28
"I expect everyone to be on best behavior during winter break!" Sekijiro chuckled, laughing as a student had asked what he was doing during it. That was abnormal from his standard boring, monotone demeanor.
'A Hero never takes a break!' 1-B's homeroom professor had stated loud to his entire class.
He slammed his fist down on the table. "Now come'on, let's finish our end of year presentations. Monoma Neito you can sit." Obviously Sekijiro was feeling more lively than usual with the holiday coming up.
Neito had just finished his presentation and felt good about it. He had put so much time and preparation into it, worked on it for weeks, detailing every single edge with explicit facts, was in the library digging through books, copying and highlighting notes for references.
"Satoko Kasaya. Your turn." All thier names had been randomly drawn for order and he was last, right behind the person in class he disliked the most.
The navy haired teen stood and bowed respectfully.
Ibara turned in her chair, as everyone did, to watch the next presenter gather thier things, as they had done with each student in the class, just waiting until they were ready.
The last contact she'd had with Kasaya was when she sort of ruthlessly dragged him into a side room to change into a field uniform that day at the dome, as per Present Mic's instruction, and he was shouting 'NO! NO you can't!'
This led her to understand there was a fear he had in his quirk, whatever it was.
She'd felt so bad that everyone was calling him a baby, and afterwards he was tagged as the class whiner. That fight with Neito had shut them up a little bit.
That day was the day his roommate attacked the villian that miraculously showed up and warded him off, set him to run. Satoko had been down there somewhere too, possibly in a side bunker.
The I-Club still had no leads on anything. They'd kind of given up at this point, but Ibara herself wanted to question Satoko.
Uraraka was suggested that they speak to Bakugo, but why could they not speak to Kasaya?
He hadn't been out there on the field, it was just the Hero Class that was battling it out with the taken-over Professor Aiwaza, but he might of seen something! Who knew?
They didn't know until they tried!
And Neito already said he hadn't seen anything. That he was so sick he couldn't even see straight from her roommate's float quirk, and then what happened after he had no idea, as everything just went black all of a sudden. But he didn't remember a loud boom. Something must of blown up, or something.
Ibara recalled nothing blowing up or out, except that overhead light. And the speakers in the viewing room also went out, possibly an effect of Bakugo's explosion too, maybe not, but that was just a Hero student's quirk, nothing to be concerned about.
What 'boom' was Neito's talking about? No matter, even if it was Bakugo's explosion, that could of been a good time frame of entrance for the villian, as all the students were distracted and busy, either watching or running all over the course.
The LOA was already notorious for attacking students of UA. Thier goal always was put fear into them as soon as possible.
Dang! She had to talk to Satoko!
He was easier to corner, seemed kind of off-ish when he was approached, but at least he was nice. Bakugo was insane. Undoubtedly, it had been a horrible idea to try to talk to the blonde, but it was not too terrible idea to try to get ahold of the other.
She wanted answers, they wanted answers. They still brought it up time to time in conversations, but Ibara was the only one still being a hound about it. A bloodhound detective. It was her project pretty much now. Deku had even lent her some of his book materials, and she had been reading about Bakugo and everything Midoriya knew about him, as well as the others that were or had been down there.
Now it was just a matter of getting the rug out from under Satoko, following him to a side hallway, maybe sitting with him in the lunchroom, or something, but the problem was... he was nowhere to be seen except a few places: He sat on the other side of the classroom, but they weren't allowed to disrupt class, obviously. He lived in the upper floor of the dorms, which nobody else in the class ventured to. And who he lived with! Not to mention, he was practically invisible, and hung out for sure now... with the blonde Bakugo.
In her mind, that Bakugo was nothing but a menace! Especially after reading all those things in the Hero Analysis for the Future that Hero Deku wrote about him, the observations.
He was a man screaming, full of fury. If he were music, he'd be Death Metal, a loud concert slamming inside her ears, speakers pounding in her chest, chugging guitar pissed and vile.
Katsuki was beginning to scare her even more.
Krishima said that Bakugo was now taking martial arts lessons from her navy-haired classmate, and Midoriya said he'd let him go of him on the training field and scooted away, but not before twisting his shoulder so much out of socket and almost splitting his forearm that he screamed.
Midoriya and Iida had told her another thing... Bakugo now had a tattoo, and was seemingly trying to hide it. Which was a bit out-of-character for him, kind of bashful almost, but she could assume why: Because Kasaya's wild-side undoubtedly was rubbing off on him, and Bakugo must know what that means about his future as a hero in a hero league: That his chances now were slim, if not slimmer than it was before with just his dirtbag attitude alone and his tendency to fly-off-the-handle over just about anything!
But, in doing so, Ibara was starting to understand that perhaps the long haired teen was a perfect match the Katsuki the crazy nutbag.
Yes, 'nutbag', 'dirtbag'.
Iida's roommate's language was rubbing off on her a little. For as easy going as Kaminari was, he had quite a journal in his head of terms that he used, that she was getting exposed to.
Iida had even laughed when she'd said those slangs the other day, laughed because it sounded so coy coming out of her mouth. 'Brash', Iida's had said, and 'Cute'.
That set Ibara's heart to skip a few beats. Iida. She just... she really liked him. She hoped that he'd ask her on a date or something, soon? Maybe.
She shook her head a bit, Satoko was still organizing crap over there at this desk. It had taken them all nearly ten minutes to get it all together to take up to the front of class.
Yea, Bakugo was a 'nutbag' in ways that made the blonde to her seem even more grating and harsh. Obviously, Satoko managed with the guy just fine though.
What other things were these two going to get into with each other?
There were a bunch of underlying 'somethings' with her classmate, that it drove Bakugo to delve into that underground realm of alcohol and tattoos willingly, to openly run towards it. And that, in her opinion, would be something incredibly tough to do.
Bakugo Katsuki, from what she's seen, and what she'd gotten told from others, and read on him, did his own thing. He listened to nobody, liked nobody, and didn't let people boss him around.
Both of those guys, in their own ways were catching her attention. Not the 'I think they're cool' attention, but more of she was just interested in their 'friendship'.
What type of friendship did they have exactly? It was beginning to appear 'unusual' for high school students. At least to the I-Club, as they knew things that the others didn't, things nobody else did actually.
Plus, she was too good at reading between lines.
Ibara was catching on quick. The way they influenced each other was obvious. She just wanted more insight.
But as she looked at her peer coming to close on gathering things in class at his desk, his appearance was surprising today, and that switched her mind to thinking about that instead. That was what she'd first initially noticed, and what did that say to her?
Finger to lip, thinking. 'Not sure.'
Normally he looked a tad disheveled and out of place.
Today, there was an air of superiority about him. His jacket was pressed, tie perfect, and his hair was not in a bun, it was brushed and it was so long that it was to the bottom of his shoulder blades.
Ibara was astounded. He actually looked presentable.
His uniform seemed like it was getting really tight on him too. She was a girl, and so, she noticed these things.
Had he been working out more? He must practice martial arts nonstop as more than a hobby then, perhaps he was good at teaching it?
Maybe he'd make an excellent tactical arts professor or something on UA. They did have that here, physical studios. If he didn't want to do hero things and couldn't get accepted into a league, he definitely could do that instead. The B's didn't have as high a shot, but Kasaya had a better chance to get in now than Bakugo, in her opinion at least, maybe.
Kasaya was finally done. He made his way to the front of the class.
"Whenever you're ready."
"I am Sensei." Kasaya said a little louder than normal.
Heads in the class poked up. It wasn't usual for them to hear that smooth tone. Actually it wasn't usual to hear a voice from him at all. It startled some of them.
Putting a board up on an eisel, the class was blown away, and so was Sekijiro.
The hero professor knew that the kid was smart, made outstanding marks on his tests, except for a few, and always turned work in on time, not to mention, he wrote an amazing essay on intellectual adaptions, perfectly labeled, the handwriting clean and straight, but this... it was beyond that.
It was so skilllfully organized.
Sekijiro crossed his arms. The professor didn't get it.
Why was the kid here? Did he have a quirk or not? Maybe he wanted to join the police force or something?
He'd also gotten into a fight in the dome with another certain blonde haired classmate, and whipped some tail, but with no problem at all took the backlash like a man, and served dentention, cleaning duties, and community service on campus with ease.
Like that did not bother him one bit. Sekijiro noticed Neito did nothing but non stop whine that his back was killing him, or that his legs hurt, even one time said that he had gotten a splinter in his finger because he'd mopped the entire 3rd floor of the science building.
But Satoko? No. Nothing. Not a word. Like he'd accepted what he'd done, silently took the punishment, and moved on.
Sekijiro was impressed with his character. It was good to actually see a little bit of it, rather than the kid sitting in class nearly motionless. He just wanted to see more, he was sure he would in time. Satoko was a 1-B now, and so Sekijiro thought of him as his ward, sort of, just like he thought of all the rest of the class.
Kasaya began speaking, and the class all reeled into it, including the professor.
Unknown to all, Bakugo in their room had looked over at Satoko struggling to organize the board with the facts.
Kasaya had known what order he wanted them in, but the placement on where to glue them down was killing him. Art was not one of his best subjects, neither was it to Bakugo, but at least the biker cut was a bit better at visuals, as he'd drawn the tattoo he wanted on his back out on paper, and shown Saya a few of his other drawings.
So, the red-eyed one deliberately took charge of that part of his assignment to relieve Saya's stress, and spent a few hours with him last night before bed to cut the peices of paper, make sure they got pasted correctly.
Bakugo color-coordinated them, at perfect straight angles, and had Satoko run through the presentation while he listened, and asked him questions as if someone in his class would, or the professor, Sekijiro, who he didn't really know.
The night ended with them falling asleep together in their makeshift fort.
That was becoming the normal for them.
Kasaya welcomed Bakugo's warmth... every night.
He was sleeping better, when he did sleep, and surprisingly was getting much more rest than normal.
His body felt fucking great!
Normally he found himself moving like a slug in the mornings, especially after his usual liquor amount, but upon rising today with the blonde (and after a few long morning kisses, a couple 3 oz's and some food), he'd done extra stuff, felt up to it; he'd trimmed the bottom of his hair and brushed it, straightened his uniform up, took the time to tie his tie straight.
And when he looked in the mirror at his school uniformed self, his face strangely reminded him of his grandfather.
He'd seen some old pictures of the military man, and in the Satoko house that sat empty, there were photos of him on the walls.
He'd had the same shade of hair, stately, crystal eyes that pierced. He was the one that had given his dad the ancestral sword, Date's sword, who'd given it to him (before crap got messed up), only for him to put it away, because baseball had been more important to him at the time, only to pull it back out as Ashley had beckoned on him with her quirk to acquire a good weapon.
Today was a mission for Kasaya.
Not only did he have to present for a final grade for first semester, but today was the nerve-wrecking day he had to meet with Eraserhead.
He wanted Aiwaza to look at him, and realize from a single glare that he was serious.
That he was serious about doing this. About living and trying to force himself down this road, to carve a path to Ashley's demise (that part he would not tell Aiwaza about). He was perfectly content with keeping him and Bakugo's desperation and anguish to themselves, with his brother Hisashi on-board as well. The three of them.
It would be on his hands, whatever it was that happened to her specifically though.
How Kasaya absolutely seethed now.
How dare she.
How fucking dare she do that shit to him?
Bakugo had dredged up feelings inside him.
In a few days time, his feelings had morphed and they'd matured into something other than just courage and responsibility: A disgust.
How dare that total wretched woman with all she'd done stir up such an angry hate in Bakugo?
That was his hate.
He owned it. Felt it. Lived in it. Breathed it. It was what accompanied his relapses of thought when he didn't have vodka to sate them.
But he was glad that Bakugo shared it with him.
He would blow this damn physical test Aiwaza wanted away, he would study until the end of his time in this world just to see her fucking fall, he would overcome the fear he had of his brain merging with his consciousness.
He was afraid that perhaps he would be different after that, but it was a risk that he felt he had to take.
Bakugo and him all Sunday did nothing but run, kick, punch, do push-ups, flips, combos, worked themselves into such a deep sweat that they both couldn't even breath, the whole time listening to some of Katsuki's heavy ass music.
Saya still was not thrilled, but he had matured to a plateau where he was ready. He was here, standing on that flat terrace, the ground under his feet, and the wind blew heavy.
But instead of letting a gale blow him off, his body braced itself, put an arm over its eyes to shield itself from the dirt getting in.
No gust would knock him down.
Katsuki would not bleed her out, not like she'd almost done to him. Of that dragon, Satoko Kasaya had to be it's master.
Because if it got unleashed, hell would rain.
Satoko was confident that the chain that held him down would not even have to be unlocked. Bakugo would snap it off on his own. Twist his wrist, and it would bust in two.
And he, the mighty beast, would scream.
A roar heard across the globe.
And it would be over. It would be ALL be over.
Wreck havoc to all in his way.
Bakugo let him in on something deeply revealing Sunday night while they were pasting papers on Satoko's board together that solidified why Kasaya had to do this even more so now:
"Y'ready for tomorrow?" Bakugo snipped with his scissors. He was so impressed with this project, yet another thing that his 1-B roommate had written up so intellectually. It was reminding him of the essay. Satoko was declarative, and put thought into it rather than just factual information.
Passionate it was, like the kisses he gave.
"Yeh." Satoko sat on the floor with a t-shirt and black boxer briefs on. Always, he just had plain colors of boxers. Out from under them on the insides of his thighs, on both sides, peeked a design that was mirrored on both legs, a lovely patchwork of vines and lilies.
'White lilies are a symbol of death.' Bakugo had said as he colored. 'So, y'old life can die, and y'new one can begin whenever y'want it to.' Then Bakugo looked up in that moment to him while he was running the sharpie across his inner leg. His crimson eyes swirled with something Saya just couldn't place.
'Uh. This man.' Satoko's heart pumped.
He'd had a hard time when Bakugo was drawing them on him, he'd made him sit perfectly still, had him hold up on both sides of his boxers (still covering the middle) so that Bakugo could make the 'tattoos' on them the same on both sides.
And once he was done after a few hours, he'd told him he would keep coloring them in like he did to the one on his back, so Kasaya never have to see his scars ever again. Bakugo would be the only one that would see them, but only as the black semi-permanent marker started to fade, and he would gracefully color it back.
After the art was finished, it was followed with a strong, masculine kiss on his inner thigh, right over one of the creations he drew, and a nip on his hip bone.
That shot shivers all through him, it was, this was, getting deeper. Him and Bakugo. What would he say to his brother? Could he say anything? They were a military family. What about to his dad? A separate more consuming shiver there, one of fear. Not yet, he didn't have to say anything, yet.
But...
His new life.
"Because y'know. I am serious." Bakugo looked at Satoko, putting the scissors down, grabbing the glue stick, eyeing those tattoos he'd drawn on his inner thighs yesterday. Pretty. "If you don't. I will."
"I know. That's why I like y'hate, you're honest in it, like you are in your selfishness."
His bottom lip poked out, and he stuck a piece of the paper to Satoko's face.
"Quit." Kasaya smirked to the side, peeling it off. "That shit's sticky."
Kasaya heard a clatter.
Bakugo was suddenly on him, knees on both sides. He'd dumped the scissors and glue, abandoned it. The teen was abruptly sitting on Satoko's lap. And Saya caught a surprisingly unsteady quiver in those wine-colored eyes.
The blonde touched the cross necklace on Saya's neck. It was dark in color, and added to this vampiric-look that Kasaya had going on about him.
Just as equally that Kasaya thought of Bakugo as a dragon, Bakugo thought of Kasaya as a vampire.
He resembled the Vampire Lestat in an old novel he'd read once, his hair was long, but instead of blonde like the novel's character portrayed, Saya's was a slick shade of bold navy, like an ocean's deepest chasm, his body just warm, only warm, and those gray slates, under them was a hollow darkness. Even in his smile, his incisors were sharp Bakugo realized, like some kind of dog.
His appearance more 'rough' than the blonde's even.
Little did he know, Ashley had had his incisors filed to be sharper, in one of her phases, in an attempt to make him look more menancing, so he could bite people and leave marks. A form of torture that she wanted to inflict on victims. As always.
That was why when Diasuta bit Aiwaza, it'd left such deep teeth marks. Drew blood.
Hisashi had had a military dentist coat them with a naturally white ceramic so they wouldn't go bad, so the teeth wouldn't die, as the filing sharpenedthe teeth, but in doing so, ridding the sides of their external enamel.
Hisashi really took care of him as soon as he'd gotten him moved safely onto that base.
It was another reason why Satoko didn't open-tooth smile, he was afraid people would notice. And they would if they looked close enough. But Bakugo seemed to not mind, or care. Seemed to like them actually, he'd already asked if he could run a finger over one of them, and Kasaya had let him stick a fingerpad in his mouth to touch. Bakugo thought when he smiled with his teeth, he did look menacing, like a straight demon.
"When I first began t'notice you..." Bakugo swallowed. The admittance to this! What Satoko had said 'at least y'honest in your hate', that was what spurred him to jump on him, he had to tell him. "I didn't know any better."
"Hm?" Satoko wrapped his hands around his hips, pushing him up on him more. Now he got to be the dominant one for a bit. The blonde still played with the necklace around his neck.
"I thought of it as a game." Bakugo breathed in deep. Closed his eyes. Breathed again. Dropped the necklace. Admitting this. That he had been 'playing', it could either make or break what they'd started between each other here, but Kasaya had been honest with him about prison, outright laid it on the table. He felt he had to do the same.
Satoko didn't let him go far, as he tried to reel back to drop his head away. But instead he pulled Kugo in and let his forehead meet his forehead, where Bakugo closed his eyes, but Kasaya let his remain open staring at that sharp featured face.
"I couldn't grasp why I was so interested, so I jus' played'round tryin' t'get information out of you." Bakugo started getting a little fiery. He snapped his eyes open. He was admitting to purposefully moving chess peices, trying to take his poker chips. The game was nothing now, but he had to tell him what he'd done. He had to be honest with the guy. He felt like with what they shared with each other, he had to be. It was condemning! Admitting to this was hurting him, an ache inside. "But I realize the whole time, it was because I was growin' t'like you."
Kasaya started laughing.
Bakugo reeled back. "What?! The fuck's wrong?!" How was this funny? It was not funny! He actually felt bad and Kasaya was just laughing? Was he laughing at him?!
"Hey." Satoko still chuckling scooped up Bakugo's hands. "You're more of a liar than I am." He kissed the knuckles.
"Hah?"
"Lying t'yourself."
Bakugo smirked. So, Kasaya did get it, and chose to let it go. Just like he had with the prison thing. He would work hard to make sure that didn't happen.
Strong, the navy haired teen brought his hands in an upward motion to move the blonde atop him, more successfully into his lap.
A little grind.
An 'ah' came out of both their mouths.
That conversation.
Satoko knew.
Katsuki, his dragon, had the tendency to be not truthful, more so than himself.
That moment had been sweet, tender for them, that was cute how he didn't know what feelings he was having, and that was what was driving him along to 'play a game' at getting to know him. Even in the admittance of it, Bakugo was embarrassed, upset he was, as he'd thought that telling him that would usher Kasaya to leech away from him.
Kasaya forgave. Easily.
But if driven by things as strong as anger and revenge, and with Bakugo having a tendency to lie to himself to the point where he could outright convince himself that it was for some other cause, such as a game...
That meant Katsuki possessed the type of fire that was dangerous. That was borderline psychotic.
That was why at the end of that conversation he'd asked him to be loyal to him, to be truthful with him, and Bakugo asked for the same, saying he hated lying, now accepting that he truly had been lying to himself the whole time. Katsuki promised not to be a hypocrite.
Kasaya knew that was what serial killers did. That was a motive. Thinking that what they did was somehow justified by some other internal reason, but in reality it was just a lie that they were telling themselves.
That was why it was solidified for Kasaya what he had to do. That he HAD TO do this. He could not let that insane 'man of benefits' become a murderer, get a taste of it.
Well, it was a little more than friends with benefits. They'd told each other of their 'like', of thier 'care', but no labels existed, and that was okay with him.
But, Bakugo, he was... truly insane to a point. He'd come to the surface of the water on this one, but there was no telling if he'd do it again. Play a game again.
But, Kasaya was also again, right there with him, in his own way, these feelings that were here now, they made him 'feel'. And that rocked his ship all over the damn place. He felt unstable because it had been so long that he'd felt anything period.
They were both nuts. Both of them. Screws entirely too loose. And the fact that they both were that way in their own respects and together walking a path right now?
Kasaya bet they'd have Ashley cornered, put in jail, something... soon. Very soon.
They were too cracked not to. They were both risky, and willingly risky now that Kasaya had opened himself up to it.
Reckless, like the B classes all joked about the Hero Classroomers, Kasaya was done playing safe.
He had been most concerned about protecting himself, but now what he was concerned about was protecting Suki from himself, as Suki was concerned about protecting Kasaya from Ashley.
Reckless in that protection of each other they were.
A joker and a harlequin.
One who liked to play some games, one who liked to pull some strings to nudge the other in a certain direction.
Dangerous.
They were a dangerous pair.
"Well done!" Sekijiro stood. The professor actually started clapping as Satoko concluded his presentation panel.
Satoko bowed to the class as the others had done. "Thank you very much."
Ibara noticed that was so gentlemanly. That was not the usual either for Satoko. And the subject that he presented knocked her socks off! 'Awesome!'
"Dismissed." The Sensei said, grabbing Satoko's board, shuffling papers, exiting the door before the rest of his class; he had to spend his lunch grading tests for Present Mic. That guy did him too many favors!
Class was over, and Kasaya knew full well he got a passing mark. But now he had somewhere he had to go, his stomach was growling and a certain blonde and him were to meet up. He had his liquor for him; he'd get an afternoon fix today which was better than going up until the end of classes, which was what he usually had to do.
"Hey."
Satoko turned with a "Hah?" at the front of the class. A finger was on his uniform.
It was Neito.
The classmates that were left in there, Ibara included, all stopped dead hault. 'Uh oh.' She thought. Not this again!
"Loser. You bested my project, and I'm pissed."
A few people in the class snickered, they knew it was on. Neito wanted a rematch since he'd gotten his butt kicked in the training dome, and had a taste of jealousy seeping through his veins at his skill. That absolutely drove him mad, and in return he wanted to stomp his ass equally back into the ground.
This project was like a contest to Neito, and he felt he'd lost yet again to the guy, and that was the tipping point.
It was perfect that the professor left early.
"Sorry your feelings are hurt, but I'm busy." Satoko snapped. He was not in the mood today to deal with this asshole.
After his thoughts on Bakugo and him dealing with Ashley had been swirling around, and after dealing with her meaning he could move into his 'new life' (Maybe one with Bakugo? By the looks of those blood eyes shining into his while drawing on his inner thighs, Saya bet that he had meant to spend his new life with him), was even more set on mission to speak to Eraserhead, to go do the brain shit during December, let them stick wires all over him, whatever.
His new life awaited him. Bakugo awaited him.
He was busy, and Neito was bugging him, bothering him. Childish.
Neito grasped onto his uniform's jacket now as he'd tried to turn, not pleased that he was flat-out flicking him off like a pest. He was not a pest! He wanted to be listened to!
"Get off me." Satoko whipped his forearm out, knocking Neito's hand loose. He had too much adrenaline pumping through his veins right now in lue of his next meeting. He did not want this to result into something right now.
"No!" Neito latched back on and then shoved the other into a desk, squealing it's legs across the floor. "I'm goin' t'kick your ass!"
That was loud, a few people outside walking on the hall stopped to look into the 1-B class with confused looks on their faces.
Were people going to fight in here?
"Neito! Stop!" Ibara jolted up. He was getting out of control again!
"Shut up! I'm sick of your shit!" Neito pointed.
Ibara gasped, hunkering down in fight stance. That hurt! How dare someone talk to her that way! Even this guy! For how she kept him out of trouble! She constantly had to smack him around, drag him along, and so far it'd been successful.
All the choices Neito made were ill. He hung out with people who were over the top, he was too overzealous and tiffy, had bad manners, was snide. She'd seen so much potential! Put in so much effort!
"Leave her outta this." Saya was instantly mad, pushing himself up off the desk like a panther. Ibara he admitted, had been a bit quick to assume he'd want to get to know Uraraka for some damn reason, but she didn't deserve that random out-lash. Saya didn't like women a lot, but Neito was being ridiculous in this right now, and whether man or woman or whatever, it didnt matter. Those were harsh words!
Neito grabbed his hair yanked and pushed him back down, face on the desk. Satoko was letting it happen. Neito banged his head up and down on it a few times.
And like the screws loose that Kasaya was on the inside, it was slowly coming to the surface with every bang of his face on the desk: He just started laughing. It was wretched. It hurt, and in the pains he felt, he was slowly waking. He'd let the guy think he was winning, play a little game like his man liked to play.
"What you'laughin' for you loser piece of'shit!" Neito started slamming harder feeling mocked, blood now shot out of Satoko's mouth, just a little spurt, and his laughing just increased.
Some people sucked in air. Some's breath stopped.
It was crazy, his laughing was crazy! What was wrong with this guy!
Ibara couldn't do anything! They couldn't do anything! They couldn't use their quirks in school!
Neito let go of him, thinking and feeling overjoyed and victorious. A few in-class cheered.
"What, y'done so quick?" Kasaya rolled over, and stood strong like that severe head banging was nothing to him. It had been nothing to him. He had been mercilessly trained to take the worst beatings, this didn't even scratch a surface.
Neito swung around to punch him in the face.
'Nope.' Kasaya yanked him forward by the wrist, and with one leg and an arm hoisted, flinging Monoma's entire body airborne above his head, and it one smooth motion, with the same leg, even in his uniform, leaned and side kicked him in the chest, the force from it slammed him into the ground, and scooted back four desks, two of them whamming against the wall.
It was so quick that the class all gasped in surprise. In less than a second Neito was on the ground, holding his stomach with a severe red mark on it.
Anyone snickering quieted.
They knew. Satoko had been just playing with him, had been leading the blonde along to think that he was winning! How vile!
"Just quit." Kasaya said trying to calm himself, now standing up straight from a partial Shining Star pose. "This is stupid."
"I agree with him." Ibara yelled. "Stop Nieto."
"I do too." That voice was not one of the B's.
Everyone turned, even the one of the floor touching the quickly bruising mark on his abdomen gawked.
Leaning against the wall by the door was Bakugo Katsuki.
Like a wave, the people in the classroom parted so the Hero Classer, completely out of place in the 1-B room, could get through, for everyone was scared shitless of him. He had an odd smirk on his face, and when he stopped by Kasaya, he slid a hand on his shoulder, tilting his head to the side, staring down at the other blonde on the floor, holding his stomach like he was going to puke.
The class then all knew for sure, those two associated together. All in unison, Kasaya was now in league with the explosive madman that everyone on campus was afraid of.
Those two men standing by each other looked utterly menancing, and it shut up the whole room.
Satoko put a bit of hair behind his right ear, wiping his mouth in disgust on a tissue he'd pulled out from his pocket, it was still bleeding, Monoma had split his lip on the side.
"Game's over." Cinnamon eyes set to the side of Kasaya's face, scanning. Bakugo upturned the corner of his mouth. 'Mm damn.', he liked the way that Kasaya was staring into the other on the floor. It was mean. He adored that intensity showing in those gray eyes. Saya had gotten more emotional, he'd awoken feelings in him, as he'd admitted to him the first night they'd 'gotten close', and Katsuki was so intrigued in it. "You ready?"
His emotions were hard on him though, and Katsuki tried as much as he could to relax them both at the same time, get them involved in things together: like watching a movie, a conversation, a few drinks, a nap.
Truly Kasaya was awakening from his haze of victimization, and Katsuki felt pride in aiding in that for him. It felt grand to know that he had had that effect on him, that his care of him could sink down into Kasaya's layers that deep.
Because to Suki, that meant that Saya truly did care about him too. Kasaya was no longer 'careless' as he'd known for a decent time now, he had something to care about, and that something was him.
Bakugo could quite literally point a thumb into his own chest and say 'Me.' It was me that did that. It is me that he likes. It is me that he is doing this for, aside from himself. It is me that this man tastes.
No doubt 'his' guy was worked up over the events still to happen today, and this idiot on the ground had gotten in his way.
"Yeh. Let's get outta here." Satoko.
"Hn." Bakugo dropped his hand. Then he looked at the ivy headed girl. She'd looked like she was sticking up for Kasaya, from her pose. That's the one that pals around with four-eyes.
Ibara felt chills. The tension in those crimson eyes fell on her, twitched ever so slightly left, right. Inspecting. Just like that night the power went out, when he'd slammed the door open, and screamed at the top of his lungs.
She knew! It popped up again: Bakugo owned this guy! He ran Kasaya! How controlling!
But then as the red eyes left her face, and the two began to walk out of the classroom, leaving everyone standing (someone now helping Neito up), she seen Kasaya's palm then touch Bakugo's lower back, giving him a nudge with his thumb.
'Protective.' Her brain fummed to her. No one else seen it except her.
So did Kasaya? Did he feel just as possessive over Bakugo?
Her sense to see into stuff that people couldn't normally fed her that.
How did that make any since?
Bakugo had been the one to set the terms to the room, it was always him leading the other around!
She crunched in an eyebrow.
She didn't get it. She really didn't.
Something was weird here.
She packed her stuff up really quick, she wanted to follow them, at the most so she could catch Satoko and tell him a quick thank you for saying what he said, even with that blonde next to him... again. Ibara wanted to muster up the courage to catch them, and deal with being in the presence of the guy she feared; the blonde insane person, crazy all the school papers made him out to be, an asshole to everyone.
Her heart whipped wildly. Yes, she'd... she'd try. Try to work up the strength to speak to Kasaya with Katsuki there aside him. She had to!
She wanted answers about the dome.
Bakugo and him walked down the crowded hallway aside each other, but before they could grab an elevator, Satoko felt a tug on his jacket's bottom and Katsuki smirked at him to follow, his head motioned.
'What's he doin?' They had a place to go!
Katsuki brought him to the end of a long side hallway that was empty; day lockers, some of them were open, as it was a bad habit for the students to just grab their stuff and run without shutting them all the way.
Bakugo pushed on a few to open more of them, obscuring their view behind them from the hall. His fingers messed with one of the the doors, pushing it back and forth between two of his fingers. Playful.
Satoko put his back up against the locker, dropping his bag to the floor, Katsuki left his on.
It was perfect that he did that, because like a lion, Katsuki let go of the door, and grabbed the other's wrists pushing him up against the lockers. Trapping him.
Ibara poked her head around the corner. She swore she seen blonde hair go this way. 'Oh!' There they were!
The day locker doors were all mostly open (as usual), and blocking her view partially, she could see it was two people, a specific two, but all she could see were the shoulders down to the upper waist, and the mid-calve to the feet. The open lockers covered their heads completely, and their waists and thighs.
But... wait a sec, did Bakugo have Kasaya pinned?
Sue enough, Bakugo had his palms all the way around Kasaya's wrists!
Her mind went right back to fighting. Here Kasaya went from one fight to the next didn't he?! What kind of crazy rough life did this guy live? She thought that Bakugo and Kasaya were friends! A curious friendship!
Ibara listened in, a good 20 feet away. She could hear them perfectly fine. She was too dang interested to peel her eyes away, but.. she didn't mind being involved in the Neito fight, but she would not get burned to ash in this one he was having with Bakugo! Plus, she was the only one over here that knew another fight was going on! What if Bakugo stomped Kasaya in the ground?!
She bet on her life he would!
They were just getting along! What happened?!
Bakugo's grip squeezed. "Mn. Le'go." Kasaya's voice with a bit of tightness.
"Why?" Katsuki.
"What are'you playin'at?"
'Playing? What?' Ibara felt weird suddenly. That was... an odd statement. Kasaya hasn't thrown a kick yet, or tried to hit him either.
Ibara heard a small laugh. A laugh? Was that Bakugo? Surely not! Bakugo, the Killer Explosion Machine NEVER laughed. That was what it said in Hero Deku's analysis book.
"I wanna do somethin'."
Ibara sighed silently, watching. 'Of course.' Selfish! That guy always self-centered and rude! Mister high and mighty! Now that was true in Midoriya's materials, spelled out clearly in many sections. His selfishness was what drove his bus. Peddled his bicycle. Ran his mind, it was that deep! She put her hand on her hip. 'Gods!' The nerve seriously! His control over Satoko was nuts! Poor guy.
"Oh?" Satoko softly mouthed.
"I don't think... I'd get a chance. So, I wanted to'beforehand."
Ibara pricked ears on that softness. 'Huh?' Do what? Maybe... maybe Bakugo was being a bit rough with his roommate, but that tone was surprising! It kind of locked her eyes in, the psycho blonde was being out-of-character, unfolding a bit back here with Satoko. What the heck was this?
She had thought that the whole time he was awake, Bakugo was nothing but hell himself, a Satan-like person, so she was utterly vexed that he even possessed a shred of lightness in his outline at all! How... uh, 'what?'
He let loose of the the other's wrists.
Ibara watched Satoko's arms fall to his sides, through the spaces of closed lockers.
"Your lip."
She seen some shuffling. Bakugo without putting his backpack down, opened a side pocket and pulled out some more tissues. He himself rising it up (she supposed as she couldn't see) to Saya's face, to dab at his mouth for him.
That was so... personal! Kasaya's palms just rested at his sides while he let Bakugo pat up his mouth for him.
"Kasaya."
"Hah?" Open-mouthed question as the other was cleaning him up.
She heard a pleasant tone in the blonde's voice. Gods, it shot a chill through her! How opposite of everything she'd gathered of him, he was being right now! She seen Satoko shift.
"Stop movin'. There's still some'more."
"Is'it bad?"
"Mm, not'really. I can't'tell too much now."
It was... this was... Ibara was having a hard time here. Bakugo Katsuki. He wasn't just friends with Kasaya, he cared about him! Cared about him. It rang in her mind. Cared about him.
She smirked, shook her head a little bit left and right at her silly self. 'Okay'. She needed to calm down about this. They weren't just roommates, they weren't just friends, they were best friends. That was what it was. That was why it was seeming so odd to her.
These guys weren't just plain 'ol friends. They'd become besties in no time at all. That was why they hung out all the time, why when she did see Satoko, Bakugo was not far behind, probably why they drank together and stuff, why they held a sense of possession over one another.
Heck, she felt that way about both Uraraka and Midoriya. She'd do anything for them she could. She felt possessive over them to a point, it hurt her and tore her up when their feelings were hurt, when she thought they were in danger, and like all best friends, she spent massive amounts of time with them. She'd even put band-aids on Uraraka, and helped Deku wrap his knee up once with athletic gauze.
It was what best friends did. They cared about each other.
Something in her chest ticked. Her heart, it was settled.
They might be bad influences on each other in ways, but... Bakugo Katsuki was not this crazy monster everyone made him out to be all the time, that everyone was fearful of. In her mind, he was mouthy still, and rather rude, but it was good to know that he was actually 'normal' in a way.
"Give me one." Satoko.
"It'll burn y'lip."
"Maybe it'll help it."
She couldn't quite see. Something was handed, something snapped, and a swallow sound. A snap by Bakugo, the blonde's body leaned back into an arch, palm spread on a locker, a swallow. A few more snaps. Swallows from both.
What were they doing? Now this was really strange.
A cough.
"Better?" That hand was spread out on the locker by Satoko's waist.
"Yeh. Much." Kasaya reached and pulled, lacing fingers tight around a waist, smoothing a body up against his in an upward movement. Hips on hips instantly.
Ibara's face: White hot. Frozen. Shocked. Stomach knots. 'Uh...'
Bakugo chuckled, a finger went up and traced the edge of Satoko's lapel, the voice got low. "Not in school."
"Mn." A little whine. Then the tone changed to an affirmative. "Alright." Kasaya let go rashly, pushing him back off of him, as if someone would shove someone in a fight.
Bakugo grabbed his wrist again, playful at Saya's push, and he yanked him up away from the lockers, where they enveloped each other in an extremely tight embrace. A deep hug, both their eyes closed, chins resting on the back of each other's shoulders. Bakugo's hand spread up under Satoko's jacket. Kasaya sighed calmly, his cheek laid, and his nose nuzzled into Bakugo's neck.
Ibara turned on her heel. Her exit.
Her exit! Now!
'OH CRAP OH CRAP OH CRAP!' She could just imagine what the hell her face looked like, she skittered off quietly, and as soon as she got the end of the hall, she started running, in so much shock that her eyes were like balloons, popping out of skull, peeled.
She didn't have to see anything more!
SHE KNEW!
'OH MY GODS!' She ran and ran.
SHE KNEW!
THEY WERE SEEING EACH OTHER!
They were... They were!
'Poor Uraraka! OH NO!' It would never happen now! They... they!
Ibara was so... all over the place! What she'd seen was so personal and they looked happy! They actually looked happy!
How could someone be that way with Bakugo?!
Oh this was real bad! It was so taboo that type of relationship! OH NO! They were messing up their chances with a hero league really really bad now. Really really bad! So judgmental and choosy the leagues were!
Her face was twitching all over... holy hell!
The Death Fire Explosion, that everyone feared, and was a afraid of, that screamed and cussed... he was seeing a man!
'IT ALL MAKES SENSE NOW!' Her brain babbled, running down the front stairs at the bottom of the building. The possession, the care, the time spent with one another. And they're obviously trying to keep it quiet! Hiding in that side hallway, just so Bakugo could clean him up a bit.
She slowed, slammed down on a cement bench. Exasperating. She felt so close to passing out, she smacked her back against the wall panting.
That was... it was...
That was sweet how Bakugo felt the need to clean him up.
Bakugo was actually... 'sweet'?
"Oh man." She mouthed to herself, putting some ivy behind her ear. "I can't say anything."
She couldn't tell Midoriya. He'd have a panic attack!
She couldn't tell Uraraka. She's just cry and flip out!
Ashido and Kaminari (who were dating now) would spread rumors! And Kaminari was friends with Neito! She couldn't do that to someone, expose someone to that type of teasing! That type of affliction is horrible!
The only person she could tell was... no one.
Not even Iida. Once he found out two people in a relationship were rooming together, it would be his duty to separate it out!
He'd have to! He was a Student Advisor!
And that in itself, would blow open a whole can of worms, then everyone in the whole dorm would know! And make fun of them! Laugh, snicker. Poor Kasaya! He got enough of that crap in class! He ignored it mostly, but her classmates, some of them just didn't know when to stop!
She had no idea what to do, what to think, she could live with knowing it, it was whatever to her now that she was coming to her senses... what was grounding her down was that sigh Kasaya did into Bakugo's neck, turning his cheek to lay on Bakugo's wide shoulder, hiding his face into the space under Bakugo's chin.
Ibara shook her head.
She'd keep their secret safe.
She'd have Kasaya's back at least, Bakugo she didn't quite like just yet, she warmed a bit to him with this insane new development, as he was no longer 'as scary' to her anymore, but Kasaya she had to look out for. He'd just be teased so much more. And it was up to them darn it. If they wanted to make it public, then that should be them, just like any other couple did even if it was this type of relationship, obviously by hiding in the side hallway, they were also recognizing that they both knew it was looked at still as quite taboo?
She was in fact, quite motherly, that she knew about her personality... Ibara slammed a fist down on her thigh. Speaking to herself. "I can't say anything. I... I won't do it." She was not a low life. She'd shared enough with the I-Club. This was not shareable. It ached her to think she'd tell someone of what she'd just seen... because it reminded her so much of Iida's musings, about how they unspokenly felt about one another.
Just like the two guys she'd just seen, Iida and her were almost now a 'thing'.
It was unfair the boy's relationship should get drug all around over the school, the cat let out of the bag. It could ruin their possible happiness together. Anyone and everyone deserved happiness, she hoped everyone in the world could find it someday.
She sighed. "Yea." She popped open a small box of candy, calm now, but in a weird melancholy state, her mind now floating to higher philosophies. She put a few of the sugary sweets in her mouth, gummy ones, chewing. She was raised mostly Buddhist.
She's learned many resolute life things from her study, was even a vegetarian as she still followed the religion fairly strictly.
There was no condemnation. There was no pointing fingers. There was no looking at someone and judging them up and down. This was good for her. Seeing these two together. It was good for her. She's let her morals go a little bit with this I-Club. Lost herself a little bit too far into the jibber, the gab.
Ibara knew, she was just too good a person.
She looked up and over and saw them from afar in that second, they were walking aside each other, going somewhere. They were pretty far off. She just watched, content. Smirking, she mumbled to herself. "They're lucky it was me, rather'en someone else." She popped some more gummy candy into her mouth. She chuckled now feeling lightened, tugging up on her scarf, soon it would start snowing. "Have'a good'Christmas you two."
She sincerely hoped they would.
Just like Iida and her...
Bakugo Katsuki and Satoko Kasaya might be falling in love.
And if they felt for each other how strongly she felt about Iida?
Then... That'd make them more than 'happy'. More than 'content'. More than 'settled'.
It would make them wild for one another, every touch they had would linger for hours, they would whisper 'I love you' in every language, and it still could never be enough.
A tear fell down her face.
One of pure joy.
She smiled watching their forms disappear on the crowded sidewalk from her seat.
Like Iida and her, they could be the sun and the moon.
As one rose, the other would set. As one slumbered, the other would would watch.
They were already vigilant in their relationship to attend each other's needs, protective and capable.
They were setting sail. A voyage along a stream of life, that made sense to them both. Together.
'Beautiful.' Ibara let another tear fall. She was a sap.
But she knew, she could never do something that would rob people of such splendor.
"This secret. It's an iris, just like the spring that will come." She chewed on some more candy. "It is safe with me. I promise."
All that had arisen and she'd witnessed just now, it was in Ibara's kind care.
And there, it would be fine.
"Thanks guys. I've been losing myself too much here, on this campus, with these people."
It was a lesson.
Sometimes that happened, and it was hitting her hard. She just sat and cried now.
Something above, somewhere, whether it was the stars in the sky, the heavens, some force from another parallel, but different world, she was open to all those things, it was showing her that no matter...
She had to return.
She had to go back to who she'd been before she joined this little club.
It was her calling in life to be kind.
How could she forget that?
She'd got swept up this year with now living on campus with her roommate, Ashido, Deku, Iida.
This was not her. It was not what she was made for.
The things she'd said, telling on poor Kasaya, camping out behind the bushes, rooting for answers like a busy little bee.
Where had the plain, simple love gone?
She'd acted too much like Ashido running and bursting out of the building the way she just did.
Never again.