AN: Season 1 and 2 (anime) spoilers only. Can be seen as childhood kinship or bakudeku/kastudeku depending on your preference. Not beta read. I do not own My Hero Academia or any of the characters in it.

1

Soon after All Might's friend and investigator left the infirmary, the number one hero settled down to rest. Izuku was in the process of dozing off as well when he heard explosions coming from down the hall. The two injured immediately shot up in bed, ears straining to hear what was happening outside the room. It didn't take long for them to recognize the telltale yelling of Bakugou demanding he be allowed to see "Deku" only to be told no by Recovery Girl. When the swearing didn't stop Izuku slowly got out of bed, knowing it would be better to just go see him in the chance that he got in and saw All Might in the state he was in. That would be very bad indeed.

After bidding a quick goodbye to his teacher, Izuku swung his backpack onto his shoulders and made his way out into the hall. In an instant Recovery Girl was telling him to get back in bed, Bakugou's mouth opening to argue with her, but the tired teen assured her he was feeling good enough to leave.

"Sorry for making you wait, Kacchan." Izuku said while Recovery Girl was still in the hall. He knew she would make him return if they just started arguing, not wanting him to be stressed out when he should be resting, so he motioned Bakugou to start walking with him. "Let's go."

"Yeah yeah, nerd." Once they were out of earshot, however, he continued in a much less tame tone. "What did you think you were doing back there at the USJ, huh? All Might was fine and you went and attacked the hand-guy anyway. You broke yourself like an idiot doing it too. Your stupid friends were all panicking when they found out how you hurt yourself, and were upset when they learned they couldn't see you. Are you always this selfish?"

Izuku bit his lip, wanting to tell him the real reason he'd jumped forward was to protect his hero. He shook the desire off in an instant though. As much as he wished to tell his friend the truth, he knew he had too important of a secret to keep.

"I didn't mean to be. All Might was in danger, so I reacted. It was as simple as that. Just like the time with the sludge villain," he admitted softly.

Bakugou scoffed. "Your whole 'body moved on its own' crap, huh? You could have been killed. If Snipe hadn't saved your ass you would've been disintegrated by that creepy kid's quirk. Did you ever think about how our mom would feel if that'd happened? No, because your brain is as useless as the rest of you."

"I would do it again, Kacchan. Nothing you say will make me think otherwise; however, I will start taking care to not injure myself needlessly from now on. For everyone's sake."

"You'd better, or else I'll finish you off myself."

Before he knew it they had reached the school's gates. Bakugou mumbled a quick "walk your own injured ass home" before taking off at a much faster pace, one that Izuku couldn't keep up with in the condition he was in. That just meant he walked several yards behind the angry blond until he faded from sight.

"Was that Kacchan's weird way of showing he cares?" Izuku found himself mumbling until dismissing the idea. "No, that can't be right. He doesn't even like me."

2

"Deku! You're a real idiot, you know that?"

Izuku spun around from where he was walking down a hall of the stadium. He hadn't expected to run into Bakugou so soon after his friend's match fight with Kirishima. With the way his leg and arm were he wasn't feeling up to getting into conversation with the explosive boy since chances were it'd end with himself getting punched. His face just seemed to attract Bakugou's fists like magnets.

On the other hand, Izuku doubted he could walk away from him without making him more agitated than he already was. Ignoring him would be even worse. With that thought in mind Izuku brought his eyes to Bakugou's own.

"I'll always be an idiot in your opinion, Kacchan. Can I ask what I did this time for you to call me that though?"

Crossing his arms, Bakugou set a level glower at the injured teen.

"You're really pissing me off. First, you used your quirk like a dumbass, breaking your body with no regard to how that looks to those watching you. I heard from Round Face that you even needed surgery," he paused for a moment to let that sink in. "Second, you actually were doing well against Icyhot, which annoys me to no end. Third, and the stupidest thing you've done since exist, you riled up the bastard into using his flames which cost you the fight. As much as I'm pumped to beat him at his full strength in the finals, you gave up winning, Deku. Throwing away a victory like that," he ground out with clenched fists, "is pathetic."

"No, it's not." Bakugou's anger faltered at the seriousness of Izuku's tone. "I know your image of being a hero, of victory, is winning, but to me it's about saving those in need. Todoroki needed help, so I did what I had to in order to save him. I'd do it all over again too. To me saving those in need, even if they don't ask for help but receive it anyway, is the essence of being a hero. So to me I did win something today. It might not be a medal, sure, but what I did win is worth far more than that."

He made to walk away once he was done talking, but a calloused hand stopped him by grabbing his injured shoulder with a gentleness that took him off guard.

"You're still an idiot, but I guess you aren't a total screw up. If I ever see you pulling that reckless breaking your finger shit again though I'll be arranging your funeral for when I finish your useless body off, ya hear?"

With that being said Bakugou took off, leaving Izuku to stare at his back just like old times.

3

It was the end of the first day of classes after getting back from their internships. After speaking with All Might about All for One, the sun was already setting by the time Izuku made his way off school grounds. Having told Uraraka and Iida they could head home without him hours ago meant he would have to walk to the station by himself. It wasn't that he minded it at all, but after the events of last week Izuku wished he wasn't alone.

As if the fates had been waiting for him to make an easily twisted wish, green eyes widened when he approached the UA gates only to see a familiar head of spiky hair.

"Kacchan? Were you… waiting for me?" The shorter boy asked, voice small as to not piss the other off with the statement's implication.

Red eyes leveled with his in a glare, brows furrowed in annoyance.

"You have some explaining to do, Deku." He responded, ignoring the other's question completely. "I don't care if whatever you tell me has to be a secret or some shit like that."

Izuku gulped, motioning for his friend to start walking with him. Bakugou grudging fell into step with him as they made their way down the road at an easy pace. Once several seconds had passed Izuku finally sighed, his barriers lowering. They always ended up lowering whenever Bakugou was involved.

"What do you want to know?"

"I was watching the way you spoke and acted around Four-eyes and Half-n-Half," Bakugou started gruffly. "The way the bastard seconded the media's story about his dad catching Stain was believable to most of the idiots in our class, but I noticed the way he spoke was off. Not to mention the video that's going around online clearly shows you under the Hero-killer's boot. The way the monster was dead on the ground makes it obvious to me that Stain killed it, not you or any one of the other heroes, which makes me guess that he probably saved you or something rather than taking you as a hostage like everyone else says. The only reason he'd save you would be because you're not some shitty false hero like the maniac was ranting about."

He took a breath as he gauged Izuku's facial expression so far. From the troubled look on his freckled face it was obvious he was onto something, so he continued.

"That means you must have had some sort of interaction with the guy in order to gain his respect, like a fight. That would explain all of the injuries you three suffered during your internships. Even if I expected you to hurt your stupid ass that badly there was no way the other two would have wound up so injured by anything less than a real threat. Four-eyes interned in Hosu after his brother got attacked, so he probably went after the murderer like an idiot. You like sticking your nose into other people's business no matter what, so you showed up to save him. I got the text message about your location too, and since Endeavor was in the area it makes since Icyhot was there to save both your asses. You guys were the ones that really caught the Hero-killer, weren't you?"

Izuku's face paled at the accuracy of his friends' guesses. His intuition was spot on. By the way Bakugou was staring intently at his reaction to his theory, the following hum the blond let out was one of confirmation.

"I knew it."

"You can't tell anybody," Izuku quickly said. "If others find out, then Iida-kun, Todoroki-kun, and I would—"

"Shut it, Deku. As much as I can't stand you extras, getting you expelled would mean less competition, and I like a challenge. No one would believe me anyway. Not that I'm a blabbermouth like you, but I'm not stupid to go against Endeavor's word no matter how wrong he is."

Letting out a breath of relief, Izuku's face lit up once more. "Thank you, Kacchan."

"I don't need a thank you. I just wanted to know the truth, ya damn nerd."

For the next few minutes they walked in silence. Neither of them were talking, but Izuku's heart swelled when he realized they were walking home together side by side instead of him trailing after his friend's back. That meant they were making progress, right?

"This is nice," he dared to say, voice soft. "Not fighting or screaming at each other. I miss this."

"I don't care about how you feel. If you're not going to shut up though, then tell me about the fight with Stain. Don't leave out any details."

The rest of the walk home (save for the time spent on the train) consisted of Izuku relaying everything he had experienced in Hosu. For the most part Bakugou stayed silent, merely listening unless it was to critique Izuku or say something about how he'd have handled the situation better. The two were so focused on the conversation that Izuku didn't even notice they had passed Bakugou's house until they were on his own street.

"Oh no, your house was back there! You should have stopped me from talking so you didn't end up walking me home," Izuku said apologetically. Part of him was confused though. Bakugou never had a problem telling him to shut up, so why hadn't he?

The blond bristled at the suggestion. "I did not walk you home! I was the one that asked you to tell me everything anyway, dumbass, and it's not like I live that far away from you. Whatever. I'll explode your stupid face in for insinuating something like that tomorrow in hero training. Until then don't run into any villains. I can't kick your ass if you're in the hospital, Deku."

With that Bakugou spun around and marched off in the opposite direction. Izuku stared after him until he turned the corner, a goofy smile on his face when he finally made to go into his own house.

4

When Bakugou woke up after the final exam against All Might it was beginning to get dark. The orange and purple sky still provided enough light to see though, and in the dimness his gaze immediately fell on the sleeping boy next to him. For a moment he wondered why Izuku was resting in such a stupid, unnatural position when he remembered one of the hits he'd taken from All Might. The powerhouse of a man had slammed into his back with his own. He also recalled the way he had been limping when trying to reach the escape gate, which only furthered the assumption that the green-haired boy's spine was messed up.

After taking in where he was as well as the quiet snoring of Recovery Girl in the tent, Bakugou took off the bracers and knee guards in order to make himself more comfortable. It was obvious he was going to be here for a little while longer. The weight of exhaustion was bone-deep, something he couldn't ignore no matter how much he wanted to.

Just as he was setting the extraneous parts of his costume on the floor, however, he noticed Izuku's face scrunch up. A moment later large green eyes were staring at him in confusion before filling with relief.

"You're awake!" He croaked, voice heavy with exhaustion.

"Keep your voice down, nerd. Recovery Girl is sleeping."

"Oh, sorry! I'm just relieved you're alright. I mean I know you were going to be fine since I was told so earlier but seeing you awake is just a huge relief because after that fight with All Might and you becoming unconscious I was so scared you—"

His rant broke off with a set of coughs, the noise of which made Bakugou's head hurt. Once he'd stopped coughing he gave a small smile in apology.

"Sorry, Kacchan. My throats pretty dry; I don't think I've had anything to drink all since earlier this morning."

"Well don't go waking her up," the blond eyed the sleeping hero. "There are small bottles of water on the floor under your cot. Get them yourself."

"I was going to do that anyway, don't worry."

However, Izuku soon found that moving would be impossible. He had been able to move his arms with ease, but the moment he tried to lift himself up he immediately stopped with a choked gasp of pain. Recovery Girl hadn't administered her second treatment yet. That meant his spine was still somewhat of a wreck, and moving like this would be excruciating.

He lowered himself back down on the cot with a huff of disappointment. He guessed he could wait longer for something to drink, since he would feel guilty about waking Recovery Girl up. Just as he resigned himself to going back to sleep he was met with a water bottle in his face. Glancing up with wide eyes, Izuku saw the slight scowl on his friend's face.

"You'll always be a useless Deku, won't you? Can't even grab your own water," he grumbled while settling back down on his own cot. He turned away so that his back was facing the awed boy. Looking at his happy, smiling face was beginning to make him sick.

"Thank you."

Bakugou responded with a grunt, which was something Izuku was used to.

A minute later Izuku downed the water bottle and quietly placed it on the floor. As he closed his eyes in preparation for more sleep, eyes falling on the familiar sight of his friend's back, he couldn't help but open his mouth.

"I'm really glad you're okay, Kacchan."

That being said he allowed himself to succumb to his tiredness once more. It was only after almost ten minutes had passed when Bakugou rolled back over, fiery eyes surveying his childhood friend with mild concern.

"I'm glad you're alright too, stupid nerd."

5

The day after Izuku was attacked by Shigaraki he walked around campus like everything was fine. He was more or less unhurt after all. The only thing remaining from the encounter was a bright purple hand-shaped bruise around his neck. It was as if he didn't even realize he had it despite the various students staring at him on his way to class.

"They must have heard about the incident at the mall yesterday," he mumbled while ignoring the whispers of the other students around him.

When he arrived at Class 1-A's classroom and walked in, however, he found out the real reason.

"Midoriya!" "Deku-kun!"

The green-haired boy flinched at the sudden shouts of his various classmates, eyes wandering over their distraught faces. They all seemed horrified at his arrival. This confused him to no end.

"Y-yes? Why do you guys all sound so worried? If it's about yesterday you all already know I'm unharmed even if Shigaraki managed to get away."

Uraraka tilted her head, confusion evident in her voice. "Um, we're a bit freaked out about your neck, Deku-kun. Haven't you seen it?"

He shook his head, lightly touching the front of his throat. "It was a bit bruised last night, but that was to be expected after, well, you know. I was going to see Recovery Girl about it at the end of the day so I don't use up any stamina during classes. It's not like it's that bad anyway. A little yellow doesn't stand out much, and it doesn't hurt or anything. Even if it did I have a pretty high pain tolerance. I'm used to injuries like this anyway, so there's no need to worry about me."

"Dude," Kirishima broke in, "even if that's true are you telling me you haven't looked in the mirror since last night?"

"Maybe. Why? Is it really that noticeable?"

Before anyone else could answer, Bakugou let off an explosion that garnered everyone's attention.

"You're neck is the same color as that grape scumbag, ya stupid nerd. I can see it from here! It looks creepy as hell with the way it's shaped like a goddamn hand." He yelled heatedly, red eyes burning holes into Izuku's annoyingly crooked tie. "What kind of idiot walks around like that unless they want to scare their friends shitless? Oh, that's right. You."

"I-I didn't mean to, I swear! It wasn't that bad last night, so I assumed it wouldn't be a big deal." He defended meekly, head lowering apologetically. "Sorry I scared you guys. If it is that bad I probably would have been freaked out to. I guess can cover it up?"

To everyone's surprise Bakugou chose that moment to swing his legs off of where they had been propped up on his desk and storm past his classmates. Izuku tensed up when the blond got so close he thought he was about to be punched, but was shocked to find himself being dragged out of the classroom by his arm. Izuku would have tried to break free, yet thought better of it when the rough grip on his arm tightened.

"Kacchan? Where are we going?" He asked, a few of his friends watching them from the doorway.

Bakugou let out a warning growl as if Izuku was pissing him off, which he honestly probably was just by being alive. "I'm taking your stupid ass to the infirmary to get that monstrosity taken care of. Nobody wants to look at you and see what that coward of a villain did to you, alright? So I don't care if you feel a little tired after seeing Recovery Girl; you're getting rid of that bruise whether you like it or not. Seriously, Deku. Shit."

Izuku didn't protest as they continued down the hall, eyes trained on the back of his friend's dress shirt deep in thought. His mind was too occupied trying to figure out the puzzle that was Katsuki Bakugou, and if maybe his childhood friend really did care about him after all.