Digitalization (BNHA gamer Izuku fic)

Chapter 22 Bakugo Realizes

Rain splashed onto his cheeks, seeping down his neck and disappearing into his dirtied uniform. Dirty blond hair whipped around with the wind, Katsuki stood on the outer edge of the railing, unfocused eyes staring past his toes at the hard cement so, so far away. He clenched onto the wet railing tightly, fingers going numb and teeth clattering in the cold. He wasn't afraid of height, but on a stormy day like this where he couldn't produce any sweat to fuel his explosions, a slip of foot could end his short, unsatisfying life.

Trembling hands fumbling with the grip as he turned so he was facing the railing. Katsuki closed his eyes and took in a deep shaky breath to mentally prepare himself. As the rain continued beating down on his back like some kind of lashing, he opened his eyes...

And let go.

OwO

Katsuki didn't hate Deku. Many people seemed to think the opposite, including his two sidekicks.

He met Deku when he was three. Their mothers were great friends and they went to the same preschool. So as a result, they met and became friends. It was fun at first. Deku agreed with everything he said which did wonders to his ego. Deku also sucked at everything Katsuki could do, which made him feel even better about himself.

Then they turned four and Katsuki got his quirk. It was an amazing, powerful quirk perfect for a hero—everyone said so. He was destined to become a strong hero and no one could deny that. Deku, however, never received a quirk. He still followed Katsuki around and remained as an ego booster, but slowly his presence started to annoy Katsuki.

Katsuki had no intention of hanging out with a quirkless loser. He wanted to become strong; how could he do that when he let a weakling tag along everywhere he went? He couldn't become stronger by hanging out with weaklings. They would only drag him down as deadweight. It was the nature of survival.

He started ignoring Deku, hoping to get his point across without having to outright say it. When Deku still followed him around with that stupid, hopeful smile like a loyal puppy dog, Katsuki started vocalizing his thoughts. He taunted Deku, insulted, and intimidated him, hoping this would end this meaningless friendship. But no matter what he did, he couldn't get Deku off his tail.

Then something happened. Something obviously happened to Deku. Because all of a sudden, he sat up straighter, talked with his head held high, and wasn't afraid to voice his opinions during classroom discussions. On top of that, he could do magic tricks. The useless Deku that he knew of would never be able to learn magic tricks and develop that charisma which he used to bewitch everyone in the class to becoming his friend. This social butterfly couldn't be Deku.

Katsuki felt betrayed. Deku was supposed to be his loyal puppy dog, yet now he wouldn't follow him anymore. That nerd didn't even have to move or speak to make people flock around him like flies begging to see more magic tricks and buy sweets from him. Deku wasn't a follower now; people followed him.

On top of that, what truly pissed him off was the fact that his two sidekicks also joined in this absurdity and no longer listened to what he had to say. When he tried insulting Deku like normal, they would stand on the side and look away, and sometimes they even dared to step in and tell him to stop.

Whatever that happened to Deku had turned his whole class against him. Katsuki was frustrated and wanted answers.

Since then, he would constantly watch Deku, trying to figure him out. He knew if he outright asked the nerd, he wouldn't get any answers, or rather, honest answers, so he would observe from the back and wait for Deku to slip up.

But before that could happen, he heard from Mitsuki that Deku was at AMAP when it got attacked. Katsuki had watched it on the news and could tell the severity of the attack without having to be there physically. Even now, he couldn't get the terrified cries of the burning humans out of his mind. He could only imagine what it'd be like for timid little Deku.