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The Hero That Could've Been

Chapter 5: The Chase

Summary:

Izuku runs, and someone special finds him.

Notes:

This took me like two months to write so sorry if it's really shitty LMAO

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

His legs hurt. A lot. Izuku sits down in a field, groaning as he leans back against the fence. He’s probably gained enough distance from the heroes to be able to sit down.

Now, he has a choice. He can either move further north, and risk the heroes knowing his full plan, or go back down to Hosu, and back to the base, where the man who handed him over to the Commission is.

Honestly, either option is worse than the other. Maybe he should flip a coin instead.

He grabs a new burner phone he managed to get from a shop, by the last train station he went to. He stares at it—there’s no point in calling Tomura. He knows that it’s futile.

But, where else could he go? Izuku’s mind drifts to Katsuki, but he turns that thought down. What’s the point? Katsuki’s a hero now—and Izuku’s a villain. The boy that Izuku thought of all the time, yet never thought of at all, was now on the other side of him.

Maybe, somewhere else, Izuku had stayed. Maybe, Katsuki didn’t do that in the first place. Maybe they were friends somewhere. Not here. Never here.

He gets up, pocketing his burner, and turns in a random direction, then starts walking again. Which direction? Izuku doesn’t know.

What he does know is that nobody wants him anymore. And maybe, that’s always been his intention.

 

Fields turn into roads turn into bridges turn into fields turn into tunnels turn into rivers. Soon, Izuku’s on the coastline of Japan, he hasn’t checked any signs in a week.

He hasn’t had any trouble getting here, though. No ambush, no robbery. Nothing. Just smooth sailing to somewhere he could probably sit down in and call home.

It doesn’t feel like home. Nothing’s felt like home in a long time.

His thoughts drift to his house. The apartment he lived in with his mother. He can only see small blips of his old life, which fill him with a warm feeling. Running around the kitchen as his mother cooked dinner, watching the video of All Might over and over again, jumping on the couch in an All Might costume. That was his life before he left. That was his life before he laid it down, and became a villain, in the Commission’s eyes.

After a life of running, of fighting, of suffering, home doesn’t feel like a concept that’s familiar to Izuku. Could he call the rundown bar home? Probably not.

He goes onto the beach, and sits down on a bench. Seagulls squawk above as dogs run across the sand after tennis balls. One even comes up to him, and Izuku manages to pet it, before it runs back to its owner.

Izuku never had pets. The owner of the apartment building didn’t let them have any–not even a goldfish. But, Katsuki had a cat when they’d first met. An old one, who would lay down on Izuku’s lap for hours on end, unmoving. At one point, Izuku thought that the cat was actually dead, until it bit him for getting too close its face.

Izuku stares into space. It was a ginger cat, with white stripes. He can’t remember the name, but he can remember it.

An elderly woman appears next to him. “Kid, are you alright? Where are your parents?” She asks. He looks up at her to see her smile. “You seem a little lonely.”

Izuku shrugs. “I guess I am.”

“Do you have friends? Family?” Izuku shakes his head, and she sighs. “The most important thing in life is yourself. If you have yourself, then, well, you’ll be alright.”

“…I don’t think I know myself. I don’t think I am myself.” He says.

“People always change. Especially kids like you.” She tells him. “It’s okay to be different, and to change yourself throughout your life. That’s the whole point of growing up, isn’t it?”

He nods, looking at her as she sits down next to him. “…Do you have someone?”

“Used to. They died a long time ago.” They. Izuku nods. “Now, it’s just me and Bobble.”

“Bobble?” Izuku asks.

“My cat. She’s a timid thing, always running away from the vacuum cleaner.” Izuku laughs at the thought, and the woman does, too. “But she’s nice. She’s my friend.”

Izuku stares into space again. A friend. How long has it been since he had one of those? Was Katsuki ever his friend? Has he ever had a friend?

Nothing is constant in Izuku’s life, and nothing will ever be. Something that is a constant didn’t have space to be in his life. It doesn’t have the time to stick around. Did anyone have the time to stick around? Tomura had handed him in to the Hero Commission, and Izuku had never thought he’d even leave the League of Villains a month ago. They were his home, but home wasn’t something Izuku knew. When he thought of a home, his mind plateaued, showing him nothing. A void. There was no home for someone like Izuku.

“You must have friends.” The woman says, snapping him out of his spiral. “You’re a kid, they have lots of friends.”

“Mm. I might’ve, before. But, I don’t think I have some anymore.” He tells her.

She sighs. “That’s a shame. I’m sure someone would love to be your friend. You just have to let them.” She gets up. “Well, I have to go. Bobble will be missing me, you see? Goodbye…?”

“Izuku.” Izuku says, “Goodbye.”

“Bye, Izuku. It was lovely to meet you.” She smiles again, and leaves.

 

When Izuku stares at the sky, it calls out to him. He wonders if, one day, the sky shifts, and he’s back to when he was okay, when he was just another kid wanting to be a hero. He wanted to be a hero. He never became a hero.

He could’ve been a hero, but he didn’t get the chance. Instead, he ran away like an idiot. He got taken in by Tomura, by All For One.

He got turned into a villain.

But, what really is the difference now? Is the Hero President any different from the countless villains that she sought to defeat? Maybe it’s just his father’s teachings talking, but the president really doesn’t seem too good for the country.

“The president will do whatever she wants, because there’s nobody to stop her.” Tomura had said. “Izuku, it’s important that you don’t ever get near to her.”

Do the heroes even like the president? They only do what she says because they don’t want to suffer—right? And now, Izuku is on her radar.

He does plan to go back to Kamino Ward. Maybe, Tomura isn’t the person who’d turned him into the Commission—they were always lying about something.

No, Tomura wouldn’t turn him in. Tomura wants him to come back. Why the hell would he turn Izuku in—for some idea of sick fun?

Izuku sighs, feeling the sand shift in his shoes as he moves to stand up. He’s been sitting on this beach for so long—he must be covered in sand by now. But, the beach is quiet at night, nobody bothers to go out there. It’s a small town, with barely any tourists, as there aren’t many souvenir shops anywhere. But, what’s a bad thing for others is a great thing for Izuku. Yeah, hiding in crowds is great, but hiding alone, in a secluded place, that’s even better.

But, one thing could ruin it. And that one thing is running towards Izuku right now. “Hey!” Izuku turns, and upon the first sight of Katsuki’s face, starts to run. “Wait! Izuku!”

Izuku stops at the sound of his name, and Katsuki grabs his shoulders, turning him around. “It—it’s just me.”

“What the hell are you doing here?” Izuku pulls away, stumbling back.

“I was looking for you!” Katsuki shouts. “What, you thought I’d just leave you after you fled?”

Izuku’s eyes narrow. Yeah, he did. Because why the hell would Katsuki care now? Why would he give a shit about Izuku after everything that had happened. “Kind of.”

“Then you’re a fucking idiot.” Izuku glares at him. “I got a reservation at a hotel nearby.”

“How long have you been here?” Izuku asks.

Katsuki shrugs. “Couple hours or so. I guessed that you were here after an old woman was mumbling about meeting a boy called Izuku. She said you were nice to her.”

“Of course I was. The only person I can’t care to be nice to is you.” Izuku bites back.

“Ha-ha.” Katsuki drawls. “Let’s go.” He turns, and heads towards the hotel on the coastline.

Izuku falters. He could go with Katsuki, and get a good night’s rest, but that’d risk being with someone who’s right under the president’s control. Or, he could run, and get out of this town, never to be seen by the Commission again.

“Do I have to drag you?” Katsuki calls. Izuku grits his teeth, and follows Katsuki. Maybe, he could try to convince the boy not to pull anything while Izuku is around.

-

“Here it is.” Katsuki opens the door with the card he has, and they both walk into the room. A vanity, a television, a door to enter the bathroom, a nice rug, a table, and… one bed.

Izuku stares at the bed. “Are you sleeping on the couch?”

“There’s no couch, idiot.” Katsuki jumps onto the bed. “It’s a double bed.”

“I’m not sharing a bed with you. ” Izuku scowls.

“The floor’s free. It’d probably fit your scrawny body. What do they even feed you at that shit tip, anyway?” Izuku rolls his eyes and shuts the door behind him, sitting on top of the bed. “Food.”

“No fucking shit, genius.” Katsuki leans his head back, staring at the ceiling. “D’you think you’re on the news again?”

“Again? Was I on it yesterday?” Izuku asks. Katsuki nods.

“Some shit about a call to find you. They want to take you in now, train you up to be a hero.” Izuku stares at the screen of the turned-off television, his gaze hardening. “What?”

Izuku shakes his head. “I don’t want to be a hero.” He hears Katsuki shift, as he sits up.

“Why not?” Katsuki asks, his voice now softer than before. Izuku looks at him, and gets a flash in his mind.

 

“Are you okay? Do you need help?” Izuku holds out his hand, and Katsuki stares at it.

His hand moves to take it, and then he pulls it back. “I’m fine.” He gets up, stumbling out of the river, and Izuku stares at the place Katsuki had once been.

“…Why does Kacchan hate me so much?” Izuku mutters to himself, tightening his fist. “I can be a hero…I can be like All Might.”

“We can be heroes together, right, Kacchan?”

 

Izuku shakes his head, snapping out of it. “I wouldn’t be a good hero.” He looks away, and turns on the television, freezing when Katsuki grabs the remote from him, turning it off.

“How would you know if you’ve never tried?” Katsuki asks, trying to catch Izuku’s gaze. “Izuku?”

“Don’t call me that.” Izuku makes out through gritted teeth. “God, can’t you just call me Deku ?” Katsuki flinches at the name. “I don’t know why you’re fucking flinching—it’s the reason I—“

“You don’t think I fucking know that?” Katsuki shouts. “You don’t think I haven’t spent the last ten fucking years not being able to sleep because I know I’m the reason you left?”

Izuku stares at him, his eyes narrowing. What the hell? “Do you really think I could just forget about what you said and not constantly think about it for all this time?” Katsuki continues. “Izuku, I can’t forget it, because I know I’m the reason you left! I know it, and it’s fucking eating me alive every day!”

Izuku doesn’t even say anything, he just stares at Katsuki, his mind running laps to work out what the fuck has just happened. Katsuki gets up, and goes to the bathroom. “Kacchan–” The sound of the door slamming cuts Izuku off.

He groans, falling back on the bed. Of course. Him and Katsuki can’t even spend a few minutes in the same room together without making a mess. Izuku gets up, and turns the television on again, sitting down on the end of the bed to watch the news.

“And, the hunt for Midoriya Izuku is still on! The president hasn’t given us any information yet, but we’re sure that all of the top heroes are searching for him!” The reporter says. Great. “We’ll be sure to give you updates on this missing child gone rogue case!”

Izuku turns the television off before he throws the remote at it. His gaze moves to the wall separating him and the bathroom, then to the door. Katsuki hasn’t locked it yet, right? He gets up, and tries it. Locked.

Huh. He turns and goes to the balcony door, testing that. Locked. “What the hell?” Izuku mutters. Katsuki hasn’t even gone near that door, and they can only be locked from the inside.

He goes over to the bathroom door and knocks on it. “Kacchan?”

“Fuck off.”

Izuku sighs. “Could you at least tell me why you locked all the doors?” A pause.

“I didn’t lock the doors.”

“Well, they’re locked.”

“Then they have a locking mechanism.”

Smartass. “We’re in a remote town, Kat–Kacchan. There’s no way they can afford a locking mechanism on the doors. Stop lying–” Izuku almost falls through the doorway when Katsuki opens the bathroom door.

“I didn’t lock the fucking doors, alright?” Katsuki goes over to the balcony door and unlocks it. “There. If it makes you feel any better.”

“You don’t think I’ll leave?” Izuku asks.

“You won’t.” Is all that Katsuki says, and he shuts himself in the bathroom again. Izuku groans, leaning against the door. “Go away, Izuku.”

Izuku purses his lips. “Y’know, we could try to attempt to be at least a little good at communicating.”

“No way in hell, nerd.” Izuku rolls his eyes, and goes back to the balcony door, trying to open it. Locked again.

“Uh, Kacchan, the balcony door’s locked again.” Izuku shouts.

“Hah? No it’s not! Why are you trying the doors, anyway?”

“It’s stuffy in here!” Izuku yells. That’s a lie. He doesn’t want to spend another minute in this awkward situation, and he also really doesn’t want to be in a trap with no feasible escape route.

Katsuki groans. “Stop fucking lying!”

“I’m not–” Izuku gasps as something tightly wraps around him, cutting him off. He looks down. A…gray scarf?

What the hell? Izuku thinks, racking his brains to work out what could ever cause this. Eraserhead.

He grits his teeth, feeling the usual tingle in his fingers lessen as his quirks are taken away by the owner of the restraints. Definitely a trap.

“Izuku?” Katsuki yells. “Well?” Nothing. Izuku can’t even turn around while Eraserhead is keeping him restrained. “Of course, you’re lying again, you–” Katsuki’s voice stops once he opens the door to the bathroom, and Izuku guesses he’s looking at the scene in front of him.

“Sensei?” Katsuki asks.

“You call the heroes, I don’t want him to get away–”

“No.” Izuku’s eyes widen at Katsuki’s answer to his own teacher. “Let him go.”

“Bakugo–”

“No!” Katsuki yells, and Izuku hears an explosion, feeling the force of it as he’s blown across the room, the restraints falling off of him, that familiar tingle back in his fingers. He grunts as he hits the wall, and gets up, only to see Katsuki staring at him from above, before he grabs Izuku’s arms. “C’mon.”

Katsuki tugs Izuku to the door, and they both run down the hallway of the hotel, skipping stairs two at a time to get out of the place. “You blew up your teacher!” Izuku yells as they run.

“Yeah, and?” Katsuki shouts, pulling Izuku so he runs faster. “Hurry the hell up–running from those heroes for all those years hasn’t done your skinny legs any good, it seems.” Izuku rolls his eyes at the comment, but makes an effort to run a little faster.

“Bakugo Katsuki!” Eraserhead’s voice travels down the stairs.

“Shit. Do you have a teleportation quirk or something?” Katsuki asks Izuku. The boy in question nods, and Katsuki looks at him expectantly as they get out of the hotel, and stop in the parking lot.

“Oh–I can’t–there’s a distance limit.” Izuku says, “I can only travel to places I’m familiar with, too.”

Katsuki stares at him, blinking multiple times. “You’re shitting me, right?”

“Sorry.” Katsuki groans, grabbing Izuku’s hand this time, and running through the streets of the remote seaside town. “Kacchan, where the hell are we going?” Izuku yells.

“We’re getting away from the teacher I just blew up!” Katsuki shouts over his shoulder. “Can you be of any use, idiot?”

“I know the train lines well!” Izuku shouts.

“That’s a no, then!” Katsuki yells.

“Don’t disregard the usefulness of a train nerd!”

“Holy shit, did you get an upgrade?” Katsuki asks in mock amazement. “From hero nerd to train nerd? That’s even more fucking useless! At least, when you’re a hero nerd, then you can give me a couple useful facts!”

“Half of those pages were about you in the future, idiot!” Katsuki stops so suddenly that Izuku crashes into him from behind. “Why’d you stop?”

Katsuki turns, now facing Izuku. “What?”

“Huh?”

What?

“What do you mean ‘what’?”

Katsuki continues to stare at him, in a state of bewilderment. “What the fuck?”

“Kacchan, what–”

“You wrote shit about me, in the future, as a hero?” Izuku stares at Katsuki. “Well?”

Izuku’s eyes narrow. “Kacchan, didn’t you get those notebooks? My mom would’ve given them to you–”

“Oh. You don’t know.” Katsuki breathes.

“Huh?”

“You don’t know.”

“Don’t know about what?” Izuku asks. “Kacchan, you’re scaring me–”

“Izuku, your mother’s clinically insane.”

Notes:

I really hope this plot twist (?) works with this fic, idk though it might not tell me what you think of it
Anyway justice for Aizawa the amount of shit he's about to go through with his stupid students will be too much for him to bear I fear
From now on, I'll be doing monthly chapters--I'm doing it for all of my multi-chapter fics from now (except leaf in the wind) until my GCSE'S start in May 2025 so that I have enough of a routine to make sure enough is posted (I THINK there will be around 15 chapters posted once I get to the start of my exams? I'm not sure (someone could probably do the maths LMAO)
But yippee!! Sorry that you have to wait so long :(( unfortunately I cannot write 27000 words in a day (I wish I could though)
Anyway byebye see you next update

Notes:

I don't know when the next chapter of this will be out but I'll try to juggle this fic with my other projects. It might take a while to get all of the chapters out, as I haven't planned this fic in full and I also have a lot of other work to do. But since Summer is coming up, I'm sure it won't be too long!
Thank you for reading and please leave kudos if you liked this chapter! <3