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"Kacchan!!" Izuku protests, as another crumpled up wad of paper comes flying at him. "What do you even keep throwing away?"
"YOU have it! I'll come by later, okay?"
"Have WHAT?"
"The book I gave you!" Katsuki calls, as he runs back upstairs
Izuku is bewildered at that. When did Kacchan ever give HIM a book? Next to him, Shouto cocks an eyebrow, no doubt with the same query, earning a vague shrug in response.
"What was he muttering to himself for an hour anyway?" Shouto asks, as he and Izuku reach over to pick up one of the several discarded paper balls around the dining area of their makeshift dorms.
The three of them had taken to spending an hour or two after class at this table together. They didn’t always chat much, but it was nice to have company while they did their own thing. Shouto usually caught up on homework, Katsuki liked to read (he preferred working before bedtime) and Izuku a bit of everything. Today he was reading the news.
That day however, Katsuki had pulled out a notepad and had been scribbling furiously, tsking and tutting as whatever he worked on kept escaping him. Izuku and Shouto had taken one sidelong glance at each other and studiously went back to minding their own business, until one of the wads had squarely hit Izuku in the eye.
Izuku unfurls the page and sees-
“Shoes?” Shouto holds up his page.
“Kacchan is redesigning his hero costume!!!” Izuku delightedly says, seeing the 7 new versions of gauntlets Katsuki had tried to draw on his page.
“Well it makes sense. His current one isn’t suitable for Cluster anymore right?”
“Oh I can’t wait to see what the new design looks like. It’s been so long, and Kacchan barely needed changes in the original so I wonder how they’ll accommodate for full body Cluster, and how it’ll store the sweat n-.”
Shouto cuts him off before he can build a full head of Dynamight-Quirk-Analysis steam. “What book?”
Izuku’s brow furrows.
“Well I do have a book on hero costume designs. It’s… I can’t believe it!”
“What now???”
“See you later, Todoroki-kun.”
Shouto watches Izuku run back up to his own room. If it’s important, I’ll find out he sighs, returning to his essay on How to Identify Load Bearing Supports in Collapsed Buildings.
Izuku wakes up. He slips out of the house at 5 in the morning, heading to Dagoba beach like he’s done every day for the last few months. He runs, muscles warming as the sun rises, and he clears broken televisions and washing machines and bicycles. He waves to All Might, who promptly has him do 50 push-ups in greeting, and Izuku opts not to tell him that it’s his 14th birthday today even though it actually would have been nice to hear his favourite hero wish him. At home, he hears his mother’s alarm go off while he’s in the shower, and when he comes into the kitchen wearing his crisp black military uniform, he smiles as Inko wishes him a happy birthday and plants a kiss on his cheek. He wouldn’t have wanted the first wish to come from anywhere else.
“Sorry I won’t be home when you get back from school, Izuku. But I promise, when I get back, we can do something, just the two of us.” Inko says, as she packs katsudon into Izuku’s bento. “I hope you don’t mind, my shift got rearranged for today and I couldn’t get out of it.”
“Don’t be silly, you know I love movie night with you. Can we order some pizza tonight?” Izuku asks, smiling again as Inko says she’ll bring some on the way back home.
When Izuku gets to school, as expected, no one wishes him a happy birthday. In fact, no one even speaks to him. Ever since the sludge villain incident, people have markedly kept out of Izuku’s way, ESPECIALLY Kacchan. Well, they all follow his lead anyway. Izuku had watched Katsuki walk into the classroom and had braced himself for the usual “Hah! No gifts this year either, nerd?” but Kacchan had just paused, looked at him for a second longer than usual, and wordlessly taken a seat. Izuku to his annoyance had felt hurt at that - at least Kacchan had remembered in his own way before, even if he had hated it. But now… it felt like he wanted nothing to do with him. It’s probably for the best, Izuku thought, knowing that he probably will blab about All Might if Kacchan provoked him, and that he probably won’t believe him either.
When final bell rings, Izuku feels a shoulder bump into him as he’s heading out the door, and finds that he’s even MORE annoyed with himself for being a little pleased that it was Kacchan, interacting with him for the first time since that day in the alley. He shoulders his bag and heads home, eager to do his exercises.
Izuku almost stumbles over the package on his doorstep.
“Oh! Izuku-kun, happy birthday!!” the old lady from next door calls over.
“Thank you, Shimada-san. Er.. do you know who this package is from by any chance?” Izuku says, picking up the box. It’s not heavy, he thinks.
“The postman of course, silly! But it’s not for your mother. He said it was for you when I signed for it.”
“For me?”
“It is your birthday isn’t it? Must be one of your little friends.” Shimada-san chuckles and heads in. Izuku heads inside, bewildered. No one would send him a gift like this - and he KNOWS it’s not from his mom either, who had handed him a wrapped present before he ran for the bus, and had promptly snatched it back saying they’ll unwrap it together that night.
He decides to open this one.
Inside the standard cardboard box, there was a pale blue gift box, with a dark blue ribbon tied around it. The card must be on the inside. For a wild and improbable moment, Izuku thinks it’s from his father, before he shakes off the notion. His mother used to sign his birthday cards "with love, from both mom and dad", until Izuku had told her to cut it out on his 8th birthday.
You don’t have to say it’s from dad anymore, Mom. If he wanted to, he’d be here. You’re here, right? Inko had burst into tears then, peppering him with kisses and hugging Izuku so tightly that he thought he’d die.
Izuku is sure that today’s gift from his mother will also be All Might themed, like every gift so far has been. He hums a little as he unties the blue ribbon, eagerly waiting for their movie night later.
A box of chocolates glimmers on the inside, each one individually wrapped in various shades of burnished metal. Izuku turns it over, eyeing the label as it lists, in his frank opinion, disgusting combinations of flavours. Who on earth would want a lemon raspberry dark chocolate truffle? he thinks, as he looks back inside the box for a card.
He gasps. Under the gross perversion of confectionery sits a masterpiece instead. The Definitive Guide to Hero Costume Design: Volume 3 by David J. Shield. Izuku’s hands tremble as he picks it up. He’d spent countless hours online trying to find a copy, but Volume 3 had had an extremely limited run and the 3 Kinokuniyas in the city had run out of even the English copies way too fast. He had a bootleg pirated copy of half of volume 2 in Thai but that was published BEFORE David Shield had worked on All Might’s latest costume and was, well, summarily worthless in every non-diagram way to him.
HeroBay naturally had copies, but even if Izuku had a spare US$350 to spend on it, he had some minor trust issues after the “mint edition” All Might figure he’d ordered was spelled Oll Micht and had All Might in a pink cape. That had cost him a whole YEAR’S worth of savings when he was 10.
If he didn’t think he’d look ridiculous doing it, Izuku would have gotten tweezers to open the book. Even in Japan this would have cost close to 5000 yen - who the hell would part with something so priceless for IZUKU. Maybe All Might knew it was my birthday? He and Mr. Shield are friends after all….
Izuku rifles through the guide, gently running his hands over the glossy diagrams of gloves, masks, suits, materials, etc, etc. that filled the 300 odd pages. As expected of the Nobel Quirk Prize winner, there’s detailed sections on what makes the perfect hero costume, and what a hero like All Might needs. He rummages quickly in his room for a fresh notebook, thinking that if this is all a mistake and the postman returns for the items tomorrow, then he’s gonna make the most of it in these few hours.
As he pulls a chair up, Izuku notices the box isn’t empty yet. A note, in the neatest handwriting he’s ever seen was under the book. Whoever left it was even considerate enough to add furigana next to the complex kanji (so it WAS meant for a middle schooler then huh? )
Dear Izuku-kun,
Happy 14th Birthday. It only feels like yesterday that you were 4 years old, running around my heels while you and Katsuki chased each other in the park. 10 years have passed all too quickly since then. I hope your mother is well, please give her my well wishes.
I wanted to apologize to you first. This letter should have been sent weeks ago, right after what happened. So I want to take this opportunity here to say, thank you. My son doesn’t speak of what happened, but I watched the news afterwards, and saw that you had tried to help Katsuki before All Might arrived.
As a token of my gratitude for thinking about Katsuki’s safety, and to wish you the happiest of birthdays, I hope you will accept this book. I had asked Katsuki what you would like, and he told me you might enjoy this.
Thank you once again, Izuku-kun.
From,
Mitsuki Bakugou and Family
Izuku blinked twice. He turned the letter over, read it again, and again. “I had asked Katsuki what you would like...” He let out a short breath - of course Aunty would say that, it’s expected isn’t it. She probably doesn’t even know we’re not on speaking terms anymore. Aunty must have gotten it herself.
He feels odd. No one had thanked him for what he did that day. Izuku can still hear the police and pro heroes chewing him out after it happened. If Izuku was honest with himself, he can barely remember the events of that day before All Might told him he can be a hero. The cloying, suffocating stench of rot and death of the sludge villain sometimes haunts his nightmares, but nothing the anxious giddiness of being All Might’s successor doesn’t shred as he wakes. I didn’t do anything, aunty, I just bought All Might some time, he thinks, and then quietly whispers “thank you”, settling in to read in the few hours before his mother returns for movie night.
“Izuku, open up!” Katsuki’s voice snaps Izuku out of his reverie. 3 more knocks. He goes to open the door, letter in hand, book open on his bed, and gives him a look of such intense scrutiny that makes Katsuki want to look away. Instead, he eloquently says “what."
“Did you actually tell your mom to give me that book as a gift?”
“Is that so hard to believe?”
Izuku crosses his arms as Katsuki plops himself on his desk chair.
“Okay, well not in so many words, no.” Katsuki reaches out for the guide, only to find Izuku body blocking him.
“Izuku what the hell, let me see my book!”
“There, that! What do you mean “your” book? You wanted nothing to do with me back in middle school!”
Katsuki shrinks slightly inwards, but his eyes are softer when he says “It WAS mine. Didn’t you see my handwriting all over it?”
“You- what- you- you WROTE IN THIS?” Katsuki at least has the decency to look ashamed under Izuku’s furious glare.
“Did you not read it?”
“Of course I read it!!!!”
“So how could you miss all my notes?”
“Where did you write in it Kacchan, this isn’t even a funny prank.”
“Support Items for Quirk Storage: Arm Accessories.”
“.....okay I didn’t read that part.”
“You had a hero costume book by All Might’s sidekick for TWO whole years and you didn’t read all of it? Give it back. Now.” Katsuki stands, trying to side step Izuku to the book.
”All Might never had any support items! So I had no real reason to go so deep in that section. And then I came HERE and saw all the costumes first hand so…”
Izuku is quicker. He’s flipping to the section, and yep, Kacchan’s scratchy yet neat handwriting is all over it, in little annotations everywhere.
“So. How come you had the book in the first place, how come I have it now, and how come you never needed it before this moment?” Izuku holds the book tight to his chest.
“You’re seriously not gonna lend it to me until I answer?”
Izuku looks at him blankly. Katsuki sighs, and looks around the room at all the All Might merch, and is about to answer when he spots a figurine on one of the shelves.
“Oll Micht??? What the hell is this?” Katsuki laughs, blocking Izuku easily with one arm as he examines the figure. “Izuku, why is his cape streaked with pink?”
“Because I coloured it with a red sharpie. Free advice Kacchan, do not trust RealMightReseller on HeroBay.”
Katsuki laughs harder. “Why the hell did YOU?”
“Because I was TEN.”
“I wouldn’t have even at age five.”
“Good for you. Now answer my questions! Please?” Izuku sits.
Katsuki sits back down too, languidly stretching his legs. “My mom’s firm did the design and typesetting of the book from English to Japanese, so I’ve had that copy since release day. I designed my hero costume pretty much instantly after that. And when you’re awesome like me, you don’t need to change perfection if you get it right the first time.” Katsuki grins, his face confident as usual.
Izuku rolls his eyes at that, but a hint of a smile tugs at his lips. Kacchan’s hero costume was perfect. With the exception of a few minor changes and Panzer, it’s needed nothing, until Cluster and his quirk awakening.
“Why don’t you just ask Hatsume-san to make the changes?” Izuku already knows the answer of course, but he likes hearing Kacchan’s thought process.
“How will I know what to ask for or what to even want if I don’t come up with options myself?”
“Mmm. So. Why do I have it?”
“Because my mom is nosy and a snoop and a thief and took it from my room?”
Izuku stares. Katsuki sticks his tongue out. Izuku crosses his legs on the bed, getting comfortable with guarding the book for the long run. Katsuki flips him off in one easy motion.
“What did my mom write in that letter anyway?” he asks, eyeing the letter next to Izuku’s foot.
“She… uh. She thanked me.” Izuku says to the floor.
Katsuki snorts softly. “Of course she did.” He looks at Izuku fiddling with a non existent string on his trousers, the scars on his arm shifting colours and shining slightly in the light of the afternoon sun.
“I should have too, by the way.”
Izuku finally meets his eyes. He’s still not used to the new found softness in Kacchan’s eyes, open and inviting conversation, and something else. Something Izuku found reflected back at him in his own eyes in the mirror. The veneer of strength hiding something endlessly fragile. The only difference was that Kacchan looked almost as if he wanted Izuku to challenge him, so that he can explain himself, and Izuku… only his reflection challenged him every morning.
“Thanks Kacchan, but you really don’t have to.”
Katsuki watches for a beat longer, waiting for Izuku to say something else, but when nothing else came, he clicked his tongue to get his attention.
“My mom did ask me what you liked, but obviously, at the time, I picked a fight with her. At some point in the argument I just told her to get you SOMETHING and to stop bugging me. She obviously asked what and I don’t know… I told her to just give you something she’s given me before. She picked up that, and said she’ll give it to you and I just said okay whatever to get her out.”
Izuku’s eyes narrow, searching Kacchan’s face for any hint of a lie. His eyes are different colours right now, he absently notes. The sun is currently and rudely illuminating one eye into a bright, translucent cherry red, while the other is the usual burgundy.
“It’s the truth!” Kacchan insists, as if he’s read Izuku’s mind.
“You’re telling me you didn’t tell her not to give away something so valuable to ME?”
Katsuki shrugs shamelessly. “And let her know I had sentimental feelings? Ew. Pass.”
“So you really didn’t give it to me out of any…”
“No.” a pause. “So-”
“Don’t apologize Kacchan” Katsuki looks up and to his alarm sees Izuku smile.
Izuku thought he would feel worse knowing it wasn’t intentional, but it surprised him to feel relief to find out otherwise. Somehow, the contradiction would have been too great for him to reconcile - the Kacchan he always had misunderstandings with was someone he had worked to put away over the last year. This Kacchan, the one in the room with him, was hard earned, not unlike that Oll Micht figure on his shelf. This Kacchan he lov- he appreciated because he was a jerk through and through, and he isn’t anymore.
“So can I have the book now?”
“Can we arrange a shared custody schedule for it?”
“You don’t even USE it!”
“How do you know, Kacchan?”
“I haven’t forgotten the monstrosity of your costume, Izuku.”
“My MOM made that, you better -”
“I’m talking about the abomination of your LAST one. Really? Orange stripes, with red sleeves, and white and blue gloves? Only colour missing in that was fucking purple.”
“What was wrong with the orange??? Your costume has orange!”
"Yeah, a BETTER orange, and you know it!"
Katsuki snatches the book from Izuku. Izuku smiles. He could get used to this new reality, where he and Kacchan can tease each other, and brainstorm hero costume ideas, and laugh at the silly designs from decades past. Together.
"By the way Kacchan, All Might told me he did have a support item at some point". Izuku's smile broadens as he watches Katsuki pause, and slowly turn around to gape at him. Katsuki seems to cycle through shock, joy, anger, betrayal, excitement and shock again in 4 seconds flat. Izuku is mildly impressed.
"... So you have a picture right? The entire lore history of this item?" Katsuki asks, voice slightly trembling.
"I WISH. I spent days frantically searching literally every All Might message board in the history of time trying to find any mention of this." Izuku still considers that his greatest failure as a fan. He couldn't even post about it asking for information, what with the top secret OFA secret and all.
Katsuki frantically thumbs through the Support Item section, but both he and Izuku knew that it would be futile. The book was legendary, and besides, Katsuki had annotated all over it so if it was mentioned... He snaps the book shut and starts walking out the door. Izuku hesitates. "Well, are you coming or not?" Katsuki demands, opening the door.
"Er, where to exactly, Kacchan?"
"I can't BELIEVE you. You had personal training with the man for how many months now? And you never once asked him to show you a picture, or tell you about it?"
"It would have been in bad taste! I didn't want to seem TOO eager-" Izuku runs directly into Kacchan, who had stopped to look at him incredulously. "I was his successor! There were two wars!"
"Well, the wars are over, and I'm not going anywhere until he answers our damn questions!"
Izuku smiles again. The idea that he could possibly be heading into All Might's office, with Kacchan no less, to talk about All Might's costume, and get exclusive stories and information would have been unthinkable to him a few years ago. It's remarkable even now.
"He'll tell US if we ask won't he? I wonder if he'll sign something for us too."
Katsuki grins, falling into lockstep beside him, pulling out his war-ravaged trading card from his pocket. Izuku pulls his out too, grinning back at Kacchan. He'd say it was like old times, but this is brand new, and he inwardly says thanks again to Mitsuki Aunty, to All Might, and to David Shield for the new joys of an old gift.