"Is this a habit you've always had?" Bakugou questions, motioning at the thirteen notebooks stacked up on the table. Midoriya looks up from the sloppy penmanship that lines itself on his fourteenth, no fifteenth, notebook
"Yeah," Midoriya nods, peering at Bakugou. "Am I mumbling too much?"
"Hmm, no, I don't mind," Bakugou says, returning his attention to the bowl of katsudon settled in front of him. "You know, I'm still not very used to the Yuuei environment. I mean, how the fuck did all these fuckwits get accepted, Izuku-kun?"
"Deku," Midoriya corrects, the words slipping out of his mouth before he's even noticed.
"What?"
"You called me Izuku again."
"Oh," Bakugou shifts in his seat, the small fireworks popping at his fingertips giving away his discomfort. "Sorry."
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
when night falls
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Midoriya has always expected Bakugou to make some sort of flashy appearance, or disappearance. Same concept, same thing. He expects the hinges of the door to be blown off, explosions going off like some sort of terrorist attack when Bakugou returns, but this doesn't happen.
Bakugou's return is like a raindrop falling into a puddle, quiet and almost unnoticeable. It causes ripples in the lives of those closest to him, but otherwise, the world carries on without batting an eyelash.
To Midoriya, the ripple feels like a wave crashing down on his existence.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
After Bakugou's return is announced two years after his disappearance, Midoriya finds himself sprinting down the empty hospital corridor, hollow footsteps resonating across the floor. He turns at the corner, barely managing to brake at the door with Bakugou's nametag crudely plastered on it.
It takes a while to catch his breath and his heartbeat hammers against his chest nonetheless, so he takes a deep breath, gives his knuckles a crack for good measure and slides open the door. "It's been a while, Kacchan!"
Two pairs of gaze turn to him, namely All Might and Aizawa-sensei's. Bakugou is propped up on the bed, head turned to the buildings are contiguous against the window instead.
There's a pregnant pause, with Midoriya standing with one arm raised in a wave and neither of the teachers willing to meet his gaze.
"Umm, Kacchan, how are you feeling?" He starts and honestly, it feels pretty awkward, standing at the doorway, trying to shatter the ice.
Surprisingly, Bakugou is a lot less volatile than Midoriya expects him to be. The blond turns to him and frowns, raking his gaze over Midoriya's crumpled uniform and messy hair. It's a bit strange seeing Bakugou look impassive, calm even, but Midoriya thinks that this is a sight he could get used to.
"Um," Kacchan, no Bakugou starts with an unsure look that is kilometers away from the shit eating confident grin that Midoriya has been so used to seeing, "but do I know you?"
It takes a while for Midoriya to register those words, and when he does, he finds himself backing out of the room into a dash, yelling down the corridor, "Sorry, I must have had the wrong room."
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
It takes All Might in his One For All form to hold down a screaming Midoriya on the rooftop of the hospital. Midoriya's fingernails are smeared with blood from scratching at the superhero and the floor tiles have long been smashed into fragments.
All Might confirms that yes, this was the Bakugou Midoriya had grown up with, the Bakugou that had deserted Yuuei two years ago to join the League of Villians and the Bakugou that had inherited the All For One. More importantly, All Might emphasises, the current Bakugou has no knowledge about his All For One quirk.
Midoriya is spared the details, but he is told that Bakugou lost his temper in a fight, slipped up and got himself captured. His memories have been wiped, and no, there's probably no chance of recovering those memories, All Might tells him.
When All Might is done with his explanations, all Midoriya can do it grit his teeth and cry, pounding at the ground with his small, powerless white fist.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Midoriya's chest feels like a caged bird when he finds himself walking down the corridor he was just sprinting down yesterday. He stops in front of the familiar door and knocks, knuckles white from his clenched fist.
"It's you again," Bakugou sniffs when Midoriya enters.
"Y-Yeah," Midoriya stammers, eyes flickering around the pristine white room, "Sorry about running off so suddenly yesterday. Must've given you a shock, right? I'm Izuku, Midoriya Izuku, but you can call me Deku."
Bakugou looks unimpressed with his self-introduction and turns his attention back to the book that is gripped deftly between his fingers.
"So, Kacchan, what are you reading anyway?" Midoriya continues, as though hadn't been completely ignored.
"A guide on how to kick little green squirts out of the room."
"That's not a very nice thing to say," Midoriya counters as he grabs a chair from a corner and settles down beside Bakugou, bracing himself for an explosion that never comes.
"Heh, maybe," chuckles the blond when he flips another page.
"You know, I've really, really missed you Kacchan. When are you going to be discharged?" Midoriya says in all earnestness, biting back questions of where you've been in the past two years, what happened to Shiragaki, and did you miss me too.
"Presumably next week. Aizawa told me yesterday that I'll be attending Yuuei again, although I'm not sure what he meant by that."
"Well, we used to -"
Midoriya almost jumps out of his skin when the door slams open, followed by a series of deafening explosions
"Fuck, Aizawa, can't you at least knock," Bakugou snarls, directing more explosions at the black haired male.
"Whatever. Oh, nice shoes, Midori-"
"Sensei! Is it true that Kacchan is coming to Yuuei?" Midoriya yelps, jumping up and almost kicking Bakugou in the process.
"Yeah, next week. As agreed with your conversation with All Might earlier, you'll be sharing a room with him since it's a new term and all. I'm not sure how much you know about Bakugou's condition right now, but all he's still capable of fighting and he can still perform normal activities," Aizawa says, and corrects himself when Bakugou burns his book to a crisp in chagrin. "He can perform some normal activities, but his emotions aren't exactly stabl-"
"Would be great if you could stop talking as if I wasn't here, asswipe," Bakugou snaps.
"Still potty-mouthed as always, I see," Aizawa sighs, running his fingers through his unkempt hair. "If he gets violent, go get help immediately. Todoroki and Tokoyami will be rooming next to the two of you. Just don't end up crying like a helpless kid, Midoriya."
Bakugou quirks an eyebrow at this."Is this why you're called Deku?"
"Something like that, yeah," Midoriya says, forcing a chuckle as hiding his trembling hands behind his back
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
This time, Kirishima offers to accompany Midoriya to the hospital, and somehow, Todoroki finds himself getting dragged along too. It's only been a few days, but it doesn't take long for Midoriya to understand the implications of the different frowns that paint themselves on Bakugou's face.
"Who the hell are these two. And what's up with that hair, Candycane."
Todoroki's twitches, "My name's Todoroki Shouto."
"And I'm Eijirou Kirishima, your boyfriend!" The red head yowls, causing Bakugou's eyes to widen and shift closer to the far edge of his bed.
"What the fuck?!"
This wheedles a chortle out of Midoriya, and he gives Kirishima a nudge. "Don't worry Kacchan, you've only known him for a year, and he's already seeing someone else in our class."
"Yeah, better not let Kaminari hear you saying that," Todoroki mutters. "Anyway, it's nice to see you, Bakugou."
He secretly wonders how much Midoriya had paid Todoroki to say that.
"Hn. Same to you too, I guess," Bakugou says unblinkly. "So are you guys done visiting or what. And what's with the watermelon redhead's carrying?"
"Oh, that?" Kirishima grins, holding up the huge striped fruit. "The supermarket ran out of apples and we wanted to bring you something. In fact, I'll go slice it up right now. Lend me a hand, won't you, Midoriya."
"Okay, I'll be back soon, Kacchan!"
When the door slides shut behind the duo, Todoroki takes a seat besides Kacchan.
"Why are you even here," Bakugou spits out without restraint, "You don't exactly look ecstatic to be seeing me."
"In case you haven't noticed, it's quite hard to get enthusiastic about the idea of dealing with a human time bomb."
"No one's stopping you from leaving
Todoroki sighs in exasperation, mouth curling in distaste. " I'm just here for the sake of Izuku."
"What, are you in love with him in something?" Bakugou mocks, wiggling his eyebrows.
"Maybe I am," Todoroki bites back almost immediately. " So you really don't remember anything huh?"
"Nope," Bakugou shrugs, letting the taunt slip away. Whenever he tries to remember, all he does is draw up a blank, and it feels like he's suffocating in the emptiness. It makes the hair on the arms rise and the skin on the back of his neck prick. "So tell me about it," Bakugou prompts, fists curling around the bedsheet.
"You used to be a student at Yuuei," Todoroki states indifferently, eyes wandering to the window before clearing his throat and continuing, "and then you left in the middle of the term. Izuku kept trying to bring you back, and almost died trying so, but - "
By mistake, Bakugou looks up to see tired green eyes boring into his own from the doorway.
"That's enough, Todoroki," Midoriya interferes, stepping into the room, and Bakugou doesn't think he's ever heard more tired sounding that Aizawa's, "You shouldn't talk about unnecessary things."
"Unnecessary?" Todoroki raises an eyebrow. "Even though this is the truth?"
"I'll paraphrase then," Midoriya says with a smile, not the impish one that Todoroki is so used to seeing, but a one that only pulls slightly at the corners of his mouth. "If you say anything more, I'll kill you."
.
.
There's quite the pause when Kirishima walks in and Bakugou feels like he's some sort of pebble on the road, irrelevant and in the completely wrong place at the wrong time.
"Nah, I'm just kidding, okay?" Midoriya grins, grabbing the plate of watermelon and thrusting it into Bakugou's hands. "I'll go buy some drinks."
Todoroki doesn't say anything, but Midoriya can feel his gaze digging into his back like shards of ice.
.
.
The door shuts behind him and it's only when he reaches the vending machine does Midoriya thinks that it's okay to look back again.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Midoriya finds that his (and Bakugou's) new room is twice as spacious as the old one, and much like his old room, multiple All Might posters dapple the wall. Bakugou's side of the room remains empty save for an old class photo that rests on his bedside table.
"Yuuei really must have a lot of money," Bakugou scoffs when he enters after Midoriya. "I take it that's my side of the room?" He motions to the single bed and equally lonely desk sitting in a corner.
"Y-yeah, it's a bit plain right now, but we can do something about it, Kacchan."
"It's fine, doesn't look half as bad as the hospital room. Plus, we have a television," Bakugou shrugs, picking up the remote control from the coffee table that separates both sides of the room. It's not exactly like either of them has anything better to do, so Midoriya takes the remote out of Bakugou's hands and flips to the news channel.
"What's up with that?" Bakugou inquires when Midoriya takes out tattered notebook labelled "thirteen" and starts scribbling, pen flying across the page. "Are you taking notes on all the heroes? It's not like heroes are even that interesting." Bakugou says, peering over Midoriya's shoulders to look at the untidy scrawl.
It surprises him when Midoriya swivels around to look at Bakugou and stops for a second. "Don't you think they look really cool fighting crime like that?"
"Not really. Anyone can fight like that if they have a quirk and train enough," Bakugou counters, snatching up the remote and switching the channel to a comedy show instead.
A silence envelopes the room and in any other given time, Bakugou doesn't think that he'd mind if the silence wasn't this strained. The laughter from the comedy show sounds like a cat trying to hack up a hairball.
He coughs, and Midoriya doesn't spare him a glance at all, pen still poised on the notebook, tapping on the paper aimlessly.
"So why do you want to be a hero, Izuku?" Bakugou asks, and it feels like his tongue is twisting itself into knots.
" I was born Quirkless. When I was young, I had a childhood friend who had a really cool quirk and I really admired him," Midoriya starts, staring down at his notebook to evade Bakugou's stare. "Both of us really idolized All Might and we promised we'd become heroes together. I haven't seen him after my first year at Yuuei though," he finishes in a whisper.
"So what happened to that guy?"
"He said that Yuuei didn't couldn't give him what he wanted, so he left in search of more power, to fulfill the promise we made together, but he accelerated down the wrong path and I couldn't stop him"
A muttered "Oh" is the only thing Bakugou can offer in consolation, so he directs his attention to the television instead, trying his hardest to not glance at the green haired male.
And for a moment, he tricks himself into believing laughter from the television is able to fill up the hollowness of the room.
"When does the next episode of this show comes out?" Bakugou questions when there's no sign of movement Midoriya. "Izuku?" He prompts, twisting his neck, then freezes.
The cogs in Bakugou's mind stops turning when his gaze falls upon Midoriya's trembling shoulders. The green haired male raises his head and his eyes wet with tears, lips quivering.
"...Oi, what's wrong? Are you angry at me for changing the channel? I'll switch back to the news if you want."
There's a sniff and some incoherent mumbling, and Bakugou has no idea what Midoriya is trying to say.
"Was it something I did? I'll change the channel now, so stop crying, Izuku," Bakugou stammers, wiping the sweat off his hands onto his laps.
"It's nothing," Midoriya laughs, and it's the type of laughter which Bakugou absolutely detests. It's the type which catches in his throat and Midoriya hiccups. "I was just thinking about how little I actually knew about the friend that I mentioned earlier, that's all"
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
When Midoriya blinks open his eyes, the window is already washed black and speckled with stars. His eyes feel puffy and they're presumably bloodshot, rimmed with dark shadows . The clock on his bedside table reads 1 in the morning and he inhales, breaths coming at irregular intervals.
Bakugou, on the other side of the room, is turning and tossing, the rustling of his blankets sounding like the crashing of waves. Midoriya finds that the longer he stares, the more violent Bakugou's thrashing becomes, and he freezes like a deer caught in headlights when the ash blond jerks up and starts clawing at the air, screaming.
The explosions from Bakugou illuminates the room just enough to make out the silhouette of the other male clutching his head, tears streaming down his face.
"FUCK. IT HURTS."
"HELP ME."
It doesn't take long for Midoriya to bolt to the other side of the room, limbs tangling with Bakugou's flailing ones. The explosions are more sporadic now, more powerful, and he hisses when a particularly vigorous one catches his side of the cheek.
"Kacchan! Stop! " Midoriya screeches, and instead, receives a well-aimed blow to the stomach which leaves him wheezing.
Everything spirals downhill from that one sentence. "Who the fuck are you?!" Bakugou demands.
"Who the fuck am I?"
"Stop, stop, Kacchan!" Midoriya yells, "What happened?"
Another explosion, this one directed at his chest.
"I'LL BLOW YOU INTO PIECES"
"HURRY UP AND KILL ME."
"TELL ME WHO YOU ARE"
"WHO ARE YOU TO ME?"
It takes Midoriya all his strength to hold down Bakugou, his hands shaking and angry, red veins appearing stark against his pale skin. His eyes meets Bakugou and it's the oh-so-familiar glare boring into him again. He shudders at the memories that it brings back.
"Kacchan! Stop, you're hurting me!" Midoriya yells when yet another explosion goes off above his head, the plaster from the ceiling raining down onto his head.
"No, it won't hurt at all," Bakugou pauses, a shadow of confusion making its way onto his way, and Midoriya exhales, thinking that maybe he's finally regaining his sanity, until he sees the creasing of brows morphing into something more feral. Bakugou smiles, baring all his teeth.
Midoriya's not sure if it's five, ten, or fifteen percent of his power he's using right now, but his hands are shakier than ever, as if his power is being drained-
- His power is being drained -
Midoriya's eyes widen, and so does Bakugou's crazed grin.
.
.
It feels like he's being shoved underwater, Midoriya notes, when the sounds of explosions start to fade into indistinct popping and his arms feel like lead.
Bakugou is straddling him, and...is he finally calming down because the explosions aren't as bright anymore?
When his eyes lids feel too heavy, he blinks, and catches sight of lips moving.
What's that Kacchan trying to say?
Izuku.
No, it didn't look like that, Midoriya hazily thinks when his vision starts to dim and all he can register is the warmth that is pooling from where Bakugou is pinning him down.
'Zuku.
.
Deku.
(But what was the other word that Kacchan said?)
.
.
.
(Right, that's it)
.
.
.
Goodnight, Deku
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Midoriya wakes up like he does any other day. He opens one eye and peeks at the sunlight streaming in through the cracks in the curtains. There's someone padding around in the room and he can hear the clattering of cups and the smell of freshly brewed coffee.
There's a dull throbbing at the back of his head and his arms feel usually sore. He presses his fingers into his temples and his breath catches. Somehow it eases up the ache, but it's not completely gone.
"Are you awake?" Comes the familiar call of Todoroki from the open kitchen. Honestly, this room was more like a hotel suite than a dormitory.
"Yeah I am," Midoriya replies, pushing himself up with his elbows, which quickly give way and he flops back down onto his pillow.
Two minutes later, Todoroki appears and hands him a steaming cup of hot chocolate. The cup burns at his fingertips, but it's nothing compared to the pain from the night before.
Right, last night.
"Where's Kacchan?!" Midoriya half yells in realization when the thoughts come flooding back, forcing himself up and the hot chocolate spills from the sides of his cup.
"Next door with Tokoyami," comes Todoroki's swift reply. "Seems like he doesn't remember anything from last night."
Midoriya inhales shakily. "What happened last night?"
Todoroki raises an eyebrow at him. "Don't tell me you forgot as well. It was such a ruckus I'm surprised you didn't wake the whole building."
"I meant as in what happened after I passed out."
"Oh," Todoroki blinks, shifting his weight from leg to leg. "The both of us, Tokoyami and I, heard the noise and rushed over. We found Bakugou trying to strangle you and Tokoyami had to hold that guy down until a few hours back. He ended up passing out as well."
"I see," frowns Midoriya, "can you pass me my notebook?"
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Being strangled is no excuse to miss class and Midoriya thinks that he might just pass out again from standing under the morning sun.
"Meet me at the rooftop during lunch," All Might whispers to him when they're in combat class. At any other given time, Midoriya would have been squealing like some over-excited school girl, but his stomach plummets in dread.
"Okay," he says, closing his eyes and exhaling.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Before the bell has even rung, Midoriya finds himself leaping up the stairs two steps at a time.
As expected, All Might, or rather, Toshinori is already waiting for him on the roof in that deflated form, leaning against the rusty mesh wire fence.
"Young Midoriya, I think you already have a gist of what I want to talk to you about," Toshinori begins, eyes flickering over the green haired male uncertainly.
"It's about Kacchan, isn't it?" Midoriya breathes. "It's not as if we could have covered up what happened...yesterday"
"Bakugou is still very emotionally unstable, isn't he?" Toshinori asks, biting back a sarcastic laugh. "Don't think I haven't noticed that."
Midoriya bites on down on his lip, not exactly sure how to reply.
"Young Midoriya, there's actually been something bothering me that I wanted to ask you," Toshinori starts again, not taking his gaze off Midoriya.
Midoriya cocks his head to one side.
"Why did you choose to accept to room with Bakugou? There's absolutely no need for you to do that. It's nothing but a burden on you," Toshinori says, running a skinny finger over Midoriya's eye bags.
Yeah, why, Midoriya is quite curious as well.
"Probably because he was the first person to acknowledge me as a rival," Midoriya chuckles dryly, probing the back of his mind for reasons, "he gave me my name, gave me a goal to work towards and more importantly," the words catch in Midoriya's throat and they come out in nothing more than a whisper. "He gave me a purpose in my life."
"But you have the duty to take care of yourself, you know," Toshinori counters, eyebrows furrowing, "and no one knows when Young Bakugou will get better."
"Is there no a way for Kacchan to get his memories back?" Midoriya asks, hands twisting behind his back. "It shouldn't be hard to undo the effects of a quirk, right?"
Toshinori signs, pressing more of his weight against the fence. "There is, but even I am not sure of the requirements. But Young Midoriya, you must bear in mind that Bakugou had his memories erased for a reason. He is the sole inheritor of the All For One and also a highly wanted criminal."
"So there's a chance for him to recover those memories?" Midoriya presses.
"Don't go looking so hopeful," Toshinori narrows his eyes. "Do you think Young Bakugou will just sit around if he gets his memories back? If he ever regains his memories, the top brass, including the principal, probably won't hesitate to execute him, and you, Young Midoriya, as the wielder of the One For All, will have to be the one to carry it out."
Toshinori pushes himself off the wire fence, and pads towards the exit when Midoriya doesn't say anything.
"Young Bakugou used his All For One on you last night, didn't he? I can feel your flame wavering."
.
.
.
.
Toshinori turns around when he reaches the door, palm resting on the knob.
"Young Midoriya, what is your actual reason for concerning yourself with Young Bakugou?."
It's only at this question does Midoriya look up from the concrete floor he's been so intently starting at for the whole period of time.
He shouldn't be surprised that Toshinori, the one and only All Might, can see through his lies like glass.
"It's because," he stops and exhales when his vision blurs. "I've loved him for a long time now."