Burning Candles

Izuku had to refrain from wincing when the audience’s cries and cheers became almost deafening. Kacchan strode out onto the stage, a manic smile on his face as he set off some celebratory explosions from his palms. As the blonde walked past Izuku, he muttered a quiet ‘Take that, Deku’ that only Momo and Shoto could hear. Izuku glanced out of the corner of his eye at the two; Momo furrowed her eyebrows, unimpressed, while Shoto didn’t even bother to hide his eye roll and displeased snort.

Kacchan took his place next to Izuku, smirking for all to see. When the crowd eventually fell silent, the announcer made her way down the line, asking each of the top ten heroes for a comment. Usually, Izuku would listen intently and nod along, but it was currently taking all of his energy just to maintain his reassuring presence.

All Might never had this problem. He thought to himself, as Suneater nervously stuttered through his speech.

His mentor always seemed so far away from the other heroes that he never had a problem bagging first place.

Ever since Izuku graduated from UA though, it had been a constant battle between who gained the spot of number one hero. Izuku liked friendly competition and rivalry, having dealt with it long enough that he had to learn to like it; he liked the competition because it meant he could build himself to be the best hero he could possibly be. However, the fact that it was always between him and Kacchan was getting a little old.

Izuku couldn’t fathom it. He wasn’t a bitter person; he knew that he had to work hard to earn the number one spot… But it was no secret that he had saved the most people throughout their careers so far. He had done everything he could to be the next symbol of peace and people did see him that way. They relied on him and believed in him. If they were in trouble, it wasn’t Dynamight they called for. It was Dekiru...

Everyone just seemed to like Kacchan more.

Izuku should be used to it by now. Ever since they were kids, it had been the same. He knew he shouldn’t let this get to him. He became what he was meant to be. He was the symbol of peace and he didn’t need a ranking to prove that-

‘Hero Dekiru!’ The announcer greeted, rounding on Izuku and startling him enough that he nearly launched himself into the air. She shoved the microphone in his face expectantly and he had to remind himself that it was his turn to speak.

'Er…' He rubbed the back of his neck and smiled endearingly. 'I know I'm prone to rambling, so I'll keep it short haha!'

The room laughed along with him and Izuku blushed a little. 'I just want to say that I am so proud of my fellow heroes! You've all been amazing and deserve recognition for it.' He swallowed thickly. 'And congratulations to Ka- to Dynamight for reaching number one! I'll be sure to work extra hard to catch up!'

He felt a pair of crimson eyes burning holes into his side. Ignoring it, Izuku raised his fist into the air. 'Let's all continue to do our best! Pluuuuus…'

'Ultra!' The audience chorused, before erupting into a round of applause. Izuku's smile felt genuine when he saw so many people inspired by his words.

'Yeah, good luck with that, Deku!' His smile faltered slightly when Kacchan grabbed the mic and started his own speech. 'I've made it to number one and I'm here to stay! I'm the best of the best and I can't wait to punch some more bastards!'

'Language!' The announcer squeaked, albeit she giggled along with the crowd.

While everyone was distracted, Izuku snuck a glance at Shoto, only to find his partner already staring at him knowingly.

You okay? His eyes seemed to say.

Izuku shrugged ever so slightly.

Aren't I always?

☀️🌙

Everything felt fuzzy.

Izuku raised a hand to his face and regarded it with narrow eyes as it slowly came into focus.

'You okay, love?'

Izuku pulled his head back, forming a double chin, and looked over at the person beside him who had spoken. He instantly recognised the long white and red hair, styled into a loose braid that framed his partner's angelic face, and relaxed.

'Shouchan!' He slurred out, leaning forwards and throwing his arms around him. 'Where have you been? I missed you!'

'I've been sitting next to you for the past 15 minutes.' Shoto pulled back and raised an eyebrow. 'You've been staring out into space for a while. You okay?'

'Just thinking.' Izuku leaned his elbow on the table in front of them and rested his cheek in his hand.

The two of them were at the annual hero gala that always occurred two days after the summer rankings were announced. Usually, Shoto was the one begging them not to go, while Izuku dragged him with a promise of cold soba at the end of it. This time, however, the opposite had happened. Not only had Izuku been adamant about not wanting to go, but Shoto had actively encouraged him to attend, reasoning that Izuku would regret it if he didn’t. Eventually, he begrudgingly caved and agreed to go, but only after a two hour pouting session.

Oh well, At least there was alcohol at this thing.

'What’re you thinking about?' Shoto asked. 'Usually, you mumble when you're thinking.'

'It's improper to bitch about the number one hero out loud, Shoto-kun.' Izuku replied easily, looking over at where some fancy people from the Hero Commission were congratulating Kacchan, who looked so smug Izuku couldn't help but scrunch his face up in distaste.

'Those results were such bullshit.' Shoto muttered, following his gaze. 'You're better than him by a long shot and people love you, yet-’

'-Kacchan always wins.' Izuku sighed. 'Maybe I need to be more like him and-'

'Don't even go there, Izuku.' Shoto warned. 'I'll give you a pass because you're a bit tipsy, but don't ever suggest that again.’

His partner raised his hands and cupped his cheeks, forcing Izuku to look at him. 'People love you so much because you're you. You don't need to change anything about yourself. All Might didn't pick Bakugou. One for All didn't pick Bakugou. I didn't pick Bakugou. We picked you, because you are worthy. You defeated All for One. You saved the world more times than I can count. You're brave and kind and somehow gentle despite being a fucking powerhouse, so don't even think for a moment that you need to be more like him, because Midoriya Izuku is so much better.'

‘Shoto-kun...’

Izuku felt his eyes begin to water and hurriedly moved to bury his face in the crook of his partner’s neck to hide his tears. He wished he didn’t have to be here, under the constant gaze of the media. He wanted to be able to cry freely, but he was a symbol and symbols didn’t cry.

Unless they were the symbol of crying… Izuku reckoned he’d be pretty good at that.

He felt Shoto freeze in his arms when some camera shutters suddenly went off not too far away. 

‘I’m sorry, love.’ He murmured against his ear. ‘Time to be Dekiru again.’

Izuku sighed heavily, before lifting his head and turning towards the camera, a bright smile on his face as he waved to the lens.

‘Dekiru!’ One journalist shouted. ‘We were hoping to take pictures of the top three heroes together. Would you mind joining us for a moment?’

‘Of course!’ Izuku beamed. He stood then, before bowing to Shoto. In a moment of boldness, he took his partner’s hand in his own and pressed a kiss to his knuckles. The cameras went wild, but Izuku focused only on the lovely blush dusting Shoto’s cheeks. ‘See you soon.’

Shoto hummed in response, not knowing what to do with himself, and Izuku smiled softly, before he stepped away and allowed himself to be shimmied over to the desired area. He stumbled slightly from the alcohol - if anyone noticed, they didn’t comment.

Izuku’s jaw dropped when his eyes landed on Momo, who was already waiting for them on the red carpet. She looked absolutely gorgeous tonight; her hair was styled in a half-up half-down braid, allowing her loose hair to cover her shoulders and run down her body without getting in her eyes. She donned a sleeveless scarlet dress, which accentuated the muscles of her arms and complimented her ebony eyes exquisitely. The material fit snugly at her waist, before flowing out around her, like the petals of a red lily flower, until it reached the floor. She made Izuku look incredibly underdressed, with his forest green suit, lack of tie and signature red shoes.

Granted, at the start of the night, Shoto had insisted that Izuku’s legs looked so good that he wouldn’t mind being crushed by them, but he had quickly waved him off. His partner was biased.

‘Momo-san!’ He greeted, taking her hands in his own when he reached her. ‘You look as beautiful as always!’

‘Oh stop!’ She giggled, squeezing his hands affectionately. ‘You’re one to talk. Shoto-san took me aside earlier to complain about how handsome you looked.’

Izuku’s face turned the same colour as her outfit.

‘He what now?’

Momo merely laughed in response, but before she could say anything else, the booming voice of the number one hero drowned out all other sounds.

‘Let’s get this over with, extras.’ Kacchan rolled his neck and cracked his knuckles, joining them on the carpet.

Izuku and Momo nodded in greeting and the three of them waited for the photographers to tell them where to stand.

The shoot lasted all of ten minutes, but to Izuku, it felt like an hour. Having to listen to Kacchan’s quiet jibes about how great he was was starting to get on his nerves. Izuku knew he shouldn’t let his words grate at him so badly, but the alcohol was starting to exacerbate his resentment towards the blonde, to the point where he was about to explode.

It wasn’t until they were making their way back to the main area that he finally cracked.

‘It must suck to be you, Deku.’ Kacchan grinned, hands deep in his pockets as he looked ahead at the Dynamight posters plastered to the walls.

Izuku grit his teeth to keep his signature smile on his face, but otherwise didn’t respond.

Kacchan took that as his cue to continue. ‘I mean, I can’t imagine how disappointed All Might must feel right now. Even with all those quirks and One for All, I’m still better than you.’

He’s just being Kacchan. Ignore him.

‘It seems All Might’s legacy ends with him, if his successor can’t even keep the number one spot. Seems you’ll always be behind me, no matter how many times I have to put you in your place.’

He’s wrong… Toshinori-san is proud of me.

‘Remember when I told you to hope for a quirk in the next life?’ Kacchan laughed. ‘I take it back. Turns out that even with a quirk, you’ll always be a loser.’

Izuku’s eye twitched.

‘Maybe you and Icyhot really are meant for each other. After all, you’re both disappointments to your families.’

Izuku’s body moved before he could comprehend what was happening. One moment, his fist was at his side, the next it was colliding with Kacchan’s jaw. Despite his lightning fast reflexes, the blonde hadn’t anticipated such an attack and was sent flying. In midair, he set off a series of explosions from his palms to steady himself as he descended.

When he landed, the entire room went silent.

‘What the fu-’

‘How dare you talk about Shoto like that!’ Izuku yelled. ‘Shoto is twice the man you will ever be. Don’t you dare call him a disappointment’

His entire body was shaking and he felt like his face was on fire. What was he doing? He was making a scene. What was everyone going to think of him after this?

‘You wanna fucking go?’ Kacchan roared.

Izuku quickly decided he didn’t care.

‘You think you’re so great, don’t you?’ He stood up straight, staring into those raging crimson eyes. His inhibitions had dissolved and all those pent-up emotions quickly flowed out, unfiltered. ‘You want everyone to think you’re the best of the best, when you couldn’t be further from it!’

‘Looks like someone’s pissed because I’m the number one-’

‘I don’t care about that!’ Izuku yelled. ‘I’m pissed because I used to actually think you were the greatest! I used to think your quirk was so amazing and that you really were the best! And what did I get for it? Broken bones, second-degree burns and taunts that I was a worthless nobody.’

‘Deku.’ Kacchan warned. Izuku noticed his expression change into something he almost didn’t recognise on his old friend’s face: fear.

‘What’s wrong, Kacchan? Afraid I’m going to expose you as the shitty person you really are?!’ He mocked, trying to keep his voice even. ‘Do you even remember what you used to do to me back when we were kids? I remember. I still live with the consequences every single day. Do you know how long it took for me to stop flinching whenever you spoke? Do you know that every time I hear a loud noise, my skin aches? It remembers all the times you used your quirk on me. You bullied me for over a decade and yet you have the audacity to say that I’m somehow the one who-’

‘I was trying to protect you!’ Kacchan shouted. He started to stride towards Izuku, but Kirishima quickly appeared from the crowd of curious onlookers and held him back. ‘You never took yourself into account! I was trying to stop you from hurting yourself!’

‘So you thought you’d hurt me instead?!’ Izuku couldn’t help the laugh that escaped his lips. ‘“Protecting” me? Is that what you tell yourself at night? That you were protecting me when you punched me for standing up to you? That you were protecting me when you destroyed my notebooks and threatened me daily?’

Izuku took a deep breath. No going back after this. ‘Were you protecting me when you told me to take a swan dive off the school’s roof when I was 14?’

The entire room gasped, before erupting into scattered noise. Journalists addressed Kacchan, asking if Izuku was telling the truth; several pro-heroes were murmuring to each other, mortified, while the hosts of the event tried to de-escalate the situation but to no avail. Izuku wasn’t listening to all that though. His heart was pounding against his chest, the drumming in his ears drowning out all other noise. He squeezed his eyes shut.

What have I done? I can't believe I said all that! The symbol of peace is meant to keep it together all the time. I’m supposed to be strong for others. How can I be that, now that everyone knows that I’m useless Deku-

‘Izuku.’ He felt a hand brush against his own and Izuku opened his eyes to find Shoto standing in front of him, his expression one of concern. ‘My love, can you hear me?’

Izuku nodded rapidly and leant forward, allowing his partner to wrap him in a hug. He rested his forehead against a sturdy shoulder.

‘I fucked up.’ He murmured against the material of his kimono. ‘I fucked up so bad.’

‘Shhh, don’t say that.’ Shoto whispered, stroking his hair, before turning his head away to address the strangers approaching. His voice turned icy. ‘No, Dekiru will not be taking comments. Back off if you know what’s good for you.’

When they took the hint and dispersed, Shoto sighed and rested his cheek on top of his head. ‘Talk to me, Izuku.’

‘I was so tired of it all.’ He pulled back enough so that he had a clear view of Kacchan being swarmed by the press over Shoto’s shoulder. The blonde looked angry and worried as he shouted at the crowd and - wait, is that Ochaco-chan being restrained by Iida-kun not too far away?

Izuku shook his head and watched the display. ‘He kept saying things and I got angry and then he called you a disappointment and I just...’ His eyes widened and he grasped at his hair. ‘I punched him. Oh my god, I punched Kacchan!’

‘He deserved it.’

‘That doesn’t make it okay, Shoto-kun!’ Izuku exclaimed, tugging on his curls until it hurt. ‘I don’t- I’m meant to be the symbol of peace, but I just punched another hero! I can’t just pretend that didn’t happen… And what I said… Everyone heard. They’re gonna think I’m weak. Maybe I am. I’m just so tired. Maybe Kacchan’s right. Maybe I should’ve taken a swan di-’

‘Don’t even fucking go there, Izuku.’ Shoto’s arms tightened fiercely around him. ‘Don’t think like that. You’re gonna be okay, I promise. We’ll get through this.’

‘Shoto-kun...’

‘Let’s go home.’ His partner wrapped his hands around Izuku’s wrists, coaxing him to let go of his hair. ‘We’ll go home. You don’t have to deal with this now. Clear your head first.’

Izuku searched Shoto’s eyes, before he nodded in agreement. He took his partner's hand and let himself be led through the hall, towards the exit. They made it halfway, when Kacchan suddenly blasted himself into the air to escape the crowd and landed in front of them.

‘You think you’re gonna drop me in it and just leave?’ He growled. ‘Fucking coward.’

‘Izuku owes you nothing, Bakugou.’ Shoto’s voice was cold, unforgiving. ‘If it were up to me, I’d have exposed you years ago.’

‘This has nothing to do with you, Icyhot.’ Kacchan moved so that he was at the centre of Izuku’s vision. ‘I wanna make something clear to Deku.’

Several years ago, Izuku would’ve looked away under such an intense glare, but at that moment, he stared right back. He straightened his posture and furrowed his eyebrows, expectantly. He was tired of staying silent and letting his old bully walk all over him.

‘What do you want?’

Kacchan tsked.

‘These extras are gonna ask you if what you just said was true.’ He narrowed his eyes. ‘You're gonna tell them you've had too much to drink.'

Emerald met piercing scarlet and Izuku knew immediately what his answer was. He had always hoped he could bury the hatchet and move on, but as he regarded Kacchan in front of him now, he knew deep down he couldn't do that. He didn't want Kacchan to suffer…

But he couldn't just continue to let him believe that what he did was right either.

'No, I'm not.'

‘Excuse me?’

‘I said,’ Izuku stood up a little straighter and tightened his grip on Shoto’s hand. Anxiety riddled through his body, pumping him with so much adrenaline he felt his heart pounding against his chest. ‘No. I’m not going to deny what I’ve said. You may be a hero, I may admire you, but I’m not going to lie for you anymore. You need to take responsibility.’

Kacchan opened his mouth, but Izuku raised a hand to silence him. ‘We’re done here, Bakugou.’

Wordlessly, he then stepped forwards and walked past the blonde, who seemed at a loss of what to say. Izuku trembled violently as he walked and felt tears prick at the corner of his eyes - he hoped Kacchan hadn’t noticed - and didn’t slow his pace until Shoto caught up to him.

‘Izuku.’ His partner spoke, rubbing his arm to get his attention. When Izuku turned his head to look at him, Shoto linked his hand around his bicep. ‘Come with me a second.’

He allowed himself to be towed towards a bathroom. The room was blurry, but when Shoto locked the door behind them and turned to look at him, Izuku’s vision sharpened; all he could focus on were dichromatic eyes that shone like the sky, the loose strands of red and white hair that hung in front of his face, the smooth porcelain skin that juxtaposed the roughened scar tissue around his left eye.

The beautiful, full lips that opened to speak.

‘Let it out, my love.’

The words were spoken so softly, but echoed loudly in his ears. Izuku’s lip trembled, and when strong arms came to wrap around him, one hand against the curve of his spine while the other cradled the back of his head protectively, Izuku slumped against him. He buried his head in his partner’s chest and clutched at the fine material of his blue kimono as he finally succumbed to the tears that had ached for release.

He cried loud, broken sobs, muffled only by the drenched fabric that he clung to so desperately; all the anger, hurt and fear he had suppressed for so long flowed out of him with each ragged breath. Izuku had always been an emotional person, but this felt different. These weren’t happy tears or frustrated tears. These were almost cathartic.

He didn’t know how long they stayed there in the bathroom, ignoring the irate knocks from the outside as Shoto gently soothed him. All he knew was that when his eyes eventually dried out and he was out of breath, his partner gently held his face in his hands and leaned down so that their foreheads were touching. Izuku sighed tiredly and felt their noses brush slightly when Shoto finally whispered,

‘I’m so proud of you. I love you.’

☀️🌙

'Breaking news: The next Endeavour? Sources report that number one hero, Dynamight, is facing allegations of bullying and past-abuse.'

Izuku looked up at the tv screen, alarmed. Him and Shoto were visiting his mum and Toshinori. Usually, the two heroes don't watch tv, but his mum liked to have it on so that the apartment was never too quiet. It calmed her.

Now though, Izuku was anything but calm. His heartbeat quickened and he felt his back straighten. His eyes were glued to the screen, which was broadcasting video footage from the annual hero gala last night. He had known that the media was going to blow up after his little… Outburst, but he didn’t know someone had filmed it.

'During the annual hero gala last night, pro-hero Dekiru was seen having a confrontation with the number one hero, where he revealed that he used to be physically and emotionally abused by the explosion hero. While the symbol of peace appeared to be a little bit tipsy, outside sources have revealed that there may be truth to the allegations and a formal investigation has been launched.'

Izuku felt nauseous, his palms were sweaty and he refused to look anywhere but at the screen. He felt three pairs of eyes on him, but tried to ignore it.

He couldn't bear to see their disappointment. Weak, defenseless Deku, revealed for the whole nation to see.

'Here is some footage from their argument last night. Viewer discretion is advised due to the nature of the conversation.’

The reporter went silent and the video unmuted; the static of the low-quality microphone buzzed in his ears.

'You think you’re so great, don’t you? You want everyone to think you’re the best of the best, when you couldn’t be further from it!'

Izuku stared at the screen, his own words echoing back through the TV. He breathed heavily, trying to maintain his composure, but when Kacchan tried to justify himself, he couldn’t take it anymore and turned it off. 

The room went silent.

Izuku quickly decided he hated that even more.

‘Sweetheart...’ Before he could comprehend what was happening, small arms wrapped around his waist and his mum’s comforting embrace suddenly surrounded him. Izuku froze for a moment, before he gingerly returned the hug. ‘I knew he could be a little rough with you when you were younger, but this? Why didn’t you say something sooner?’

‘Because it wouldn't have made a difference.’ Izuku shrugged. When his mum moved to say something else, he quickly added. ‘Don’t blame yourself. It wasn’t your fault.’

‘Izuku, baby-‘

‘It wasn’t your fault.’ He repeated firmly, pulling back to look into her tearful eyes. When she shook her head, distraught, Izuku sighed. ‘I didn’t want you to find out this way.’

‘Sounds like you didn’t want either of us to find out at all, my boy.’ Toshinori suddenly spoke from behind. A large hand came to rest on his shoulder and Izuku turned his head to find his mentor regarding him with regretful eyes. ‘I should’ve known really.’

‘You couldn’t-’

‘Young Bakugou told me once that he used to bully you.’ Toshinori admitted, ashamed. ‘He didn’t go into details and he used the same excuse as he did last night, but I should’ve realised immediately that there was more to it than that. At the time, I tried to reassure young Bakugou that by helping with your training, he was repenting for what he had done. Instead, I should’ve spoken to you, my boy. I should’ve asked for the full story. I should’ve noticed the way he acted during training exercises, the way he talked to you during our meetings. I should’ve released that your relationship wasn’t as simple as deep rivalry.’

Izuku saw his mentor glance at his mum for a moment, before removing his hand from his shoulder. ‘I used to be a hero; I promised your mother I would protect you and dedicate myself to training you, yet I was blind to the iniquity that was happening around me. I put you in an unsafe environment without even realising and made you work with your abuser. I will never forgive myself for that.’

Izuku stared at Toshinori. A whirl of emotions scattered across his face, before he settled for something he was familiar with: tears.

‘I forgive you.’ He spoke, voice hoarse from the lump in his throat.

☀️🌙

Shoto stared at the sight before him, shuffling on his feet rather awkwardly as his partner forced All Might into a bone-crushing hug. Not knowing what to do with himself, he scanned the rest of the room, before noticing Izuku’s phone buzzing violently on the table.

Intrigued, Shoto reached down and scanned over the notifications.

Ur my rock bro [1:24]: Hey man, hope you’re okay! Yaoyorozu and I tried looking for you and Todoroki, but we couldn’t find you. Hope you got home safe. Let me know, yeah? We’re worried[...]

Breaking News! Petty rivalry or power complexes between the number one and two heroes?

Heroes Weekly: Drama down at the annual hero gala last night as Dekiru drunkenly reveals Dynamight’s problematic past.

Tokyo News: The Hero Public Safety Commission has temporarily suspended the hero licence of number one hero Dynaminght, in light of recent allegations.

Speedy Gonzales [07:29]: Good morning, Midoriya-san! Please give me a ring when you get the chance. I am wishing you all the best during this time and please don’t hesitate to contact me if you[…]

Plus Ultra Press: Truth to Dekiru’s words? Several individuals have come forward to reveal that they were also tormented by Dynamight as children.

Eraserhead [10:36]: I have taken it upon myself to expel Bakugou. If you need a break from it all, let me know. I should’ve told you more when you were my student, but you’re a good kid. I[…]

The Problem Children of UA: Aizawa’s Secret Love Child removed LordExplosionMurder from the chat Aizawa’s Secret Love Child [4:58]: @He Need Some Milk hope you[…] Crazy Frog [11:32]: *Kero* Wishing you all the best Midoriya-chan[…] FlexTape420 [11:33]: ^^^ If you need anything, let us know! Calamari [11:33]: We’re here for you! <3 An actual Goddess [11:37]: I hope you’re safe. Know that we support[…] Prince Charming [11:40]: Oui oui! I have an assortment of cheese for[…] Dr Dolittle [11:42]: @Dr 5PeePeeMan are you with Midoriya-kun now[…] 15 more messages

Uwawaka [11:59]: Deku-kun, I know this isn’t the bestest of times, but I need bail money and Iida-kun won’t help. Seems *you* can punch Bakugou, but when I do it, it’s aSsAuLt

Shoto raised a brow at the last one, clearly amused, and made a mental note to go down to the station later with bail money. He then looked up to find Izuku walking towards him; his eyes were red and puffy, although he wore a small smile. Immediately, Shoto put the phone down and opened his arms, wrapping his partner in a gentle hug.

‘You okay, love?’ He murmured, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

‘Getting there.’ Izuku nuzzled his neck. ‘What were you looking at while the rest of us talked about our feelings?’

Shoto huffed at that.

‘I was checking your messages. Everyone’s worried.’ He answered honestly. When his partner hummed softly, he continued. ‘They really care about you. We all do. We’re on your side.’

‘I’ll reply to them later, promise.’ Izuku paused for a moment, struggling to get his words out. I just feel… Weird.’

‘Weird? In what way?’

‘Like… I’m glad of their support, but I can’t help but think I’m causing a fuss.’ Izuku exhaled, warm breath fanning Shoto’s neck. ‘I mean, he doesn’t bully me anymore and he really is a good hero. Maybe I’m just being petty? Part of me is even relieved… Is that bad? To get satisfaction from something like this? I mean, it’s my fault this is happening in the first place.’

Shoto closed his eyes and sighed, resting his chin on top of his partner’s head.

‘It’s not bad. I felt the same way when my family’s past got leaked.’ He admitted softly. ‘At that point, my old man was trying to make amends and the world needed the number one hero, so I felt like bringing his past to light was selfish - even though it wasn’t my fault it got exposed… But that didn’t stop me feeling relieved when the world finally got to see him for who he truly was.’

He felt Izuku’s arms tighten around his waist; a comforting gesture. ‘You’re not selfish for wanting justice, Izuku. You already give the world so much. You may have exposed Bakugou, but the true fault lies with him.’

Shoto hoped his words sounded reassuring. He wasn’t as good as his partner was with these kinds of things.

‘Thank you.’ Izuku whispered, voice breaking slightly.

‘It’s going to be okay.’ Shoto soothed, sincerity laced behind every word. ‘I promise.’

☀️🌙

Several weeks went by and still, the investigation continued. While the Hero Commission had temporarily suspended Bakugou’s hero licence, they still seemed reluctant to find any concrete evidence of their number one hero’s past record of abuse - probably due the damage caused by Endeavour several years back.

Imagine having two number one heroes being found guilty of abuse in less than a decade. 

Izuku could understand it, but it didn’t make him any less frustrated. He was tired of being bombarded with questions by insensitive journalists; he was tired of having to put on a fake smile and laugh awkwardly when they said something that was inappropriate. He was tired of dealing with numerous investigators trying to twist his words and convince him that he was overplaying the abuse he suffered at the hands of his old friend.

After a particularly bad interview, where he was asked if he was making it all up in order to get to the number one spot, Izuku had broken down in Shoto’s arms, asking if it was always going to be like that. He had even considered asking the Commission to drop the investigation all together, but Shoto convinced him not to.

‘There’s always going to be people out there who doubt you. It will get better though.’

Five months after the investigation commenced, Izuku’s phone buzzed in his pocket to reveal that enough evidence had finally been gathered to find Bakugou Katsuki guilty of all the allegations made against him Despite the evidence though, Bakugou wasn’t sent to prison, or made to do community service. The only formal punishment he received was something much worse than that.

His hero licence was permanently revoked.

Izuku's eyes scanned the text and felt his knees give out from underneath him. He crashed to the floor; distantly, he could hear Shoto's worried footsteps coming to check on him, but he couldn't bring himself to reassure his partner. Instead, he threw his head back and closed his eyes, smiling peacefully at the ceiling.

When they were five, Izuku was alone and quirkless, told he could never be a hero. Twenty years later, Bakugou was told he could never be a hero ever again.