21
Bakugo was passing out in bed, his hair a ruffled mess.
That's when he heard the click of the door, a little past midnight.
His eyes shot wide awake.
He'd been updating Eraserhead on time, every three days, he'd filled Kasaya in on it too, just like he had about Hisashi giving him his number, because Bakugo figured that in the reel that played, Kasaya knew already that Diasuta had handed him that little slip of paper of Aiwaza's.
They weren't grand or large updates, just simple shit like; 'He's fine', 'I figured out this', 'He's pissed 'bout math but that's it', or 'He's drank extra today, I'll fuckin' watch.' He felt like a huge tattle-tale and he despised every second of it, but letting his roommate know of this forced behavior, it did make him feel less stressful, because then it wasn't as behind someone's back, and the carefree 'whatever' nature Kasaya had in regards to it made him feel better about it too.
It made Bakugo feel that perhaps Kasaya really did have an inkling of trust in him, and that made Katsuki grand because that meant he would get what he desired.
Eraserhead response's were generally and mostly either; demanding more information, telling Katsuki to stop cussing, or a simple 'okay', but today was different, Aiwaza had sent him a longer message that made him trail into a schpeil with him:
Aiwaza: We need to start trying to dig in deeper. We got to start pushing him to gain control, to get some more information.
Bakugo: I don't wanna do it.
Aiwaza: What? I'm the professor, not you.
Bakugo: Didn't you say you didn't wanna hold him down and torture him for info? Just let whatever come out come out!
Aiwaza: Yes. I said that.
Bakugo: So... let me handle it.
Aiwaza: Okay, look. Here's the deal. We need to get the ball rolling. I have something lined up that could help him, but the kid's got to want the help. Can you make him want that?
Bakugo: I don't make him do shit. I don't speak for him.
Aiwaza: I'll give you detention if you don't stop cussing!
Aiwaza: I get it. But can you try is what I'm asking.
Bakugo: Yeh? Bring it.
Aiwaza: Try.
Bakugo: Whatever.
The bond he had with his professor now was changing their attitudes towards each other. Bakugo got away with more than the others did, for obvious reasons.
It'd also been about a week and a half since the night he drug out of him that girl's name.
Bitchy Ashley.
Now Aiwaza was being more forceful than ever and it was against how Bakugo wanted to work the board game.
It was too fucking sudden, and he'd just started speaking with him more.
Katsuki feared the chase getting de-railed, especially with this new founded tiny 'trust', that Kasaya was letting him roll with.
One step at a time, softly, that was how he wanted to play!
He'd just ripped the duct tape up again a few days ago, and Kasaya, coming back from doing cleaning duty in one of the main campus buildings, (as a part of his detention conditions that he'd earned for stomping Neito's ass), was surprised to all hell. But they'd drank that night too, and this time they actually sat in the middle of the room together on the floor, and had a conversation about yet again, another off topic subject that had only little reference to any piece of his current predicament: sports, particularly baseball.
Satoko told him about his elementary and middle school ball league, but he wasn't able to grasp why he hated the medals he'd earned so much, that was what Suki really wanted to know. He just threw them around like they were crap, and Suki was the same, he hid his away in his closet, jammed inside a box of momentos. But it was a momento he was trying to find an appropriate way to dispose of. He also was still trying to find a way to feel a sense of 'win' over Todoroki so he would feel the need to keep it.
It was either one way or the other at this point.
The way Saya went on about baseball was painfully 'sorted over'. As he started getting closer towards his late middle school years, Bakugo could tell he was picking and choosing his words wisely. The only thing Bakugo had gotten a taste of was that something awful had happened in connection to the sport injury he'd had.
He assumed it was that girl, and that made him fizzle, get a bit pink in the cheeks. It was not seen on his tipsy face, as his cheeks had grown naturally warm and toasty, but the emotion was there.
This woman, Bakugo was starting to understand, was wrapped up in a lot of negative stuff in his life, because of the way he purposefully would glean 'too personal' of information out. He was covering stuff up because of her and what she'd done, whatever that was.
Bakugo was beginning to think that when it came down to detective work, that perhaps he was starting to fall off the deep end with it too, because he was beginning to enjoy just lounging around after a long ass day of school, lifting at the gym, a run, then homework, a shower, food, to just talk about fucking nothing at all with Kasaya after some drinks. He felt that he was getting lazy prying for data, but he knew Aiwaza wasn't allowing him the room to be, keeping him on his toes about it, like an emo alligator snapping at his ankles.
But the time he spent with Kasaya... it felt... good. He hadn't had instances of this feeling since he was much much younger, before he'd come to realize what had happened to his parents, and what it actually meant to 'be dead.'
That's why when the door clicked, Bakugo jumped right up out of bed and slammed his slippers on, to catch the roommate in the act, right as he was trying to leave, Bakugo's blossoming attachment, the game he played, and his begrudged call of duty to Eraserhead could not allow for it to slip on by.
Blue Bun was attempting to do the 'sneaking off late at night' to disappear thing.
Bakugo walked out the door right on his heel, wanting the control, plus, his own personal interest was peaked. He'd left the room and wandered the halls, a few months ago, not finding him that one time... just to run into that pink chick. He wanted an answer to this. He'd promised himself he wouldn't do that bullshit again! Meandering the halls! Peering into the lounges!
Looking for someone. Someone specific.
"Hey."
Kasaya turned, as he was getting ready to stroll down the 4th Floor. "Hah? Not asleep?"
"No." Their voices were hushed, Bakugo shut the door behind him slow, quiet. "Th'fuck you doin?" He whispered. Sure enough, the blue haired teen in front of him was dressed to go out the door: jeans, coat, and a long-sleeved tee.
Kasaya sighed. Bakugo had told him about filling Eraserhead in about what was happening. He couldn't trust that guy, he couldn't bring himself to, he didn't know him at all, but something inside him did want to have some trust in Bakugo, that was why he was being so lax about this. Yes, he'd asked for help, and Eraserhead even had to slid the number on paper into his pocket for him as he was so challenged to reach out and grasp it on his own, but he had no idea who the hero was on the personal side.
The teen never seen the texts Katsuki sent, as he didn't care, but he knew what that it all meant: "You my watchdog?"
Was he challenging him? Bakugo had an instant spike of anger run through. "You fuckin' know why."
Kasaya smirked in the dimly lit hall, sconces on only. Yeh, he knew, because of Diasuta. He got it. Uncanny and weird it was that Katsuki was even allowing himself to do this shit, to be involved. Kasaya didn't get it. Why? "Fine. Come if you want." He sat down on the hall couch, as if he was waiting for a decision; he was, with one leg over the other.
"What?"
"Do you want to come?" Satoko reiterated quietly as possible as not to wake neighbors. "I'm not making you; you're decision." He'd left it open ended for him as he remembered his mistake up in the penthouse of dragging him along, just assuming he'd be okay with that.
Katsuki flared. He had no fucking choice! He had to go! He had to fucking watch him like a damn hawk, first it was for his brother, now it was for the hero professor. "I don't want t'be out late."
Kasaya looked away. Katsuki setting the parameters, that was normal. "Fine."
They're normal talk was still rather off-putting towards one another, but they both were noticing things were shifting and neither brought it up to one another.
Bakugo went back into the room and started pulling on some heavier clothes, a hoodie, boots, in addition to sweats over his shorts. Something in his chest was pounding, he'd wanted an answer to this for awhile, and now upon catching his ass trying to start doing it again, he felt like it'd been tied up in a neat little package with a red bow. Inside the room he rushed around, his excitement was completely visible.
Then he slowed. 'Damn it.' He sat on his bed for a few, not wanting to make it apparent that he's dressed in a flash, which would come off that he was eager. After a bit, he stood and left the room, making sure he had his key, and they went off together.
They exited out the front of the building, signing out on the exit sheet, waving their student ids, the desk rep had them check that they had their badges, as he wouldn't want anyone to be left out in the cold as Midnight had coo'ed about on stage months back now.
"Th'fuck you takin' me?" It was chilly, Bakugo had his hands in the pockets of his fur-collared coat. They'd drank a bit tonight too, and Katsuki was feeling a wiggle in his step.
"Other side of campus." Kasaya pulled his long navy hair out of it's screwed up bun, and began hoisting it back up into a fresh one, combing it back.
The air was crisp as they strolled, but it still was nice enough out to not freeze to death, nearing the end of autumn.
Bakugo watched him do it that certain way that he always did it, so smooth those fingers glided over and through the hair as he multi-tasked it with walking. It looked awkward.
Kasaya realized unlike before, when they were walking across campus to the Golden, and unlike in the dome when he was five feet away or so, Bakugo was actually walking aside him this time... and staring at him of all things, putting his hair up. He just wanted that stare off of him, as always.
Sneaking behind a building, he took the opportunity to get ahead of him, breaking the red eyes he knew were on him, and began pacing slow down a long dark alleyway.
Carefully avoiding a group of late night girls walking from the library, Bakugo followed. Once out of sight to all, he watched the 'samurai' light up a cigarette, snapping the lighter quick, all of those items had been completely hidden in his long black coat's deep pockets.
Suki was beginning to see that he put a lot of things in his pockets.
Similarly to Bakugo, Kasaya had on a black coat, but it was similar to a felt trench, unlike Suki's which was more of a black leather aviator jacket.
The long jacket suited his roommate. Suki glanced at his half turned face, smoking, those fingers taking the cigarette, putting it back.
He seen Katsuki eyeballing him with that redhot glare again peripherally, still following, as the alley was too thin to walk aside, obviously not wanting to be here (or so Saya thought). He'd taken long enough finding some clothes to put on to come out into public, and for that reason, Satoko thought he'd have an explosion in his face due to sheer agitation.
But for some reason, probably because they were beginning to speak to each other more, he realized he was fearing blow-ups less and less. It came to his attention that Bakugo didn't do that to him for some reason (unlike his Hero Classmates), he actually never had, so there was no need to fear it much anymore. It was quickly becoming an irrational fear that he didn't need to have.
Soon, Kasaya made a hand motion to stop at the end of the long alley they'd been wandering down between the buildings, and ducked down behind a huge bush with dying yellow flowers on it. "Now we gotta wait." His voice airy.
"For?" Soon Kugo hunkered down too. What the hell was going on?
"Someone t'come out that door." He pointed to a small exit, it was beside a park area with a bench, some trees, a really nice fountain, and bulbed sidewalk lights; obvious it was an office building of some sort.
Looking Suki in the eye as he wasn't looking at him, he noticed a confused, but interested look, and Satoko Kasaya smirked at him and turned around, watching the a streak of smoke from his cigarette filter into the bushes lower branches, until, within less than five minutes, a young lady emerged.
"Hn." The long haired one said low, taking the half-smoked cylinder off his lip. "Hang'on t'this."
Bakugo, crouching, took it between his the ring and index on his right hand, their fingers touching as it passed.
Satoko stood, kind of creeping, but once fully erect, walked out, brushing a bit of dirt off.
Bakugo was stumped. He'd have to alert Eraserhead of this no doubt. He didn't think anything bad was going to happen though, especially not after what began to unfold in front of him: The woman looked a bit older, for sure in her mid-twenties, and his roommate waltzed right over and began talking to her. At first she jumped as she'd been frightened of someone being out late, but as he talked on (and Suki couldn't quite hear what the hell he was talking to her about), he noticed his eyes just couldn't peel away from Kasaya's laughing form.
He said he didn't like girls!
Why the hell was he chatting away with one then? It kind of was tiffing him off.
He knew Kasaya's laugh was fake, and all of his overly outgoing hand gestures that he was acting out.
This was so mysterious. His roommate; an enigma.
Bakugo looked down at the cigarette in his fingers; a streak of smoke, the ash getting larger on the burning end. He hesitated a few times, but decided. He put it to his lips and sucked deep in pure need to calm down.
Watching the two from afar made him feel nervous, on edge, like he was watching some odd tv drama, and he didn't know why.
He blew it out. Damn, he didn't cough at all this time. They'd shared a sake cup before (because he'd drunkenly forgot the other one), but a cigarette? 'Wait. Yeh.' He had Blue Bun light one for him. This time then, it was just the same. Kasaya's mouth had just been on this, he looked at the butt end of it.
His mouth. Lips.
He had a strange beat happen in his stomach. He shook his head as if to elate himself from a fog. Somewhere, but he didn't know where, he remembered looking at that part of him.
'Oh well.' He shrugged off going any further into it, blanking his mind of it. His roommate didn't care about taking shots of lemon sake out of the cup they shared, so why would he care if he smoked the rest of his cigarette? Sharing it Half n' half... like that bastard in Hero Class.
He swore someday, he'd blow him away, earning that right to the medal finally.
His head morphed back to what he was thinking previous, distracted.
Suki fummed that he shouldn't be having thoughts like this about his roommate's mouth, his lips, even if it was just a thought that he's 'looked' at them sometime somewhere.
It was slightly embarrassing.
'The fuck is'wrong with me?' His head babbled. He growled and took another puff.
"Hey."
Bakugo turned around, there stood Kasaya. It didn't startle the blonde at all, somehow, in a small time frame he'd already learned his voice. "Nice chat." He mocked hiding that strange begrudged feeling in him, that was slowly settling as he was at his side again.
Kasaya noticed the cigarette in Bakugo's mouth. "Let's get as low as we can, and be quiet."
Bakugo followed queue. What was he doing? Talking to people? The fuck sense did this make?!
He would find out.
They both laid on thier stomachs, propped up on elbows, like military men in a war spying on the enemy.
In a swift motion, Kasaya plucked cigarette right out of Suki's mouth with a smirk, earning a grunt from the other, he put it to his lips for a suck. He blew it out and gave it back. He felt 'closer' to Bakugo now. They'd drank another time and he spoke with him about his 'baseball times', stuff from elementary school, anything too serious he avoided, but he did tell him about his injury... and they'd had a few tonight too.
Speaking of. Kasaya pulled a 3 oz out of his pocket, snapped it off and downed it.
"What're we doin'?" Bakugo inhaled on the cigarette and blew it out, ignoring the alcoholic entreating himself, handing the smoke back.
Those gray eyes looked at him enough to grip it up and hold it with those long fingers, then it averted. "T'practice my quirk. What I can do."
"So that girl..."
"Yeh." He took a puff, handed it. "I feel it in my head." He pointed to his skull. "Have to'do it on late nights."
So, he did have a bit of control over it, but just a little. "How's she movin' normal?"
"I was deviant."
The blonde seen him smirk, wanting an explanation. He'd full on seen Iida's eyes completely frozen, a fuckin' spider could crawl into them, and he wouldn't even budge.
And the smirking!
He blew out smoke, gave it back.
Kasaya smirked at him a lot more now, it was a part of the sarcasm he held, and Bakugo... didn't mind. Normally he'd feel incredibly volatile all of a sudden if a person smirked at him the way his roommate did, like he'd want to skyrocket them with a blast, an extra sparkly one, but not with him, it suited him too well, just like the coat he wore.
A quiet, sarcastic, confusing puzzle is what he truly remained to him.
"I catch'em by surprise, talk'em up; they have name tags. The people get off late, and they go sit in th'park. Right after I say a name, I squeeze in the words like 'act as you usually do', or something like that, then they don't know I have'em latched." He blew out smoke. "Last puff's yours." He watched Katsuki take the cigarette, the last bit inhaling, the tips of his fingers holding the small anxiety-relaxing object, then he butted it out into the roots of the bush. "They think the feeling of my control washing'over, is their 'surprised' feeling." Kasaya grabbed the butt and stuck it in his pocket. He didn't want to litter, or leave a trace that they were there.
"Hn." He responded. That was deviant. Really deviant, but honestly, kind of brilliant. How else would he practice it? Bakugo couldn't grasp having something such as a mental quirk. Physical quirks were easy to practice, just go blow crap up in a training field, Kasaya had to pull the shade over someone's eyes just to get experience, no wonder he had so little.
They began watching, the girl looked like she was waiting on someone.
"Bu'how can she hear you?" Bakugo.
"Ah." Kasaya said low. It'd been about five minutes and they hadn't said anything. "If I'm far away, all I have to do for a new command is restate their name first."
"But they'll know, won't they?"
"Nah. After the initial 'latch' is set, it fades. That's why I stand'round and talk, makin' them think it's the 'scared' feeling goin' away." He cleared his throat, and swallowed to get that smoke taste out of his mouth. "Every command I give she'll follow, not dismissing the ones before it, unless I tell her to."
A man came up to the girl sitting on the bench, she waved, pulling up on her scarf, and he sat right down beside her and put her arm around her.
"Lovers. Great." Kasaya's explanation concluded with that remark.
Suki smirked low into his left forearm, chin now resting on it. So, that outgoing side of Kasaya, really was gone. It bugged him that he might of been different, possibly just lying. His original thoughts were true: That crap, the laughing, the overzealousness, that show, it was all faux.
Thank gods. Suki liked him better the way he was. It felt good to have him back to normal.
Just the way he was.
Bakugo swallowed.
Just the way he was.
"Alright. I let'em go on long enough." He whispered turning to Bakugo, who somehow looked kind of lost.
Suki turned then, and got rumpled up in those stormy orbs watching a new emotion shoot across them. It was one of mischief.
He didn't express much emotion period, but Suki was learning quick what the different sheens in his eyes meant. It wasn't hard to tell, if you just looked closely. Which he did quite often.
He found himself staring a lot.
Kasaya scooted closer to Bakugo so he could whisper lower, his voice nothing but air, barely audible just enough for Katsuki to hear, he motioned his finger for him to move his ear a bit closer.
Saya was getting more bold with him... he probably shouldn't allow himself to be doing that. Bakugo Katsuki still was this 'terror', but after the night he was laughing and rolling on the floor, Kasaya was taking a few more chances.
Aside from dealing with his issues head-on (which he didn't grasp a reasoning on), which was pretty confident of the blonde, Kasaya also liked Katsuki being around. He admitted that now.
With a few blinks, considering, Kugo leaned over. "Don't'talk too loud in my ear, I hate that." (It was because of his hearing issue, he didn't want to say that to him though.)
"I won't." Honoring it. "Wha'do you want her t'do?"
"Hah?" It was just as shallow and breathy.
"Wha'action?" Kasaya's eyed him.
He leaned back away a bit just to actually grasp what he was asking. Was he asking him to control her?
Suki smiled a deep demonic smile, of complete deviance and defiance.
Saya chuckled, catching that. Yeh, he wanted to involve him, he'd decided to come along, the least he could do was let him run the reins so he could genuinely 'see' what it's like to have to quirk he has. Diasuta didn't let him do that. Kasaya was just more so about having a bit of stupid fun.
All in all, this was the first time anyone's been around him while he was 'practicing'.
Kasaya swallowed. Thinking while still waiting for a command from him.
His nerves.
Suki was also his first in seeing him using a sword after his brother saved him from Ashley, outside his Hisashi himself. Suki was the first to sit around and drink with him aside Hisashi every once in awhile. Suki was the first able to deal with him aside Hisashi.
How many firsts would he take? Kasaya felt like he was beginning to pass them out like golden tickets.
Truly he knew... they were friends.
How did that happen? His mind shot around.
It had snuck right up on him!
He tried to hide his face for a minute under his bangs, combing them down at a steady pace to go over his eyes.
Kasaya knew his cheeks were getting a bit hot, and he didn't want that awkwardly to be noticed, and to be noticed and thought of as something else such as attraction!
He was just throughly heated because he had just realized thier bond!
He'd been going on and on for such a long time about how he couldn't be friends with anyone, even thought that of Suki, but now he had retracted that thought... because now, here they were.
"K." The biker cut, who had horrible bedhead, (but now was considering yanking his ass out of bed was completely worthwhile), motioned his finger, and Kasaya brought his ear down. "Make her burp."
Kasaya's eyes under bangs got huge, and putting his hand over his mouth, held back a snicker.
Suki was so proud of himself! Yeh! That girl will burp right in the middle of a sentence or something while trying to get this guy to like her! How hilarious! He was so intent on seeing this through!
That was what it was! Kasaya had made this into a practical joke!
Oh how Suki liked it!
This was new, this 'trickster' side. He didn't know he had it in him!
"Mitsu, burp once after a few sentences, then continue on like normal." Saya hushed out.
And sure enough, the dark-headed girl after two long ass sentences, took in a huge gulp of air and burped insanely loud, a complete full on belch!
Bakugo and Kasaya hit the dirt with their heads, staring right at each other, Kasaya's gray eyes watched Bakugo's get extremely wet in instant fulfillment, but each smacked a palm over their mouth to hold back the snickering.
"Holy fuckin' shit." Katsuki whispered out between his fingers, gasping in air, cheeks puffed, trying to let it out slow to suppress his laughing.
"I know!" Kasaya bubbled.
Like predators, they lurked and watched them.
The guy hadn't acted like the burp bothered him much, he kind of laughed it off and the girl, embarrassed, apologized profusely, explaining she had no idea why she did that, and that it must of been her dinner.
Her fumming over words and stumbling around sentences shot Bakugo into a secondary fit of forced containment, his abs hurting as he suppressed his delight into the comedy.
Girls. 'Ha! So stupid.'
Now, they were back to chatting normal, and Mitsu stood to tell this exaggerated story, and the guy was laughing at the antics. Trying to be cute no doubt.
Kasaya then leaned into Suki, his left shoulder brushing the blonde's right, chin lowered. "I gotta better one."
It got Suki's attention immediately, his cinnamon eyes came off the couple and were into Saya's face. A better one than he could come up with? He was up for the challenge. 'Yeh right.'
"Yeh right." What he'd just been thinking came out of his mouth, he internally grumbled, Kasaya had a fuckin' knack for pulling his thoughts right out of his head to come to the surface!
Saya smirked. "Watch and learn." He cleared his throat. "Mitsu, fart really loud but pretend like nothing happened."
Katsuki stuffed his mouth into the wool collar of jacket, his cheeks puffed again. 'Holy shit!' Kasaya was the worst! But would it top his... depends on how it plays out.
And sure enough it did:
The girl suddenly was getting red in the face and her body started shaking, and the guy began asking if she was okay, concerned.
And much to Katsuki and Kasaya's delight, they realized the girl was trying to 'squeeze one out', and when it did, it was just a small one, but the look on her face after of 'ultimate relaxation' killed them.
Mitsu even said 'Ahhhh!' Afterwards. A sigh of relief!
The guy didn't stand or anything, which meant it probably wasn't nasty enough for him to notice, but the boys in the bush were totally all eyes and heavy breathing.
"I'll win this." Bakugo suddenly blurted next into Kasaya's ear again. "Make her pick her nose."
"Dude!" He yanked up on his bun, it was getting stuck around his collar. "She'd for su..."
"Jus' do it." Suki was serious but chuckling.
"Mitsu start picking your nose." He couldn't resist.
Bakugo hung onto every damn word of that, and something in him, very playful, watched with his partner in crime the girl slam an index finger up her nostril.
The guy was shocked she was sitting next to and he fell speechless.
Bakugo suddenly rolled over and in absolute shocking pain, let out a loud laugh.
Kasaya smacked a quick worried hand over his mouth amidst a smile, eyes huge. But, he'd gotten to hear that hilarious rolling laughter again, and that in itself was making him laugh too!
"Hey! Whose over there!" The guy suddenly shouted, intent on walking over.
"Shit!" Saya.
The boys both stood and bolted.
Kasaya blinked a few times to release her, in his rapid steps.
Bakugo was in the lead, running, chuckling, breathing heavy in a sudden dash, he bolted down the alley, and Kasaya was laughing on his heels.
He peeled out of the thin opening and sprinted around a corner and kept going, barreling up the hill.
Kasaya knew for sure... he was chasing after him! His friend!
Bakugo in his sudden marathon, cocked his head to the side and smirked, speeding up, challenging him.
And Saya saw, responded, lengthening out his strides, bun leeching up and down behind his head as he was trying to catch him.
Both were in a full-legged, fast, panting, laughing run. Like kids.
Right as they got close to the Student Union building Kasaya caught up and was finally able to grab onto the back of his jacket, tugging a bit.
Immediately Bakugo slowed, his forehead glistening, hands on knees. "'Bout time." He coughed, breathed. "My fuckin' sweatpants were fallin'down. You're It."
"Hah?" Kasaya was leaning over. 'It?'
"Yeh. 'Tag. You're It?'" It was a game he used to play as a kid with his childhood gang.
"What are'we four?"
"So?"
Kasaya smirked and that was all Suki got to see as instantly he jolted, dead sprint, and in one a clean shot, launched himself over a divide and disappeared.
"Son of'a bitch!" He'd forgotten that Kasaya had samurai training under his belt. Clearing a cement short wall was no issue at all for him!
Thank gods nobody was out this late!
He ran after him.
Chased.
They were on a road, blacktop, and they were running along it's right side.
Dead leaves were beginning to blow across, and Bakugo felt himself covered in wet salty sweat.
Kasaya was immeasurably faster, so Bakugo just kept his eyes to those running legs ahead of him, listening to the quick beated steps, hearing the pounding of his own heart in his head, feeling it in his chest.
It had been so long since he had outdoor physical activity that wasn't somehow involving his quirk. He ran at the gym, but this was different.
He kept smiling while running, remembering when things were good. When things were normal. When he didn't feel how he felt about things surrounding him now.
Like a needle, Kasaya poked into his bubble, that separation he forced between himself and other people, and drew just a bit of the original Katsuki right out.
It was unexplainable.
In this moment, his roommate was making him feel 'alive' again.
Awake to the world.
But after awhile, Bakugo realized he was barely catching up.
This mother f'er was so perseverant and fast! Diasuta had said that! Said that if the quirk got erased, then he'd just run, because he was quicker!
Kasaya's body without using a quirk was capable of such incredible speed it was downright stupid.
"Hey!" Bakugo coughed out a shout, that cigarette caught up to him. Instantly his legs wobbled and upon the slow, thighs like jelly, he plopped down on the cement walkway they were peeling into from the road, right in the middle of it.
Soon, his roommate came jogging back.
Katsuki had a strange instance of deja vu of Deku holding his hand out and down, to help him up and out of that creek. That hand he didn't accept, instead, he smacked it away.
Then he had deja vu of when he grabbed that red-headed turd's hand, Krishima, after it'd been offered for him to ease him out of situation where they were in danger.
Now, he acknowledged that one and only that one in Hero Class.
But... Kasaya wasn't reaching his hand down, just looming over him, hands behind head getting some oxygen, kind of bent at an angle.
What would he do?
Bakugo wondered.
He didn't want to have to smack him away like Deku, but he didn't want to grab onto his hand like he had the red head's, (because that time he had had no other choice).
Truly, running after Kasaya had turned his legs to mush, there was just no catching him! But, he didn't want to admit that. Also, he was losing out to the pain in his legs.
But holding hands with another human was disgusting sounding enough to him, even if it was just to grasp it for a second.
"You standin' er what?" The man leaning over asked, running a coat sleeve across his equally as sweaty forehead.
"Yeh." Bakugo shot a hand out not thinking. Kasaya gawked. "You'goin t'grab, er what?" Katsuki's eyes shot open for a second, that was an accident! Damn it! This guy! Makes the shit in his head (yet again), pop to the surface!
But he turned it into a quick test. Smart Bakugo was.
"You can get up. Come'on. You're strong." Kasaya turned on heel and began striding away, his breath finally caught.
That was the exact answer that made the blondes head swirl.
He really wasn't like these other people. Anyone else would of gladly reached down and took it to hoist him up.
Instead, his roommate reassured him that he 'had' this in-the-bags and left him, his roommate would not be a crutch for someone, not even if it was something small like this.
Funny how he used alcohol as a crutch for his own misgivings, but he wouldn't allow himself to 'be' a crutch for someone else.
Bakugo stood, shakily, but found he was able. He was right, he could stand on his own, could the whole time, but that response it was rather pleasing to the biker cut.
Kasaya though it, insisted he manage on his own. Like a fuckin' man. Stand up on your own accord. Deal with it.
It kept Bakugo's pride in tact.
Instantly, like a magnet, the blonde jogged to catch up (more like a walking bounce), a beat in his step from that.
"We're there."
"Hn?"
They walked up to a side door that looked like it had been boarded up and following Kasaya as he wrenched it open. Bakugo began ascending an old wooden stair case, behind him, their foot steps echoing off the walls. It was pretty torn up inside.
"This is my workout building. We've ran for a'few miles, got over t'this side of campus pretty quick."
"No gym?"
"Hell no. Too many people."
"Say that twice, pisses me off."
The stairs ended and the top floor was a huge open area, it'd been cleaned up, but it was still run down, with large windows. The moonlight was coming through them so much more brilliantly than in the dorm they shared.
Yet again, for the past however long, chasing each other, Suki realized he'd gotten stuck in that 'doing nothing at all with him' thing he'd find himself falling into.
Like a trap.
But that would end.
"How'd y'learn t'run that fast?" Katsuki was walking around slow. He picked up a piece of spilt wood and tossed it towards a wall, exploring the abandoned section. "Samurai training er'wha?" He wanted to know damn it. He couldn't fuckin' catch his ass! What leg-up had this 1-B on him?
"No." Kasaya cleared his throat twisting his knuckles in his pockets of his jacket. He'd been here many times, so he was just leaning up against a wall while his roommate looked around. "I'm not much of'a samurai."
"Hn. You'are."
Kasaya felt something inside clentch as stared at him under his long sweaty bangs, Bakugo was strolling around in the big area, just taking in everything.
That was a compliment!
He knew the heat in his face would return, but it was covered by another pink on his face, one of previous physical labor, his body was taxed from the run.
But he'd given him an actual compliment?
Did he even know he had?
It didn't matter because unfortunately the blue haired teen disagreed: "No."
Bakugo turned at that, on the other side of the room.
The building was quiet.
It was just them.
That 'No' echoed a bit and that was what got Bakugo to stop in his tracks and turn his head Blue Bun's direction.
Did he really have to keep calling him 'Blue Bun' in his head?
He was so unlike his classmates, he wanted nothing to do with any of them, even the redhead which he acknowledged at least.
Maybe he should stop tagging him as that. This one, like the last one (Blue Balls in which he realized Kasaya had balls) so he changed he name, this one was the same now.
'Blue Bun' was just too realistic to be a good tag. And there wasn't anything else he could think of that he could name him.
Sure, he tagged that chick in class 'Ponytail', but he didn't know her. Kept all of them at an ten foot pole length away from him.
He knew Kasaya.
He knew him.
He knew, he did, or was beginning to at least.
"You'll jus'tell him won't you?"
"Eraserhead." It wasn't a question.
"Yeh."
He watched Kasaya shift a bit, uneasy. "Told'you, I'was ordered to."
Kasaya had a strike run through him of deja vu this time, one of his brother. That commanding tone, and that affirmative sentence, it was military sounding.
There was silence as Bakugo meandered over.
Kasaya sunk down, his back against the wall, coat running all the way against it until he was sitting on the floor.
Katsuki took quite a bit of time to crouch and sit down, but made it. Legs on fire. His tired form was aside him, a gap between them of about a foot. A much needed rest for the biker cut, he felt the sting relieving in his calves. "Keep it between us'then, yeh?"
The other popped a quick 3 oz, and put the bottle back in his pocket. Kasaya put his chin on his knees, battling with saying it. He couldn't without: "How'can I trust that?"
Everything was really quiet.
Suki spoke. "I'll let you see th'texts." He even went a step further. "You'can edit'em if you want."
It was the quickest thing he could think of. Take that Eraserhead! And Hisashi, if he ever had to text the guy.
Talk about holding the reins 100% again with this game! The king piece was in his grasp once more.
Kasaya trusts him, maybe his brother some, but definitely not the professor.
Maybe he would give some more things away in the text messages, and by saying he could edit and view the texts he sends the man, then that would form a bond between them that was 'closer'.
He craved knowing things that nobody else did. He wanted to know him.
He needed to know him. His game depended on it.
Bakugo felt for his phone and pulled it out of his jacket pocket, index fingertip swishing across the screen, he could feel a strange pulse in his appendages as he loaded his messaging inbox.
"Ignore th'texts from my fuckin' grandma." He held out his phone. Embarrassment.
Unlike when Aiwaza tried handing him that paper, Saya instantly reached out and took the flat mobile, and turned it to face him, where he did spy the title of a message from her saying 'Did you get th...' and the title box cut it off.
He pretended he didn't see it, clicking onto Aiwaza's messaging.
"He's got somethin' he thinks will... help?" He also noticed that Bakugo had made some remarks regarding just letting 'come out come out' to the hero professor.
Was Bakugo standing up for him... to an elder? To a person that had authority over them? To someone who was obviously being a bit pushy?
Saya decided. He handed the phone back. "I'm not a samurai because..." He breathed air in and out of his nose, slow, calculated, trying to calm himself. "I'm trained t'be an assassin."
Suki's mouth fell on that one. That he had not expected at all. Why? How? What did that mean?
Kasaya looked away. "Y'seen yourself. I don't need my brain t'do some of it; the speed, endurance, martial arts, the weapon skills. It's muscle memory at'this point."
Brave, Bakugo asked. "Wha'does your brain'have then?"
Kasaya rolled the back of his head against the wall, his eyes closed, and smacked his head back a bit too hard. He'd almost just said his name at the start of the last sentence. He'd wanted to say 'Bakugo, you'seen yourself.' But he caught it, hushed the 'B' sound, and started with the second word instead.
"Fuck!" He cussed, lowering his head now in a bit of pain.
Bakugo had leaned in a bit at that sudden slam of his head into a wall. His breath let go as those eyes didn't turn to moons. He must of hurt himself, but just a little bit, not enough to roll out that demon in his skull. He must know how much he can do/allow himself to do to himself; he did.
"Jus'like when I'had t'smack myself."
"Wha'are you talkin' about?"
"I almost used your name. Didn't mean to, almost did with Iida, that night th'pipe broke."
Bakugo was surpassingly calm. He'd slammed fists, skull, knees, feet into walls before. Actually, he'd had a problem with that for sometime, so filled with rage that he'd explode and rather than it coming out in the form of a quirk explosion, it was physical. It would manifest as kicks, punches, headbutts.
He had a few scars on his scalp and knees, but plenty on his knuckles, the rest of his pale, cream-skinned body had none on it.
Bakugo had considered getting a tattoo on his back though when he got older. That's a scar technically.
"Hah? The blonde leaned in, looked upward and inward under the navy haired one's mess of bangs. They were a bit closer now. Why they were whispering was beyond him, no one was around. "That why y'came back and y'face was red?" He just blurted it out.
Damn it to hell! His mouth! Shut up!
"You noticed?"
There was no denying it now. Fuck. "Yeh."
Kasaya had no response to that. He knew? He figured the darkness would of covered it up... mostly.
He was thankful he hadn't brought it up to him that night, it was something he didn't want to explain at the time.
The way Katsuki was looking at him was striking a vibe in him, it was the angle he had his head at, the exact way he had his chin tilted, it was raised, which sat the lower half of his face up, red eyes, bold, shooting fires arrows, daggers poking at him.
But soon the daggers were drenched in water, and put out as he blinked slow.
That blink reminded Kasaya of something, somewhere. He'd seen a sharp face, his face, tilted, angled, that matte skin glistening just like now.
Had something occurred?
In that elevator?
Kasaya was frozen, and Bakugo knew (but not for the reason he thought).
"Hey. Smoke'one er somethin'." He wanted to reach out and pull the peices of sweat soaked bangs stuck to his forehead off his face, but didn't want to touch him, but he did want him to calm down.
"Earlier was th'last one in my'pack."
"Ah." So truly they had shared the final.
Kasaya instead took out a 3 oz vodka and snapped it. "Last'one too." He took half. "Want it straight?"
"Hn." Bakugo leaned his body back a bit, to get up out of his face. He wasn't really in it as it was, but he didn't want the guy to feel trapped. And he wanted to hone in on what he had to say.
Bakugo took it but coughed it down.
Saya chuckled. "Strong huh?"
"Yeh. It's fine." He choked out, handing the small bottle back, the neck of it between his ring and middle finger.
Kasaya put the trash in his pocket. "My brain's gotta storage of records." He swallowed carefully choosing words. "Studied for years, book after book. That's wha'makes me'dangerous." He poked his head. "I don't kno'how, but it catalogs everything I take in."
Suki listened, his hands going into his own pockets.
"I don't know if I can be'a hero."
"Why?" He was instantly hooked on that sentence.
"I've, we've..." Kasaya pointed to this head again. "done things. I only know what It feels like t'be a villian. You can't just erase that."
"Wha did'you, Dia..." But he cut that sentence short. He wasn't ready to hear it. Something in him made him halt. But that information. He needed it. But, he couldn't. Why could he not?
He just wasn't... ready.
Bakugo didn't know how else to describe the intense, confusing feeling inside him.
He wanted to play the game slow. And also, what if Kasaya had... killed?
How would he feel about that? How would he respond to that? He wasn't sure at all!
Katsuki knew he needed time.
To think it through. For himself. He didn't want to envision that as a possibility. That that could of happened.
Days, a week, maybe more, to wrap his head around that. He knew he'd have to get information to understand it better, but he wanted to pace it.
Instead, he took an alternate route, biting his lip on the side, not necessarily wanting to share but decided to anyway as a way to advert himself from dredging up too much at once from the navy headed man, whose head was returned to knees, eyes closed.
"I have th'same issue." Bakugo started. "Everyone 'round me says that I'm better suited t'be a villian. It's my attitude. They can't handle it." He cleared his throat, followed suit, and put his chin on his knees too.
Kasaya opened his gray eyes, and felt a fingertip in that second.
Katsuki pushed the bangs off Saya's forehead, it was quick.
But, the way he continued on speaking, and the way he slowly put his palm back around his knee, Kasaya realized it was almost like he didn't even realize he'd done it.
Bakugo was in deep thought.
"Fuckin' horrible that they say that. It demonizes me." The blonde sighed, turning his chin to the right, where he let his red eyes bore holes into gray ones. "Shows they'know nothin' about me."
"Same. Nobody knos'me. Sometimes, I don't think I know myself."
"Yeh." Bakugo acknowledged the 'nobody knowing him' part. Him too. Him too. "I push 'em all back. But, I'm gunna show 'em. I'm goin' t'be the number 1 hero."
"Oh." Satoko piped a low sound out.
"I have a rivalry with Deku. But it's not jus'that."
Saya knew he meant Midoriya.
"For me it's somethin' else." Bakugo swallowed. "I..." He began to get crackly in the throat, but was trying to contain it. "It's t'save myself."
"How?" Satoko.
"By being not what others see."
That struck a deep chord inside Kasaya Satoko.
By being not what others see.
For the longest time Ashley had made him, told him what he was, ruled over him like the bitch-status she maintained, he had no room to breath. He had no room to grow on a path of his own accord.
He did what she wanted. He studied what she wanted. He became a hitman, a deadly assassin.
It was what his victims seen, that terror in those eyes. But he was just a teen, and yet they were so damn afraid!
"How'do I? What'your tryin' t'do?" Kasaya.
"Probably Eraserhead." Katsuki mumbled. "On your own time though."
"I need t'think."
"You'make the texts now. All on'you." Bakugo felt his phone's weight in his pocket. "Find yourself, but only if y'want. I need t'do th'same."
He was sure Aiwaza would be pleased with him right now. But this conversation, that hadn't been the leading point.
They'd actually shared some deeper thoughts with each other. He'd shared that he felt demonized by everyone. That was something he hadn't told a soul, instead he rather played it up and acted like he loved the title, going overly self-confident and big-headed.
Kasaya, with all his underlying darkness, dark days of the past, he was beginning to realize, in it, was making him feel okay with sharing some about himself too.
About how Bakugo Katsuki felt.
But only with him.
He wouldn't share it with anyone else. Didn't want to.
"Can'you teach me t'be faster?"
"Hn?" Kasaya blinked, as if he was awake, like he'd been falling asleep, but he was just stuck in a dazed stare as he watched some sort of shines going across the surface of those red eyes, like Jupiter's fire surface storms.
"Show'me what y'know? 'Bout being an assassin." He'd had a sudden thought come to him, maybe if he asked him to show him things, about some of the knowledge he had, then maybe he could ease himself into hearing more about Kasaya's darkness. Which he needed to know, but wasn't ready for at the moment.
"Y'askin' me t'train you?"
"Yeh. I want t'get better."
"I can make you better." Kasaya confidently said. That he knew he could. Was Katsuki actually asking for his help, without actually saying the word 'help'?
Honestly, that was so like him.
He was stunned to all hell he'd even say something like that at all!
"Alright." Katsuki started to stand, groaning miserably. "Let's start'on back. It's gotten late."
Kasaya's throat let out a strange chuckle. Everything was so melancholy right now, but he knew Katsuki was in pain. He was up for this tidbit of a challenge. He poked: "You're gunna be'in more pain than ever."
"I won't lose out to'it."
Kasaya stood.
That was Bakugo. But what was the thing earlier where he'd shot a hand out, and expected him to reach down and grab it? He wouldn't do it. That he couldn't allow, Bakugo was steadfast, and now he certainly needed to be steadfast if he wanted what he had to dish out.
They started down the stairs.
But, there was one more thing.
Something they both knew. That had become abundantly apparent.
It was not voiced by either: They were using each other, trusting enough of one another to do so, and for their own reasons, beginning to find themselves.
To find themselves more properly...
In eachother.