Yes! The New Bakudeku Status Quo Of Excitedly Wanting To Show Off For Each Other, Being Invested In Each

yes! the new bakudeku status quo of excitedly wanting to show off for each other, being invested in each other's success, cheerfully and shamelessly complimenting the other (deku>kacchan) and constantly offering their concern and support (kacchan>deku)! on top of having secret tea convos and training sessions with their shared childhood hero! this is the dream, folks.

yesssss, my two good boys finally turning it around and starting to have the healthy relationship that I always hoped they would, and it’s finally happening, and they’re supporting each other and pushing each other and helping each other grow. and All Might is watching all :D and saying things like “you’ve got a good friend there” that sound absurd on a surface level, but he’s right though. Katsuki has not always been a good friend – has not always even been a friend, let’s be real; he was an absolute shit to Izuku for years and did and said some really fucked up things – but he’s grown and he’s changed (as shounen characters do!), and he’s becoming the person he always had the potential to be, and the more I see of that person the more proud and excited I am.

and the thing is that All Might and Izuku in particular have always been able to see that potential, and didn’t give up on him (and all the props in the world to Izuku for that, because he had every right and reason). and so yes, All Might is absolutely right, Izuku does have a good friend there now, because underneath all the scowling and bitching is someone who is

(1) treating Izuku’s secret with the gravity that it deserves and keeping it under wraps, and honestly taking it more seriously than All Might and Izuku are themselves (still can’t get over him chewing them out for discussing OFA right out in the open like six feet away from the rest of the class)

(2) worrying about Izuku enough that when his intuition told him something was up (”did something happen with One for All?”) he grumpily stomped over and made them fill him in. he didn’t have to do this; he could have simply ignored them both (”eh, it’s probably nothing”) and focused on himself. but he didn’t. I believe it was a Mr. Might in chapter 40 who said something to the essence of, “giving help even when it’s not asked for is part of what makes a true hero.”

(3) helping Izuku to stay focused on what he needs to do and constantly reminding him of what his goals are (and again, we know how seriously Katsuki takes his own goals, so him doing this for Izuku is a big deal). when are you going to make that power your own?? I’m improving, so you’d better not slouch if you want to keep up!

(4) sitting in on OFA Scooby Squad meetings and honestly being the most productive one like two minutes after he’s all caught up (I’ll talk about this more once we get up to ch 217, but both All Might and Izuku are veeeeery hesitant to talk about The AFO In The Room for obvious reasons, whereas Katsuki brings it up almost immediately, which, thank you)

(5) lastly, going out of his way to help Izuku train and try to master his new power, which is notable for several reasons:

this obviously cuts into his own free time which he could be using to eat or relax or train himself. we saw when they got back to the dorms that everyone was hanging out, and both of them were probably invited to hang out too, but Katsuki chose to train with Izuku instead, and until quite late at that (7 p.m., a mere hour before his bedtime lol)

rather than being jealous or insecure about Izuku’s new quirk, he accepts it without hesitation. like okay, so I guess he can do this now then. whatever. fucking quirks, man. wild

and lastly, branching off from there, my absolute favorite thing of all: that Katsuki is actually the most gung-ho of all three of them when it comes to Izuku’s new quirk.

unlike All Might who’s worried and hesitant and focused on training Izuku so that his new power doesn’t just come bursting out, Katsuki wants Izuku to embrace it. he wants him to bring it out! you’ve got this new quirk which is fucking sick and super powerful and apparently just the tip of the iceberg! great! bring it! own that shit! learn how to use it! don’t be afraid of it!

seriously. that last part is so, so important. ever since Katsuki realized the truth about OFA, that it was All Might’s power passed on to Izuku, he’s shifted from being afraid and resentful of Izuku’s strength to actively pushing him to become as strong as possible. “have you gotten any stronger?” “have you made that power your own yet?” he keeps asking him this. in chapter 108. in 120. in 168. and in 206. because the thing is, now that he finally understands, Katsuki wants Izuku to succeed. and perhaps even more importantly, he believes Izuku is capable. he’s never once questioned whether All Might made the right decision. despite all his tsuning around Izuku, he has faith in him. and so, when he learns about his new power, his response isn’t to worry about whether or not he can handle it; it’s to try and test it out. he’s even the one to point out, during their tea party meeting, that Izuku is the first person to unlock this shit. gives him all the credit. and he just accepts it. he believes in him. it’s your power! it’s there for you! of course you can handle it! and he has absolutely no patience with Izuku thinking otherwise. there’s actually a phenomenal amount of trust there. because Katsuki has long since learned his lesson about ever doubting him.

so yes. the new BakuDeku status quo. in which Kacchan has Deku’s back and the two of them support each other and trust each other and their bond continues to heal and grow as they themselves continue to grow. fucking character development. look at that. healthy rivalry. this is my weak spot. this is everything to me. and it is glorious.