Fork In The Road [Chapter 1]

“Oi nerd, I'm coming in.”

Izuku swore under his breath, rolling over to look as the door opened on familiar scarlet eyes, glaring at him already by the time it was open enough for him to see.

“You fuckin' kidding me?” he growled, slamming the door behind himself. “It's after nine, why the fuck are you still in bed?”

“I-It's the holidays, K-Kacchan, I don't have to-”

“This is why, you know,” Katsuki informed him flatly. “This sort of shit is why you didn't get in.”

“I didn't get in because I don't have a Quirk, just like you always said I wouldn't.”

He rolled over stubbornly, pulling the blankets up to his chin, and immediately Katsuki was tearing them away.

“And yet for ten fuckin' years since you found out, you've done nothing but sit around watching old videos and bleating the same speech about becoming the best hero in the world. When was the last time you went for a run or lifted a weight?”

Izuku stayed silent, and Katsuki let out a single, short laugh.

“Exactly. Now get your nerd-ass out of bed and clean this shit up, your room is disgusting.”

“Then leave and let me wallow in it.”

“You got into the most academic school in the city. Hell, the prefecture. Most people our age would kill for that school.”

“It's not U.A.”

“So fuckin' what? Move on.”

He picked up one of Izuku's notebooks, not unlike the one he burned and threw out the window only a short year ago, and hummed to himself as he flipped through the pages.

“Guess this can go in the bin, huh?” he mused, smirking when Izuku's eyes widened. “No need for it anymore, yeah?”

His empty hand began to smoke, and immediately Izuku was squawking at him, tripping over his own tangled bedsheets in his hurry to stand, arms reaching for it pathetically as Katsuki raised it above his head.

“Thought as much. You gonna clean this shit up or what?”

“Y-Yeah, I guess.”

With a surprising gentleness he turned to the bookshelf, slotting it into its place and pausing for a moment as he ran his fingertip over the spines.

“You kept this shit?” he asked, pulling out a burned and deformed copy. “It's useless.”

“So am I, but I'm still here.”

Katsuki snorted, pushing it back into place and grabbing a handful of Izuku's curls, pulling roughly. Izuku whined, but didn't bother arguing. He knew it wouldn't make any difference.

“Shut up, loser. Look, the folks are throwing some dumb party tonight to celebrate me getting in. They sent me to invite your sorry ass to it. You coming or what?”

“I shouldn't, I'll just get in the way.”

“You're gonna do the depressed shit? I didn't think even you were that pathetic. Clean your stupid room, take a damn shower, and wear something that actually fits instead of those shitty t-shirts that make no sense. Got it?”

“Y-Yeah, got it, Kacchan.”

He watched as Katsuki gathered dirty clothes that were scattered across the carpet, throwing them in a basket, then moved to his closet to flip through the contents. Somewhere in the back he found a lone button-down shirt, a deep, forest green in colour, and he eyed it over for a minute before he threw it at the basket.

“That'll do. You got some decent jeans around here somewhere?”

“Bottom drawer,” he mumbled reluctantly, bending over to pick up a stack of old middle school textbooks. “Do you think I'll need these again?”

“Sometimes they're handy if you need to look up something you've forgotten,” Katsuki answered genuinely, the usual creases in his forehead smoothed out for once. “But there's also the internet, so...”

“Yeah,” Izuku agreed, dumping them in his recycling bin. “I'm not gonna forget it anyway.”

“I should hope not,” Katsuki scoffed. “Not with your test grades.”

“Was that a compliment?”

“If you want to call it that, sure.”

Izuku stopped in his tracks to stare, and Katsuki raised an eyebrow at him, practically daring him to continue the topic.

“You've been so nice to me,” Izuku mumbled, his cheeks flushing as he turned away again in a hurry. “Since the test.”

“Well yeah, you bombed it.”

Izuku cringed, but Katsuki shrugged it off.

“You're not stupid,” Katsuki acknowledged. “But you're weak as fuck and you were so damn blind to that fact. You've figured it out now, haven't you?”

“Yeah.”

“And now that you're not parroting that tired old shit, you're a little more bearable,” Katsuki explained with another shrug. “I thought it would have been enough when All Might told you to cut it out – I'm still kinda pissed that you actually tried that shit, while I was being fuckin' attacked, but whatever, you finally got there. Congratulations nerd, you now know what the rest of us have known for a decade.”

This time, when Izuku cringed, Katsuki softened a little.

“It sucks, I know,” he said softly, dropping more books into Izuku's arms lightly. “It must suck to have your dream destroyed like that. But now you can find a new dream, right? Something you're good at, something you really want to do, something you're willing to put the work in for. I'll... I'll help you, if you want. To find something else you care about.”

With his eyes filling with tears, Izuku tore his notebooks from the shelf and slammed them into Katsuki's hands, sniffling as he tried to find the composure to speak.

“They might be useful,” he choked out. “When you're out saving the world.”

“Idiot,” Katsuki chuckled, shaking his head as he thrust them back. “You think I'm gonna be able to do this nerd shit? Keep writing them for me, I'll call you if I need intel on anyone.”

“R-Really?”

“Yeah, nerd-ass, now cut the shit and clean, I swear I've done more than you already.”

“Sorry!”

The tears were spilling over now, no matter how hard he tried to stop them, and Katsuki sighed, digging a handkerchief from his pocket and scrubbing roughly at freckled cheeks.

“You're such a damn child,” he grumbled, as Izuku sniffled. “Quit the waterworks.”

“I'm sorry.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

─

With his shirt freshly washed and ironed, and his hair combed into some semblance of tame, Izuku knocked on the familiar front door. It had seemed much bigger the last time he saw it, as Katsuki reached up to fumble the handle open, but at least all his memories here were good ones. He glanced back at his mother, trying to be reassuring, and she smiled back with the warmth of a thousand suns – an expression that reminded himthat everything was gonna be okay, instead of the other way around.

“Izuku! Inko! So glad you made it, come on in!”

“Thank you for having us, Masaru,” Inko responded in kind, still smiling softly. “Congratulations, you must be so proud.”

“You must be too! Katsuki told us about Izuku's results! Well done Izuku, your hard work paid off! You must be so excited to get into such a prestigious school, even sitting the entrance exam is an achievement and you got in.”

“Y-Yeah,” Izuku nodded, smiling awkwardly. “Thank you.”

“Anyway, come on in, can I get you something to drink?”

Izuku looked around at the crowded living room, ready to burst with guests, sipping at drinks and laughing far too fakely. If there were any other kids in the family, they were nowhere to be seen, as evidenced by Katsuki leaning against a wall with a scowl on his face, staring at his feet stubbornly, his hands stuffed deep in his pockets.

“You can go chat, sweetie,” his mother whispered. “He doesn't seem to be having much fun, go cheer him up.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course! I'm going to go find Mitsuki.”

“Thank her for me, okay? For inviting us.”

“Of course! Go have fun darling, I'll see you later on.”

He slipped through the crowd, unnoticed by the guests bragging about their own accomplishments, the achievements and trials their own kids were dealing with. Katsuki's eyes lifted slightly to acknowledge him as he got closer, and he did his best to manage a wobbly smile in return, hoping he might look even vaguely reassuring.

“Hi, Kacchan,” he said softly. “Thanks for inviting me.”

“Shut the hell up.”

“Sorry. You okay?”

“Fuckin' obviously, don't ask stupid questions.”

“You just seem...”

He trailed off, meeting Katsuki's eyes with no hesitation when they shot him a warning look, and smiled a little more genuinely this time. Katsuki was the one to break the gaze, in the end, to look away as Izuku finished.

“Bored, mostly. Maybe a little frustrated.”

“Yeah, well,” Katsuki huffed, tugging at the collar of his shirt as if it were choking him, even though it hung open to his collarbones. “Shitty family who don't actually care, what do you expect?”

“I'm sure they care, Kacchan!”

“Fuckin' don't, loser. Half of them are here to convince everyone their own kids are doing better than me, the other half think it's just normal for me to get accepted.”

“But it is.”

He ducked when Katsuki swiped at him, wincing when he still caught a clip to his ear.

“Quit it!” he whined, doing his best to garner pity from a boy who didn't seem to possess any. “I'm serious! I know you worked hard, but you always work hard. It is normal because you always get the things you want because you make sure of it. You're amazing, Kacchan, you know that.”

“Fuck off.”

“Okay, okay, fine,” Izuku pouted, watching the annoyed scowl soften a little. “I'll stop, but you know I'm right.”

“The old hag bought the good curry puffs,” Katsuki muttered, straightening up off the wall. “I'm gonna eat them all before anyone else finds them.”

“The ridiculously spicy ones?”

“Yeah.”

“I don't think you have to worry about anyone else beating you to it, Kacchan.”

“Shut up. You coming or what?”

“Always!”

He tagged along three steps behind, with a familiar view of the back of Katsuki's head, a sight he'd watched through their entire childhood. As much as he wished, sometimes, that he could walk at his friend's side instead, as long as he could still stay three steps behind, without being pushed away anymore, he would be satisfied.

─

Izuku jumped when the bashing on the front door started, glancing back apologetically at the little smile that appeared in the kitchen. She shook her head fondly, waving him toward the door, and he hurried to answer it.

“I'm coming, I'm coming!” he insisted, reaching for the lock. “Relax, I'm-”

“You locking me out now, nerd?”

“I wasn't expecting you, it was still locked from overnight! What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be heading to school?”

“Thought you'd want to nerd out over me first,” Katsuki smirked, resting his hands on his hips. “What do you think?”

His first thought was that Katsuki was going to get written up for uniform violations on day one, but he didn't think Katsuki would appreciate that one.

“Wow Kacchan, it's kind of surreal. Oh, where's your tie, though?”

“Like I'm gonna wear a fuckin' tie,” he scoffed. “Better fix yours though, shithead. Come here.”

Izuku burned as red as the eyes that leaned in, deft fingers making quick work of his messy tie-job, and he forced a pathetic smile when Katsuki stepped back to survey his handiwork, making sure it was straight.

“Th-Thanks, Kacchan. Are you on your way to the station?”

“Uh-huh. You coming?”

“Yes! Give me one minute!”

“Tick tock, nerd.”

He threw the last of his new books into his school bag, slinging it over his shoulder as he nudged his way through to the fridge to grab a water bottle and tuck it down the side. His lunch was already safely packed, made with love by the same mother who now washed his breakfast dishes without a word of complaint, and he glanced at his watch as he grabbed his phone from the dining table.

“Bye Mom,” he said quickly, almost tripping over his own feet as he hurried back to the doorway. “See you tonight.”

“Have a great day, Izuku!” she returned easily, then raised her voice a little to call after him. “Take care of yourself! You too, Katsuki! Have a safe trip!”

“We'll be fine, don't worry,” Katsuki called back, surprisingly mellow. “Come on shitnerd, time to go.”

He kicked his shoes on and pulled the door closed behind them, hurrying down the stairs after Katsuki, and smiling at the familiar shock of blond spikes that remained three steps ahead of him.

“You're gonna tell me all about it, right?” Izuku asked, torn between nerves and enthusiasm. “Every detail. Every moment. No matter how dull or unimportant or normalyou think it is.”

“Whatever.”

“Please, Kacchan?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

When the critical rubies glanced back at him, Izuku's heart lightened a little, his steps strangely floaty. It was only for a moment, gone as quick as it came, but Katsuki's eyes had not only turned his way, they'd done it without a hint of malice or annoyance. They'd come so far in such a short time, it was almost, almost worth failing the entrance exam for.

That was a lie, it wasn't even close, but maybe he could kid himself.

“Don't go slacking off, nerdass,” Katsuki growled. “I know what your stupid shit is like, don't get all zoned out thinking about me and wind up not paying attention to your own crap, you hear me?”

“I don't have to imagine it if Kacchan is gonna tell me everything.”

“I said I would, didn't I?” Katsuki challenged. “You calling me a liar?”

“No! I swear! I was just reiterating what we already discussed!”

“Shitty ass liar too. That's one more thing to knock off your career list.”

“Huh?”

“Professional poker player.”

Izuku couldn't help but laugh, a little snort coming out as he tried to stifle it in the crowded street, but he caught a glimpse of Katsuki's cheek twitching, almost managing a smile.

“I'm this way,” he nodded toward a little corridor, when they'd swiped their transport cards. “I'll come over after dinner, don't lock me out this time, asshole.”

“I promise!” Izuku grinned. “Have a great day, Kacchan!”

“Whatever. Don't fuck yours up, alright?”

“I won't!'

Watching Katsuki walk away from him, wearing that familiar uniform that was so unlike his own outfit, holding a bag of books with entirely different titles to his own, made his stomach churn. Over a decade they'd been together, sitting in the same schools, the same buildings, the same classrooms, and now, like it was nothing, Katsuki was walking away to take his rightful place at U.A. High School, while Izuku was left behind.

The way it was meant to be, he supposed.

As he turned the corner, Katsuki glanced back, catching sight of the torn look on Izuku's face, but his feet didn't stop moving. He was ready to move on, he'd always been ready to walk away. Izuku wasn't nearly as strong.

It wasn't until he sat on his own train, at his own platform, that he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and dug it out to glance at the name. For a moment he wondered if it was an accident, if his childhood friend – at least, he hopedhe could call them friends again now – had sat down on his phone by accident, but when he opened it up, a watery smile crossed his lips.

“Don't go letting me down, you hear? I don't hang out with people who aren't top of their class from day one.”

“You too,” he sent back after a moment of contemplation. “Show them all who's number one.”

“Obviously, nerd.”

“Have a great day, Kacchan.”

He didn't expect a reply, so he was unsurprised when his phone was still silent by the time they reached his stop. The school was fancy, sure, and pretty, and the other students seemed enthusiastic, and proud. Those were all good things to have in a school, he supposed. It wasn't U.A., but he was just going to have to get used to that.

Students were filing into a huge, empty courtyard, finding their new classes and meeting their new classmates, girls hugging their friends from middle school, guys clapping each other on the shoulder fondly, but Izuku was already alone. Somehow he always ended up alone.

Just as the Principal began to walk onto a little makeshift stage, he felt his phone buzz again, and slipped it out in a hurry. The familiar name was on the screen again, lighting up the inside of his bag, and he tried his best to be inconspicuous as he hit the 'open' button.

“You too.”

─

The Midoriya household was just finishing their dinner when the door handle rattled, Katsuki showing himself inside like he owned the place. Neither of them cared to protest, instead shooting matching smiles at the blond figure in the doorway, and a short, breathy laugh shot from Katsuki's throat.

“I guess I'm early.”

“Not at all, Katsuki, you're always welcome here. Have you eaten?”

“Yeah, I grabbed something on my way home.”

“What did you have?” Izuku asked knowingly.

“Bread and shit? Does it matter?”

“Katsuki!” The horror that flooded the motherly face was apparent, and immediately she was on her feet, dishing up leftovers from the stove top. “Eat!”

He froze for a moment, staring at her, but eventually conceded a nod under her concerned gaze.

“Y-yeah, okay. Um, thanks.”

Izuku smiled as he toyed with the last of his rice, slowing his pace considerably, and watched Katsuki stuff a large piece of broccoli into his mouth, his soft cheeks puffing out a little as he chewed.

“What are you looking at, nerd?” he mumbled through his mouthful. “Quit staring.”

“Sorry! I was just... Well, you promised to tell me about school, remember?”

“Eating, dumbass. You tell me first.”

“Huh? Tell you what?”

“School, asshole.”

“Really?”

Katsuki gave him a stubborn look as he reached for his rice bowl, and finally Izuku nodded.

“Um... It was fine, yeah, nothing... Nothing special, it's a school, you know? My classmates seem nice, but most of them have friends from middle school, so I haven't really met anyone yet.”

“Just talk to them, stupid.”

“I will! Eventually! I just... You know, time was limited?”

“Shut up,” Katsuki rolled his eyes, “don't lie to me.”

“Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I'll make friends tomorrow, I promise.”

“Fine. Keep going.”

He continued to shovel food down as Izuku ran through vague details about the entrance ceremony and their introduction classes, about the hero-theory classes that he supposed were better than nothing, about the mound of textbooks he was expected to carry around and work through every day. Katsuki smiled slightly at that, brushing it off when Izuku gave him a quzzical look, stuffing himself with rice to keep from saying whatever was on his mind.

“Sounds like a perfect fit,” Katsuki shrugged, when Izuku finished talking. “Nerd school for the nerd-ass.”

“Shut up,” Izuku smiled softly. “Your turn.”

“Yeah.”

He swallowed down the last of his food, saying a quick thank you before he turned in his chair, pulling one foot up to get comfortable.

“One kid got expelled,” he said gleefully. “Our entrance ceremony was a test to see how well we could use our quirks, and the guy that came last got kicked out immediately.”

“Are you serious?! That poor guy!”

“Nah, it's cool, he was a total perv.”

“Huh?”

“You know, checking the girls out, hitting on them, being gross about it. He deserved everything he got. So long, sucker.”

“That's not very heroic, Kacchan.”

“No kidding, right? Sexual harrassment is about as far from it as you can get.”

“Wh- N- I meant- Oh forget it. So what kind of tests were they, then?”

“The same ones we always did in P.E., but this time we were allowed to use our Quirks.”

Izuku contemplated it, thinking back to their middle school classes, and smiled at the thought of Katsuki disintegrating a baseball with his explosive grip.

“You did well, then?”

“Obviously.”

“Did you make any new friends, Katsuki?” Inko probed with a smile. “I hope you were nice to your classmates!”

Katsuki paused for a moment, looking almost sheepish for the first time in his life, then he nodded faintly.

“Yeah, I guess. A couple of them are... Ugh, annoying. But it was fine, I was... Nice. Ugh.”

Izuku could see straight through him, could see the hint of self-awareness in the back of his gaze that said otherwise. He and Katsuki had known each other forever, though, they could see those things in the smallest of mannerisms. Not to mention they had an unspoken agreement to never rat each other out in front of their collective parents, so Izuku kept his mouth firmly shut. Katsuki shot him a look, torn between a warning glare and a hint of gratitude, but when Izuku met his gaze he quickly looked away again.

“Homeroom teacher is a weirdo,” he continued, leaning his elbows on the table. “Dunno what his quirk is yet.”

“What's his name?”

“Aizawa.”

“Haven't heard it,” Izuku mused, wracking his brains for the name. “Must be more private. Or retired or something.”

“Nah, seems like he's still actively working.”

“Find out more for me, okay? Find out his hero name and his quirk and his habits and mannerisms and his skills and challenges and-”

Katsuki slammed a hand over his mouth, silencing the rambles, and Inko smiled at them fondly as they stared each other down.

“I will,” Katsuki conceded. “I'll tell you.”

“Thanks, Kacchan!”

“Whatever. I should go home, old hag'll be worrying by now.”

“You haven't been home yet?!”

Katsuki gestured toward his uniform pointedly, and Izuku was torn between feeling pride and guilt.

“You came here first?”

“Obviously.”

“You're the best, Kacchan.”

“Don't I know it. Thanks for dinner, see you in the morning Deku. Don't be late or I'm leaving without you.”

“I'll be ready, I promise!”

“Whatever.”

He shoved his hands in his pockets as he walked out, and for a moment the apartment fell silent, oddly eerie without the explosive blond and his overly high volume to break the strange ambience of a quiet room.

“You two seem to be on good terms again,” Inko smiled warmly, as she collected up all the dishes. “Did you patch things up?”

“Something like that,” Izuku agreed, still staring at the closed door. “I proved him right, you know? Showed I couldn't get in, stopped arguing with him about getting accepted to U.A.”

“You should be proud of yourself! I know it isn't U.A., but you still got into an amazing school! I'm proud of you, even if you aren't. And I'm pretty sure Katsuki is too.”

“I know, thank you. I think I'm gonna go take a bath now.”

“Go relax and have an early night, you don't want to be tired for your first day of real classes!”

“I know,” he smiled faintly. “Thanks, Mom. Goodnight.”

[Chapter 2]