Rivalry (BNHA/MHA x Reader)

Four: Prepare

As the days went on, your quirk slowly but surely improved. Katsuki, despite blowing you up every now and then and yelling like an idiot, had helped you develop your quirk a lot and even use it in ways you never imagined. All while his fighting style changed to account more for maneuvering around instead of charging through everything head on. He also started dodging more instead of counterattacking, something you noticed within the first few days. Perhaps it was the bloody nose he got from you on the first day. 

You and Katsuki had just finished sparring and laid on the grass next to each other, both of you trying to catch your breath. You looked up at the sky. "I wonder how Izuku is doing..." You said quietly to yourself. "Why are you thinking of that stupid nerd right now? He's probably crying in a corner about how useless he is." Katsuki said. You sat up and glared at him. "Don't say that! You don't give him enough credit for how hard he works... I mean, he's still trying his best--" You started. "Don't be ridiculous, Y/N. Deku can't become a hero. He's a quirkless weakling. As much as you want to believe in him, deep down you know it too. Stop pretending." Each of Katsuki's words felt like knives, stabbing at your insides. Anger was taking over your thoughts and you wanted to shout at him, tell him he was wrong. But you weren't so sure yourself. Could Izuku really become a hero without a quirk? You wanted to believe he could but... it'd never been done before. But he'd been working so hard, you didn't want to think it was all for nothing. You had to have faith. 

You figured there would be no point in getting upset at Katsuki so you just laid back down and shook your head. "No," You said. "That's not it." Izuku seemed distant lately and you barely talked to him since the school year ended. You thought about reaching out to him but you were always sore from your training with Katsuki and Izuku didn't bother making plans or anything. You began to wonder if he was doing it on purpose. Ignoring you? No, that couldn't be it. He wouldn't. 

"Y/N." Katsuki snapped you out of your thoughts. 

"Yeah?" 

"Why... why do you want to become a hero?" He asked. His calmness caught you off guard. You turned your head to look at him. He looked back at you. You thought for a moment. Why did you want to become a hero? It wasn't for fame or fortune... no, that wasn't it. It was something more. You looked back up at the slow passing clouds. They looked like messy strokes of white paint across the blue sky. You smiled. "Because there's someone I have to protect." He said nothing. The two of you laid in silence for a few minutes. 

You took time to notice your surroundings. The sound of a train passing by every now and then. The feeling of the grass beneath you swaying in the breeze, brushing across your skin. You looked at Katsuki. His eyes were closed and his hair moved as the wind did. He looked peaceful, a kind of expression you never expected to see on Katsuki Bakugou's face. His lips were slightly parted and he took a deep breath in before saying, "I can feel you staring at me."

A light blush appeared on your cheeks. "N-no its not that. I was just... surprised at how calm you are right now." You explained. "What do you mean? I'm always calm." He said. You laughed. "Right." You said, sarcastically. 

Time went by quickly and by the time you got home, it was already 7:00 in the evening. "Crap. I should eat." You said to yourself and searched for leftovers in the fridge. You debated texting Izuku, asking how he was doing or even if he wanted to hang out. It wouldn't hurt to ask... but what if he was ignoring you on purpose? It'd already been a few weeks since you last talked. You sighed and decided that Izuku wasn't that kind of person. Besides, you missed him. 

Y/N: Hey Izuku! How's it been? 

No response for the rest of the night. You sighed, laying in bed. You wondered what he could possibly be doing, training? But he didn't have a quirk... but that also didn't mean he couldn't become a hero.