apathy

its lime not even a big deal

Katsuki watches out of the corner of his eye, leg bouncing and palms popping, as All Might and Izuku talk. When Izuku turns away from their old favorite hero to climb onto the bus, Katsuki grits his teeth and looks the opposite way. He doesn't want to be on a bus with Izuku of all people. He doubts Izuku wants to be here with him either. Whoever decided on this matchup is an idiot to think that they will ever work together.

Katsuki has barely talked to or acknowledged Izuku since the bastard joined 1-A. The sight of him makes Katsuki's blood boil. He knows that of the both of them, Izuku is the one closest to their dream of being a hero. Quirkless, useless, deku Izuku. That makes Katsuki furious. All these years he has been told that he's the best-he's the one that will rise to the top and defeat anyone who gets in his way. Everyone else is a stepping stone.

All these years he has been told that a quirkless waste of space like Izuku Midoriya isn't even worth the soles of his shoes.

And yet here they both are, sitting on the same bus, on the way to the same end of semester exam in the hero course at the best hero school in the country. Quirkless Izuku has risen to every occasion and powerhouse Katsuki has stagnated.

What the fuck is even happening anymore?

Katsuki glances at Izuku. Instead of the fact that Izuku is tossing a lime back and forth between his hands, all Katsuki's brain can focus on is the memory of an abandoned pair of red shoes. He looks away quickly.

Katsuki knows he fucked up that day. He thinks about it near-constantly. Any unoccupied moment is full of that damned taunt, of red shoes, of the terror of seeing someone who was once Katsuki's best friend stepping off of a school roof. Sometimes, usually when he's hanging out with Shitty Hair and Co, the memories of what he's done will creep up and choke him.

If it's this bad for Katsuki, it has to be a hundred times worse for Izuku, right? So he has to do something. Apologize, make it up somehow. Maybe it'll give Izuku some peace of mind to know that Katsuki can't sleep sometimes because of what he did.

(Maybe it'll give Katsuki some peace of mind to know that he at least tried to apologize?)

The bus comes to a stop, shaking Katsuki from his thoughts. He stands with the other two and files out of the vehicle without a word. The three of them have stopped in front of one of Yuuei's many fake cities. It's smaller than the one used for the entrance exam but big enough that it's too much space to know what to do with. Katsuki finds himself scanning the streets that he can see as All Might gives some small speech about trying their hardest to beat him. Then he leaps from his spot, into the air. He lands somewhere deep in the city. Katsuki should probably pay attention to figure out just where that somewhere is.

Katsuki watches Izuku out of the corner of his eye instead. He looks empty. Emptier than Katsuki has seen him in a long while.

An alarm blares, signaling the start of the exam. Izuku starts jogging down a road, not waiting for Katsuki in the slightest. Katsuki watches his back and considers his choices: he can follow Izuku and apologize finally, or he can run off on his own and fight All Might.

Katsuki grits his teeth and runs after Izuku.

"Izuku." He calls, catching up. The mechanical tail on Izuku's belt flicks behind him, the parts rolling smoothly and clicking quietly. "I need to talk to you!"

Izuku doesn't stop moving. Doesn't acknowledge him at all.

"Izuku." He tries again, louder this time. Nothing, again. Katsuki pushes down the spark of annoyance screaming about how dare a deku ignore him and reaches out to grab Izuku's shoulder. When his hand lands, Izuku flinches, hard. Katsuki tries to retract his hand, but it's too late.

Izuku pivots on his heel and decks Katsuki in the face.

Katsuki goes stumbling back from the force, nose already bleeding. He looks up, mouth opened to snarl, and finds the sharp edge of Izuku's tail pressing against his throat.

"What do you want." Izuku says, voice flat and dangerous. Katsuki swallows his hesitance, throat scraping against the tail blade.

"I'm sorry." He says. Izuku's expression doesn't move so he keeps going. "I fucked up that day, telling you to jump. I didn't mean it, and I shouldn't have said it. I'm sorry."

Izuku watches him stoicly. In the distance, a building crumbles. All Might getting impatient, most likely. Katsuki doesn't glance at the dust cloud. He keeps his eyes on Izuku for any sign that he has processed Katsuki's words.

That sign comes in the form of the blade at his throat pressing even harder.

"Is that it?" Izuku's voice is as cold and hard as the metal threatening Katsuki's jugular. Katsuki doesn't understand his question, and something in his expression must show it, because a cruel smirk appears on Izuku's face. It looks insincere and plastered on—but it's cruel all the same. "I don't forgive you, Bakugo. I will never forgive you. You lost the right to my mercy when you first called me Deku."

The tail moves away from his throat and comes to a rest curled around Izuku's leg. Katsuki watches, hands balled at his sides, as Izuku turns away from him. He walks away, a mirror of the sports festival.

This time Katsuki doesn't follow.

He stands in place for a bit after Izuku has disappeared into the city, shaking. Another building collapses, closer this time, and Katsuki clicks his tongue in annoyance. He grits his teeth and turns on his heel, sprinting towards the cause. He was planning on taking on All Might by himself from the start. This doesn't change a thing.

Three minutes and a few punches in the stomach later, a mechanical voice announces that Midoriya Izuku has reached the gate and their team has passed the exam.