Come At Me Scrublord, I am Ripped

The constant muttering of Izuku was no more easily tuned out than it had been the day that Kurogiri had met the boy. Something about the low, constant murmur just got into your head and made you listen, picking up each word even from across the room. It wasn't a bad thing, not necessarily since Izuku only ever did it when he was deep in thought so it usually provided insight into whatever was going on in the kid's head at any given time. It was easy to understand what someone was worried about it if they explained it in excruciating detail under their breath.

At the very least, today it was a happy sort of muttering as Izuku sat at the bar. He had said he was going to work on hero costume ideas (why oh lord did he have to subject Kurogiri to seeing his truly awful tastes) but after about twenty minutes of sketching he had gotten too excited and began to rock back and forth in his seat, eyes shinning and a stupid grin plastered across his face. He wasn't paying any attention to what was going on around him in the present but he was giving Kurogiri a very, very detailed account of everything that had happened during the exam.

"I can't believe all we had to do was destroy things, you know? I mean sure I have a limited range but they were programed to come after us. All I really had to do was just sort of stand there and trash anything that got too close. How big is U.A.'s budget anyway? They have like entire mini cities in there. Well I mean it's obviously really important for, you know, training and stuff but sheesh! I mean, if someone could loan a little to my mom's landlord so he could fix the A.C. unit for once. Though I guess heroes don't really share, huh? Not that villains do either. Hey you know Robin Hood? Do you think he counted as a hero or a villain?"

"I have no idea who that is but he sounds like a fucking prick," Tomura pipped up from the other side of the bar. Izuku didn't notice, when he was in his own head only a raised, angry voice could drag him out of it and Kurogiri and Tomura were too fond of him to make him feel so ashamed.

"I got to see so many quirks in action too. I mean I do anyway with all the villains we have in here but let's be honest most everyone in the Alliance isn't exactly highly skilled. Did you know Ingenium had a younger brother? Well I mean he could have been a cousin but he had the exact same quirk. I wonder if they're gonna form a brother-brother team? I mean their quirks wouldn't really be complimentary but I would love to see it." Kurogiri set a plate of American style eggs and potatoes in front of him and Izuku began to automatically shovel it into his mouth without stopping the endless chatter. "And there was this girl with an amazing quirk – anti gravity I think? I didn't get a close enough look at it in action to tell how it worked. Her weight limit seems pretty low though, when that rock fell on her she couldn't get away until I shredded it. Still, I want that quirk. You think Sensei has one like it I could take?"

Izuku suddenly turned scarlet and he wrapped his arms around his head, hugging himself as he got flustered. "She was so confident! She seemed like she just knew she would be accepted! I hope she is, there's no hero with a quirk like her. B-but she actually said that she hoped we would be in the same class! AND – a-and she said that I was really nice! And not like in the way that you guys say it – she said it like she was complimenting me. Oh my god I hope I can see her again – she was the only one there who didn't scare me. B-but then again do you think-"

Kurogiri mixed himself a White Russian and downed it in one go. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Tomura point at it then point at himself and silently the bartender made one for him too.

"Of course I didn't get the chance to see the people who were there on recommendation. But there's no way for me to know anything about them! Obviously they're going to be in 1A but since I was ranked with only a destruction quirk I doubt they'll let me in a class with the elites, you know?"

After a moment, Kurogiri went ahead and made a third White Russian which he set carefully in front of Izuku himself. Without even glancing at it Izuku scooped it up and drank deeply out of it, only for his eyes to go wide halfway through as he gagged. Izuku slammed the glass down as far away from him as he could manage as he hacked and coughed, shooting a dirty glare at Tomura for snickering then at Kurogiri as his glowing eyes turned up in amusement.

"What the fuck!?" Izuku demanded when he got his breathing under control.

"What did you think it would be?"

"I-I don't know! Chocolate milk?" Tomura actually chuckled loudly at that and Izuku threw his eraser in the direction of his head. "Shut up! I was d-dis-distracted, okay!?" Izuku huffed and rubbed his face a though that would make his blush fade away. He hunched over his sketchbook again and began drawing again, this time jotting down ideas for colors before he looked up at Tomura. "Hey, can I have my eraser back?"

It beaned him right between the eyes and Izuku yelped. He tightened his jaw and puffed out his cheeks before he decided to just ignore all of them. He hunched his shoulders and put his head down before poked at the glass with the end of his pencil. "Get that away from me."

"No. It'll improve those sketches," Kurogiri said pleasantly and Izuku puffd up indignantly.

"My costume designs are AWESOME!"

"There's bunny ears on that one."

"They aren't – that's!" Izuku grabbed the White Russian and drank the other half. "Shut up! I don't need your opinion." But even so he wrinkled his nose before he turned the page to start again, this time starting a sketch without anything covering his hair. The note on the side still labeled the colors as red, white, and blue and Kurogiri sighed. He didn't suppose he could talk Izuku into wearing something a little less cheesy. Like a suit, perhaps?

Kurogiri and Tomura drank casually and left Izuku to his own devices, outside of occasionally leaving a glass of whatever they were drinking in his general vicinity. The two of them were used to booze, Kurogiri's body was hardly effected by alcohol at all and Tomura had been drinking since he was far younder than Izuku was now so neither of them paid attention until Izuku started hiccupping. At the first little squeak Kurogiri paused and looked over his shoulder and Tomura peered around him.

Izuku's skin looked paler than usual, outside of the bright red blush across the tops of his cheeks. He was looking down with huge, watery eyes and every hiccup shook his entire body. There was a small tower of empty glasses stacked beside him and the quality of his drawings had clearly deteriorated immensely over the course of the afternoon.

"Shit," Kurogiri said.

"M'fine."

"We fucked up."

"What do you mean 'we'? You're the one who gave him rum," Tomura said indignantly.

"Really m'fine. Just –hic– just gotta draw m're," Izuku slurred without looking up. He was wavering a little bit in his seat and Kurogiri put a hand over his face. Great. "I caaaan take it d'worry about it." If there was anything Izuku could have said to make Kurogiri completely certain Izuku was shit faced, that was probably it.

"Tomura, would you kindly take Izuku home?" Red eyes glared at him but when Izuku attempted to stand while declaring that he was just FINE and almost ended up slamming his chin against the counter Tomura relented. He groaned and slid out of his own seat, wobbling a little for a moment before he found his balance. It occurred to Kurogiri then, that this may not have been his best idea. But eh, fuck it. He didn't want to walk Izuku home himself.

A dark purple warp split the air behind Izuku, and the dazed young man staggered around with a confused look on his face. "Come on, squirt," Tomura said as he grabbed Izuku by the elbow.

"But – my costume ideas ar-" Was as far as Izuku got before he was guided out and the warp closed neatly behind them. Izuku squirmed as he passed through it, not expecting the sudden feeling as his stomach churned uncomfortably. "Oh god," Izuku wheezed as soon as his feet hit the ground. He wrenched his arm away from Tomura and staggered to a bright green bin set up beside a tree. He gripped the mouth of the can and he hurled violently.

"Woah, you are a wimp," Tomura said. He had appeared behind Izuku, and the younger boy flailed his arm in his direction as he continued to empty his guts. With a snicker Tomura leaned in and tucked Izuku's shaggy curls behind his ears, just to keep it out of the danger zone.

They were in the park again, not that either of them had hung around the place in years. The bright orange-pink fingers of sunset were fading behind Izuku's apartment complex and when Tomura glanced up he was greeted by twinkling little stars peeking out between fat rainclouds. The air smelled nice, crisp with a little chill and Tomura idly started scratching at the side of his neck. It was early, far too early. With a sigh Tomura closed his eyes and let his chin fall again.

It was such a lovely evening, it seemed a pity to just drop Izuku off and leave him be. When he glanced over, Izuku was sitting on his knees and doubled over. He was still as a statue until Tomura prodded at the mushy skin of his hip with his foot.

"Whaaaaaaaaaaa – hic – 's up?" Izuku glowered blearily up at him and Tomura yanked him up to his feet by the elbow. Izuku stumbled a little before he found his footing. Standing perfectly still. It looked like it was taking him a lot of effort not to fall over and Tomura snickered again.

"Hey, you feel up for trying out something fun?"

"Liiiiiiiike what?"

"Let's play around our quirks, hmm? There's a construction zone a little to the south and I've been wondering which one of us can destroy things faster." Tomura turned Izuku around, away from his apartment. The younger boy staggered and shook his head before he lit up with one of his dazzling grins. "I'll get you home before anyone notices you're gone."

"Ehhh, Mom's mad a-at me again anyway. She p-pr-p-hic-probably has fucking Kacchan over again. Let's GO!" Izuku threw up one arm as he punched the air and whooped. "W-who cares when I get back? I-iiiiif it's too late I can always sleep it off a-at – hic – the bar." Tomura nodded sagely before he led Izuku into the dark night.

XXX

Izuku had never felt worse in his life.

He wasn't even sure when he had woken up, awareness crept sluggishly through his throbbing skull until he couldn't ignore it anymore. He snuggled further into his blankets, wrapping himself up in a warm haze as he tried to ignore his pounding head. His memories of the night before were hazy, and thinking about hurt but Izuku did silently vow not to drink ever again. And he was going to fucking wring Kurogiri's neck.

"Mnngggh," he groaned as he curled inward. His mom? Izuku fumbled around until he found his phone, nestled in the blankets along with him and he unlocked the screen. The flash of light made him wince and he screwed up his face until he turned down the brightness and could peer at the time. Three in the afternoon. She would be at work then. He kinda hoped she had been asleep when he got home, too. He had a vague sort of memory of talking to her but the details were fuzzy.

Slowly, Izuku peeled off his covers and looked around his room. Faded and dusty All Mights leered at him from every corner, guilting him into consciousness properly. He was still in yesterday's clothing and he was surprised to see dust coating his shoulders. And . . . was that a blood stain on his sleeve!? Izuku brought it to his mouth and licked it but all he could taste was the harsh flavor of ash and cotton. He pulled a face and squinted at the little table next to his bed and was pleased to see a glass of water and a small white bottle. There was a sticky note on the side of the bottle too, and when he squinted at it Izuku could make out 'feel better soon, sweetie! take two of these when you wake up. love, mom'.

Well if he hadn't felt guilty before he really did now. Izuku slowly reached over and picked up the bottle and disintegrated the cap after struggling with the child proof lock for a moment.

Delicately, Izuku picked out two little rust colored tablets out of the shards of plastic and popped them into his mouth before he reached for the glass of water.

And his hand moved right through it.

Izuku blinked and pressed his lips together in a thin line. The medication was starting to dissolve in his mouth, leaving a sickeningly bitter taste and chalky feeling inside his cheeks. Izuku withdrew his hand then reached for the glass again but once more his hand just moved through it.

Nothing seemed to change about his hand, it still looked perfectly solid and so did the glass. After a pause, Izuku dry swallowed painfully before he got to his feet. Oh god, he was still a little drunk. Izuku put his hand on the wall – and thankfully it didn't phase through that – before he slowly picked up the glass of water and drank deeply.

Okay. Intangibility quirk. Where had that come from?

He had been practicing pulling quirks out of Sensei, but he always given them all back by the time he left again. The last time they had practiced Izuku had managed to cram thirty into his tiny body before he got a nosebleed and threw them all back as quickly as possible. Had he left one out? Izuku must have. Oops.

Izuku staggered forward as his leg sank down to his knee in the floor and Izuku fell flat on his face. "Oooh god," he moaned. His control of his first quirk was flawless now, he could destroy and reassemble without effort, without thought. And he thought he was pretty good with the portion of All for One he had been given, and Sensei thought so too. His body couldn't handle much but Sensei had said it would take time to strengthen himself to hold so many. He could almost effortlessly figure out how to assimilate new quirks; at least when he realized he had them AND had time to study them before he stole them.

This intangibility was foreign and therefore difficult to control. Well, whatever. When he wasn't hungover anymore he would take time to play around with it before he handed to back over. And speaking of, Izuku's guts suddenly twisted and he high speed sloshed through the floor to get to the bathroom before he had the chance to vomit on the tatami.

XXX

Kurogiri had been dead wrong, Izuku though at he changed. His costume was kick ass. Granted, it didn't exactly look heroic – villains usually wore more down to earth civilian clothing compared to flashy hero costumes – but it suited who and what Izuku wanted to be perfectly. Mostly. Turns out the costume department had taken things a little literally.

'Pockets EVERYWHERE' for example, had been a roughly scrawled note in the corner of his designs but they had pulled through. It seemed that the entire inside of his hoodie was secret pockets, and with how baggy and light the thing was Izuku was sure he could shove a fucking text book in each one and no one would notice. They had added pouches on his belt, too, just in case he needed more room and Izuku found himself wondering if he shouldn't just cram them full of moisturizer to heckle Tomura with.

'Shirt or whatever' had also not been interpreted the way Izuku had expected as they had just gone ahead and not given him one at all. He had been embarrassed at first; his hoodie was meant to be worn open and his dark pants were worn low on his hips so he thought he had a little too much skin on display . . . right up until he saw Kirishima walk by. Then he decided showing only his stick thin tummy was just fine.

Not including notes for his shoes had been a bad idea too; since he was stuck wearing his giant red sneakers too but at least they were already broken in. He had seen some of the girls making faces as they struggled in their new heels.

The parts they got right, though, they got RIGHT. His mask, for example. Simple googles covered half of his face, bordered with the same minty green as his jacket and tinted black – dark enough that no one could see his eyes. They had been made to automatically adjust to available light, too, so they shaded his eyes in bright light and became more sensitive to light in the dark. Attached to that was what looked like a simple black bandana, covering his face from nose to collar bone with a built in filtration system – he had to work closely with Shigaraki and he really didn't want to be breathing in specks of human.

The decoration was spot on as well, his mask had a white hand print on it, and the back of his jacket had a massive black handprint across it as well as white stripes down his sleeves and decorating his flanks. The patterns were the most heroic thing about is outfit, he had designed them to imitate the more flashy designs of All Might's own flashier costume.

It was also incredibly comfortable to move around in, as he found while Uraraka made him float up along the outside of the building. She was running around inside, making a racket like she and Izuku were both running around together while focusing on keeping him in the air. He twisted around through the windows, peeking through each one until he spied Iida posing dramatically beside the 'bomb', facing the door. Was he . . . pretending to be a villain? Izuku could have snickered at the sight. He had seen low level thugs acting like that but people like Sensei, Kurogiri, and Tomura were so much better. Izuku grabbed the ledge over the window and spoke over the radio, "Uraraka? Could you stop floating me?"

"You got it!" her voice crackled over the speaker and suddenly weight dragged heavily on Izuku. He almost fell off the building then and there but with a quick flail he managed to shatter the window with his quirk before he hurtled himself inside. Iida whirled around and took one glance at him before he sprang protectively in front of the bomb.

"Bakugou! I thought you were taking care of them down there!"

"I am, fuckwit!"

"Midoriya is here!"

"WHAT!?" Even through the floor Izuku could hear the explosion and he winced.

"Oh, gotta go!" his partner pipped over her mic.

At the same time Izuku heard Kacchan screaming over both Iida's and his own earpieces, "YOU LYING BITCH, I'll FUCKING STAB YOUR PARENTS!" Iida began to yell over the phone that Kacchan couldn't just TALK to someone like that and Izuku took the opportunity to charge him . . . only to get kicked in the stomach faster than he could blink.

Izuku was thrown back until he crashed into a wall, making pain blossom between his shoulders. He put a hand over his bare stomach, and he winced as he felt the tread marks dig into his soft flesh. Izuku wrinkled his brow and looked around, trying to figure out what he could do. He wasn't fast and he wasn't particularly strong – he could steal a quirk for that later – but he was smart and he needed to end this before Kacchan got his sweaty palms on Uraraka.

Iida was hurdling towards him again, and with a yelp Izuku darted around a large pillar before he could get a kick to the face. Iida kicked the pillar, and Izuku made it dissolve enough that Iida was buried up to his thigh. "CLEVER!" Iida announced as Izuku darted around him and sprinted full force towards his target. Only to get a kick to the middle of his back that sent him crashing face first into the ground.

As he landed, Izuku felt his jaw pop out of the sockets and he bit the tip of his tongue so hard he tasted blood. Holy jesus fuck! He kicked harder than a fucking ox! Welp. Nothing for it but to go limp and play dead.

Izuku stopped moving.

Iida waited for him to get up.

There was some screaming from the lower levels, followed by an explosion and a high pitched 'take that!'

Izuku still refused to move.

"Um. Midoriya?" Iida began to walk closer, cautious but worried, "are you okay?"

Izuku still didn't move.

He felt Iida lean down over him and in a moment Izuku rolled over and wrapped the tape All Might had given them around Iida's ankles. "W-hey!?" Iida yelped as Izuku shot up and shoved him over. "Midoriya, that was cheap! WE'RE the villains!" Izuku made it to a foot away from the bomb before he was tackled in the back and thrown to the floor again.

"Ow!" Izuku protested around his mask. It was impressive how well his goggles were holding up for how often he had faceplanted today but he ignored the thought as he began to wriggle. He tried to throw out his arm towards the bomb but Iida was seated firmly on his back and pinned his arm against his side.

Then began the rather undignified struggle of wrestling on the floor, both of them keenly aware that every single one of their classmates happened to be watching them throwing messy kicks and punches. It was not Izuku's proudest display but they did manage to win. On a technicality. When Iida got him in a headlock and Izuku had managed to kick the bomb in his wild flailing.

When it was called Iida let him go and Izuku shot away and promptly lost his balance and landed on his face again. Now he was glad of his mask because no one could see the glowing red hue of his face. Oh god, what a great way to make a first impression.

"Ah-hem," Iida said as Izuku didn't get up, "we're done, and I won't fall for that a second time."

"No. I'm going to stay here until I die."

"That's a little dramatic," Iida said stiffly. A shadow passed over Izuku's back before an armored hand grabbed him by the back of his hood and hoisted him up to his feet. "Are you okay Midoriya?"

"You dislocated my jaw but other than that," Izuku shrugged, "nothing I haven't had before." He pulled off the bandana so it rested around his neck and gave Iida his biggest most dazzling smile as he could with a swollen face. "C'mon, I wanna see how Urakara did!" Izuku chirped as though he wasn't the one who had been lying on the floor. Iida just nodded stiffly, though, and they walked pleasantly through the ruins of Kacchan's explosions as he looked for Uraraka.

XXX

Fucking Deku was walking with his nose stuck in his phone, his thumb darting back and forth a he followed the crowd without looking up. Katsuki wondered if he could feel the fire of his glare on the back of his neck. He hoped so. He hoped it made Deku's skin crawl.

If it did, Katsuki didn't see it.

Fucking Deku had hung out with Iida and Ururaka after school, pretending to be a normal kid with normal interests. Katsuki couldn't help but notice that he seemed completely comfortable around Urukara now, ever he had since he was paired off with her in the villains and heroes exercise. And since Iida stopped yelling at him Deku had warmed right up to the walking toaster too. Katsuki had heard Deku telling Inko that he liked the wide, boxy gestures the giant of a student made, they reminded him of the way he rocked and hugged himself depending on what he was feeling. Weird, but not what Katsuki cared about right now.

It had taken hours before Deku had excused himself and Katsuki could start tailing him proper. He walked with his hands in his pockets and his shoulders hunched a good ten feet behind Deku, watching the shrimpy idiot text and walk at the same time. Seriously, what the fuck was he doing? There was a good chance that Deku was planning to get his portal buddy to dick him around again but, if he hadn't noticed Katsuki, then it was possible he might just lead him to wherever his hideout was.

And it seemed to be working, amazingly enough. Deku was walking towards a less populated part of town, not as desolate as the warehouses he had gone to before but a good way away from the main hustle of city life. Shady, Katsuki thought, this was shady. Deku was up to something with the silver haired creep, he just knew it. More to the point, Katsuki was going to catch him in the act and prove that not only was he physically stronger and smarter than the useless fuck but he was morally superior too. Because right now, they were passing by bars and blatant front stores and there was no reason for Deku to be here if he wasn't up to some shit.

As Deku walked the crowd thinned out considerably, until there were only a few other people wandering about the streets. Something about the way Deku was acting was deeply unsettling. The way he walked and moved, not even glancing at his surroundings but still moving with an effortless purpose. He had been here before. Many times, so many times that he seemed more comfortable here then when he was walking in their own neighborhood. It was fucked up.

And the more they walked the more certain Katsuki became that Deku knew he was being tailed. There was no way he didn't hear the sound of footfalls echoing his own and there was no missing the long shadow that bit at his heels yet still Deku just kept his nose in his phone. Was he ignoring him? Did he fucking think he could get away with ignoring him!? When Deku finally got to where he was going Katsuki was going to fucking blow a hole in his stomach.

They turned a corner, then another, then another until they reached a part of town where it looked like no one had gone for years. There were cracks in the pavement where weeds were peaking up and most of the buildings looked like they had been trashed by some long forgotten hero fight.

There was a condemned building with a large chain hanging across the gate, but someone had pulled it open as far as the chain would allow and Deku slipped in easily. Katsuki wrinkled his brow. He was tempted to back out then and there to avoid getting caught but . . . he needed to know what kind of bullshit Deku was involved with.

He ducked under the chain in time to see Deku climbing into a burnt out looking apartment building through a shattered window and he had to run across the yard before the shrimp had the chance to get too far out of his line of sight, but he was slowed too much trying not to get caught by the shattered glass of the empty window.

The inside of the building was dark, as soon as Katsuki was inside he had to squint against the dim light. He put a sleeve up to his nose to filter out the thick smell of burn and rot that sat heavy in the stale air as he looked around and strained his hearing. Deku was already gone but Katsuki heard the door to the stairwell swing shut and he followed in that direction.

Katsuki didn't know where the pitfalls of the place were and he had to tread carefully to avoid bringing the place down but Deku seemed to know everything about the fucking place. It was only the slow, deliberate noises the green haired freak made that led Katsuki up to the third floor, where he was met with a hallway of doors much like his own. Only here the walls were scorched black and covered in some sort of opaque lavender foam in random splotches and each door frame was missing its door. Katsuki curled his lip in disgust as he walked into the hallway, only to hear a small 'ahem' after he passed the first doorway.

Son of a bitch.

Katsuki stepped back and peered inside warily.

Deku was sitting on the empty window ledge looking down at the yard, dramatically backlit by the sun. He didn't look up or around as Katsuki crossed his arms and leaned against the doorway, but he did finally put his phone away. But Deku didn't say a damn thing. The silence lasted a minute, then two, then five and ten. Katsuki bristled and glared, furious that Deku was still ignoring him until a small explosion went off in his palm and he stomped forward.

"Deku! I don't know what shit you're trying to pull but if you don't spill I'll fucking gut you!"

". . ."

The green haired boy said nothing still. It was as if he thought he was immune to Katsuki's rage and that just made. Him. Angrier. Katsuki grabbed Deku by the arm and yanked him off the windowsill before he threw him to the ground. Deku let out a little squeak as he landed among shards of glass but before he could scurry off again Katsuki grabbed him by the front of his uniform and hauled him up again, and this time slamming his back against the wall and punched him hard across the face for the first time in years. It felt amazingly good to see Deku stagger a little but Katsuki held him by the collar so he couldn't escape.

"Cut this weak shit out!" Deku was shaking and he flinched at the sound of Katsuki raising his voice. But his eyes . . . were frigid. He was looking down at him, the same way he had done all his life. Katsuki punched him square in the nose as he snarled, "the fucks the matter with you!?"

Tears were forming in the corners of Deku's eyes, and his nose was bleeding badly but rather than beg and plead he raised a hand and put it on Katsuki's wrist. "I was curious," Deku said, his voice coming out strained through his broken nose.

"Come again, fuckwit!?" Katsuki pulled him back and slammed his back against the wall again. Deku actually cried out this time as his skull cracked against the wall.

Deku let out something that sounded halfway between a strangled sob and a gasp and he coughed before he managed to get words out again. "L-last time you followed me I just w-warped away from you. W-why did you follow me again?" Deku's blood was dripping onto Katsuki's arm and he made a face. "D-do you really think I'm stupid enough t-to just lead you along?" Only his gaze was steady as he spoke, and Katsuki wanted to hit him until he couldn't see a fucking thing. "Why are you following me?"

"Why the FUCK do you think!? You're wandering around fucking weirdos, you're at a place like THIS, and I know for a fucking fact you didn't bother to tell Inko."

That seemed to do it. Deku grimaced for a second before he bright one knee up and sharply kicked Katsuki in the middle of the stomach. "That's none of your fucking business, Kacchan," Deku snapped as he staggered back in shock. Katsuki snarled before he lunged forward and grabbed Deku's arm. With a series of explosions from his other palm Katsuki managed to get Deku off balance before he used his entire weight to hoist Deku into the air and slammed him down on his back. The wind was knocked out of Deku as his eyes stretched wide and his mouth opened wide.

Before Deku could get up Katsuki reeled back and kicked him full force in the face. He cried out in pain as he rolled over, struggling to get to his hands and knees. Katsuki reeled back for another kick but before he could Deku raised his hand and everything just . . . stopped.

All the strength was drawn out of Katsuki's arms, legs, head. It felt like every ounce of power in his body had been sucked into one ball that sat in his chest, weakly held in his body as if the hand laid flat across his chest could just pluck it out. Katsuki's eyes stretched wide but he found he couldn't do any more than that and when Deku looked up at him he saw genuine malice gleaming in his eyes. "Wh. . .at did y. . .ou do to . . . m. . .e?" Katsuki struggled as he found that he could only manage words with every strained exhale.

"Y-you know what, Kacchan? I think t-that I might a-actually fucking hate you," Deku said, "I t-tried so hard to be your friend b-but you're not worth the effort. Tomura was right, y-you don't deserve anything that you have – you don't deserve my admiration." Deku struggled to his feet without moving his hand and when Katsuki opened his mouth he spat, "SHUT UP!"

Deku was breathing hard, his whole body trembling. "I d-don't want your respect, I don't want anything to do with you. Stop following me. Stop following m-my friends. O-or I'll hurt you."

"A . . . are you . . . try. . .ing t. . .o kill . . . me?"

"No," Deku said, "if I was trying to kill you then you'd be dead." There was something strange and cold in his gaze. The look was wrong on his face, it belonged on the silver haired creep but not on fucking Deku of all people.

He withdrew his hand and warmth flooded through Katsuki as his strength returned. He crumbled to the ground, gasping and coughing as he tried to ground himself. What the fuck was that!? Deku's quirk was newly manifested but if he could do that to a person . . . could Deku rip him apart? Before Katsuki could fully recover he heard the soft crunch of glass as Deku walked around him and left the room.

XXX

Izuku flipped his hood up as stomped down the street. He was glad his mom had been at work when he switched out his bloodied uniform for jeans and a hoodie because he did NOT want to explain to her that he and Kacchan got into a fight. Again.

He was angry and bitter and he wanted to be around Tomura. Being around him made Izuku feel centered and balanced, he fell into a comfortable roll of support and Izuku needed familiarity. He needed to clear his head before he thought too much on the fact that he had almost taken Kacchan's quirk. In a fit of anger he had almost used All for One so selfishly, so carelessly!

The guilt was knowing at his gut and his heart throbbed painfully in his chest as he walked down the sidewalk. What was wrong with him?

He was taking the longer route to the train station, past the collapsed ruins of a construction site. It had been like that for a few weeks now, since before he started school so he was surprised to see some cops in the wreckage and a small crowd of people gathered on his side of the fence. Izuku frowned and hunched his shoulders a little so no one would look too close and see how banged up he was as he cozied up to the crowd. There were always people chattering away in situations like this and, given that the ruined foundations of the site had been both shredded and dusted he wanted to know what had attracted the cops.

"-so strange!" He heard a little old lady say and he decided to stand behind her since he could see what was happening over her head. The cops were gathered around one pile of rubble in particular, and even from this distance Izuku was able to make out a body bag.

The color drained from his face. But hey, maybe someone had just dumped a body here?

"Yes I know! She was always so cautious."

"What I don't understand is why she didn't just use her quirk when the building fell-"

"Oh, what was it?"

"Same as Obata, she was incorporeal."

"Oh! Really? She must have had a limit, then. Poor-"

She didn't have a limit, Izuku thought. He had heard enough, and he buried his hands in his pockets as he turned away from the nameless girl being scrapped off the bottom of a concrete slab. She didn't have a limit because he didn't. Izuku wished he was crying but his eyes were cry through the walk and even as he sat down on the train and put his head on his hands.

Kurogiri was right, he thought numbly. There were plenty of villains all across Japan but most were petty. Stealing but rarely more than that until they were cornered. There were the gutter scum of rapists and child abusers, of course. And then there were the murderers. Then there was him.

For someone who had always wanted to be a hero, he had sure made his jump to villain by committing one hell of a crime. And there wasn't going to be any going back.