Timeless Love (Pro!Baku x teen!Deku)

[LovelyBones]

'Take a swan dive off of the roof and pray for a quirk in your next life!'

Those words echoed painfully in Izuku's mind as he walked home from school, heart heavy. Was it really so wrong to crave something you couldn't have? He wanted to be a hero, he really did-- but no one ever gave him a chance, always pushing him down, making him feel worthless.

Even the one 'friend' Izuku had.

He eventually found himself walking a different path than he normally took, and by the time he had realized, he was rightfully lost. Did it really matter, though? After all, being a little late to get home wouldn't be too bad. Sure, his mom would worry, but she always worries-- would Kaachan ever worry about him, if he never did make it home? Or would he be unbothered, maybe even glad Izuku was finally gone?

Those thoughts were halted when he heard foot steps running his way down the alley he found himself in, only to be roughly pushed aside. However, it didnt feel quite right. There was that feeling where you take a step upstairs in the dark, only to find there isn't a step there. Except that feeling didnt last a moment, but it more felt like an hour, the sensation making him feel ill, and shut his eyes tightly, hoping it would help. When he finally landed in the trash pile, he let out a yelp, and whimper, before groaning as he pulled himself out of the trash heap, feeling gross. Great-- he'll need a shower when he got home.

He eventually made his way put of the alleyway, feeling like something was.... off. Different. It hit him harder when he exited the alleyway, seeing different billboards, new heroes, and new buildings on a street he swore he saw on the way through. Confused, he wandered around, hoping to find a map-- maybe he had remembered the area wrong? In his mildly increasing unease, he didn't pay attention to where he was going, and ended up walking into a brick wall of a man, bearing rather large grenade gauntlets upon his arms.

"Ah-- s-s-sorry, sir!! I'm lost, is there any way you could.... help me....?" He trailed off, looking up at what looked like Kaachan, his childhood friend. But he was huge, older-- how was this possible? "S-sorry, I gotta get home, mom's probably worried sick--" Izuku tried to scurry away, not feeling well.

Something wasn't right, and he needed to get home, and now.

[NicTheDjinn]

Today was a mixed sort of day, like it had been for many years now. It was the 13th anniversary of the day he'd killed his childhood friend. 13 years ago, he'd been such a horrible human being that he'd told the one person who had unfailingly been a positive influence in his life to take his own. He'd been so cruel to the boy that had constantly radiated positivity in his life that nothing seemed more unfair than the fact that he still felt that influence to this day. 13 years ago he'd killed that boy, not with the quirk everyone had always told him was so very impressive, but with casual, careless words. The consequences of his actions hadn't even struck him right off.

He'd been walking home with the almost mindless followers when out of no where he was swallowed up by slick green slime. Up to that point it had been legitimately the scariest and most traumatic experience of his life. It had been everywhere, touching him places no one else had ever touched only to peak when the literal fear for his life. If All Might hadn't been actively hunting the slime villain down, he would have been dead for sure and his quirk would have been in the hands of that slimy bastard. A small part of him had spitefully noted how jealous Deku would be when he found out he'd met All Might in person, but he was more caught up in the feeling of shame and deep violation clinging to the entire event. What was left of his already abused innocence had been ripped from him and even when his very life was on the line, he'd been helpless.

What he hadn't realized at the time was how much more ashamed he could feel... This wasn't something that quite hit him right off either. The day after his assault, he'd gone to school after a sleepless night and in his exhaustion had noticed that Deku hadn't come to class that day. Maybe he'd finally gotten through to him and made him realize that he should give up being a hero. What chance did he have when someone as amazing as Bakugou could be overpowered so completely, after all. That day when he got home after school, his mother had asked him if he'd seen the greenette. It was only then that it occurred to him that the boy might have actually gone missing and wasn't just being a sad sack at home. A week later and still no trace of him had been found and he'd concluded the only thing he could at the time.

He'd killed him. He'd done as he'd suggested, even if he'd chosen a different method. Izuku was clever, even if he'd always tried to ignore that. He would have absolutely made it so that nobody would ever be found, just so that no one would be further inconvenienced by his death. While he'd already been working towards being the number one hero, a fire had been lit under him and it drove him towards change he would have never even considered till then. He'd literally killed someone, not with the mismeasured application of his quirk like he'd always feared, but with little more than heartless words. What sort of hero would kill someone so casually...? He needed to change.

It hadn't been easy, one didn't just change their entire personality in a sitting after all. At first he'd done little more than watch his mouth more and train harder so he couldn't be overpowered like he had been before. When he'd reached high school he found out that being a powerhouse, smart, and toning down the viciousness wouldn't be enough. There he met people that would become his close-knit family and they would help to mold him into the person he was today. He'd graduated among the top of his class, had been part of his year's Big Three, and had started his own little hero agency while simultaneously continuing his education. He'd grown so quickly and he refused to let up, clawing his way up through the rankings with unfaltering determination.

Every year, when the day he'd killed his childhood friend came, he continued to work. If anything, he worked harder on those days than any other. He had to be the best hero he could be for the both of them and he was sure that Izuku would have wanted him to keep at it instead of taking time off to mourn him. Every evening he would go back home to what had become his adoptive mother. He'd known that Inko wouldn't take the loss of her son well and also knew it would have made Izuku happy to know she was being taken care of. He'd spent more and more time there till he'd finally moved in with his Auntie Inko, filling the void her precious son had left behind. He'd had real family for the first time... That was up till three years ago.

While they hadn't doubted it by then, they had both dreaded the news they knew was coming and finally came. Izuku had vanished without a trace and after being missing for ten years, he was finally assumed dead. He'd taken a day off for the first time to be there with Auntie while she did the paperwork. He'd taken an entire week off to help her set up and then attend the bodyless funeral and together allow themselves to mourn the boy they already knew would never return, but never let themselves till the very moment it was officially called. He'd then watched the only woman that had truly loved him die one day at a time. He'd taken care of her, fed her, even financially supported her till the day she fell ill and passed. She simply hadn't had the will to live anymore. He'd inherited everything. At first, he'd continued to live in her home, but there was too much pain there... He'd packed up everything that was too emotionally significant to part with then rented out the apartment at a very reasonable rate.

Today marked the 13th anniversary of the day he'd killed his childhood friend and the 3 year anniversary of his Auntie's. Sure, she'd physically lived for another year and a half, but she'd died that day, not six months ago. Her body had simply caught up, nothing more. His shift was almost over... Just a little longer and he could head back, shower, get changed, and spend a quiet evening cooking two favorite dishes that weren't his own and have a nice little dinner before the butsudan. That had been the plan anyway... Just his luck, a boy was stopping him for help. Something instantly struck him and in more than just the literal sense as the small teen knocked into him. As soon as he'd heard the voice, it was painfully familiar, but it couldn't be.

He'd turned to face the teenager and there he was, just as he'd remembered him. The same middle school uniform, the same curly mess of deep green hair, the same big emerald eyes, the same freckles, the same anxious voice and behavior. Ruby eyes met emerald and locked in, wide with shock as what was clearly a pro hero with an uncanny likeness to the boy's childhood friend froze in place. Then the boy seemed to panic and try to get away, the action finally jarring him out of his shocked stillness. This couldn't be a shape-shifting villain or some sort of illusion could it? It couldn't be! No one but his closest friends knew about this!

A heavily gloved hand shot out and grabbed the boy's thin wrist to keep him from leaving. He had a shocking amount of control, closing his fingers just tight enough to keep him from pulling free, but not hard enough to hurt. "Deku...? How...? How are you here? Did I finally lose it? No... You feel real." Fearing that if he let go the teenager would just vanish all over again, he dragged the fourteen year old into the alley to get them out of plain sight, but wasn't comfortable enough to actually let him go. Instead, he released his wrist and took hold of both of his shoulders. Black rimmed eyes slipped shut, the man visibly trying to gather himself.

It was strange how he looked so different, yet so definitely the same. He was a good deal taller, his shoulders broader and his jaw-line and cheekbones sharper. He no longer looked like a boy and though he remained beautiful, he had lost his boyish features. Another notable difference was his flawless pale skin was no longer flawless. There was a large scar at his face and more criss crossing the back of his head where it had been shaved aesthetically short. With how his costume covered up every other part of him, who knew how many more littered his once smooth body. "Deku... Deku, what do you remember? It is you, isn't it? What do you know?" This had better not be a villain's quirk being used to fool him... If it was, he was literally murder them... This was a hell of a thing for him to have to deal with at the end of his shift on THIS day of all days...

[LovelyBones]

When he was gripped so firmly, suddenly, he let out a fearful sound, but he didn't have the stability or strength to try to wrench his arm free, and was easily dragged along, back into an alleyway. Is this how he dies? In an alleyway, in some unfamiliar place? At the hands of someone who looks hauntingly familiar to his childhood friend? Though, when those questions finally registered, as well as the nickname, his stomach turned worse. How did this imposter know that nickname?! The poor teen was shaking horribly when the blonde took firm hold of his shoulders, rooting him in place.

When more questions came, he began to panic-- 'Stop using that nickname, only Kaachan is allowed to-- "S-stop calling me that, you're not Kaachan--" he squeaked out, his head spinning. It was growing hard to breathe, think. Of he answered the other's questions, he'll get to go home, right? He'll see his mom again, right? "I-I was trying to go home, g-got lost-- I was upset after.... " he grimaced as those ugly words played through his head again, from a mouth so similar to the man's. But, despite the pain he felt, he couldn't ruin Katsuki's future. He was strong, wanted to be a hero, and could, unlike himself.

"M-my only friend.... He-he told me to do something painful, and I-I wandered the wrong way, and I ended up in an alley nearby, just-just for some random person to push me into the trash. Please, I-I just want to go home--" he began to cry, the stress of the whole situation getting to him. "I-I need to get home-- Mom's going to be worried sick--" he hiccupped, before finally making a proper attempt to pull away, his scrawny arms trying to push up against the hands on his shoulders so he could get out of that alleyway.

Why did it hurt so bad, seeing a man that looked so much like the boy that encouraged him to jump off a roof, look at him with confusion and concern? As if he finally found a lost friend? Kaachan would never look at him that way-- no matter what Izuku hoped. No matter how he prayed to whatever god there was to listen. "J-just let me go-- I want to go HOME!!"

[NicTheDjinn]

In his own panic, he'd gone and scared the poor boy... He hadn't meant to, but he was barely keeping himself in check as it was. This was just so much and today was already such a hard day to deal with already. It was him though... It had to be! Everything was just as he remembered, fresh and raw like it hadn't been in so very long. When the boy spoke again, his heart ached. He didn't believe it was him... Of course, he didn't. He was over a decade older than the angry boy familiar to him, only key giveaways remained at this point.

"You're only..." The whispered words left him without his notice, the guilt that already festered in him spiking further. Izuku had thought of him as a friend, even at the end. Why...? Why would he? He'd been so horrible to him! He forced himself to focus, sharp if overstimulated mind snapping up every detail fed to it and speeding towards a logical explanation. Quickly, he had enough information to put together what had likely happened, though it was still technically guesswork. His instincts were rarely wrong.

"Deku, listen I..." He hesitated, sighing and removing his hands, gloved fingertips tracing along his thin upper arms making it rather obvious that he didn't want to let go. "Izuku..." And so he dropped the teenager's name without being told what it was. "You've been in a major quirk accident. You... Fuck... My name is Bakugou, Katsuki. I'm twenty-eight years old. My hero name is Dynamight and I recently reached third in Japan's hero ranking." As he spoke, he pulled out his wallet and from within pulled his hero license, showing it to the teenager. Sure enough, there was a man that looked even more like his Ka-chan without the mask and make-up on, his name, the correct date of birth, and the hero name he'd been told.

Most alarming was the license's expiration date. You had to renew your hero license once every 10 years. Given the date listed, it did fit the time frame of having recently been renewed based on the age he'd been provided and the birth date listed on the card.

"I... I'm sorry... For so fucking much... For treating you like I did for, well, all our lives, really, but... The thing that I regret most is the last things I said and did. "I shouldn't have burned your notebook. I shouldn't have thrown it out the window. I shouldn't have..." He hesitated then, feeling his throat tighten. "I shouldn't have told you to jump. E-even back then, I didn't think you'd actually do it, and when you didn't come back to school and we couldn't find you I-I thought... I thought I'd killed..." His voice finally cracked badly enough that he brought a fist up to his mouth to help keep the sob that almost bubbled up inside.

"I know this is a lot, but..." He put his license away then pocketed the wallet again. "I'm here. It's me. I know I look different and this is all too much, but I've got you. Look, I'm at the end of my shift. Come back to my agency with me and we can figure this all out. Dek---Izuku... Please... I know you have no reason to trust me after everything I've done to you, but please..." Even now, he pleaded with no one, but this was a special circumstance, to say the least. "I won't touch you anymore or anything, we can just walk together. Sorry, I just... It's been thirteen years from my perspective since I last saw you. This is a lot for me too..." He motioned towards the street, prompting the teen to head back out onto the sidewalk and into the open.

[LovelyBones]

Izuku was rightfully nervous as he saw the wheels turning in the other's head, putting things together in ways only Kaachan could, only for the other to say his real name, and for some reason, it felt like a knife twisted in his gut. Why did it feel wrong to hear his given name out of this familiar face? Was.... Was this really Kaachan, then?

Alas, it really was his childhood friend, after the greenette was shown proof of that fact. The longer he looked between the proof and the man holding him still, the weaker he felt. Then came the apologies, how the blonde seemed genuine, showing a side Izuku never thought he would see. Kaachan, apologizing to him, of all people? It all felt unreal, that he was just having a stupidly vivid, upsetting dream. But, dream or not, there was no way anyone would know why Kaachan would ever apologize like this, and so, Izuku finally accepted this truth. Kaachan grew up without him, became a pro hero....

Izuku wished he could have watched Kaachan grow, become the man he was today, even if it meant simply being in the crowd, watching him be the hero he always said he'd be.

When Katsuki began to sob, he hiccupped in turn, before shakily, warily lifting a hand to cup the other's face, though with how he still shook, he still bore fear of being hurt, pushed away for even thinking about showing Katsuki concern. It hurt, seeing Katsuki so wounded like this, and it felt wrong in Izuku's mind. Kaachan was strong, he never cried, never backed down from anything-- he always charged ahead, always blasted higher and higher in everything he did. Without thinking, rather than letting the man give him space-- if it really was the future, he didn't want to be apart, and so, he took his hand. He didn't want to be thrown elsewhere, or worse. Who knew what villains there were now?

With a nervous squeeze, Izuku stayed close to the blonde's side, needing to be grounded. He really felt sick-- poor thing was beginning to turn pale, green. The teen began to hum nervously, trying to keep his upset stomach at bay-- he didn't want to make more of a mess than he already had. He'd unintentionally caused so much pain.... His mom must be worried sick, truly worried sick by now. He didnt get the chance to ask once they were back on the street, especially when he became all too aware of how many people were looking at the pair. Would they know him? Was he being a nuisance, holding Kaachan's hand for comfort, to ground himself so he wouldn't fall apart, the weight of this reality crushing his very soul? He nervously looked up at the now-pro, anxiety clear in his glassy emeralds as he looked for any warning signs of displeasure in the blonde.

It will be a while before everything will be okay. A while before he can truly feel safe, at home.

Did Izuku even have a home to go to, now, after being gone for thirteen years?

[NicTheDjinn]

The teen didn't forgive him, didn't say anything really. He didn't blame him... Suddenly being 13 years in the future was jarring at the very least, it was understandable as this reality sunk in that he would be stunned by what was his new reality. If the greenette rejected him, he wasn't sure how he would handle it, but he didn't feel like he had the right to press if he wanted him out of his life. He'd probably just have to get one of his friends to work with him instead. At least he didn't look like he would bolt like a spooked rabbit anymore...

Then came the tears. Izuku had always been quick to cry so it wasn't surprising that his own swell of emotion would be enough to move him. What shocked him was the fact that he actually reached out to touch him on his own. A large hand came to rest atop the trembling one at his cheek, the man turning his face into his palm. It was him... He was really here. After all this time, years and years after he'd given up hope, his Izuku had been returned to him. Honestly, he'd always been afraid that the teen's return would involve a corpse being identified only by the teeth.

He slowly forced himself to calm again and when the teen was ready, he took his hand and they were ready to move on. He took a final deep, calming breath before they stepped into the light, little hand lost in the bulky glove clasping it. "I'm actually based out in Tokyo, but I'm back home for the day... I'll be heading back home tonight. I was wrapping up my patrol anyway. I'm sure the others won't mind if I come in a bit early. I just need to change then..." He hesitated then, realizing Izuku still wanted to return to a home he no longer had. He supposed that would be the first thing they would talk through after he changed. Ugh, but he still needed to cook too! He'd figure it out...

He was snapped back to reality when anxious humming started. If that weren't enough, the kid looked kind of sick... "Oi..." Had Bakugou been this quiet before? Sure he wasn't loud all the time, but he was bordering on soft-spoken. There was an almost alien comforting quality in his voice as he spoke. "It's alright. I'm here. I'm not going to let anything happen to you, alright? We'll get through this together and if you feel like you don't have the strength to keep moving forward, I'll carry you myself. I'm not gonna leave you," he promised, giving the small hand in his a comforting squeeze.

[LovelyBones]

It wasn't that Izuku didn't forgive Katsuki, but rather the poor thing was so overwhelmed, and in the state he was, it was for the best he stayed quiet, collected himself. After all, as sick as he felt, he didn't want to risk worrying the hero further than he was. All Izuku could do right now was show Katsuki through action that he needed him, and right now, the best way to do so was stay by his side, holding his bulky-gloved hand in his own. Well, more like being held, really. He was.... so much smaller than his childhood friend now. It was oddly comforting, as much as it was confusing. It will take a while to get used to it, get used to being younger than the boy he had looked up to, despite everything.

Izuku was mildly surprised when Katsuki laid a hand over his own as he cradled the other's cheek, but it made his heart warm, even if only a little. It felt.... nice, being leaned into, encouraged, almost to finally be able to comfort the boy he knew was hurting in their younger years. Being lead out of the alleyway was a relief, the greenette wanting to be as far from such spaces for as long as possible, if he had the choice. He listened as the blonde explained the next steps they were going to take, and nodded silently, swallowing back some bile that had tried to creep up. 'He was probably visiting my grave.... right? Maybe mom would be there, too?'he thought to himself, unaware that without Kaachan, he really was alone now. He had no one left to take care of him, be the family he really needed right now. Would Kaachan take him in, if he really had no where to go?

He was startled out of his thoughts by Katsukis gentle tone, and he looked up at him, his lips buttoned tightly. He still didn't feel well enough to speak. However, when the other began to speak, reassure him he will be safe, supported if he felt too weak, he gave an exhausted, but genuine little smile, and a small nod, before doing his best to squeeze Katsuki's hand in turn. "Th-thank you...." he managed to choke out quietly, a part of him hoping the other heard. Any louder was risky right now. He walked closer still, then, trying his best to show that he was feeling a little more secure in the other's presence.

During their walk towards the agency Katsuki was headed to, Izuku would either focus on the ground, or the large hand holding his own with such a stable gentleness that felt unreal. Would Kaachan have ever held Izukus hand like this, had he not disappeared for most of the other's life? Would he have shown such a caring side to him, even if there was absolutely no one around, not even a soul? Those what-ifs filled his mind as they went, filled him with a sad sort of doubt. If Izuku wasn't so careless, walked the path he should have, would Katsuki ever be this kind, patient, or even repentant, for that matter if they both grew to this point in Katsuki's life? Or would the rift between them only grow, sowing the seeds of unfamiliarity and resentment that would only bear poisonous fruit?

A small child exclaiming Dynamite's name pulled him from such dark thoughts, and he felt hope, seeing how the little girl was holding a rather cute plush of the man holding his hand, clearly a big fan. Kaachan had fans.... That gave him a tenderness in his heart, knowing that Katsuki really had grown up, even if it was at the cost of mourning. At least his Kaachan had grown to be better in his absence. "H-how far is the agency....?"

[NicTheDjinn]

The quiet, barely-there thanks that he was offered in return for his kind words had a bitter-sweet feeling. I wanted it, it felt wonderful, but he didn't feel like he deserved such kindness from the boy, not after everything that he'd done. Then again, despite the fact that he'd lived nearly half his life to date, he remembered the teenager well enough to know just how forgiving Izuku could be, regardless of if it was deserved or not. He really would have made an excellent hero... He was just so very endlessly kind.

There was little question that Katsuki had gone through an extreme change with Izuku's absence. He'd grown into what appeared to be a completely different person. Honestly, he was suspiciously different... The trouble was, there had only been two witnesses to the horrible things that the blond had said and surely news hadn't gotten around, they would know better than to spread a rumor like that and so quickly! What's more, why would anyone target Midoriya of all people? In reality, it had just been a case of wrong place, wrong time. A fleeing villain that didn't want any witnesses with a quirk that could give him that, nothing more.

"You don't need to thank me. I've got a lot to make up for and that's putting it mildly. I don't expect you to forgive me... You shouldn't really, but... I want to make up for it any way you'll let me anyw---" His quiet words cut short when he heard a tiny voice calling out his hero name. He turned his head to look in the direction, ruby eyes snapping to a tiny girl waving in the exaggerated way of children while her other arm clutched an even tinier version of himself.

Izuku would get to witness another change in him then. The expression that spread on the other's face looked so different from anything he'd ever seen on him. He looked so happy, friendly even! He was smiling to his tiny fan, raising his free hand in greeting. The volume of his voice when he spoke increased from the quiet tones he'd been using with Izuku, but he clearly wasn't yelling like he normally would, just making sure his voice covered the distance through pure projection. "Hey! You be good alright?" Lowering his arm, he turned his smile to the woman he assumed to be her mother, nodding to her in greeting and not bothered by how flustered she looked at the attention. He wasn't stupid, he knew his looks were part of the reason he was so popular. It was one of the few things he had his mother to thank for...

His attention was pulled back to the greenette he was still holding hands with when the teen found his voice enough to manage a question. " About a kilometer straight ahead. Normally I would zig-zag up the streets here, but I want to get straight back this time, so we should be there in ten minutes. Unless you want me to carry you, then we can be there in a couple of minutes..." And there it was. There was that prideful smirk Izuku would be far more familiar with. There was something different about even this though... Sure, it dripped of pride, but the maliciousness that normally came with it was completely absent. It read so differently... This wasn't, 'look at how much better I am', this was purely pride for a refined skill, 'look at the results of my hard work'.

[LovelyBones]

When Katsuki said he didn't need thanks, that he would do his best to earn Izuku's forgiveness, Izuku bore a sad smile. Izuku did want to forgive him, like he always had.... He just needed time to heal, feel truly comfortable with the other again. Like he had before quirks got in the way. Izuku also knew Katsuki hadn't had the best home life-- that he was raised to think differently through harsher means. So, the greenette was endlessly patient, always hoping that one day, Katsuki would come around, be his friend again. Most same people would worry about his sanity, why he clung to someone so heartlessly cruel, but Izuku knew he wasn't clinging to an unfounded hope. His Kaachan grew up, because he cared about the greenette, and he continued to make Izuku proud, little by little.

He watched the interaction between the blonde and the little girl, and smiled sweetly, adoring how he made the little fan squeal with glee, and have a bigger bounce in her step as she left with her mother. However, Izuku took note of how the woman was flustered, then looked to Katsuki again, easily understanding why. Kaachan had grown to become handsome, perfect, even. So what if he bore scars? They were trophies of survival-- rewards for persevering despite the chance of mortality in his line of work. It showed he was an active, strong hero-- that he wasn't easily taken down. No one could beat his Kaachan, clearly!!

However, when Katsuki turned his attention back to the greenette, the poor thing tripped over himself as that familiar smirk was displayed, especially with the confidence he held in his abilities. It was almost alarming how quickly his cheeks finally gained color, though he wasn't fully well, yet. All the same, it was clear the teen was flustered-- he'd never thought one of Kaachan's smirks would hit him so differently like this. "H-how would you carry me....?" He barely squeaked out, always having wanted to be carried away to safety by a hero, but if it was Kaachan.... God, if he passed out, that would be embarrassing. Then again, could he be blamed after such a rollercoaster day?

[NicTheDjinn]

Similar to his rival, Todoroki, scars had done little to nothing to detract from his gorgeous appearance. What's more, he would be willing to bet that the woman knew exactly what he looked like outside of costume. While many heroes went out of their way to hide their identity outside of hero work, he had done no such thing, for better or worse. He'd inherited the looks of a supermodel and had taken full advantage, getting in photoshoots and commercials between work shifts. Katsuki was breathtaking and was taking full advantage of how that could boost his popularity in the polls. While half his face was covered up when he was in costume, he wouldn't be for too much longer and Izuku would get to see how beautiful his childhood friend had grown to be.

He chuckled almost darkly as he was questioned in terms of how he would carry him. "You're small enough for me to carry on my hip, Deku, but it's easier if I have both hands free. With that, he was releasing the boy's hand and stepping out in front of him instead. Wordlessly, he took a knee before the teen, looking over his shoulder as he waited. "Wrap your arms around my neck, make sure to hook your ankles around my waist, and hold on tight. Don't worry, I won't let you fall." He promised while failing to mention that he would be sure to take them high up enough off the ground that he would still have enough time to shoot down and catch him if he should fall.

Honestly, it was strange to see Bakugou so willing to take a knee for someone, let alone Izuku himself. What's more, he seemed so comfortable letting him ride on his back like this. While it made sense for a hero to be willing to help others, it still seemed out of place for the blond to do it. He'd always been so hyper-focused on taking down villains and had no interest in helping people outside of that, yet here he was, looking quite at home doing so. What's more, they weren't even in a situation where he had no choice. It was only a ten-minute walk, one would have expected him to just tell the teen to suck it up and walk that distance. Meanwhile, Bakugou was left wondering if the greenette would go for it or not.