Faintly Bakugou could register the sounds of screaming, of explosions going off, but it all sounded so distant, like his head was underwater and everything was above it.

His lungs were burning and he couldn't breathe. All he could feel was thick choking slime filling his throat, his nose, his ears, clinging to his skin like disgusting filth as he tried to gasp for air only for more of the viscous liquid to fill his lungs.

It felt like fingers were digging into his skull, pushing into his brain, pushing him further under the water. He could hear a man talking, telling him he was going to be such a good meat suit. Young, fit and with such a powerful quirk. Really, he hit the jackpot.

Bakugou's vision was getting fuzzier, if it was from tears or lack of oxygen he couldn't tell. But.. the last thing he did see was a head of green hair screaming and running to him. One last thought echoed in his head before he was shoved under the water of his mind fully. "Deku.."

Sometimes he could hear and see things. Little snippets flashing across his eyes. Of him in class laughing with those extras who thought they were his friends. Of him with his parents, of their worried questions and looks. Of his own voice brushing off their worry.

He sees himself staring into a mirror, only… it's not him. He's here drowning and the person in the mirror is someone else and no one noticed. No one sees the cruel smile on his face as he (no not him someone else) stares into the mirror. No one else can hear the sinister laughter that echoes in the waters of his mind as those sharp, painful fingers dig into his brain, picking him apart, scanning through every part of him.

It hurts so much.

At least the pain only lasts for so long. Everytime Katsuki can feel himself surfacing it only lasts for a moment before those painful fingers dig into his hair, his brain, and shove his head under again, letting that too thick water fill him again, drawing him back into the fuzz filled daze he's come to accept.

He noticed things start to change. The flashes were different. More vibrant. He saw his own hands blasting apart robots, heard the laughter that was his voice but wasn't him. And Katsuki tried to reach out, hands moving slowly like he was stuck in a pit of tar. His hands reaching up towards the faint light above him as cruel laughter curled around him, filled him.

He felt when he breached the water because suddenly he was there. Surrounded by rubble and fire and broken bits of robots. He could breathe for the first time in what felt like months. Katsuki could feel the shock of the invader. Of the man possessing him as he was pushed to the side, and Katsuki couldn't help but relish his first breath of air in forever. It didn't last long. Of course it didn't. He doesn't get nice things. He doesn't deserve them. He's yanked back by those cruel hands digging into his hair, his brain as they shove him deeper than ever into the thick waters. A shadowy figure holding him down, staring at him with rage filled black eyes. The same eyes from the sludge villain.

"Now now, be a good boy and stay down Katsuki. This body is mine now."

And he's drowning once again, sinking deeper and deeper. But… he broke free once. And that thought filled him, gave him just a shred of hope. Even if it took forever he'd make his way up again. He'd take control again. He wouldn't lose. He was Bakugou fucking Katsuki and giving up was not apart of his vocabulary.

It was slow going. He could only move so much before the energy drained from him, but he reminded himself it was still something. Even if it felt like he moved only centimeters it was still progress. He wasn't giving up. He wouldn't ever give the fucker the satisfaction of having his body. He'd blow the fucker to bits.

At least that's what he told himself on the good days.

It was hard. And sometimes.. Sometimes he couldn't help the thought that it'd be so much easier to give up. To sink completely to the bottom and just rest there in the overwhelming pressure and darkness.

He tried to ignore those thoughts. To shove them back into that little box of things he didn't want to deal with. He could do this. He had to do this.

So he clawed his way up. Centimeter by centimeter, and the higher he got the brighter it was. The flashes came back, this time filled with people. Strangers he never met before, and… and someone he has. A flash of green hair and brighter green eyes staring at him with determination. Telling him he wasn't scared of him anymore.

Katsuki never felt more helpless than he did then. Deku.. fucking Deku didn't realize it wasn't him. That it was someone else he was talking to. Someone else who insulted and belittled him. Katsuki tried to scream, tried pushing himself forward as he saw his own hands reaching for the pin in a gauntlet. And he knew what that was. He remembered the hours he spent designing his hero costume.

He knew exactly what kind of damage it could cause.

Fingers burst through the tar like water and he was there again, in his body, staring down his childhood friend, and he could already feel those claws dragging him back down but he had enough time to scream, mouth opening and a familiar but unfamiliar name spilling out, a plea for help to notice somethings wasn't right please please help me god i'm drowning help me.

"IZUKU!"

The pin was pulled, and he was dragged under again.

This time he was forcibly kept under. The fucker controlling his body was more aware of him now. Katsuki could feel him actively shoving him down deeper and deeper until the light of the surface felt like a memory.

The fucker talked more now too.

Told him things he already knew. How no one noticed it wasn't Katsuki in charge. How Katsuki had made it so easy for him to integrate into his life. Afterall he wasn't close with anyone. The closest people he had were Izuku and his parents and even then he had always kept them at a distance. It made it so easy for him to ease into his life. To take over it, and any bumps on the road were easily explained away as being stress or trauma from the sludge incident.

Katsuki learned that they were enrolled in UA now. That meant a year.. A whole fucking year had passed and no one noticed it wasn't him. The monster laughed at the tears that dripped from his eyes, wiping them away with false care and a mocking smile. And.. it became so much harder to care. It was easier to just.. Drift. To stay in the choking pressure and darkness and give in.

No one knew he was here.

No one would ever notice.

But, Katsuki's suddenly left blinking in the light. He's chained to something. He can see metal encasing his arms and can feel the cold bite of metal against his mouth. His eyes are wide and his breath stuttering in his throat, he's frantic, looking around at everything and anything, choking for air that seems to be stuck in his throat at the worst goddamn time.

He can see a red and while haired fucker next to him and a bird headed asshole on his other side. He's in an arena of some sort, there's a crowd screaming and cheering and his head feels so light until he remembers to take in a shaky breath.

Bakugou can still feel him at the back of his head. He can feel chains wrapped around the fucker keeping him back, holding back those painful fingers. And for the second time in a year Katsuki screams.

The two boys on either side of him seem surprised as he starts to thrash around, voice muffled by the metal on his face as he screams for help, begs for someone to save him, tries to tell them about the man, how he's been stuck in his head for so goddamn long. That their classmate wasn't hIM THAT THERE WAS A MONSTER IN CONTROL OF HIS BODY GOD PLEASE SOMEONE SAVE HIM.

They just stare at him with wide confused eyes, and then, and then All Might is there, placing medals around the other boys necks, and All Might is reaching for him, taking the muzzle off of his face. And Katsuki is so thankful, he opens his mouth to beg again, to beg for help from his Hero.

Only.

Only all he gets is a medal shoved into his mouth. It stuns him for a moment. Long enough that photos are taken and All Might poses with them. His thrashing starts up again as they descend back into the floor and he can feel the hot tears on his face as he chokes for air and words around the medal.

It's all so distracting, he can't really even blame himself that he doesn't notice the sickly sweet scent in the air, not until he feels his eyes grow heavier. He tries again, begging, pleading, sobbing. Nothing works and his consciousness slips away. Back to the familiar pool of thick water that fills his lungs and stomach and head.

It's all so tiring.

Maybe he just doesn't deserve to be saved.

Katsuki is in a daze. Has been since the incident with All Might. He's stopped struggling. Stopped trying. He lets his thoughts float away and sometimes he even forgets he exists. This seems to please the Intruder. He spends both less and more time with Katsuki.

He spends less time and effort on forcing him down, even let's Katsuki see more and more clips and sounds of the things he's doing. Once he even pushed Katsuki to the forefront of their body only for him to sit there, staring at his face in the mirror like he couldn't recognize the soft cheeks and dead eyes looking back. Katsuki didn't even try to call for help.

Afterall.. If All Might, the number one hero didn't help him.. Who would?

He hated how happy his surrender made the Intruder, but he couldn't be bothered. Not anymore. So he ignored the snippets from the outside world. Tried to ignore the Intruder when he came to him, painful cruel claws petting his hair, sickening voice crooning at him, telling him he was such a good boy to give in.

He hated it. He hated him. He hated himself. He… was just so tired.

And so, Bakugou sunk deeper than ever before.