53
"If you would of stuck around with me, I might of been able to talk some sense into you."
"You really think that? Fuckin' yeh right."
"Hm, perhaps not. We were just kids I guess." Mumbles, finger on lip. "I perhaps lacked the backbone at the time to really speak up, so I probably wouldn't of helped, nor had the ability to make you listen."
"Mhm." Bakugo put hands in short pockets. He knew that full well.
For they both had changed, morphed into a newer realm of existence, and both knew it clearly.
For Deku had found 'his voice' which came with his creed to his quirk.
And Apollo?
The blonde 'Terror of the Tournament', had learned how 'to listen', how to be humble, how to be more pure, but unlike Midoriya, Bakugo knew that truly, he couldn't of reached this point if not for another.
A certain someone, and Deku knew too.
If it wasn't for Kasaya, things would be different, much, much different.
The long haired man was at the core, an utter, and robust exploding bloom of faith that brought out the strength and purpose in people's hearts, not only because of the quirk that he possessed, or rather 'that he is' as he says, For One's All, a strong mental energy, glowing inside his veins, an utterly brilliant white, warm light, but also because it was just 'who he was' as an individual.
All that time Kasaya spent locked away inside his own body, controlled by another through emotion, made to feel insignificant, broken, dependent and wrong without her quirk recklessly looming inside his skull, those things that Bakugo came to see and know, weren't ever as strong as Kasaya himself.
His partner's fervor and passion was unmatchable; it stacked up equally (but yet in a different way), to Hero Deku's.
In that, Suki understood: These two really were two sides of the same coin.
For it was All For One, that kook, that criminal, that was the outkast.
They reached the door. It had gotten late, very late.
Kasaya looked up instantly, scanning Bakugo's face. It was wiped out, but pleasant in demeanor, this brought warmth and a softness to his own face, he'd want the story only if he was willing to share, but nevertheless, he'd sneak him away from the others and make sure to give and receive lots of tender loving care.
"Hey." Deku said, stopping his mumbly rant, looking right at Kasaya. He could feel that 'buzz' of power between them, they were quite used to it now. A smile.
"Hey." Kasaya gawked over at him then, saying it back at his counterpart, trying to get a grip on the green-headed one's facial expression, one that looked odd, red cheeked, almost ready to explode on impact, but he had no time to speak words.
"Get him!" Midoriya yelled.
Bakugo whizzed in the door and tackled him, quickly tossing the navy headed man over his wide shoulder with pure brute strength, laughing at the tops of his lungs, smacking his buttcheeks like a total asshat, hooting.
Kasaya squealed in absolute shock at this sudden development, a book dropping out of his hands and hitting the floor, his grip on it rashly shaken loose.
So this was it! They'd made some sort of pact to jump him and Midoriya couldn't quite hold it in!
"Deku!" Bakugo yelped. "Help me!"
Kasaya wiggled like a worm as Midoriya peeled over and forcibly held him down on Bakugo shoulder like someone would a live animal for a hogtie, and they started running with him on Kugo's shoulders right down the hall!
Toga tired and mumbly, poked her head out of the fort, and suddenly yelled after, hearing the ridiculous commotion. "Me too! Me too!" She stood up, and clumsily sprinted on sleepy, baby giraffe legs out the threshold after the three amigos.
"Put me down you fuckin' ASSHOLES!" Kasaya screeched, banging fists.
Bakugo whooped, hollered, and pounded his ass more, in an incredibly riled-up mood.
Midoriya yelled. "Ya ain't gettin' down!" He carried on with the blonde stupidly loud.
Surprised at Midoriya's quip to match Suki's, Kasaya wheeled around at the him. A fist swinging hazardous. "FUCK YOU!"
"FUCK YOU TOO!" Midoriya dishes, actually cussing and feeling okay about it, squeezing the mother of all grips around the blue one's legs.
Kasaya raised and eyebrow, his torso banging on wide shoulders. First time he'd ever heard that! But he started kicking in retaliation. "WHAT?!" Satoko barked as they busted through double doors, carrying him. His feet kicking harder and harder. "I'LL FUCKIN' DO IT!!! YA BASTARDS!! I'LL SAY BOTH YOU'RE FUCKIN' NAMES!" For now, he seen what they were running towards, and so he threatened to use a peice if his quirk, or rather himself, Disaster, as a last stand!
"ALLEY OOP!" Midoriya yelled.
Laughing extremely hard, face red, Bakugo launched him...
Right into the indoor pool.
"AHH! FUCK! BAK..." Kasaya screamed right before hitting the water fully clothed in a belly flop.
"NOT USIN' YOU'RE FREEZE NOW!" Katsuki ripped his shirt off, down to basketball shorts. He knew the threat was harmless. Kasaya wouldn't do it unless he truly felt threatened; he'd promised he wouldn't use it on him again.
So, there was no lying to him!
Kugo couldn't contain tons of snickers as Kasaya came up wet to the surface of the water as a dog, if a dog could wear soaked pajamas!
"I jus' showered!" He balled another fist at them from inside the huge aqua pool.
Saya's hair was sleek, wet and long, it made Suki want him. He'd wished he'd been there for that shower, but seeing this image, it was also good.
Very good.
The blonde ran with a smirk, wiggly like a child, and did a dive into the deep end from the board where they had thrown the younger Satoko in, and Midoriya followed suit diving in too with a kiddish whooping sound.
"No! Ya idiots! Stay away!"
"What? You're already wet anyway!" Bakugo bubbled out as he surfaced and began power swimming after him.
"SHIT!" What was wrong with these two?! Kasaya was absolutely certain that these two 'were good' or 'on the level' with each other now, and what a team they made!
Childhood friends supreme!
Both swimming with vigor and haste right for him!
Kasaya smiled, mocking. "Come get me then, you fuckin' dumbasses!!!" He was glad. So glad! He really did want the details later from Suki, but right now it was a game of dodge and evade!
And... he wanted to play, for he'd clued Toga in on some of the stuff he was made to do under Ashley's control, and they'd 'made up' too, and he was feeling content after, happy he'd made amends as Bakugo had reinforced that it was a good idea.
But he was happy just sitting there reading as Himiko slept, waiting until Bakugo got back, not to be rashly disturbed and thrown into a pool with clothes still on!
Correction! With pajamas on!
It made swimming ferociously hard, but he would not lose, and he knew it.
All in good sport, he would win.
His fleece pants were weighing him down a ton, but he whipped his tee off (Bakugo's black skull tee) and tossed it to land in a smooshy pile of wet cotton along the cement edge of the pool.
That sped him up quite a bit, Bakugo and Midoriya were really no match for him!
For Ashley had made him read a book on 'proper swim' and of course his storage still contained it, and so, as one athletic son of a bitch, Kasaya was lengths ahead not halting between strokes. He swam like and Olympic champ, it was nothing after he'd shed a bit of weigh!
Toga skidded around the corner to see the two in a wild goose chase after the third. She busted up laughing so hard that she barreled over on her knees, and began cackling like a witch, unstoppable, she couldn't help it!
"God damnit girl!" Bakugo shouted, instantly stopping, distracted by her whining ass, putting a hand over an ear. It hurt.
Kasaya stopped chugging ahead, noticing. "You okay?" He floated to a halt.
"Yea?" Deku stopped too, panting recklessly. "You're too fast for me!" He voiced over to Saya, as he watched him getting out to sit on the side of the pool in his soaked plaid bottoms. He turned, looking at Bakugo's painful expression. "You okay?" Saying that to him, he realized he actually... cared.
It was care. That notion had left, but just as it had, it was back and in full force...
But was it accepted?
Deku waited for an answer, not just to his question, but for the answer to that thought.
Bakugo stuck a finger in his ear and swirled it around, almost like he was trying to get the water out. "Yeh, I'm..." Kugo shook his head. "I'm alright. My ear was ringin'."
Midoriya nodded, a warmth inside him. It wasn't a shout to 'Get back!' 'Go the fuck away!' 'Shut the fuck up!'.
It was a soft, but yet so brash (as that was just the blonde's normal timbre, sounding slightly on the hoarse side daily): 'Yeh, I'm alright'.
But wait.
Deku popped out of his utter happiness for a second to come to reality.
Did his now 'friend', because he could say that Bakugo Katsuki was his 'friend' again, say that his ear was ringing?
Saya sent a little wave of water with his foot towards Kugo to splash on him, he could do that playfully (for now), and get away with it without it coming off as flirting.
But it was.
"You dumbass!" Bakugo grabbed his ankle and tried pulling him back in, (which was actually also flirting, unbeknownst to the others), but Satoko grappled onto the stainless steel ladder's rail like champ with the mother of all grips. Kugo sufficing to that knowledge and gave up, as his ear was hurting too much for him to fight too hard.
Deku noticed. Kacchan never gives up on anything that easy.
Something was wrong.
He resorted to yanking himself up out of the pool and plopping himself aside his guy, his secret lover.
My lover. Katsuki grinned, watching Hero Deku hopping up on the other side of Kasaya with crimson eyes.
His reds met the green irises with zero malice, and Deku looked content.
"Sorry about that!" Toga plunked down too aside the elder blonde, her decibels lower now, socks off, dunking her feet in the water like the others, similar to how a toddler would in a sand box.
"You idiot." Bakugo grabbed her around the neck and scrubbed her head with knuckles like someone would a young cousin, giving her a taste of the 'manly squabbling and rough housing' he shared with the Satoko boys that he liked, and that he now had extended to Deku too.
She screeched like a parrot, very unattractively, and when he let go, her buns were no longer a 'sleepy cute', but looked like a rat's nest, frayed and lopsided.
She pouted, truly sad, bottom lip poking out, heated in the face, ready to fight like a little chihuahua: mostly all bark and no bite.
All three teen boys busted at the seams, cracking up, to her dismay!
"Hey! No fair!" She bit back at them obviously laughing at her, but she secretly loved the attention. "What 'bout you! You... you..." No pun for her to think of came, so instead she pointed with a finger at Kasaya's chest, seeing it was pierced. "Wha? What's that?"
"Peircings. What else?" Bakugo answered for him, and roughed her up a bit more for her 'stupidity', only for her to prod him back, to fight and struggle, and scramble out a few growls and unsavory words to him before he let her go again.
She kinda liked that, the 'roughin' up' he was giving her. Bakugo, even if a hot-headed maniac, was kind of a nice guy, as previous encounters and gut instinct was already sort of playing out to her.
He cared and loved Kasaya after all, in 'that' way, she'd come to deduce, and she didn't care, nor had said anything about her discovery on it to anyone, but that was all the more reason for her gut to lean towards the positive with this elder blonde.
Kasaya was a good man, so therefore, Bakugo Katsuki must be and was 'good' also, more rough and tough, a spit fire, but good.
"You get the ear ringing checked out?" Deku asked. He was a worry wart, couldn't help it.
"Yeh." Bakugo splooshed his feet, submerged up to his ankles, around in the water. "Aiwaza did."
Kasaya noticed him swallow shallow. He knew Kugo didn't want to lie to Deku, but something was making him pensive of telling him, for he had entrusted Aiwaza, All Might and only him with this knowledge, as far as Satoko knew, only the three of them knew.
And out it began to come, which made Satoko understand completely.
"Remember when we were in the dome last year?"
"Which time?" Deku mumbled, swishing his feet too, the treated water cool. He hoped he wasn't talking about when he almost broke his arm.
"It was that time when..." He was trying to recall himself. Then it snapped. "It was the time, when during a break in the dome, I was back hangin' by a rock, and Ponytail was back around there too."
Deku knew he was taking about Momo, and recalled also it was when Kasaya was in with the junior Hero Classers for the first time (and only time since actually, that time of the 'incident' before Disaster was merged, that Midoriya pledged to keep a secret), but Bakugo had walked over to beforehand to 'chit-chat'. Deku had saw that, and had been utterly shocked at the time!
Bakugo stopped speaking for a few minutes to contemplate on it himself.
All in all, it was Kasaya Satoko that lured him in like a hungry lion, or rather not 'lure', but reeled subconsciously, it was just at the time, Kugo had no idea what was happening to himself...
That he was falling madly in love, into passionate thoughts (that were actually okay to think).
That he had found his 'person'.
That tangible and also now 'untangible' human, as Kasaya's power could break his own atoms to mist, as he'd dissolved into his blood stream to spit up cancer in the form of liquid.
This being, right here, that sat aside him.
Kasaya wasn't his everything, didn't want to be, but Kasaya had given him back everything, had given him the ability to change, the ability to face his past, to become a better person, he'd given him something new to live for as a hero, a desire to purely save rather than his own revenge and selfish glory, except for the 'Ashley ordeal', that problem he still held a glowing desire to conclude.
Saya had given everything back to him, and if he could repay him at all, it would be to find The Connelys and serve justice.
By following in Kasaya's golden footstep, at first nonchalantly, then willingly (but not admittedly), then admittedly (and not knowing why), then becoming his friend, then heat between them, then much more, then the challenges of reality and self...
And the ability to be so deep in love that any obstacle, even this, where Kasaya might perish, is just what is... an obstacle?
Their status may change, their title may alter, one may be dead, one may be left alive, or the third option: they both would not live past this, but Katsuki knew he'd NEVER feel for another soul the way he felt for Satoko Kasaya.
For the navy-headed vixen hadn't just rocked his boat, he'd repaired it, making it three times sturdier than it was before, painted it, hired a crew of trustworthy and strong comrades (his newly found strengths), and gave him the helm, telling him 'Yes, this is your ship'.
He'd done something for him that no person in the world would ever be able to do for him.
He couldn't repay him except with doing what he could with the Connelys, and he knew in that if not already, Saya would know how deep his admiration went; down to the bone.
For Saya had even helped him build up his own internal strength to go talk to Deku on his own, when he thought of turning away, running back to go get him, when he just wanted to explode and scream.
But he held back on both.
And instead?
He fought with his own self!
And he won.
Bakugo had won.
He controlled his own anger, and his was able to control himself.
Saya 'deserves a strong man', he'd thought as he was facing his own self, to tell Midoriya about his past drug use, and that thought was powerful enough to make him actually DO IT.
And he'd do it now, just the same, in this newly found internal strength to be humble enough to admit he makes mistakes, has made mistakes, and that he was not perfect.
For Kasaya had once asked him if he could be his addiction, rather than anything else. and of course had said yes.
Oh god, yes.
But now, even Kasaya had broken that.
Bakugo Katsuki was free.
His addiction was gone, he'd found self control.
He could stand on his own, and not in false, overwhelming power, blowing shit apart and to high heaven, making people fear him, but rather as a pillar of hope, as a strong male, a person who saves others.
Who was 'here', like All Might.
The 'hope', that word that he and Saya joked about being lame months back in that dilapidated office where Kasaya went to practice martial arts in the dead of night, after chasing each other and laughing, it was real.
Hope was real.
"I was back there by that rock cuz..." He mumbled. "Cuz I couldn't hear."
"Oh? Shell shock?" Deku mumbled. "That though is norm..."
"No." Bakugo cut him off. "Sorry." He apologized. "Didn't want you jibberin' on." A smirk.
"Hey!" Deku poked back, knowing he was joking.
"Hah? You bring it on yourself." Kugo remarked.
"What? It's true, right?" Kasaya also poked, but also by poking an actual finger into Midoriya's side.
Deku jerked. "Damn it!" He blurted. "Quit!" He let air out his nose, a smile. He really felt... accepted by them. That tickled!
Bakugo chimed. "That's... I didn't want to say anything to the class. Still don't say anythin', neither of you." He looked at Himiko too with stern eye, watching her gulp a bit. "I don't wanna to get cut out from possibly being... a hero."
"Hah?" Kasaya mouthed. "Ah." He got it. So that was why, that was what he figured.
"What?" Deku looked over out from aside Kasaya, in confusion. What was this now? What was this detrimental!?
Whatever it was, by how Kasaya looked so casual, having his palms spread on the wet cement behind him, feet swishing the water, sleep bottoms still soaked as ever, only Toga also looking interested in these words (as she had produced a bit of an issue because she'd screamed so loud), made Deku realize Kasaya already knew about this subject, whatever it was going to be!
He felt privileged being told. "You got my word Kacchan."
Toga nodded her head in agreeance too.
"You know they do... health screenings every year? You can't be a hero unless you pass them." Kugo went on. "At first I thought it..." He sighed, shoulders obviously tense, his chest moving in and out, trying to remain emotionally steady. "it was shell shock."
Silence, except for pool water swishing.
"So, I tried to focus on containing the size of my explosions to be more concentrated, thinkin' perhaps it was my range, but I realized after awhile it wasn't. My quirk..." Bakugo let out another sigh. He was letting out a huge secret. "It's making me go deaf."
Deku dropped his hands that were laced in his lap.
Toga meeped. She really had hurt his ears then! He wasn't just being a total butthead!
Kasaya chimed in. "I tried to fix it, with my healing." He held his hand up for visual effect, unsure why. "But the original scarring has already formed, his ear drums have healed over from the initial depreciation."
"Daily Saya checks 'em for more damage, an' fixes it, but some days he's not a available (he wasn't berating Satoko for it, just stating reality as they're busy), so it's just gettin' slowly worse."
Deku was speechless. He had no idea this was going on!
He'd already been told that the 'tattoo' he'd seen that day he'd almost broke his arm wasn't real, yet, but will be in a three weeks, but this?
Bakugo looked at Midoriya. "I had the plugs in when we were fightin'. They're tiny, only kind of visible. I wear them when I'm not in class from time to time, when I don't think they'll be noticed; always when I'm sparring, 'cuz then it can be considered normal. I popped them out of my ears an' rolled 'em in my shirt over there before I hopped into the pool."
Deku really hadn't noticed them at all! They must be an excellent and pricey pair. "Talking." Deku said. "We were just talking." He refused to believe it was a fight they'd had, but a serious 'make up', words spoke in truest emotion. He tried to breathe to calm himself.
This was a horrible admittance!
No wonder he didn't say anything expect to a few trusted hero teachers and his best friend. But Deku realized this meant both him and (well, Toga too), we're close friends with him also, close enough that he trusted them with this info. "I want you out there with us." He looked at Disaster for support on that statement.
"Same." Hero Disaster said, then looking to Katsuki.
"Yeh, uh, sorry." Himiko said. "I'll keep it down."
"Nah." Bakugo blurted.
"Hm?" She looked up to him, blonde hair a fuck pile on a small head.
"I'll have to find a way to get preventive hearing aids... I guess." He shrugged, all his pride was shot. He admitted his handicap. He turned to Toga though, "Keep bein' you're screechy self."
"What?!" Toga remarked, "Screechy!?"
They laid into each other. Giving each other shit, Kugo had brought it on, on purpose. Getting her all pissy was funny to him.
"Better stop brother bear, she's gettin' loud again." Kasaya prodded, he wanted a smoke pretty bad right now.
"He ain't my brother!" She spit out, hand on a hip, feisty.
"Teasin'. It's late though." Saya made a comment towards the hour, suggesting to just keep it down for the sake of others in the Pro Hero Bunker, namely the two professors sleeping.
Bakugo didn't reject the 'name' he just snorted, accepting Saya's true resolute statement on the time.
"Brother bear." Toga whispered, still prodding an elbow into Apollo's side.
"Shut it, or I'll kill you." He whispered back.
"No you won't!" Toga put a finger to lip. "But we both do have blonde hair."
"So? Who cares?" He crossed his arms, watching her toy with her little keyring of charms. "What's that?" He'd seen she'd had them before; a habit she had mulling them around in her palm.
The other two started to talk almost themselves as well.
She looked up, an actual question? "Hm?"
"That." He pointed at the black thing obviously in the center of her small palm by its biggest crease line.
"Oh, a cross. Had it since I was born."
"How?"
"I'm adopted, ya'll know that. So, it's all I have left of my birth mom, all that was left." She looked up with golden eyes, sleepily yawning.
"I've got a necklace with a black cross too, was my dad's. I gave it to Kasaya 'while back."
"Ah, does he wear it a lot?"
"Not everyday, but sometimes."
Midoriya and Kasaya instantly began talking with each other about what types of hearing aids there might be, as the other two spoke on about random things.
They shared on how to get ones that would be mostly hidden inside the ear, how much they cost, and where to buy them, preparing to help aid Katsuki as best they could.
"Well there's something I'd like to share with you guys too." Himiko let her hair completely down, combing to fix the birds nest of tangle that had knitted up. "This is somethin' you cant say to the others. Don't tell Everett!"
"What, that Orange Idiot?"
"He's not orange and he's not an idiot!" Himiko popped.
"But he does wear that damn scarf all year, even in the summer. It's weird."
"No it's not... brother bear!" She buzzed.
"Shut up!" Bakugo barked. He couldn't shake how much they kind of did look similar though.
No wonder Saya made that joke.
"What it is?" Deku hungry for information piped, ready and wanting of data as always.
"I'm actually thirteen!!!" She happily squeaked out, clapping her hands, feeling so much better to reveal it. "But I'm advanced!" She popped up a pointer finger as-a-matter-of-factly.
"So, that's why Toshinori is your guardian."
"What?! You knew?!" Toga's pointer finger dropped to point at Midoriya, her face aghast, her other palm covered her mouth trying not to shout, trying to be conscientious anyway of Kugo's ears.
"I seen the paperwork out in his desk, on accident, eh, sorry," Deku looked peevish.
Kasaya suddenly started busting up laughing so hard he fell backward on the side of the pool, his back laid out on the cement. "Oh!" He barely could breathe. "I see! You!" He cracked. "You don't what us to... to tell Everett 'cuz he's seventeen!" He laughed.
Bakugo exploded into a fit of toxic, childlike laughter too.
Deku started chuckling too. This feeling was so good, to laugh them like complete morons and just not have a care in the world, at least right now anyway.
"BOOOO!" Toga stuck her tongue out. "You guys suck!" She whined. "You guys are so mean!"
"But it's true." Deku coined in while the other two obnoxiously kept laughed. "Look at it this way, okay? After Everett gets out of UA, he'll be eighteen, and a few years after that, he'll be twenty-one. You gotta wait four years. Is he worth waiting for?"
That was a question that she knew: "Yep!"
"Woah!" He was shocked. "I mean? Really?" Deku was surprised to hell! How could she be so sure of that? So soon?
It reminded him of Bakugo, and his ability to make quick decisions.
They were similar.
"K, you're turn Mi-do-ri-yaaa." She passed the verbal baton. "Time to share somethin' we don't know!" She was trying to make it a game.
After this development, a peice of Toga's character that threw him through a loop, the green haired teen was all fumble fingers, and jitters.
He, uh, just couldn't get something out of his mind now actually.
It made him question what he was doing with his 'personal life.'
What he hell was he doing?
Something.
He was doing something.
A 'something' that involved a certain someone, a something that he wasn't sure about why he was doing it.
A certain person with half white and half crimson hair.
"Obviously Deku is tongue tied." Bakugo blurted, reaching over the sprawled out Kasaya to smack his newest friend's back with a hard, quick bang, which also smacked Izuku back to reality.
Oh thank you, thank you, he was saved from his own throughts! Deku again peevishly smiled. "Ah, haha, sorry Kacchan!"
Bakugo grunted in retort. "Apollo, my hero name, is the name of the dragon in Saya's favorite childhood book."
Kasaya's jaw dropped a little, but he contained it so no one would see. He, he couldn't believe he let that be revealed! Not that it would lead to anything, but still.
"Really? That's cool!" Himiko was instantly happy. That really was neat! "Why?"
"I do have a fire quirk girl. Dragons breathe fire." He rolled his eyes mocking, a grumble. "It's also a name of an ancient God." But it was also a name he chose as a symbol to Kasaya that he would fight with him against the Connelys, and be his hellish, protector if need be.
"My turn. Here's the last one." Kasaya spoke sitting up, realizing the time once again. He looked up at the clock on the wall expressing that it was 4 am. "Hisashi never came back tonight."