Chapter 8: The Calm Before the Storm

Izuku and Kacchan walked back to the dorms. The warm air washed across his skin. A stark contrast to the cold air that lingered inside the school. It was a welcome change though. It helped calm Izuku. Helped him think.

For the most part, they walked in silence. Izuku was too engrossed in his own thoughts to strike up a conversation with the explosive blond and, it seemed, his friend was lost in thought as well. They had talked about so much with Aizawa and All Might. Izuku wanted to talk, he wanted to process what they had just discussed. He just didn't know where to start. After several minutes of silence, Izuku finally asks Katsuki a question. Something that had been on his mind since the day before.

"Do… do you think we'll find Todoroki?" Izuku fumbled with his thumbs and looked at his feet as he walked.

"The fuck are you worried about that for, nerd? Yeah… We'll find him." Kacchan looked ahead, leading the way back to the dorms as he walked at a steady pace.

"H-how… how are you sure? There's so much at stake. So much that could go wrong. We don't even know where they are… or if… if… if he's…" Kacchan grabbed onto his shoulder and stopped Izuku in place. His piercing red eyes stared into Izuku's soul.

"Can it, Deku. Don't even think about that. He's going to be fine. We're going to fucking find him, and we're going to bring that fucker Dabi down!" Kacchan's palms crackled with small explosions as he clenched it into a fist in front of his chest.

"You don't know that! There's so much that could go wrong" Izuku started to fall apart. There was so much on his mind. So many possibilities. So many different situations in which nothing ends well. Izuku's thoughts spiraled deeper and deeper towards a pit of memories he didn't want to unbox. He clenched his fist and made to pull at his hair. Izuku's mind was going to a place that he had never experienced. A place of darkness. A place of… A place of fear. A familiar sound wrapped around Izuku's mind like a safety net. Carefully lifting him from the darkness into the light.

"Deku, I need you to stay with me. Don't fuckin go where I know you're goin." Izuku couldn't open his eyes, his mind tried to wrest itself from the lifeline that had been thrown.

Izuku started to breathe heavier and heavier. Each breath was labored and forced. Izuku's mind clouded and he couldn't think of anything outside of the pain that was

"Izuku, look at me," Kacchan said in a calm tone. Izuku's eyes snapped open. He hadn't… he hadn't heard Kacchan call him by his given name in years. He actually couldn't remember the last time he had actually heard the blond call him that. Something so simple was more powerful than anything he could have said in that moment. Izuku opened his eyes and returned to the light. His childhood friend was looking at him caringly, a small frown on his face.

"You with me, nerd?" Kacchan's voice was warm and reassuring. His hand was on Izuku's shoulder in a firm but caring hold. Izuku was so confused by everything that was happening, that he almost forgot the reason for his pain. Izuku nodded slowly and was met by an equally slow nod from the blond. Keeping his hand on Izuku's shoulder, Kacchan lead Izuku back to the dorms in silence. The sun is just sinking below the horizon as they reach the dorm building.

"You should try and get some rest, Deku," Kacchan says, finger pressing the elevator call button.

"To be honest, I don't think I could sleep right now even if I wanted to," Izuku chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "Unless you have some of Recovery Girl's pain meds on you that is?" Katsuki let out a snort.

"Fresh out, nerd. You're gonna have to fall asleep sober like the rest of us." The elevator doors glided open with a ding. Izuku followed his friend into the elevator with a snicker.

"You know Kacchan, you should do that more often." Kacchan looked at him with a quizzical glance.

"Do what?"

"You know… Be friendly… It's… It's nice." Izuku's face felt hot so he looked away from his friend and stared at his shoes.

"I'm always fucking friendly," Izuku laughed as the elevator door opened to the common room.

"Well, you're definitely more friendly recently, speaking of which, does friendly Kacchan want to watch TV or something? I can't sleep and… well… I kinda don't want to be…" Izuku trailed off and shifted his weight on his feet.

"Yes," Kacchan said.

"Yes?" Izuku tilted his head and looked at his friend.

"Yes, I'll watch a fucking show with you. On one condition though. You cut it out with the whole 'nice Kacchan' thing. It's fuckin demeaning." Izuku didn't know how to respond to that. He didn't mean it to come off that way. His mind raced to find a response that wouldn't anger his red-eyed friend.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean for that to come off that way. I honestly meant what I said though, it's really nice that you're being so nice to me and, well, it's been so long since we've been friendly to each other and it just reminds me of old times…. I've missed it." Katsuki stared back at him, his scowl disappearing into a flat line. Kacchan's shoulders drooped as he let out an exasperated sigh.

"Fucking same, I guess. Don't let that go to your fucking head though, you shitty nerd. You got that?" Izuku's heart fluttered. His grin spread from ear to ear for the first time in what felt like months. Kacchan was ACTUALLY happy that they were friends again! Izuku didn't know what to say.

"Thank you," Izuku managed. Not sure how else to express what he was feeling.

"The fuck for?" Kacchan started walking towards the kitchen.

"For… for being my friend again," Kacchan stopped.

"Thanks, uh, for stickin around I guess," Kacchan started walking again and soon disappeared into the kitchen.

"What do you want to watch, Kacchan?" Izuku plopped himself down on the couch and started thumbing through the streaming channels on the TV.

"Dunno, pick something, I guess? I'm gonna make us some snacks." Izuku kept flipping through the films.

Picking something was hard on a normal day. Today, it was doubly hard. The only thing these dumb services wanted to recommend Izuku was Hero films. New ones staring current pro heroes, and old ones from the pre-quirk era. Every time he saw one, he flicked past it as fast as he could. They were too painful of a subject right now. Izuku wanted something he knew he and Kacchan would love. The sound of popcorn popping in the kitchen echoed in Izuku's ears when he found it. The perfect film. The last movie he remembered watching with Kacchan. Izuku started the movie and paused it. He began wrapping himself up in blankets as he waited on the couch for Kacchan to come back from the kitchen.

By the time the 'formerly angry' blond returned, arms laden with popcorn and hot tea, Izuku had managed to wrap himself up in enough blankets to resemble a green-haired sushi roll. Kacchan stood there and stared at him. He shook his head and sat down on the couch next to Izuku.

"How the fuck are you going to hold your fucking tea like that? Huh? You fucking Sashimi."

"I'm a Maki Roll, thank you very much," Izuku stuck his arms out of the bundle like a Koala. "Gimme," He said as he reached for the cup of hot tea. The blond obliged with a sigh and Izuku nestled against the couch, warm cup clutched against his chest. Kacchan set the popcorn down between them and Izuku started the movie. A female voice began to speak over a dark screen.

The world is changed. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air. Much that once was is lost, for none now live, will remember it.

"Wait. Are we watchin fucking…?" Kacchan paused, his hand hovering over the bowl of popcorn.

"Do… do you want me to change it? I thought…"

"No, no It's… it's fine. I just haven't watched it since… fuck." Kacchan crammed his mouth with a fistful of popcorn and Izuku did the same. The woman with the stern voice continued.

It began with the forging of the Great Rings. Three were given to the Elves, immortal, wisest and fairest of all beings. Seven to the Dwarf-Lords, great miners and craftsmen of the mountain halls. And nine, nine rings were gifted to the race of Men, who above all else desired power. For within these rings, was bound the strength and the will to govern each race.

"Don't even fucking start with that Eagle shit, nerd, I can already feel you waiting to bring it up" Kacchan gave him a smirk and maintained eye contact as he crammed an oversized fistful of popcorn into his mouth. That's not true! I wasn't waiting…. Ok, maybe I was.

"Why not!? It's plot-relevant. It wouldn't have taken them as long as it did if they had just used the dumb birds!" Izuku said as he sipped his hot tea. Somehow it tasted better knowing that Kacchan had made it for him.

"Deku, come on, you're smarter than this. After everything you've learned about being a hero, you should be able to see it. It's too fucking dangerous. That's like waltzing into the villains' lair with a huge sign that said 'I've got your long-lost power up! Come fucking kill me,' The company wouldn't have lasted ten minutes that way." Kacchan snorted as the mysterious woman on the tv continued.

But they were all of them deceived, for another ring was made. In the land of Mordor, in the fires of Mount Doom, the Dark Lord Sauron, forged in secret, a master ring to control all others and into this ring, he poured his cruelty, his malice, and his will to dominate all life. One ring to rule them all.

"Ok, ok, let's say that I agree with you. I don't. But, for argument's sake, let's say I do. Why didn't they at least use the eagles to get closer then? It would have saved them what? A year?"

"I don't fuckin know? Maybe Gandalf already used up all his favors when he had them fly him and the runts no Erebor." Izuku rounded on his friend with a surprised smile.

"And you call me a nerd, nerd." Kacchan glared death at him.

"Don't even fuckin start. I read, sue me." Izuku laughed and dropped a piece of popcorn into the folds of his sushi cloak.

"I can, and I will. You give me so much crap about things and here I find that you're a bigger LOTR fan than I am. How is that even possible?" Kacchan snorted.

"Fuck off, watch the damn movie," Izuku begrudgingly returned his attention to the movie in time to see Sauron getting his butt kicked by the last alliance.

One by one, the free lands of Middle Earth fell to the power of the ring. But there were some who resisted. A last alliance of men and elves marched against the armies of Mordor and on the slopes of Mount Doom they fought for the freedom of Middle Earth. Victory was near but the power of the ring could not be undone. It was in this moment when all hope had faded that Isildur, son of the King, took up his father's sword. Sauron, the enemy of the free peoples of Middle earth, was defeated.

The movie continued for the next few hours. Apparently, Izuku had played the extended version. Neither cared it seemed. Izuku was just happy to sit there with his friend and talk about the film. Towards the end of the movie, Izuku started to feel drowsy. Kacchan must have noticed too because he would cast glances at him from time to time to see if he was still awake. Despite Izuku's best efforts, he fell asleep before the end of the film. His dreams were fragmented. None complete, each a sliver of memory trying to be forgotten. Memories Izuku both wanted and feared.

Izuku was alone now. It had been a while since he had been separated from Kacchan. He had to get back to the group. He ran around a corner and joined up with Sero's group. He, Sato, Ida, Ojiro, and Asui continued down the hall to their objective. He continued forward…

Izuku coughed up dust and dirt. From where, what…. or who? He dares not think. He couldn't at that moment. If he let himself slow down even for a second, he'd fall to the same fate as Sato. Izuku couldn't be sad. Not now. Time to grieve would come later…

Izuku ran to where Ida was fighting, he was managing to hold back most of the Shigaraki's. Izuku's heart was breaking. Asui had just crumbled in his arms and there was nothing he could do about it.

"Midoriya, you need to get out of here! Get to Bakugo! I've got…" Ida fell to the ground…..

Sero was missing. Ojiro was…. Everything had fallen apart. Nothing had gone to plan…

"Deku! On my left!" Kacchan shouted as he fought the prime Shigaraki. Izuku used Black whip and restrained the five enemies that had been closing on Kacchan's left. Izuku pushed forward, they had to win this…

"Midoriya!" Momo called, "I've got a plan! Duck!"

"No, don't!" Kacchan screamed…

"YOU CAN'T HAVE HIM!" Izuku screamed as he threw himself in front of his friend. Someone who meant more to him than the angry blond could possibly imagine…

Shigaraki's hands burned into his flesh. He wasn't crumbling. Not yet.

"Give me your Quirk!" The demon shouted. Izuku's mind burned as if on fire. A connection opened between his mind and the Villains. A phantom echo crossed the mental bridge, a woman's voice spoke into his mind – "New Order"….

Izuku was on the ground, he stared up into the eyes of his best friend. A friend who didn't feel the same about him. He couldn't speak, he couldn't hear. His friend was crying. Kacchan leaned in close and… and… Izuku couldn't wrap his mind around what had just happened…..

Izuku was flying. What little hearing he had was deafened by the sounds of explosions.

Izuku woke up screaming. He thrashed and writhed in his terror for several seconds before finally calming down. He opened his eyes. He was safe. He was in his room. He wasn't dying in Kacchan's arms…. Had that… had that all been real? Izuku felt like it had been, but, at the same time, it was so fragmented and splintered that he couldn't know for sure. He had had dreams like this before. Dreams that didn't make sense. Dreams that played on moments of terror or trauma. But something was different about these dreams. It was as if he could feel the pain he went through all over again. Izuku's chest tightened as he thought about it. He wanted to throw up.

The sound of frantic knocking wrested Katsuki from his sleep. What the fuck? What time is it? Oh, 5:13 am… well, I was gonna wake up here in a few minutes anyway. His room was dark except for his floor lights. The banging echoed again. Fucking hell, fine. Who the fuck is up at this hour? I swear to god, this better be a fucking fire or something. Katsuki dragged himself out of bed with a grunt, put on the boxers that had been on the top of the hamper, and started for the door. The knocking began again.

"Fucking hold on, will ya? I'm coming!" Katsuki said as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Katsuki flung the door open with a huff and was greeted by a heart-wrenching sight. Bloodshot, watery eyes open wide. Green hair matted down with cold sweat. A trembling hand raised to knock again. Deku looked like he was on the verge of a breakdown. Katsuki's heart sunk. All the work he had done to help Deku felt like it had been lost in that moment. Katsuki didn't have to even ask Deku to know what had happened. He had seen this face before. The nerd was starting to remember. Fuck.

No sooner had he opened the door than Deku flung himself at Katsuki and grabbed him in a constricting hug. Katsuki didn't know what to do at that moment. He just stood there in his boxers and stared down at the matted green hair below his chin as his friend sobbed desperately into his bare chest. Double Fuck.

He reasoned that saying something at that moment wouldn't help. The nerd would probably tone it out anyway. He needed to wait for Deku to calm down a little first before he could try and talk to him. Or, at least, if Katsuki himself was the one having a breakdown that's what would need to happen. Katsuki shuffled backward, the door clicking closed behind them. Deku trailed along as Katsuki sat them both down on the edge of his bed. Deku continued to sob into his chest, tears trailing down the blond's muscled form. Katsuki sighed and embraced his friend.

Katsuki wanted to help. He wanted to tell Deku that everything was all right. He wanted to reassure the nerd that they'd be able to find his missing friends. But, frankly, Katsuki knew he couldn't. He didn't know where Icy Hot was. He didn't know what happened to glasses. Katsuki realized shortly after the fight that Deku must have seen the deaths of most of their class. The weight of that, the trauma that had befallen his friend knotted his insides into uncomfortable shapes. Katsuki wondered if he would be able to handle all that. Process all of that pain? Would he have been able to cope as well as Deku had? Would he have done better? Or would he have ended up crying into the nerd's shoulder himself after long enough? Katsuki didn't know. What he did know was that at that moment, his friend needed help and he couldn't provide it. But fuck him if he wasn't going to try.

"Deku," Katsuki let the name linger. Deku continued to sob and shake, clutching at his back. "Look, you don't need to say anything. Just nod yes or no ok, nerd?" Deku made the slightest, almost imperceptible nod in recognition of Katsuki's statement.

"You start to remember somethin?" Deku nodded, Katsuki let out a sigh. "You wanna talk about it?" His friend shook his head side to side. "Is that cus you don't think it will help?" He shook his head again. "The fuck not then?"

"Too. Much." Deku managed to say between sobs. At this point, Katsuki's left side was completely wet from his friend's tears. He was definitely gonna need a shower after this. It broke his heart to see his friend like this though, so he wasn't gonna tell him to get off.

"Do ya just wanna sit here then? We don't have to talk about nothin." Deku nodded. Katsuki let out a sigh and scooted them both back so they could lean against the wall his bed was adjacent to. "All right, well, we can just sit here till yer ready. If you wanna talk, uh, I can listen. Or whatever?" Deku's cries intensified and he clutched tighter to Katsuki. Fuck, I didn't mean to make him cry more. Why the hell am I so bad at this whole friend's thing. I just wanna make the damn nerd feel better. God Damnit! Let me just do this one shitty thing right will ya?

Hours passed and the two just sat there in each other's embrace. By the time the clock read 7:20 am, Deku had calmed down enough that Katsuki thought that there might be a chance of getting Deku to talk. He looked down at the locks of matted hair pressed into him. He ran his right hand through it and ruffled it slightly.

"Deku?" The Greenet sniffed and made an audible reply of understanding. "you doin… shit, I know you aren't ok… but are ya doin better?"

"I… I t-think s-so." Izuku rasped, voice hoarse from crying. Katsuki was just happy to hear the nerd speak for the first time in hours.

"You wanna try gettin up? Or do ya just wanna keep sitting here?" Deku squirmed against his side, head shifting so that he was now staring into Katsuki's eyes. Green eyes red with tears.

"C-could we… I don't know… Could we spar or something? I-I need to get moving." Katsuki grunted in agreement.

"Sure, nerd. I just need to get dressed first." Apparently realizing Katsuki was in his boxers for the first time, Deku pulled away from him quickly. His face turned a hilarious shade of red.

"You cry against me naked for 2 hours and now you're gonna get weird about it?" Deku's face went an even darker shade of red. If that was even possible. Katsuki chuckled to himself when Deku averted his eyes as he got up and put on his workout clothes. Wordlessly, Katsuki went to the door and opened it.

"Ya comin, nerd?" Deku nodded with another sniff and wiped a remaining tear from his eyes.

The pair made a quick stop by Deku's room so that the nerd could get dressed and then proceeded to walk across campus back to Gym Gamma. Katsuki couldn't help but think how empty Deku's floor had been. Everyone on that floor, other than Deku, was either missing, on assignment, or…. Katsuki decided at that moment that he needed to do something about that. He needed to do something not just for Deku's sanity, but for his own as well.

Not long after leaving their dorm, they arrived at the gym. Just like the previous day, it didn't take long for the two to fall into the rhythm of the fight. A Zen-like state where worry and fear don't exist. All that existed was you and your opponent. Katsuki liked it that way. It was peaceful.

He and Deku had decided to fight quirkless. After their discovery the previous day, Katsuki thought that it would help them get back into the groove of training without overexerting themselves. They had, after all, been out of things for a few months by this point. They were bound to be rusty in some areas. Well… Most areas. Katsuki was at least. Their first match was short. Katsuki fell for Deku's feint and, before he knew it, he was pinned to the mat by his green-haired friend. A smug grin on his shitty, freckled face.

"The fuck are you lookin at, damn nerd?" Katsuki spat at Deku, pulling against the firm grip his friend had him in on the mat.

"You're slipping," Deku said staring down at him. Katsuki bucked upward like a bull flinging Deku off him with a shriek.

"Who's slipping now huh? Again!" The two began to fight again, this time each more determined to win than the last.

By the time they were finished, Katsuki had managed to win… barely… Katsuki had managed to pin Deku 3 out of the 5 matches they fought before each of them was too sore to keep fighting. Katsuki extended a bruised arm to his friend who lay panting on the mat, green curls shrouding his eyes.

"Oi, nerd. Get the fuck up. Let's get back to the dorm and get cleaned up. You smell terrible."

"You don't smell so great yourself," Deku chided, grabbing the outstretched hand.

"Fucking liar, I always smell great."

"I know…" Katsuki was about to comment on the nerd's agreement with his statement when Deku continued talking. "Kacchan… do… do you think that we'll find my mom?" Fuck, I really didn't want to talk about this.

"I… Deku, I-I don't know," Katsuki scratched at the back of his neck, gaze avoiding the nerds. "Look… the school's doing everything they can. You trust the twig, right?" Deku paused for a second and then nodded. "Then I would let him do what he does best. Save people." Deku nodded again.

"I just miss her... you know?" God, could Katsuki understand that feeling. In the last two months, Katsuki had lost both his father and, effectively, his mother. His dad had died in the war… A victim of collateral damage. That oversized freak of a woman had fallen on their home — killing his dad instantly. His mom survived, though, it was nearly two days after the war before Katsuki was in a state where he, or anyone else, could contact her. Nearest they could figure, her mind had broken with worry thinking that she had lost both her husband and her child….

The thought of his mother locked away in that padded room threatened to rip out Katsuki's wounded heart and crush it till it was dust. Katsuki almost wishes that his mom had died with his father. How fucked up is that? At least then she wouldn't… Before Katsuki could sink deeper into the depths of his thoughts, the doors to the gym flung open with a crash. A figure clad in black with long black hair strode into the room with an aura of indifference.

"Midoriya, Bakugo, glad to see that you're back to training," Sensei said as he walked closer to the two of them.

"We, umm, we couldn't sleep," Deku stammered looking from Katsuki to Sensei.

"Well, if that's the case, I advise keeping yourselves busy today so that you are tired come tonight." Katsuki snorted at the remark.

"You're one to talk. Do you even take your own fucking advice?" Sensei's piercing gaze bore into Katsuki.

"Sleep and I are… no longer acquainted." Their teacher said, no emotion present in his voice. Fuckin typical. Am I gonna have to get on this fucker's case too? Well, I like living so…. Fuck this, I'm surrounded by self-sacrificial morons. "Well, as long as you two don't kill each other, I'll leave you to your training." Sensei started to turn to leave.

"Actually," Deku said, shifting in place, "We just finished. What are you doing here Sir?" Aizawa turned back to face them.

"I was making my rounds and heard fighting. I just wanted to make sure that you weren't killing each other." Katsuki laughed internally at the thought. He'd never do anything to hurt the nerd. Though, a year ago? Maybe Katsuki could understand why Sensei was concerned.

"Sensei?" Katsuki spoke up.

"Yes, Bakugo?" Deku looked expectantly between them, unsure of where this was going.

"The Dorms have been pretty fuckin quiet lately. Since there's not many of us in the dorms anymore, would it be possible to move Deku's stuff up to the spare room on Shitty Hair's and My floor? Eiji's been pretty down since the trip to see the hospital and I think it would be good for him to have more people around." Deku made some kinda half squeal, half choking sound beside him. What's gotten into the fucker now?

"You want to move Midoriya to your floor…. to help out Kirishima?" No, I want to move him up there so that I can keep a fuckin eye on him… and… well… it would be nice to have him closer by.

"What else would It be fuckin for?" Katsuki was not about to admit that he wanted to be closer to Deku in case the greenet needed him… or the other way around.

"Wait, Kacchan, you don't have to ask that. It's fine on my floor. It really is." Deku interjected, grabbing at Katsuki's wrist. He pulled away and leveled a pointed finger at his friend.

"Can it Deku, you're not in the position to talk about what's fine and what's not right now and you know it." After this morning, Katsuki KNEW that Deku was simply trying to repress his memories. The nerd was still probably just as torn up about things as he was a few hours ago. He was just better at hiding it.

"But… but it's a lot to move… I don't know if I'll be able to move it all by tonight."

"Who the fuck said you'd be doing it alone? 's my idea. I'm gonna help ya move it ya fuckwit." Even if it takes all fuckin night.

"I never said yes," Katsuki turned to face his teacher. Sensei, face as stoic as ever, simply stood there with his arms crossed, chin buried in the wraps of cloth around his neck.

"Oh, uh, sorry sir… I… I guess I do agree with Kacchan... It has been pretty lonely down there by myself. Would it maybe be possible?" Katsuki felt something moving weird in his chest at the sound of his friend saying that he wanted to move up to his floor. The fuck is that? God, the last thing I need is a fucking heart condition… I need to go see Recovery Girl or something.

"If you two so much as scratch the floor while moving things, I'll hang you two by your thumbs till the next semester starts." Katsuki grinned at the threat. Though he wouldn't show it outwardly, he was elated that Sensei had agreed. Fuck, he was ready to turn in place and head back to the dorm right now so they could start moving all of Deku's shit.

Katsuki looked over at Deku. The fucking nerd was beaming like a fucking ray of sunshine. He turned away before he got blinded. It was… nice? Whatever the fuck it was, Katsuki was thrilled to see his friend somewhat happy again. They thanked Sensei and turned to leave the gym.

"Oh, one last thing. Don't use your quirks when moving. Think of it like strength training." How hard could it be?

"Fucking to the left! The left Deku! Damnit! Fuck!" Katsuki shouted as they balanced Deku's bed precariously on its side trying to fit it through the narrow doorway. The bed inched even closer to the right.

"I am moving it to the left!" Deku shouted back, out of sight from the increasingly angry blond.

"Your other left, you idiot!" Katsuki mocked. "My left! Your Right! God damnit this fucking thing is heavy!" This had to be one of the heaviest things that Katsuki had ever tried to lift. He figured that the fucking thing had to have been made of cement or some shit. After several more painful moments and numerous expletive statements from the increasingly angry blond, the pair managed to struggle the bed into the room and pushed it against the wall with a thud.

"Deku, what the fuck is this thing made of?" Katsuki asked, silently hoping that Deku would say it was made of steel or cement. Anything that would validate the sheer suffering that they had gone through moments before.

"Uh… Tree? I guess?" The nerd can't possibly be this stupid.

"Tree… Fucking Tree? It's called wood, you dumbass. I'm calling bullshit! There's no fucking way that this thing is made of just wood. It weighs a ton!"

"I think it's just made really well? My mom got it for me years ago." Katsuki kicked the foot of the bed with a thud.

He was fucking happy that all the heavy lifting was finally done. It had taken them almost 3 hours, but they had managed to move all of the heavy furniture up to Deku's new room. Deku's desk, dresser, bookshelves, and other assorted furniture now sat in their new homes. Deku plopped himself down on the newly relocated bed and fanned himself out like a starfish.

"Oi! Oh no you don't, nerd. We still got an imperial fuckton of shit left to move." Deku pouted in response. Katsuki grabbed him by his leg and started pulling him off of the bed, Deku laughing in protest.

"No!" Deku laughed as he flipped over, scrabbling at the sheets. "Let me rest!" Katsuki pulled again harder.

"Get goin, nerd, if I can't rest, neither can you. Let's get this fucking over with." Katsuki pulled again and Deku landed on the ground with a thud and a cry. Katsuki noticed a redheaded boy appear at the doorway in his periphery.

"Oww! Kacchan! That hurt!" Katsuki snorted and hoisted Deku's leg higher into the air, causing the nerd's face to smoosh into the ground more.

"Oh, give me a fuckin break. All Might literally broke your fuckin spine during the finals and you felt good enough to carry my unconscious ass across the finish line." Eiji laughed at that from the doorway, Deku didn't seem to notice.

"That's different, and you know it!" Deku laughed.

"Yeah, you were actually hurt then! What do ya want Eiji?" Both he and Deku looked at their friend standing in the doorway who was stifling a laugh.

"Huh? Oh, right haha. I was gonna see if you guys needed any help moving stuff?" Katsuki dropped Deku's leg. The nerd landed on the ground with a grunt.

"Thanks for showing up after all the heavy lifting was done, Shitty Hair," the redhead rubbed at the back of his neck.

"It's not like I meant to… I kinda slept in…" Deku picked himself up off the floor and dramatically brushed off the non-existent dust.

"Thanks, Eiji-Kun! I would really use your help. At this rate, we won't be done for hours." Eiji flashed a shark-toothed grin.

"What are we fuckin waitin for then, lets go get yer shit," Katsuki said turning to leave the room. "I wanna be done in time for dinner"

Over the next two hours, they took trip after trip of Deku's belongings up to his new room. Katsuki knew that Deku had a lot of shit. He knew it. But he was never prepared for the confirmation of the sheer number of belongings that the nerd had. In all, it took them another 3 hours to pack all of Deku's clothes, books, school supplies, and collectibles. Eiji had just taken the last load of clothes up to the new room as Katsuki and Deku were packing the last two boxes.

"Deku, why the fuck do you have so much shit?" Katsuki asked as he packed what he figured was the 5th of the same All Might figure into a box.

"I don't have too much… stuff. I have exactly the right amount, thank you very much." The greenett chirped with a smirk as he packed what Katsuki recognized as the 6th figurine and walked out of the room.

"Yeah… Sure…" Katsuki followed after him not wanting to have to wait on the next elevator.

After stopping for a quick lunch of ham sandwiches, It took them a further two hours to unpack all of Deku's stuff and stow it away so his new room was habitable. Eiji crammed the clothes in the closet and dresser while Katsuki helped Deku with all the fucking figures, posters, and other hero shit.

Katsuki pretended not to notice when Deku placed the figure that he had given him on his desk rather than with the cluster of All Mights on the dresser. Katsuki still wasn't sure how he felt about that. It made him feel… odd? Either way, Katsuki was glad the nerd had found it, especially if it made him happy.

Finally, happy with his organizational skills, Katsuki plopped himself down on Deku's bed and lay with his legs crossed and his hands folded behind his head. Deku spent a few more minutes organizing his desk before he was apparently happy with his room as well.

"Do you guys want to… I don't know… maybe play a game or something?" Katsuki opened his eyes and looked at the nerd. Deku was shuffling back and forth from one foot to the other nervously looking between himself and Eiji.

"We could play Quirks!" Eiji called from his cross-legged position on the floor by the bookshelf.

"Can't, lost all my fuckin decks when my house blew up," Katsuki didn't even want to think about how much those would be worth now.

"No! I'm sorry, Kacchan, that's awful. Didn't you use to have the original All Might and Endeavor cards?" Katsuki grunted in confirmation.

"Wait, seriously?" Eiji whirred on Katsuki, eyes wide. "Do you have any idea how much Yen those are worth now?" God damnit.

"No, and I don't fuckin want to. Hell, half of the collection was older than me, they were my… my old man's," Katsuki's heart sunk. Playing Quirks with his dad was one of the fondest memories from his childhood. Realizing that his connection to that was gone crushed him. His dad had been so happy the day he had taught Katsuki to play that damn game. Hell, Katsuki only kept playing because he knew how much his dad had loved it – that and It was Deku's favorite game.

"Kacchan, I have a deck you can use… If you want to play that is?" Deku held out a bright blue box with All Might all over it.

"Uh… Sure, um… Thanks, Deku." Katsuki took the deck box from the nerd and looked away from him, his face felt hot.

"Do we want to see if Momo wants to play? I've got enough decks for all of us." Katsuki and Eiji responded to Deku in unison.

"No!" Deku seemed somewhat shocked by their response and got a really distant look in his eyes. The nerd shuddered, Katsuki didn't want that traitor spending any more time around Deku than she absolutely had to.

"She… umm… she hurt you… right?" Deku asked staring at his feet.

"No, she fucking hurt YOU!" Katsuki almost shouted, explosions erupting from his clenched fists. He wouldn't let Deku get hurt again. He wouldn't let the self-sacrificial nerd give his own life, again, to save his. Something Deku wouldn't have had to do if Ponytail hadn't fucking done what she did.

"Oh… I… I don't really remember all of that… but, if you say so Kacchan." Deku rubbed at the back of his neck nervously. "Ok, well, umm. In that case, do we want to play here on the floor? Or do we want to go down to the common room?" Katsuki slipped off of the bed and sat on the floor by Deku's feet. He patted the ground beside him motioning for Deku to join.

"I'm not fucking getting up again so plant your ass, nerd," Katsuki grabbed onto Deku's pant leg and dragged him down till he was sitting crossed-legged next to him. Eiji ran to his room to get his own deck. When he returned he dropped on the ground with a smile and they all started shuffling their decks. Deku beamed with the brightest smile he had seen on the nerd since he had woken up. Seeing that made Katsuki the happiest heed been in months too. They managed to get in 4 games before Eiji gave up out. Katsuki and Deku had just ganged up against the redhead and killed him barely 4 turns into the game.

"How is that even legal?" Eiji asked, waving his hands frantically.

"It's not, nerd, that cards banned. You know that right?" Deku turned beat red and stared down at the card on the floor.

"Wait, really?" Katsuki chuckled.

"Yeah, got banned like fuckin 2 years ago."

"Oh… well, um… I guess I've been out of things for a bit. I, uh… haven't had anyone to play with for a while." Fuck, that made Katsuki feel bad. The nerd only started playing all those years ago in the first place because Katsuki had wanted Deku to play with him.

"Shitty Hair, guess you're back in the game then?" Before Eiji could rejoin the game, all three of their phones went off at once.

"Unknown number?" Deku said looking at his phone. "This is a new phone, more or less, so I don't have everyone's contacts in it yet.

"Well, whoever it is, wants us to come down to the common room," Eiji said putting his phone back into his pocket. "Who do you think it is?"

"It's Sensei," Katsuki said after glancing at the text.

"How do you know that?" Eiji asked.

"He texted me the other day. Not sure how he got my new number." Deku looked at him quizzically.

"Did you get a new phone too?" The greenett asked.

"Yeah, old one fuckin broke during the fight," Eiji agreed, waving his new phone in the air.

"How do I already have your new number on my new phone then, Kacchan?" Katsuki's face burned. He looked away from the nerd and started nervously shuffling his deck.

"I… Uh… I put it in there before you left the hospital. You know… In case ya needed anything." Katsuki didn't know what the hell to say in all honestly. He still wasn't sure what he was thinking when he put his number in Deku's phone. Deku smiled back at him and nodded with a giggle.

They decided that they'd leave the game where it was and pick it back up on Katsuki's turn when they got back. Katsuki was just about to murder the fucker too. He wasn't about to give up the opportunity to beat Deku that easily.

The group was greeted with an unexpected sight when they reached the bottom of the stairs. All Might and Aizawa stood in the center of the room with beaming smiles on their face. Katsuki was about to ask why when he saw the reason.

"Hey. Guys" The electric blond said with a wave and a massive smile. Dunce face had gotten a haircut in the last few days and was looking his old self again.

"Denki!" Deku shouted, running across the room and embracing Pikachu in a hug.

"Kaminari? Wait, what are you doing here? How?" Eiji ran up and patted his friend on the shoulder with a toothy grin.

"Kaminari was released from the hospital this afternoon," Sensei said gruffly.

"So, does that mean he's better then? Ya know… um... with the whole uhh…" Eiji trailed off, looking at his shoes.

"Mustafu General needed his room for other patients." Sensei deadpanned.

"Is he fucking better or not?" Katsuki asked.

"They needed the room and he was out of danger. Recovery Girl deemed him well enough to return to the dorms while he finishes his recovery" So, that's a no.

"Getting. Better" Kaminari said with a smile. He flashed a thumbs up and Deku hugged him tighter. Damn, the nerd was so happy to have another friend back. Katsuki didn't even think that Deku was that close to Kaminari in the first place.

"He's not out of the woods yet sadly, Young Bakugo," the Twig chimed in. "Although he is out of danger, he is still recovering. He is still having a difficult time expressing himself and may, for the time being, be more prone towards um… emotional outbreaks." Denki, reflecting All Might's comments at that moment, began to cry as he hugged Deku back. Shitty Hair was holding back his own tears. God, this is gonna be annoying. I'm surrounded by overemotional shitheads… It's middle school all over again.

"Though it may be some time for Young Kaminari can do hero work again, I cannot express how happy it makes me to see all of you children together here." All Might said, tears forming at the corners of his eyes. "I'd love to stay and spend more time with you, but an important letter came in that needs my attention." Deku suddenly snapped to attention. He stared at All Might, arms still clinging to the teary-eyed blond.

"Is it about Todoroki?" Eiji asked; All eyes turned to their former teacher.

"Yes, young Kirishima. Shinso's latest report came in just before we came here." Katsuki cocked his head at that comment.

"The fuck are you doing here then? Shouldn't you be reading the report then?" A hurt expression flashed across the principal's face.

"Well… Young Bakugo…" All Might grappled with his thumbs. "There's just been so much hurt and stress floating around recently… We've all lost so much… I just… I needed a bit of hope. When I heard that Young Kaminari was being released to us… I… I couldn't not be here. I-I wanted to be happy for a moment too." God fucking damnit. That struck Katsuki to his soul. Throughout everything, even though he had felt like All Might had been careless as a mentor to Deku, he had forgotten that he was just human too. That he was hurting too. Deku, Eiji, and Kaminari both ran to embrace All Might in a hug. All Might embraced them back with a sob. Katsuki felt like he was going to be sick.

The fucking love fest continued for a few minutes before All Might finally broke away and left to do his job. He asked that everyone come by his office first thing in the morning to discuss the letter. No one said anything for the first few moments after the principal had disappeared in the elevator. Deku continued to cling to Pikachu like a fucking Koala.

"I trust you all will help Kaminari feel at home?" Sensei asked, piercing eyes passing over them.

"Of course!" Kirishima cried.

"Thank. You. Guys." Pikachu said, still hugging Deku. Katsuki felt a tug in his chest at that for some reason. He filed away another reason to stop by Recovery Girl's office soon.

"Um… Sir? I know we already asked this earlier… But would we maybe be able to move Denki up to our floor with us?" Deku asked with a smile, finally pulling away from Dunce Face. Fucking hell, here we go again. My poor back.