40
Saya awoke.
He hadn't had that dark and deep of a sleep in a long time, and it had been such a dead man's sleep that he woke confused.
It took a second for him to remember where he was.
His insomnia sometimes was insufferable; Bakugo made it better, as he'd feel safe when he'd suddenly stir from a night terror.
His breathing would settle as the blonde's unique scent came to his nose as it was all over the sheets and on his own skin, the aroma that seduced him into those arms wrapped strong around his waist, biceps and body length hot to the touch, keeping him warm all night.
And in return, Kasaya would kiss those sleeping lips, sometimes they'd press back lightly as the man would stir a little from his jolt awake, but sometimes nothing would happen back, only a shallow, lazy breath on his breath.
But this time, he'd fallen asleep with Apollo, but he hadn't awoke with him.
He'd have to get used to hearing that name, the name of his dragon, the hero Bakugo. Kasaya smiled.
He recalled the man at his side on the floor, head on his chest, in this makeshift bed, but as he woke up, Suki was not present, even as he'd said he'd watch over him.
He wondered why.
He was by himself. Alone.
But it was okay. He hadn't awoke with any fear at all.
He would of much rather cracked his eyes and seen the rough looking blonde laying aside him, face pale and skin smooth, but it was nice and remarkable that he actually stayed asleep.
No wide-eyes, staring at the ceiling while laying in bed for hours on end, no once he fell asleep jolting awake because he'd seen something traumic that had happened to him (or something he'd been made to do to someone else), and no groggy morning.
He felt excellent actually.
He'd seen nothing in his slumber except total black.
No terrors. No dreams. No crazed memories. No return back to the river of blood.
Quiet.
Like he was floating in a void of space where everything surrounding him was comfortable, warm and pleasant.
He sat up yawning, placing his socked feet on the floor, rubbing his shoulders; a bit chilly in here.
Looking around him he spied something. "Ah. Your sweater." He figured Bakugo probably wouldn't mind if he pulled on one of his belongings.
It was folded so neatly a top the adjacent cot. The peice of clothing was undoubtedly Suki's, even down to the way it was washed and cared for.
Pristine.
They shared almost too much at this point, except clothes, he hoped that he would be fine with it.
It was so warm as he pulled it over his head, over the plain shirt he was wearing. It looked nice, he gawked down at it; a richly woven cable pattern. He stood and stretched, arms going over his head; a yawn.
Saya had no idea what this was, this feeling.
Was it 'refreshed'? Is that what it was?
He had no idea, but his body felt calm, solid, and very very maintained. It was a wholesome feeling.
"Where's a brush?" He said to himself soft, a whisper, walking over to his bag, unzipping it. He desperately needed to comb out his hair, gracefully unweaving his screwed up bun from behind his head, trying not to yank too hard.
Kasaya contemplated while he brushed it out, deciding to leave it down, to not put it up again. He parted it down the middle, his bangs were long enough that they held behind his ear now if he wanted to put them there.
The comb felt good on his scalp. He relaxed and brushed slow, his hair looked rather silky today, he could see a hallway light shining on it, usually it was kind of split on the ends, that trim he did awhile back must of helped.
He sat and groomed, thinking.
He indeed made his decision.
He would become one.
A hero.
Not just for the sake of shutting them down, the Connelys, but for the sake of the people. And not just the people that they were hurting, but the world's people.
Under Ashley all his desires in life ended... except one: To be taken away from her. Saved.
And Hisashi had. Late. But he had, after he could pin down what was going on exactly.
He put the brush down and took the cap off some deodorant out of his brother's duffel labeled SATOKO. Everything was so dark, he wasn't sure what time in the morning it was. He'd probably slept all day, but his stomach was rumbling a bit and he wanted to go scrounge for food. Find the others.
But the point that Saya kept bouncing as he was readying himself, was that all his dreams had ended and dissolved into nothing, even upon entering UA, landing a spot in the dorms, that had all been to continue to stay away from her, not to do anything with himself really. Maybe research a bit about his quirk and try to figure out a way to help himself?
But it didn't get far. Not on his own.
Even when apart from Ashley, she was still present controlling his mind, breaking his will to control his quirk, and his passion for practically everything.
He would occasionally find some passion here and there, as he'd wrote that essay awhile back, but to maintain a natural, completely present, all-the-time passion for an activity other than that?
Not possible.
His passion for baseball, it was said and done.
Over.
Under Ashley, he no longer was allowed to watch games on television or listen to them on the radio. The years passed and he didn't know anymore the draft picks, the minor leaguers (and who was best out of them); the only bat he held in his hands was one to beat people to death. He got injured, stopped showing up to his own games, and then she forced him to quit.
So then, every time baseball came up he'd think of her and he'd cringe. Going to the ball field the first night he'd used his quirk on Katsuki, was such an 'on the edge' thing for him to do, but that night he just hadn't wanted to be in the dorm, the classroom, the roof, no where normal. He had to sit somewhere new, so he could think, take his chances.
His passion of reading fiction and fantasy books with this brother. That was much over as well. He barely seen his brother now.
Back then though, sometimes she didn't even allow him to go home. The books that she'd make him read so Diasuta could absorb and memorize them in 'study blocks', some were okay, some were interesting, but a lot of them were for evil purposes. Nothing was read that wasn't to be used by her somehow.
So then, every time he read or studying happened, again, he'd think of her and he'd cringe. So much that he force himself to sit in the back of class and observe when the rest of the class took notes, so that he would. He forced himself to be quiet and try so hard to concentrate dosed up on alcohol so he could get through.
Not even did he hold a passion for martial arts. It was stationed around the idea that he would have his sweet vengeance. It swooped deep in hate for her. The passion was sucked right out of it when that happened. She had trained him to the bone in it, and it wore him down. That even when he was taken from her grip, no passion for it ever really formed.
Saya ruffled a few things around in his bag. He was looking for his jeans while his mind was occupied.
Anything that looked like a steady passion it really wasn't. He wasn't lying, just nobody ever asked.
Anything that he could of gained a passion for too: swordsmanship, running (such as track and field), music perhaps?
No new passions had formed.
Except Bakugo.
Saya smirked as he'd found a nice dark pair of pants and began changing.
He wanted to look nice for him.
'Wait a second.' Saya shot some fingers to his chest. He sighed. 'It's there. Good.' A solid peice pressed into his flesh, he pulled it out of the shirt, out of the sweater's opening.
He smiled light. Bakugo's necklace. Always with him.
A reminder of his only steady passion.
Bakugo was in all aspects of his life now. They did martial arts together, listened to music, studied, read, went running, they did some light kendo.
Katsuki had even mentioned once that he'd wanted to take him to the batting cages.
Which normally, he wouldn't do, too many bad memories, but with Suki at his side, and feeling that passion for him?
He felt like he could do anything.
He felt he could do everything again.
Just start over.
Satoko started weaving a black leather belt through some loops.
When had he last gave a damn about his appearance? Ashley had even shook that out of him, as she'd made him wear suits.
The intent was to make him completely look like the total assassin that he was.
But Saya found himself slowly improving, he now sat in a comfortable mid-point.
At first it was just making his uniform straighter and brushing his hair more, then it became caring whether he had wrinkles in his everyday clothing (so his laundry washing improved), then he'd started growing to like nicer clothes.
He pulled out some of the stuff he never wore and started giving it a try. Things his brother bought him because he wanted his younger brother to dress well: Some faded skinny jeans, top button polos. His nice black long jacket. New dark v neck shirts. Some more expensive high top sneakers, flat bill hats.
For the winter his brother had bought him black leather gloves and a matching black slouch stocking cap, and a black scarf, that he wore with his long coat now. All basic in color, but Saya liked it that way, because it all was easy to match together.
Katsuki's passion for him and his equal passion in return trickled over, making him want things again.
A want of old things.
By just doing those activities with him, Suki was dredging up those once lost passions (or those that he could of had passions for) and making him gain interest for them.
He had a lot of good memories now. Ones with the blonde man, which he thought on a lot.
Bakugo had turned his hate of the Connelys around.
He still had a hate that burned, much like the burn that Bakugo felt for them because of what they'd done to him... but it was different now.
He had something grander; more resolute and strong than his hate.
It was the burn to 'become'.
Bakugo had sparked a desire in him to become a hero, a selfless one, and Katsuki (with Aiwaza some too), had yanked Ashley out of his mind.
He may still remember, but she didn't wreck his head anymore. The decisions he made weren't in reference to her.
They were his.
His decisions in life, since he'd began seeing Katsuki... left Ashley no room anymore.
Suki filled all the holes so selfishly.
So much he took that property.
Owned it.
Saya no longer thought on 'what if she catches me', 'she did this to me', 'she wrecked this aspect of my life'.
He thought more on what he wanted to do.
He could feel that emotion control still banging around that was left inside him, his skin was cold as hell, so he had to swipe the other man's sweater up, but...
This was just one step closer to his personal independence.
Suki and Aiwaza were giving that back to him.
They were remaking him... into him.
Satoko Kasaya into Satoko Kasaya.
Building blocks.
And the navy haired teen wanted nothing more than to discover this new life, this new freedom he felt, by spending his days with that biker cut; the one that used put duct tape down on the floor, that would never speak to him directly, that wouldn't let those crimson eyes befall him even a little... that turned out to be just as faulted in his own way, hiding his own broken, terrible turmoil.
But this one.
He is the one that broke him open; that turned out to be (under that crude, hateful, grossed out with attention, yelling, 'don't touch me!' exterior)... someone incredibly loving, caring, helpful (without outright saying he was helping), and sexy to all hell.
And Kasaya. He certainly would go to hell.
If that was what it took.
What it took to caress him; to delve deep in the waters of that man's masculinity.
He didn't care about religion, but if it all was true and being this way with a man made him a sinner?
'Whatever.'
No hell would hold him down.
He'd felt like he'd just come from there anyway, and it was Bakugo's voice alone that brought him back.
And that be the case, that it was Bakugo's cries in his ear that brought him back to reality, he knew now more than ever that Suki was someone critical to his life.
He'd let Apollo monopolize all his time; he would give every ounce of himself he had to him.
Because Suki was someone he couldn't part from.
Someone he could care about forever.
"Will care about forever." He whispered, correcting himself. 'Forever.' Now that was a thought!
They'd promised before entering this building a 'longer' future. An extended one with much happiness.
Satoko smiled, pleased with the way he looked as he scanned himself down from above, no mirror was around so he was just guessing.
He had no idea where some of his things were, his phone and his wallet namely, as they weren't in his bag (he figured his boyfriend probably had them somewhere safe).
'Boyfriend.' That word still tingled him.
He had no idea how to tell Hisashi. He knew it wouldn't sit well. His father. If he had any hope of holding up the family name again, once wind happened of him seeing a man, that'd shoot right down the drain.
Unfortunately Kasaya knew his dad's principles far too well.
Bakugo equally was the same with everyone else. He wasn't concerned about his grandma, who wouldn't remember anyway, but he was concerned with what his classmates would think and the world, as any relationship aside the normal hetero was taboo still.
Kasaya and him thought the same. Someday they would say something, but it wasn't a big deal to either that they weren't public about it, both keeping it under wraps.
But what about what they'd said to one another?
A longer future.
What if they?
Kasaya has chills swim through his whole system, his fingertips suddenly numb, cheeks lose, eyes sitting low-lidded.
What if they... signed those papers.
The ones that made you bonded.
The ones that... ?
He stood abrupt. Shooting up just as he had in the shower room the day that he felt things getting heated between them in there.
He bit his lip.
'Mm.' Waking up everyday for the rest of his life, growing and changing alongside that crazy, loud-mouthed blonde?
Waking aside him. Cooking with him. Movies. Walks in the park. Grasping his hand. Being held while tears flowed. The support.
Bakugo Katsuki before this merging started, had told him that he was in love with him.
'In love with me!' Saya could hear it in the other's voice.
Maybe he should ask him if he wanted to... possibly?
Maybe he should of bought him something else for Christmas instead of what he had.
Maybe he should of bought a ring instead?
Satoko took a few breaths.
He didn't want anyone else. He couldn't even see anyone else the way he saw him. All others were transparent in his eyes when it came to the depth of this feeling he swam in with Suki.
This thought stirred him to answer out to no one in the darkness. "Yes, I would."
He will do it. He wasn't sure when, but he would.
He wasn't sure where this sudden courage came from, to own up to something this deep, this real, this serious.
But he had to have Katsuki to himself, forever. He was his wind. He was his strength. He was his voice when he didn't have his own.
He was his light in the darkness of his own mind. The messenger dove that brought good tidings.
Forever.
He would have him for that long.
For more if he could.
With another breath he knew it was time to find the people holding this bunker down.
He'd had so much will while he was in that strange mental 'river of blood' not to shout names to activate his quirk without his control. He was so damn surprised with himself!
Not only had he made it out with the sound of his partner's voice, he'd also managed to not let anything slip!
Once he realized it was fake, it didn't bother him. Not at all. It was just his head somehow being screwed up. Something the merging had done perhaps?
He wandered down a dim hall, lit only by some sconces, kind of like in the dorms, the same fixture. Kasaya knew now for sure that all the campus buildings had similar lighting elements.
Noise.
He cracked the door.
There they all were.
Playing cards.
The three looked quite into it and so Kasaya opted to not interrupt and just push the door open with his foot lightly, entering causally to stand with his arms crossed by the far wall where they wouldn't see immeadiately.
"An'what will y'bet then mn?" Eraser mumbled to Bakugo smacked him on the upper shoulder, cigarette smoke filtering out the lit cigarette on his lip.
"Ow! Dad. Stop!"
"Come'on th'didn't hurt." Aiwaza blurted.
"No. Bu'your a pain in th'ass." Bakugo mouthed off back to him.
'Dad?' Kasaya crunched an eyebrow. That was a new development. He just smirked a little, crossing his arms a little tighter.
It was good. He liked Eraser, as he was his role model, so if his man wanted to think of him as a father, that was okay. He wouldn't tell him any different. He knew the blonde had no father, lost him when he was little.
Maybe Eraserhead was that for him now, and that made Satoko feel so filled with joy for his roommate turned 'lover'.
Lover. His lover.
Saya's heart beat fast as he heard Suki laugh one of those silly laughs of his.
"I'dun kno." He mumbled, settling into a typical growling Bakugo tone, taking a sip of a drink, the ice clinking.
Saya noted it looked like it had cream in it. Like a chocolate Khalua or something, it definitely was a sweet one, the color of caramel.
"I'll bet forty." Yagi took some blue chips off a very high stack and threw them in the center. He smiled at Bakugo. "Well?"
"Fine!" Suki slammed his right unoccupied hand down on the table, fingers spread.
Aiwaza laughed.
"Fifty! NO!" He yelled. "Double that fuckers!" He scooted a number of peices to the middle, throwing the last few with gusto, just for shits and giggles.
"Oooo..." Shota teased, a knowing smirk at Toshi.
"Shut up!" Katsuki piped, his mouth slurring words at his dad teasing him.
"You sure you've gotta'hand 'er wha?" Yagi winked at his boyfriend, then swiped one of his blonde bangs behind an ear looking pleased with himself.
Kasaya knew now they were both teasing the shit out of Bakugo! How funny!
They probably had crap hands for this game and were riling him up on purpose to make him bet away all his chips so one of them could win!
It wasn't real money anyway that was obvious, just a game, but that meant even though Yagi and Shota were playing the same strategy on Kugo, they still were rivals with each other.
Satoko liked this pair.
It was good that he felt he could be lax with his relationship with the older men, but to see them like this was priceless.
It was fun for him to watch the festivities, and to view the fun little competition Toshinori was having with his Eraser.
Saya probably bet also the men were having a match on who could make Bakugo bet away more... he could tell by how Aiwaza and Yagi were smirking around at each other.
They were toying with Bakugo for fun. Normally Bakugo would have picked up on it, but he'd been drinking and looked like he wasn't noticing.
Satoko breathed in deep, calmly letting it out.
Bakugo. 'He's getting drunk.' He wanted to join them now. Particularly, so he could sit closer to his roommate, whose pink tinted cheeks were simply cute in his heated state.
It was enough that it made Satoko feel pressed enough for staring so strong that he wanted to comb some of his bangs over his eyes so he could hide where his looks were going, but also partially so he could whip the other two's asses at the game.
Poker he was good at; was made to read some books on the strategy of it all.
"Havin' fun?" Satoko spoke out to them all, unable to be quiet any longer.
Bakugo's burning red eyes shot up from the rim of his tumbler. Aiwaza turned his head, eyes wide, surprised. Yagi simply smiled a grin.
Suki's orbs once fixed couldn't pull away, he found himself feeling just as he had when he first started finding himself doing that, just not angry at himself like he used to be.
But it was the same 'rushing' feeling that always came. His face going white hot. Tingles in his lips.
'Damn.' Saya looked good.
Too good.
So good.
And he'd put on the sweater that he'd set aside for him. He was hoping he would wear it.
Suki felt himself suck on more sweet liquor, that milk chocolate taste coated into his entire mouth.
Another item of himself that was on Satoko. He hoped those lilies on his inner thighs hadn't faded so bad that he couldn't re-darken them again.
He wouldn't touch Kasaya there until it was just Kasaya in that body.
It was so hard to not want to run his fingertips all down him, to press him into a wall like that time in the hall after he'd snatched him up from that fight in the B classroom with that square-looking copy-asshat.
"Come'over!" Toshi hollered.
"Join us if y'want." Aiwaza settled into a warm, welcoming smile, motioning with his hand.
"Wasn't sure if you'd ask." Kasaya cracked his knuckles a bit, sarcastic. Of course they'd say that. He knew they would.
"You've done'it now." The blonde teen babbled, taking a longer chug of his drink trying to hide the fact that he was getting a bit 'excited' by the navy-haired one striding smoothly forward.
"Why?" Toshi said to him.
"Because, I'm decent at this game." Saya answered for Suki (something he wouldn't be able to do if they weren't dating), and pulled the chair out across from his boyfriend, gliding down between Eraser and Yagi. "Got any food?"
"Yea." Toshi stood and walked to a side table where he grabbed a pizza box and handed it to him.
The blue haired teen eagerly snatched it with a huge thank you, and devoured the three pieces left. His favorite! Pepperoni!
"We'll start a new game jus'for you." Aiwaza gave the poker chips back that were used for betting to be fair.
Saya nodded, noticing that the therapist by his speech, was the one that was the second most most lit up aside Bakugo. Aiwaza had been drinking some too, as he could smell the liquor in that direction, but he wasn't as far off in the land of the clouds as the other two.
So the game was on.
Kasaya notes that Aiwaza had some mad shuffling skills, and he felt odd that Bakugo's therapist was drinking so, right in front of them all. Perhaps it was because he just hadn't seen him like this before, not that he really seen him much anyway.
Certainly not as much as Suki.
Yagi was dressed in laid back clothing too. Some oversized sweats, a huge baggy tee, and some plain indoor slippers. He looked like he simply didn't care right now.
Which was fine with Saya. It was actually nice to see him this way. He got that he wasn't a 'stuffy' snooty doctor, boasting about education and what people should do, but more so a listener and an actual human being.
Toshinori was American too, that he got by the heavier accent he had when speaking Japanese, not that that mattered either.
"What time is it?" Saya asked, he'd already deduced it wasn't morning.
"Almost 10 at night." Aiwaza.
'Damn I'd slept all day!' Saya put his elbows on the table, his hands a bit nervous, watching the cards as they were getting dealt.
Soon, he spied Suki staring at him with low, blinking lids of blonde eyelashes and a teasing smirk.
It caused his heart to panic, those eyes on him! So, as he tilted his head to peak at his own cards Aiwaza dealt, he began to move on habit: brushing some long bangs over his gray eyes to hide his warm cheeks.
Bakugo knew then... spotting that.
Kasaya Satoko.
He was right in front of him.
Being shy.
Shy how he usually is... until he got those clothes off.
How that shyness would slowly leave, as their bodies began to touch more.
That made Bakugo wonder what he would be like once they'd reached the point where they would make love to each other.
Suki desperately wanted that.
Neither of them never much spoke about it, as they've only tempted each other with caress and motions but someday... someday they would and with how Saya looked right now? Across the table in a piece of his clothing, playing with the pendant on the necklace he gave him?
Twiddling that black cross in his long fingers, delicate?
Suki crossed his legs in his seat.
He had to.
Kasaya's eyes quivered over the edge of his cards. Had Bakugo just been staring him down heatedly? Shifted in his seat as if moved by just the sight of him?
That spelled it.
Those crimson eyes had bored holes into his body. It brought feeling to his skin, shivers, and it made him shift in his seat just the same.
Saya knew. They were hot for each other.
But why'd this feel as if he'd just come to realize he liked him?
Thier relationship never fell to boredom. Consistently it remained fresh.
Saya smirked under his blue hair, lips soft as they pursed a cigarette, snapped a light for it, trying to keep his ass planted in his seat, so that he wouldn't stand up, walk over there and sit on his damn lap!
That's when he realized, they were using his lighter? He turned it over and over in his hand before setting it down on the table. He didn't care, it was whatever, but his thought was on Suki. So, he had raided his bag.
'That little shit.' Satoko mentally chuffed, sarcastic. Always Suki was stuffing his hands around in things that weren't his, but only his things, and that made Saya feel special for some reason.
The game began just as a drink was poured for Satoko, who didn't as eagerly swoop it up and instantly begin chugging it down as he usually did.
It was his morning after all, even if he'd awoke and it was evening.
He got that was why Bakugo had left his side. He'd slept much longer than any of them had thought he would.
Bakugo noted from across the playing table that instead of an instant chug that he was used to of his man, the short glass swiftly rose and the edge touched Saya's bottom lip, mouth parting daintily, and he took one lengthy, controlled, luxurious sip.
'Gods.' Suki was trying to hold himself down. He'd made what he was tasting seem so enticing just in itself. The flavor impactful just from the response.
He wanted to taste that flavor as well.
Wanted him.
"Annie up." Yagi said taking a swig of what Saya placed as bourbon.
Bakugo almost jumped out of his seat. Distracted. He was distracted.
He tried to put his head to the game, but for some reason, Bakugo caught Saya's eyes glancing over at Dr. Toshinori, skittering back.
Eraser threw in a few higher priced pieces in the center of the table and raised an eyebrow, butting his cigarette out in the tray.
Saya threw in two to match. The others did the same, not 'upping' it just yet from Aiwaza's upped bet.
The dark haired man laid a card face up from the deck.
A jack of spades.
Saya had a jack of hearts and a jack of diamonds. He also had a queen of spades along with a few other lower cards.
They bet. Nobody 'upped' it again.
He was dealt a second card face down, as they all were; Saya was the last to flip his up to look; a ten of spades.
He judged by the looks on others faces what they got.
Bakugo was the drunkest so immeadiately he knew that his facial expressions were far too honest. His eyebrows raised and he had a crunch in his upper lip.
Saya smirked. He knew the card Kugo got dealt was total shit.
Any bet that he made this time would be a bluff on his new card if he switched it out for anything. If he didn't keep the new card it would be a bet back on his previous hand, which could of been a lie as you could lie as much as you wanted in poker.
Aiwaza, Saya couldn't read at all; a fantastic poker face he had. All dead flat look, sipping a drink hazily.
Yagi on the other hand?
Saya's eyes scanned over.
He looked baffled.
Too many choices means some decent mid-level cards, maybe a few high ones.
Why did Toshi to him suddenly feel strange?
Kasaya knew he always had a knack for picking up on people's auras, as that was just a lower-level part of his quirk, but he'd never picked up this before.
Whatever it was.
Toshi flipped his card out, replacing.
Bakugo did not replace.
Aiwaza replaced.
They bet, but no one again made it more expensive.
The shuffling began.
Saya laid his cards to take a sip and take a puff on his cigarette.
All three earnestly were happy that Satoko was back, but at the same time confused as to why Disaster hadn't said anything yet.
It must be awake. Right?
Maybe it just wasn't ready to yet. Or something?
Plus, they had no idea how to really approach telling Kasaya that Disaster was there. Present.
It was ripping Bakugo up a bit that he couldnt be the way he wanted to be with him.
He wanted to play. To flirt. To kiss those busily moving lips that were tryin to deduce what to do with the cards.
To lick and bite marks on him.
To seduce.
To make him melt in desire.
But he would wait. He was more than 100% certain and sure he 'could', but the would he was more important. He wanted Saya and only Saya to feel that full body seduction that he was willing to spread all over him, like a syrup.
Thick and sweet.
It wouldn't be just Saya getting it.
It'd be them both... together.
Endless until they wanted it to end.
Suki uncrossed and recrossed his legs the other direction.
The would he then was a 'No he wouldn't.'.
"What'z wrong w'you?" Saya couldn't help it. His mouth just blurted, looking at Dr. Toshinori.
Bakugo was pulled away from the thoughts making his jeans feel tight to what was happening right now across him.
Saya couldn't believe it just popped out! He couldn't fucking help it! "Fuck." He put a few fingers over his lips (which Bakugo found enticing the way he did), to indicate he meant to not say anything. Which he hadn't! "I don't know why I said that."
"Nothin's wrong, I'm fine. Are you?" Yagi quirked an eyebrow, confused. He put on a quick therapist hat for a second.
Satoko shrugged. He wasn't sure.
Aiwaza continued to lay a center card now looking at the two, putting a swipe of hair behind an ear. What had just happened? It ended just as quick as it started though.
A king of spades.
"Hm." Was all Saya could bring himself to mouth for a rebuttal to Toshinori's words. Somehow what he said, he knew it wasn't entirely true.
The black haired man dealt four cards, one to each. Saya flipped his up immeadiately this time. 'Crap.' He decided to toss it.
They bet. Yagi made it more. They all met it except Aiwaza who folded, which meant he threw up the flag that his hand was bad.
A fair 'giving up' that you can do in poker. You lose money if you continued to do it over and over, but if you did it every once in awhile, it was permissible.
"Are you... okay?" Eraserhead said. An underlying concern coming to the surface quick.
Bakugo wasn't saying anything. He just watched Saya starting to act strange.
"Uh." Was his response. He turned his head suddenly and began looking the therapist up and down, but speaking to Aiwaza. "What day is today?" Saya rambled.
"Christmas." Aiwaza mumbled. Unsure the implications of what would happen if he told him that he'd slept into the holiday, but he wouldn't lie to him.
"I slept for a whole... day?" Now he really got why Bakugo had left his side for awhile.
"A day and a half." Aiwaza mumbled just the same again, placing down a center card. Was Disaster doing something funny? He couldn't tell. It was just watching right now.
Saya was getting jittery.
A two of clubs.
Saya looked plain at Eraser then. 'No helping it.' He slept through almost all of it. The Eve and The Day.
He wasn't sure what that had to do with the strange vibe he was getting from Toshinori but he knew somehow it did mean something.
He felt stuff. Auras.
He could feel Aiwaza was concerned. Bakugo confused and a little down for some reason. No doubt it probably was because he'd wanted to spend Christmas with him, but didn't get that.
But this... was not an aura. It was something that fizzled in a different way, his brain was lit up with buzzing and it hazed him over some.
The last round of cards were dealt. The three remaining looked.
Kasaya knew he had the game. It was a queen of spades. He had a straight and three of a kind (if you included the jack on the table).
Toshi bet high. Bakugo folded.
Kasaya turned, staring him down, meeting his bet.
The last center card was laid. An ace of spades.
Saya now had a royal flush and suit three of a kind.
Kasaya found himself standing suddenly, leaning over the table, Toshinori in his sights only. "What are you doin'?"
"Nothin'." The therapist was confused. He shrugged at Eraser.
"No y'are." Saya blubbed.
Aiwaza stood then, not sure what was to come of this, but voiced some words as well. "He's not doin' anything Satoko." Was he thinking that he was cheating at cards?
Yagi laid his cards down which distracted Saya again for a moment. "Three of a kind. Queens."
"You're not doin' anything?" Saya had to say it. The man really wasn't, he was just sitting there.
Toshi shook his head no.
"So, why do you feel weird?" He flipped his cards over. "Royal flush. Spades. Three of a kind. Jacks."
"Because he's sick."
A voice rang befor Toshi could answer at all.
"What?" Saya suddenly turned and looked at Eraserhead. "How?"
Quiet. "I... " A breath. "I didn't say anything."
Saya looked to Bakugo, who shook his head.
His boyfriend had a speechless look on his face as he pushed the chips in the middle to Kasaya's side of the table for him.
What was that? Or a matter of who.
"Who's there?!" Saya, on alert, suddenly yelled over his shoulder.
"It's me." A whisper.
"What?!" Kasaya was confused. He turned to the table. "Who's here? Who is it?" He wanted the others to tell him!
He watched a chair scoot out, Yagi stood up now with a bewildered look, and he put a palm on Kasaya's shoulder as if to steady him for news.
A strange electricity buzzed between them.
"Stop!" He put fingers to his temples. "It... it's! Stop touching me!"
Yagi withdrew his hand shocked.
Saya let out a sigh, obvious the tension of the touch was gone.
"What are y'feelin'?" Aiwaza came around the table, his son in tow.
"The contact is overbearing." Kasaya ran his hands through his hair, gulping. "I feel myself fidgeting."
"Why?" Toshi asked. "Why with me?"
"Because you're sick." A stark voice reiterated.
Toshinori's eyes widened. He took a step back, Aiwaza and Bakugo stared, both confused with crunched eyebrows at the therapist.
Kasaya shivered, the voice was louder, dark. It was a voice that he'd never heard before, it was an ugly one!
"What?!" Kasaya yelled out to the hallway, he turned on heel shrugging off Aiwaza who tried to put a hand on him now.
Bakugo reeled after him.
"Because he is sick. I've repeated three times I'm not doing it again."
Saya took clumsy steps backwards, handover mouth, knocking a chair over, other arm out. "Why... why is my mouth moving?!" Horrified!
He suddenly stumbled to the floor and fell hard on his seat. The tile floor was brittle and hurt his butt in his fall.
He hadn't caught himself at all.
"Ow. Fuck!" Saya sputtered suddenly.
"You shouldn't do that." A voice. A chuckle.
Saya's palms went all over mouth.
A voice had just come out that was not his!
"What the fuck?!" Saya jolted for the door, but instead, suddenly his body gripped back, it yanked him down. "Whoever you are!!! Let go of me!"
"You know who I am."
Kasaya kept fighting.
His palm would cover his mouth, then he found it difficult to keep it there as if he was fighting with his own body to control it!
Wait. That was what this was.
His own body. Moving on it's own. Speaking on it's own.
"YOU!" Kasaya barked, he felt Bakugo's palm was on his back.
"YES! I !!!" Diasuta barked right back!
Two voices started speaking at the same time:
"I knew this would happen! The possibly of hearing your wretched ass voice!"
"You made it through my river. I'm surprised you made it all actually."
Kasaya took the lead. He was scared, but he was screaming through it, letting his anger grasp. "So you did that?!" But he was more angry about something else: "You almost killed my brother! How fuckin' dare you!"
Bakugo's arm tightened now around Saya's waist and two legs were on both sides. He was just holding onto him while he screamed at the one that was present also.
"I wasn't going to kill him."
"I watched that reel and I seen the blood flowing out of his neck!"
"I was the one that stopped it." Bakugo said softly.
"What?" Kasaya simmered and turned to face his face.
"Saya. I called your name, and you heard from inside yourself. And the sword dropped."
That made sense now. It made sense.
Even before they were seeing each other, Suki was already saving him, calling out to him in the depths, only his voice did he hear in his head.
Saya put a finger on Bakugo's lip.
The blonde panted, squeezed tighter.
"Come'on stop being cute." Disaster interrupted and yanked Kasaya's head back the other direction.
"You son of a bitch!" Kasaya growled slamming his fists in the ground, he was not mild mannered as usual right now.
The brain was literally jerking his body around like he owned it. He didn't own it damn it! It was his body!
"I've got questions for you." Diasuta said plain in that dark tone.
"Hah? You don't think I have any for you?!" Sarcastic. "I don't believe you for shit!"
"I'm sure." Disaster chuckled. "Let's go talk somewhere."
What a horrible, messed up Christmas this was!
Satoko started to cry.
Mourn.
Tears only falling from one of his eyes.
Odd.
He felt broken.
The toy in the box that kids had played with too much that they popped the head off of it.
Bakugo could squeeze him as hard as he wanted right now, but he felt so far away.
For as normal as he felt upon waking...
Now there was another voice talking out of his own mouth! And it was not him!
Now he didn't feel normal at all!
Was this what happened?! Would he hear it forever! He hated it!
It was vile! Rude! Cruel!
He seen the reels!
He knew it's actions!
Was he stuck with it talking like this?!
Was he stuck feeling so inhuman?
Unreal.
Not okay.
As his studies for Merge School explained: He was considered mentally ill by The State until it was complete.
Now this voice was an expression of that underlying extra personality that he tried so hard to drink away.
The merging must of dragged it to the surface from the bottom of his ocean, and here it was exposed.
Kasaya knew.
He cried.
This is what it was.
What it was to be truly mentally ill.
Unstable.
A padded cell.
A straight jacket.
Two voices in one body talking.
Madness!
It was madness.