I'm back with a new chapter, and I hope it's good! It focuses on Bakugou's past. Enjoy!

He wants to work for me? Bakugou Katsuki, the bandit? Some sense of pride he has but... I don't know how he'll be able to work for me though. All I do is catalogue books, validate or fetch stuff in other stations.. and I don't know what kind of background we'll be able to give him. I'd like to have him around, but what for? What will I do? I.. don't want to turn him down either. And I hope Polis never finds out he's a bandit-er.. former bandit? They'll kill him for sure.

Midoriya stared at Bakugou straight in his eyes, curious and disbelieving; he scrutinized him as well. The blonde's returning gaze was consistent, solid, and didn't falter; very sincere and serious. The blonde groaned after a while of staring, adjusting his sitting position. "So... that good?"

The curly haired boy started to think of how Bakugou can work for him, and how he'll be able to pass off as someone that's not a bandit, which is a bit problematic since his whole being screams 'bandit'. He speculated on living space, job, history, and so on.

"The fuck are you mumbling for?" the blonde cut in at Midoriya's thoughts, unaware that he was mumbling to himself his thoughts loud enough to be heard around the small room. The curly haired boy then sighed to himself, staring at the little pile of bullet clips in front of him. "I.. I don't know."

Bakugou groaned and lied down on the floor, back pressed against the cold floor. He picked up a clip of bullets and started to toss it around on his hand, bored. "I want to see how different you are from the rest of Polis and the other fuckers. You're.. interesting. Look, I have never met a Polis prick who's okay with throwing money at others just to make them happy. And you could've left me there but you didn't. I don't get you, and I want to know why."

Midoriya listened intently, ears perking up in interest while a small smile tugged at his lips. "You.. trust me?" the boy's words made Bakugou lose focus, making the clip of bullets hit him on his forehead with a grunt, which left a red mark there. "Fuck." the blonde stood up and rubbed at the affected area, trying to sooth it. Midoriya was already alarmed by the blonde's predicament, and offered to massage the area, to which said blonde said no to, but Midoriya did so anyway.

The curly haired boy carefully rubbed at the red mark, sighing in relief due to the area not being bad enough to elicit bleeding or a concussion, especially since it's a heavy clip of bullets. Bakugou watched Midoriya's scarred hands do their work on his forehead, which seemed to ease the pain a lot. The blonde blushed a little since he's not used to this kind of intimate contact, let alone being touched so gently. "To answer your question, I don't fully trust you.. but I trust you more than anyone else in this shithole. You're different, alright? That's why." Midoriya continued kneading at the blonde's forehead, sending a smiling glance towards him, feeling honored and touched at his statement. Midoriya felt special. "Thank you.. Kacchan."

Bakugou froze for a moment at the statement, eyes wide and frozen in place with his lips fixed in a straight line, which Midoriya noticed and got alarmed at. "Something wrong? Um.. Bakugou?" he tapped at the blonde's shoulder to no effect. "Bakugou?" he then started to shake him, lightly panicking.

The blonde jolted and grabbed Midoriya's hands, clutching at them tightly as if he was a hostile. On seeing that it's just the curly haired boy, who looked shocked by his sudden action, he eased up, slowly releasing his grip on the other. He rubbed at his head furiously, and shook it afterwards. "Something wrong?" Midoriya asked again. Bakugou scrutinized him, boring holes into his eyes before receding with a grunt. "No. Just.. remembered something, but I fucking forgot about it already! Dammit!" he tugged at his hair and loudly groaned, angry at himself for forgetting. Midoriya had an idea, and thought it wouldn't hurt to try. "Kacchan?"

There it was again; Bakugou froze, but only for a short while, then he blinked at Midoriya, looking perplexed. "Th-that.. that sounded so fucking familiar. But I don't know from where, or who.." now it was Midoriya's turn to blink. "It just came up to my mind, actually.. I remember saying it a lot during my childhood, but that's it. I guess it's because of your name? Katsuki plus the Japanese suffix 'chan' equals 'Kacchan'!"

Bakugou huffed and went to recline at the wall, resting his head and back on the cold concrete. "How did I fucking end up here, a Japanese guy, in Russia? You also. Ever wondered that?." Midoriya shrugged, and Bakugou's eyes wandered the walls of Midoriya's room, examining the wall of post cards of what seemed to be prewar buildings, then there's a stack of prewar comics beside said wall, mostly about All Might. "I heard about the All Might comic series. Hansa says they sell really fucking well, like one-fifty bullets for a single book. That could keep anyone happy for a helluva long time." his eyes shifted towards Midoriya again, who looked uneasy and fidgeted with his fingers. He actually felt concerned for the boy this time. "I don't plan on stealing them so ease the fuck up." his words were blunt, and shot right through the curly haired boy, making him less uneasy. It confirmed something to the blonde.

"Huh, seems you don't trust me fully, if not at all. It's mutual." the blonde huffed, then he pushed the clips of bullets towards Midoriya as he stood up from his sitting position, making Midoriya look at them in surprise. "Fine. Keep that shit then. I'll be on my way." the blond went for the door, but he was stopped by the other's hands planted firmly on his shoulders, not wanting him to go.

"I'm sorry! I just.. well yeah, I don't fully trust you, but I want to. So.. I'd like it if you could show me that I could trust you... Kacchan." Midoriya sputtered out in his haste, then he lowered his head to gaze at the floor, embarassed at Bakugou.

There's that nickname again, which seemed to trigger memories in Bakugou's head. It annoyed him, but he also wanted to know what they were. The blonde's vision faded then into a dream.

"Let's play hide and seek, Kacchan!"

There was a boy in front of Bakugou, and he smiled so happily it could be felt by anyone who looked at him, including Bakugou, but apart from his smile, the rest of his face and head were blurry. They were both around four to five years old at the time, living in a station full of performers of the theater arts like singers, dancers, actors, comedians, and so on. Behind the boy was the entrance to the theater, a line of customers at it, waiting to get inside while some gruff guy tended to their tickets. The boy tugged at Bakugou's shirt, then he ran behind him, giggling loudly and happily.

"C'mon, Kacchan!"

"Fine, Deku. I'll count to ten!"

Bakugou faced against a marble pillar, and with his ears, he tried to make out the other boy's light footsteps from the other people's, and he seemed to be heading towards the station platform. He started counting off.

".. devyat.. desyat."

Bakugou broke into a sprint and ran towards the stations platforms. He turned tight corners and weaved through large crowds of waiting people until he'd reached the station platform, chock full of crates and bags belonging to passengers of the railcars. There, on the opposite side of the platform, was the station sign, in all it's red lettered glory.

ТЕАТРАЛЬНАЯ

"Bakugou? Bakugou? I'm sorry! Please wake up!"

The blonde jolted awake, head soaked in cold sweat and cutting his dream short. Apparently, he fell unconscious and had been dreaming of those memories, the nickname Midoriya kept on using triggering them. He can't tell why, but he really wanted to know. "Do you know anyone named 'Deku'?" he asked Midoriya sternly, who shook his head. "Sounds like a derogatory nickname. Maybe they're a bandit?" the other added his two-cents. "Derogatory? How?" the blonde asked back, rubbing the red spot on his forehead which hurt again. Midoriya pondered, then he popped his mouth open. "Ah! I think it means 'useless'? My Japanese isn't the best but my Russian is worse."

Bakugou grunted, still not getting the answer he's looking for. He recollected his thoughts for a moment, then he brought them up to Midoriya. "Do you know anyone called Deku or whatever in Teatralnaya?"

Teatralnaya! That was.. that was my home before Polis!

Midoriya shook his head in response while he reached for a small canteen of water for Bakugou. "No.. But, can't you remember their face? This Deku?" Midoriya asked while passing the canteen to Bakugou, who unscrewed the cap immediately and drank. "Their face was faded for some reason, but the little shit giggles like a girl, and smiled so fucking happily.. We were little kids, playing hide and seek. The little shit kept on calling me 'Kacchan' and I looked for him. We were in Teatralnaya. That's all I could remember."

Bakugou then processed what Midoriya had told him, that he had a childhood in Teatralnaya, that he kept on calling someone "Kacchan" there. The pieces were there, but he wasn't jumping into conclusions until he knew for sure. "Hey. You said you had a childhood in Teatralnaya, and that you kept on calling some shit 'Kacchan' there. How.. how does that prick look like?"

Midoriya thought about it, eyes looking at the ceiling and a hand resting on his chin. "I.. I don't know either. All I know is that he played a bit rough with me and.. hurt me sometimes. But I know it wasn't on purpose.. I don't know why I can't remember how they look like though." Midoriya sighed in defeat, and went to lie down on his little mattress on the floor. He looked at Bakugou with a pensive smile. "Oh, and.. I don't know how you'll be able to work for me.."

Then he starts to remember things in his relaxed state, like Kirishima telling him that he and Kaminari won't be available most of the time, that there are little to no available rangers, and that most of the available ones are too brash for Midoriya's comfort. Kuzmich also told him back then that frequent trips outside of Polis, and at the surface, might be a possibility thanks to all the expeditions being sent. With those thoughts, Midoriya pipes up happily, sitting up and beaming at Bakugou, who got a bit disturbed with the curly haired boy's sudden change of demeanour. "I know! You can be my bodyguard when I have to go somewhere! I'm kinda defenseless anyway. I suck at handling guns, I don't know any self defense techniques, and I'm-" Midoriya cut himself off, thinking that telling the bandit that he's quirkless might be too much information for their current trust level.

"You're what?" Bakugou inched closer to him with an expectant frown, to which Midoriya backed up a little and waved his hands at Bakugou. "I-I just suck with combat in general! A-and perhaps having an experienced professional like yourself could mean a longer lifespan for me since I think I'll be sent out of Polis more often!"

Bakugou's somewhat delighted expression meant that he's satisfied with the curly haired boy's answer. "If that's the case, when do I start? What's my background? I'm not saying I'm a fucking bandit in bandit-phobic Polis." the blonde huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. Midoriya then sat up and went for the door. "I'll.. think of something. Please stay here, Bakugou. I'm gonna talk to someone." As Midoriya opened the door, getting the bullets along the way, the blonde's hand latched onto his shoulder, and he looked very distrustful. "You better not report me, freckle shit. Or I'm killing you before I get dragged off in whatever dungeon they lock me up in." the statement made Midoriya flinch, but then he held onto Bakugou's hand on his shoulder, rubbing a calming pattern on it. "I won't, Kacchan. You can count on me for that. Besides, I wanted you to stick around, remember?"

Bakugou scoffed and tugged his hand off Midoriya's shoulder even though he liked the other's soothing touches. "As far as I fucking know, you'll turn me in for a reward." he stated gruffly, to which Midoriya lightly chuckled at. "Kacchan, I have a lot of money already. And besides, I'm not greedy. I'd prefer friends over bullets anytime!" he stated cheerfully before he went through the doorway. "I'll be back in a bit! Help yourself to what I have there!" Bakugou's hand stayed on Midoriya's wrist, and he tugged him back a little before he could get out. "Stop.. calling me that." the blonde looked pensive and angry at the same time, which Midoriya took notice, so he patted the blonde's hand on his wrist with a little smile. "Okay, Bakugou. I understand." Bakugou then let go of the curly haired boy's hand, then he disappeared among the Polis crowd.

Bakugou grunted, and shut the door, then he opted to sit down on Midoriya's soft mattress, and he felt its softness, which was a major far cry from the concrete floors and steel benches he slept on. Bakugou was a nomadic bandit that stole from the elites of Polis and Hansa after "it" happened, somewhat his "revenge" on them. It was a turning point in Bakugou's life, one that led to his banditry and distrust of Polis and Hansa, the elite in general.

Bakugou was woken up by heavy, incessant knocks on the door. Sitting up from his bed, he glanced at his surroundings; he's in Prospekt Mira, at his little flat. He saw his uniform hanging on the side, a Hansa guard's; he worked as part of the station's elite garrison. He's good at his job; he's proficient in first aid, handling of firearms, and his explosion quirk made everything easier for him. He mostly dealt with bandits, mutants, and the occasional drunkard.

When he opened the door, he was met by a Hansa officer who's surrounded by two grunts with Saiga automatic shotguns. He raised his eyebrow at the seemingly suspiscious individuals. "The fuck do you want?" The officer cleared his throat with a cough, and looked at his clipboard which he held with a hand. "You are Katsuki Bakugou, yes?" the officer asked sternly. Bakugou growled back and replied. "Yeah. Who's asking?" he asked back impatiently.

The officer hummed accusatively, and went away from the doorway, pointing at him. "Take him into custody." then the two guards went to cuff him. Bakugou shoved them away, prompting the two to aim their weapons at him. "The fuck is this?! I did jackshit!" he shouted angrily, fists balled in anger. In response, a guard hit him in the face with the butt of his shotgun, sending Bakugou to the ground with a bleeding nose. The officer stepped up to him, and looked down at him. "Katsuki Bakugou. You are under arrest for the destruction of a Polis convoy, and the murder of all but one of its fifty passengers." the officer kicked him in the stomach, making the blonde spew out some blood from his mouth and nose, groaning in pain. "Do you have anything to say for yourself, svoloch?"

Bakugou coughed and groaned in pain, then he tilted his shead towards the officer, glaring daggers at him. "The fuck? I did not do anything you shithead!" the officer kicked him again for his choice of words. "Remaining survivor has testified. Blonde hair, red eyes, vulgar words, explosion quirk, Yaponskiy imena.. that is you, and only you." the officer waved at the grunts, prompting them to lift up Bakugou and cuff him. The officer grinned in triumph, while Bakugou threw half-hearted glares at him, weakened.

"I believe simply shooting scum like you is not enough. Your punishment has been determined. You will be thrown to the surface, and die by the radiation.. or the mutants. Either way, your death will be slow.. and painful."

"Kacchan? Wake up! Please wake up!"

Midoriya was trying to wake up Bakugou, who kept on turning and flinching while asleep, along with making pained noises. After one forceful shake, the blonde suddenly bolted up from his memory-induced stupor, frightening Midoriya, who yelped and scampered away a bit. The blonde shook his head and blinked his eyes to further realign himself with the current realm, sitting up in the process. He then looked at the curly haired boy while breathing heavily. "The fuck was that for?"

Midoriya looked worried, brows furrowed down and he constantly fidgeted with his fingers. "I-I got back, and I saw you sleeping on my bed.. but you were tossing around and yelling strained words, as if you're hurting. Was it.. a nightmare?" the other looked very concerned, which irked a part of Bakugou, and eased another. He felt conflicted about Midoriya's concern, and he hated it.

"S'nothing." the blonde examined his surroundings, finding it to be Midoriya's room, and he eased up, sitting back down lazily on the mattress. "So.. what did you do?" the question made the curly haired boy light up, and he handed over to the blonde a piece of yellowed paper that had details scribbled over in Russian. The blonde started to read over the important bits, which took him only under a minute. Once done, he looked at Midoriya's expectant face, looking pleased with himself. "So, I'm a mercenary that was a former.. Hansa guard?" Bakugou stated the last part a little strained, but Midoriya nodded fervorously, not noticing. "Yep!"

Fucking Hansa guard! There's truth in that but fuck this! But it's believable so fine!

Bakugou grunted and examined the paper again, remembering that apart from all of the info Midoriya placed in it, he forgot to put one important detail. "Where the hell am I gonna live here?" with that question, Midoriya turned nervous and he fidgeted with his fingers. "O-oh! Um.. well.. there's no available living space here so.. y-you can stay here with me!" Midoriya said the last part with a higher-than-usual voice, prompting Bakugou to get a bit suspicious. "You don't have a fucking ulterior motive now, do you?"

Midoriya squeaked. "N-no! Not at all!" it was a very unconvincing lie; there's actually an available flat at Arbatskaya, but the curly haired boy knew that the blonde looked very familiar, and on knowing that he used to live in Teatralnaya before as kids, where he used to live as a kid also, that he used to get called "Kacchan" by someone, which he remembered doing lot in his childhood.. he was very certain, but not fully confirmed on his theory. He wanted Bakugou close by, perhaps to get to know the somewhat volatile blonde bandit, and to confirm his theories.

Is Bakugou Katsuki.. Kacchan?

Bakugou, being tired, dropped the subject, and layed down on the mattress, wanting to sleep, and hopefully he won't be getting anymore nightmares. "Fine. This room is enough for two, hell even three, maybe." the blonde patted the other side of the mattress while looking at Midoriya, face ever so serious. "You're not sleeping on the floor, and I definitely want a tour of your shitty station later, so sleep. Now." Midoriya smiled meekly in response, and lightly shook his head. "Tch. What? Fucking scared?" the blonde teased, making the other pout at him. When Bakugou looked at him sternly, yet not glaring, Midoriya sighed in defeat, and went to lie down beside the blonde. "Okay. You win."

Bakugou felt the other's body heat due to their proximity, so he turned to his side to face away from Midoriya, with the latter still nervous of their closeness, to which the curly haired boy flushed a little at.

I did not think this part through, hehe..

Midoriya remained lying on his back, and he glanced at the blonde's rather toned, clothed back, thinking that he had to be strong to survive all that. Bakugou remained still on his side, staring at the wall of post cards on his side, thinking that Midoriya has some attachment to the prewar world; most of them were post cards from Japan, a place he and the other only knew from the stories the older Japanese folk used to tell them. The two held three things in common; they knew barely about Japan, their parents, and their childhood.

Midoriya continued to observe the blonde, who appeared stiff now. Sighing, he slowly closed his eyes. "Good night, Kacchan."

The curly haired boy was replied with a growl from the seemingly asleep blonde. "How would you know it's nighttime, idiot? And didn't I tell you to stop calling me.. that?" the blonde replied gruffly, startling Midoriya a little and opening his eyes. "It's just a saying before people go to sleep, y'know? And I.. can't help it. Kacchan sounds very.. nice. It fits you."

"First that little shit in my nightmares, now you? Fucking Japanese naming conventions.." Bakugou groaned in annoyance, and a high pitched sound came from Midoriya. "S-sorry! I'll try to stop!" From the back of his mind, the blonde started comparing the voices, and can't help but think they sound somewhat similar, as if the one in his nightmare was the younger version, and Midoriya's the older one.

Kacchan! Kacchan!

Bakugou sighed hoarsely. "Just keep it to a fucking minimum, alright? I better not hear 'Kacchan' in every single sentence you say." Midoriya hummed in approval loud enough for Bakugou to hear, so the latter sagged in his part of the mattress, wanting to sleep already.

"Sleep well.. Kacchan."

"Tch, whatever.. you too."

The silence that followed allowed them to sleep.

Thanks for reading! What do you think will happen next?