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Katsuki Bakugou is born from a wish. Only a powerful wish, bursting with need and magic, can bring him to life. He can't help but be disappointed that the one who called him is on the verge of death when he comes to, but Katsuki is going to be the best fucking wish in the universe. He's not going to let his wisher's weakness stop him.
Katsuki takes care of his shitty patron. Since the one who called him hasn't woken up yet, Katsuki does not know his patron's name. Katsuki calls him Deku. Fitting because the guy is so useless that he can't even make a wish without hurting himself. Useless too because Deku looks like he can't even take care of himself properly, looking so sickly thin and shit. It’s a miracle the twig is even breathing.
When he's not taking care of Deku, Katsuki learns. Books and media, or just light exploring, so much knowledge in such a short time. He learns there are two other wishes present in the house. One woven in the silk of dreams and the other of memories and grief. Both filled with love. Love that, he learns when Deku finally wakes up, his wisher has in spades.
“Look Kacchan,” Deku cries out one day while they are sitting near the lake of magic, eating sandwiches. He points to the shore, where a mother beaver and her litter waddle to the edge of the water. In the mother’s mouth hangs one of her kits, limp and covered with blood. The mother gently places the kit in the lake and waits, but nothing changes. While the water has some healing properties, the kit is too heavily injured. “We’ve got to help it!”
“There’s no point,” Katsuki takes a bite of his apple. “It’s already too weak so it’s going to die. That’s how nature works.” The world too has no use for the weak. Honestly it’s a miracle that Deku has made it so far on his own before Katsuki was born.
Yet he knows.
Deku shakes his head and starts walking to the family. The kits hide behind the mother, who rears up on her hind legs and hisses. Izuku stops a few feet away, crouching low with open palms.
“I just want to help,” he pleads, voice soft. He bites his own pinky enough to draw blood and then waves his other hand over it, glowing with a soft peach light. In seconds, the wound stitches itself up to a faint scar. “See? I can heal your child.”
The mother doesn’t move from her stance, but she stops hissing. Deku takes it as a sign to move slowly toward the injured kit. With careful hands he lifts the limp body and gets to work. The wound no longer bleeds, but in the next minute the kit wakes up and cries out, clamping its sharp teeth into the hand holding it. Instinctively, the mother bites hard onto the witch’s arm.
“Deku!” Katsuki rushes over to his friend but is stopped by Izuku shaking his head.
“It’s okay Kacchan,” he gives a wobbly smile when clearly it’s fucking not. Tears leak from his eyes just as freely as the blood from under the point of both incisors, but a fire burns within those green eyes. “Healing a fatal wound can be painful. The kit is just reacting and the mom is doing her job. So please stay there. I’m almost done.”
Minutes pass as the magic works. While the mother had stopped attacking Deku, the child digs its teeth deeper from the pain of being stitched back together. Deku responses by reassuring murmurs and gentle strokes to the kit’s head. Finally, long after the wound heals, the baby loosens its hold from Deku’s hand and squirms. Immediately the witch places the kit next to its mother, who bounds over and licks her newly healed child all over. As the other kits bound over to their newly healed sibling, the mother dips her tongue into the lake of magic before licking the wound she caused. It The wound didn’t heal completely, but the gesture was what counted.
Katsuki sits ashore, lunch forgotten, watching Deku splash around and play with the kits. The idiot is probably going to get sick again from being in the water after the magic drain, but Katsuki can’t bring himself to pull him out. Despite the haggard limbs, Deku’s eyes sparkle brighter than the water, voice ringing out with fairy-chime laughter. There is a look on him that always makes Katsuki’s heart beat a little faster, a strange glow that bewitches his soul.
Katsuki knows Deku is strong. Strong in ways Katsuki and the world is not. The irony is that these strengths are his weakness. He gives them out too freely, too openly, and the world will gobble them until there is nothing left.
Just like the assholes that come asking for wishes.
“You’re not the witch boy.” There’s a girl with bubblegum braids when Katsuki steps out to gather more echinaceas. “Where is he?”
“None of your business,” Katsuki sneers and slams the door shut behind him before the girl can peek inside. Her face scrunched like she sucked on a lemon. “Now get lost.”
“Not until that witch boy grants my wish!” she sniffs, crossing her arms. “Oh yeah, tell him I’ll be his friend or whatever if he grants it.” The last part is tacked on like an afterthought.
The door swings open before Katsuki can say another word, Deku and Kilo (Deku weird alien sheep) steps out with a smile. “Kacchan you forgot your…basket…” he trails off when he catches sight of the other person, smile faltering to uncertainty. “Hello?”
“Hey you,” the girl wastes no time getting in Deku’s space, trapping him between the door. The stupid dream sheep is useless, of course, fucking braying at the bitch. “Grant my wish and I’ll be your friend.”
Her honey eyes clearly show she’s sprouting horseshit, but shitty Deku’s eyes morph from fear into hope and Katsuki had enough.
“Open your fucking eyes Deku!” he roars, grabbing the girl’s arm from behind and slamming her to the ground away from the idiot. Explosions pop from his palms. “She’s just some greedy fuck who doesn’t give two shits about you, but you’re too stupid to see that!” Out of the corner of his eyes he sees the girl run away, not even noticing that she ran off the path. Good. He hopes she gets eaten by a wolf.
“I-I’m sorry, Kacchan! I just wanted- “
“A friend? Newsflash, you have me!” That’s why Izuku made him. Does he not think Katsuki was a good enough wish? Cold fury twist in his gut. “You don’t think I’m good enough too be your friend, huh? Is that it?”
“No!” Izuku bursts into tears and hugs him. Katsuki tries to rip him off but Deku clings on, shaking his head stubbornly into Katsuki’s shirt. “You’re perfect! Kacchan is the best wish ever!”
The way his voice quivers in firm and honest notes loosens the stiffness Katsuki didn’t know he was holding.
“Of course I am dumbass,” he scoffs, prying Deku face from his shirt. He cups those freckled cheeks in his hands, smearing away tears with calloused thumbs. Deku’s snot filled face is fucking gross and he ruined a perfectly clean shirt but Katsuki smirks all the same. “And don’t you forget it.”
Later, retiring from a day of bug fights and make believe, Deku’s head flops onto Katsuki’s shoulder. Colorful lights dance across his drooping eyelids, too tired to stay open for the next episode on TV.
“Even if I ever get many friends,” he slurs as his face sags to gravity. “Kacchan will always…be the… bestest…”
“Bestest isn’t even a word.” It falls on deaf ears, Deku already out like a lightbulb. Katsuki rolls his eyes and shifts so there both in a more comfortable position. The next episode begins.
Katsuki Bakugou is born from a wish. Made with the purpose of being a best friend.
Katsuki Bakugou is more than that.
Years have passed. Time playing with Deku continues, but it’s more than that. Katsuki wants it to be more than that.
Deku does something to him, something that he doesn’t understand. Something that frustrates him as much as he yearns for and he doesn’t know why.
He knows why, and it scares him.
Katsuki Bakugou doesn’t get scared.
It grows and grows, but its not the only seed that has been planted.
There is more than these tiny cottage walls and little town.
When Deku or him need some alone time, or he just feels the urge, Katsuki goes in the woods. Deeper each time, where creatures lurking are wilder and deadlier. Fighting, hunting, training, exploring. His blood sings with each victory. He crows about every adventure to Deku, loving the way those green eyes set his blood on fire whenever he reenacts one.
There are more adventures outside of the forest. Danger far more enticing than what surrounds them. Power and glory call him, but Deku does too.
He yearns for both.
He’s finding it harder and harder to sleep. Dreams that keep his up in the dead of night bounce in his head, tugging his thoughts this way and that.
He should be happy here. He has Deku and the woods, people to scare away. If he gets antsy maybe he can go a little farther out. Explore something new and then come back. Then go and little farther, and a little farther and little farther until
Until he’s too far to come back in a short amount of time.
Bathe in moonlight, Deku looks so much paler. Smaller and if Katsuki lifts the witch’s shirt he knows he could count some ribs.
Deku loves adventures as much as he does. It’s obvious he wants to go on them too, but his health keeps him from so much. Katsuki likes challenges, but he’s not going to risk taking Deku on his adventure. If he brings Deku he will wind up dead
A chill sweeps through Katsuki and he can’t bear to look at a moonlit Deku.
Dead weight. He tells himself. As dead weight.
Deku is strong, but he’s not strong enough.
Katsuki needs to get stronger. He needs to be the strongest one there is.
A choice has been made.
“See that fucking castle over there? I’m going to own that castle one day.”
Today is the day. Katsuki is ready to go. The weight on his shoulder has been lifted. His blood buzzes and his heart aches.
His heart has been aching for a while now, from the way Deku tries to hide his sadness. He sucks at it. The idiot wants him to be happy, Katsuki knows, but he’s taking it hard. It makes Katsuki feel sick.
But Katsuki needs this.
For himself.
For Deku
For them.
Deku pecks him on the cheek and wishes him well. A tingling warmth spreads over him. He doesn’t need good luck, Katsuki tells himself, but he can hold on to it like a parting gift. He’ll let it slide.
Katsuki waves goodbye one last time before turning to the path where his journey awaits.
He moves forward and he doesn’t look back.