To Stand by Your Side (DekuBaku)

Chapter 2: From a Distance

He was still slightly bitter that he'd only seen Deku once more after that initial meeting in the hospital. Even then, though, it was still in the hospital. The hero had come by to talk to his parents a little bit, and they had gotten the chance to talk together briefly afterwards. He couldn't believe just how badly he wanted Deku to stay longer, even just to exist in the space around him.

Yet, even that had been so many months ago.

Sometimes he feared Deku had forgotten about him. Most of the time, he forced himself not to worry about it. He'd make Deku remember, if nothing else.

After another few minutes, he set the dumbbells down and moved on to bench press, still half-listening to the comforting rhythm of Deku's voice.

"You're certainly good at what you do, though. There's a reason you've been climbing so fast in the ranks, after all! Tell me, how do you feel about that?"

Sweat dripped down bare arms, but he was sure to keep his reps in time. Slow, steady, effective. It burned, as usual, but that's what he was here for.

"Well- it's certainly something, that's for sure." Deku seemed a bit embarrassed. "Getting used to the fame, well... it's a lot, to be honest. But, if it means that more people are able to have confidence and faith in me, and can feel more secure in their day-to-day lives, then... it makes me happy enough."

And there he finished his last rep, the bar settling in a slot overhead. So far, so good. He got up, stretched out a little, and moved on to pushups.

"That's wonderful to hear, Valiant! It's amazing to see how far you've come in such a short time, after all. You're certainly a good role model for all of us. Now, if you could, what do you attribute this explosion in popularity to since you've started?"

Katsuki grit his teeth, arms burning as he focused on keeping his form. Accuracy was better than speed, after all. Better to get it right than rush through and screw it up.

Gotta make it good. Gotta get stronger, better.

It was the mantra that got him through every day.

"Oh, um... I-I mean, there hasn't been anything that I've done for fame, per say... really, I've just been trying to do the best I can with my job. I mean, I like to think that my fighting style is fun to watch, at least, but it's also quite effective! And, um..."

He finished the last few push-ups, catching his breath for a moment while reflecting back on Deku's words.

Yeah, it's effective. Your shoot style is such a nice, well-rounded ability, and with the added edition of gloves to project air with the force of your quirk, you have an extremely balanced arsenal of both close-combat and mid-range attacks. You're fast, lithe, and quick- making you a dangerous foe. Your quirk is fairly subtle too, and when activated at a lower percentage, can stay hidden beneath your hero costume for use in possible stealth missions. And, if necessary, you can raise your quirk to a higher level of power for a literal bone-breaking move that turns you into a goddamn powerhouse.

He shook his head, trying to halt its running commentary. The detailed analysis was all written out on his laptop, and he'd gone over and added to it enough times at this point. He needed to be focusing on himself right now, think about how he could improve, rather than just loop his thoughts on Deku's skills like a broken record. Not that he wasn't amazing, but... now wasn't the right time. He steered himself back over to the dumbells, working in an extra set of shoulder raises to get his mind clear again. As hard as working out was sometimes, it all led to growth- and that growth was what would lead him to real success.