Seven Days

Saturday

"How do you feel?"

Izuku gently stroked Shoto's cheek as he woke up.
"My head really hurts."
"Well, I did give you two more quirks...considering that brings you to four, it is no surprise really."
"I still can't believe your dad was All for One. Or that you just inherited all his quirks. Or that you killed him..."

Izuku chuckled warmly, stroking Shoto's fringe out his eyes.
"Well, I have been acting for a very long time. When he learned of my quirk, with my past and talents...it really wasn't difficult to convince him that I'd be the perfect heir. Blood is thicker than water and all that. Besides surely no one could survive what I have and still want world peace...it took less than a year of buttering him up."

Izuku laughed lightly, and kissed Shoto on the forehead.
"Get some sleep, you can get used to your quirks later, beautiful."
Shoto blushed lightly.
"Okay. Are you going out today?"
"I need to briefly close off with Bakugou, after all, we'll be leaving Japan tomorrow. Do you have anyone you want to see?"
"Could we say goodbye to the class tomorrow? I said fairwell to my mum... on Wednesday... after all."
"Sure, they weren't too bad, were they?"
"...No..."

Shoto's voice got quieter and quieter, and with the last line he drifted back to sleep.
Izuku stretched, headed to the kitchen and downed a beer. This was going to be a pain, but he wouldn't lie. He needed closure. And he wasn't cruel enough to deny it to Bakugou.
Even if, with what he was sure was going to happen, he wouldn't be able to resist hurting the guy just a little more.

———

"What is this?" Said Midnight. Her voice shaky.
"I think it was All for One." Stated Aizawa, very quietly.
They had had no crimes at all since Thursday. But this was certainly a murder. And only one culprit was possible. No one else possessed the humour to wrap All for Ones body in brown paper and string and leave it outside UA, with a label with 'For All Might' on it in elegant cursive.
Please Midoriya...don't be a villain...

———

Bakugou's parents were out. They had been going out of the house much more that week. Bakugou didn't really blame them, the atmosphere was miserable. And they'd just discovered their son, was a monster.

The knock on the door was firm and short.
He stayed where he was.
There was a second knock.
Then a third.
He traipsed down the stairs and opened it.

"You look like shit."

"I-Izuku?"

"Izuku is it now? I really did break you huh. Pity that won't call it even."
Izuku pushed past the frozen boy into the house.

"Oh I remember this place! Kitchen's round here... ah yes, kettle...you don't mind if I make myself a tea, do you? I've been kinda busy, though judging by the state of you, you haven't followed the news much."

"Izuku..."

"That's my name, glad you remember it. Gold star if you manage a full sentence."
Midoriya hummed as he poured himself and the mess of a human behind him some steaming tea.

"I like you."

Back to Katsuki, Izuku smiled coldly. As expected.
Turning, he gazed at the blond resisting the urge to congratulate him on a gold star.
"What was that?"

Bakugou turned beet red, and wouldn't meet Izuku's gaze.
"I...I love you. I feel so...so shit about everything I did, and I thought I'd never see you again. No words are a good enough apology so that is the explanation. I love you. Have for ages. Just been...in denial I guess. Thinking I was messed up...But I know now...I'm in love with you...maybe you could come feel the same?"
Bakugou's eyes left the floor for the first time since he had opened the door. Filled with hope.

Izuku considered taking pity on him. But he couldn't find the decency within him to do so. He had no fucks left to give to let the explodoboy down gently.
That said, he swallowed the urge to pretend to accept before crushing him.

Izuku snorted. "Are you an idiot?"
Bakugou remained still.

"Five minutes of not lying to yourself does not outweigh the eleven years of shit you put me through because of your denial. It never fucking will. Of course I don't feel the same, besides I've been happily dating Todoroki for nine months! I came because I am leaving Japan tomorrow and don't know when I'll return."

Choking back tears at the blunt rejection he knew he deserved, Bakugou asked, voice trembling.
"Why did you come here?"

"To congratulate you on indirectly causing world peace, by putting me under so much psychological pressure that I developed the quirk I needed to do so. And to get you to make me a promise."

"...and what would that be?" He asked weakly.

"To never attempt to end your life. Promise me, you will live with this. You are not taking the easy way out. You never do. Your one trait I can respect, keep it.
I want you, to go back to UA. And become a hero, earn back the friendship of our classmates and be great. Though...you might not get much work. Anyway, goodbye for now, Kacchan."

Smirking a little, he left the still Bakugou and two cold cups of tea behind.

Midoriya chuckled as he walked down the street, before Shoto, some of his happiest dreams had been of seeing Bakugou crushed like that. He hoped the guy would spend years doing all the good deeds he could for redemption. He faintly hoped they'd be able to forgive each other one day. But he wasn't particularly fussed anymore, this was enough.

He wondered, how Kacchan would feel, when he discovered that Midoriya had come to visit him, the day after committing patricide.