In the end Katsuki had to stay at the hospital until the early hours of the morning. Doctor Amatani came to talk to his parents about his ears, she was a hearing specialist and had been called in to assist. She asked him to do several tests, recording what he could and couldn't hear. It was nothing new. Bakugou had done all of these tests before, numerous times. He had been warned about hearing loss at the age of seven and had begun learning sign language promptly after.
He remembered being told that losing his hearing was an eventuality, not a possibility. He remembered crying, not because he understood what was going on, but because his mother was hysterical. He'd never seen that before. She'd always been the strong one, but now it was his Dad's turn to be there for his family.
He learnt later that his father had expected it. Although his Quirk was relatively weak, Masaru's family all had some form of explosive Quirk, none as powerful as Katsuki, as their Quirks had been getting weaker through the generations. Masaru's Grandfather had in fact been a Pro-Hero himself, eventually having to retire due to him going completely deaf.
When a four-year-old Katsuki had professed a desire to be a hero Masaru wasn't originally worried. But when his own Quirk had mixed with his wife's to create something much more powerful than his family had ever seen, he knew hearing loss was likely.
It's why he knew what signs to look for.
It first started with Mitsuki; she began complaining that Katsuki was misbehaving. Nothing serious, he just wasn't coming downstairs when he was called. Mitsuki often having to go upstairs to find him. He'd always claim he couldn't hear her calling. Mitsuki had thought he was being petty, but Masaru had begun to wonder.
He started doing little tests of his own; whispering the same thing over again and noting when Katsuki could hear it, trying to sneak up on his son. He'd eventually took him to the doctors where his suspicions were confirmed. Katsuki was hard of hearing.
Nothing too extreme, and not something the doctor had wanted to try to correct with hearing aids. He had said that he wanted to wait and see how Katsuki ears developed as his got older. Evidently, they'd gotten worse.
Masaru had begun to notice the difference. He was constantly having to raise his voice for his child to hear him, not something he was used to doing, being a soft-spoken man. Katsuki seemed to have very little control over his own volume, he'd started shouting a lot more at home. At first Masaru thought it was just a teenage rebellion. He wanted to be loud and destructive and fight with his mother.
But then again, Masaru still had the same, soft Katsuki help him in the kitchen. The same boy who would return an embrace and do what he was told, albeit loudly.
It got worse after the Sludge Villain attack. Looking back, it made sense, Katsuki had never used his Quirk so violently before, he'd never tried to make explosions that big, nor in quick succession. It would be entirely plausible that his hearing would be affected. After that he'd been using his Quirk regularly and it had clearly taken its toll.
Katsuki himself recognised the changes; he knew his hearing was worse. He tried to ignore the fact that he had to have his music on 10, that he didn't know half the names of the people in his class because he hadn't heard them introduce themselves, that he felt so awkward asking people to repeat what they said he'd just insult them instead.
But no matter what he couldn't bring himself to go to back to the doctors. He didn't want to be told he was going deaf. He knew it was going to happen, but he wanted to get to number one first. He just needed a couple more years. That's why he had to work so hard. He needed to be a hero.
Dr Amatani was optimistic, which was a relief for all of the Bakugous, she examined the insides of his ears and using her Quirk she got all the information she needed. She'd left the room then to find another doctor, one that had a creation Quirk to make him hearing aids.
Apparently, his parents' reputation preceded them, and the doctors seemed to bend over backwards to meet their needs. None of them complained really. Katsuki wanted to go home and sleep.
Within the hour Dr Amatani was back with a pair of hearing aids.
"Look these won't stop your hearing loss. If you're still set on becoming a hero and using your Quirk daily then it'll keep getting worse, but they will slow it down a bit. At the very least they'll allow you to hear better."
"Thanks," Katsuki said, taking them off her. He looked at them in his hand, they were black ugly things, not something Katsuki really wanted in his ears, but it's not like he had much of a choice, it was either wear them or not hear.
Dr Amatani showed him how to put them in and how they worked. Katsuki hated them even more when they were in his ears. They made them feel itchy and weird.
He felt like he could suddenly hear too much, the beeping of machines, the hum of electricity. He could hear his parents breathing, which was strange in of itself. He could hear his Dad's watch, and wow that got annoying fast.
"I'd try wearing them for an hour at a time for now, increasing the amount of time you wear them every day."
"Okay," Katsuki nodded.
"They'll feel funny at first, you may feel overwhelmed by the sounds, they may give you a headache or earache too."
"Brilliant." Katsuki grumbled, starring down at the bed. The pain killers had begun to wear off. His wrist ached and his back felt like it was on fire. He already had a headache, and for the love of god he was tired. He felt like everyone had forgotten the fact that he'd been kidnapped for about three days. Did they think the villains had let him sleep? No, they'd tried to break him, twist his internal anger and direct it towards something else.
Katsuki just wanted to cry; the back of his eyes seemed to burn, and his jaw ached with the need for release.
"Thank you, Doctor." Mitsuki said to Amatani.
"No problem. This process may need some more trial and error, I don't know if those will be the best fit for your son's lifestyle but at the very least, they will do for now."
"So, he may need more tests?" Masaru asked,
"That is a probability—" Dr Amatani started before Katsuki cut her off.
"Mom can I go for a walk?"
"I don't know, Hanabi, Dr Amatani was talking."
"I don't want to listen to treatment plans. I want to go for a walk." Katsuki scowled, "Please, I've been tied to a chair for the past three days."
"I don't see the harm in him stretching his legs." Dr Amatani said after a moment, "we can continue this discussion without him."
"Ok, but you have to take the IV with you."
"Aww come on, I'll look like an idiot."
"It's either that or staying here, Katsuki, it's up to you."
"Fine, Old Hag, I'll take the stupid IV." Katsuki's scowl deepened.
Dr Amatani tried to help him get out of the hospital bed, but he pushed her away. He pulled aside the blanket, rolling to the left and swinging his legs round. He winced as his back protested but he was a hero, he didn't make a sound. He slid his feet into the hospital issue slippers and stood on wobbly legs. His muscles were sore in his thighs, Katsuki supposed that was his punishment for suddenly springing into action after being in the chair for days.
Out the corner of his eye Katsuki saw his mother reach out in an attempt to steady him, but Masaru grabbed her arm, shaking his head. Katsuki snorted, rising to full height.
"Don't leave the hospital and be back in half an hour." Masaru said with a smile. He rummaged in his pocket and pulled out ¥500. "Buy yourself something to eat."
"Thanks Dad," Katsuki said taking the money.
The adults started talking before Katsuki could get out of the room. He heard words like "self-esteem" and "psychological trauma" but he didn't bother to focus. Let them talk about him, if it made them feel better. He'd be fine, he always was. He was safe now; he'd heal up and then he'd be back training before they knew it. He had a few weeks left of summer vacation, especially since the camp had been cut short. His arm should be healed by the time school started up again. No one would even think he'd been kidnapped.
He would be fine.
He walked through the hospital, it was quite dark; most lights being turned off to allow patients to sleep, after all it was late. Or early, depending on how you looked at it. Visiting hours were long over, Katsuki's parents only still there because he was considered a minor.
The occasional nurse and doctor milled about, carrying out whatever jobs they needed to do in order to keep the hospital running. One nurse came up to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Are you okay, Sir?" he asked, offering Katsuki a soft smile.
"Just stretching my legs. Dr Amatani said I could."
"I see. If you need anything let one of us know. And don't over-exert yourself, if you need a rest, sit down."
"I will." Katsuki replied, clenching his fist at his side. He didn't need to be babied. The nurse smiled again before walking back the way he came.
"Stupid nurse," Katsuki grumbled under his breath as he made his way towards the vending machine. He scanned what was available before choosing some chocolate coated mixed nuts.
Whenever he was upset when he was a child he would always go to his father, no offence to his mother but Masaru was the best when it came to comfort. Whether they spoke at his office at home or his work Masaru would always sit Katsuki on his lap and offer him a chocolate coated nut. When he was little Katsuki hated them, but he'd take one every time. As he got older, they'd grown on him, and now whenever his dad was away on business and Katsuki missed him he'd always find himself reaching out for the snack.
Katsuki carried on walking down the hall, not with any particular destination in mind, but not really wanting to go back to the doctor. Kirishima had told him that Earphones was still in the hospital and Katsuki idly wondered if she'd be awake. But he quickly dismissed the idea of seeking her out when he realised, he didn't know where in the hospital she'd be.
He reached the end of the corridor and turned around. He could hear someone coughing, for a moment he was transfixed on the sound, it was not something he ever would have noticed before. He could tell whoever was coughing was trying to be quiet about it, as if they were trying to hold their breath. Katsuki frowned to himself as he heard a clattering of plastic on the floor and a pained groan. Katsuki looked around for the source of the noise.
He slowly entered the room he was closest to, noticing a plastic cup on the floor. Going in further he saw that the man in the bed had a hand outstretched towards the side table. Katsuki went in completely, dragging his IV with him. He bent down and picked up the cup before going over to the bed.
He placed the glass on the table and picked up the jug of water on the side and filled it. The man's eyes fluttered open at the sound, he was propped up on the cushions and he was wrapped in bandages.
Katsuki held the glass up to the man's lips, helping him to drink. When he was done Katsuki put the cup down.
"Bakugou?" the man asked. Katsuki froze, looking back at the man before realisation flooded him.
"Jeanist?"
"I thought it was you." Best Jeanist sighed, his eyes drifting shut again, "Thank you."
"I think I should be the one thanking you," Katsuki replied.
"Take a seat." Best Jeanist said, loosely gesturing to the chair next to the bed. Katsuki did as he was told.
"How bad is it?"
"I'm okay, my lung got damaged pretty bad, but they managed to save it. Some broken bones and bruises but I'll be okay. 3-4 months recovery time. I'll be back to work before then though, I still have a fashion house to run."
"You got hurt because of me."
"'s my job Bakugou. I got hurt because I wasn't quick enough. It's not your fault."
"Jeanist I—"
"Call me Hakamata, I'm not working now."
"How is it not my fault? If I'd been stronger, if I'd not gotten kidnapped, then you wouldn't have been hurt."
"We were planning on raiding the League either way. We'd been looking into them since the attack on the USJ. It would have probably gone the same way even if you weren't there. It's not your fault."
"But all those people at Kamino Ward. All those people who died, lost their homes, that was because of me."
"That was because of All for One, not you Bakugou."
"You don't understand." Katsuki huffed, pulling his knees up to his chest on the chair.
"Don't I? Every hero has lost people. Part of being a hero is realizing you can't save everyone. You have to decide what you're going to do with that information. You can obsess over the people you've lost, over analyse all of your mistakes until you convince yourself you're not cut out to be a hero or you can help those still living."
"How can I help them?" Katsuki asked, Hakamata looked at him, green eyes meeting red.
"How do you think?"
"The clean up?"
"That's part of it yes, think about what those people will need."
"Medical care, therapy, shelter, food."
"Exactly, now what can you help with there? You have no medical or psychological training, so you won't be able to help on that front. But what about volunteering at homeless shelters or soup kitchens? The people of Kamino will be relying on the help of others right now."
"You think I can do that?"
"That's entirely up to you Bakugou. You have a temper on you, but if you can direct that anger towards something else then I believe you are capable of anything." Hakamata said, "Do you remember what I told you during your internship?"
"That heroes and villains are cut from the same cloth?"
"Mhm, you made your choice today. That you want to be a hero not a villain. Somewhere inside is that desire to help people. Find it." Katsuki nodded at the Pro's words.
"Innocent people don't deserve to get hurt."
"You still have my number, don't you?"
"Yeah," Katsuki said, he'd wanted to delete it as soon as he'd left the agency, but his mother told him to hold onto it, if not for his own sake then for the possibility of a collaborative line from Genius Fashion and Neutron Star Clothing.
"If you're serious about helping people then text me, I'll get one of my sidekicks to set you up with a position somewhere. Sleuth, you didn't meet her, but she came to see me earlier, when I first came around after surgery. She wants to help out over there, you could work with her."
"I've heard of her."
"Yeah, she's great, but don't tell her I said that. She's cocky enough as it is."
"You think we'll get along?"
"That or destroy each other. Either way it'll be interesting for me to watch."
"Shut up and die," Katsuki said before he could stop himself, internally he cringed, not the best thing to say to someone who had just had a near death experience. Hakamata laughed, before quickly chocking.
"Don't make me laugh, I've only got one good lung," he gasped, a smile on his face. One Katsuki couldn't help but copy.
"Nut?" Katsuki asked holding out the bag of chocolate.
"No, thank you, I don't think I'm allowed to eat." Hakamata said with a frown.
"Damn," Katsuki said, before adding after a moment, "can I text you anyway? Even if I don't want to volunteer? Not that I don't want to, I just have to talk to my mom, and then the police said something about staying at home—"
"Bakugou," Hakamata interrupted, "the whole point of the internship was to give you a contact within the pro hero world. Consider me your mentor. You can call or text me anytime."
"Thank you, Hakamata."
"Don't mention it, Kid."