach drop a bit; Izuku in love with someone else that is.
“Just confess already, Bakugo. You have nothing to lose,”
A strange statement because Katsuki felt the exact opposite.
“Kacchan, synonyms for pretty—go!”
“Beautiful, dazzling, attractive— Why do you even need to use those words for a crime novel!?”
Katsuki asked looking up from the Katsudon he was cooking. They were celebrating because Izuku had finally finished his draft and was starting to edit. It usually took a few days before getting sent to Aizawa and being double-edited and proof-read by multiple people again. Grammar mistakes and misspellings were the last things they wanted upon publishing thus the many checks. The content itself was entirely up to the author though.
Izuku sweatdropped, fingers rapidly tapping on the keyboard in nervousness.
“Uhh… A character is trying to describe his lust for money. He’s… going to raid a bank,”
“It’s a bank raid story again!? Wasn’t Revolutionary about that as well?”
“It’s uhh… A sequel,”
Katsuki hummed in reply. Revolutionary was good, he’d have to say. It was probably his favorite book ever, or maybe he was just a bit biased. It was definitely the latter since he helped out in a few scenes. At least people were getting the sequel they deserved. Every time he passed by the bookstore’s section for Deku, people were always talking about it. The blonde tried to think of a few more words—good looking, lovely, gorgeous… Wait…
“If you were going to create a sequel why’d you get so dramatic then? I thought you were starting on a new novel, geez,”
The author froze on his seat, lips nervously pressed into a thin line. Katsuki was smart, everyone knew that. He had a degree in Nuclear Science and was currently working as a Chemist in one of the most prestigious pharmaceutical companies in Japan. Izuku found it annoying how his intuition was always on the spot. It made him a very, very difficult target to fool. Upon receiving no reply, Katsuki frowned, narrowing his eyes at Izuku who flinched at the stare. Please don’t ask, please don’t ask, please don’t ask.
“W-What is it?”
“You’re hiding something,”
“I’m not!”
“Is it about the book? Let me read it!”
He scowled at the other, all the while frying Katsudon. Izuku shook his head, not wanting Katsuki to read it and find out just yet. He’s become conscious ever since Aizawa pointed it out. The author blushed, trying not to look at his childhood friend. Maybe his editor was right, maybe it was indeed a love story. It wasn’t like he could just start over again. Hopefully, Katsuki wouldn’t notice…
Izuku silently cursed himself for basing the book on his real-life experience.
“You can’t read it yet!”
“Why!? You let me read the first three!”
“Kazama-san,” the villain mumbled under his breath. “Your real name is Kazama Kenji-san.”
The other scowled, pressing his hand harder against Kingpin’s wound. That was indeed his name, his civilian name. On the field, he was known as Ground Zero, one of the top ten Heroes in Japan. It wasn’t unusual for the public to know what the real names of Heroes were but he wanted to keep his hidden. For some reason, this guy knew. He should really stop underestimating criminal masterminds.
“And you are?”
“Kingpin,”
“You know I’m not referring to that,”
The villain showed up at his doorstep one night— shivering, bleeding and scared. Kingpin had a mask but many other villains did. Still, even their most intelligent researchers couldn’t figure out his true identity. It was almost as if he had never existed in this planet. Blank. No trace at all except for his recent records of crime. The villain let out a small smile and Ground Zero wondered if the other truly had a name. Pitiful. How pitiful it was to live a life while running.
“It feels kinda nice having someone worry,” Kingpin laughed, receiving a glare from the other.
“For me, it’s not good,” the hero frowned; eyebrows knitted together, an odd expression on his face.
Silence. There was silence for an entire minute before a laugh echoed in the closed room.
“It’s fine Kacchan,”
“It’s not fine!”
They were sitting on the hero’s white tiled floor, fingers intertwined, pressing pressure against an abdominal would. It’s a bad way to conduct first-aid and it doesn’t work. Kingpin won’t die from something like this nonetheless, he’s had worse experiences. He knew how to stitch wounds by himself, knew how to heal without medicine from hospitals, wasn’t the type to need anesthesia. Something like this wasn’t a big deal. It really wasn’t.
“Just fucking surrender already, dammit,”
A chocked sob, bloody fingers against Ground Zero’s cheek. There was a sad smile from the villain before he leaned over, foreheads pressed against each other.
“You know,” Kingpin started off, blood spilling through his lips. “I don’t think it’d be bad… getting caught that is, as long as it’s you.”
“Congratulations on the book Midoriya-kun/Midoriya!”
“Thank you, Uraraka-san, Iida-kun,”
Izuku said, taking a bite of his sandwich. He felt kinda bad, the two specifically took time off their work just so that the three of them could eat together. Then again, meeting up wouldn’t have been possible since their day-offs don’t really match. Iida also got off work late during the weekdays. Basically, this was the most sufficient solution to their problem. Also, this was important! Izuku just published another book! Ochako wouldn’t miss this, ever.
“So,”
“So?”
“Is the book about you and Bakugo-kun?”
Iida choked, already having finished reading the book a week ago. They were given early copies since they were friends but the official release was yesterday. Despite that, the fans had been quite fast. There were already multiple fan art and fics published. It was also trending number one on twitter and sold out in bookstores. A few were even ranting about how they couldn’t get their hands on one. It was that popular. It was also a very different response compared to last time.
“Is…Is it obvious?”
“Yes, it is!”
“Uraraka-san, please sit down,”
Oh no. If Ochako found out then… She even said it was obvious!
Way to go, Izuku. Way to go. Maybe he’d just go dig a hole and crawl in it then die.
She’s been with the pair since their first year in high school. She’s witnessed their growth and how their rivalry turned into something different. Truth to be told, she wasn’t really sure if they’d get along but look at them now! Also, Ground Zero’s way of speaking was very, very similar to Katsuki’s. Anyone who has ever heard the guy speak would associate it with him in an instant. And no one really had fiery, red eyes that looked striking when they glared, quote-unquote, aside from the said childhood friend.
“So that speech in the end is…”
“I-Is it for him?”
Izuku groaned, covering his face with his hands.
Ah, yes, Kingpin’s embarrassing dialogue before he died. For some reason, because of that scene the book had been marketed as a tragedy. It had a happy ending though? Izuku didn’t really see any fault in killing off a villain because villains were supposed to die in the end, right? Justice was supposed to prevail. Then again, the response was quite emotional from his twitter fans. Many people were sad and upset. Perhaps he made a rather likable villain.
“Wait, wait, wait—Let me get this straight,”
Ughh… More questions. Izuku felt like he was going to explode from embarrassment.
“You’re in love with Bakugo-kun?”
Softly spoken like a whisper, eyes curious, the two anxiously waiting for a response.
“I-I’m not sure if it’s love but—“
Ochako’s eyes sparkled.
“I can’t believe you confessed by writing a book!”
“Uraraka-san—“
“That so sweet Deku-kun!”
“Uraraka-san, please—“
“I’m sure he’ll love it! He might get mad because of the ending though…”
Cling. Cling.
“Irashaimase!”
Katsuki frowned when he saw the crowd from afar. There was a long line on the counter, most of them holding Deku’s new book in one hand. He really should’ve expected this. There weren’t any available online and pre-orders were already finished. He thought he might have a chance in an actual store but at this rate that seemed almost impossible. The blonde hastily walked towards the novel section, gritting his teeth when he saw that there were none left.
All the commotion online was killing him. People were talking about love this scene, love that when he didn’t know what on earth was happening. Izuku didn’t give him a book as well. He knew that Ochako and Iida received one though. Kind of ironic since he had always been there throughout the entire process, even made him Katsudon while he was at it. The ungrateful bastard.
“I almost cried when they fought—“
“And when he said that they’d never be together—“
“You think Ground Zero’s the chaser!? Well, he did run around but—“
“Emotional wise, Kingpin was—“
“He called him Kacchan—“
All those fucking spoilers could just fuck off. And wha—Kacchan?
He had tried messaging Izuku but the male wasn’t replying. Even on times when he’d visit, the author would be caught awkwardly doing something. It hasn’t been this tense around them for a while. It was almost as if he was getting avoided. Yep, he was definitely getting avoided.
Katsuki exited the store with a frown on his face, hands inside his pocket as he walked down the street.
“ Imagine,” Kingpin started off, eyes glittering behind his mask. “Imagine the possibility of quirks mutating decades from now. Imagine inhumane forces evolving stronger and stronger. Imagine being able to destroy cities with just a flick of a finger. Imagine the wrong power landing in the hands of the wrong people.”
Ground Zero stared, not really knowing what to say. The chase was coming to an end, the serum having stopped production and all the anti-quirk bullets eliminated. This was the last mission, arrest the mastermind: Kingpin, and put an end to this case. Everyone’s tired, multiple injured. All of this just needed to stop.
“That won’t happen. Even if it does, heroes will—“
“Imagine,” the villain cut off, extending a gloved hand. “Imagine living in a nightmare like that. In the first place, if there weren’t quirks, there wouldn’t be any need for heroes. There would be less crime, less killing, fewer massacres—“
“But the hate won’t stop, you’re merely—“
“I’ll play the role of the villain if I have to!” Kingpin shouted voice cracked. “In the future, if we still have quirks, I could only imagine how chaotic it would be. More people would be dying. With the rise of stronger heroes, there would only be stronger villains. Imagine the state of the oppressed, the poor, those who are quirkless—“
“YOU!” the hero gritted his teeth, walking towards the other and grabbing his collar.
Red eyes glazed over with tears before they fell down his cheeks, a pained expression on his face.
“You would’ve been a magnificent hero,”
Kaminari whistled low as he scrolled through twitter, reading all the comments and posts under the #TheChaserAndTheChase. It has already been a week since the book had been released but it looked like the commotion wasn’t going to calm down anytime soon. On the contrary, it seemed to be getting worse. Mina and Ochako giggled on the other side of the table, Iida sighing in response. It looked like an emergency meeting was in session. It kind of felt like high school again, to be honest.
“Man, Midori’s on fire these days. It was a good read,”
Mina grinned, having snagged a copy online. She still hasn’t finished the book since she just got it two days ago but she was pretty much halfway through. Beside her Ochako nodded, agreeing with the statement. It was different from what Izuku usually wrote but it was good, really good. It might even be her favorite book since they kind of knew the backstory.
“Look at this fan art, kinda looks like Bakugo, hahaha—“
Kaminari laughed, holding up his phone to show his friends what he stumbled upon. Katsuki scowled while Mina, Ochako, and Iida looked at each other.
“Well, Ground Zero has blonde hair,”
“And red-eyes…”
“An explosive personality,”
“Curses a lot as well…”
“And he’s also the leading man for Kingpin…”
Ochako tilted her head to the side, innocently pushing the signed copy Izuku gave her towards Katsuki.
Ding. Dong.
Katsuki gritted his teeth, pressing the doorbell. He was starting to get impatient. Izuku was taking too damn long. Was he still getting ignored? Maybe the other was still in the bath again. The blonde impatiently tapped his shoe on the floor, arms crossed as he waited for the door to open. A few people who were entering their respective apartments stared at him, most likely wondering who he was and why he was looking so angry.
Ding. Dong. Ding. Dong. Ding. Dong.
Still no reply, huh. It left him with no choice.
Katsuki reached for his pocket, taking out the spare key that Izuku gave him. The door made two clicks before it opened; the sound of feet running on the floor and a door being locked echoing throughout the darkroom. The blonde clicked his tongue. Who was this guy fooling? Although the lights were off, there was a mug of hot coffee on the table. Also, the room felt cold with the AC on. He definitely heard Izuku running around as well.
He locked the door behind him, taking off his shoes before entering the apartment, turning the lights on while he was at it. Ochako lent him the book a few days ago and he stayed up almost two whole nights just to read it. He somehow got the message which was why he decided to confront the author about it just to be clear.
“Hey, don’t even try to hide. I know you’re in there,”
Katsuki said, turning the knob on Izuku’s door. Locked.
Izuku never locked his bedroom door since he lived by himself.
“Was the book for me?”
Silence, still no reply. The blonde couldn’t help but sigh.
“It was kind of obvious. Ground Zero and Kingpin… they’re based on us, aren’t they?”
Although their names were different and Katsuki doesn’t really have an explosive quirk. He found it kind of ironic, being assigned the role of a hero and the other as a villain that is. The story had an uncanny similarity to their real life. Ground Zero’s headstrong attitude, Kingpin as the pinnacle of evil despite being the one trying to set things right—those two were definitely them. A few of the fights were also based on their arguments in high school, Kingpin not telling Ground Zero his true identity because he was the bullied childhood friend back when they were young.
Katsuki was once again reminded of how much of an asshole he was back then. Rather than the romantic elements involved in the story, he was more concerned about Izuku’s self-image and the tragic ending it had.
“You really think Kingpin’s evil?”
Katsuki clenched his hands.
“And that he can’t be together with Ground Zero just because he’s a villain…”
Silence. Katsuki pressed his lips into a thin line before he gritted his teeth.
“Don’t you think Kingpin’s greedy? Confessing his love then killing off himself? He should’ve at least waited for Ground Zero’s reply! I don’t understand why he just ends things by himself without even giving the other a chance because obviously, obviously—“
Click. Green eyes peek through the door’s gap.
“I was so fucking sure—“
Katsuki’s eyebrows furrowed, red eyes looking like they were about to cry before he lowered his head, Izuku stepping out of the room to wrap his arms around the other.
“I was so fucking sure he was in love with the other as well—“
“Go on,” Kingpin rasped, lips startlingly red with blood. The antagonist’s eyes were focused on the hero’s shaking hands, gun aimed, quirk exhausted, tears spilling down ruby red eyes. “Finish it.”
Ground Zero’s hands wavered, head spinning, adrenaline coursing nauseously throughout his body. It reminded him of all their previous meetings— the thrill of the run, the promise of fulfilling a mission, the late-night talks on top of skyscrapers and the hours and hours of the chase. Some distance away, the hero’s allies were starting to approach mostly injured, bodies battered. One man did this to them, one quirkless man whose identity they did not know.
“Ground Zero,” behind Kingpin’s mask his eyes tempered, tone becoming soft. “Finish it.”
A choked sob, the world turning into a blur as well as all the sounds, the taste, the smell—everything.
It only took a few steps for the other to reach out, steadying the hero’s weapon to his chest saying, “You’ll be a hero, everyone will love you, the world will be yours for the taking. You’ve come so far and grown so much, you’ve fought so hard. You can do it. It’s alright.”
“You want to fucking die! You—you said—“
“I said—“
A gentle caress on the cheek, one last smile before—
“It’s not bad, getting caught that is, as long as it’s you.”
—Kingpin pulled the trigger.
“You really like me back, Kacchan?”
The author asked amidst a storm of kisses, hands-on Katsuki’s waist who was currently straddling his lap. The blonde nodded, humming in reply as he took his shirt off, guiding the author’s hand towards his chest. The atmosphere seemed to thicken and darken; the lights off and Izuku’s blurry eyes having a hard time focusing on his childhood friend’s face. Were they moving too fast? They just got together and—
“Fucking touch me,”
Katsuki all but snarled; a pained expression on his face. Izuku found himself staring.
“Fucking touch me already. I like you so fucking touch me already,”
It wasn’t something sexual, Izuku thought. It was a confession. Katsuki was confessing to him. Green eyes widened before his breath caught up in his throat, Izuku leaning over to rest his forehead against the other’s shoulder. He wondered if he himself was going to cry. Actually, he might have been crying already. It all just felt so surreal. He’s never felt so overwhelmed before.
Izuku felt the other shift, Katsuki’s slim fingers tugging on his shirt to take it off. The author complied before he felt his pajamas and boxers getting pulled down, his childhood friend intent on stripping him bare.
“Wait—Kacchan—wait!”
“No, I won’t wait,”
“But Kacchan—“
“I WON’T FUCKING WAIT!”
Izuku watched, red-eyes glaring at him, Katsuki’s hands slightly shaking.
“I’ve already been patient for so fucking long!”
A statement that made the gears in his head turn. Katsuki had always never been good when it came to feelings, frequently responding a bit too violently. He felt his heart pound against his chest as he surrendered, intent on letting the other do what he wants. He observed as his childhood friend took off his own pants, leaning over telling him to lie down. Izuku closed his eyes, bracing himself.
This was it. Goodbye, everyone. Hopefully, Kacchan would be kind enough to not make it hurt—
“Ghh—Ahgnn—“
Izuku opened his eyes, blurry vision focusing on Katsuki lining himself on his dick.
“Why are you so goddamn big you shitty nerd!? It won’t go in—“
So he wasn’t going to get fucked? He was the one going to fuck? Wait, he was confused. The author hastily sat up before the other could hurt himself, a small pout on Katsuki’s lips.
“You were going to put it in yourself?”
“Well, one of us has to play the role of the woman and obviously you weren’t gonna do it!”
“So you’re going to do it!?”
“I have to! We won’t be getting anywhere if I fucking don’t!”
Green-eyes glistened over with tears. Kacchan was willing to do this for him.
Izuku gulped, letting Katsuki wrap his arms around his neck to steady himself. They gritted their teeth at another attempt before the blonde huffed when it didn’t work. Katsuki dejectedly hid his face against the nook of Izuku’s shoulder, the both of them silently sitting on the bed, bare and hard. The author sighed before he reached over his bedside table, grabbing a bottle of lube.
“Why do you have that?”
“Uhh… I’m a guy too Kacchan and I do—“
Masturbate, yes, that was the word. They were both twenty-five years old so this was at least to be expected.
Katsuki hummed in reply, clinging unto the other while Izuku opened the bottle, pouring quite a bit on his fingers. He experimentally pressed against the other’s entrance, noticing how the other flinched at the coldness. The author pressed a finger in, softly pulling in and out once, twice, before he added another, the blonde softly moaning against his ear.
“You know how to do it between men?”
“Nn. I happened to stumble upon it online once or twice before,”
Ah, that explained it. Katsuki let out a soft mewl, the other digging deep inside. Izuku’s fingers were long and thick, something that came along with his growth spurt during their third year as well as his weight lifting. If he was going to pay for an expensive rent, the building itself better come with a pool and a private gym. The blonde groaned at the sensation of getting stretched out, busying himself by sucking on the author’s skin and leaving marks.
“Deku—“
“Hmm?”
Katsuki’s hold around the other’s shoulders tightened, weeping dick pressed against Izuku’s abdomen. He was leaking out so much pre-cum from the excitement. When he felt Izuku add another finger and pick up the pace he could start to feel his mind start to disorientate. He could feel his insides throbbing and it wasn’t even in yet.
“Ahh—Ah—Fuck—“
It was embarrassing to be reacting like this, blushing and moaning and all. He let out a loud gasp when he felt Izuku press against a rather soft spot, fingers knuckle deep, loud moans eliciting from him as it was abused over and over again.
“Kacchan’s very… sensitive,”
He could tell that Izuku was just as hot and bothered as him. Katsuki gritted his teeth before he cupped the author’s cheeks, leaning over for a kiss. It didn’t take long for him to cum after that; hips buckling and back slightly arching. Izuku slowly pulled out his fingers, opening one eye to peek at Katsuki’s kissing face, opening his mouth a bit for the other.
“You came just from having your ass played with, Kacchan…”
Izuku hummed against the other’s lips, lowering him on the bed.
“Hold your legs up? Good,”
Katsuki obeyed, watching in anticipation as the other lined himself with his entrance. Izuku was big, so much bigger than him. He closed his eyes, throwing his head to the side when he felt the tip press against him. He had fantasized about this multiple times before. It wasn’t even happening yet and Katsuki was already at a high.
He let out a long slutty moan when the other started to enter, feeling Izuku part his walls.
“I-It’s not—gonna—“
Katsuki was convinced that it wasn’t going to fit. Not when it was that big. His eyes teared up, thighs shivering at the sensation of Izuku’s dick slowly entering, his entire body feeling the stretch.
“Ahh—this—Izuku—“
The blonde pressed against his abdomen as if to emphasize something. He could feel Izuku’s dick force into his walls, could feel places he’s never felt. All that was leaving his mouth were long moans and complaints. They weren’t even halfway and he felt like he was going to faint. Felt like he was going to die. The only thing that was keeping him sane at this point was Izuku’s lips against his, the fingers brushing his damp hair back and the encouraging words that were praising him saying You’re so good, Kacchan. A little bit more.
“Good job,”
“Hah…Hah... Ahh—“
Katsuki looked up at the other with hazy eyes, drool spilling down his mouth. He could barely tell the difference between up and down and when Izuku started to move, loud moans made its way from his mouth. The author leaned over to trail kisses against the blonde’s neck, sucking against his collarbone and glancing at him to check his state from time to time.
“Are you alright, Kacchan?”
“Nn—ah—ah—ahh—“
At this point, tears were starting to spill down Katsuki’s eyes. Izuku slightly picked up the pace, the sound of skin against skin and the other’s moans filling up the room. The kisses they shared were slow and affectionate, very different compared to the state of their lower bodies. Izuku had to hold Katsuki’s legs up since they were starting to lose energy in them.
“Still awake?”
A soft encouraging kiss on the cheek. The blonde let out a scream when Izuku pressed against his prostate, squirming and mewling on the bed, trying to grasp for something, anything—his childhood friend’s shoulders. His nails dug deep against the author’s skin, barely able to say anything from the excessive amount of pleasure.
“Feels good… uhnn—ahh, Izuku—“
Izuku smiled softly at the remark, leaning back so that he could move faster. The blonde’s eyes widened in response, fingers gripping at the sheets as he was thoroughly pounded into the mattress, screaming and moaning, his dick twitching in the air. He was useless at this point, a complete mess beneath the other.
“I’m gonna cum—Izu—“
Rapid thrusts against the prostate urging him to cum. Izuku hummed in reply, giving him the go signal before his hips buckled, back arching off the bed as he released. Katsuki’s thighs twitched in the aftermath, Izuku still buried deep inside him. He doesn’t get to rest much though because before he even fell down from his high, Izuku was starting to thrust again.
Who said this guy wasn’t aggressive?
Katsuki plopped back down unto the mattress, on his knees with his ass raised. Izuku was thrusting into him from behind. He had tried to grasp for the pillow but as the other moved, making sure that he was thoroughly fucked, all he could do was claw on the sheets, tears spilling down his eyes. He couldn’t speak or rather; Izuku was not making him speak. All he could do was moan and cry, silently begging for release.
“Please—“
There was no reply and Izuku was thrusting into him so hard, Katsuki swears he could see stars.
“Lemme cum— “
He doesn’t think he could make it. It felt like he was going to faint. They were going too fast and he felt himself turning into a pathetic, whining mess begging Izuku, Izuku, please let me cum, Izuku. He felt a pair of hands wrap around his waist, one particularly hard thrust against the prostate and Katsuki screams. His vision is covered in white and he panics, crying out when he noticed that the other still hasn’t stopped.
“Ahh—ghnn—ah!—W-Wai—“
Katsuki mewled as he was fucked; his dick not stopping from leaking since Izuku was constantly thrusting, abusing his prostate over and over again. It was a desperate feeling and it brought him to another high, his cock twitching empty after three straight rounds but still hard. The blonde’s cheeks were flushed and he sobbed against the bed, insides tightly clamping down on the other. Katsuki felt their pace pick up again and he lets out a loud moan, gritting his teeth. No, no, no— he couldn’t do it anymore. Any more than this and he’ll—
“I-I’m gonna break— Izuku, no— I’m gonna— ah, hnnnaah— ahhh—”
There was an apologetic kiss on his shoulder and he gritted his teeth, feeling the heat pool in the pit of his stomach again. The author groaned, doing fast bursts of thrusts, other’s body rocking back and forth with his. It took a few more hard repetitions, Katsuki clamping down when Izuku’s hips finally buckled.
“Ahh—ghnn—“
Katsuki let out a long moan as Izuku pressed right against his prostate, buried up to the hilt, filling up his insides with cum. His dick twitched in the air, painful as he came dry, already emptied out a few minutes ago. The blonde was panting heavily, legs twitching and only being held up by the hands-on his waist. His body was feeling tingly all over and as Izuku pulled out, semen dripped down his thoroughly fucked entrance.
“Izuku…”
Izuku awkwardly laughed, Katsuki’s back pressed against his chest.
They were together in the bathtub and the blonde’s ears and shoulders were flushed, at least from where Izuku was sitting. There was more empty space but for some reason, Katsuki wanted to stick close. It was quite adorable actually so the author didn’t really mind. Also, he was trying to compensate a bit from what happened earlier.
“I’m sorry Kacchan. I was too rough— ow!”
“Don’t fucking apologize!”
Izuku rubbed the inside of his thigh, eyes tearing up a bit. As expected, Katsuki was the only person who had ever inflicted pain on him. Even his mom had never hit him. He watched as the blonde slowly turned back to glare.
“I told you right!? That I was waiting for it…”
In the end, his voice seemed to fade out a bit. Izuku laughed before he leaned over and rested his chin against Katsuki’s shoulder, their fingers intertwined. It felt good being like this. He felt warm and contented. The water was up to their chest and he liked remaining this quiet, silently basking in each other’s presence. He was glad he gave the other a spare key. Glad that Katsuki was smart. He wouldn’t have been brave enough to confess in real life. In a way, perhaps the book served as a love letter.
“Izuku,”
The author smiled, his stomach doing flips at the sound of Katsuki calling him by his name. Deku kind of grew on him over time, he even made it his pen name; he liked it that much. Despite the bad meaning it originally had, it gradually changed as they grew older. Also, it was a nickname from the other so he treasured it a lot. Being called Izuku was just as good though. Especially since Katsuki rarely called him that. It felt like he was special; like he was actually something.
Maybe he’d ask Kacchan if he’d allow him to refer to him as Katsuki next time?
“What is it?”
“Ground Zero is based on me right? And Kingpin is you. Do you really consider yourself a villain?”
Izuku blinked before he hummed in reply. It was a serious question, huh.
“Well… Kind of I guess. I’m a fuck up who can’t really do anything right so—“
Katsuki turned around to glare at him.
“Don’t you dare finish that sentence,”
A threat, a command, whatever it was; the author felt like he should follow. Katsuki had always been like that ever since they’ve graduated. At first, Izuku was shocked; it felt like he was completely talking to a different person. But then again, he was glad that the other had changed. It was as if his childhood friend had finally matured. Katsuki hated hearing him degrade himself.
“I’ve read all your books you know. It’s amazing. You’re amazing,”
Izuku felt his heart constrict.
“The first time I found your book at the store… I kinda wanted to scream. I wanted to tell everyone that you wrote that. I was so happy and so proud—“
Felt like he was running out of breath.
“When the cashier asked me if I wanted two copies, I couldn’t hold it back and I told her that it was written by the person I like. Yet, why are you so fucking modest!?”
Felt like he had just finished a marathon and was gradually coming into a halt.
“You are my pride. I’ll say it as many times as you want. I love you so stop saying that,”
Felt like everything’s in place, calm and centered.
Felt like everything was beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Izuku buried his face against Katsuki’s shoulder. Not wanting the other to see him in such a pathetic state. How many times was he supposed to cry today, geez? Katsuki rarely complimented him so when he did, it kind of hit differently. Great, now the book felt like it wasn’t enough.
“It’s really not like that… It’s just… When I think of a character like a hero all I see is you. You’re the image of victory I have in my head. It just felt right to give you that role…”
Katsuki hummed in reply, not turning around since his face was just as flushed, eyes just as teary.
“But then you killed Kingpin,”
“Villains are supposed to die Kacchan…”
“But I like Kingpin. And why did he have to die in Ground Zero’s arms!?”
“It’s… It’s for dramatic effect—“
Katsuki whipped his head around, red swollen eyes meeting red swollen eyes.
There was a moment of silence before they laughed at the same time.
Deku @officialdeku
I just finished the draft for The Chaser and The Chase’s sequel!
In this time of crisis, please stay at home and rest well.
I’ll be having a video call with my publisher in a bit, have a great day!
Ground Zero #1 @minamitsuu
replying to @officialdeku
WHAT THE FUCK you can’t just do that DEKU-san
sobaaaaaaayo @icedtea
replying to @officialdeku
OMG is this true!? IS this really true!?
why don’t cha say so @jadocatss
replying to @officialdeku
BUT ISN’T KINGPIN DEAD!?
DO WE GET A NEW VILLAIN!?
jupiterr @planetss
replying to @jadocatss
u don’t mean…
Followed by thousands of comments and Reddit posts calculating how many days it would take for the book to come out.
The #KingpinPleaseBeAlive has also been number one trending on twitter for two whole weeks.
Ground Zero stared in shock, police sirens and ambulances blaring from behind him.
The crowd had started to dissipate, the bystanders who were watching the bank robbery earlier leaving since the criminal had finally been apprehended. It was always like this—public crime scenes he meant. There would always be people who were curious, wanting to see, kept off by the boundaries created from a yellow police tape. It was a four-hour lockdown inside, the heroes and police trying to talk it out peacefully with the villain.
Ground Zero found the man a bit dull. He was ignorant, mindless and careless. He wasn’t even a villain he was just a criminal. He wasn’t thinking of an escape route, he only wanted all the money, his motives were shallow and he was easily caught. Those flaws worked in the favor of justice but he felt like the word villain should only be reserved for those who actually deserved it.
“Like how some heroes don’t deserve the title itself,” he remembered Kingpin’s words.
Dull-witted criminals weren’t even big threats, villains were. Especially masterminds who were highly intelligent; the type of individual who’d be able to outrun dozens of heroes and the police force in its entirety while being quirkless. A villain was someone who could put the city into ruin, someone who brought despair, someone who found plot holes in the system and made their deeds legal, someone who had an uncanny perspective because it’s such a shame, geniuses who are—
Ground Zero stared, legs automatically running when he saw the figure standing in front of him.
“You fucker you’re—“ the man pressed a finger diagonally across his lips before the hero paused a meter in front of him, breathless. He’d be able to recognize that figure anywhere. He’s spent an entire year running after that back amidst the city lights of Hosu. “You’re…”
“I’m not Kingpin,” barely a whisper, loud enough for only the two of them to hear. “I’m not Kingpin anymore, Kacchan.”
Ah, of course. Of course.
“Then who are you?” His death was aired on live television and he died in Ground Zero’s arms.
But of course… villain masterminds would always remain as villain masterminds.
The man pulled the hero a bit closer and whispered two words into his ear—a name.
Kingpin’s true name.