Work Text:
Katsukis ready.
Ready to finally ask Izuku the question he’s been waiting to ask for his whole life
“Well I just think it’d be better if I had a friend to work with.”
He releases the breath he didn't know he was holding
“Oh kacchan.. I'm already a teacher at UA! And now I get to be a pro with everyone too, I’m okay!” He says, probably with that big goofy smile katsuki can hear through his voice.
God why did that hurt more than it should’ve?
“Damnn bakubro you just got dumped!” Kirishima says with an awkward chuckle, obviously trying to lighten the mood.
“What?” Izuku says. he's so clueless. Usually katsuki thinks it's kinda cute but now, now it hurts.
“He just asked you to join his agency, to be a hero with him.” Kirishima looks over his shoulder to explain, Katsuki keeps his eyes on the road, his nails scratching at the wheel.
“Oh.. No Kacchan.. I'm really happy as a teacher!” He says again, with his stupid smile. Katsuki can picture it clearly in his mind, the way his eyes crease and his face always gains a soft blush.
He grips the steering wheel a bit harder. His eyes locked on the road ahead.
“You know, I don't even know what i'm saying.” his eyes narrow as he speeds up a bit, he was stupid to think Izuku would join him after all these years. He speeds up, trying to get to the shopping center they all agreed to meet at faster. Anything to get out of this situation hes put himself in.
“Is that why you rejected all the sidekick applications?” Kirishima asks as he looks at Bakugo, why does he have the worst timing with his questions.
“No. But if even one of them told me ‘I want to be better than you’ I would've recruited them, but they didn’t.” He glances at Kirishima and then back at the road. It’s true, if any of the 104 candidates said that he would’ve taken them, but it’s not just that. He rejected them all because he was so sure Izuku was going to say yes.. But he said no.
“Oh can you guys drop me off before you park? I need to stop at a store before everyone else gets there.” Izuku asks so innocently, unknowing that he just broke Katsukis heart.
“Sure.”
After they drop off Izuku it's silent as Katsuki looks for a place to park.
“That was really mature of you, I'm proud that you didn't yell or anything.”
Kirishima says, probably sensing the disappointment Katsuki feels, at this point he could even consider him his best friend.
Katsuki stays silent.
The shopping wasn't all that fun. Obviously because Katsuki was silently grieving his childhood dream but also because Izuku barely spoke to him about anything meaningful.
“Kacchan can I have some advice?” Izuku asked. You can have anything, is what Katsuki was thinking because he's a lovesick bastard. But he couldn't say that, not out loud.
“Sure what's up?”
“What would you do if you really enjoyed being around someone and wanted to spend so much more time with them?” little does he know.
“I would tell them that.” He shoves his hands in his pockets.
“But, in a romantic way?” Oh shit. What the fuck? Is he seriously asking Katsuki for relationship advice???
“Oh.” He clears his throat, how does he even begin to give the guy he's been in love with since they were 6 relationship advice?
“I guess.. I'd do anything in my power to make sure they could spend time with me.” Like how he spent 8 years designing and funding Izuku's hero suit. Or how he purposely fell in ranking so when Izuku did come back to being a hero they could properly compete. Even going as far as to tell Izuku to his face to call him whenever he wants, making him a priority. Making a whole office right across the hall from his in his agency. Hes gotta remember to sell the decorations he bought.
“Okay. Thank you Kacchan. I think I know what to do!” Why is he even asking him?
“Whyd you ask?” Is it because there might be a possibility Izuku feels the same? Has he finally caught onto all these years of Katsuki pining for him?
“Well..” He blushes, it decorates his face like his freckles do. Bringing attention to them even more, making them stand out. God Katsuki prays he feels the same, if he doesnt he doesnt know what he’ll do- “I think I like Uraraka-kun.. Like-really like. Y'know what I mean?” ouch.
Fuck what was he thinking? No way in hell would he ever think of Katsuki in the same light, he doesn’t even deserve that. Of course he likes Ochako. She was the one to turn ‘Deku’ into something positive, the first friend he made at UA. Katsukis so stupid. Maybe if he apologized sooner things would be different. God if only he took his hand at that fucking river.
“Yeah.” He looks away from Izuku, trying to mask the hurt in his voice as he talks. “Go for it man.” What is he even doing right now? Telling the love of his life to go after a girl? What the fuck..
“Okay! Thank you Kacchan! I'll go talk to her right now actually.” He says with so much joy. He says it with that damn smile. A smile that'll probably haunt Katsukis nightmares instead of his dreams now.
“See ya later Kacchan!” He waves as he walks away.
“See ya.” He waves back. Everyone and everything else becomes a blur as he watches him walk away.
Nobody’s special.
Nobody’s actually special.
The next morning when he woke up he felt empty. When he went to his agency for work it felt empty. When he was saving people he felt empty. He didn't even yell at anyone today, that's how out of it he was. It really shouldn't matter. It's not like there was really any chance Izuku felt what Katsuki felt, but at the same time, he could've sworn they had something. When he got back to his agency he sat at his office, alone, he hasn't hired any staff yet since he was waiting for Izuku to make all the decisions with him.
Fuck. this.
Katsukis fucking done. These past few hours of sulking have turned to resentment. What are they called? The stages of grief? Well Katsukis on the one where hes just fucking done.
8 fucking years of research, extra work, collaborations he didnt even want to do all for what? He gave him his “dream” of being a hero again all for him to turn him down. To say no to being a hero with him.
Yeah also the fact he's in love with pink cheeks and not Katsuki hurts too, but Katsukis done. He's done yearning and hoping he’ll feel the same. Hes done chasing after him with nothing in return. Hes done with this whole fucking country actually! Done with all of his fans bashing him for being “rude” or “aggressive” when that's just who he is! He's sick of being behind icy hot and four eyes. Done being number 15.
The next thing he knew he was buying a one way ticket to New York City.
As he's packing and putting his house and agency building up for sale he calls Kirishima. He deserves to know, right? He's stuck around and stayed the same. Unlike some people.
“I'm leaving.” Is the first think Katsuki says when he picks up the phone
“What? Where are you going bro?”
“New york.”
“WHAT? Like New York City? America?? Bro what's happening?” He can hear a faint sound of people talking and cars passing in the background, he’s probably on patrol.
“I'm done man. He doesnt want to be in my fucking agency- and, and get this! Hes in love with fucking PINK CHEEKS!” Katsuki then throws a shirt into his suitcase way harder than necessary.
“Uraraka?… No..”
“Yes! FUCK man I- I really thought! I spent 8 years putting 2/3 of my salary towards HIS dream and not only did I get rejected, he doesn't even care about me like that!”
Kirishima's shock is loud for how silent he is.
“I let go of my dream, for his.”
“Bakugo Im.. I'm so sorry man…” he manages to reply.
“So I'm leaving.” He says with a finality that makes Kirishima realize how serious he is about this.
“Just, make sure to update me okay? Don’t just disappear, I still wanna be your best bro.”
“I won’t.”
He gets a new number too before he visits his parents to tell them his plans.
They try to bargain but end up accepting that Katsukis serious about this. He needs a fresh start.
He leaves a letter thanking Auntie Inko.
_____________________________
It's been 3 years since he left Japan and started his new hero career in the US. The transfer was smooth, he was immediately accepted as a hero from japan turned US hero. Good thing he took English in high school.
“Dynamight! How does it feel to finally be in the top 3? A feat you didn't even achieve in Japan, correct?” One reporter asks as Katsuki is signing a kids poster after an attack.
“Well the US is nothing like Japan, uh- that's for sure.” His accent is more American than Japanese at this point. It's bittersweet.
“But I'm grateful.” That's something he’d never thought he’d say to a reporter, that's for sure. In Japan he would’ve just told them to fuck off, but he wanted to make a good impression in America, so he gave up his attitude in a attempt to avoid backlash during his transition. And it worked. The people in New York fucking love him, his careers going great and he hasn’t thought about anyone in Japan for a long time, besides calls from his parents and sometimes a text from Kirishima, Katsukis long since forgotten about them, well.. almost.