Dark Light (Rewrite) Chapter 3

‘It was an accident’ he told himself.

And it really was.

Quirks, especially in children, have a tendency to go off accidentally. Common causes include a lack of proper control, high stress situations, the quirk itself has situational conditions to activate or it could go off instinctively. In Izuku’s case his mind perceived a threat and it activated his Quirk in self defense. On the one hand he was happy that his Quirk has developed to the point where he could create barriers strong enough to stop projectiles (even if it is just a soccer ball kicked really hard). On the other hand that happiness was drowned out by the anxiety of suffering under the scrutiny of his classmates who witnessed this feat.

Luckily this was the last class they had for the day and since Izuku technically violated the no Quirk rule and was out he asked to be let out early since he obviously wasn’t (and didn’t want to be) going for another play on the field. With that Izuku managed to escape and slip away just as the bell rang signaling the time to go. He couldn’t deal with the inquiries from his classmates and especially Katsuki who, for some reason, seemed angrier than Izuku has ever seen him. Naturally this was a very disconcerting thing considering he hasn’t been on Katsuki’s radar for a few years now.

Honestly between getting hit in the face by a soccer ball and suffering the attention of his classmates Izuku was still on the fence about which one he preferred. Oh who was he kidding? He’d take momentary pain and a few days of recovery over what was most certainly going to happen tomorrow. Everyone on that field saw what he did and he knew the news would make the rounds across the school because that’s what happens when someone’s Quirk gains some development.

Quirks were still an important hot topic after all and finding out that they were wrong about what his Quirk had been after all these years was bound to get some buzz. Glowing hands was a far cry from creating barriers of light after all. So after escaping school and running back home he once again confided in his mother about what happened. He eventually shares his reluctance in engaging any of his peers whom he knew would be asking questions about his Quirk.

Unfortunately his mother couldn’t actually help him here because while she approved of his work ethic with developing his Quirk and the focus on his studies she did not like how he was put in a position where he had little to no social interactions beyond herself.

“Izuku” his mother began wrapping her hands around him “if you don’t want to talk about your Quirk then you can always not speak about it.”

Izuku grumbled but what he didn’t (and couldn’t) put into words was that it had less to do with the subject of discussion and more to do with the discussion itself. Once upon a time Izuku was a social butterfly but the subsequent ridicule had shot his confidence in his ability to interact with other people. After almost six years of being a reclusive outcast just thinking about facing his classmates raised Izuku’s anxiety to whole new levels.

Even without saying all this Inko could pick up on his nervousness and his aversion to attention. Unfortunately she was unable to bring her son out of his shell after all these years. She had hoped his training and Quirk development would restore his confidence but apparently it isn’t enough.

So how could she go about pushing her son in the right direction?

“You want to be a hero like All Might don’t you?”

“Y-yeah”

That’s his dream, he’s said this before.

“When All Might saves someone, he always does it with a smile on his face and he reassures them that everything will be okay. If you want to be that kind of hero then you will have to talk to people Izuku.”

“But-but they…” he trailed off not quite finding any answers to defend himself “do I have to?”

“I’m not saying that you should go out and befriend them” lord knows that ship has sailed “but it wouldn’t do to avoid them. You have to face this head on and overcome it otherwise you’ll always be afraid and heroes don’t get scared.”

…she was right, he didn’t like it, was terrified of the thought but she had a point. There is not a hero he knew that is afraid of talking to people, otherwise they wouldn’t do interviews. All Might especially is unfazed by social interaction and in fact he seems to thrive off it actually. It made sense, if heroes get scared by this then how could they fight against villains?

‘How can I be a hero if I give in to something like this?’

That was the last thing he wanted to hear and she knew it but some things just can’t be helped.

Izuku swallowed “o-okay” a pause “wh-what about Kach-Katsuki?”

Inko’s expression darkened, Inko still didn’t really understand what problem that boy had with her son. At this point she didn’t really care, whatever goodwill he built up with her when he was a toddler had dried up over the years. It wasn’t bad enough that he had been bullying her son, even going so far as to use his Quirk against him, a Quirk that lets him generate explosions against her son! Then there was the verbal abuse, leading the class against him and turning Izuku into an outcast.

Inko knew all about it and she made sure Mitsuki knew about it as well. For all that Katsuki seems to have inherited his temper from her, Mitsuki Bakugou was a mature and reasonable woman who laments her son’s attitude. The two were on amicable terms despite everything that happened between their children. Mitsuki has been trying to curb her son’s bad attitude and failing if what Izuku told her was anything to go by.

Even if the boy no longer picked on her son, Katsuki was still a bad tempered, foul mouthed and spoiled brat. In some ways he’d gotten even worse since during the last parent visits she actually heard the boy mouth off to his mother before Mitsuki had to physically punish him. Normally Inko would not condone such a thing from other parents but she felt just a not-so-tiny bit vindictive about it after she heard the brat call her son Deku. She knew what ‘Deku’ meant and she thanked the heavens she and Mitsuki agreed to keep away from each other for their children’s sake that day.

Inko did not know why Katsuki hated her son, what horrible slight a four year old could do to have his best friend suddenly turn on him in such a way. It was also a mystery to Mitsuki whose subtle prodding (turned direct demand) only got her deflections and angry muttered grumblings. That boy had some deep seethed problems and if not for Mitsuki being very adamant about her son’s path in life then Inko would believe that she was looking at a villain in the making.

As for what advice she could give her son about Katsuki…

“Ignore him”

Izuku stilled blinking in surprise at her “huh?”

“You will have to interact with people Izuku, it is a fact of life, but you must learn that not everyone deserves that courtesy.”

Izuku mulled over what she said ‘just…ignore them?’ granted Izuku has had much practice n ignoring his classmates, particularly when they spoke unflattering things to him but…

“But what if they want to be friends again?”

“Remember Izuku, you don’t owe them anything and if you feel like they haven’t earned your trust then there is no reason why you should pay any attention to them” Inko paused for a long moment, her lips pressed together before she rested a palm on his cheek “you are a brilliant and perceptive boy Izuku and I trust your judgment. That is why I won’t dictate who you should make friends with, you will have to choose for yourself.”

It spoke volume of Inko’s trust that she would give that kind of freedom to an eleven year old but as she said Izuku was not just any child. His intelligence and perceptiveness was something to admire. It wasn’t something you’d find in a child his age and after his falling out with Katsuki she knew for a fact that Izuku would forever err on the side of caution when it came to making friends.

For the rest of the day Izuku contemplated on his mother’s words.

~O~

His mother’s words of wisdom and the comfort of her company were but a temporary thing it turns out and on the morning of the next day his anxiety was in full force. He tried and failed to find any and every excuse to delay or prevent himself from attending school. Unfortunately while his mother humored some of his childish attempts she was also stern enough not to let him miss school.

If there was anything that came from his stalling it was that he arrived at school later than usual. Just in time for the first bell to ring in fact, meaning that he only had enough time to arrive at class just as the teacher was in the middle of taking attendance. Since this was a first offence the teacher didn’t punish him for his tardiness which didn’t really matter as much as it would have. As he made his way to his seat he felt more than saw the stares seeing as he held his head down. One felt particular heated and he could make an educated guess as to whom that one belongs to.

Izuku sequestered himself in his little corner and only half paid attention to what the teacher was saying. He arrived at school more nervous than he’s ever been thus far in his life so he spent his time ignoring everyone and everything save for the teacher while mustering up the courage to face the oncoming storm. Hours later and Izuku was finally calm, he found his center and dare he say he forgot all about why he was even so worried in the first place.

Then the bell for lunch rang signaling the end of the lesson and the end of his respite. Don’t get him wrong he felt the stares and heard the occasional whispers mostly from when he initially came in earlier but they faded with time, almost. There was only a single person in the entire class who had kept persistent tabs on him throughout the entire class. So it wasn’t really much of a surprise that the first person to confront him was that same person.

“Deku!”

Izuku flinched and internally sighed when a pair of palms smacked on his table. Looking into the furious gaze of his former friend Izuku couldn’t help but feel the trepidation. Even if the two of them didn’t have a history Katsuki Bakugou was an intimidating boy even at the best of times.

Still Izuku managed to swallow his trepidation and reply with minimal “Katsuki”

The boy’s eyes narrowed “what the hell was that yesterday?”

“W-What was what?” he silently cringed at his stutter.

“You know what I’m talking about, the green crap that blocked the ball from smashing your stupid face!”

At this point they had everyone in class as an audience save for the teacher who already left.

“My Quirk”

“That ain’t your Quirk Deku”

Izuku hated that name, he hated it, he hated what it represents and that might just be the reason why he got the confidence to say his next words.

“What do you think my Quirk is?”

When he asked that question, it wasn’t just directed at Katsuki, Izuku’s eyes flickered to the audience in the room.

Katsuki answered “your stupid Quirk just lets your hands glow Deku”

*Twitch*

“That’s not what I did the first time I used it remember?” Izuku countered staring directly into the other boy’s eyes, almost daring him to deny it.

Katsuki’s eyes widened briefly before they narrowed “I remember you getting your ass beat and crying home to your mommy.”

That got a few giggles from the class and Izuku…did not have a comeback for it so he scraped back his chair, slung his already packed bag around his back and began walking away.

“Hey, we ain’t done yet Dek-AH!”

Just before Katsuki could accost him, a shimmering force of green light knocked him back hard enough for him to stumble into a desk. He managed to stop himself from falling but couldn’t stop the instinctive activation of his quirk caused by his rage. At this point Izuku was just by the door but there was no way Katsuki was about to let him escape unscathed after pulling off a stunt like that.

“DEKU!”

The enraged boy made to run after him only to trip over his own feet after several steps.

“Pfft!”

Katsuki shot to his feet shooting a glare at everyone, daring them to laugh at him. No one did on account of the miniature explosions popping off in his palms. After a moment he rushed to the door more carefully but by then it was too late, Izuku was already gone.

“Damn nerd” he seethed.

~O~

As he hustled Izuku’s irrational mind conjured sensations that weren’t there. He felt stares on him, people whispering about him, asking questions about him and Izuku did not like it. He has gotten used to not being noticed by others, he was the fly on the wall, ignored by everyone save for when he was a pest. It wasn’t to say that he liked being ignored but he very much preferred it over the stares and whispers. He especially preferred not to be noticed by Katsuki for obvious reasons.

‘What do I do now?’ was the question he had.

Katsuki was the worst type of person for someone like Izuku to deal with. He was loud, in-your-face and fearless. Not to mention really angry and prideful. Ignoring him was an option but not a good one as Izuku could picture his reaction to that ending with shouting, a beating and/or explosions. He could just go along with Katsuki’s demands and explain to him how his Quirk developed. In all honesty if he did that then it would have probably appeased the boy enough to not bother him anymore.

Izuku wouldn’t do it now for the same reason he didn’t do it then, this was something he needed to overcome. Izuku thought a lot about what his mother told him the day before, about how All Might and Heroes in general were so fearless in the face of danger and it got Izuku to do a quick online search. The topic of said search had been heroes and social anxiety. Izuku had been trying to find inspiration on how he could deal with what was to come and instead he found himself nearly at a loss.

The eleven year old boy never thought heroes had to deal with something as mundane as social anxiety but he was wrong and as it turns out his situation is a lot more prevalent in heroes than one might think. He spent a long time reading up on the different heroes and how they dealt with the various kinds of social anxieties. Some of them grew out of it, there were shockingly many who had to deal with it even as pros and there were a few who retired early because of it.

One particular hero’s biography remained in Izuku’s memories as it felt as if he was reading his current life. They had a Quirk others deemed useless, they were ridiculed for it to the point where they became reclusive, socially awkward and anxious at any kind of interaction. Yet they still mustered the courage to pursue their dreams, worked through their issues across the years and became a respected hero in their own right.

That story was what gave Izuku the extra push to come to school.

Unfortunately he didn’t get to read any inspired stories about what to do about Katsuki and his mother’s advice of ignoring him was a dangerous one. Naturally should any harm befall Izuku Katsuki would have to deal with the wrath of both their mothers but Izuku has gotten to the point where he wanted to rely less on his mother’s protection. Katsuki was an obstacle Izuku knew he would have to overcome if he wanted to be a proper hero and that meant standing up to him.

So it was with these thoughts that Izuku finished his lunch on the thickest branch of the tall tree in the secluded corner of the playground. The tree was tall and had enough leaves to provide cover so no one could see him if he sat on the branches. Said leaves also provided the necessary shadow for him to use his Quirk to assist in pulling him upwards. Izuku claimed the area and that specific branch as his spot some months ago and he’s been using it almost every other day in secret of course.

The tree couldn’t be climbed without a Quirk and the teacher specifically told them not to climb it because it was dangerous. This was the only rule Izuku ever broke in the school and only because the pros outweighed the cons. If he got found out then he’d get in trouble with the teachers. On the other hand he’s been going to his spot for months now without much issue. Not only did his spot make for a good hiding place, it was also peaceful and helped in developing his Quirk since to even get to the top he needs to use the shadows to carefully pull his body up then use them to keep his balance so he doesn’t fall off.

Most importantly in this particular case it provided a good vantage point for him to observe the playground. This meant he was a witness to Katsuki’s epic tantrum as he and his cronies tried in vain to locate him. He half expected the boy to start ranting and raving but he didn’t…much. Still Izuku did not at all like the expression on his face and decided to occupy his time with creating contingencies because he realized that above social anxiety Katsuki Bakugou was the immediate threat to him.

It could be worse though, Katsuki could have found out Izuku was the one who tripped him. Just thinking about hypotheticals in that scenario made Izuku wince because Katsuki was the type of person who valued his reputation and how he is perceived by everyone a great deal. It was something Izuku noticed over the years, Katsuki would always react to anyone who tried to mess with his reputation and challenge his dominance.

No matter what he never failed to assert his dominance at any given moment and it didn’t matter if the ‘challenge’ is true or not. So long as Katsuki Bakugou perceives a challenge to his ‘reign’ then he’ll certainly do something to assert himself and maintain it. He’s seen it done numerous times before, mostly through harsh words, threats and the occasional fights. The last one was rare nowadays especially when Katsuki’s supremacy as the best is so firmly rooted in the minds of everyone.

He couldn’t remember the last time Katsuki got into a fight for whatever reason. So there was the silver lining in all this, a chance that Katsuki wouldn’t try to beat him up. Izuku swallowed at the thought but refused to allow the fear to overwhelm him.

‘I’m not the same as I was before’

He was no longer that helpless boy who couldn’t stand up for himself. He was different, he now had the strength to defend himself but it was up to him to actually take the plunge to confront his fears and stand up for himself.

*Gulp*

(Un)fortunately lunch ended with a ringing bell whilst he was psyching himself up and before long the playground began to empty of its occupants. Izuku as per usual lowered himself down to the ground and seamlessly slipped into the thrum of students. Once inside the class he ignored Katsuki’s glare as well as the stares and whispers by his classmates.

The first part of the classes, tension wracked him by the midway point he completely relaxed and by the final bell Izuku had almost put the entire ordeal out of his mind. The teacher dismissed them and like always Izuku left the classroom, then the school and was about two streets down from his house when it happened.

“Deku!”

Izuku froze, swallowed and turned around to come face to face with his former friend. He had two of his cronies with him as usual making an already bad situation worse.

Moment of truth.

“Katsuki” he replied and congratulated himself on not stuttering.

The boy stomped close to him with an angry snarl “you got some nerve ignoring me, you nerd-”

“What do you want?” Izuku cut him off.

He really didn’t need the anxiety build up from one of the boy’s rants, he wanted this to be over with.

The words made Katsuki pause and give the boy a once over. Whatever he saw he did not like because the scowl on his face got even more pronounced.

“You think it’s funny?”

“What’s funny?”

“You know what I’m talking about!”

Izuku really didn’t.

“Your Quirk you nerd!”

Oh.

“Think you’re hot shit because you kept your real Quirk a secret?”

Izuku frowned “I never kept my Quirk a secret”

“You’re a fucking liar”

Izuku opened his mouth to defend himself, to remind the boy how he made assumptions and ignored it when Izuku tried to explain what his Quirk was. Then he stopped as a thought rushed to the forefront of him mind, one that gained precedence and genuineness the longer he focused on it. So when he opened his mouth it was to speak five simple words that formed a very curious question.

“Why do you even care?”

Katsuki recoiled but only for an instant “what are you talking about Deku, I don’t care about you!”

“Then why are you here?” Izuku spoke again, genuinely curious.

“…”

It was the first time Izuku had ever seen Katsuki, genuinely speechless. There were so many things he wanted to say, wanted to push, to unload on the boy but in his moment of triumph that he’d imagine a few times in his life, Izuku found that he didn’t really have the energy or want to pursue this small victory.

He just wanted it to end.

And so he did.

“Just…leave me alone” the green haired boy spoke with a subtle shake of his head before walking away.

~O~

Katsuki watched the nerd walk away with nary any resistance or rebuttal on his part. Usually he wasn’t one to suffer being brushed off by those he considered inferior and Deku was the most inferior of them all. At the same time the usual fury that would accompany such a thought was tempered by the question that still hung in the air.

“Why do you care?”

Why does he care?

He didn’t…at least that’s what he thought.

Katsuki has never been one to question his actions, he is usually too sure (or too stubborn) to ever second guess his decisions and he wasn’t about to start second guessing his entire life. This coming from Deku however caught his attention and he began to reevaluate the events which led to this because even he felt that something was wrong with this picture.

Yesterday he and pretty much their entire class found out that there was more to Deku’s Quirk than simply glowing. He made a light barrier to stop a football from bashing him in the face. That was it but as he remembered the moment it occurred to him that he never stopped thinking about it since which was weird because aside from the shock value nothing really stuck out about the moment otherwise. It wasn’t as if it really changed anything between them, Katsuki was still the best and Deku was still useless.

Even today his point was proven when Deku ran away hid instead of sticking around to answer his questions. He was a coward who could only wish he could measure up to Katsuki’s awesomeness.

‘Then why did he stay quiet about his Quirk?’

That was the next set of thoughts he had by the time he arrived home. Katsuki wasn’t an idiot, nor was he ignorant. He still remembered the day when Deku got his Quirk, he remembered how he couldn’t get it to do that explosion again and he definitely took away some tidbits from when he tried to explain his quirk to the class.

‘Something about absorbing…something’

For the briefest moment Katsuki regretted his younger self for shutting down the nerd as quickly as he did because now he was left to search for what the possibilities of Deku’s Quirk are with incomplete information. Still he had a substantial amount based on his knowledge and experience.

Basically he searched for Quirks that could let someone produce an ‘explosion of light’ but left them only able to produce a weak glow and years later enable them to produce a barrier. After an hour of searches followed by comparing and contrasting evidence and theories Katsuki came away with what he’s pretty sure is an answer.

Katsuki’s theory is that Deku has an Emitter/Accumulation type Quirk that allows him to project and possibly manipulate light but with the condition of either building up energy or absorbing it from an outside source. Based on what little he vaguely remembered from Deku’s explanation all those years ago it could be the latter but he wasn’t going to conclude on faulty information.

Still Katsuki scowled “there’s no freaking way that nerd has a quirk like that.”

Such a Quirk would be wasted on Deku but at the same time…

Just before Katsuki could accost him, a shimmering force of green light knocked him back hard enough for him to stumble into a desk.

That was Deku projecting a wave of light to knock Katsuki back. Katsuki was focused less on that and more on how he did it. There wasn’t so much as a gesture or warning, it just happened. Over the past few years Katsuki has seen a lot of people use a variety of Quirks at the gym where he practices. He could guess how long a person has been practicing with their Quirk based on how they used it. Deku has been practicing with his and the proof was him stopping that football which says a lot about his reflexes and the power behind his Quirk.

With such a development the question had to be asked again. Why did Deku keep quiet about his Quirk all this time? It didn’t make sense to Katsuki, especially when the slightest positive development in anyone’s Quirk would have them bragging about it to someone. Deku never did that, he must have been able to do that barrier trick for at least a couple months and yet he chose to remain in the background as this loser.

That doesn’t make any sense!

Why would anyone be content to just stay in the background and be ridiculed when they have the power to change that?

Does he even care?

“Why do you care?”

And suddenly Deku’s words gained clarity to Katsuki.

The answer is he doesn’t…

Deku doesn’t care.

He doesn’t care if people know about his Quirk.

He doesn’t care if he’s branded a useless loser.

He doesn’t care what anybody thinks.

And if that was the case then it also meant that Deku doesn’t care what he thinks either. Looking back on Deku’s actions he could see it as plain as day. Deku wasn’t keeping low because he learnt his place; he was keeping low because he didn’t deign any of them worthy of his attention in the first place. The realization was like a blow struck to the ego of the explosion Quirk user, to know that his triumph over the other boy was just an illusion. That while he had been gallivanting about, flaunting his superiority to everyone Deku was the silent observer, shoring up his own abilities for the moment when he would challenge him later down the line.

And to think, if it weren’t for that incident the day before Katsuki would have ever realized what was going on until it was too late. Katsuki felt his fist clench and a snarl appeared on his lips showing teeth. Katsuki had just enough restraint not to let his Quirk go off however smoke leaked from between his fingers as miniature explosions nearly invisible to naked eye went off in his clenched fist. The extraordinary feat of control went completely unnoticed by the boy as his mind was consumed by a singular thought.

Putting Deku in his place once again.

~To Be Continued~