The Downfall

Chapter 8

Izuku's eyes fluttered open as he yawned quietly. He rubbed his eyes forcefully as he noticed the blonde sitting next to him. Before he got up, he heard another male voice near him.

"Bakubro, why are you so protective of Midobro now? I thought you hated him."

Kirishima was here too?, Izuku thought. He decided to stay low as he was curious about Katsuki's answer. He himself didn't even know why Bakugou had this sudden urge to protect him.

The blonde looked down, "I.. I don't know. It's just.. when he was taken, I guess it reminded me of what happened to me at the training camp. So, I wanted to protect him from that. I guess I just wanted to be his overprotective brother again like when we were younger.. " Katsuki managed a small chuckle as memories filled his head.

"Wait, are you turning soft now, bro?"

Bakugou blushed in embarrassment, "No! Don't you even dare, dumb hair!"

Kirishima chuckled. Midoriya on the other hand was in shock. He thought Bakugou hated him. Although he also wanted things to be like when they were younger, he wasn't sure if that could be possible now. Still, he wanted to try. Try to mend that friendship that they had. Try to restore the trust they once held. Try to become the friends they once were, again.

Slowly, he sat up on the sofa and yawned again, "Morning, Kacchan and Kirishima!"

Bakugou turned to face him, his face still blushing from earlier. Kirishima waved subtly as he held back a small laugh.

Katsuki looked at him sternly, "So, Izu, why were you down here in the first place?"

Izuku's eyes widened. He couldn't tell them about last night because then that would lead to questions about the past few days. He wasn't prepared to answer those. He also didn't want Kirishima knowing about his night terrors. How had he managed to slip up this badly? Dammit!, Izuku thought.

"Earth to Izuku?"

Midoriya jolted up, "What did you ask me again?"

Kirishima sat up, "He asked why you were down here."

The greenette laughed nervously, "Well, uhm.. funny story..."

Katsuki looked him in the eye, face full of worry and confusion. Midoriya fidgeted anxiously with his fingers. I mean, I guess there's no harm in telling Kirishima, he thought. He took a deep breath.

"I.. got another nightmare.. I didn't want to stay in my room so I came down here to relax a bit.." he released a breath he didn't know he had been holding, "but I see I fell asleep.. "

Midoriya chuckled, but it was obvious he was hurting inside. Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around him as that warm feeling of home returned. He looked up to see Katsuki hugging him.

"K-kacchan?"

"Shut up, you damn nerd. Why the hell didn't you tell me?"

Izuku gulped, "I-I didn't want to b-bother you, Kacchan.. "

Bakugou hugged him tighter, "Just.. tell me next time, alright?"

The greenette nodded. Maybe Kacchan and I can finally be friends again, he thought as a smile escaped his lips.

Izuku sat at his desk as he wrote down notes in his Hero Analysis notebook. This time, he wrote about Sir Nighteye. He had grown an interest to him, especially since he saved him from the clutches of the League of Villains. But, it was more that Nighteye fought quirkless most of the time, which younger him would find aspiring.

"His quirk only allows him to see one person's future actions which limits the use but also requires quick and strategic thinking. Not to mention that the quirk only works every twenty-four hours. This also means he has to perform combat most of the time to an absurd degree to match the villain's level on the battlefi-"