Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Quirkless trash.”

“You’ll never become a hero.”

“Weakling!”

“Useless!”

“You’re nothing without a Quirk, Deku…”

Izuku stared up at the blue sky. So perfect and beautiful. An everyday example of sunlight hitting particles of that miraculous color and reflecting it all throughout the world. It was bright and loud and there, casting over everyone in its glory. Like All Might.

All Might…

“Pro heroes are always having to risk their lives. Some villains just can’t be beat without powers.”

The Symbol of Peace, his idol, the one always smiling. 

The smile's a facade.

Only for when the pressure is high and he has to make sure spirits of the defenseless populace are as high as said pressure. Izuku didn’t think of him as a fake despite his saying. He’s still a true hero to him. But his words stung.

“So, can you become a hero? Not without a quirk.”

The words kept echoing and repeating in his head.

“Not without a quirk.”

Izuku wanted to cry and shout at him when he spoke those words, say he’ll find a way to save people, no matter what people thought of him. If they thought he was brave or insane or stupid, he wouldn’t care! He wants to help others, make them smile like All Might has done for years. Thats all he wanted ever since he saw the video of the hero rescuing 5 civilians at once from burning rubble despite the blood trickling down his busted head. 

“Fear not citizens! For I am here!”

‘Not here anymore.’  Izuku bitterly thought before glancing down. Streets and cars and civilians and pro heroes. All going without a care, oblivious to any suffering happening to him, any other person, or even their own suffering at the moment. The world was surreal. Especially that blue sky. 

Izuku thought about the words Katsuki said to him about an hour ago.

“Why don’t you pray for a quirk in your next life and take a swan dive off the roof of a building?”

His grin was sick. It made Izuku sick now just thinking of it. So cruel and mean. Arrogant especially. Didn’t he realize the weight of his words? Izuku could do that. Kill himself. Rid himself of this world that only caused him personal suffering since the moment he saw the X-Ray of his foot and seeing the damned extra joint in his pinky toe that told him “You’ll never be anything more than a civilian, someone to be protected among the masses. Your dream? Forget it. No one is going to let a quirkless boy put himself in danger for some far fetched fantasy.” 

Life kept throwing things at him from that moment on. His childhood friend turned against him and acted superior over him. His mother stress eating herself because she felt guilty for his trying and his crying. His father putting himself at risk abroad for a small girl of 9 to end up dying in an American hospital with his shocked son watching and the love of his life crying harder than she ever had before. Izuku could hear the flatline now, after his father muttered to him and his mom “I love you.” 

This was all so…FUCKED!

He can’t have a happy life where both of his parents are fine and his friend since birth doesn’t beat him, can he? Izuku crouched down and started to untie his shoes. Fine. Life won’t be fair to him. It won’t give him a break, fate hates him. He took off his yellow backpack and set his shoes next to it. He snatched his pencil and Hero Journal out and flipped to an empty page in the very back, writing furiously. 

He couldn’t do this anymore! He can’t live like this anymore! He flipped a page. He should die! Just like Katsuki wants! Another page flip. His ghost can watch Katsuki eat his own words and realize his consequences. That words have power and that everything was his fault. HIS FAULT! The green haired boy shoved his Hero Journal and pencil back in his backpack. He stood up.

He looked down again, upon the world, upon the pros, upon the civilians. Fuck them. Fuck this! 

One leg swung over the edge of the tall railing. 

“This can’t stop me…” Izuku muttered, having to lift himself to get over. No one on the street under him noticed. His socked feet now hung close to the edge, his heel the only part of his foot still keeping him up. His hands clung the railing behind him. This was it. 

“Goodbye, Mom. Goodbye, Aunt Mitsuki and Uncle Masaru. Katsuki…, I hope you learn.”

Then he slipped. And panicked.

“AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!”

Okay! Nope! Nevermind! This was a bad idea! God, he was bitter is all! He didn’t mean to slip—!

A hand grabbed his.

“Kid, cmon!” The hand tugged and pulled, “I got you!”

Izuku grabbed onto the hand back and tried to haul himself up. His palms got sweaty enough for his hand grasping the railing to lose its hold. 

“AHHHHH!”

Another hand grabbed him and pulled him up harder. Progress was actually being made. Izukus feet was able to plant onto the roof without stupidly slipping again. 

When he got to standing, the hands went under his arms and lifted him, getting his body over the railing. Izuku was set down on trembling legs. He tried to kill himself. Oh dammit! 

“Thank you…” Izuku managed to let out. His arms were held out in front of him to stabilize. He looked up at his savior. He wore a black hoodie, light yet pale blue hair peeking out from beneath the hood that obscured his face. 

“You don’t have to thank me. But, your welcome…I guess.” The voice that spoke was raspy, like he really needed a drink of water.

Izuku stood up straight, shaken.

“H-How did you get up here so fast?”

“I saw you writing with your shoes off from the street. I had a feeling so I got up here. Looks like I was just in time.”

“You were.” Izuku took the man in again, gathering more details. He also wore black pants and red shoes similar to his. His hands had yellow gloves on them that covered his middle, ring, and pinky finger. Like an artist glove. He said, 

“Get your shoes on and lets take a walk. I want to know why you tried to jump.”

{…}

The bustling roads and sidewalks were of the afternoon type, as everyone was more lively and ready to get home after a long day of thinking and doing. The office clerks in their cars, the retail workers on the sidewalk, the pro heroes doing their 4 PM patrol around the area; didn’t take notice of this 14 year old boy talking and walking besides a man who might as well be a suspicious character from a crime. 

No one took note or cared. To them, they were two other people walking home or going off to do some other activity that would be normal to their age groups. Izukus ranting was background noise to them, with the hum of cars and other chatter. 

The man had hummed after Izuku told him everything, about Katsuki, about the bullying, About All Mights rejection, about his life. Should Izuku have done that? Tell the summary of his life story to this stranger he met today? Well, the man had saved him so Izuku thought he might as well tell him everything that made him want to jump, what went through his head as he prepared for his final act that would’ve scarred everyone he knew. The man then spoke,

“Your ‘friend’ sounds spoiled.”

“I believe he is now. I wanted to think he could be nice to me again, even as everything got worse.”

“Did he talk to you about your dads death?”

“No. Not a peep. Not even a ‘sorry for your loss’ when I got back. I know his parents told him because they were at the funeral but he wasn’t.” Izuku huffed,

“He’s a jerk.”

“I believe you.” The man said, “I’ve met and seen plenty of people like him. They think they’re the best and everyone else should think the same.”

“I know right?!” Izuku exclaimed, “It is frustrating!”

“It’s what the people around them and society makes them see. That they deserve whatever dream they can imagine.” 

Izuku went quiet, fists clenched. They soon relaxed, his voice turning soft.

“He is great.”

The man turned in surprise, Izuku continued,

“His quirk is amazing. People…gravitate towards him, like he’s a great glowing flame and you can’t help but look at as it grows mighty and strong. He’s a jerk but he’s awesome.” His voice slowly went to a dazed and awed tone.

“Like All Might?” The man asked with his own softer tone.

“Yes.” Izuku responded with a whisper. “Like All Might.”

The man chuckled, Izuku snapped out of his awe. Was the man laughing at his awe or his comparison of his bully to the number 1 Hero?

“I’ll prove it to you!” Izuku slung one of his backpack straps off his shoulder. The zipper zipped as he pulled it open and searched his bag with one hand as the other supported. The man waited in curiosity. The green haired boy soon pulled out his Hero Journal. He zipped his backpack back up and fixed the strap onto his shoulder before flipping through its pages in a calculating manner.

“What’s that?”

“My Hero Journal.”

“Hero Journal?”

“Yeah,” The man put his arm around Izuku to move him away from a jogging pedestrian about to bump into him. 

“I write down quirks and analyze them…” He said it shyly, knowing how much of a nerd he was about quirks and heroes. The man didn’t seem to mind.

“Hero’s quirks?”

Izuku nodded, he got to Katsukis page.

“There it is!” He exclaimed, pointing at the page with writing about Katsukis quirk, no drawing yet of him on the left page but maybe one day there will be. The man got his arm off Izuku and pointed at a nearby bench,

“Lets sit.”

“Of course.” Izuku agreed,

“Don’t leave any details out.” The man chided. The green haired boy gained a smile,

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

{…}

“You sure he isn’t at the mall looking for another All Might figurine?”

“No…” Inko replied nervously into the phone. “He did that yesterday.” Izuku was supposed to be home 2 hours ago. Mitsuki scoffed on the other side of the phone.

“Where could that boy be?”

“I-I don’t know. He hasn’t been answering his phone and—Mitsuki, I'm worried! He never does anything like this!”

“Hold on.” Mitsuki told her anxious friend as she held the phone away from her mouth. Inko could still hear her yell,

“KATSUKI!”

“WHAT?!”

“DID YOU SEE IZUKU AFTER SCHOOL TODAY?!”

“No…”

“WHAT?!” 

“I SAID NO!”

A door slam was heard before Mitsuki sighed and held the phone back up to her ear.

“Katsuki hasn't seen him. I think you’ll have to wait, Inko.”

“I don’t want to wait! I want my boy home—!”

“Mom? Im home!” Inko heard her sons voice from where the front door was. She automatically hung up and rushed away to the front door, hugging Izuku. Mitsuki can forgive her later.

“IZUKU! Where have you been?!” Inko pulled back from the hug and grasped his shoulders, “You didn’t answer my calls or texts—“

“You were calling?” Izukus eyes widened, he immediately pulled out his phone and saw 14 missing calls and 40 texts from his mom all saying—

“Izuku?” 

“Are you going to be home soon?” 

“Izuku answer your phone.” 

“Izuku”

“Izuku”

“Izuku”

“Izuku”

“Izuku”

“Izuku”

“Izuku” 

“IZUKU”

The green haired boy gulped and looked at his mom, who was on the verge of crying from worry.

“Im sorry…” He murmured, “My phone was on silent from school.” It was a bad excuse but thats all he got.

“Well—“ Inko choked up, voice going firm despite it, “Make sure to switch your phone off silent the minute you get out of school, okay?! Don’t worry me like that!”

“I won’t, Mom! I swear!” He insisted, waving his hands in front of him. She sighed in relief, going into the kitchen to start making dinner. Izuku was about to go into his room before his mom asked,

“What were you doing out anyway?”

The boy froze, momentarily panicking in his head. He can’t tell the truth! His mom would freak out! 

‘Lie! Quick!’ He thought,

“I was looking at magazines and lost track of time.”

Inko observed him, almost like she was scanning for something—anything that would prove his alibi wrong. She sighed,

“Answer next time.” 

Izuku nodded and went into his room, he immediately did his own sigh of relief. 

‘That was close.’ He set his backpack down as he got clothes to change into. 

The talk with the man was greater than he expected it to be. The man listened and hung on every word he said as did Izuku to him. He had a interesting point of view on life and society, he seemed to believe in barely anything, like the example of heroes being good for beating the bad villains. He didn’t believe.

“Why is that? Heroes protect everyone from villains trying to hurt and take control.” Izuku had told him the very much believed idea, only for the man to say,

“Have you ever thought of the heroes using violence to protect? Thats their whole point and the villains use violence back. Are you saying that there are two types of violence but one is justified?”

The question had stunt Izuku, and also fascinated him. This man who saved him did see the fighting on both sides the same despite the separation society did on them based on the person doing it. It made Izuku think and get more curious. What more could this man tell him of his point of view? What did he think of All Might? Of other heroes? Of villains themselves? Izuku found himself wanting to hear this man he had met every belief he manages to have and his thoughts on recent events. 

This man…

Has now become a subject of interest to Izuku Midoriya.

And Izuku Midoriya…

Didn’t even know his name.

Chapter Text

It has been about a week since Izuku has seen the man who saved him. The situation is strange, as if fate decided that he and this man shall meet again. And it has happened. Izuku has begun to see this man all around Musutafu. At the mall, at stores, and on the streets. At first, the boy felt it to be possible stalking. A plausible reason. But the sights and bump-ins were occasional, not close enough to each other to be stalking. Or maybe that was the man making it seem that way. 

At this time, it was an average afternoon at a magazine aisle of a convenience store, Izuku trying to find the latest edition of his favorite hero magazine—Pros Unlimited—when the bell for the entrance door dinged and he saw him. The man. Again. 

The green haired boy ducked down with a small yelp, hiding. Why was he hiding? This man saved his life a week ago. The assumption that this man may possibly be stalking him made him hide in the magazine aisle like a wimp. He poked his head around, looking for the familiar black hoodie and red shoes. 

He spotted the man at the commercial fridges where the drinks were. Okay, this could be a coincidence. Again. He’s getting a drink. Average store customer. If he was stalking him, he would be trying to find him within the store. 

Izuku felt himself relax as he glanced at the bottom shelf of the aisle. Pros Unlimited was right there! Hiding! (Like he is). One of the employees must’ve placed it there so they could purchase the book after their shift. As Izuku heard the cashier greet the man and scan his drink, the middle schooler grabbed the magazine. He admired the cover, Kamui Woods was on it. Hey he’s getting the attention he deserves! Especially after the battle with the Giant villain when Mt Lady overshadowed him with her Canyon Cannon. Izuku smiled. 

He stood up as the entrance door dinged again, announcing the mans departure. He emerged from the magazine aisle, red shoes making soft thumps on the stores cheap tile. It was quiet now, besides the hum of the commercial fridges and other machines within the low building. He went up to the register only to find no employee behind.

‘Huh…weird.' Izuku thought, yet he didn’t pay much mind. The cashier must’ve gone on his break and is the only worker there at the moment. Though that is inconvenient for a convenience store, the afternoon was slow for them. Izuku, like the good citizen he is, got out the exact amount of yen the magazine cost and placed the currency on the counter next to the register. Izuku Midoriya ain’t no criminal. 

As he left the store, a realization hadn’t been made by the middle schooler on why there wasn’t a worker behind the register. He didn’t see the register drawer open and empty. And he didn’t bother to look over the counter, for if he did, he would’ve seen the employee from before a pile of dark gray ash.

{…}

The man hunched over as he walked down the sidewalk, feeling the ruffle of paper yen and the weight of coin yen in his slack pockets as he drank his bottle of water. Good thing nobody else was in the store or anyone outside cared when he got rid of that employee. He needed the cash. As passing people gave him strange side-glances and purposeful ignoring, he heard a voice calling.

“Sir!” 

He turned and saw Izuku—well, he knew the boy as someone he saved from jumping, not his actual name. He’s seen him the last few days in passing and from afar. The man stopped so Izuku could catch up to him. He had his hands on his knees after he got to him.

“Uh…Hi.” The green haired boy panted, getting a few more breaths in. He  straightened up.

“Hello.” The man spoke in a polite tone,

“You’ve decided to talk to me?” 

Izuku stared up, green eyes became as wide as saucers before he set his jaw to seem confident. 

“Yes. I’ve been seeing you around—“

“I know. Same for me.” The man placed a hand on his chest to gesture to himself, “A weird twist of fate, don’t you think?”

Izuku nodded, “Yes.”

The mans head moved as if glancing down, “What’s that?” He pointed at Izukus magazine.

“Oh, this?” The green haired boy held it up, showing the cover, “It’s Pros Unlimited. They get exclusive interviews from heroes and form opinions on old and new battles monthly. The reporters are thorough and do an amazing job getting the most out of each subject they talk about!”

Izuku started to ramble about how great the magazine was, even getting to the point of muttering before the man chuckled, snapping him out of his geek-out.

“You’re a big hero fan, huh?” 

Izuku could hear the smugness and see his chapped lips spread to a grin. The boy got immediately embarrassed, hands gesturing side to side as he tried to explain himself with his freckled cheeks slowly turning pink. 

“Well—I—its just—they’re such good writers—uh—“

“Don’t take any offense. I should’ve known sooner.” The man assured him, “Everyone has their passions. Mind telling me more?” 

Izukus expression went blank. This man isn’t minding his rambling? He truly doesn’t mind?

“Are you sure?” He asked, making sure the man wasn’t saying it just to make him feel better or anything of the nature. He knows the rare classmate that talks to him in school never does again because he gets too into what he talks about, he looks like a freak to them. He was only met with a kind demeanor from the man, no weirded out aura or a forced smile.

“I’m sure. Besides, you haven’t told me your analysis on other pro heroes yet.”

Izuku found himself beaming, opening the magazine.

“I haven’t told you anything about the battle between a Giant villain and Kamui Woods.”

“I don’t know Kamui Woods.” The man shooed his hand as they started to walk, then leaning over to look into the magazine. “Tell me anyway.”

{…}

Katsuki and his 2 usual minions strutted along on the sidewalk, the blond leader holding his usual can of Lip Service. He had his smirk of pride and arrogance as he chatted with his minions,

“I don’t get how someone like him thinks he can have any hope into becoming something worthy. He’s nothing. A weakling.”

“We know,” Said the minion with straight brown hair.

“He’s naïve. He should know how the world works by now. Losers like him…can never be valuable.” Katsukis eyes narrowed, lips now in a frown as he brought the can up to them.

“I agree, Bakugo.” The minion with black curly hair said as he took a cigarette out of his box, ready to light it. “But I think you’ve been going too far lately.” 

Katsuki whipped his head around as if he had a sixth sense for anything bad. 

“I don’t care!” He replied then glared at the cigarette as if it were a disease. “And stop smoking, dammit! It’ll go on both our records!”

The minion with black hair huffed as he put the cigarette back, the minion with brown hair sharing the same displeasure with his same disappointed sigh. He looked ahead and stopped.

“Bakugo.”

“What—“ The blond had his attention on the minion and not in front of him. He bumped into someone and staggered back. 

“Huh?” He shook his head, can still in grip. Katsuki got a good look at what was in front of him. A man with a dark hoodie, light yet pale blue hair sticking out from beneath the hood. He couldn’t see his face besides his mouth and he got a sick feeling in his stomach. And beside this man was Izuku.

“Oh. Hey Kacchan.” The green haired boy greeted him with an anxiousness he’s used to. The man spoke, voice raspy. 

“Is this the ‘friend’ you were talking about?”

“Yeah.”

“I recognize him from your notes.”

Katsuki stood still, the world faded. 

Who is this man? 

Why did he make him fearful? He’s the great Katsuki Bakugo, no one should be making him feel scared just by looking at them!

This man felt off. and Izukus casual and more comfortable demeanor around him made the blond feel worse. The man felt…dangerous. 

Katsuki tightened his grip on his can of Lip Service, the grip as tight as his stomach was at the moment. The world faded back in as he forced himself to.

“Deku, who’s this damn weirdo, huh? Some hobo you found on the street?” 

Katsukis minions had each of one of their eyebrows crooked up in confusion, not the usual laugh they would have. They could also feel the off-ness of this man with Izuku.

“Hes—“ Izuku was about to speak. The man spoke for him,

“I’m his friend.”

Katsuki didn’t like the way this man said ‘friend’. Was he mocking him?

“Yeah. My friend.” Izuku agreed. The blond could sense the smug aura coming from the man from those words.

“We were just talking about heroes and their quirks. You familiar with it, Bakugo?”

He knew his name?

Did Izuku tell him? 

This was a new line crossed. Katsukis stomach twisted to a knot. His bravo persona remained as a shield.

“Of course I am. The stupid nerd won’t stop talking about it. It’s annoying.”

Izuku took a stifled breath in.

“I find it fascinating.” The man replied, cracked lips stretching to a grin that made the knots in Katsukis stomach worse.

“Heh. You really are a weirdo, aren’t you?”

“He’s fine, Kacchan.” Izuku interjected. The nerd is defending this strange man? What the hell is going on with the world?!

Katsukis head cocked back before he leaned towards Izuku. “You’re saying I'm wrong?”

The green haired boy stepped back out of habit. The blond huffed,

“Come with me, nerd.”

Izukus shoulders bunched up, “What?”

“You don’t need to be around this guy, cmon.”

Izuku looked anxious, conflicted. 

“Are you going to tell him to kill himself again if he doesn’t?” 

Katsuki backed up in surprise when the man spoke up for the nerd. The grave tone of the mans voice…He felt sweat drip down his temple. 

“Or was it a joke? Because what he told me, it sounded like you were serious.” The man had his hands over his torso, messing with his right hands yellow glove. Katsuki could hear his heart start to pound.

“‘Friends’ don’t say that to each other…, now do they?”

He started to take his glove off. the blond was frozen in place. His heart was loud in his ears as each beat echoed. What could this man do? What was his quirk? What could a simple touch from him do? Make his body catch fire? Float him into the atmosphere? Disintegrate him? 

Ideas ran through his head in milliseconds, too fast for him to comprehend at all. The sweat in his palms reacted and exploded his can of Lip Service. Izuku flinched while the mans glove was almost off his hand. Time in the world was slow, uncertain, and unending. An arm went around him and snapped him out of the daze. 

“Lets go, Bakugo!” Spoke one of his minions, the one with curly black hair. The one with straight brown hair joined in. Both their voices shook with anxiety as their tones faked excitement.

“Yeah, lets go! You wanted to see some new manga, right?”

The three moved past the man and Izuku, heading in the direction the two came from. As Katsuki took a gander and glimpsed back, the man was staring right back at him with his shadowed face. He fixed his yellow glove. Izuku also looked. The green haired boy sighed in relief and spoke to the man, who put his attention back on him, smiling once more. 

The blond didn’t understand. That idiot…he’s talking and hanging out with someone who he felt had bad intentions. 

He didn’t want to stop Izuku. That would mean he still cared for him. He didn’t of course. He’s a weakling. A stepping stone on his path to the Number 1 Hero spot and greatness. He didn’t deserve his time nor energy. Yet he found himself thinking…

‘Deku…don't you dare get yourself into deep shit.’

{…}

“Im sorry about him…” Izuku told the man, his hands fidgeting after seeing Katsuki and his minions go off. The man smiled,

“You don’t need to say sorry.” The two started walking again, he put his hands in his hoodies front pocket. 

“Can I ask you something?”

Izuku nodded, “Yeah. What is it?”

The man asked, “Why do you let him scare you?”

“Uh…” The middle schooler didn’t know how to answer that. Why did he?

“Because he acts all big and tough? I saw you flinch when he exploded that can.” 

Izuku gulped, there’s no point in denying it or anything he’s told this man now. 

“You know…for all that bravo, he was nervous.”

“Kacchans never nervous.” He defended. 

“That’s like saying a god can’t bleed. Everyone gets nervous.” The man gestured his hand out of his hoodie pocket. “He was nervous…because you weren’t alone for once.”

Izukus brain started to turn gears. The man could be true. Since he wasn’t alone, Katsuki and his minions couldn’t harass him outwardly or pull him away without someone noticing. In a way, the man saved him once again. This time from another deal of bullying. 

“You think so?”

“I know so. I could see it.” The mans hand went back into his pocket. Izuku cleared his throat,

“Uh…If he comes across me again when I’m alone…what should I do?”

“You haven’t tried to avoid him?”

“No…” He shook his head, “I can at home but sometimes he comes over since our moms are friends.”

“They don’t try to separate you?” The man asked incredulously.

Izukus hands tightened on the magazine. The mans mind took a moment to click.

“Oh…they don’t know?”

Izukus face said it all. “What would you do?”

The man hummed, head tilting down. City noise and the thump of their red shoes on the sidewalk filled the absence of speech before he answered.

“What I would do is…something you can’t.”

“Hm.”

“But I believe you have more power than you think you do. He expects you to lie down and take his punches. You can’t let him have that. You have to do what everyone says you should do. Stand up for yourself. That in itself is a start. With all honesty, I think he’s scared of you more than you’re scared of him.”

Izuku became dumbfounded for a moment then said, “No.”

“Yeah.”

“You can’t think that!” He exclaimed,

“But I do. Why would someone put someone else down? Because they’re scared of something about them or something they can do.”

“There’s nothing scary about me!” Izukus shoulders slumped, “I’m a weakling…”

“He put that in your head to beat you down!” The man insisted. 

The twos voices garbled and overlapped each other as they argued.

“There’s no way he’s scared of me.” 

“Then why would he insist you’re weak?”

“Because I'm Quirkless!”

“Since when did that matter?”

“Uh—forever!”

They gained strange looks from passersby’s. The argument looked like it wouldn’t end anytime soon until the man said,

“If you aren’t threatening in strength then you’re threatening in smarts.”

Izuku paused. Smarts. 

“That…can’t be right.”

“Its the only aspect of you I think can be threatening to someone. Especially a guy like Bakugo, who depends on strength and a loud voice.”

“He doesn’t depend on strength! Kacchan is smart too.”

“His insults are weak for a smart guy.”

Izuku looked down, “I need to get home.”

The man frowned and sighed, “Know this,” He said, “He is intimidated by you, kid. You can figure it out if you want to. All I want is for you to take what I said in mind.”

When Izuku looked to his right, he was gone. As if he vanished. The boy lightened up. Maybe he should stand up for himself and ask Katsuki his reason for bullying. He had an intuition the interaction would end badly for himself but…he can try. You’ll never know if you don’t. The middle schooler pushed his shoulders back. 

He’ll try.