29

A knock at the door.

"Come in." Said in a flat, unenthused tone.

It opened and in walked the two students; one, navy haired, with a long black felt coat, the other, a blonde in a bomber jacket.

"Where can I put my stuff?" Bakugo.

Aiwaza blinked. The first thing out of his mouth wasn't a cuss word. Surprising. "Put it down anywhere."

Kasaya followed suit, turned to the wall to take his winter coat off, to hang it on a rack. 'God damnit.' Here he was. And it was more awkward for him than what he'd thought it'd be. His fingers quivered as he clasped the round buttons up the front to secure it on the mahogany hanger.

He got that reel back, and for sure, Diasuta made out with Professor Aiwaza. Satoko did not count that as his 'first'. That was not his first. He didn't do that!

His first kiss was the blonde in the room with him!

But why did he have to feel like he was the one that did that to Aiwaza?

His cheeks were pink with embarrassment, he was hiding it by facing the wall, pulling some bangs down over the sides of his face, combing them down, trying to not look awkward, trying not to be socially awkward. So hard, because... his body had been made to do it. It was his body that was laid on top that black-haired man, his tongue that lapped at him, his teeth that sunk into the flesh on his neck.

Satoko was shaky, taking his sweet ass time hanging his coat, putting his backpack down on the floor. Lots of things inside him right now were telling him to bolt. But right as he was reaching to grab back up his coat and put it back on, a hand came down on his shoulder.

Bakugo. The maroon eyes looked into Saya's. He already knew that he was tense (didn't know what about specially as he could not read his mind), but he'd wandered over just to put a hand on him, to let him know: 'I am here'. He wished he could do more right now, but they'd promised each other on the way over that they wouldn't get too deep, neither one set on public display of 'what they had going on'. Secretive.

Saya had no doubt in his mind if he ushered to Bakugo that he was 'Gettin' the hell outta here!' that they'd be out of there together. Katsuki would pack his shit and go just the same. Whether quiet or 'guns blazin', the navy haired teen's fallback plan was entirely in place. It brought him some comfort to know that.

Another knock. The professor got it while the two K's went to sit on the couch together, but not that close, as not to draw attention. Aiwaza held out some yen at the door, and turned with a plate of sandwiches and sodas. He sat them down. "Go ahead." He waved. "I have t'get the paperwork."

Peripherally, the professor seen Bakugo was the first to grab at the luncheon, as always. He kind of sighed silently, he knew him too well. He began stacking documents, he reached into an interior pocket, his eye-drops, where the hell were they? Stinging, he'd used his quirk too much today to help train some of the C Class students.

Katsuki couldn't help it. He wanted first pick over everything, just like the supplies they'd got from Iida the night thier room flooded. He was hungry.

But Eraserhead, vigilant as always, even through liquid going into his irises, shuffling stuff, only half distracted from them, was surprised! As Satoko was looking out the window seemingly lost (really he was trying to overcome personal humiliation of what his body had done to the professor because this was like open confrontation of that for him), Bakugo sat a paper plate down and placed the few sandwiches on it in front of Kasaya, giving him what he'd picked out first. That action caused the teen to look at the other, and there was stare between them, only a few seconds, both with a calm look on their face, then blinked away.

Bakugo went on his way gathering food for himself now as Satoko picked up his to eat.

Aiwaza's mouth moved under his scarf. 'Hm.' That was strange. He'd never seen that before from Bakugo. But, he figured, obviously they were friends. This might be and probably was good for him, Kasaya might be rubbing off in decent ways (even if the long-haired one had had a delinquent past, he seemed not to be that person anymore.) Which was why Satoko's past was unimportant to Shota, and what was more critical was simply helping the kid, to alleviate his current issue at hand, of a disassociated brain with Merge School.

He'd already seen a change in the blonde's temperament on the battlefield. The sandwich-giving was just another little proof for him that he was being nice.

'Nice.' Aiwaza thought. Nice? That was not a word he'd ever used to describe Katsuki.

He turned in heel, pluncked down, taking his scarf and jacket off, noticed the two were staring. "What? You can't expect me t'eat with this heavy thing around my neck." Aiwaza once done, scooped up a sandwich and began chowing himself, the bite mark on his jugular was not there anymore, healed, but he knew the informality of him in his black tank, jeans and boots was not normal for the students to see, he also went about combing his hair back into a low ponytail.

Outside of this hero uniform he wore, which didn't really look like a 'hero uniform', more less just clunky street wear, he did have a favorite black leather jacket he was seen in from time to time, there were a few pictures out there. He was less into the main-stream, fashionable world of heroism. He tried to maintain a sense of normality, unlike a lot of the other heroes who went on feeling like celebrities.

He just couldn't go parading around in his 'costume' all day everyday like Midnight, Sekijiro, or that one guy, The Best Jeanist. That just wasn't him. What if he had to go get groceries or something after a day of teaching? He barely left campus as it was, but still, he couldn't look like a goof in public after the day's duties were done. He had to admit, Toshinori's American flag-like costume for All Might, it sort of made him look like a ringleader at a circus, but he'd never tell him that though. But at least, when he wasn't 'beefed up' with One For All, he was just a regular guy, Shota liked that, the only other person that didn't dress in his hero costume all the time was Present Mic.

It was twenty minutes of near silence while they ate. Aiwaza did ask about Bakugo's final paper and he said it was complete and would be turned in electronically by the evening tomorrow. Satoko remained quiet.

They were finishing off a few bites and that was when Eraserhead began laying out papers, scooting them to the teens. "Alright." He ran a hand across his mouth rather than a napkin. Kind of bum he was. Well, with his quirk, he was tired all the time, and that made him care so little about small things. Some crumbs on his sleeve, him not brushing his hair, and not shaving except once a week, it was not a big deal to him. "Here's the tentative study schedule. Let's start with that."

Satoko put one finger on it on the coffee table to turn it, Bakugo glancing down from his left, eyeing Aiwaza who sat across the short table on the other sofa.

"So, as you can see, the line up of course work is all mental quirk based, packed with studies on psychology, anatomy of the brain, and studies of mental illness."

Bakugo's head shot up at that. "What? He's not mentally ill!" A shout.

Eraserhead sighed flat. 'Yep.' Already, attitude, here it was. He queued him in, them both actually, being 100% cut and dry. "He's considered 'mentally ill' by the state until he passes. All kids that have mental quirks go, and are considered as such until they pass." Eraserhead breathed, yes, even he at one point in time was considered mentally ill by the Japanese Government until he passed and made it through. Plus, Satoko was mentally ill. His brain issue was technically labelled as a multiple personality disorder.

"I'm not a kid." The first small pipe from Satoko.

'Oh yea.' Aiwaza crossed his arms and sat back. He forgot. Satoko didn't like being called that.

"So, what if he doesn't pass?!"

"Then he just does Merge School again, it has to be done, but it's rules aren't that strict. There's been some times where students haven't passed, had to do it a few times. Of course, the material being covered is adult. Usually, like I said, this is an upper elementary program, so since Satoko is an adult he has to take adult coursework for it instead." Eraserhead then looked at Kasaya. "You can just address me yourself if you have any questions."

Kasaya let his eyes fall on him a second and looked away.

Honestly, Aiwaza was getting a tad ruffled that he had to address Bakugo for this. He was the professor! Why'd he have to get approval through Bakugo? How honestly messed up this was, Satoko was barely acknowledging him at all.

But this had happened, this meeting, and it was good that it had. He admitted somehow, Bakugo got under Kasaya's skin and it had shaken him up enough to schedule a meeting on his own with him. That was a tremendous and unexpected effort on his student's part, especially with this particular blonde, who blew the crap out of whole buildings in a heartbeat.

Yet another thing he seen. Bakugo was changing. Perhaps he didn't see it himself, but he was.

A professor does observe these things rather easily. Temperament is one of the highest regarded 'look sees' of the hero leagues, and so, as UA professors, they watched for any sparks within their characters that would not appeal, and tried to gleen those out.

Bakugo was a very long term work-in-progress.

He was the roughest and toughest student he'd ever had since he'd taught at UA.

Bakugo was growling.

"It's fine." Satoko mouthed, signing a signature on the line, then sliding the paper on the coffee table over to his left, which put it in front of Bakugo so he could inspect it more. Being labelled mentally ill by the state was nothing compared to anything else he'd lived through. So what? He didn't care.

The other scanned it, incredibly in-depth, an audible distaste in all his throat sounds as it was obvious he was disapproving of some of the material, but was keeping his mouth closed as the other had said it was okay.

Eraserhead was floored!

Bakugo if he didn't like something, he said it. Or, well, screamed it rather.

He'd gotten so sick of Midoriya and Bakugo sitting right by each other in homeroom last year, that he decided to reorganize the class seating assignment. Everyday it was yells: Don't look at me! Shut up Deku! You're stupid! Get out of my face! Go to hell!

But the way Bakugo was handling this was extraordinary. He was 'keepin' it together', even while being visibly pissed off.

Eraserhead laid another paper. "Physical exams. Spread out over the course of December. You'll be doing different things on different days."

"Hn." Satoko turned it to face him. It was actually... incredibly steep.

Obstacle courses. 200 ft rope climb. Various aquatic challenges; including breath holds, submersion tactics and swims. An 14 mile run, and more.

"What is this? The military?" Satoko spouted.

Bakugo almost smirked. Funny! That crappy ass sarcasm, he thought that was so incredibly great. He had to look away, didn't want to be caught eyeing him too long. He couldn't help it.

"Designed by the military, yes." Eraserhead let the fact that the kid snapped back at him a bit go.

"Why?" Satoko looked the professor in the eyes now, completely serious.

"The government has to know how fit you are, that's why we're required to do it. If you were younger, it wouldn't be this challenging." (Japan's military enlistment requirements in this time were steep.)

"And who is 'we'?" Bakugo chimed roughly.

"All Might and I."

"WHAT!" Bakugo stood straight up. Fizzled a bit of fire out of his palm, it crackled.

Satoko actually jerked at that sudden revolt. The sound of the sparks in his hand popping out was jolting! Jarring! Like firecrackers going off!

Was this what he did in class when he was mad? He'd never seen it before! Was this Katsuki normally?

"I know you don't like him, but I can't be around to monitor these physical activity days."

"It's fuckin' winter break! Where the fuck y'got t'go?!" Bakugo was now screaming. He felt betrayed in a way. It was supposed to be only Aiwaza! Damn it! He should of known!

Kasaya was feeling squirmy too.

All Might. Professional hero. Jail.

'Ah man. Fuck!' He'd have to tell Hisashi about this no doubt. He was going to anyway, but now for sure, Hisashi was not going to be happy. His brother was in the same deck with Bakugo, and that was one that didn't leave his younger brother locked behind bars.

"My sister is deathly ill, and I have to venture out to see her at the hospital, to organize her affairs. It's a challenge since every time a walk off this campus, I have a moving target on my head." He was actually a bit pissy. That was personal to admit, but that actually was why. It wasn't a lie. "The only other person I trusted enough was All Might."

(Of course, another intention was that they'd tell Satoko that he possessed For One's All, and what that all meant for him. But Aiwaza really couldn't be there a partial amount of the time, his sister mattered to him, and Toshinori had been quick to lend a hand, as he was dating Aiwaza and cared for him, and cared about the future of the holder of For One's All.)

Satoko had a fizz go through him. Organize her affairs. Eraserhead's sister was dying, that was... pretty terrible. But as he got death, how it worked, he was calm and it didn't effect him. He did wonder what sickness she had though.

While Bakugo was yelling at the professor, Satoko picked up a pen and signed the paper.

He had to do this. It was only an over-extended physical test. Could be worse. He'd just keep his mouth shut around All Might. He wasn't too set on meeting the guy, even though he was revered as the 'best' hero of all time pretty much. He personally had no internal 'fandom' where he was goo-goo-ga-ga over the man, all starry eyed, a pleading person: 'Please Mister! Sign my jacket!'.

Satoko had no real role model; Hisashi, but kind of not really, they were too different.

Celebrities, tv stars, even famous singers and pop stars were really nothing to him.

The only person he'd even gotten half stoked over in his life to meet, shook his hand as a kid, was a member of the semi-pro Tokyo Tigers baseball team, Wakata Rin. He was the prime of the time. When he was 6, that guy rocked, he was for sure going to be the first round draft pick for the pros. And he was that year.

Kasaya gawked at the man screaming to his left, he could almost smile at it, this guy!

Bakugo's face was getting red now, and his eyes looked like they were going bloodshot.

They had been hot with each other a little bit in the day locker area before this. Katsuki fought hard, and he played hard. And it was getting deeper, but you couldn't tell by the way Katsuki looked right now, all bothered, mean, that he'd be the type to do the intimate things he was doing. His appearance was a 'fooler'.

With how Saya disliked women, stayed away from them, couldn't even have female nurses or doctors, and how he knew only what hush-hush things were from a male-male standpoint, being placed in that position by a woman (albeit for the motions to rape someone for her, so she could watch), it was like he'd been led, a horse to water.

A snake had led him to vicious actions. So much that he hated snakes, despised them. And anything in dealing with snakes, or any other 'snake-like' creatures out there was not in his taste; male or female, or whoever.

His mind continued on its thought process as the blonde battled it out word-wise with Aiwaza.

The blonde screamed. "YOU SET THIS UP!"

Aiwaza: "I just said, there was no one else I could trust!"

Them arguing was a good time for him to zone out and think. Gave him time to contemplate, he was content on not getting involved in it.

But this with the blonde, whatever they were, their dynamic had pushed him gently along, then tipped him over.

And there, that was where it began to appear... Naturally, thoughts started popping in his head about Katsuki. The intensity in his glares, how it stirred him to the point he felt he had to hide his face behind his long bangs. Suki's cuteness. The first time he heard his rolling laughter. The realization of what had happened in the elevator: It was like their bodies, without their heads really awake, drunk off their asses, naturally 'knew' what the other wanted without themselves even knowing at that point yet.

It wasn't even that he was a man, really. It was just Suki himself that captured Kasaya. Everything that he was.

Kasaya's soul and Bakugo's soul, those fires had chemistry.

He was shaken. It didn't stir him up as much as he'd thought it would, but it made him restless, of all the things to somehow come to understand about oneself, this one really hit him in the face like a ton of bricks!

'Liking' a guy.

Sure, he'd known since he was 13 what real intercourse probably would be like with a man, he'd never had, as all he'd been made to do was dry rape Ashley's victims since he was that age, but he could assume. It was such a shame that all he knew was hurt in that sort of way. Another thing that made him so shy about those sort of activities. All he had memories of was stabbing, bloody, aching, burning pain; another reason why he would not and could not touch himself there.

'Shit.' He really needed some alcohol again!

Bakugo was the one that was moving in a bit deeper, testing the waters a little more than him, snapping his waistband, kissing his inner thigh, nipping his hip, admitting that he wanted to touch him around the area where his scars were (that were currently covered in drawings of lilies) whenever he wanted.

But all in all, the pieces of men that Saya had been made to look at while he did those rapes, that was the only private pieces of people that he'd ever seen in-person. Sure, he'd seen photos of specific 'female' parts, but with how Ashley swerved hers around under those glitzy dresses, and exposed herself?

Not that all girls did that either! That wasn't it. He couldn't condemn all women to be like that, or assume them to be like that. Obviously, that Ibara wasn't like that.

But, he was just flat out was not attracted to anyone. It had been all burnt out of his skull by Ashley.

Not women, not men either really, just Bakugo.

He hadn't felt anything until he started understanding and getting to know him. Just him, only him.

What was it with him that just grabbed him up so much?

Kasaya felt he couldn't even say he was 'gay'.

He had noticed girls (a certain young girl, by the name of Ashley, he'd had a crush on) back when he was a boy, but at that age, no person is 'developed', they're just little, both in body and in brain, they're just kids.

Girls and boys don't have as many 'ways of the world' pressing on them, so they're immature, silly idiots running around, playing, being friends, throwing sticks, riding bikes, jumping in puddles, playing with dolls, having a childhood, and getting yelled at not to play with the neighbor's dog too much because he has fleas.

Gender isn't too much of a 'thing' when your little. Boys mocked girls saying: 'You're a girl!', but girls right back will go: 'Ew! Smelly boys!' But being a 'gender' was purely used as a descriptive terminology to describe someone's outline, guardians instructed you in what clothes are 'boys or girls' clothes, what activities are 'girls or boys' activities, because you don't know any better on your own (and some parents are liberal, some aren't with things like that). It's not until you reach a certain age that gender begins to grow, and become a more strong aspect of a person's character.

Kasaya was just lost. His sexuality, he had no idea where the hell it laid, what it could be described as. He literally only 'liked' and thought passionately about one. single. person. And that was it.

It didn't help that the men he'd raped were all not attractive, usually gross scrubs, much older, and women, he just couldn't stand mostly because of Ashley, but he found no person to be as gravity inducing, pulse quickening, or silhouette as euphoric as Katsuki's.

Kasaya pulled his head up at a loud racket, phasing him from his thoughts.

Bakugo was having a conniption fit!

"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU TELL HIM?!"

"What was necessary! He had questions of course!" Aiwaza was trying to keep it calm, but was not successfully doing so.

"I DON'T GIVE A'SHIT IF HE HAD QUESTIONS!" His slammed his fist into the coffee table rocking everything on it. "I'M ASKIN' WHAT Y'FUCKIN' TOLD HIM!"

Aiwaza Shota shot up. He was about to his wits end. He started getting a bit shouty, pointing a finger at the blonde. "I told All Might and the dean because it's my responsibility to inform the dean! You know the dean tightened security for school safety because of the incident with the LOA last year! Could you imagine HOW the dean was worried that a villain somehow got in again?!"

"SO TWO MORE PEOPLE KNOW?!"

"YES! Two other people know! They're heroes! What th'hell else you except me to do?! My fuckin' sisters in the GOD DAMN HOSPITAL!" That was it, he lost it. Aiwaza's soft spot: His sister. His only sister. His very very sick sister.

"I DON'T KNOW!?" Bakugo spat knocking a soda off the table now. "HOW 'BOUT SHUTTIN' Y'DAMN MOUTH! Traitor!"

"Traitor?! WHAT?! TRAITOR?! Are you fuckin' kiddin' me Bakugo?!" He pointed. "I have been nothin' but LOYAL to UA! How dare you, you fuckin' kid, point at Eraserhead, and make a comment like that!" He name dropped his own title, to add a sense of superiority and so maybe the blonde could remember who the fuck he arguing with right now. "What th' hell is your personal problem with him ANYWAY?! All Might is an established figment in society!"

"THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I FUCKIN' HATE!"

Satoko looked up and crunched an eyebrow. 'What?' He watched the blonde go on about how All Might was not the best, and how he'd hated his guts since he was a kid and he hoped he'd die.

Saya was growing massively confused.

He hadn't been paying close enough attention. When did this screaming match turn from Katsuki being mad because he was looking out for him, to centering around Katsuki being mad because he possessed a personal hate for All Might?

Somehow, it had revolved to being not centered around Kasaya anymore and what he was going through, and it was centered around Bakugo and his personal hatred of the guy.

And it was like... he couldn't stop himself.

Kasaya was shocked.

"HE'LL BE A TOTAL FUCKIN' WASTE AFTER I'M DONE BESTIN' HIM!"

How dare he shit-talk about his boyfriend that way! "You disrespectful little shit! How dare you talk down on YOUR SUPERIORS!" Aiwaza was grabbing his scarf up off the table to apprehend him. Somehow, he'd hit a chord with Bakugo, and the teen was getting out-of-control.

Bakugo noticed obviously what he was going to try to do with that metal headwear of his and in his rage, sidekicked the coffee table into the professor, screaming loudly. Nobody would apprehend Bakugo Katsuki!

Eraserhead fell back with a loud growl himself into the couch and jolted up, and Bakugo instantly launched his hands up.

"YOU SERIOUS?! I CAN TAKE IT AWAY IN A SECOND!" Shota shouted, his voice could never get as loud as Katsuki's though.

"I'D LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY! I'm still gunna BEAT YOUR ASS!" Katsuki launched himself at the guy and Eraserhead in protection shot out a scarf edge, Bakugo ducked.

Saya fell over on the side on the couch to get out of the way. Eraserhead and Bakugo were full-on fighting! His mouth practically fell out of socket! He had no idea what to do! Breaking it up would be so easy for Kasaya. Suki, was obviously the one that started it out some enabling dark emotion for All Might that he actually didn't know he'd had! But the couldn't use their quirks in school without clearance! Highly illegal! (Obviously Bakugo broke it a little as he got fired up and would let some little explosions go out of his hands in school to intimidate people, but it was dismissed as everyone knew that was just 'how he was'.)

It was getting ridiculous, Aiwaza was chasing Bakugo all over the room, and Suki had knocked over an end table, thrown a vase and cracked it into six or seven parts, gotten his own lip busted up, and had actually smacked Eraserhead a kick in his stomach.

"STOP!" Satoko shot up.

Aiwaza slowed a bit, responding, but Bakugo didn't, he hopped on him like a wild animal, and started beating the shit out of the hero professor who was not too keen on wrapping his scarves anymore, which he knew could take the air out of people and choke them. He wouldn't on a student, he'd only wanted to use them to apprehend!

Kasaya grabbed Katsuki's arm and started getting loud, and he was wild trying to shake it loose. Somehow, he knew, this was no longer about himself anymore for Bakugo, it was about Bakugo only. It'd turned selfish, and he just didn't understand why.

But, him fighting his own professor! This needed to chill out!

"STOP!" Kasaya yelled again, yanking on his guy's bicep from behind him.

Katsuki pushed him back like a wild dog, and kept hitting Aiwaza, who was protecting himself with good blocking stance, on his back on the floor.

It was the way that Katsuki was hitting... Kasaya knew this was not his training that he'd taught him, because Bakugo's form was going, and he was using power once again to slam his fists into the professor, flying completely rabid and off the handle.

Satoko couldn't!

This was not what he'd trained him for! Not to beat the shit out of professional heroes like Aiwaza! Thier professors! It was to use it to gain his rightful spot, to feel complete in his hate. Sure, to best Midoriya and to get everyone around him to realize that he was the best, but... this was madness!

"LISTEN TO ME!" He shouted grabbing onto Bakugo again. What the hell was his man doing? Why was he not listening?

"NOO!" He pushed him back. An audible, extremely scary growl.

"I WILL USE MY QUIRK ON YOU!" It was a threat. A flat out threat. Saya wanted him to stop damn it! Aiwaza's face was red, his nose bloody, obviously let up himself in realization that he was fighting a student, and didn't want to do it anymore. So why couldn't Bakugo listen too damn it?!

"NOO!" Bakugo leaned madly into Aiwaza, still hitting at him, pushing Kasaya so hard that it actually set him off balance. He didn't even address what Satoko had just yelled, completely ignored, over head, in one ear, out the other. "NOO!" Bakugo randomly spurted again.

"I WILL!" He latched back on in response, knowing he wasn't listening to him now, not set on punching and hurting him either, in the same boat as Eraserhead. He wanted Bakugo to come to his own senses without him having to use it! 'Come'on!' He began to viciously yank, battling it out over Suki's arm, while Suki somehow was still able to keep Aiwaza pinned. Satoko was trying yank him off of Aiwaza.

But. That didn't happen. Suki was not coming to his senses. Katsuki had gone blind in his own hatred, to a point where he'd lost sight of what was more important; the whole reason why he'd come here: To be a support for Kasaya.

Bakugo was sick of getting held back from behind, and he, the red-eyed man, shot out his right elbow, and it slammed Kasaya right in the fuckin' mouth, busting the side of his face up. Blood came to it and it sprayed on the floor, bright red liquid. He coughed it out, spit flew out of his mouth, and it got all over.

Aiwaza seen, eyes huge.

Blindly, Suki raged on Aiwaza, pounding on his chest, screaming like a gorilla.

Saya scooted himself away, feet kicking out. He knew. Bakugo was no longer there. What was there right now wasn't even his dragon as he'd thought of him as, because his dragon fought for his sake in his mind, just as he'd fight for Suki. This was... a monster. A horrible, deformed, contorted mess. Ugly.

Bakugo had lost touch with reality.

Kasaya knew he was nowhere in Bakugo's mind right now. For he'd shoved him off like he was a stranger. Hit him mindlessly, drew blood. Not enough to awaken Diasuta, but it was enough.

Kasaya knew for sure, he may be screwed up, his brain may be disassociated, and have it's own personality, but he was not the only one here that was 'mentally ill' as described by the State. So was Bakugo. Something was amiss with the blonde and there were things that he hadn't told him, he'd with-held, and he knew that for sure now.

Satoko was hurt. He'd poured out his life to him, and he thought he had to. What the hell was this then?

He scooted away more, Aiwaza watching him holding his bleeding face, still trying to prevent himself from taking too many hits by the teen a top him.

Saya silently signed the rest of the papers for Merge School without reading them, the blood from his mouth leaking all over pages. He'd let them put as many wires all over him that they wanted, let them merge the brain with his consciousness! At least was pursuing what he felt he needed to do in a semi-constructive way! Unlike this right now, Saya was beginning to recognize his steps. Bakugo was not there at all!

They were not on a level playing field. Potholes.

Satoko stood, started gathering his things as Bakugo still screamed and rolled on the ground with the professor. He was at the door dressed to leave. "Bakugo. Stop."

Instantly the teen went limp, and Eraserhead, disheveled, a mess, bloody himself, rolled him off of him.

Normally Satoko was okay with getting hit. He'd gotten the shit beat out of him by Ashley's father's lackeys, as a way to train him. Bakugo had hit him a few times in martial arts practice. He'd just gotten in a fight with Neito in class for being a dick!

But this was none of those things.

Bakugo had hit him in a blind state, and bloodied him. It wasn't just the games that Satoko was worried about with him, and the psychoticism in that, it was now also this. Hate was one thing. Blind rage it was another. You can hate someone and seeth in it, and fight well still, having a strong emotion to feed you, but rage, it turns you into a berserker, set to nothing but kill mode.

Katsuki wasn't the type of dragon that would burn cities to the ground in someone's name!

Katsuki was the dragon that would go beyond that.

The type that wouldn't just melt and scorch because the one he cared for had been viciously and savagely used. Instead his hate would turn blind, and move quick to rage, and the care of that other person, that would grow stale, and eventually blip off the map, as he let the rage consume.

He'd lost himself. Reality was not there.

Then the dragon would go on. He would burn the entire world. Go so far, that nothing would be left. If he could transpose himself into space, he would burn the whole solar system.

This... if Katsuki was not careful, which from what Satoko just witnessed, looked like he wasn't being, he could accidentally get himself killed.

And not for being heroic. Far from it.

"Thanks." Aiwaza stood finally, grabbing a tissue to wipe his nose. "Anybody asks I give y'permission to use y'quirk." He spoke, wiping, still angry. His voice was elevated still. He had no idea what the hell just happened. Bakugo had never been that riled up before!

Bakugo laid silently on the floor eyes slowly blinking, a zombie.

Satoko knew he could see him right now, was probably screaming, or talking or something in his own head. He knew he could hear him too.

But this new development?

It just sat Satoko to stare at his form emotionlessly on the floor laying there, right into those red eyes, now passive.

Melancoly. That was how Kasaya felt.

Bakugo needed help. Not the kind that two people growing to care for each other could do for one another only.

Satoko was keen. There was more, had to be. Bakugo had more issues in there than what he'd told him. Deeper problems.

He didn't want to turn him away, to turn a cheek to him, but, he'd actually hit him in his rage.

It was wrong of him to not be there if someone was mentally ill. That was like saying that they were too far gone for someone to care for them. Hate should be saved for those, like the one that molested Suki in his childhood, not for someone mentally ill who needed help.

"What's wrong?" Aiwaza was staring, staring at Kasaya who was staring at Bakugo. He was coming back down from his anger, heart beating normal again.

Like a realization dawned: "I can't do anything more. Not with how he is right now."

"What?" He knew this was insane, even for Bakugo, and was trying to figure what would be the best punishment for the student, but was having failure at it, as this was highly serious and could put him in juvenile hall. But that statement from Satoko ushered that he was helping him? Suddenly he got it. They must of shared some deep stuff with each other about themselves.

He had had a thought awhile back that Bakugo was keeping information from him about Satoko, and he had been.

Maybe it was the other way around too? Had to be. Satoko knew things about Bakugo then too that he was reluctant to bring up.

Saya spoke. "He's in your care." He turned to leave, it was said flat. He was hurting, and he needed time.

"Wait." Eraserhead stood. "What do I do with him?"

"I've worked my quirk up to where it naturally wears off after about 5 hours of non-use. (Going out late fiddling with it with Bakugo had been helping him gain more control.) Let him lay there and think." It was said so plain, emotionless. He could ask Bakugo what it was that made him this way right here and now, but not with his quirk on him, because he'd be made to tell the truth, right in front of Aiwaza, and he'd promised him, it'd be 'just them'.

If he asked him now, he'd say it outright and the professor would know too. He'd grant him that favor at least, he'd not break their pact. He couldn't do that to him.

Kasaya left, door shutting behind him, confused, broken up, and worst of all: just bland. Seeing this. What he'd expected out of Bakugo was suddenly cracked apart, and it ached especially bad, because of how they'd bonded.

Walking down the hall, a few tears came to his face. And they actually fell.

He was fuckin' crying. He left the building sluggishly. "I don't know what's wrong, but this isn't you." This man, he cared about, for sure. He just broke him up in ways that he couldn't describe. He'd never of cried before on anything, over anyone, but anything with Bakugo, he found he was quickly getting a soft spot.

His guy had actually hurt him, not just physically, but emotionally. He needed to take a step back, overwhelmed.

His newly found emotions he still was having a hard time with, it was overbearing how he felt right now, he needed air.

Bakugo watched him leave in his melancholy state from the floor, but not before Saya stared at him a long time with those, now again, hollow eyes.

It was like the night in the penthouse, when he'd first started seeing sparks of life in them. He'd been content that night, asking questions, sitting around doing nothing, drunk, he even admitted to himself later on down the road, they really were 'hanging out', but as he'd watched those eyes go back blank in the penthouse, he'd gotten confused.

This time. He was... sad.

He knew it. Saya's gray eyes told him: He messed up.

And he was messed up. His mother, she'd let him get messed up.

And now it was effecting the one he cared for the most, it had reached a point where he'd gotten so blinded from it that he'd hit him. He'd hit Kasaya.

For a few hours, he'd tried to revolt, scream, move an inch. But after awhile, it seeped in that Kasaya's quirk, it was stronger than his somehow, and he was forcibly made to lay there quiet, like a discarded child's toy, consumed in his own head, felt like crying but nothing would come out, wanted to go find him, but couldn't, wanted to run to his side and try as hard as he could to apologize, but he couldn't.

Saya. Would he even understand if he told him? Told him... of his deepest and only problem? The one that tied all the threads together of hate that he had?

Close to the time frame that he knew Bakugo would come-to-motion again, Aiwaza came back into the room. 6 o'clock was dark in the winter, and he was getting ready for bed super early, the lounge's lights were off. Unrolling the sleeping bag, he honestly needed to slumber because he felt like total shit. Face screwed up, stomach hurting, he'd showered, but it still didn't help. His body needed recovery.

Bakugo was fully realized of what he'd done. He'd had nothing but time. Kasaya had made him have nothing but time by using his quirk on him. He started to stir.

"Missed some of'y'classes." Aiwaza didn't really know what to say to the kid. He'd beat the shit out of him a little under five hours ago, well he let him, as he didn't want to full on fight and hit a student.

"Yeh." Bakugo slowly worked his way up to the couch, and sat, head in his knees, arms wrapping around them like Saya always did.

Aiwaza unzipped his sleeping bag on the opposite couch. "Get'on back. We'll talk punishment later. I feel like shit, so I'm going t'bed early."

Bakugo sighed. Just staring at the door. He didn't want to go. For as unfearing as he was of things, there was a fear in facing Kasaya now.

Aiwaza started getting into his bag.

Bakugo just slumped over on his couch. He looked a mess, there was blood on him, and he was at his limit. He just started to cry, at first it was slow, then it got worse.

Aiwaza was shocked. In the darkness, his most terrible student was bawling his head off. Not Katsuki at all.

Eraserhead for-go'ed sleeping at the moment then, and sat up at the coffee table, elbows on it. "Y'feel bad?"

"Y... yeh. Like shit." He mean in more ways than one.

Somehow, Aiwaza got the implication. "I can't forgive you." To Eraserhead, this was not a child, a little boy that could cry his way out of things, this was a grown teen, he knew the difference between right and wrong, he had to take the punishment, which would probably be a juvenile record now.

"I... I'm'fucked up."

Eraserhead looked. It wasn't that he said that he 'had' fucked up, it was that he said that he 'was' fucked up. "How?" He was already curious. He was reminding him of Satoko somehow, in that bunker, when he'd pleaded that one simple plea.

Bakugo just cried. He assumed Eraserhead was diligent and caught on that they'd told each other shit to one another already. "There's somethin' I'didn't tell'him. Couldn't." He froze. Looked Aiwaza right in the eyes. "I..." He teared.

It was too much for the professor. He sighed, stood, and cautiously came over and sat by him on the couch. His heart was wrenching, even after he'd snapped insane and beat him into a pulp. Immediately he noticed the aura was different. Aiwaza put his elbows on his knees, fingers laced, and surprisingly, Bakugo crunched up sitting aside him.

Bakugo leaned into Aiwaza, tipping slightly right, not changing his position at all, and just cried.

And they sat there awkwardly as Aiwaza didn't want to put an arm around him, still pissed a bit that he'd went ape shit on him.

"I... I can't..." He sobbed. "I mean... I didn't'wanna say... say anythin', I didn't lie to Saya, I jus'I... I."

That was it. Aiwaza put his arm out and lightly touched across his shoulders. Why'd he have too big of a soft spot for teenagers? He could almost shake his head at himself, nobody else would be this way, especially after what happened.

Bakugo leaned into him, his head on Aiwaza's left shoulder became like putty. He didn't have Kasaya now. "I never got'th chance t'say it... to'him." He stammered. "I'mean I coulda... said it." He thought back on the first night he'd spent with him, those cries they'd had, the absolute warmth in each other's embrace... night and morning.

"But you didn't." Eraserhead was feeling kind of fatherly right now. Bakugo was indeed crying and carrying on like a little boy. Whatever this was, it was hard on him, really hard.

Bakugo nodded a childlike nod. "I didn't ha, have... anyone... Not until him."

"Why?" Aiwaza crunched the side of his mouth in. So, he was leaning on Satoko for things. They respected each other.

"It's... my... my." Bakugo cried. "parents. They died." He swelled with tears. "An'now I've br... broken Saya's trust." Bakugo felt like a total piece of shit. "I'jus didn't want him't'think I was usin' him."

"Then why'y tellin' me?" He needed to know. His parents passed? He didn't know that, Eraserhead felt a sudden swell of empathy.

"Be... Be." He swallowed, spurting tears, breaths choking. "Because he's right, he'can't do'anymore! This is me!" Bakugo got a bit loud in a shout, and his head fell to his hands and he started crying there instead.

Eraserhead wrapped his arms around him. Bakugo was actually letting him comfort him! "Y'feelin' this way because popped him one hn?"

"I hurt'him an' I didn't mean to." Bakugo could barely breath. "But now'my pasts'spillin' over'an it's effectin' him." He whispered. "I can'take it if'it was jus' me, but it ain't jus'me anymore. It's him too."

'Oh shit.' Shota's head pinged. Was he? What was he admitting here? He had a deep care for Kasaya Satoko, that was now 100% obvious, so much that his actions today got more than double-thought over, triple thought-over, it had moved him in a way that was profound.

"Bu... I'was given somthin'..." Tears. "when I was 4. That's wha'it's about, that causes me t'go off this'way." He hid his face in his knees, back shaking.

"What?" He was actually getting nervous here. What was going on? He wanted to hear him out. Is this what dads did? He had no idea! But he could be here, he hoped that was enough.

"I went'back an'pulled my hospital'records earlier this year." Sobbing. "It'was coke that'was forced'on me. I was'held down, but'I wouldn't snort it, so he forced a pill'instead."

Aiwaza was instantly mad. "Who forced it on you!?" His tone was authoritative, loud. Cocaine?!

It set Bakugo to cry even more. "My ma'was seein' this guy. But..." He was bawling. "the hospital didn't fix'it."

"Huh?"

"It didn't! I was jus'a kid!" He shouted suddenly. "I jus'! My'parents passed... an'I was placed wit'my grandma!" He choked. "She'd take'certain things away from'me. I never knew why! But then I'caught myself! I didn't even know why I'was doin' it! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME RIGHT NOW!"

"I won't. I'll stay here." Oh gods! Bakugo had been abused as a child. He had no idea. He just thought that he was cruel and arrogant, because he just was. His grip tightened around him.

The blonde's head was weeping into his palms. "Sniffin' markers. It's so'stupid... I know! But I guess... I'd been so much, tha'she jus'kept taken'em away.'

Aiwaza was quiet.

"Then a year later'er so, I was sick an'my grandma gave'me cough medicine. An' before long, she couldn't give me that'either! I'd just drink it all without realizin' I was doin' it!"

He thought he knew where this was going. "It's okay. Just breathe okay?"

Bakugo tried. He tried. "I'then... she had a surgery an'was taken these pain'meds. Some heavy ones. She had t'have me give them t'her. She was bed ridden, an' me, only 11, got'em mixed up w'mine. I took one on'accident."

"What did y'used t'take medicine for?"

"An... anxiety."

"Ah." Shota knew. "Y'took more pain killers didn't you?"

"Yeh. Everyday f'almost a month." Bakugo was actually getting calmer. "I'was ex... exposed... t'drugs too early, an'it screwed me'up. My... head. My... my body's addicted t'gettin' high. An'at th'time I'didn't know what that was or meant. All I knew was' tha'it felt cool and I liked it."

He was surprised all to hell that he hadn't killed himself with an overdose at such a young age. "Did y'do anything else?"

"Yeh. I started buyin' from a guy." Bakugo swallowed. He sat up now, but Aiwaza was balancing him out with his arms, as he was swaying around, a complete emotional wreck. "I'd heard he'had stuff tha'made y'feel it, an'wit'out question, I'wanted it. It's called X-ON."

"I know what that is." Aiwaza knew the lists off all the drugs on the streets. The League of Villains had their pockets deep into the stuff. X-ON didn't screw anything up, kill brain cells, but it was potent, like any other grade A street drug.

"I kept takin'it but under my'grandma's nose, cuz'I had no idea why'she'was so'disapprovin', takin' markers, no cough syrup, pain meds. Nuthin'was ever explained, it was jus' a 'NO! Don't do'that!', an' in my'head, but I never said'it, I was always, jus'like, 'Why not?'."

"You were a highly functioning abuser." Aiwaza sighed, squeezing him. "Y'did your work f'school, got good grades, and as long as that front was'up, y'felt it was hidden. At least, y'didn't think anyone had t'know, because y'couldn't grasp why it was bad to begin with." He sighed again and actually shook his head. His grandma may of took him under her wing, and obviously knew what had happened to him when he was 4 with the cocaine being forced on him, but as issues from that arose, and his parents weren't around (because they had passed), she didn't rise to the call of a legal guardian with a troubled child to inform him why all this was bad.

Aiwaza had such mixed feelings. He didn't want to feel negatively towards an older woman, but come on.

Katsuki nodded. "When my grandma got diagnosed wit'dementia, I started havin't care f'her when I was almost 15. I couldn't keep'doin' X-ON. No time." He sighed. Whispers. "It'was her'or th'shit that'made me'feel good." Some more tears started to fall down his face. "I chose her."

"Y'love her."

He nodded. "I started gettin'real bad'sweats n'night terrors. An'for weeks I'couldn't concentrate. Couldn't eat. Sick."

"Withdrawal."

"I knew then, whatever I was doin', I was fuckin' up my body. I couldn't go back." His words were loosening. Aiwaza was making him feel better. He never would of allowed himself to be this way if it wasn't for Kasaya. He never would of trusted Aiwaza. Those gray eyes still haunted him in his head as he stared at him laying on the floor. He had to go find him. "It'was when'I signed the papers t'become my grandma's legal'guardian th'I had clearance t'go view my medical documents and toxicology reports. So once I officially 'got' what happened to me, I got'wha it was. It 'was' addiction, I'd already been clean for a'few years. It's in my head though, all the time." He pointed.

"All this is what you didn't tell Satoko?"

"Yeh."

"Why?"

"Because we'd been sharing shit with each other, an' I didn't want him to think that I was jus'usin' him somehow."

"Why would he think that?"

Bakugo didn't want to say. What he meant was having an addictive body and mind, and Satoko thinking that's all he was, was an addiction for him, that all those kisses and everything were just an addiction.

"I didn't want him to... because I... I uh..." He swallowed nervously.

It was the way he fiddled with his hands. Aiwaza read it. "You like him."

Bakugo's heart stopped. Color left.

Aiwaza smirked. Gods these teens! Just like what Toshinori said, how such a pain in the ass they were, stubborn, and always thinking so hard that society is going to judge the shit out of them. Exactly why he taught high school. It was more of a counseling experience. Teens sometimes had some big issues, and Aiwaza struggled too when he was that age, so he felt akin to this age level.

"I think I... I might be... I think. I think I might be..."

"Does this help?" Aiwaza turned now on the sofa scooting back a bit. "It's just society and people that you're worried about right? Ya'know, I'm fuckin' thirty somethin', and uh..." He felt like sharing it. "I've always had girlfriends. But... I'm seein' a man now."

"What?" Bakugo turned, shocked.

"Right." Aiwaza confirmed it. "I dunno what t'tell ya, but I'm easy goin'. They way I feel 'bout it, is you like who you like."

"I..."

"Y'dunno what t'say right?" He sighed. "It's okay. Y'don't have t'say anythin'else. Alright?"

"Alright."

"Alright, but I do have to know, why the nastiness with All Might?" Eraserhead wanted vindication on that. Why in the world did Bakugo have such a hate that sparks for him?

"Be... because, f'one thing, th'drugs messed up'my head. I have th'left over'rage. I'm still recoverin'. An' All Might an' Deku were targets of'that. Still'are. I can't control it. But'there's somethin' else to."

"Okay."

He continued. "I had a'bad childhood, slowly gettin' ruined even'more as'I started realizin' shit, especially about what my mom had done, jus'more fuel f'me t'wanna feel'good. An'as those things unloaded on'me, I jus'started backin' off, gettin' distant. I didn't even realize wha'the word 'dead' meant until I'was 8, my parents had been dead since I was'5."

He got it. He actually was beginning to get it. Understand it now. All the ducks were lining up in a row for Eraserhead.

"I began pushin' people away, especially Deku, he was'so innocent an'still is. He was'still livin', bein' free, an'I was slowly gettin'more fucked. He never asked th'right questions. Always he'd ask if I was upset over'a test, or if I'd had a bad day. All kid stuff. He had no idea, but'I felt, I couldn't tell him either because it's ruin'his simple life. So I just started screamin' for'him t'get away from me, an'I started bullying him, t'get him to not want t'be around me. I was jus'too easy, an'it didn't help that he thought I was amazing, an' the'best. When in'reality I was so fucked up."

"Shit." Aiwaza sat back. He sighed. "Bakugo."

The blonde looked.

"I would of done something similar. You know, you only did that because you'cared about him, right?"

"Yeh." He turned away.

Aiwaza put a hand on his shoulder now. It was good for him to know this: "It may seem messed up, all that crap. But I see you've made light from it all. Pulled y'self out of the mud, on your own by the way, which is incredibly hard to do, and the way you protected Midoriya's innocence wasn't exactly the best, but with what you were going through, and still am, I understand it."

Bakugo smirked. "Y'know. All Might sets me into a rage more'than Deku."

"Why?"

"Because I jus'wanna rise. After everythin'I just want to be th'best in Deku's eyes again."

"So, All Might is in the way of your friendship with him?"

"Hn." He just nodded. "Pushin'him 'around an'stuff, I didn't necessarily like it, I jus'did it."

"Don't view him like that."

"Hah?" Bakugo turned.

"All Might. That's too much rage to have over one person. An' you can't just gain Midoriya's favor again in one swoop."

Bakugo's jaw dropped. He was right. He'd been so childish to think that once he beat All Might that Deku would just snap his fingers, forgive everything he did to him, how he'd pushed him around, yelled, ignored, screamed (albeit that it was all in Midoriya's favor.)

Selfish.

How selfish that was of him to assume, just like his drug using had been. Katsuki still had a night terror from time to time, as if the drug X-ON was calling out from his depths somewhere inside himself.

Bakugo smirked and started to cry a little. He still thought that Midoriya was lying about his quirk or something to him, the little shit. But that was whatever right now.

Satoko had said as he'd laid there on the floor: I can't do anything more. Not with how he is right now.

Kasaya, without him knowing, did. He did so much more. Those hollow eyes, they dredged up his trenches. Moved him to the edges of himself. By hurting Kasaya, bloodying his face, by his rage over shadowing Kasaya's need of him today, it set him to understand his problem with addiction was spilling over into their 'relationship'.

Relationship.

He felt so undeserving of that pretty man.

Here they hadn't got very far, and it was already getting whacked at. He couldn't have that.

Not with how he felt about him.

He knew then, he had to find him.

He had to leave to find him.

Bakugo shot up from the couch.

"Where y'goin?" Aiwaza.

"I have to find Saya."

"Y'phone buzzed about 3 hours ago."

The blonde rushed. Phone off side table, where Aiwaza had set it after picking up the mess. Sure enough.

Kasaya: I want you to talk to me.

Bakugo rushed, texted back. 'Where?' send.

A ping.

Kasaya: The ball field.

Suki knew what he was doing there, probably just sitting thinking about baseball, probably drinking, killing off the bad times too, in his own addiction: Alcohol. Why the hell did he not tell him? He knew Saya was an alcoholic. He felt like such a fuck up. 'God damn it.'

"I'm comin' wherever your goin'."

Bakugo turned.

"Look I feel for ya, okay? You care about th'guy? He's gotta know were'okay now too. Plus, I want t'make sure that he's alright. He did sign all the papers, and then quietly leave."

"Are we okay?"

It got quiet.

"Yea kid, we're alright." Eraserhead smirked, he went over to start dressing himself.

Bakugo Katsuki looked at his phone. Texted. 'Okay.'

He couldn't let this their relationship fall to ruin.

He had to explain himself.

He had to.

In person, face to face.

Kasaya deserved that.

Pink came to Suki's cheeks. Hot. He'd never be this way with another. He felt so thankful Kasaya seemed like he wanted to see him.

From all this he knew: Nobody changed him like Kasaya changed him. Nobody brought him strength to admit things like Kasaya did, even now to Aiwaza. Nobody shook him. Nobody stirred him. Nobody waked him. Except Saya. He rose him from his own grave.

All his senses the man was present in.

Touch.

Sight.

Sound.

Taste.

The smell of navy hair freshly washed.

Bakugo wiped some tears.

He had to fix this by telling him.

It pained him and set his heart to race, headache to think that things might not return back to how they were: growing.

Katsuki understood... he felt so ripped up by what he'd done to Saya...

Because...

He got it now. And he couldn't help it...

He was in love with him.