To Stand by Your Side (DekuBaku)

Chapter 34: Oasis

"Could you pass me the water and some chicken nuggets?"

"Mm, sure. Ketchup?"

"Ugh, please."

Izuku grabbed the food from Ochako and shoveled it in his mouth, relishing in the basic, simple taste of shitty chicken nuggets slathered in ketchup from the far-too-many tiny packets scattered across the table. Cheap, greasy, but so goddamn good. And after being stuck in a crappy conference room with his friends for the past seven hours, nothing could've tasted better.

The past week might as well have been hell; he hadn't managed an hour on duty without some civilian shouting disgusting profanities at him, hadn't gone a day without being stalked in some form or another, hadn't gone any time without remembering Katsuki's tear-streaked face pressed against his chest and the horrible, horrible things his boyfriend had been told. Izuku was good enough at brushing aside the nasty words and accusations, but when they were directed at Katsuki, who'd done nothing to warrant them?

I've never wanted to fuck somebody up so bad in my life.

He'd gone to the gym after Katsuki left the next morning. Stayed there an extra hour, broke four more punching bags than usual, and didn't leave till the worst of his murderous thoughts had been taken out on a perfectly nonliving target. Despite the things people were saying about him, Izuku wasn't the type to threaten students, and now would definitely not be the time to prove the rumors right.

"Midoriya," Kirishima started, the exhaustion-ridden voice pulling him from his thoughts. "Did you already call the morning talk show? Ask 'em if they'd be okay with broadcasting it?"

"Yeah, yeah... it was a no," Izuku pursed his lips. "Don't think they're gonna wanna be the station I use, anyways. We're looking for primetime, not something to listen to on the way to work."

"That was one of the last ones on the list, though..." Ochako sighed. "Izuku, why is it so damn hard to find a news station that'd be open to having you make a ten-minute statement without interruption?"

He leaned back in his seat, chugging the water he'd been handed in one long gulp. "Why? Simple. If I go up there and make myself look good, they won't be able to break the news themselves and make a killing off of it. Me talking first takes away whatever element of shock they'd get from some big, dramatic headline. This shit will simmer down faster if I just go out there and say it, but they don't want me to be able to do that easily!"

"I mean, there is always a chance that they'll let this whole thing go eventuall—"

"For the last time, there's not!" Izuku's voice cracked, so, so tired after so much of this. "Reporters are gonna keep stalking me until they get something to show. News outlets are gonna keep vaguing the topic because Kacchan can't say a damn word against it. People are talking, and I... I-I..."

I don't want Kacchan to have to suffer any longer than he has to.

Just thinking about what Katsuki had told him—hearing his boyfriend's voice break, crumble away into his shirt, about how every tortured word had been dragged from his throat like fractured glass, about how he'd tried so hard, so hard to not let their comments get to him, but even then. Even then.

Kacchan hasn't had to deal with this crap before. Shouldn't have to deal with this, not now, not ever. And it's my fault he's in this position, so I... I should be the one to take the blow for it.

Izuku huffed, crumpling the shoddy plastic bottle in his hand. "Anyways. What's the next place on the list."

"The, um..." Ochako squinted, "the Majesty Times?"