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It had been a normal patrol for Pro Hero Deku - right up until it wasn’t.
A fight had broken out at a large pharmaceutical building along his route. He’d sprung into action, fighting against the super-sized villain at the scene. Izuku wasn’t sure if the man was hopped up on some experimental drug, or if his quirk was just that powerful. Either way, it was a tough fight.
Other heroes arrived to help evacuate the building and maintain a perimeter, but no one joined Izuku in his struggle with the villain. The guy had some type of damage-absorption quirk similar to the Nomu from the USJ incident way back in high school. And despite all his work improving One For All over the years, Izuku was doing all he could just to hold his ground. They were fighting on the rooftop, tossing air conditioning units and other heavy things at each other.
Usually, Izuku tried to reduce the damage he did during fights, but this guy wasn’t giving him any other choice. In addition to the absorption quirk, the villain had four arms. Four strong arms. And even with Danger Sense and Blackwhip on his side, Izuku was barely staying afloat. No matter what he did or what kind of clever trick he tried to pull, the villain was always one step ahead of him. Every Detroit Smash or Shoot Style kick landed with a dull thud, doing no damage and barely even keeping the villain’s attention.
Izuku was starting to get worn out, but he couldn’t afford to let the villain escape. What if the guy had stolen something dangerous? What if the villain went straight to his next target and tried to hurt even more people? Izuku’d beaten impossible adversaries before, he could do it again.
Right?
The earpiece he always wore while on duty buzzed in his ear. He couldn’t focus on the chatter, not if he wanted to find an opening in the villain’s defenses. And finally, after what felt like hours, he found it. The villain’s clothing was starting to fray, revealing a hardened neck-protecting item that was popping free of its seams. Izuku didn’t hesitate.
“TEXAS SMAAAAAAASH!” he shouted, punching the villain with everything he had right in the throat.
The man choked even as he hit Izuku with a double punch to the head with one side of arms, and then a mighty shove to the chest with the other. Izuku went careening backwards, vision clouded and head spinning from the punches. He lost his footing and fell over the edge of the building, plummeting towards the ground below.
Twin explosions crackled nearby and then Izuku felt arms close around him. His eyes fluttered open in confusion. Someone had grabbed him in midair. Someone with spiky blond hair and a bulky gauntlet digging into his back. Someone who smelled like sugar and smoke. Someone screaming obscenities at him even as they fell.
Kacchan.
And then everything went black.
After waking up in the hospital with a nasty concussion and a broken arm, Izuku immediately pressed the button near his bed to call a nurse. She filled him in on a few details about his own treatment before caving to his blatant begging about Kacchan’s status.
“Pro Hero Dynamight is still unconscious,” she informed him. “You both landed…badly. He barely caught you in time.”
Izuku blinked, suddenly recalling the last moments of the fight. How he’d delivered the final blow and then fell off the roof. How Kacchan had caught him in midair. Had they been too close to the ground? Had Kacchan not been able to reverse their trajectory enough to land safely? Had some other villain gotten involved? Izuku couldn’t remember.
“I want to see him,” Izuku demanded, sitting up despite the stinging in his head. “Now. I want to see Kacchan now.”
“Oh, I’m afraid we can’t allow that. He’s in-”
Standing up, Izuku yanked the various IVs and cables attached to him free and limped from the room. During his years as a hero, he’d grown accustomed to being in hospitals. Security guards existed, yeah, but they usually didn’t stop pro heroes from seeing each other. And no one would be able to stop him from seeing Kacchan. He was ranked Number One, had been for a couple years now. Who could possibly tell him no after everything he’d done for this city?
“D-Deku, wait!” the nurse screeched from behind him, but he didn’t listen.
He’d been in this hospital before. He knew they had an entire wing just for heroes. Kacchan couldn’t be far. Reading the signs outside each door, he finally found the one with Kacchan’s decoy name: Ground Zero. Their decoy names were supposed to keep major injuries out of the press, though Izuku’s own alias probably wasn’t quite secretive enough. Mighty Boy was pretty obvious to folks who knew him, after all.
Charging into the room, Izuku froze upon seeing Kacchan’s prone form on the hospital bed. Kacchan looked pale and small amidst all the white. And Kacchan was lying on his stomach - endless amounts of hoses and cables going into the deep gash along his spine.
“Ka-” he breathed, not fully comprehending what he was seeing.
Kacchan had been hurt before, obviously. Every hero got hurt at some point in the line of duty, even sidekicks or folks focused on rescue work. It was part of the job description. But there was getting hurt and then there was this. The wound ran nearly the entire length of Kacchan’s spine and all the cables and things coming out of him reminded Izuku of Sir Nighteye’s final stint in the hospital. Izuku shook his head, not wanting to think of fallen heroes. Not wanting to believe that something like that could happen to Kacchan too.
“He saved you,” came a soft, mildly familiar voice from behind him.
Izuku turned to see the nurse from before standing at the door, looking flustered but also somehow resigned. Just how his mother used to look whenever he’d come home from school with a new injury or scar. Just how she still looked whenever she had to come visit him in some random hospital.
“I’m sorry.” Izuku replied, bowing quickly. “I know it’s not allowed, but I needed to see him.”
“It’s okay,” she sighed, joining him in the room and waving off a gaggle of other hospital staff before closing the door. “Like I was saying before - you were falling and he caught you in mid-air, but it was too late. He couldn’t stop or change direction, so he took the brunt of the landing.”
“How bad is it?” Izuku asked hollowly, turning to look at Kacchan and trying not to burst into tears on the spot.
“I won’t lie to you, it’s bad. He broke his back, basically. Fractured his spine in several places. The doctor thinks there’s a chance he’ll never walk again,” she said quietly. “Maybe worse.”
Oh god. Izuku felt like he was going to throw up. His heart twisted and hot tears raced down his face. Kacchan had saved him. Kacchan had gotten hurt trying to save him. Really, really hurt. Hurt in a way no one from their class had been yet, despite several close calls. Hurt like All Might. A career-ending hurt.
No!
Kacchan would be okay, right? Kacchan would recover. Kacchan would get better. He had to! Because Izuku couldn’t imagine a Kacchan who wasn’t a hero. Who couldn’t walk. Who might be confined to a bed for the rest of his days - maybe conscious, maybe not.
Because of him.
“Worse, worse how?” he croaked, lurching forward and then falling to his knees and burying his face in the clean sheets of Kacchan’s hospital bed.
“There’s a chance he won’t wake up,” she replied gently, obviously trying to soften the blow. “And if he does wake up, there’s a chance he won’t be able to move any of his limbs.”
“Oh…oh god,” Izuku sobbed, hands scrambling over the top of the bed until they found one of Kacchan’s.
Under normal circumstances, Kacchan would smack him away and call him an idiot. But instead, Kacchan’s cool hand remained limp even as Izuku squeezed it. And that was all wrong too - Kacchan’s hands were always warm. Not sweaty, like some people thought. Kacchan had incredible control over his quirk - including his sweat production - but always warm. And soft, so soft.
“I’ll leave you alone for a minute,” the nurse said quietly, patting at his back before making her exit.
“Thank you,” he mumbled into the sheets.
After crying for a good ten minutes, Izuku finally sucked in a big breath and tilted his face up to look at the man on the bed. Kacchan had a respirator on, despite sleeping on his stomach, thanks to his face being twisted to the side, allowing just enough room for the device. It looked uncomfortable, but Izuku didn’t want to impede Kacchan’s treatment. No, he wanted Kacchan to get better. To make a full recovery. Because Izuku already owed him so, so much. Kacchan was his symbol of victory - his greatest inspiration after All Might. Kacchan had pushed him to achieve so much. He was the Number One Hero because of Kacchan, that much Izuku knew for a fact. No one encouraged him or challenged him quite like Kacchan, even after all these years.
But this? Izuku had no idea how to repay such a selfless act.
He already blamed himself for so many of the scars on Kacchan’s otherwise perfect skin. All the ones from their high school days were because of him, though inflicted by Shigaraki and All For One. The dozens more from team-ups out in the field once they’d debuted as heroes. Sloppy, desperate fights that Izuku should have been better prepared for. Because despite working at different agencies and patrolling different parts of the city, he and Kacchan always managed to find each other in the thick of a fight or disaster. They were drawn together like magnets, fighting side by side just like All Might had always intended.
And Kacchan had found him in the middle of a sloppy fight yet again. A fight Izuku should have handled better so no one got hurt.
Belatedly, Izuku wondered if the four-armed villain had been taken into custody or if they’d gotten away after shoving Izuku off the roof. Izuku’d like to think that he’d gotten in the final blow, but maybe he hadn’t. Maybe Kacchan had risked it all for nothing and should have gone for the villain instead. Either way, Kacchan’s injury was Izuku’s responsibility. It was his fault the fight had gone sideways and it was his fault he’d passed out mid-rescue. And now he’d have to do what he could to make up for it.
“I’m sorry, Kacchan,” Izuku whispered. “No matter what it takes, I’ll help you get better. I swear.”
After a lengthy hospital stay and a lot of frantic late-night vigils on Izuku’s part, Kacchan was finally released to go home. Despite hours and hours of physical therapy and the best healing quirks available, Kacchan would be in a wheelchair for at least a few months. A nurse was scheduled to visit him at home once a day to help him bathe and do even more physical therapy.
Thankfully, Kacchan’s apartment was wheelchair-accessible and quite private. Of course, Kacchan still turned down any and all visitors. It was clear Kacchan didn’t want anyone to see him in his current state. Family, friends, co-workers - everyone but the nurse would be denied entry and eventually escorted out of the building by security.
Okay, everyone but the nurse and Izuku.
Mostly because Izuku wouldn’t take no for an answer. Every night after patrol, he’d bring over food and basically shove himself past the door. Kacchan had grumbled at first, but now he merely sighed and let Izuku in without complaint. Of course, Izuku wouldn’t have it any other way. He’d promised Kacchan that he’d help him recover, and he’d meant it. No matter what Kacchan needed, Izuku would provide it. And if that meant delivering hot meals and being someone to yell at for a few months, then so be it. He’d gladly do it a thousand times over.
The yelling only lasted for a couple days, until Kacchan finally realized that Izuku wasn’t going to stop trying. Now, Kacchan talked more than he yelled and Izuku considered that landmark progress. Mostly, they talked about the news and current goings-on in the city. Since he couldn’t - or wouldn’t - go out and about, Kacchan was eager to hear news from the front lines.
Every single day, Izuku tried to work up the courage to ask Kacchan why he’d saved him, and every day he failed.
Izuku knew 100% that he would have risked it all to save Kacchan if their roles were reversed, but that was different. He’d loved Kacchan since they were four years old. Like, love love. Butterflies in the stomach and hearts in the eyes love. Cry when they get hurt and swoon when they win love. Feel their joy and their pain love.
He could feel Kacchan’s pain now, as the blond struggled to push his wheelchair down the hall after dinner. Kacchan got tired easily these days. And while he’d made a lot of progress, Kacchan still couldn’t walk and often struggled to do prolonged exercise with his arms or legs. The hospital had offered him a powered wheelchair, but Kacchan had refused and insisted on doing what he could with a standard one. Izuku had learned early on that Kacchan hated to be pushed in his chair. It made sense really, Kacchan had always hated being pitied or looked down on. So even though it was hard, Izuku would watch Kacchan struggle instead of help him. Oh, he’d offer to help, but Kacchan rarely took him up on it.
And while Izuku knew that disabled people could still live full, happy lives, it was hard to watch his symbol of victory wheel himself slowly and crookedly down a short hallway. Or struggle with opening his mail. Or tremor when he tried to grasp slippery things with his chopsticks. It was hard to watch, but Izuku endured it because he knew Kacchan had it much, much worse. Some days were better than others though. And for that, Izuku was grateful.
Tonight, however, was a bad night.
Izuku had known it the moment he’d walked in. Kacchan had been tired already and didn’t eat or talk much. Glancing at the calendar, Izuku realized it’d been a month since Kacchan’s release from the hospital. A month with hard-won but minimal progress. Kacchan had taken a few shambling steps in that time - all at the hospital and all with the help of special equipment and aides. Still, with each shaky step, Izuku had felt the vice grip around his heart slowly start to release. Kacchan would recover. Kacchan would be okay.
Because despite what cruel-hearted people said in the press or their own co-workers muttered about whenever they thought he wasn’t paying attention, Izuku believed that Kacchan would eventually make a full recovery. That he’d be the shining, brilliant hero he once was again. Winning and saving in one fell swoop.
“Let me help you to bed, Kacchan,” Izuku offered after tidying up the dishes.
Normally, they’d sit around and chat or watch TV after dinner, but it was clear Kacchan wasn’t up to that kind of thing today. Maybe physical therapy had been particularly difficult, or maybe Kacchan had pushed himself too far doing some other task.
“Fuck off, Izuku, I can do it myself,” Kacchan grumbled, slowly wheeling himself down the hallway towards his bedroom.
“I know, but I can help. I’ll be your silent cane, just like back in school.”
“Tch.”
Despite the twisted look on Kacchan’s face, the blond pulled up alongside his bed and waited. Izuku smiled and hurried over to help. After repositioning the chair and then counting to three, he easily scooped Kacchan up and deposited him on the bed. He didn’t mention how much muscle mass and weight Kacchan had lost, though every ounce seemed to drag on his heart and conscience.
Next, Izuku dutifully helped Kacchan change into loose pajamas. He’d never been allowed to participate in Kacchan’s nightly routine before and he felt helpful right up until he lifted Kacchan’s shirt from behind. Izuku gaped at the huge jagged scar running down Kacchan’s spine. It almost seemed to connect the dots between the puncture wounds Kacchan had received during those fateful fights against Shigaraki and All For One back in high school. Three times Kacchan had risked his life for Izuku. Three times Kacchan had appeared out of nowhere just to help him and paid the price for it. Three times Kacchan’s body had been marred with thick, lasting scars. Izuku found his own scars to be ugly, but Kacchan would look amazing no matter how many scars he accumulated. Though Izuku refused to be the cause of any more.
Izuku loudly choked on a sob, alarming himself and Kacchan both. Kacchan twisted around to look at him with wide eyes.
“The fuck you blubberin’ about?” Kacchan demanded, tossing away his shirt.
“I’m sorry, Kacchan,” Izuku gasped. “It’s all my fault. If I’d only been able to beat that villain faster, or caught myself when I fell, or-”
“Shut up,” Kacchan snapped tiredly. “Fuck, at least help me lay down before you start one of your self-deprecatin’ rambles.”
“Y-Yes!”
Sniffing, Izuku quickly helped Kacchan change the rest of his clothes and then gently laid him down and tucked him into bed. He smoothed out the blankets with shaking hands and then looked up at Kacchan with watery eyes.
“You’ve risked your life for me three times now, Kacchan,” he said lowly. “You have the scars to prove it.”
“So? All heroes get scars,” Kacchan grumbled. “And I’d do it again, ya damn nerd. Besides, if you think it’s only been three times, you suck at countin’. I’m always havin’ to save your ass.”
“But why?” he breathed. “Why risk it all for…for me?”
Kacchan sighed heavily, as if the world rested upon his shoulders. Maybe it did.
“Because Japan needs a hero like Deku more than someone like me,” Kacchan replied in a grave tone. “You’re Number One, while I’m barely in the Top 25. Fuck, I’ve never even broken the Top 10. Not once.”
“So?” Izuku asked, puzzled. “Ranking isn’t everything, Kacchan, you know that! Some of the best heroes of all time weren’t even in the Top 50.”
“Rankin’ might not be important, but you are,” Kacchan insisted. “The country - hell, the whole damn world needs a hero like you. One who can save people with a smile. One who makes them feel safe, like All Might.”
“But Kacchan s-saved me,” Izuku sniffed. “And Kacchan is always smiling when he fights.”
Kacchan scoffed and covered his eyes with one of his arms. Kneeling by the bed, Izuku cried openly as he watched Kacchan struggle through a dozen emotions. He could tell Kacchan was crying too, but he didn’t comment on it. Izuku was still reeling from the praise about his heroism. Did Kacchan really think he was like All Might? Sure, he’d always strived to uphold his mentor’s legacy, but reality was so different from a middle school boy’s dreams. Being a hero was hard work. He saw the worst of people - villains and victims alike. Their anger, their fear. It wore away at you over time. It was draining beyond anything he’d ever known. Not just physically either, though that was considerable too, but emotionally. Even the best heroes were plagued with failures and what-ifs.
And Kacchan, well, Kacchan was definitely one of the best heroes.
Even though Izuku knew that most other people didn’t see Kacchan like he did. Izuku saw a hero in the truest sense - a bright shining light of victory and triumph. A hero who gave and gave and gave. Who worked harder than anyone and always had. Even back in middle school, Izuku had been focused on his notebooks and hero analysis while Katsuki was putting in the work to hone his quirk and body. Not many middle schoolers had defined abs or multiple combat moves, Izuku knew that much.
But instead of the hero Izuku knew and loved, other people saw dangerous explosions and a wicked grin. They heard the harsh language and occasional “die” shouted at the top of very loud lungs. They saw someone who’d been abducted by villains and who they still didn’t entirely trust, even all these years later.
It was bullshit, but public opinion was never one for nuance or facts.
Izuku wished other people could see what he saw in Kacchan. That they could know what he knew. But no matter how often they teamed up out in the field or how often Izuku claimed Dynamight was his biggest inspiration and supporter after All Might, people still saw Kacchan as someone who wasn’t quite heroic or friendly enough. Even when Kacchan risked his life to save theirs over and over again. Every single day, Kacchan was out there risking his life and putting in more hours than most because he was…well, he was Kacchan. And Kacchan always wanted to be the best.
But now Kacchan would be stuck on the sidelines for months, maybe even over a year. And Izuku knew it was all because of him. Kacchan had saved him yet again, reaching out a hand that had once slapped him away. Izuku felt his breath hitch. He didn’t want to get into the spiraling thoughts of if Kacchan liked him back, but it had to mean something, didn’t it? That Kacchan had risked his life to save him so many times? That they always found each other in a fight? That Kacchan was willing to sacrifice his own life so Izuku could live? As if Izuku could ever go on without Kacchan there to push him and encourage him. Kacchan was…well, everything to him. Kacchan was the one who’d figured out all his secrets. Who had cared enough to even try. Who hadn’t doubted for a second that he’d made it into UA despite being quirkless. Who had worried so much for him in those early days with One For All.
Izuku sighed. Kacchan had been looking out for him and saving him for a long, long time. But now it was Izuku’s turn. Kacchan wouldn’t let anyone else see him like this - wounded and weak. But Kacchan had always shown his true feelings to Izuku, even the ugly ones. And Izuku had always accepted them. The situation now would be no different. He would accept whatever Kacchan threw his way. The hurt, the pain, the guilt, the anger, the doubt, the fear. He’d take all of it. And maybe, after a while, Kacchan would add hope to the mix. And drive and fire and persistence. All the things Izuku knew Kacchan was capable of. Just like he knew Kacchan would be a hero again one day. Izuku would make sure of it.
“Thank you, Kacchan. For saving me,” he said earnestly, finally wiping at his tears. “I’ve looked up to you for so, so long. I still do, actually. And soon I know that people will see what I see. What I’ve always seen.”
“Bullshit,” Kacchan huffed. “By the time I’m finally healed up - if that even fuckin’ happens - people will have forgotten all about me.”
“I won’t let that happen,” Izuku promised.
Kacchan peeked out from under his arm and Izuku smiled at him. Because he meant it. Every damn word. Kacchan was amazing and Izuku was determined to show the people of Japan just how incredible Pro Hero Dynamight could truly be. After Kacchan healed up, maybe they could even become a proper hero duo and tackle things together. That way they could keep each other safe right from the get-go, instead of arriving late or waiting for things to go south.
“Can I visit you again tomorrow?” Izuku asked, knowing he’d come regardless of the answer.
“Tomorrow’s a Sunday,” Kacchan reminded him. “You should enjoy your day off, nerd, not spend it cooped up with me.”
“But I do enjoy spending time with you.”
“Tch. Fine,” Kacchan rumbled. “Do whatever you want.”
Izuku nodded and reached out for Kacchan’s free hand. He squeezed it gently and felt his heart race when Kacchan squeezed it back. Kacchan’s grip was weak and his hand shook a little, but it made Izuku give a watery smile. There were a lot of messages in that squeeze - appreciation, acceptance, maybe even hope.
“Don’t worry,” Izuku said quietly even as he squeezed back firmly. “We’ll get through this together, Kacchan.”
“Yeah, you probably know more about breaking bones than I do, ya damn nerd” Kacchan joked, still holding tightly to Izuku’s hand. “Maybe I can use your dumb advice.”
Izuku laughed through the sudden influx of butterflies in his stomach. Kacchan’s recovery process had been a long, emotional journey so far, and Izuku knew they had even further to go. But they would get through it together, step by step. And if at the end of it all, he learned that Kacchan didn’t love him back, that’d be okay. Because just being around Kacchan made him happy.
And that was enough for now.
“I promise to be here every step of the way, Kacchan,” Izuku pledged solemnly, interlocking their fingers together. “I’ll be your cane as long as you need me.”