Chapter 4:
Dynamite’s team eventually apprehended the case of syringes before the other drug could be used. The battle with the beast villain had been long and hard, most of the team returning to the agency clinic exhausted and beaten down. It wouldn’t have been so bad if they had been able to apprehend the other men associated with the incident, but those two had gotten away from Invisible Girl when Lizard had snatched the case in the midst of their escape.
At least Red Riot was doing better, his head injury was quickly healed- thanks to the medics on staff- to the point of just a mild concussion. So he could return home after a few hours of observation. The hero was now on retainer in the meantime to allow his body to rest after most of his stamina was used for the healing quirk.
Katsuki walked around his desk, staring down at the spread out files of tips that his agency had collected over the past few months from M. The blonde was still pissed with the decisions he had made earlier that day. He knew it was the right one, but that didn’t make him feel any better. Katsuki’s mind wouldn’t stop thinking about the green lightning he saw during his pursuit. It was so similar to the one that Izuku had; the color was just as bright as he remembered, how it illuminated around the dark fabric of the cloak just as hypnotic.
No matter how hard Katsuki tried, he couldn’t stop the idea of M being Izuku. He knew it was irrational and maybe a symptom of a deeper issue, but his mind kept betraying him. Berating that idea over and over until he couldn’t do anything but give into them. The blonde couldn’t deny what he was feeling- desperate to make it true- because deep down he was wishing that all of this was a sign that his long lost friend was here all along.
Though, his rational mind was screaming at him incessantly. The likelihood of Izuku being M was closer to zero than not. Anyone could decide to become a vigilante and help out the few heroes that were left after the war. It wasn’t out of the ordinary by any means. Many individuals over the years had taken to defending the streets even after the dust had settled and society had settled back into normality. So another vigilante was just that, another amongst the number of others.
Yet, Katsuki’s irrational mind would step in again with reason to disregard logic. Cause why would someone with such a flashy quirk stay on the down low for so long? With skills like that, there was no way that they wouldn’t have been recruited by a hero school.
Why were they so against hiding their identity? It was overkill the level that this person was going to remain hidden. That wasn’t something one person could do without training or help of some kind. Every move that M made was nothing but purposeful, carefully to keep their identity hidden- even to the extent of breaking the law.
It was unbelievable, but people had done stranger things than this in the past, even if it landed them behind bars.
Red eyes stared at the clues before him, studying each one carefully. Katsuki- not involving his rational mind- couldn’t help but search for the evidence that he wanted. He knew this wasn’t healthy and was bordering on obsessive- something his therapist had mentioned happening when mourning- but he didn’t care.
Katsuki shook his head as his eyes ached with fatigue. It had already been a long day, one that he was extending on with this sudden obsessive episode. Yet, no matter how tired and sore he was, he needed answers. Cause he knew he wouldn’t be able to let this go until he had proved that M was beyond a doubt not Izuku.
But maybe he could be a bit more apprehensive about all of this if he was going to sacrifice his sleep.
Scared hands shuffled through the photos again, eyes narrowed as he tried to put the pieces of an invisible puzzle together. Katsuki could see them coming together, a connection forming in his mind as he continued his analysis.
With a deep breath Katsuki sat up straighter, his mind moving through everything that had stood out today. There were a few instances besides M’s quirk. First being that the vigilante had worn red hightops, not combat boots. A pair of brightly colored, low traction and easily ruined shoes to a battle.
The blonde snorted as he was reminded of the hideous pair that Izuku had always worn. The idiot had loved those enough to incorporate them into his original costume. The only reason he had upgraded to the black combat boots with red accents was because Aizawa had lectured him after he almost broke his ankle during training.
Those shoes were part of Izuku’s identity, to the point that Icyhot had bought him a new pair after the war. Even at the hero's funeral, many of their classmates had mentioned the red shoes in their goodbye speeches. Up until the day that Izuku had walked onto that plane and out of Katsuki’s life, he had always worn red hightops.
Katsuki grabbed one of the notes as he tried to breath through the pain, the signature of M now under the hero's scrutiny. Why specifically would this person use one letter as the vigilante name? Sure it was original, but why? It could refer to his family name, or possibly that of a lover. Really it could be anything with how little it held in significance.
No way Izuku would do something so lame as to use the first letter of his given name as an alias.
The envelopes though had a bit more for Katsuki to dig into. Each one had Katsuki’s hero name written in large writing. Not his agency name, his own. If this was about calling a specific hero for help, why not send these incidents to the number one hero? Having each envelope addressed like this made it seem that they were exclusively directed for Katsuki’s attention.
Katsuki furrowed his brows at that. The possibility of a M representing a family name and only himself being addressed had his mind reeling.
The hero got up from his desk, envelope in hand as he walked to one of the large bookshelves on the far wall of his office. His hand dragged along various book spines that were worn down with age. His hand settled on the earliest one in the group. As he pulled it from its place, the large markered number of 14 brought a sad smile to the blonde’s face.
The blonde hero had taken a lot of Izuku’s things when Inko had died. He couldn’t bear the thought of everything about the green head disappearing from his life forever. Katsuki had many boxes of Izuku’s things stacked in one of his closets at home; more journals, clothing, collectible hero figures and small trinkets that the nerd had collected over the years.
Katsuki didn’t like to admit it, but he kept one of Izuku's favorite plushies of All Might displayed high on a shelf in his living room.
It was very cringy for him to try and explain why it was there next to all of the awards and pictures, but thankfully only his UA friends really came over anyways. They understood, and never questioned the All Might plushies residence. Instead they would just smile at it for a moment before turning back to what was happening.
The crinkle of the journal protests as Katsuki opened it and laid the two other papers on one of the open pages to compare the writing. The two handwritings were very similar, each letter more like chicken scratch than anything else. It was unbelievable how little the nerd's handwriting had improved over the years.
Katsuki walked over to his desk, grabbing the most recent note from M and laid it on top of the other. It too had similar writing, though this one was less legible and didn’t run in any straight lines.
The code was a new curveball that baffled the pro hero. Every other note was coded the same, had the same behavior of handwriting and consistent spelling. But this one was nothing like the others.
Katsuki held his breath, not allowing himself to believe where this was leading him too. It was wishful thinking right? It couldn’t be a coincidence that every note before this one was coded the same as the system as the one UA taught their last year of school.
Yet, as Katsuki thought a moment longer, his breath rushed out at the sudden realization. He couldn’t stop the way his face heated up with emotion of doubt. The last note wasn’t written in the same code, so if it really was Deku, why would he have suddenly changed to a different system?
Mina had told the group that the system was currently used in America. One that was still very new with only heroes in the past few years having to adopt it. There was no way Izuku would have expected the Dynamite agency to know how to decipher it with such a tight time crunch. Izuku was nothing but over cautious with everything he did. There was no way he would have sent in such a ridiculous cry of help.
The blonde dropped the journal on his desk, falling into his chair with a loud huff and tried to hold back his disappointment. This was good, it was good to face his delusions anyway. He had entertained this insanity far longer than he should have, and that was on him.
Katsuki let out a breath, a tear sliding down his cheek as he stared up at the ceiling. He missed the green head, more and more everyday that passed. He should probably increase his therapy sessions now that this manic obsession was over. It wasn’t fair for his agency to pick up all the pieces that he was slowly dropping. He was lucky that Kirishima had been so willing to hold the majority of the responsibility, but now that he was on retainer, Katsuki couldn’t keep expecting the others to do the same.
With a resounding noise, the blonde pulled himself forward. He began to collect the evidence on his desk, sorting them back into their original folders and sliding them into the protective pouches that were needed to store them down in the archives.
Honestly, Izuku would have had the funnest time with this mystery. He would have gone crazy over it, burying himself into research and analytics to try and understand M. He would have probably learned the new coding system just for fun.
Katsuki could see it if he closed his eyes. Those green eyes would be bright with excitement as he pushed one of his notebooks into the blonde's face. His mouth would be running a mile a minute as he tried to give Katsuki a crash course on the coding system with the occasional spiral of off topic information.
Gods, what Katsuki would give to experience that just one more time. To have the nerd arrive back home today, to have him get off the next plane that landed and have the last few years be a bad dream.
The blonde wondered how long Izuku would have stayed out in America if it weren’t for the attack. From what Izuku had said on the rooftop during their last patrol together, he would have been out there for maybe just over a year but not much longer than that.
The mission, though secretive, wasn’t one that would require his attendance once the villains were captured. But really, even if it took longer than a year to get the villains apprehended, Izuku still would have learned the new coding system in America. It wouldn’t have mattered if he was a foreigner, he would have expected himself to learn it as quickly as possible so he could understand the language and communicate in their systems in order to be as involved in the mission as he could.
A blonde eyebrow raised as he stared down in thought. If Deku hadn’t been killed and had stayed undercover then it would be reasonable to assume the green head could write in the American code. And if Deku had been there the last four years, using and deciphering messages the entire time, then it was probably the most habitual coding for the nerd to have used if he was in a hurry.
Izuku was a thoughtful idiot, but not if he was under a lot of pressure. The green head always got wrapped in his rambling brain to the point that he always got locked onto one aspect of the large picture. It was something that Aizawa had tried to beat out of him, but it was still a bad habit that would rear its head at the worst times.
Would it be outlandish for Katsuki to think that Deku would have mashed the American coding system with the Japanese language without realizing it? That could also explain the unreadable handwriting too. Deku’s handwriting was bad, but even worse when he was rushing.
Katsuki took a step back, eyes wide as his head began to spin. Every detail of M was now spinning in his head and leading him to one conclusion.
Was this it? Was M really Deku? Was Izuku actually alive?
Katsuki’s heart began to race, his eyes stared unseeing down at his desk. He couldn’t believe it, had he actually put together the puzzle? Or was this all just an illusion that he was giving life too? The blonde couldn’t bear that thought, but he didn’t want to feel the pain of all of this not being evidence of the green head’s existence.
The blonde grabbed his phone, fingers shaking as he called the one person he knew who would know the answer to Katsuki’s turmoil.
The phone only rang three times before a cheerful voice answered. “Young Bakugo. I saw your battle earlier. Your team did amazing.”
Katsuki narrowed his eyes at the way the man’s tone sounded a bit off, almost like he was nervous. “Hey All Might. I have a question for you.” Katuski said, completely ignoring the complement.
“Alright. Let me hear it.”
Katsuki took a breath, settling his heart so he could ask. “Is Izuku alive? And is he in Japan?” He said bluntly.
Katsuki knew that the retired hero wasn’t a good lier when it came to his predecessor. He himself was able to sniff out the two’s connection during 1A without issue, so the blonde should be able to do the same if he was direct enough.
”What?! W-why would you ask that?” All Might stuttered into the phone. “I don’t know who you saw earlier today in that fight, or who you chased but it wasn’t him. You know he has been gone for over four years now, young man. And I’m sure you were just seeing things that looked like-”
Katsuki’s grin turned feral as he hung up the phone.
The blonde knew his mentor would slip up if Deku was alive. The man’s panicked reply was confirmation enough for the entire theory to become factual.
Katsuki let out a large breath, the weight of everything suddenly feeling lighter as he looked down at the open journal. It was like a promise that it wouldn’t stay unfinished for much longer…
Though that thought was sobering, and the grin of victory slowly fell away. A new depressing realization formed as he finally processed what all of this meant. If Izuku was alive, then he would have to hunt him down again. Even with the depressing thought of Izuku purposefully running away from him, it wouldn’t be the first time that it had happened.
Izuku was a runner. Ever since the nerd had surpassed him, Izuku had continued to run further and further ahead. But Katsuki was okay with that, he would do what he has been doing ever since their first year at UA. He would chase the nerd, and he wouldn’t stop until he was by Izuku’s side again.
“Shit!” Yagi cursed when the line went dead.
He shouldn’t have said so much- well he shouldn’t have really said anything. Bakugo had always been impressive when it came to sticking his nose into other people's business. Over the years, Yagi thought that he had gotten better at talking to the young hero, that he was able to deviate from Bakugo’s analyzing gaze no matter how intimidating the stare he got was. It seemed that he was a bit rusty nowadays.
Young Bakugo had startled him with how direct those questions were. It was only reasonable that the retired hero would stumble over himself as he tried to come up with a reasonable answer.
The older man moved back into the room, his eyes falling on his young predecessor laying in bed with Recovery Girl perched to his side. The young man was still unconscious, the blood loss taking a large toll on his body. The wound was bad, the blow from the villian compromising his stomach and liver.
Recovery Girl turned her head toward the retired hero. “ I can only heal the wound a little, just enough for the stitches to not rip through.” Her tone was worried, her eyebrows furrowed low on her face. “He doesn’t have enough energy for me to heal beyond that. I have done what I can for now, but if he doesn’t remain in bed and take it easy, the wound will reopen.”
Yagi release a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. “How bad would you say this is?”
The lady shook her head. “It’s not good, Yagi. Midoriya lost a lot of blood, he is lucky to be alive.” When she finished, she looked disappointed as she looked at Izuku one last time before moving away from the bed. “I’ll be back in a few days to see what else I can do. I’m getting too old to heal like I used to, but for him I will do everything I can.”
Yagi nodded, following the short woman toward the doorway. “You will keep this confidential right?” He asked. The blonde’s nerves hadn’t settled from the phone call, but he tried to keep himself under control as he spoke to the woman.
“I may not agree with you helping the boy hide himself away and become a vigilante.” Her tone was sharp, her disdain beyond evident. “But I will keep your secret only because I know that Midoriya is a good man. He wants to help people- I understand that- but doing it like this won’t lead him anywhere but to an early grave. Are you ready to bury him again, All Might?” She asked before walking out the door without waiting for a reply.
The retired hero’s shoulders sagged as he walked to his predecessor. Even as the green head slept, his face twisted up in pain. Recovery Girl wasn’t able to bring anything but low doses of Tremidol.
Yagi was beside himself with guilt as he sat in the chair that was pulled up beside the bed. He knew the man in front of him could be irrational and bull headed most of the time, but he hadn’t realized how much of a push over he himself had become over the years. And even if he saw himself as a mentor and not a commander, he knew that he should have put his foot down long ago.
“What have I allowed you to do, young Midoriya?” Yagi whispered to himself. Memories of LA played through his mind. The two incidents were far too similar for comfort. It was becoming more apparent that the young hero would most likely not survive another injury like this.
A few hours had gone by before Izuku began to sir. Yagi had moved to the small love seat in front of the TV, though the screen stayed black as he sat in his own thoughts.
The small gasp was what caught the older man’s attention. The man quickly made his way over to the bed, worried but relieved, written on his face.
“Hey kid,” The retired hero whispered as he gently grabbed Izuku’s hand in an attempt to reassure the slowly waking man. “Looks like you got in one hell of a situation this time.”
The words were meant to keep the mood light, but it didn’t sound anything close to it.
Izuku blinked, his sight blurry as he hissed at the pain. “Ya.” He grunted out, trying to sit up but failing. “Kacchan was late today. I had to intervene to prevent anyone from getting hurt. Obviously it didn’t go so well.” Izuku explained, a small smile on his face.
Yagi nodded. “About that. Do you know that Bakugo saw you?” He asked.
Midoriya nodded, though didn’t seem worried about it. “Ya, he chased me for a bit. But it’s fine, he didn’t see my face.” The young hero tried to give a reassuring smile while waving his hand in a dismissing way.
“It’s not fine, kid.” Yagi said. His tone was hard at his predecessor's dismissal. “Bakugo called me asking if you were alive! He knows you are alive!” He revealed.
The green head shook his head and grimaced. “No, that’s impossible.” Izuku denied, not wanting what his mentor was saying to be true. “Kacchan might suspect that, but I have been gone for years, I have a grave.” He tried to shrug it off, but a pit began to form in his chest.
Yagi frowned, his irritation obvious on his face. “Fine.”
He would drop the subject for now only because he didn't want to fight with the younger- not with the condition that Izuku was in. If there was any chance for improvement- physically and mentally- it wouldn’t be when the kid was depleted of stamina with a gaping wound through his stomach and not nearly the amount of blood he needed to function correctly.
The blonde sighed, trying to calm down his anger as best as he could. “We do need to discuss your health.” Yagi said. “Recovery Girl wants you in bed until you are healed.”
Izuku opened his mouth to protest but was quickly cut off. “I am well aware that you won’t listen, but I have to put my foot down. I cannot support this anymore, not with how things keep ending up like this.”
Green eyes blinked in shock, confusion more than evident.
“I cannot watch you go through this again.” Yagi said, head falling in grief. “I watched you through the war, through LA. But this one was too close for comfort.”
The older man lifted his shirt, showing the hideous scar on his abdomen. “I cannot in good faith continue on this path with you.” He whispered. “You are going where I have already been, and it isn’t going to help anyone.”
Tears lined Izuku's eyes, the pain and realization hitting him like a slap in the face. “Yagi… I-I will slow down.” He said, closing his eyes. “Once I figure out these three villains I am tracking, I will-“
The blonde stood up abruptly, hands fisted by his side as he looked down at the green head. “I don’t care! Recovery Girl wasn’t able to touch that gash because of how much you overused your quirk and have damaged your body. What she did was a bandaid to a much larger issue.”
Silence filled the room, the evident shock turning to disbelief before forming remorse. “I’m sorry. I will stay in bed.” He conceded, though it didn’t seem one hundred percent honest. “But I am visiting my mom next week though, it will be her birthday.”
Yagi nodded, unable to deny that from the young man no matter how much he wanted to. It would be a compromise.
Word Count: 4020
Our favorite blonde has figured out the big secret. There is only one way that this could go, right?
Please like and comment below ♥️
