Feral | Tenya Iida

Chapter 16

Third person pov

A few runs on the beach and a sleepover at Izuku's later, and the freckled boy finally agreed to meet Tenya. It had taken a lot of convincing on Kit's part. Katsuki had melded the green-haired boy into a Midoriya-sized bottle of anxiety and self-esteem issues. The guy was absolutely convinced he wasn't worth the trouble Kit was going to for him. Kit even tried pulling the 'friends do shit for each other' card several times to no avail. It took days before Izuku even seemed to realize that Kit wasn't just fucking with him, which was sad. Kit had begun to eat as much of Katsuki's shit out of the fridge and pantry as he could as retaliation.  

Mitsuki and Masaru were delighted to hear that Kit had reconnected with Izuku. They'd been prompting Izuku to for a while to no avail, and thus were overjoyed when the brunette went off and did it without anyone having to tell him to. Katsuki seemed especially annoyed when Kit would roll out of bed at the ass crack of dawn to go on a run with the freckled boy. They'd build up his stamina a bit, then maybe start with some weight training. Kit didn't care about Katsuki's opinion on any of it. If Izuku wanted to be a hero, then a hero is exactly what the fuck he'd be.

"A-Are you sure this is a good idea?" Though Izuku had agreed, the quirkless boy was still nervous as he scurried after his brunette friend. These past few weeks had been totally surreal for him. Kit Suzuko was his friend again! He'd come back from god knows where, covered in scars and with a six times as much snark, and was ready to rekindle their flames of friendship once more as though they'd never gone out to begin with! It was totally insane. He was elated with disbelief, and so was his mother. And now, he might get to have another friend? One who was a part of a hero family?!

"Positive, vato. Just trust me. He's a great guy. He's a bit uptight when you first meet him, but he grows on you. I'm also working on trying to get him to be less tense. If I could just get him to comply." Kit's eyes narrowed. Izuku wanted to ask what he was doing, but thought it was better not to. He really didn't want to know. His eyes trailed down to Kit's feet, checking to make sure his shoes were still there. As weird as it was, the tanned teenager always seemed to lose them wherever he went. 

Kit was... weird. Not in a bad way necessarily, but he was a whole lot different than anyone Izuku had ever known. He'd changed quite a bit from when they were kids, but Izuku knew better than anyone how bullying could change a person. Kit was strong, but that didn't mean he hadn't been through anything harsh. If anything, he was strong because of what he'd withstood. If Kit had moved here, it was for a reason. One he didn't really seem too keen on talking about. Izuku obviously wouldn't push, but it was clear it had upset him decently. 

"If... If you're sure, then..." Izuku said hesitantly, uneasily gripping the straps of his backpack. His legs ached from the long runs they'd been going on recently, and his arms hurt from the push-ups, but he trudged on after Kit anyway. The soreness was a sign of progress, even if it wasn't much. That alone was enough to make his lips curl up into a smile. The heavy weight that normally rested upon him felt entire tons lighter with Kit around. Kit believed he could be a hero. That made him feel incredibly determined. It was amazing what just a little bit of someone else's faith could do.

"Don't sweat the small stuff. Tenya's a cool guy. He already has been urging me to try applying for UA, and he knows I'm quirkless as shit." Kit noted. He really just wanted Izuku to feel better. When they were younger, the guy was all smiles and happy, fun times. Now he just seemed... sad and withdrawn. It was actually pretty depressing to see what a difference a few years could make. Izuku used to be open with everyone, happily participating in games, conversation, and speaking out about his passions. It was annoying to know his own cousin was one of the main reasons Izuku no longer felt so inclined to share.