20

Kasaya jerked awake, he was in his bed, but he'd rose so rash he jumped, falling, slamming immediately into the ground on his right shoulder, like a terrible nightmare that had startled a child in it's sleep. He yanked up the tank top he was in and there it was.

It was true.

Another scar to add to his collection.

He slammed his back up against the bed, the side rail going into his middle spine, palms spread out over the cool tile floor hyperventilating.

The reel had played, and what he seen, it was horrifying, some parts more so than others: the most ashamed part was the slutty shit with Eraserhead that his brain made his body do.

He knew for sure now, as Bakugo in the movie clip was talking, as if he was holding a conversation with someone, or something, that katsuki clearly was speaking to it, to Diasuta.

That his head... had it's own voice, not just it's own consciousness.

Freaking out, he crawled on the floor hands and knees like he had in the upstairs viewing area's side room, wrenched his bottom desk drawer open and started ferociously grabbing his old baseball medals, banging them all over the floor on his side of the room, to get to exactly what he needed... vodka.

The big bottle.

He snapped the cap off, letting that taste, bitter, strong, sweetly envelop his lips, the glass ring of the opening a perfect circle. The sting hit his tongue, then down his throat it slid, smooth. He drank it raw, straight, until he couldn't chug anymore and he felt the heat of tears that he knew would never fall come to his eyes.

Then he did the only thing he could think of to protect himself, simultaneously he grabbed Hisashi's military duffel and ripping open his dresser's drawers, stuffing fistfuls of clothes, socks, boxer briefs, phone charger, headphones, anything pertinent into it, including all his alcohol and cigarettes, some shoes and a uniform for school.

He had to get out. He had to get away. Kasaya was doing the only option he felt he had left: Run. Hide.

Opening his phone to text Hisashi, he had to tell him he was so sorry, to tell him that he no longer felt safe, to reverse the 'Here', that he had sent him via text that morning.

Everything was not okay. He was not okay.

But in that second, as he pushed the door wide open, squeezing himself recklessly through the threshold, getting ready to trace his fingers across that screen, to barrel down the hall, a hand instantly wrapped around it, jerking it out of his palm and the force pushed him back into the dorm room, so rash that it knocked him to the floor.

He landed on his backside, and it was so hard it knocked the wind out of him, a heavy bag of weight on top of him. A person.

Kasaya tipsy, out of pure sudden fear began swinging fists, phone flying and skittering across the tile under his bed, duffel flinging off his shoulder and sliding away from him across the ground.

The door on spring closed behind them with a loud snap.

The force restrained him in the darkness of the room, the weight exhausting, it breathed rashly and hot as it locked its hands around his wrists, clamping down like vices.

"Let me go!" Saya shouted. He began to yell, he didn't know what else to do, he wasn't in a state of mind where he was thinking straight. If he was, he could of easily used some karate, and downed the person.

Right away a hand went over his mouth. "Quiet!" It hushed, rather angrily.

A shiver went over Kasaya, and he instantly stopped writhing.

Katsuki.

"Nobody knows. Stop." He said, plain.

It was rather low, and somehow it seemed... like it was meant to calm him. Satoko instantly was all ears, but he still reiterated, but in a smaller, more complacent voice: "Let go of me."

Bakugo did, his blonde hair darker than normal in the room with it's lights out, only a tiny stream of sidewalk lighting came through the two windows in the room. He wasn't satisfied with releasing his grasp, but this had to be settled.

Kasaya then felt him sit up, his weight still on his hips, but he didn't get off of him, still locking him in with his knees.

Kasaya sat up on his elbows, his eyes adjusting, it was him. He would look up at him and meet his red-eyed glare.

Bakugo ran a hand through his locks, frazzled. He liked doing it now, a lot, it calmed him down. He had to chill out, not let his rage gain control over his head. He had to have control over this, it was laid in his lap. And, he hadn't texted Hisashi; he made a pact with Aiwaza instead, they'd handle it. It pissed him off, but he'd manage it; report to Eraserhead.

It may be selfless to do such a thing, but truly, Bakugo, selfishly chose not to alert the brother, so his game could continue. A pact with Aiwaza would ensure that would happen, and that he could continue it along, alerting the older brother would do nothing except create speedbumps.

Diasuta gave him the right to squeeze it out of him, information. Bakugo had been thinking it over in the shower (and thank gods he got back just in time for Saya to wake, or he would of been truly out-the-door and gone) and he decided that yes, he would take the vile brain up on it's proposition. What made him boil was that it was like it knew his fun. It was probably watching him right now, loosely, as he could smell that fresh liquor on his roommate's breath.

"It fucked me over..." Kasaya already knew he knew some shit, as that day confirmed where they just looked opposite directions as he passed him on laundry day, but he thought they'd sort of settled it with a few drinks after he's came back up to the room. "again."

"No shit." It came out of his mouth in a quick pop. "Your brain's an asshole." That's the conclusion that he's come to with Aiwaza Sensei. Somehow they had to get Diasuta to not be this menacing force that overtakes when he gets injured. That would be the first step, but getting there, now that was a whole puzzle and a half.

Bakugo didn't care much about whether Kasaya failed or not, all he wanted was data. Stories.

The most interesting person he ever met, better hand them over.

If he had to play a role in this 'saving' to get what he needed, then he would. Plus, Diasuta gave him the go-ahead to drag it out of him however he wanted to, handed him the ownership over that.

Bakugo didn't need an organ to tell him that he could do whatever he wanted, to question however he wanted, to yank and dig up and sleuth however he needed to play his game, but having something like that give him the 'right' to do it, made him that much more high-headed and lordly over his roommate.

Control, he was willing to take it as it was, but the brain solidified that solely as a yes.

"Hisashi." Bakugo mouthed, moving his arms to be right beside Kasaya's, they kind of touched.

At the sound of his brother's name, Kasaya was instantly more alert and looking into those cinnamon orbs, staring heatedly down, intense.

Intense. He'd thought that before about the blonde.

Every aspect about him, was intense, rich, thick. Stares would gravitate his whole attention, people could not handle him and his attitude, his form so deathly perfected in physicality that he literally had to flick off like bugs any type of 'suitor' that proposed themselves up to him.

It caused a wiggle to go across the chest of the one on the ground, a few beats of his chest to spike.

Katsuki had him nailed down right now, and in saying his brother's name, he wandered densely into Bakugo's own forest. He had to hear out what would come next, Kasaya did hear Bakugo ask about Hisashi in the reel.

Exactly what came out of Suki's mouth answered that: "It wasn't gunna kill him."

Saya's mouth fell, he stammered a quick. "Hah?"

Bakugo huffed, still looming over him, their forearms touching. Bakugo wanted to play his game, gently. That was what he decided. He felt that by being rash, demanding, he wouldn't get it out of him, nothing.

He'd never actually thought on the 'mood' of his little (now blown into a larger scale's) charade.

Bakugo had just been really going about it, driving it around rather haphazardly, just getting in jabs here and there, taking advantage of situations as they arose.

But with most recent events, he realized if the gambling were to continue, a softer approach was needed.

Because of his need.

His want.

His.

Because of this ownership, for some fucking reason, he was beginning to feel connection towards the idiot.

That was why he chose to bring this up. That kinship that Kasaya had to his brother, he could get him to spill that way, mischievous that endeavor was, that route, but Bakugo didn't care, and with the reaction Blue Bun just gave, what Diasuta said was confirmed: Kasaya really did think that it was a cold-blooded killer.

"That's what it said."

"I can't believe that."

Suki chuffed out of his nose like a tiger, then sat up, understanding now that the one under him was calm enough, and captured enough with that tidbit of information that he'd probably stick around.

Kasaya groaned as Katsuki got up off of him, and sat on the floor Indian-style, resting his head on a palm, that elbow on his knee. "I have your brother's number, told me to text him if shit got insane."

"What?" Kasaya looked appalled. Did his brother not trust him? He got that that incident up in the penthouse must of been what spurred it. But giving it to Bakugo? Of all people? What the fuck was he thinking?!

"Yeh." Bakugo grumbled. "I didn't let him know about this. Did you?" He truly was being blatantly cavalier under the surface, but texting Hisashi would just cause a problem on this path, and the biker cut, even though the road had gotten more twisted, did not want anymore potholes in his way. He had to know.

"I was..." Kasaya started looking around. His phone where was it? Where'd it go? He spied it under the bed. "but..." He cut himself off, reaching for it.

Bakugo let him, because Kasaya just grabbed it and turned it upside down on the floor, not touching it, obviously wanting to know more.

"Aiwaza and I... lied." Bakugo crossed his arms. He'd done it. That was a truthful statement. Aiwaza and him had come up with a simple blatant lie: The 'villain' was being high-headed and wanted to set terms, but before he'd got the chance, Bakugo blew him to high-heaven and warded him off, setting the whole class free of the control over them. Aiwaza and him also came up with an imperfect description of the 'villain' to give to the police.

Kasaya asked how they'd lied, and Katsuki filled him in on this. It left Kasaya stricken. What the hell? This was a rather selfless move for his roommate. What was this all about? The paper and getting him away from Ibara came immediately to mind.

"You don't like lying." Saya said, crossing his arms around his legs and laying his head down on his knees, similar to how he was sitting in the shelter back in the dome before the explosion happened. He was surprised they were talking so casually, especially after everything.

"Don't owe me." Suki spoke out rather harsh. This was a step into the deep end for him. He had sacrificed a moral code, one that he tried to uphold, as much as possible, to play more in depth.

"Don't do it again. Don't lie for my sake. I don't need you to cover for me. I am in charge of myself." He meant it, those gray eyes stared over.

That actually made Bakugo smirk, that uncaring, but yet, independent attitude. There it was. Bakugo admitted, it made him sick to his stomach to lie, especially to lie 'for' someone. The reasoning behind it was a greedy, and in doing it he knew he would feel uneven, but he had done it anyway. This time... if he and Aiwaza didn't lie though... this one would be arrested, surely he did get that.

But what was just said.

It made him feel... better.

Bakugo didn't want to feel sick over lying, his guts knotting, and it calmed him to feel a sense of his roommate still blistering out that he didn't want anyone to speak for him, that he was 'the one' that would manage himself.

Kasaya was surprised that nothing was said in return to his sudden 'telling Katsuki what to do', but then something, just as he'd been thinking that was:

"Good." It came out resolute, but Saya picked up a sense of ease from it.

The blue-haired one got a little bold, he got what Katsuki and Aiwaza had done for him. They literally saved his ass, his education, his place of living. It was almost too much of a sacrificial thing for him to believe. "So... we're good?"

Bakugo in the darkness, his head turned away, smiled a large smile, one his roommate could not see. 'Yes.' His mind plugged. He had to say something, he needed insurance in this pastime that was beginning to consume him. Something that would...

Suki began to feel fluttery.

Something that would make them... 'closer'.

His smile fell.

Closer.

This game was making him do things that he otherwise would find to be very annoying.

What was going on with him? Suki suddenly got very analytical of himself. Was he getting in a bit too... deep? Never had he really desired to understand someone as much as this person sitting across from him on the tile floor.

He had had the thought that he could stand being around him, around Blue Bun, just as much as Diasuta called out that Kasaya could stand being around him. It had also said that Kasaya knew he was selfish and that he didn't care if he was.

"Let me know something first." Suki piped out instead. 'GOD DAMNIT!' His mouth, again just belched out words. Too fuckin' late! He had to go on now! He growled at himself in his own frustration.

Saya was instantly confused, something was wrong with his roommate all of a sudden, all he wanted to know was if everything was going to be back the way it was! He knew he owed it to Katsuki to answer any questions that he had though; a previous thought, he had saved his ass. This time for sure. 100%. Unlike when it was wishy-washy with Ibara, where he was left uncertain.

The blonde was no longer thinking about his hand of cards right now, the game. He was putting it aside.

"How can you stand being near me?" Bakugo felt his chest, on that quip into the darkness of the room, expand, his heart beat out a little, a quick intake of breath. That was so... personal; and he's let it out.

He was curious.

He really wanted to know. He knew he was a terror, he just wanted to hear it out of Saya's own mouth, not have Diasuta just tell him.

Kasaya crunched his eyebrows down. That came off completely opposite of his roommate's normal overly-confident attitude. It halted the air in his throat. But, Suki just got quiet after that, the patience in it was steadfast. "I..." He sputtered. He kind of didn't know where to start with this one, but he had to answer him. Since when had his roommate gotten so questioning, and talkative-ish? Suki... was he changing somehow, to actually 'like' him? "I don't think like everyone else."

That was the clearest, transparent answer he could give.

"Hn." Bakugo throated.

"Everyone thinks your a menace..."

"They should." Suki spat out.

Kasaya smirked, looked away, but he knew. Katsuki had told him already... let him in on that he just yells at people to 'set the mood', and to get them to back the F up out of his space. "I think that too, but I'm not bothered by it."

"Why?" Suki instantly shot back at him, it wasn't as angry as it was inquiring.

He tightened his bun up on his head, and began putting the medals back in the drawer, (which Katsuki had been purposefully ignoring the whole time, he'd already made a notion to draw up that story later, he wanted to know why he despised his so much like he despised the singular one he'd earned by default), and began pouring OJ into two cups, mixing the vodka in. "You said we'd have one right?"

Saya leaned back into the position he had been in, his back against the railing of his bed, his butt on the floor, knees up.

The cup was on his side of the room, over the tape.

Saya pushed the cup to his side, over the duct tape, but with a swift movement, Bakugo grabbed it, stood, lumbered over, and sat sloppily down right next to him, his spine against the bottom rail of his bed too, knees up sitting similarly, in clunky sweats. That surprised the shit out of Kasaya.

"Bonzai." The leaner one said low, and those red-eyes flashed at him, and Bakugo brought the cup over and tapped it lightly with Kasaya's.

They both took a sip, then both did the same thing, took a loud full on, savory swallow.

Saya leaned his head back onto the edge of the soft mattress, cup going down between his legs, hands still on it.

Bakugo brought his head down, taking another swallow. It was good. This was... good. This he wanted. Not just the drink, as he'd told him, but the board to be flipped back.

"You know." Kasaya spoke low. "You're the only person I can stand."

There it was. Katuski's eyes opened wide, then closed back down on the lip of the cup to swallow some more. These screwdriver's they were just too much, too good that they coaxed him on, he was beginning to wonder what it would taste like with grapefruit juice instead.

It was confirmed by his roommate's voice. So, it was true. But he wanted to know what that 'meant'.

Kasaya let go a little. "I can't even stand my own brother." He cleared his throat. "He's got no faith in me at all."

Bakugo cleared his throat.

"That's why I can stand you. Not because I feel you have faith in me, as disgusting of a term as that is..."

The blonde smirked and took another sip. Damn, it was going down fast, and they both had school tomorrow. Disgusting was right. 'Having faith in someone'. Faith. 'Eh.'

"but because you don't give a shit."

"Hn?" He turned watching Kasaya taking a few swallows, with a satisfied sound coming from his mouth. Let Diasuta drown in Kasaya's drinking, it was a shitbag and deserved it for what it did today.

"Er, you only give a damn about stuff that actually matters. My brother cares too fuckin' much about other people's opinions. It's stupid as shit."

Bakugo blurted, the drink loosening his lip: "Homework. School. If I had a job. Becoming a hero."

"Exactly." Satoko followed up. "You ignore the senselessness. So do I." Kasaya felt another twist of connection happening. They really were, were they? Yet again, Kasaya felt it. That perhaps he was, and that he could be a 'friend', friends with Bakugo Katsuki, Death Explosion Murder.

"For different reasons."

"Yeh, but I think you and I ignore girls for the same reasons."

Suki smirked, there was a weird cackle type grunt in his throat. Saya noticed he was out of mixed cocktail, and motioned for him to give over his cup and he did, and he whipped him up another, handing the cup back.

"I hate women." Kasaya blurted. "Can't even have a female nurse, or anythin'." He was feeling the vodka now, it was tingling his toes.

"Mine hate is about as bad. Pisses me off when that old hag at the medbay kisses my cheek to heal my wounds, like my fuckin' grandma."

Kasaya laughed.

Katsuki smiled. It was kind of fun. This. Letting the game go for a bit. They were just babbling on about random things, that don't mean too much at all, just like on the terrace balcony at that restaurant.

"What do you hate the most about girls?"

"What the fuck this there not t'hate?" Katsuki took a sip out of his new drink that was made for him. "Nail polish. Sickeningly sweet conversations. They're consistent need t'try t'drag you into a relationship with them. They way they always get in y'fuckin' space as a way t'get you t'notice them. They way they move their bodies is not sexy, it's fuckin' gross." He got a bit wordy, and he knew it was brightening Kasaya's mood right up, but also he was starting to slur some. "I don't want t'have anything t'do with that."

"Same." Kasaya tinked the tip of his cup. Man, Katuski was passionate about it too.

Katsuki smiled, right at Saya.

And that made him somehow remember it, from somewhere else. That smile, he swore up and down he'd seen that smile before. Just where was it that he had? He just couldn't for the life of him recall.

"Wha'bout you? What's the worst things?" Bakugo voiced inside his drink.

"When a girl is cruel; I don't like that. Also, girlish shit that they collect. I know this girl that has unicorn everything. I hate it. You literally drown in it."

"An ex?" Bakugo was wondering back into gaming territory.

Kasaya hesitated, his jaw moving slightly left and then right. "Not exactly."

"Then wha?"

He felt anxious suddenly. "It's..." His head swam. "complicated."

"Another thing I hate. Why'tha fuckin' complications? Drama." He sipped.

It made Kasaya smile small, in this moment, they may be sort of talking about her, but he wasn't feeling bad. He didn't know how Bakugo did it, but he always erased the thoughts that would pour in. His focus was just on the conversation. "Yeh. She was... dramatic. That's a good way to put it."

Suddenly Kasaya watched the body shift, and Bakugo's head was leaning over to face him, eyes burning, and Saya messed with his bangs, letting them fall over his face, took look out from underneath of them, he still, tried to evade that stare, when he could, because it stirred him up.

The biker cut's words came out so soft, unlike anything that Kasaya had heard. "Was she cruel to you?"

He was mining for answers now, Bakugo, but... something inside his gut was sickish, twisty. Did some chick mess him over? Was it the girl on the phone? He kind of felt a bit angry. It was driven by his intense personal hatred of them.

Kasaya looked away and swallowed. "Yeh."

Bakugo's stomach dropped, eyes narrowed, he let it out-of-the-bag. "I heard you on th'phone, with a girl."

Kasaya turned, his eyes wide. The last time he's actually talked on the phone... was with... the witch. "The courtyard?"

"Yeh. Round'noon. You gave her a good chewin'." He hadn't wanted to say anything, hadn't even wanted to share that, but now, he felt he needed to. His roommate looked fearful though. "Good job. She must'be a bitch." Suki began slugging his drink down.

Kasaya suddenly just burst into a laugh. It was confusing! He felt his face warm, and some deep emotion pop up. It was one out of comedy. Funny. Joy. How did he do that to him!? He just maybe never would understand. "Ashley. She is." The mood lightened again, volunteered her name.

Bakugo smiled. He got it. A name. 'Ashley.' So that was the evil witch that Diasuta kept referring to as 'she and her'.

Kasaya changed the subject through his dying-down laugh. "Want to know something funny?" Kasaya for some strange reason felt settled, he was okay once again. The room was okay. The thought of bolting out the door, leaving, it was gone, and he just wanted to strangely see that smile. That smile. He just... he couldn't place it, but he wanted to see it again. He wondered if anyone else ever seen Bakugo Katsuki smile?

"Hah?" Bakugo sipped.

"You know that guy, the one who's ass I kicked in the dome?"

"Copycat D-bag?"

"Yeh." He sipped. "You were on the other side of the field, but he copied the float quirk."

Bakugo looked at him again, intent on listening to what Kasaya was going to say, he took a swig.

"She gets sick when she uses it too much."

"NO!" Bakugo sat up straight. He instantly started to kind of sputter out a tiny, cackly giggle.

"Dude." He then got the confidence to brush the bangs out of his own eyes, so Suki could see that he was dead serious. "He tried to fly around on a rock like a fuckin' hoverboard, crashed it, and he started straight pukin' everywhere!" Kasaya felt so animated and 'alive'. It was weird, not what he was used to.

He watched Katsuki suddenly roll over on his side, the cup sliding out, empty again. Bakugo practically flopped over, and ran his hands through his hair, laughing deeply and a smile on his face that was even larger than his last one!

How 'happy' that made Saya, seeing that. He started chuckling too.

"What a douche!" He finally heard Bakugo shout.

That was the first time Kasaya got to hear Katsuki's true rolling laugh, and to see his deepest toothy smile, full of perfect teeth.

He was right in thinking that that story would put a vicious smile on that generally sour mug, on that pale, strong-jawed face.

Truthfully, if any girl seen him this way, they'd instantly want to be his girlfriend. It wasn't menacing at all.

Katsuki's eyes showed a bit of shine, his mouth wide, wrist on forehead, rocking on the ground, whimpering because it had been so hilarious to him that that asshat blew chunks all over the field.

To Saya, his demeanor right now, was a bit... cute.

Kasaya launched his head the other direction. 'What the fuck!?' He instantly bottomed his drink out, chugged it. Damn it to hell. 'No!'

Wrong.

So wrong.

Suki launched up, hands behind him on the floor, still chuckling. "It'z late. We got school'right?"

"Yeh." Satoko said trying not to sound forlorn, to indicate that most recent horrid thought.

Suki stood, somewhat off balance, and flopped down into his bed.

Kasaya climbed into his then too, picking both cups up and put them on his desktop, putting the OJ and liquor safely into storage (the bottom desk drawer).

'Horrid.'

Saya stared at the ceiling.

Horrid.

He could still hear Bakugo chuckling, and heard him mumble, pulling sheets around. "Fuck'that's th'best." Then he spoke to him as he finally found a comfortable spot. "Go t'class like normal. Nobody'knos. K?"

"K." Saya mumbled back, somehow trusting those words, he looked over at that wide-backside as he had in the 4th Floor's lounge that they'd 'camped' out in.

Maybe... it wasn't so horrid.

It was just a descriptive word.

That's all.

Men can be that; they can be 'cute', at times, he figured.

He looked up to the ceiling.

He was sure plenty of girls and guys both probably didn't think that from the start of looking at him, as his shape was alpha-male, but then after they got a taste of that attitude, he was sure they probably dismissed any thoughts on him period.

But Kasaya didn't mind the attitude.

It was what made him... him.

Cute.

He'd had to think on that one.

Was it another thing that he got to see aside from that earnest, powerful smile, that nobody else got to witness?

No matter, he tossed that strange word out the window, he's done a selfless act for him, it was clear, even if he remained whole-heartedly selfish. Kasaya then was unsure whether Katsuki even seen it that way, was he so used to seeing himself as selfish like he'd poked out to his brain in the reel, that he couldn't differentiate between what was and was not selfish?

Honestly, that was his problem.

He let his gray eyes scan over again.

Cute.

Wow. 'What the hell is wrong with me?'