43
"Kid." Aiwaza Shota stepped out from behind a pillar at the bus station.
"Wha' th'fuck are you wearin'?" Bakugo walked up to him, one of his black duffels over his shoulder, a ball cap on his head.
His dad looked similar with backwards green flat-bill hat on his head. Eraserhead was completely unrecognizable. That was why it had taken Katsuki nearly 20 minutes to spy him!
He dawned a pair of faded jeans with holes in the knees, white sneakers, a lime green zip-up ski jacket that matched his headwear, long shoulder-blade length hair pulled back in a bun at the base of his head and huge sunglasses over his eyes.
Strangely, he looked 'too normal', like any regular 'ol hipster in the packed station.
"Present Mic's shit." He cleared his throat. "Hidin' in public, that's what." He smacked Suki on the back.
"Fuck!" The teen sputtered back, pretending to hate the manly affection. The glasses his father were wearing were so dark that he couldn't see the whole upper part of his face.
Aiwaza smirked at him and they began filtering through the crowd. "Because of th'villians."
Bakugo remembered now. 'That's right.' Bunch of mooks. Attacking his kin as he went out to attend to affairs. Speaking of, normally the blonde didn't care, but since he and Aiwaza were on the 'best of grounds' with each other, and had grown not to mind each other (more than that even)... "How's your sister?"
Eraser was about to ask him the same of his grandma, even though he wasn't fond of the way she ignored not educating Katsuki on specific 'things' when he was younger; could of saved him much trouble with his past addiction.
"Not good." He said in his normal flat tone, eyeing the station attendants, the people, those sitting, standing.
Instantly as Suki got a peep under the frames, his thoughts shifted from wondering why Eraser never talked much about her to understanding why he wore such dark shielding lens on his face. It was to watch. He didn't want others to catch on that his orbs were jotting around to each individual one on one to size them up, visually glance at them all, watching movements, watching faces. Even children.
He trusted no one.
Yes. The biker cut remembered. How could he forget?
UA was on it last strings. Two major grants had been withdrawn. Villians active... overly active. Eraser was being hunted when he went out and UA students were getting attacked so they went in pairs or with an additional hero escort.
Which reminded him, since he'd met Kasaya he hadn't really left campus either, just like his partner. It wasn't a choice, it was just that he hadn't even really thought about it. Being with Kasaya was a consistent thrill ride. Bakugo knew he was sucked into every detail about him, his very being kept him close.
The way Saya's eyes moved.
The gentle curve of his lips as he was being sarcastic.
The cigarettes in his delicate fingers.
The postures he sat in as he relaxed.
Long, beautiful hair; like a wild lion when out of a bun.
And those were just physical attractions.
Then there was his personality, which seemed bland to most, but Bakugo knew it best. Under the calm, plain exterior he could read the subtle-ness so well. His morals. The way Saya was gentle to him and with him. But then, that huge smile that would spread on Saya's face when he gave him something he truly wanted.
Like the tattoo. He'd bought it for him. The Saya jumped up off that couch and nearly shook him to death like his older brother liked to do to him.
But it was that smile.
Only Saya. Only him.
He couldn't wait to get back, the campus served as their own world, and it wasn't dull, they were always doing something all the time.
He wondered how marriages between men worked. Did one of them... change their last name to the other's? Or did it matter?
Bakugo personally didn't really care. He wanted to keep the Bakugo name, that he knew, if anything, he figured Kasaya might change his, seeing as he felt he'd dishonored he Satoko name. It was more so Saya's father saying that and Kasaya agreeing... but Bakugo felt that perhaps he didn't feel that way anymore, especially with all the progress that he made as a person.
"You got quiet." Aiwaza stated low. They were almost to the car. It was starting to spit some cold rain.
"Yeh." Katsuki swallowed. "Thinkin'."
Eraser opened the back and he threw in his duffel. Doors slammed and they were in. Seatbelts. Car start.
"What about?" He honestly wanted to know, he pulled out of the drive, making certain to watch out for the heavy pedestrian traffic.
Nothing was said.
"Bakugo." Eraser rolled his window down and lit a cigarette cruising out to the intersection. He was in a rental. He didn't own a car purposefully, the villains could track that as well.
"You know who."
"Ah." He got a strange vibe that his son was thinking deeply on something bothering. "So?"
"Jus'everything. I've..." He looked out his window now too, taking a thumb nail out of his mouth.
Eraser smiled. That was him as a teen, Katsuki's age, when nervous he'd nip at his nails, but unlike him, he'd also chew on the side of his lip. He still bit his lip when in thought and Toshinori would just grab him up and love on him for it, thinking it was adorable. Then Shota would blush like an idiot. Their relationship was youthful, and Aiwaza adored that.
"I've found this great thing..." Bakugo smirked, but it fell. "Are we... undeserving?" He closed his eyes. "Our lives are always fucked up." He was thinking on a collection of things and just wanted validation that things would get better, this little visit to his grandmother made it pop back in his head, insecurity on their relationships 'place' in the world. Not so much that he cared about what others thought, but more so on the things going on in their lives and around them and how that effected their relationship.
Over break his grandmother didn't even call him Suki once.
"Grandma."
"Oh? Oh." She winced sitting down with her tea. "The tree looks nice doesn't it Kaito?" She looked at the twinkling bulbs.
He walked over to push a blanket up on her lap. "It's Katsuki gram."
"Ah that's nice. How are you? How's school?"
"It's good. UA's classwork isn't tough at all. I'm in a relationship now."
"What?"
"Yeh."
"You know Hanami is going to be so mad at you." She pinched Bakugo on the cheek.
His dad's sister's name (who had passed untimely before he was born).
He sighed. 'Katsuki grandma. I am Katsuki.'
Eraser blew out a puff and turned his head to look. His son had his eyes closed, as if expecting take a punch in the head, bad news. Harsh reality. "What? No. Don't think that."
"You said on the phone... you had things to say to us today. You left it open-ended. I hate that."
"Yeh. I know..." Shota said flat. Today was the day. "It's..." He was nervous about it.
"Jus'tell me... is it gunna effect 'us'?" He was tired of shit hurting them. He just wanted to know; he had to. "Kasaya and I. Me and you. Toshnori and I. All of us?"
"Maybe annoy." He blew out a puff of smoke.
"Hah?" Red eyes blazed, jaw dropped.
Aiwaza couldn't even speak. He only sighed. A quick nervous fingertip pushing black hair behind an ear.
It certainly would break them. But it might also make them stronger.
Himiko laid on her bed at her house. She was alone, her 'mother' out doing something. The 13 year old was unsure really, she was probably hooliganing around which those dudes she'd sometimes bring around. The ones that were odd that made her keep a firm grip on the knife in her pocket.
"What do I do?" She grabbed a stuffed elephant plushie and squeezed it to her chest.
The only reason she's saved up and got a phone doing odd chores for a neighbor was because she needed one for her school activities, only affording a prepaid card here and there with limited texts and zero roaming!
What good it did!
Her mom (even if called), never came!
She'd just end up walking home anyway!
How dumb.
'Stupid!'
Today she'd walked home in the storm and instantly had to change her clothes upon arrival with a runny nose, and in much need of hot chocolate or something warm to drink. Rain in the winter was so much worse than snow. It made ice.
She was bundled up in coats and cold-weather apparel, but never the less, she still got a little soaked. She hated being soaking wet! It was the worst!
As soon as she unlocked the front door to the house she kicked the door open with her foot, with a gusto of attitude, yelled for 'mom' a few times, and realizing she wasn't home, ran upstairs to throw on flannel PJs to warm up.
Toga sat up off the bed, feet going into house slippers and slowly made her way down the stairs to the kitchen. She sat her elephant on the counter and rummaged for a tea pot. There was no nice mochas like Everett bought her, no hot chocolate, not even a drop of milk in the house.
She picked up a past due electric bill on the counter. It was set to be shut off in less than two weeks. Turning the stove dial, she blew air out of her top lip to puff up her blonde bangs.
In a week and a half it would be mid January and they would have no power. IN WINTER!
Toga emptied some water into the purple pot and pulled out the last box of green tea in the house. She opened the refrigerator, her golden eyes scanning.
Leftover cooked rice. 2 hotdogs left in a package. A couple slices of cake. Half drank can of soda.
She took a chocolate cake.
It was her moms.
She'd get yelled at for it whenever she got back... whenever that would be.
"Here ya go Rori!"
Himiko sat a small little plate out and a little teacup for the elephant on the counter and larger sized dishes for herself, hoping up on the counter with the elephant, letting her feet swing waiting on the tea to be done. But then they stopped swinging.
"I don't..." Her bottom lip twitched. "This sucks." She patted her elephants head. She had a bad habit of talking to herself. She was lonely. She couldn't help it. Toga reiterated. "What can I do?"
She meant that in a few different ways.
Her home didn't feel like a home. It never had as this house was the they lived in now since moving across once side of the prefecture to another. But also, with the power getting shut off soon, no food in the house, she not having a job. Only 13! She could mow lawns and sell cookies! Clean houses! But! That was it!
She couldn't get a work permit until she was old enough!
And the fact that she basically had no relationship with her mother, other peers at school, not even the teachers? Favoritism was huge at this new school. The teacher's all had their pets already, much like the cliques all had their members.
How was it that she felt she was more of an adult than her parent!
She knew.
She was just an outsider.
And... She still hadn't told the League of Villians her data just yet.
"Everett." She took a bite of chocolate cake unable to wait, her stomach grumbling. "He's actually nice."
The tea pot started hissing.
She hopped down and turning the burner off, poured both herself and Rori a cup. She hopped back up, turning the plates and cups so she could sit cross legged on the kitchen counter. Rori was moved around a little to face her. "You look boring. Hang on." She took a hair band off her wrist and tied a little white tuft of hair on Rori's head into a ponytail. It stuck up like a Mohawk. "You look like Everett. You'd like him I think."
Rori didn't respond of course.
"He's got this big 'ol orange scarf that he wears, and he's really excitable... like me!" She got blushy thinking of him, twirling blonde hair in a bun around her finger.
That was right. 'True.' She took a sip of tea, a bite of cake.
Everett was pretty similar to her. She really wished she could go see his snake! They'd even eaten dinner together on campus, he actually swiped his card for her and paid for it! How awesome! Gentlemanly!
But really... people didn't really pay for anything for her! She even got free lunches at school! It was a blessing to get free coffees honestly!
"I..." She looked out the window watching it rain. "Rori. We can't stay here." Himiko started to tear up wiping her shirt sleeve. "I can't... I can't DO IT!" She sat her cup down a bit to rash, a clatter, but thankfully it didn't break, or her mom would yell at her about that too! It was one of the three only tea cups in the whole house! "I can't turn the map in! But if I don't..." She shivered. "I don't trust... that they won't come after me."
She feared for her safety.
Toga grabbed a phone out of her pocket and tapped.
All it took was one day on the UA campus. It wasn't 'bad'. The students weren't trying to get-at her, make fun of her, pull her hair, they didn't run away like she was a plague.
By Everett she was entreated to conversation that she never had, that she was never graced with. He asked her real questions about her life and what she wanted, and it was all in a genuine, kind manner. He was an honest soul.
Kasaya told her about love, what it feels like, what it is. And from that, she knew that where she was now... she felt none.
By a random tourer, the woman and her daughter, she was told she was smart, that her intellect had a place in the world...
Maybe it did have a place.
Maybe it was...
At UA.
With those people.
Maybe there was a singular area in their world where she could go and feel accepted, and then she wouldn't want to tear things down around her anymore, the present world, and instead, build something there.
Friendships. Love. Work towards some career! A boyfriend?
Himiko started crying over her phone, her face still an extremely blushy mess, cute, puffy and pink her cheeks were.
"So long I've hated everyone!" She bawled. "Until..." She texted.
Sato Emi: Hey.
Baker Everett: OH HEY!
Himiko's golden eyes swirled with a mix of excitement, but existing in them was also fear, oceans of gold welled with water, streaks running down her face.
Sato Emi: What's up?
Baker Everett: Classes start tomorrow! I'm getting prepped! Are you excited?
Sato Emi: Not really. Look... There's something I need to say to you.
Toga swallowed hard, tears flickered out of her eyes, she grabbed her bear, her cake only half ate.
Baker Everett: WOAH! Hey. You okay?
Sato Emi: Yes and no. I wanted to talk to you about somethin.
Baker Everett: Okay. Want to meet up tomorrow?
Sato Emi: How about at Blooms?
Baker Everett: I know that place! We can't leave campus without either an escort or a partner though. You know that right? When you out of class? Want to be my partner?!
Sato Emi: I can't. I can only meet you there.
She sighed. She doesn't go to school at UA... darn him and his happiness!
Baker Everett: Okay! I'll ask around! I might be able to convince my bud Shinso.
Sato Emi: Okay. See you then?
Baker Everett: I'll try!
"Until I met you..." She sniffled. "And... that Disaster."
It'd still remain a joke to her... that she's unexpectedly ran into the certain 'person' this whole scheme was for.
But she was glad she had.
Because of the scheme...
She knew everything was different.
And for the first time, rather than looking at the League as her peers, now she looked at them with shivers.
Toga decided to run.
Stab one of her little knives in their back.
Little did Himiko know as she was crying in the kitchen at her house with a weird smile on her face (one of severely mixed emotions), huge tears in joy and equal amounts of wetness for being scared to death, Everett was talking to his snake about how he couldn't wait to ask her on a date tomorrow.
"What th'hell is this shit?" Bakugo waltzed into the dean's private lounge, followed by Aiwaza who shut the door behind him.
Deku was sitting right there on the couch!
The deep green, bushy-headed moron turned to stare at him; he looked a bit frightened up by the sudden loud Katsuki-shout.
Suki turned to Eraser who gave him a glance and went over to instantly pour himself a scotch. In the middle of the day.
This was...
'Oh gods.' The hero professor had never cracked that whiskey cap faster in his life. "Fuck." He mumbled as he tipped the bottom of the tumbler up to swallow.
Bakugo grumbly and not happy to see his once-ex childhood friend (whom he's pushed away on purpose), sat on the opposite couch, as far away from him as possible. It was the only ounce of relation he had to hang onto as that was the very couch that him and Kasaya had fallen asleep on quite a few times over break.
Midoriya said nothing to Bakugo Katsuki at all, just watched with his huge green irises Eraserhead drinking. This was extremely 'out-of-character' for him to witness. Their professor was in this weird outfit (that did match), but it was all sporty, white and lime green, on top of suddenly drinking really heavy, ice clinking around inside the glass? It was already done and he was pouring himself another! He'd never seen his professor drink! Not once!
"Uh..." Deku finally got up the wits to just utter a sound.
Bakugo huffed, crossing on of his legs over the other to sit in a very 'kingly' posture, one that he always sat in. He also crossed his arms feeling very trapped, his body language completely evident that he was not in the slightest good mood. But in public, Bakugo was never in a good mood.
People!
He fight for 'em with Saya, he had a kindled passion for it now, but he just wanted them out of his bubble and to leave him alone. And for the love of god, please don't breathe his air!
"Izuku." Eraser finally said, coming to sit in a side chair, throwing Mic's the flat-bill off his head to skate and slide across the coffee table before halting in the middle.
"Uh. YES?" Midoriya said all tense from being called on, just like in class, he fiddled with his thumbs in his lap. What was this?! What was this with... KATSUKI!
"Toshinori will be here soon." Eraser stated bland. "Then we'll start up."
"Da'fuck is this? You said it'd annoy me." He huffed. "Guess what... I'm ANNOYED!" He suddenly got really loud.
Eraser just stared at his blonde son with a look of knowedness in his eyes. He knew all about the internals. Why Katsuki was feeling this way. Why he was sitting all pent up, arms and legs crossed, looking unapproachable. 'This is the first time isn't it kid?'
It was the first time since he's come to terms with his past addiction, that he had been made to sit in the same area with the direct reason of why he hid it.
The reason being Midoriya... not to ruin the childhood he still had left.
It was a surprise that he was even staying put in the room. Usually if Suki didn't like something... he was GONE. A big G-O-N-E. All behind him that was left... shit storm of yells, shouts, steam and a few explosions.
But with Toshi helping Bakugo push through, he felt with Kasaya backing him, him backing him, that Katsuki right now, in this moment, was forcing himself not to fight or flight out of the room.
'Truly.' Aiwaza sipped. 'You have changed haven't you?' He was proud to be someone important to him.
Midoriya was thinking the same thing. Why hadn't Kacchan (er... Katsuki) stormed off just yet? "Toshinori?" Deku played dumb. Did he smell cigarettes?
Aiwaza snorted taking another sip. Izuku, his student had no idea he also knew Toshinori's secret.
"Mhm." Aiwaza mumbled.
Katsuki narrowed his eyes and huffed away.
Soon a knock came to the door and Eraser hollered low that they could: "Come on in."
A suit clad therapist smoothly entered, long blonde hair whisped behind an ear.
And who followed?
Kasaya closed the door behind them.
But when he turned...
He froze.
'Midoriya?' What was he doing here?