To Stand by Your Side (DekuBaku)

Chapter 2: From a Distance

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Katsuki groaned and reached with scary accuracy towards the alarm clock on the nightstand, shutting it off with a bit of a death glare. Two weeks in, and he was still adjusting to his new routine at U.A.

Okay. I've got an hour to work out, then one more to wash up and get to class. It's upper body day.

He rolled out of bed, rubbed his eyes, and steadied himself back on his feet. Yeah, he was beginning to get in a groove. Another week of this and he'd be getting started a bit quicker.

By eight, I'll be awake and ready to go.

The dorms were always quiet at this hour. Katsuki had taken to getting up at a consistent six A.M., and found it relaxing to be able to go down to the gym next door without so much as the chirp of a bird to accompany him. Despite his admittedly aggressive exterior, even he could enjoy the peace grown under a dim morning sky and the rustle of new leaves.

The gym was empty when he went in. He'd assumed it would fill up a bit more as the weeks went on, but so far, it had been a rare occasion to see anyone else working out before the asscrack of dawn. Ready equipment awaited him instead, clean and welcoming.

So yeah. It was nice.

The television mounted up on the wall was playing quietly as he set his stuff down, and he took only a brief glance at it before stretching out and turning back towards the equipment.

...only to turn back towards the TV after a quick look to be sure the room really was empty. He grabbed the remote, turned up the volume, and grinned when he saw the scheduled re-run of Pro Hero Valiant's- Deku's- interview that had aired the night before. He'd missed it last night due to studying for an upcoming test, but had found out that it would be showing again this morning. No question as to what was going to be his background music this morning. And, well- maybe he was losing out on some valuable workout time if he were to watch the beginning of the interview for a bit, but just a few minutes wouldn't hurt. Right?

But listening to Deku's voice while I'm working out always gets me in a groove. Nothin' wrong with that.

Still, though, he couldn't suppress a shiver when he heard his laugh. Deku's voice always roused some sort of unexplainable feeling within him, though certainly far more pleasant than uncomfortable.

Yeah... I could listen to him talk for hours.

Eyes still trained on the TV, he let Deku's familiar, comforting voice take hold of him as he leaned into a first round of stretches. Katsuki could almost smile as he let the easy routine envelop him, providing some amount of comfort he couldn't seem to find anywhere else.

"...so, Valiant, you've only been on the job solo for less than a year now. If you could share with me..."

He grabbed a couple of dumbbells, setting his feet in the right position before going into a set of bicep curls while still half-focused on Deku.

"A-ah, it's not that I'm that amazing!" Deku's voice fell into a nervous laugh, muffled over the speakers. "I really love what I do, though. Y'know? Even if nothing else, I can give people a chance to see the next day. To- to give them hope. And if I can do that even just a little bit, then I've succeeded."

Something bubbled up in Katsuki's chest at those words, and he pinned it on a swell of pride. It was easy to grin through the next curl as he reminded himself yet again that yes, that would be his partner. Eventually. Every extra workout session, every minute spent studying and training to be the best damn hero he could would get him there one day. Next to him.