My friend Erebororbust loved this so much that she almost demanded I post it, and now I finally have an opportunity to do so! It's far from the first fic of its kind, but what can I say, this kind of whump is gold. I hope Katsuki and Izuku aren't terribly out of character! Enjoy the feels.

It was unfair to say Izuku Midoriya was having a bad day, because to do so would imply he'd had days that weren't, and that hadn't really been true since the long ago day when his mother had taken him to the doctor and they'd learned he was quirkless. No, Izuku had days that were bearable. Not days that were "good". He might have, if Kacchan hadn't splintered their childhood bond with nitroglycerin fueled palm blasts. What perhaps hurt the most was that, even now, the fourteen year old hero wannabe couldn't bring himself to even be mad at the other boy. He'd give anything just to be friends again.

"Hey, Deku." The greenet's head turned listlessly to acknowledge the childhood insult of a nickname. Katsuki's grin was positively vicious.

"If you want to be a hero that badly, take a swan dive off the roof and pray for a quirk in your next life!"

He didn't want to, but that careless remark from the boy he'd admired all their lives snapped something in the scrawny teen, and his eyes predictably stung with tears. His three tormentors expected that, but not the guttural scream that came after and the way the boy rushed forward, arms outstretched as if to grab. Katsuki spun easily out of the way, red eyes marginally widened.

"Really? That's the best you c-?" He was cut off as Izuku moved again, but not to attack. Like a caged animal, the middle-schooler pushed off from the wall and hurtled down the hall. Towards the stairs leading up to the next floor. The brunets behind him stared dumbly.

"Dude" asked one, who'd also known Izuku since their childhood, though they were never friends. "What was that about?"

"Yeah" agreed the other, with noticeably darker hair, his backpack slung casually over one shoulder. "Where's he going?" The first boy scratched his head with an elongated finger.

"It looks like he's headed for-"

"-the roof" Katsuki finished, his sharp eyes widening even further. Deku was…no! He wasn't serious! With a scream to match his old friend's, the blond tore down the path Izuku had taken, leaving his followers behind in the dust.

He literally flew up the staircases, explosions from his hands propelling him like some human rocket, and under normal circumstances would have caught up to Izuku instantly. The greenet was, among other things, not very fast.

This was anything but a normal circumstance.

Katsuki nearly blew off the door to the roof in his haste and had absolutely no time to even pause for a breath as the boy he'd finally pushed to the breaking point was stumbling towards the edge, fat tears dripping down off his cheeks and gasping like a dying man. The boy with the explosion quirk, envy of all who knew him, broke into a massive speed boost and tackled the greenet from behind.

"Dammit, Deku, the hell do you think you're doing?!" An unearthly scream ripped it's way out of his longtime victim, and he began scrabbling to get out of the blond's hold, reaching for the roof's edge.

"Let go, Kacchan!" How could he call him anything else, even now? Katsuki wrestled him into a submissive position.

"Like hell! I'm not letting your dumb ass jump off this building!" Izuku let out a loud sob, still trying to get away even as his old friend pinned him to the cement.

"You told me to!" Another wail, and his struggles lessened some as the crying came in earnest. "I'm no good, Kacchan, not to you or anyone! I can't be a hero, you were right, and you're not even gonna miss me, so just let…go!" He ripped an arm free and managed to roll over onto his stomach, but was instantly again overpowered by his current bully.

Katsuki...could not believe what he was hearing. This was the boy who'd followed him around like a shadow in their early years, the one who'd endlessly praised him and his versatile quirk. This was the teen who'd managed to look him in the eye an hour ago and say he was applying to UA. The same freakishly smart nerd who, with all the odds in the world stacked against him, aimed to be a hero where no quirkless person had ever succeeded, or…maybe even tried.

Katsuki hadn't really meant it when he told Izuku to kill himself. The nerd was intimidated by him, sure, but he excelled at brushing off the blond's taunts. The smaller boy was akin to a durable punching bag and, until today, the explosive teen hadn't realized how much damage he'd actually been inflicting. His face screwed up in anger, largely at himself, the 14 year old rolled Izuku onto his back and yanked him up, smashing their foreheads together with a crack.

"Moron!" The smaller boy reeled first from the impact, and then when his current bully and childhood friend pulled him forward again so as to pin him against his chest and shoulder in…

Was his once-friend…hugging him?

"K-kacch…"

"Freaking…dumbass." Katsuki's voice shook and his form trembled against Izuku's. "Idiot! You never listen to a word I say, why'd you start now? You seriously think I meant for this?!"

"D-didn't you? You h-hate me, Kacchan." Izuku took a great gasping breath, tears streaming. "I thought you wanted me to die!" If possible, the arms holding him tightened their grip and the greenet felt the other boy bury his head in his shoulder. It was unmistakable, the wetness he felt soaking through his uniform.

"I'm freaking sorry, okay!?" The words were almost unintelligible, yet clearly heard. Katsuki's voice was raw. "D-dammit, Deku. I'd have lost my shit if you died, forget UA. Like I could actually live with myself if you committed suicide because I told you to." He shuddered, gripping the back of the smaller boy's gakuran like a lifeline. "I'm sorry. I've been shit to you for years, and I shouldn't have said half the crap I did, and I'm sorry. Go ahead and apply to UA or whatever, I don't care, just don't…do that again." Reasonably sure Izuku wouldn't make a break for the edge as soon as he was able, Katsuki pulled away and scrubbed furiously at his eyes.

He'd nearly driven someone to suicide. How could he call himself a hero now?

"Kacchan?" He glanced up, Izuku was on his knees with a wondering expression on his tearstained face.

"You don't want me dead?" The query made him feel sick, and the blond valiantly resisted the urge to throw up right then and there. He shook his head, and glared at the ground.

"Of course not, De-Izuku." He'd he damned if he ever called the boy by that insult again. "I never did and…maybe I was wrong, and you can make it in to UA without a quirk. First time for everything and all that. Could use your nerd books too, who knows?" He made to push himself up, still feeling horribly disgusted and with half a mind to cancel his hero school application, when a hundred or so pounds of childhood friend slammed into his chest.

"Kacchan!" For the first time in a decade, the child moniker was uttered with joy and still bright eyes gazed up at Katsuki with, unbelievably, adoration.

"You mean it? You really think I can make it in even without a quirk?" As if he could say no now? The other boy scratched his temple and looked away.

"Sure…first quirkless hero." Izuku began sobbing all over again, but for a very different reason. With a sigh, Katsuki patted his wild green curls.

"Auntie'd have my head for this" he said flatly. The Bakugo and Midoriya families had been close since their boys' births, and if Inko found out her son had almost committed suicide because of Katsuki, she'd kill him. His own mother would help!

Not that he'd lift a finger in retaliation. He deserved a damn punishment.

At the mention of his parent, Izuku's expression dropped and he jumped up, running without care to the edge and throwing up into the bushes below.

"Mom, how could I have-" His death would have destroyed her. Wiping his mouth with one hand, the greenet grinned shakily at his companion.

"Thanks, Kacchan…for coming to get me." The blond waited until they were standing side by side.

"Don't freaking thank me, D-Izuku. It's my fault you're here at all." The smaller boy edged closer.

"You saved me, though. You'll be a great hero, I know it." His smile full of admiration was too much for Katsuki to bear, and he shoved his old friend away.

"Dammit, how can you say that! I'm a jerk who almost killed you! People like that don't become heroes!" Damn, his eyes were stinging again. Izuku simply closed the distance again and bravely gave the boy a hug.

"You're the friend who immediately tried to fix it, who saved me. People like that do become heroes. Thank you, Kacchan." The blond angrily rubbed his eyes.

"Why are you calling me a friend, idiot. Friends don't do this." The smaller boy rubbed the back of his head and smiled again, a little sheepishly this time.

"Because...you've always been my friend? To me, I'm pretty sure I'm not yours anymore, but that's why I kept calling you Kacchan, and again you did stop me from jumping. Should I, um, stop? With the nickname I mean." Katsuki sighed.

"Can't imagine you calling me anything else. I…agh…" It was stupid, but he owed the younger this much. "If you actually want to be friends again then that's fine, I guess." Izuku's eyes positively gleamed.

"Really? You mean it?" Why did he look so excited. The blond scratched his scalp, opening the door to the roof.

"...yeah."

"Thanks, Kacchan!" the smaller boy chirped, face alight like he'd received the best present. "Hey, um, I've been making notes on your quirk, I hope that's okay, and I have some new moves you could try out at UA. I know you don't need help but your quirk is just so cool and I can't help it and-" A hand lightly smacked the back of his head.

"Shut up, nerd." The insult had lost all of its former venom. "I'll let the old hag know and you can come over this weekend. She'll be happy." Izuku rubbed the spot he'd been hit and nodded, one foot on the stairs.

"O-okay. I'll, um, see you tomorrow?" His voice was edged with nerves, as though fearing their newly reinstated friendship would be gone with the dawn and Kacchan would be back to being a bully. Katsuki rolled his eyes.

"Duh."

"Right!" yelped the smaller boy. "Bye!" He ran on down the stairs, pausing at the landing to actually wave goodbye at the blond, and vanished. His old and yet new friend watched until he disappeared, listening to the pattering footsteps of a middle-schooler not on the brink of suicide.

He had so much to make up for.

This was greatly inspired by "Katsuki's Mistake". How was the pacing? I'm always afraid I rush things. If you spot mistakes, yell 'em out!