23
"I have no idea!" Midoriya collapsed, totally pooped-out over the top of his Hero Daily subscription magazines spread out all over the tile floor.
Kirishima was there, so was Iida, Uraraka, Ashido, Kaminari, and Ibara.
The emergency meeting had lasted for over three hours at this point.
Midoriya brought every material he had, had it all moved to his room on campus from home, much to his mom's dismay, who thought it was sad because her baby was yet again, taking more precious things out of the chicken coop.
Krishima helped haul it all down in tubs to Iida's SA room, where'd they'd all ordered pizza, breadsticks and drank soda before their research meeting.
Iida and Kaminari's room was really becoming the 'den' of the whole building where a major amount of both official and unofficial meetings went down (especially the type only involving the three I's: Iida, Ibara, Izuku Midoriya). They'd even made a tag name, much like the Harassment Squad, they were the I-Club (a pun on the word 'eye' as in 'they had their eyes on things, certain matters'), but obviously, it was not about the latest subscriptions to Penthouse, what celebrities looked hot in bikinis, and oogling all the young ladies on campus, in the dorm, in classes... well, anywhere, actually.
"Hey man! Don't get so beat up'bout it!" Denki was his usual cheery self, laughing and patting the green headed guy's back on the ground.
"Yeh!" Kirishima joined in. "Bakugo stomped his ass! You heard Aiwaza! Plus you weren't there anyway Kaminari!"
"Yea, yea." The electric teen smoothly waved back. He still wanted to participate though. Todoroki and Momo couldn't, so he was their official place-holder!
"Alright! Enough." Iida pushed up on his glasses.
Ashido chipped, following suit. "Let's regroup! What do'we have?"
"Mhmm! Mhmm!" Uraraka forcibly shook her head up and down.
"Okay." Ibara had the list. "1.) We went and measured the rock the villain was standing by in the dome in the shadows and concluded that the villain was between 5' 7" and 5'10", about a three inch range, possibly more towards the mid-range of that, maybe 5' 8" or 5' 9". 2.) The villian was male in gender. 3.) His voice was raspy, dark, and as you described Uraraka, creepy. 4.) His form even though all in shadow, was thin. No way to see his actual physicality, as he was in too much darkness and too far away. 5.) We could not see clothing or apparel either as it was again, too dark. 6.) Some sort of weapon, it was long, but we discovered it could of been a number of things. Midoriya from a global traditional weapons book identified 56 possibles, we've got them all book marked." She cleared her throat. "We compared all these things to the press release, and it was accurate. Aiwaza revealed the perp was Asian in decent, short hair, where it parted down-the-middle, a long face. So, he has fair skin. Aiwaza stated he was shorter than him, and someone he had never seen before, and as far as the weapon, Aiwaza said he didn't see it clearly enough, neither did Bakugo as he blew him sky high. As far as taking them away, they made comment that it was to set some terms, but again, it was not fulfilled as Bakugo surprised attacked him, and the perp dashed out of the building, no weapon was found left behind. Footprints revealed he was wearing some sort of athletic sneaker with no branding."
"He made the wrong decision tryin' t'take Bakugo away! There's no way he'd listen to him!" Uraraka spoke.
"Sure thing!" Mina. "But how'd he get in the dome, into UA? I thought the dean had fixed that issue!"
"Before we get into that..." Iida barked, as affirmative as ever. "Anything else anyone can add from the past 30 minutes of research?"
"Nah." Krishima mumbled.
Midoriya shook his head no.
Uraraka shrugged but spoke. "I'd like to also add that his voice was extra creepy!"
"I second that!" Ashido raised her hand like she was in class.
Ibara wrote a small 'extra' above the word 'creepy' in the notebook just for her roommate's sake. She was so silly at times. Not as slapstick as Ashido, but still hilarious in her own regard.
"I'd like to add something." Iida said, Ibara smiling at him. That warmed him. She'd given him such a big hug after she realized he was okay, after they were all okay. She'd hugged Uraraka, Mina, Deku, even the two roommates of theirs in the room, but she given him an extra special hug. One that was close. "How do we not know that it wasn't a handmade weapon?"
"Oh." Midoriya popped his head up from lying on top of six of his hero assessments. "Good call. There is no way of knowing he didn't make something himself that's not even in that manual."
Denki was flipping through it.
"He's smart though." Kirishima stated, his eyes pulling away from weapons book too looking at Midoriya, taking a sip of soda. "He bit Aiwaza Sensei and that made us think that that was the deal. But it wasn't. It was our names. That's how he controls people."
"That's true. He's tactical!" Uraraka remarked. "That bite mark though looked horrible. Aiwaza kept awkwardly putting more of his scarf on that side of his neck in class today."
"Like covering up a hickey!" Ashido practically burped out. She was drinking a grape soda too.
Uraraka chuckled. "Yea kinda!" She smiled. "Like he was embarassed he got caught havin' little fun or somethin'!"
"Oh come'on." Midoriya was instantly red in the face, he didn't want to hear that about his professor! Or to think that! Thanks Mina! Now for the whole next week, while it was healing and 'Aiwaza Shota', as Mic had said loud and clear, was yanking around on his scarf in class to cover it, that was all Midoriya would be thinking about!
"Fuckin' thanks!" Krishima was in the same boat as his roommate! "I don't want t'sit around in class with the thought in my head that Eraserhead has sex with people!"
"Krishima!" Ibara jolted.
"What?! It's true!" He poked back, hands on his temples. "Ahh!" He screamed melodramatically.
"Oh! Sorry!" Ashido squeaked out. "I was just tryin' to be funny! The mood in here is so dense!"
"Got that right!" Kaminari remarked. Earning a high five from the pink girl. She smiled up at him.
"Yea, say uh..." Uraraka spoke up again. "Anybody per chance, think about goin' and talkin' to Bakugo?"
"What?" Ibara spurted out.
Ashido was being a bit annoying today. She spoke in her mock Bakugo voice, earning snorts of laughter from Kaminari. "I blew his ass up." She crossed her arms. "Fuck off."
"That's so him! Haha!" Kaminari held out his hand this time and she high-fived it.
Uraraka was chuckling, so was Krishima, so was Ibara actually.
That impression. It was pretty damn good. Spot on.
"But we should send someone down there."
They all looked at Krishima.
"What?" The clueless red head looked up, instantly his hands were in his hair, on his face, he was pretty vain with his gelled-up style, and he was certain something must be on him.
"You're the one going." Iida.
His hands fell. "Oh." He laughed. "I thought a bug was on me, or lint."
"I has to be you." Midoriya remarked.
"Why?"
"Because he talks to you." Ashido commented.
"I mean... not really!" Krishima popped out right back to her. "He pretty much just acknowledges my prescene that's all. He don't snap at me or anything, unlike you guys though, sorry!"
"So, he likes you? Sort of?" Ibara. Bakugo liking anyone to her seemed impossible, but she knew he must like Kasaya, that guy with the crazy-bone. The I-Club had not uttered a single word about Satoko's comings and goings to Uraraka or Ashido. It still was between them. Ibara had wanted to say something to Uraraka about Kasaya drinking, but decided not to, and just reverted back to sticking with the I-Club and not saying a single thing.
"Uh." He scratched behind his head. "I don't know?"
"So?" Uraraka said. There was no way she was going! Even with as much as she wanted to see Kasaya again (and he hadn't even spoken to her in the dome), she wanted to stay away from their room. The blonde was too menacing. She had wanted to run up to him in the dome before their training started, after he'd fought Neito (and stomped his butt), to chat him up, but Bakugo was there also. Dang! Impossible! Darn that guy. He was always around when Satoko was around!
"I mean it doesn't help that I live with Midoriya, uh, no offense..."
Izuku just waved it off, he knew where this was going. It was true.
"Yea, we all know." Iida pushed up on his glasses. "But you could go chat him up right?"
"Chat? I mean..." Krishima was nervous, rubbing the back of his head now. "I've never actually 'had a chat' with him either. It more like we have a few words."
"Like acquaintances at a bar?" Denki added in an adult reference, how he knew that nobody asked. He noticed his roommate staring. Oops! He put his hands up waved them in a 'no no!' manner. "My eldest brother owns a pub! Ha! Sorry!"
Iida let out some air. Okay no write ups. Good.
"Cool!" Ashido turned.
It made Kaminari feel a bit eased. It was cool, his eldest was the absolute coolest. Ever. But Denki could whip his ass anyday at air hockey!
"Okay. I'll go." Krishima stood, brushing invisible dirt off his cargo shorts. He was dreading this. Secretly, he did feel that him and Bakugo could of been better friends. But knowing the swarming hatred he had for Midoriya, it probably stopped him from coming around, not that Bakugo came around anyway, he actually wasn't around at all.
It was like the 4th floor was its own desert island that people didn't venture too.
Bakugo was the only Hero Class person on the 4th floor.
He was surrounded by a bunch of 2-B's up there mostly, a few 3-B's, only one 1-B, which was that reclusive roommate that he had.
But he admitted that guy was totally kick-ass!
He wouldn't tell Kaminari he thought that though. Him and Mineta were friends with Neito, and he didn't want to stir up any drama.
But seriously, Satoko Kasaya stomped that guy in the ground, and all while not using a quirk!
Krishima was impressed.
Even if the red head wished for a better friendship with Bakugo, he was extremely happy with Midoriya. They'd really bonded a lot over this time that they've roomed together, and he considered himself lucky to be his friend.
Midoriya also did share some stuff about Bakugo to him that really did make him uneasy.
Katsuki was kind of a monster in middle school, and for that he was glad that Deku and him were separated out more substantially than last year. They didn't sit by each other in homeroom any more, but neither did any upper classmen spend all day in any homeroom. Bakugo also had no other scheduled classes with any other Hero Classmates.
Krishima wondered what types of classes Bakugo had signed up to take. Satoko was in one of his AP college courses for Administration & Business, but he sat on the other side of the room, head down, his hand scribbling a shit ton of notes... always.
He grabbed the door knob, and exited, and began ascending the stairs from the doorway. While climbing them, he was trying to figure out what in the world he'd say.
'Hey Bakugo long time no see!' No that was stupid. He seen him everyday durrr! 'What's up! How ya been!' Also, stupid... Maybe a knock on the door? And a simple, upfront statement: 'Hey I just wanted t'see if you were up t'talking about what happened in the dome?' No. Bakugo would just be like, 'Nah.' And shut the door in his face.
He took some extra time to think by hitting the 3rd Floor door and walked all the way across the third floor, pacing. It made him a nervous, an anxious wreck.
"I just was thinking... No. Nah... that's not, grr." He ran a hand through his hair. He'd just wing-it damn it! Like his roommate had said in training that day! Sometimes winging it the best logical decision when you don't have another! Midoriya taught him that!
Because an action of some sort in a dire situation, is always better than no action. And they really needed more information.
They were trying to do their own investigation of things, and not tell Aiwaza Sensei about it. He would probably just condone the time as lost time, as they could be using it to train.
He hit the eastern door now, and climbed the last flight of stairs, opening the 4th floor door and began to walk down the hall, but as soon as he passed the vending area, he froze up, slammed into the wall and anchored himself back into the small snack machine room, head poking out.
It was Bakugo!
And Satoko?
They were together.
It looked like they were checking to make sure they had a bunch of stuff in bags, not their normal backpacks, but duffels, and they were stuffed to the brim.
Krishima honed in on the conversation, feeling like a total loser for doing so. But... he couldn't just walk right up to them. It would look like he was up there for a purpose, and he knew full well Bakugo would get pissed with any senseless banter. They were also, obviously leaving. He was a nice guy, he didn't want to interrupt or hold them up.
Going somewhere... Together.
That got him.
Shima wanted to be good enough friends to hangout with him! He felt like it was kind of unfair. A streak of jealousy kind of went through him. He thought that when he'd grabbed his hand and hoisted him up out of danger that one time, that would of bonded them more, or something.
What did Satoko do to earn such a place at Murder Death Boom's side? Maybe Kasaya really was a cool person, and Kaminari was wrong about him being boring and bland. He thought Bakugo was cool, so anyone who Bakugo must think was cool, is cool? Right?
"Y'got that charging dock?" Bakugo pointed inside Kasaya's bag.
"It's in there, somewhere." The other was sticking hands around in his jacket pockets, shuffling some stuff, Krishima could hear it, sounded like keys, maybe some papers, a plastic sound.
Bakugo sighed, and he actually stuck his hands inside of Satoko's bag and was digging around.
Krishima damn near gasped! In someone else's bag! That camo one clearly said SATOKO on a big patch. Krishima had never seen Bakugo even so much as touch a single item of someone else's! And if he acccidentally did, he'd leech away like it'd stung him like a bee, and he swore to the gods, he swore, Katsuki kept a small bottle of hand sanitizer on him at all times, hidden in his uniform jacket's interior breast pocket.
"Do y'have Bluetooth headphones like mine? We can't let th'music play loud."
"Yeh." Bakugo was satisfied finding the charging station, and was now milling around in his bag.
Krishima watched a blue headphone edge pop out as he shifted it around in the duffel.
"You'got everything?" Kasaya.
"I think. Go'ahead."
"K. Sweatsuit. Two pairs of shirts and shorts. A body suit."
"Yeh."
"Two pairs of socks. Running shoes..." The list went on.
'Damn!' Kirishima was listening while Satoko was listing stuff off, it was a long ass list. They were going to go workout together. With an overly excessive amount of things he realized. This was really was getting under his skin! Unfair! He didn't have a workout buddy!
"I have extras of'all th'martial arts stuff."
And martial arts! Bakugo was going to be learning martial arts! From him?! That was so COOL and really dreadfully, unfair!
Satoko knew his way around!
Krishima had no doubt he'd be seeing the results soon on the training field from the blonde.
They zipped up and started to walk off.
"Wha'music d'you listen'to?"
"While workin' out? Er, jus'whenever?"
"Jus'whatever." The blonde asked, he yanked the bag up behind his back, it bounced lightly against his back as he walked. Those shoulders broad.
Krishima seen a smirk from the navy headed one. "Trap."
"What th'fucks that?"
"A mix of rap, drum and bass."
"Hn. I like rock."
And with that the side door was hit and they went through gone.
Krishima peeled back down the way he came!
Gods! So unfair!
So cool!
He couldn't wait to tell Midoriya, he was sure he'd have something interesting to say about it! He always did!
Suddenly Krishima was empowered.
He wanted a workout bro!
Midoriya was his man! His dude!
Yea!
Bakugo was sweating heavy from literally his head to his fuckin' feet. He felt wet even in the webbing in-between his toes, inside his socks, inside his shoes!
They were in the middle a round of merciless kicking exercises. Front kick, side kick, ball kick. Over and over again, then switch legs. Then back.
For the first week he hadn't allowed Kasaya to touch him. But after awhile (after much internal frustration and not understanding what he was exactly looking for), gave in:
"Get lower."
Bakugo grunted, dropping down his seat, it was the lowest to the ground he could get and still move to do the basic horse-stance, then switch to pop and snap into the six-punch exercise he was being made to do.
It was painful, lunges over and over again.
Horse-stance (practically a lunge), then uppercut, right jab, left jab, body turn, horse-stance, left elbow sweep, right elbow sweep, hook.
Horse-stance, uppercut, right jab, left jab, body turn, horse-stance, left elbow sweep, right elbow sweep, hook.
Horse-stance, uppercut, right jab, left jab, body turn, horse-stance, left elbow sweep, right elbow sweep, hook.
"Keep your middle back straighter, it's bowing."
He growled out, tightening up, but somehow upon coming back down from an ending hook back to horse-stance, that deep lunge paired with keeping his mid-back that straight made him wobble, his center-of-balance was thrown off, and he had to put a hand on the floor to keep himself from falling forward.
"Stop."
Bakugo tipped himself back up, using that palm off the floor to return into that right-angled horse-stance, elbows in.
They were both in loose, white, Kung Fu clothing, and had on black slip-on training shoes, just like in all the main martial arts studios.
Kasaya, right in front of him dropped immediately, his posture, so much lower than Bakugo's, using it as an example , his knees almost touched his as he went down, but they were below Bakugo's. "Get down this low."
Bakugo's eyes were flaring down, his body was burning. Inside his kung fu uniform (which was actually Kasaya's extra) he was salty, wet, an overly-warm mess of sweat. Exhausted.
The instructor seen that flash of deathly emotion. "Hey."
Bakugo's face was hot, he was about to shout, his temper was building.
He wasn't used to taking this much criticism without having some 'words' to scream about it. He knew it was meant to make him better as he'd asked for that the first night they were in here, in this abandoned section of this office building, but he was not good with authority telling him what to do, he didn't do good with anyone telling him what to do actually.
And he just didn't know how to meet his roommate's standards! They were set so high that it was actually hard.
It had been such a long time for the Hero Classer, that tasks had been hard for him.
He had a strong quirk, so strong that he used it for everything. He was so smart that most homework was a breeze for him, studying was just a normal regular part of his day at this point, and he studied like he breathed air.
Anything that was difficult, he'd just persevere and push through (if he couldn't blast it away into an oblivion), but this...
It was not one of those things.
He was being scratched raw, red, it was a type of vulnerability that he couldn't resolve on his own.
His strength was being made out to be worthless compared to someone else. And that pissed him off.
When he compared himself to others... he was the one that wanted to be better.
"Hey." Kasaya repeated, as they were face to face in horse stance together. He knew exactly what was going on in his head. Bakugo didn't like to be made out to be worthless, to be stomped on, to not think of himself as being the best. His confidence was no longer shining, it was being hit at, like a hammer to a metal sheet, it was getting dinged up.
Bakugo shot him a mean glare, trying to stay as low as him, it was a challenge to him, it was always a challenge. And this was not the fun type of challenge that they'd had, where they were running after each other around campus, having some laughs.
To Katsuki, it dealt and dipped deeply into his pride. It was wounding.
"WHAT?!" It came out rude, like it'd been before they'd started 'hanging around' each other. He was ready to fight.
Satoko just blinked, yes, he knew exactly what he was going through. Due being pounded down into an exposed state, he was reverting back to his previous ways: being a loud-mouthed jerk-off towards him. "There is no war here."
Bakugo's eyes glared into his gray ones, something in those eyes was such a storm at sea, but it showed nothing but mild. The ocean of gray, their sheen, was a only a light, pleasant rain right now.
Suki didn't get it. How could he be so calm when he was so fuckin' angry!
Kasaya spoke. "The war is you."
"What!?" He was shaking, quivering from head to toe, battling so clearly with trying to keep up with Kasaya's better, lower stance.
"Warrior One." It was some medium-to-advanced yoga moves.
Bakugo followed, the shirt sticking to his entire upper body.
"If you let it consume, it's all you'll be."
Bakugo swallowed, he could feel it in his face, the shaking, his pulse 170 bpm in his cheeks, throat, all over his skull, though his muscle fibers.
"Warrior Two."
They moved.
"You're pissin' me'off!" Katsuki yelled. This idiot was good at keeping him on-his-toes, consistent eye through the binoculars at him with this training. Vigilant.
"Why?" He was just as calm as ever, as sweat was leaking down his face too, maybe he shouldn't of said that.
"You... can!" He growled. "And... I. I can't."
That was a big moment for Bakugo Katsuki.
Satoko knew it. It was spoken in acknowledgement of his breaking interior. F