Bakugou threw a punch. Chuuya evaded. Bakugou was coated in sweat, while Chuuya was only slightly damp.

They froze as they faintly heard the sound of wind chimes. "Time out," Chuuya ordered. "Follow me."

Bakugou's lips twitched downwards. After several conversations, he knew not to grumble about things like that, he would only waste his breath. His unfortunately growing respect for Chuuya on top of that led him to actually obey the command, instead of sneering at Chuuya and doing the opposite out of spite.

They headed inside, to the cool interior of Crimson Moon. Chuuya slipped his phone out from his vest pocket. Chuuya tapped a button, the phone lit up. A message popped up on the screen, but Bakugou was unable to read it.

"So… I'm going to be busy next weekend," Chuuya explained. He glanced at Bakugou. "Which means I'm going to need a substitute."

"Do you know anyone who could?" Bakugou asked. His voice was hopeful. Losing any time he could be training time would suck.

Chuuya nodded and scrolled through his contacts. "I have just the right person in mind." He pressed the call button and smiled. "Hello Atsushi, are you doing anything next weekend?" He smirked. "Good. I need you to help a kid I've been training. I'm going to be gone this weekend." He said nothing for a few seconds, listening to the person on the other end. Chuuya waved his hand, nonchalant. "Yeah, just some close combat would be fine. Bye."

Chuuya turned a stern gaze onto Bakugou. "Okay, a friend of mine is going to train you. Behave, yeah?"

Bakugou grudgingly nodded.

XXX

It was Saturday. Chuuya's friend was only going to be here for one day, but it was better than nothing.

Bakugou walked into the back alley of the shop. He pulled out his phone to wait, the substitute hadn't arrived.

"Hello?" A voice timidly asked. The man had asymmetrical white hair. Whether it was bleached or natural, Bakugou couldn't tell. The man wore a white button-up and baggy black pants, a long belt sticking out behind him like a tail.

"Hey," Bakugou greeted, eyes glued back to his phone to finish up something. He turned off his phone and put it in his backpack on the door mat. "Are you Atsushi?"

The man smiled, a bright sincere smile that Bakugou rarely saw on other people. "Yeah, that's me. I'm supposed to help you with close combat, right?"

Bakugou nodded. He stepped into the middle of the alleyway. "Quirks or no Quirks?"

"How about with Quirks," Atsushi suggested. He rolled his sleeves up to his elbows.

Fifteen minutes later, Bakugou sat on the ground. He panted heavily. Sweat rolled down his face.

Atsushi smiled sympathetically. He may have overdone it. He's not trying to break the kid's spirit. "Do you want to take a break?"

"F*ck no. I'll beat you!" Bakugou sprung to his feet. His eyes were red and full of fire.

XXX

Mr. Fancy Hat: How'd it go?

Brat: Fine.

Mr. Fancy Hat: Oh?

Brat: Fine, I admit it.

Brat: He beat my a*s.

Mr. Fancy Hat: XD

Brat: -_-

Brat: It's not funny.

Mr. Fancy Hat: Except it is.

Brat: :p

XXX

School ended for the day. Bakugou pulled out his phone immediately. It was Friday, which meant Chuuya would tell him what they were doing before Mrs. Bakugou wanted her son home for dinner.

Mr. Fancy Hat: Quirk training today. We're going to the field.

Mr. Fancy Hat: Oh yeah.

Mr. Fancy Hat: Bring a water bottle.

Brat: Okay.

Bakugou yelled, "Yes!" He pumped his fist with a vicious grin.

Around him, the students started and stared at their overjoyed classmate.

Midoriya smiled, at least Bakugou seemed to be happy about something.

XXX

The next Tuesday, Midoriya went over to the Bakugous's house as usual.

At Wave 20 of Cod Zombies, Bakugou started to talk. His tone was blase as he explained, "I've been getting trained by a friend of my great uncle's. That's why I sometimes have bruises. They're from sparring."

Midoriya grinned, stars in his eyes. He was being trusted by his friend. "Thanks for telling me, Kacchan."

Bakugou recoiled emotionally and rolled his eyes. "It's not that big of a deal," he muttered.

XXX

Bakugou growled and narrowed his eyes. His punch was wildly off, but he didn't care.

"You still have problems with keeping your temper. That's just going to frighten people," Chuuya lectured.

Bakugou scowled. "Yeah, yeah. I've heard it all before."

"Is there any music genres you know you like?" Chuuya suddenly asked. He stepped back a few paces.

Bakugou stopped attacking in his bewilderment.

"You could listen to music. That might help you calm down and keep you focused." Chuuya shrugged.

"Yeah, but I'll look like an idiot," Bakugou scoffed.

Chuuya huffed. "You can sing out loud or in your head when you're fighting. There are some athletes who do that when competing." He dropped back into a relaxed fighting stance, feet spread a bit apart. "Now, back to sparring," he reminded.

"Yeah, yeah."

XXX

Bakugou halted mid-step. He thought he heard a sob, amidst the loud rap song blaring in his ears. He pulled his right earbud out and listened. Soft laughter and quiet despairing sobs came from in front of him and to the right.

He frowned and sprinted down the street. Bakugou screeched to a stop at a small alley between two brick houses.

"Oi, the h*l are you doing?" He demanded.

Wings guy and Fingers guy turned around. Bakugou knew them, they were two lackeys who used to follow him around as kids.

"Hey Bakugou," Fingers guy greeted with a sneer. "We were just roughing up this loser here."

Bakugou's gaze landed between the two bullies. Deku, no, Midoriya, sat on the ground. His lip was bloody and his eyes were full of tears.

"Really? Just leave him alone. You're acting like little kids," Bakugou snarked. He stuck his hands in his pockets and shrugged.

"Why do you care? You used to beat him up too," Wings guy pointed out.

Bakugou dropped his nonchalant pretense and scowled with annoyance. He glared at the two bullies. "Back the f*ck off. Unless you want to fight."

"Chill, chill, we'll go." Fingers guy held his hands up defensively. They weren't suicidal, Bakugou had gotten quieter but no less lethal over the past few years. Fingers guy and Wings guy quickly left though the other side of the alley.

Bakugou scoffed. "F*cking small fry."

Midoriya stood up, a large smile on his face. "Thanks Kacchan."

"Just figure out a way to fix your lip before you get home." Bakugou frowned and lazily waved goodbye as he left the alley.

XXX

Bakugou sat down on one of the two small seats in the alcove. The interior was cool and a welcome change to hot alleyway out back. He opened a water bottle and started guzzling water.

Chuuya closed the door and sat down on the seat beside Bakugou. "Congratulations, you got me to use my legs this time," he complimented.

Bakugou took a breath, nodded, and went back to gulping down water like it was oxygen. Chuuya snorted at the sight.

Finally, Bakugou was done drinking like a man who had found an oasis in the Sahara desert. He put his crumpled water bottle in his backpack. "So...there's something I've been thinking about," he carefully began.

Chuuya stared at Bakugou. "Oh? And what's that?"

Bakugou frowned. "How did you two know Kunikida? You and Atsushi looked like you're in your twenties? How the h*l did you guys know an old man who could barely get out of bed in the morning without hurting his back? It's pretty...unusual."

Chuuya squinted at Bakugou. "Are you saying the elderly can't have twenty year old friends?"

"No. But...it's suspicious as h*l that you all were." Bakugou crossed his arms.

Chuuya gave a large exasperated sigh. "You can't tell anyone about this," he warned, pointing at Bakugou with his index finger.

"Alright."

"I mean it, Katsuki Bakugou. Not a word to anyone who's not me, Atsushi, or Dazai, about this."

Bakugou nodded. "I promise."

"Follow me," Chuuya ordered. They went out of the alcove and up the nearby staircase to the second floor.

It was weird mix of a living room, bedroom, and kitchen. Creamy white and soft baby blue wallpaper coated the walls in cartoonish clouds.

Chuuya pulled out a small grey chest from behind the couch. He unlocked it and leafed through several pages with faded characters and yellowed photographs. As he did this, he began to explain.

"We were in enemy... businesses for a while. Then, a lot of crazy stuff happened. A strong alliance was formed between our sides out of necessity. After I left my business and moved to Musutafu, I ran into many people, particularly these three, and became friends."

Bakugou sat down beside his crouching mentor. Chuuya passed a photo to Bakugou. It was a picture of a much younger Kunikida who stood stiffly alongside a smiling Atsushi, smirking Chuuya, and grinning man with brown hair, swathed in bandages. Bakugou glanced back and forth between the current Chuuya and the one in the photo.

"Bakugou, the reason I left is because I realized I wasn't aging," Chuuya revealed. He frowned.

"So...you're saying...you're immortal?" Bakugou stared at Chuuya with disbelief.

Chuuya snorted. "Most likely. You've seen Atsushi already, he's the same. And you haven't met him, but Dazai's also still kicking and doesn't look a day over twenty five."

"Are you human?"

"As close as possible while still being an immortal." Chuuya wryly smiled.

Bakugou carefully put the photo on the red carpet. "This is...really f*cking weird," he bluntly stated.

Chuuya laughed.

XXX

Bakugou was walking through the alley shortcuts he used. He absently stepped around dirty puddles of water as he took out his phone.

Mr. Fancy Hat: Quirk training for the next few days.

Bakugou grinned and let out a small "yes!". He immediately changed directions from the shop to the field.

Mr. Fancy Hat: I'm going to help you learn how to fly.

Brat: ?

Brat: How?

Mr. Fancy Hat: Using my Quirk.

Now, Bakugou wasn't like the starry eyed Quirk lover Midoriya. But Chuuya had never even told Bakugou about his Quirk. Bakugou had resorted to guessing, but got nowhere. But, today, that he was getting an answer and learning how to fly.

XXX

Bakugou came to school a bit happier this Monday. He only talked when the teacher called on him, but he had a permanent smirk for the entire day.

XXX

"Why are you two here?" Chuuya asked. On his couch sat two uninvited guests. Atsushi sat properly, only taking up space on one cushion. Dazai was sprawled out, legs behind Atsushi's back, and his hands behind his head with a pout on his face.

"The Fukui are spreading again. But this time they're being careful. I can't find anything," Dazai complained.

Chuuya rolled his eyes. "Well, don't complain about it to me! You're our main information gatherer. So do something about it you waste of bandages. It's your job, not mine."

"I'm sure you'll be able to find something soon, Dazai," Atsushi encouraged.

"You're so kind, Atushi. Chuuya should be more like you," Dazai praised. Tears flowed down his cheeks in dramatic fashion.

"Yeah...no," Chuuya deadpanned.

XXX

At age 15, in the spring, Bakugou was walking back home. He always took the shortcuts he knew, even though they were often dark alleys with the occasional pile of garbage.

There was a faint odd squelch. As if someone was walking behind Bakugou with soaked plastic sandals.

Bakugou glanced backwards. He saw the disturbing sight of a large murky green jello with googly looking eyes and a big mouth.

"F*k," Bakugou cursed as he sprinted towards the end of the alley.

He had noticed the villain too late. A cold green tentacle wrapped around his leg and pulled.

XXX

Bakugou tried to brush aside the emergency responders when he saw the pro-heroes end their lectures of Midoriya's actions. Midoriya instantly left with a frown, his head held low.

Three minutes of arguing later and Bakugou sprinted after his friend. He caught sight of Midoriya.

"Hey, Deku," Bakugou wheezed. He winced. "Hey, Midoriya!"

Midoriya turned around, a surprised look on his face. "Kacchan?"

Bakugou grimaced and forced out one word, "Thanks."

Midoriya almost died from shock. Bakugou quickly made his escape.

XXX

"Hello, Sludge Kid," Chuuya mockingly greeted next weekend.

"Yeah, yeah," Bakugou sourly replied.

"The kid who's saved you was your classmate Midoriya, yeah?"

"Yeah. And I already thanked him for it, so don't get on my case," Bakugou said defensively.

Chuuya's eyebrows shot up. "You thanked him?"

"Yeah, I did. So what?"

Chuuya smirked. He threw an arm around Bakugou's shoulder. "Aww, you're finally growing up and learning when to swallow your pride."

"Oh, s*rew you," Bakugou snapped.

Chuuya laughed and ruffled Bakugou's spiky hair.

XXX

Rather than walking, Midoriya practically bounced into Bakugou's bedroom. "I'm training, with a pro hero I met. I'm going to go to U.A. Entrance Exam, and I'm going to pass!" He declared.

Bakugou pursed his lips and nodded. Where had this curveball come from? "I...hope you do."

Midoriya grinned.

XXX

"Huh. Midoriya said he was getting trained by a pro hero? And that he's going to enter the entrance exam U.A.?" Chuuya asked.

"Yes, that's what I said he said," Bakugou irritably affirmed.

"That's interesting," Chuuya stated.

"Why?"

"He's got a good heart, and that's about it. No Quirk and little physical strength. Why someone would choose him to mentor over other candidates is a mystery." Chuuya shrugged.

Bakugou frowned. He couldn't disagree, that was the pure harsh truth of it.

XXX

Chuuya sighed with annoyance as he felt the sand get into the cracks of his dress shoes. The beach was his last place to check on. Over the past two weeks, the trash had been slowly yet noticeably disappearing.

His stubbornness was rewarded with the sight of a very visible, grinning AllMight and Bakugou's friend-sort of friend?-Midoriya.

"Hello," Chuuya greeted. He tipped his hat to the two.

Midoriya let out a short scream, let go of the tire he was pulling out of a pile, and fell backwards onto the sand.

AllMight shifted and turned to face the newcomer. His countenance darkened although his grin was firmly cemented in place. "Hello, young man. And who might you be?"

Chuuya's eye twitched. 'Young man?' He was old enough to be AllMight's great grandfather. But Chuuya had far more important things to do then reveal his true age. He smiled and smoothed the irritation off of his face. "I'm Chuuya, a pleasure to meet you AllMight and a pleasure to meet you face to face Midoriya. Are you two cleaning up the beach?"

"Umm, yes! We are. It's for training. Well, physical strength training, because I need that. And um, how do you know of me? Because of my mother? She talks about me a lot, she always tells stories of when I was young..." Midoriya quickly rambled.

"Ah. I see. I thought it was something along that line. Good idea, AllMight. Midoriya should be fit for U.A's Practical Exam by then," Chuuya complimented.

"Why thank you young man," AllMight replied. His blue eyes curiously gleamed. "How do you know of young Midoriya?"

"From one of his classmates," Chuuya nonchalantly replied. He narrowed his eyes as Midoriya frowned and shrunk back at 'classmates'. It was the instinctive skittish action of someone who had been bullied repeatedly. Chuuya kept a slight smile on his face, no need to drive then off or make them suspicious. "I believe he's a friend of yours? Katsuki Bakugou?"

Midoriya's eyes lit up, happy and trusting. "You know Kacchan?"

"Mm-hmm, he's my student," Chuuya explained.

"Oh! You're the ones who's been training him! Are you a pro hero? Or are you a Taekwondo or Karate instructor? Or..."

"Breathe, young Midoriya," AllMight patiently reminded. Midoriya greedily gulped in air, an embarrassed red tint to his cheeks.

Chuuya smirked. "I'm a pro hero. But I work for an agency that is closely tied to the Japanese government, so I might as well be considered an underground hero. Which is why you haven't to heard of me."

Right before AllMight was about to ask a question, Chuuya's phone rang. Chuuya sighed and muttered under his breath as he fished it out from his pocket. "Hello? Ah...it's that...okay. I'll be there soon."

"Is everything alright young man?" AllMight asked. His tone still held curiosity, but also held a strong trace of concern.

Chuuya pressed the end call button and turned to AllMight and Midoriya. "Yeah, just a small error. But they need my help at the office so I have to go. See you two around."

AllMight beamed at Chuuya and gave a thumbs up. "Good luck."

Chuuya smirked. "Thanks."

XXX

The subway wasn't too crowded. A few people chattered and some started talking to the random people next to them. Fortunately, Bakugou didn't have that problem. Having earbuds in meant that strangers acknowledged your want to be alone.

He was split between exhaustion and excitement. On one side, he was completely sure he passed U.A.'s Entrance Exam, with flying colors no less. On the other, he really wanted to jump on his bed and sleep for the next two days.

XXX

"I passed! I got first!" Bakugou yelled.

"Good job!" Mrs. Bakugou happily shouted back.

Bakugou grinned and reached for his phone.

Angry Dandelion Brat: I passed the Entrance Exam.

Mr. Fancy Hat: Good job kid.