Of Flames And Quirks And Harmony

[35] Loose Threads

"This has been long overdue," Mitsuki Bakugo trailed out slowly, as if she was taming a rabid animal. They have just finished washing the dishes after lunch. "But we have to talk about this," she declared as she went to the TV and pressed the remote. It showed a close up shot of Deku during the obstacle race. She crosses her arms against her chest. "Did it ever cross your mind to tell us about him?" she asked with an expectant scowl.

Katsuki clicked his tongue. "No. I wasn't planning on telling. You gave up on him, remember?" He took the remote from his mom. He played the video on fast forward until it was during the nerd's fight with Eyebags. He stopped at exactly that part where they were both eaten up by black fire. "And besides, it's not him."

"What do you mean it's not him?" she took the remote again from him and zoomed in Deku's face. "Are you telling me this is some kind of clone of him or some long lost twin even Inko didn't know about? This isn't a good joke, Katsuki."

He jabbed a finger at Eyebags. "This guy's quirk is brainwash, with no flashy signs to tell he's using it except the blank, milky white eyes. If you think this," his finger repeatedly encircled the black fire, "is some unknown part of the brainwash quirk," He snatched the remote from his mom and played the video again until it was Deku and Half-and-half's match. "Watch closely and think again."

His mom did just that as she took the remote and played Half-and-half's match in slow motion.

"The 2-toned hair guy's quirk is both fire and ice, along with their respective colors, orange and bluish white," he provided as he could all but hear the gears turning in his mom's head.

Katsuki also took this moment to watch the match closely. There was something nagging him.

How easy had it been for Deku to lose the match, when he is clearly the overpowered one of the 2 of them.

Katsuki knew, he's been on the receiving end of the nerd's quirk. At first glance, it seemed to be the teleportation type. After some observations, his quirk was Speed. Speed in everything as long as he activates it. Speed in running, moving, attacking, or just blocking and dodging.

So what made him give up on the game? Why did he let Half-and-half win and take the easy way out?

It's impossible to conclude that it was because of him, of Katsuki himself. Because if he won his match against the 2toned guy he would have to go up against Katsuki. That was already obvious, given the line up of the matches. Deku was never one to back down from a challenge, and given their past and how he now holds himself up high, Katsuki is sure that the nerd would never pass up on mopping the floor with him for the whole damn world to see.

"But how...?" his mom trailed slowly after the god-knows-how-many-times-played video. "Izuku is quirkless. How did he gain a quirk of black fire?"

Katsuki was silent because he didn't knew the answer, and he was too prideful and full of himself to even ask.

His mom grabbed his shoulders and forced him to look at her. "Answer me," she said angrily and lowly.

Katsuki gulped; because a silent Mitsuki was a terrifying Mitsuki. She was always obnoxiously loud, and that's how she raised him: tough love. But when she's talking lowly, imitating his father? No one can predict what would happen next. And just because both mother and child have the same quirk, doesn't mean she can't hurt him. No. Mitsuki using her quirk on him was like an eye opener for him to know how painful his quirk is to others, like a taste of his own medicine.

It's not like he could explain what Deku exactly is now. He couldn't explain, given that Katsuki himself doesn't understand him. The 1st time he's seen Deku in a long time, he felt nothing but rage. When they fought during the Battle Trial, he felt nothing but cold dread. His fire had an odd coldness and heavy presence to it. It was like Katsuki was being drained.