This was meant to be short and sweet but I just can’t do anything short and sweet, can I?

#bakudeku #katsudeku no quirks au, long after high school, soooo somewhere in mid to late 20s.

Katsuki falls against the counter top of the bar, sighing heavily to himself and glancing up only once for where the bar tender is. She’s on the other end tending to another customer, but she’ll know what to bring him when she sees him.

It had been a rough day all around. He was exhausted, both mentally and physically, and though he had crossed so many people off his list today, there was something settling in the pit of his stomach that said this wasn’t enough.

It probably would never be enough, making it up to those he’d wronged in the past.

Honestly, if he could skip out on this, he would. But his therapist recommended he try this whole... apology thing to rid himself of the guilt. Right the wrongs he made,

make it up to the people he hurt.

Maybe then he’d get a good nights sleep.

To Katsuki, he wasn’t feeling guilty from all that shit. Karma isn’t real and he isn’t reaping what he had sown in the past. He’s a good person, maybe a little bit of a dick, but he’s still good.

But if it’s guilt eating away at him, then he’ll do anything if only to sleep.

The bartender, a woman named Mina, slides him his usual Jack and Coke as she passes, clearly able to tell Katsuki isn’t in the mood for chit chat.

Actually, the list was her idea. In fact, Mina and his best friend, Eijirou, were the ones to bring up karma. His therapist just suggested finding ways to forgive himself for his past transactions.

Katsuki wasn’t so sure doing “good deeds” would help soothe the guilt,

but then Eijirou started going on and on about every person Katsuki ever hurt and he couldn’t deny how sick he felt just thinking about them all.

Every nerd, every loner, every outlier that ever crossed paths with Katsuki from middle school to high school and briefly in college had been a target of his unfounded hatred and that? That was all he needed to be reminded of to start making the list.

And thus the long long list of every person he can clearly remember bullying and what he did to each one exactly was written, and Katsuki had some people to find.

1st was Iida, the overachieving jock nerd from high school that Katsuki hated on sight. The guy was obnoxious and always going off on Katsuki for the way he dressed or acted. So naturally, Katsuki sneered at him, mocked him, & even went as far as to break his glasses a few times.

He came from a rich family, what did Katsuki care? Besides, for all that Iida abided by the rules, he was stubborn and never reported Katsuki. Instead, he endured and just reprimanded him from time to time. Big whoop.

But the worst thing? Was making fun of Iida when his brother had been in an accident. In the moment Katsuki hadn’t cared, but he’d said some harsh things back then and it resulted in Iida transferring out of their school district.

Finding him was easy, contacting him was hard. When Katsuki finally found him, he had explained everything & properly apologized, even asked the guy what he could do to make it up to him. Iida had responded by taking his list & crossing off his own name before handing it back.

“Finish this list and consider us even.”

With how easy it had been, Katsuki agreed and they parted ways. One down, about fifteen more to go.

The hardest had been Todoroki, a guy Katsuki honestly didn’t wanna find.

That one had been college and they ended up in a lot of legal trouble for what Katsuki did. The building that was burned down after the explosion didn’t kill anyone, and it was owned by Todoroki’s father.

Katsuki still doesn’t know why Todoroki took the blame and got his father

to let Katsuki go, but that night in the police station was the last he’d seen of the guy.

It was also the last time Katsuki ever attacked anyone, verbally or physically.

Finding Todoroki wasn’t hard, it was going through with it that made everything so difficult.

Katsuki had saved him for last because he had no idea what would come from it.

Well... second to last. But Katsuki doesn’t want to think about the final person on his list after what he went through today.

Katsuki knocks the drink back like it was a shot and finishes in one go, Mina sliding another to him in minutes. She’s giving him a look, but Katsuki isn’t gonna bite.

Todoroki had him doing the most ridiculous tasks all day, whether it was as mundane as picking up packages for

him or as stupid as wearing embarrassing costumes while walking down main street.

And to make matters worse? Todoroki told him he wasn’t done, and to /not/ cross his name off that list until he was satisfied.

Katsuki honestly would rather have the asshole turn him in for arson or something, especially since Todoroki apparently spent months on probation. He can’t help but wonder how Todoroki got out of jail time though...

“Okay, I cant take it,” Mina sighs, finally settling across the bar from him and leaning in. “What’s got your panties in a bunch?”

Katsuki scowls, shaking his empty glass at her for another drink. “That stupid list.”

Mina rolls her eyes and quickly pours more jack and coke into the glass she snatched from him. “Oh come on, you’ve been working on that list for months. How many do you even have left?”

Katsuki frowns. “Two.”

“Didn’t you have two last week?” She snickers, passing the drink to him. “What happened? You were doing, like, 3 a week before!”

“I was not,” he snaps, drinking a little slower now. “This current one has been giving me the run around, fuckin’ dick...”

Mina purses her lips and hums. “And what did you do to him?”

Katsuki takes another longer drink of jack. “I let him take the blame for his dad’s office building burning down in college.”

Mina gives him a double take and stands straighter, hands smacking the bar top. “You WHAT?!

How did that happen?!”

Sighing, Katsuki rests his head in his hands. “I don’t want to—“

“SPILL!”

“... he was pissing me off with how arrogant he was acting in one of our psych classes so I threw a Molotov cocktail at the building a few hours after I confronted him about it...”

Mina is gaping at him incredulously, shaking her head. “You... you were a /mad man/ in college! Did Kiri know him too?”

Katsuki huffs. “Yeah, they were friends before that happened...”

“Oh my gosh,” Mina gasps, grabbing his elbow, “and you just stole his friend from him after

letting him get arrested?”

“What? No, I didn’t—“

“You really ARE a jerk!”

Katsuki stares at her, his stomach sinking. That stupid guilt is still there! He grinds his teeth and gulps down the last of his third drink.

“Good thing you’re doing this karma list,” Mina clicks her tongue, already producing him another drink. “You have a lot to make up for - like, shit dude, you basically tarred and feathered that one goth kid in high school!”

Scowling, Katsuki snatches the fourth drink from her. “THAT wasn’t tar, it was a vat of glue! And I told you, Tokoyami asked me to play with his band for Battle of the Bands when their drummer got sick to make it up to him!”

Mina snorts. “Yeah, one performance and suddenly you’re a saint...”

He throws a peanut from the complimentary basket next to the napkins at her, making her laugh even more. “Fuck you, I’m trying my best here to make it up to these people for screwing them over!”

“What, like a karma thing?” Someone new asks, making both Mina and Katsuki turn to the stranger. Someone had wandered up to the bar as Katsuki was talking with Mina and apparently sat close enough to hear most of what they were saying.

Joining in with a strangers conversation is something Katsuki fuckin’ hated.

But /ffuuuuuck/ this dude is hot as hell.

He’s tall and lean, obviously in great shape from the way the baseball tee pulls at his chest and arms.

He’s got a fantastic jawline that’s accentuated by the most natural and authentic grin Katsuki’s ever seen, and /of course/ Mr. Gorgeous here has dimples. His hair is dark and curly, long but pulled back into a pony tail, which usually Katsuki didn’t go for but, seriously?

This dude made it fuckin’ work. His eyes are wide, honest, and the most beautiful shade of green Katsuki’s ever seen.

To top it off? Dude’s got freckles dusting his cheeks, and that’s literally all Katsuki needs to fall for the guy.

Katsuki sits a little straighter, turning on the barstool to face him. “Sorry, what?”

He laughs - and GOD if that’s not a beautiful laugh. “I asked if you’re talking about karma,” the stranger says, standing to move to the empty stool between them,

“ya know, like good deeds give you good fortune and stuff.”

Nodding slowly, Katsuki adjusts himself on his seat to look a little more natural rather than a gawking mess of ‘oh my god this guy is hoootttttt’. Clearing his throat, Katsuki shrugs and nods again. “Yeah, it’s uh...

it’s basically that.”

The guy’s still smiling but it looks a little coy now. “You hurt a lot of people or something?”

Katsuki doesn’t even get the chance to say anything, Mina’s jumping right in. “Oooo you will not BELIEVE the shit he’s been tellin’ me - by the way what can I

get you, handsome? I’m Mina, and I can totally give you my number if you want it!”

Katsuki glares at her, feeling offended for his absent best friend. “Excuse me?”

Mina stares at him before her cheeks become as pink as her hair. “Uh I mean —

never mind, I have a date later this week & I’m not about to flirt with someone at the bar!”

“You’re so fuckin’ stupid,” Katsuki grumbles, drinking from his glass again.

The stranger chuckles & shifts a little to lean on the bar top. “I’ll have a jack and coke too, actually.”

Mina nods, hurrying to get him his drink while Katsuki finishes his fourth.

“So did you?” The guy asks, turning back to Katsuki. He must have looked confused because he chuckles again and says “hurt a lot people - have you?”

Katsuki wonders how bad it would be to tell this guy his past transgressions, watching him lift the drink Mina passes to him with a scarred hand. The scars look familiar but he can’t place how or why. “Well... I used to be kind of a dick...”

“Kind of?”

He sighs. “Okay, I was a grade A asshole, emphasis on the ass. The guy I’m currently trying to make it up to was the last one I ever purposefully attacked, and it was probably the worst of them all...”

The stranger nods, sipping his drink thoughtfully. “What’d you do?”

“Something illegal, and let him take the fall,” Katsuki mumbles into his new drink. “He’s milking my apology for all its worth, but I don’t really blame him...”

“How many other people you got left?” He tilts his head to the side and Katsuki feels his face start to heat -

from the Jack no doubt, but the guy is ridiculously attractive and does adorable things... but it’s almost familiar, how they’re talking.

Must be the Jack.

“Just one, and it... this last one is gonna be the hardest I think,” Katsuki stares at the bar’s shiny surface, drink in

hand but he suddenly doesn’t want it. “He was.... well, he was the first and, sure, letting a guy take the fall for you in a legal issue is bad, but...”

The stranger shifts forward, catching Katsuki’s eyes. “What did you do?”

Katsuki almost doesn’t want to say, but...

“I tormented this guy for 10 years,” he murmurs, his stomach twisting at the words. “At first I just called him names, like any kid would. They were harmless and he laughed about it, but eventually it just... it got really bad. We were friends and then I...”

Katsuki swallows, wondering why he’s telling this all to a stranger. A hot stranger, but still - he’s a stranger.

“... what are you going to do for him if it was so bad?”

Katsuki takes a deep breath and looks up into the stranger’s eyes. “I dunno... I guess... I guess I’ll do

anything he wants.”

Nodding, the stranger shifts in his seat, downing the Jack and coke that Mina had given him. Katsuki watches him, wondering what he could possible think of Katsuki when he sees the tiny scar on his neck.

It’s exactly like the one that he gave...

He feels all the fluid in his body drain to his feet, his head swimming with the realization of who this stranger is.

“Well, Kacchan,” Izuku starts, meeting his gaze, “if you really mean /anything/, then... go on a date with me.”

Katsuki gapes at him. “.... huh?”

TBC...

(Let’s get back to this. TW: heavy bullying, abuse, and violence.)

When they were kids, Izuku was round. Not fat, not exactly chubby. Just... round. Katsuki sorta was too, but Izuku was... he was best described as round.

(It broke off some how????) https://twitter.com/mellowdoodles/status/1163900215109099520?s=21

IM SO ANNOYED IT GOT DETACHED SKFJEKGKKFJC