Thread by @panpandyl, katsuki blows up deku's phone with increasingly desperate texts for the 78th [...]

katsuki blows up deku's phone with increasingly desperate texts for the 78th day in a row since deku left.

deku reads them, sighs and pulls up his hood.

"im sorry, kacchan."

he never replies.

eventually katsuki stops texting him. it's been almost a year since deku left. the longest they've been without each other.

he sees him on the news occasionally, and every time his hood flies off and katsuki sees his tired, sullen face, his stomach drops to the floor.

he feels sick.

deku shouldn't look like that. he never should.

gone are the optimistic shining eyes he once knew of deku. the vacant look the greenette is currently sporting, although he's not looking directly at the camera, pierces katsuki's heart.

"katsuki."

katsuki glances at kirishima, who's looking at the blond worryingly. "i can't, eijirou," he buries his face in kirishima's shoulder, his form shaking slightly, "i can't look at him like that."

"i know, katsuki. i'm sorry."

"that's not deku!" he pushes the redhead away.

kirishima falls to the ground, shock coming across his face as he sees tears start to form in katsuki's eyes.

"that's not deku!" he repeats, wiping his eyes with his sleeve as tears start to fall.

"he's such an idiot." katsuki watches as a reporter catches up to deku, shoving a microphone in his face.

it's the first time anyone has managed to stop him. usually he's gone instantly.

deku falters briefly but begins to answer the reporter's questions.

katsuki can't watch.

"why did he have to leave?" he shouts at kirishima, who rushes back over to the blond as he breaks again. "deku- izuku told me we were going to be hero partners. how the fuck are we going to be partners if he's GONE?"

kirishima hugs him as he sobs. he knew what deku meant to him

"sometimes, it's important to move on, katsuki." kirishima says, regretting it instantly.

katsuki freezes, pulling away. kirishima looks at him frantically, "uh- i mean- katsuki that's not what i meant i'm sorry i-"

"I DON'T WANT TO MOVE ON!" the blond's voice was cracking.

"i've known this bastard for over 13 years. i watched him grow. i protected him when he fell. i-" katsuki stalled.

"i failed to protect him as we grew up. i know now. but i WANT to get better. i WANT to be beside him. i'm not giving up on him that easily. i'm not moving on."

"so don't you EVER. tell me i should move on from izuku. i'm his friend. i'm going to be there for him, no matter what it takes to get him back, eijirou."

"katsuki."

"no, ei. he's my /best friend/. i'm not fucking abandoning him because he decided he wants to g-"

"katsuki."

"-o off on his own like the absolute fucking deku he is and try to defeat shigaraki and all for one. i'm not gonna let him pretend like none of this shit ever existed because he's MY FRIEND, AND MY-"

"KATSUKI!"

katsuki startled. kirishima was glaring at him, then his face softened as he sighed. "look at the tv, katsuki."

katsuki blinked, looking over.

deku was still talking.

-ch a big villain you took down there!" the reporter was saying, "now, correct me if im wrong, but this is the first interview you've taken since leaving ua, correct?"

deku rubbed at his neck, glancing around for all might's car. "um. yes. it's been about a year since i left."

"i see, i see," the reporter says, "i'm sure you know that ua is one of the most prestigious hero schools in japan, and that recently heroes have been under a lot of flack. yet, in the midst of all of the chaos, you left ua. now tell me, deku, do you ever /regret/ your decision?"

deku took a moment to think, before responding.

katsuki watched with bated breath.

"you know, sometimes i do regret it." deku started,

"sometimes i miss everyone there, and how amazing they all were. everyone is so cool, and i can't wait to see what kind of amazing heroes they become, even if i'm not there to witness their growth myself."

his eyes slightly mist over as he recalls the memories. he waves at all might, who had just arrived and was watching him in concern.

"and um, i'm sad that i had to leave. i can't exactly explain why i had to, but i did. and i'm so sorry to everyone that i left so suddenly."

"well that's too bad!" the reporter says, without a proper ounce of sympathy for the boy, "ua might need you right about now with all the struggles they've been having recently. now, what are your thoughts on ua moving parents into the dorms?"

deku ignores him, and continues.

"and also to add," deku hesitates, "um, kacchan?"

katsuki is sure that he's stopped breathing. "deku?" he asks, although the boy can't hear him.

"kacchan, hi. i'm not sure if you're watching this right now but um, hey!"

katsuki watched in shock.

deku was talking to him.

"i know that you've been texting me a lot recently, and i'm sorry that i haven't responded. um, to be honest, i couldn't bring myself to respond." deku rubbed his neck sheepishly as he fought not to cry.

"you sounded... so hurt, kacchan. i wish i was there to help you."

"and i know it might be selfish of me to say that. you know, since i up-and-left and everything. but i... i miss you too. i miss you so much, kacchan." deku wiped a tear as it rolled down his face.

it truly sunk in for katsuki then just how much /older/ deku looked.

he'd grown so much in the past year. he looked taller too. probably taller than him now.

katsuki tried not to think about it, even if he was slowly beginning to accept it. he thought of the deku from his childhood, hoping present deku would be the same.

but he looked so

empty.

it seemed like deku hadn't even cried in a while, judging by his hesitancy to do so. he was now forcing himself to be stronger. to not be the "crybaby" katsuki had dubbed him at the age of 4.

and katsuki hated it.

"it's been really hard, kacchan." deku fought not to break down, even though tears were starting to fall from his own eyes. katsuki sobbed openly.

things had changed.

"whenever i doubted myself, you were always there, encouraging me. but now you're not. and it /hurts/."

"it hurts that you're not beside me anymore. it hurts that i don't get to see you when i'm sad. /fuck/, it even hurts that i don't get to hear you call me deku, anymore. it always reassured me that you were there beside me, and supporting me. and you're not. it hurts, kacchan."

"we've never truly been apart since we met all those years ago." deku laughed bitterly as tears streamed freely down his face now, "it's weird, right? it honestly feels like a fever dream."

"you know, sometimes, i wish it was a dream. i want to wake up from this sometimes."

"i want to wake up and be back to when we were 4 years old. cuddling under the big blanket and watching the stars at night as our parents yell at us because its 2am and we shouldn't be out this late." deku smiled at the memory. katsuki returned it.

"back when we were young, and we were reckless, and happy. when i fell, you always picked me up. and called me a crybaby. maybe i really was a crybaby, huh?"

katsuki smirked. "damn right, you were."

"i've been working on that recently. thinking that, you know, maybe you were right all those years. i am a crybaby. and i'll always be a deku for that."

katsuki's face dropped. "deku, NO."

"deku, yes."

katsuki's jaw dropped also.

deku smiled nervously, "did that work? i have no idea if you're watching this oh my god this is so embarrassing." he sniffed as he wiped more tears away.

katsuki tried to ignore kirishima's snickering from beside him, closing his mouth in defeat.

"point is, i miss our childhood, kacchan. i miss when we were happy, when we were together. even in middle school, despite how dysfunctional that was, you were still there with me.

i know that you harbour a lot of regret towards those days, and frankly, i do too."

"i do wish i had been a stronger person, you know?" he glared holes into the ground,

"that i could stand up to all of the people in our class that looked down on me for who i was, and who they thought i wouldn't become."

"i know you place a lot of blame on yourself for how middle school was for both of us, and if you know me, this shouldn't be too surprising.

but i've always forgiven you, kacchan. despite everything, you're still my friend."

katsuki just stared at deku through the screen, his face unreadable.

"i know it's not the best idea. you probably hate that i even think this way. but i do, kacchan. even if we've had an unstable relationship, i truly believe that we can both grow and become good friends again."

"you mean... the world to me." deku stared into the camera, straight at katsuki.

"i don't know what i'd do if you suddenly died. i thought you might have in the war and i uh... may have unlocked more of my quirk because i thought you did? i've done it twice now, no big deal."

katsuki blinks, turning to kirishima.

kirishima nods in confirmation, "it's true. he unlocked blackwhip because monoma insulted you during the joint 1a and 1b battle, and danger sense after you got impaled in the war."

katsuki just stares at the redhead.

"huh," he turns back to the television, "okay, then."

"he loves you a lot, you know."

"i... i can kinda see that."

deku cleared his throat awkwardly, "but we'll meet again! i can't... i can't promise it'll be soon but maybe we'll meet in battle?

can you imagine? that would be so cool! me and kacchan fighting alongside each other but we're both grown up.

and we're friends again."

deku smiled. "it reminds me of when we were 4, around the same time, and you mentioned that we can be a hero duo.

i've been thinking about that recently and i think... maybe we should... be a hero duo?"

katsuki's eyes widened at the same time deku's did.

"uh- i mean- only if you want to!" deku stuttered, "i think it would be cool for us, you know? it's what we always wanted. maybe i'm jumping to conclusions, but i'm confident that when i come back, we'd make a great team!"

"we can land together like," deku put on his best all might voice, "we are here! deku and great explo-" deku suddenly laughed, "great explosion murder god dynamight!" he refrained from laughing harder.

in the background, katsuki heard all might failing to mask his laugh, too.

on his right, kirishima started wheezing.

katsuki's eye twitched, but he looked in amusement at deku, who had forgotten about crying and was now trying his hardest not to laugh, stifling his laughs into his sleeve.

"man," deku gathered himself quickly, "i really needed that. i'm sorry, kacchan. i just-"

he started laughing again, louder this time.

katsuki tried to ignore the fluttering feeling in his chest at hearing deku's laugh for the first time in over a year.

he scowled at the tv, poorly masking his amusement. kirishima wheezed louder. "what's so funny, deku?"

"i'm sorry," deku repeated, wiping a tear from his eye, this time in laughter.

"that just reminded me of a time when you woke up one day -- i think we were 11 -- and you started claiming that," he slipped into a surprisingly accurate imitation of katsuki's younger voice,

"all might hero names aren't cool anymore, deku! get with the times."

kirishima wheezed even harder. katsuki worried for his lung capacity.

"katsuki, are you-" kirishima choked on his laughter, "is he serious? did you actually tell him that?"

katsuki flushed, "shut up, shitty hair."

kirishima started full-on laughing at the return of his old nickname.

"kacchan!" deku yelled at the camera in mock frustration, "i told you proudly my hero name of mighty man, and THIS is how you repay me?" he laughed.

kirishima was crying now, "hero name of WHAT?"

katsuki grinned, "to be fair, it's a better name than all man."

"ALL WHAT?"

"how ironic that-" deku tried hard to cease his laughter,

"how ironic is it that /i/ don't go with an all might hero name, and YOU end up with full essay with thesis and citations," he mock cleared his throat, "great explosion murder god dynamight?!"

katsuki gaped in offense, "it's not /that/ bad of a name, deku. it's cool! it's a cool hero name!"

kirishima held onto katsuki for support, "no, it's not!"

"it's okay kacchan, i still support you and your bad taste in hero names." deku grinned at the camera.

"FUCK YOU."

he ignored the pride in the back of his mind at deku being confident enough to sass him.

it quickly disappeared as he realized that all of japan was watching too.

"maybe the real nerd was the kacchan i met along the way."

"what the FUCK does that even /mean/?"

kirishima let go of katsuki and fell to the floor, wincing as his head hit the ground hard before continuing to laugh again.

"EIJIROU!"

"I'M SORRY!"

"anyways," deku refocused himself as he stopped laughing, "i should probably stop venting all my worries to a reporter and cameraman. sorry guys!"

the reporter and cameraman both just stared at the greenette, who had gone through about 53 emotions in the span of about 3 minutes.

deku turned to leave before swiftly turning back around,

"oh, and kacchan? let's meet again but we'll both be stronger this time. i'll definitely defeat you! and then we'll become a hero duo, and i'll defeat you again!"

deku smirked at the camera before retreating to all might's car. the retired hero scanned deku's form in worry, before smiling satisfied as deku smiled at the man.

deku turned back to the reporter, yelling, "bye, kacchan! love you!"

he stopped in his tracks, paling instantly.

"uh- i- i mean- i like you! wait, that doesn't sound any better. shit! i mean- fuck! wait, no! heck!" he stared awkwardly at the camera for a few seconds, slowly accepting his fate.

"heck."

he got in all might's car, the two of them speeding off.

the camera panned over to the reporter, who was staring at the camera similarly.

"uhh... next up, pro hero miruko has made her return t-"

katsuki quickly shut off the tv, grabbing his phone as he got up.

"you're smiling."

he stopped, staring at kirishima.

"you're smiling to yourself," the redhead repeated, "like a maniac."

katsuki's smile didn't falter, "yeah, and?"

kirishima didn't respond, before throwing his hands up and walking away, chuckling to himself. "simp."

"I AM NOT A SIMP."

"simp."

katsuki looked to kaminari, who had just descended the stairs.

"i'm not sure what you two are talking about, but i can confirm: kacchan is definitely a simp."

"sleep with your door open tonight, sparky." katsuki said, ascending the stairs to his dorm room. he ignored the two's laughter.

sitting on his dorm room bed, he glanced at his phone before deciding to call deku.

it's worth a shot, he thought, as his phone started ringing.

surprisingly, deku picked up after only two rings. there was silence on the other end.

"...kacchan?"

"so," katsuki smirked, "how about that hero duo, deku?"

he could almost hear deku's smile.

"yeah... yeah i could settle for that, kacchan."

they spoke for around 10 minutes, deku eating his tonkatsu while all might drove him to where hawks was patrolling.

"you're joking, right? she didn't actually?"

"of course not, nerd. we really fucking were taking a walk when we found the ball ochako threw in first year."

"just like, indented into the ground. like not even t-"

"YES, HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO SAY IT?"

"HOW CAN YOU BE SO SURE IT WAS HERS?"

"WHAT OTHER BALL LANDED BY FUCKING SHIKETSU?"

"...maybe camie did the test, too?"

"you're fucking insufferable."

"shh, you love me."

they both halted.

"more like /you/ love /me/, deku. what even was that, on /national television/?"

"shut up, kacchan." deku teased, "i was nervous and in a hurry."

"you confessed your love~" katsuki singsonged.

"i did not!"

"you totally did, nerd. admit it, you love me, mr. i want to be beside you forever."

"AHH, KACCHAN!"

"THOSE ARE YOUR WORDS!"

"YOU'RE SO EMBARRASSING!" they laughed together.

"we're almost there, young izuku."

all might's voice interrupted the duo. they sighed blissfully, slowly coming down from their laughing fit.

"ya gotta go now?" kacchan grunted.

"yep." deku said, disappointment shining through his voice clearly.

"shit sucks."

"sure does."

they shared a comfortable silence between them, as all might pulled into the nearest parking lot.

"you know i'll be back, right?" deku started.

"never doubted it, nerd."

"sure sounds like you did."

katsuki laughed weakly, "not anymore."

deku laughed back. "that's good, i guess."

"yeah."

"izuku, we're going now." all might said.

deku nodded at him, slowly getting out of the car.

"see you soon, kacchan?"

"see you soon, deku."

"alright, bye."

"bye."

deku was about to hang up when he heard rustling from the other end.

"oh, right."

deku brought his phone back up to his ear, "yeah, kacchan?"

there were a few seconds of silence.

"... love you too, izuku."

and then katsuki hung up.

deku stood there, staring at his phone in his hands. he looked to all might, who was smiling at him.

"are you lovebirds done yet?"

deku blinked.

"wh- ALL MIGHT!" the man laughed at deku's reddening face as he attempted to hide behind a tree.

from his dorm room, katsuki smiled at deku's contact picture.

"we'll meet again, nerd."

---

[end]

Latest Threads Unrolled: