Chapter Text
"No, you know, I don't think that's right," Izuku shakes his head, grabbing his laptop again. The only other sound in the room was the obnoxious crunching of chips. He knew that Katsuki was losing interest in his All Might fanfics, but he wasn't. "He wouldn't just get scared, y'know? All Might is strong, Kacchan, he smiles to hide the fear that he might be feeling. He doesn't just . . . stop smiling! We can't just do that! It'll be too out of character." He smiles apologetically, knowing Katsuki will roll his eyes again.
"Whatever," comes the completely unbothered reply from the left side of the bed. His stepbrother is half sitting up, half laying down, a permanent scowl fixed upon his face. He's never been the happiest boy in the world, instead, he's chock full of anger and hot, burning hate. Most of it stems from the divorce of his parents and the sudden and unexpected marriage of his and Izuku's mothers. It had come to a surprise to everyone, really. It's not something you'd tell a 7-year-old kid without doing some major explaining. 'Hey sweetie, your mommy's a lesbian now! You know what that is? It's when two women love each other very much. . .' Izuku shakes his head, burying the memory again. That had been 11 years ago. Now they were 18 and Izuku thought that he and Katsuki were close, but his stepbrother seems distant. They always wrote fanfics together, but Izuku has noticed that lately, Katsuki has been distracted, or he's just disinterested. The green haired boy tries his best not to dwell on that and instead focuses his attention on a new chapter in their lives─ college. It's been looming over their heads all summer now, from graduation to September. They're to attend the same college, thankfully. Izuku counts his blessings and thanks whichever god of schooling is looking after him. UA University was praised for many, many majors, including the English program, which had caught Izuku's attention right away. Katsuki hadn't had the slightest idea of what he would study, so he had ended up applying as well. They both had average grades, so they both got in. Their moms were happy, and they planned to be roommates when they arrived at the university.
"Listen," there's an edge to Katsuki's voice when he speaks again, "I don't wanna be roommates. Sorry." Izuku doubts that the 'sorry' is actually genuine, just knowing how Katsuki is. He keeps himself calm, not allowing himself to break so easily. Katsuki hasn't hurt him, all he did was say he doesn't want to be Izuku's roommate in college. He can't blame him. Still, it hurts more than he wants to admit. They'd been through so much together, as brothers, and he was under the impression that they'd tackle this together, too.
"Okay," he says, keeping the hurt and disappointment out of his voice. "That's okay, Kacchan. I bet our roommates will be really cool." In all honesty, he's majorly freaked out at the idea of sharing a room with a complete stranger. What if they hated him? He tries to shake the feeling. He can't.
"I've already talked to my roommate," Katsuki's tone has changed from hostile to what Izuku considered happy, which was strange. "He's cool. Cooler than you, anyways."
"Oh. That's cool, Kacchan." Ow, that hurt, but Izuku couldn't let his feelings show. "I bet my roommate will be cool too! And we'll become. . . best friends." His voice tapers off as he says it. He doesn't think he'll be best friends with his roommate, but he could be surprised once he meets them. He feels like breaking down and sobbing, but he doesn't want Kacchan to think he's still weak.
"One more thing." This time the tone is in between hostile and not hostile. "Quit calling me Kacchan. It makes me sound like a stupid little kid." Izuku felt as if someone had driven a knife into his heart. They'd been brothers for 11 years, and yet Katsuki still held no regard for Izuku's feelings.
"Okay. Sorry." He mumbles, saving his draft and slamming the laptop closed. He leaves it on the bed, knowing that Katsuki can't do anything because he doesn't know the password (it's AllM1ght, not that Kacchan will ever guess correctly). He's not even sure what he's feeling at the current moment. Is it anger? Sadness? Joy? He can't tell. Sad as he may be, he also feels something like freedom. He pushes the feeling away. He should be focusing on something more important, like packing up all of his All Might merchandise. He fully intends to take it with him to university, and if his roommate doesn't like it, he won't care. He's proud of his standing and his fanboy tendencies.
The days until the two of them went off to university pass quickly, fading into stress and tears. Of course, Katsuki wasn't crying, which he prided himself on. Izuku and his mother, on the other hand, dissolved into tears almost every night during the week before Izuku and Katsuki went off to college. Mitsuki wouldn't admit it, but she too was feeling emotional. Her baby was going to university, and she would be damned if she wasn't sad.
Izuku feels empty on the drive to the university. It isn't super long, but each minute that passes by makes him feel even worse. He feels like he may never be happy again. Aside from his mother, the only thing he has to hold onto was Katsuki, who was adamant about pushing Izuku away. Pretending like he was okay will only last for a little while. eventually, he'll come crashing down and need something to lean on. Maybe his roommate will be nice and they'll become friends. It was a bit unrealistic, which he knows, but he can hope.
Arriving was the hardest part. Izuku himself is out of tears, but his mother isn't. She cries when they arrive, and when Katsuki and Izuku are retrieving their things. Though he knows he shouldn't feel like this, Izuku is dreading hugging his mother goodbye. He knows she won't let go for a while, which will make him sad again. He has one good thing to look forward to, though. Fiction writing! He feels like it will benefit him as a writer, especially for the All Might fanfics that are saved on his laptop. He has a good feeling about this UA University, and he hopes he's right.