Katsuki was listening in on the conversation between Aizawa sensei and Izuku. He wasn't gonna leave that idiot alone with that man after everything that happened. Katsuki wanted to make sure he could fully trust Eraserhead before allowing him to be alone with his friend. Izuku could sense his presence, he was sure, so if he really didn't want him there he would say something.
Yet Katsuki didn't expect to hear what he did. Izuku was backing out of the sportsfestival..? The green head almost bumped into the ash blonde as he left the classroom, avoiding Kacchan's gaze as he walked past him.
"Oi, not so fucking fast!" Katsuki hissed, going after Deku.
"Are you serious right now? You're just gonna give up before getting started?"
"Please don't bug me about it Kacchan, I've made my choice" Izuku mumbled, pushing the blonde off him.
"Oh did you now? You don't seem fucking happy with the choice you made! Is this something uncle Hisashi forced you into? I'll talk to him, I'll convince him to-"
"No! This is my decision!" Izuku yelled, glaring at his childhood friend.
"Dad doesn't even know about this! I-I haven't... I haven't told anyone else yet"
Tears welled up in his eyes, but he quickly wiped them away, trying to compose himself. Trying to be strong, to be decisive and stern so Kacchan wouldn't try to convince him. So he wouldn't try to get him to compete anyway. They both knew Izuku was weak when it came to his words... He was sure he'd cave in if Kacchan had a chance to talk.
"Deku-"
"No! I'm not talking about this right now!" Izuku exclaimed.
"Y-you think this was an easy decision for me?! I've been watching the sportsfestival every year for as long as I can remember! I look up to the people competing a-and I've always wanted to stand among them! B-but I... I just can't, okay?!"
Luckily the hallway was empty. Izuku made sure to check before yelling out his feelings like that. Katsuki stared at him with wide eyes, shocked. They basically never argued and Izuku rarely raised his voice. It was always Kacchan who got angry, Kacchan who yelled and shouted and exploded. Never Deku. Or at least, almost never...
Izuku took a shaky breath, quickly turning around and running away. Katsuki didn't bother following him, knowing there was no point. If Izuku didn't want to be found, he wouldn't be found. It was as simple as that. With a sigh, he dragged himself to his next class, coming in the moment the bell rang.
"Where is Midoriya? I thought he was coming back today?" the teacher asked, looking around the room.
"Aizawa sensei needed to talk to him" Katsuki provided as he sat down in his chair.
"Oh, very well. We'll continue where we left off last time. Grab your textbooks on page 16 and-"
Katsuki's thoughts trailed off, his eyes shifting towards the window as he watched the clouds roll by. Deku wasn't competing in the sportsfestival... So what was the fucking point then? He was the only one Katsuki wanted to beat! He wanted to text Tenko about it, but he wouldn't break Izuku's trust like that. The green head hadn't told anyone yet so that means he doesn't want them knowing yet.
Izuku came back the next hour, following class like nothing happened. Katsuki pulled him aside during lunch though, wanting the time to talk things over with his childhood friend. They went outside, sitting down in the small garden behind the school where some students ate their lunch.
"We need to talk, Deku" the ash blonde sighed.
"Yeah, I know... I-I'm sorry I yelled at you" Izuku muttered, making Katsuki scowl.
"Don't fucking apologize for that"
"B-but you're upset about it... I-I can feel it Kacchan, so don't lie to me"
"And stop looking into my fucking mind!" Katsuki hissed, glaring at the green head. He knew Izuku had this Emotional Vision quirk, making him able to see emotions as colours radiating off people.
He didn't use it that often and only when there were few people around because it got nauseating when there were too many colours swirling around him.
"I-I... Sorry" Izuku whispered, looking down at his hands, pouting.
"No, don't, I-" Katsuki stammered, groaning as he mentally cursed himself.
"Just... Fucking tell me why you want to skip out on the festival?"
Izuku sighed, still not looking up at the ash blonde.
"I-I... It's too much of a risk, isn't it? Cameras everywhere, following my every move... If they catch me acting suspicious or if I slip up and use a different quirk-"
"But you have perfect control over what quirk you use, don't you? It's just the use of said quirks that's hard to control when they're activated" Katsuki pointed out.
"You've never had a problem before, right?"
"I slipped up during the entrance exam" Izuku stated.
"To save someone. Besides no one fucking saw you and the camera images can't even tell" Katsuki interrupted.
"And now I exposed myself to Aizawa sensei" Izuku added.
"Oi, willingly. You were doing all of that willingly and under your control" Katsuki pointed out.
"Him finding out sucks, but otherwise someone might've fucking drowned"
"So what if someone is in danger at the sportsfestival?" Izuku asked, now looking at Katsuki with desperation in his eyes.
"What if I can only save them if I use another quirk?"
"The teachers are watching and everything is super safe, you know that" Katsuki stated.
"What? Afraid your damn ass can't stay put when you see someone struggle? Ugh, the heart of a hero or whatever bullshit they call it... Just be fucking selfish nerd! You're competing to win!"
Izuku chuckled, nodding. Yeah... Guess he was right, wasn't he? It's a competition and he shouldn't look at anyone else but himself.
"So? Did I manage to cheer you up nerd?" Katsuki asked, harshly ruffling the green curls as he grinned. Izuku laughed a little, nodding as he pushed him off.
"Yeah, thanks Kacchan. I really needed that" Izuku chuckled, leaning back onto the bench.
"And you're right... I've been training for years to control this crazy quirk, I should be confident in my skill"
"Of course I'm fucking right, when have I ever been wrong?" Katsuki grinned, messing up Izuku's already messy hair.
"Kacchan! Stop that!" Izuku laughed, trying to push his childhood friend off as Kacchan started tickling him relentlessly. It's funny how their relationship barely changed throughout the years. They're still just little boys fooling around with each other and being silly together. Not that either of them is complaining about that!
They ended up rolling off the bench, falling on the grass while their limbs tangled up with one another.
"Tch... So did I change your mind? Are you gonna tell sleeping bag sensei you're gonna compete?" Katsuki asked, panting a bit. Izuku was catching his breath as well, rolling his eyes as he pushed Kacchan off him so he could crawl up again. Katsuki quickly latched himself onto Izuku's leg, tackling him back onto the ground.
"Wha-! Kacchan!" Izuku yelped as he fell down on the grass.
"Let me get up!"
"Not until you answer me, shitnerd" Katsuki grinned.
"Are you going to keep tackling me until I give in? You want me in the sportsfestival that bad?" Izuku whined, feeling himself start to give in.
"Uh, yes? Isn't that pretty fucking obvious by now idiot? I thought you were smart Deku" Katsuki teased, making Izuku roll his eyes again, letting out a small laugh.
"Alright! Fine! I'll enter the sportsfestival!" the green head exclaimed.
"Hell yeah! I'm gonna kick your ass!" Katsuki grinned as he got up.
"I'll beat you, just you watch!" Izuku smiled as he got up as well.
They playfully pushed each other around for another minute before quickly eating up their food before the bell rang. They also managed to make it to the classroom early, despite almost forgetting to eat lunch.
"A-Aizawa sensei?" Izuku asked as Katsuki pushed him inside, making him stumble forward.
"Yes?" their homeroom teachers asked, raising a brow.
"I-I changed my mind... I think I w-will be competing in the sportsfestival this year" Izuku said, feeling Katsuki's eyes on his back. Aizawa glanced between the two problem children, sighing. This wasn't what he signed up for... But guess it was what he had to put up with for now...
"Alright, I haven't marked your withdrawal yet so everything is still in order... Make sure to write something to say before it all starts, just a few words should be fine"
"Thank you so much Aizawa sensei" Izuku smiled, giving him a small bow before returning to Kacchan and walking over to their seats together.
...
"You WHAT?!"
Izuku groaned, shooting Kacchan a glare for telling his family about him wanting to get out of the sportsfestival.
"Izuku, you can't let a chance to shine slip away like that! All great future heroes do good in the UA sportsfestival" Tenko pointed out.
"You know, he's not wrong" Dabi shrugged.
"Well, for the most part, at least..."
Oh, right... Endeavor... He went to UA too, didn't he? Just like All Might...
"Yeah! I wanna see Izu-kun kick butt!" Toga giggled.
"All you're gonna see is how I kick Deku's ass!" Katsuki exclaimed.
"That's enough boys, calm down please. We don't want any complaints from the neighbors again" Inko pointed out as she walked past them.
"Yes mom" Izuku after her as he watched her go. He sighed, hitting Kacchan on his arm.
"Oi!"
"Was it really necessary to tell everyone here?! I'm never gonna hear the end of it now!" Izuku pouted.
"He's right, you're an ass" Dabi smirked.
"Oh, I'll fucking explode your fucking ass-" Katsuki started, only to be held back by Kurogiri.
"That's enough of you two. Himiko, it's time for your medicine. Same goes for you, Twice. Tenko, Dabi, don't the two of you have to prepare for classes? And I'm sure Izuku and Katsuki have to train for the upcoming sportsfestival, no?"
"Yes Kurogiri" they all answered, some sighing. There was a reason Hisashi brought him along to watch them... He was like a second dad to Izuku, to be honest.
Katsuki groaned, grabbing Izuku's arm and pulling him towards the elevator so they could go down to the training area. The ash blonde also helped the green head to figure out what he was going to say at the start of the sportsfestival. It came sooner than anyone expected, time flying by as they trained and went to school. Days passed in a blur and before they knew it, it was already the day of the festival.
Izuku was chatting with his classmates in the waiting area, all of them wearing their regular sports uniform. On the outside it might've seemed like everything was okay, but on the inside Izuku was freaking the fuck out. All Might was walking around these halls too and there was nothing restricting him from approaching him or sabotaging the festival like he did with the rescue training. Aizawa had tried to assure him Nezu kept a close eye on him since the...incident at the USJ, but Izuku couldn't help but worry.
"Oi nerd, don't you dare go fucking easy on me out there, understand?" Katsuki stated, jabbing at Izuku's chest.
"Of course not Kacchan! I'm gonna give it my all out there just like everybody else!" Izuku smiled.
"At least for as far I'm allowed" he added mentally, making Katsuki roll his eyes. Shoto was watching the conversation from a distance, standing up and making his way over.
"Midoriya" he started, just like he started up their previous conversation.
"I am stronger than you"
Oh, what a nice conversation opener! The class silently watched, confused and unaware of where this was going. Sure, Todoroki was at the top of their class but so was Midoriya. But Izuku was also curious to see where this was going, so he'll indulge him for a moment-
"That's why I'll beat you, no matter what your connection to All Might may be"
Wait... What?!
"M-my connection to All Might..?" Izuku asked, confused. Where the hell did he even get that idea from? There was no connection! If anything, they were both very desperate to avoid any connections!
"I've seen the way you two interact with each other. It is unlike his interactions with anyone else" Shoto explained. Oh... Well, if that's his reasoning, he could see the two of them had a rather strained relationship, right?
"That is why I am determined to beat you"
"You may be right, Todoroki" Izuku smiled, trying not to be dazed by his declaration of war.
"My relationship with All Might certainly is different from his relationship with the rest of our class, but that doesn't have anything to do with this. Everyone here is going to give it their all in the sportsfestival! And that's why I'll try my best too! To beat you with my own power!"
Todoroki was clearly taken aback by this, yet his neutral gaze didn't falter.
"Oi! Don't think I'm going easy on either of you extras, got it?!" Katsuki exclaimed, glaring and pointing at the two of them.
"This is my declaration of war!"
Izuku chuckled, nodding.
"Are you fucking looking down on me nerd?!" Katsuki yelled, setting off explosions.
"Of course not Kacchan! Let's both do our best, okay?"
"I'm gonna obliterate you, damn Deku!"
Hm, I'd like to see you try, Kacchan~