My dudes... 11-12 hour days at work then trying to be a responsible caretaker after I get home 5 days a week is killing me, especially when I get behind and try to catch up on my days off. Fanfiction has, unfortunately, taken a back seat to #Life.
I can't tell you how much I appreciate your support and understanding.
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What I've Done
Chapter 10
Bakugo sat across from Naomasa at the police station, leaning back in the interrogation chair with his arms crossed. His mother was on one side of him with his father on the other, both looking equally as frustrated with the situation as their son.
"My wife has asked for a restraining order; she doesn't want you within a hundred feet of our son. You terrified her and me today when you coerced Izuku into leaving campus without telling anyone what was going on."
"Tsk." Bakugo scoffed, rolling his eyes from the absurdity. "Deku—"
"Do NOT call Izuku that." Naomasa interrupted, the previously calm expression on his face replaced by a dark scowl. "I'm inclined to give her one since it seems you still can't treat Izuku with the respect he deserves."
Masaru was well aware of his sons' temperament as it came directly from his wife. With him being the only level headed person in their family, it was his job to calm a situation before a small flicker turned into a raging wildfire. Unfortunately, he wasn't fast enough to stop Katsuki this time. The teen shot up from his chair and slammed his hands on the metal table, leaving burn marks from his quirk while he sneered with malice.
"Oh yeah? You want to talk about fucking respect?" he snapped. "How about respecting the fact that Deku is thirteen years old and doesn't want his mother holding his hand and walking him to first period every day? Or better yet, how about respecting what he wants to do rather than what you two assholes want, huh?"
"Katsuki!" his mother snapped, attempting to stifle his rant without success.
"I bet you haven't even asked him if he wants to hang out with me, have you? How about I elucidate the situation for you, detective, since it seems like you've got your head so far up Inko's ass you can't see what's right in front of you. Deku asked me to call him that instead of Izuku; he prefers it over his given name. Before today, I hadn't talked to him at all because your bitch wife threatened me when I tried months ago; Deku approached me after class and asked me to take him somewhere—anywhere other than out front where mommy dearest was waiting. And you want to know why I agreed even though I knew you overbearing extras would blow shit way out of proportion? Because he looked desperate for one fucking moment away from the two of you and after all the shit I did to him as a kid, I was going to damn well give it to him."
Everyone in the room was absolutely silent when Katsuki dropped back into his seat, still glaring daggers at Naomasa. The detective was dumbstruck; his quirk was lie detector and he didn't find a single falsity in the blonde's statement. Without another word, he stood and walked out, leaving the police station altogether. Someone would release Katsuki soon since he hadn't actually broken any laws and was a minor…. Right then he really needed to get home.
~0.0~
Naomasa found Inko on the couch with Izuku, holding him close and cooing over him. Though she was mostly whispering, he could pick up phrases like 'you are safe now' and 'Bakugo won't bother you again'. He'd made sure he'd entered quietly so that they wouldn't immediately notice him. It gave him plenty of time to see the near-dead look in Izuku's eyes as he pliantly let Inko pet his head.
"Honey…"
Inko looked up and wiped some of the tears from her cheeks, giving Izuku another squeeze. "I'll be right back, okay my little 'Zuku'? We'll both play hooky tomorrow and stay here all day together watching movies…"
Naomasa felt his stomach drop some when his stepson nodded and continued staring at the floor. It wasn't exactly an abnormal behavior from him, but if he considered Katsuki's claim that Izuku approached him rather than the other way around, it meant something. Izuku had never gone out of his way to speak with him or Inko.
"Inko, sweetheart…" he whispered once she'd come over, already able to see that she was going to ask about the restraining order. "May I speak with Izuku for a minute, please?"
"Why?" she questioned, indignant suspicion flaring on her face. "What did that awful child do to—"
Naomasa rubbed her upper arms comfortingly, cutting her off with a gentle kiss to the forehead. "I just want to ask Izuku some questions; it might be best if you give us some space…"
"N-no! I have to be there. He needs me!" she argued, stepping away from her husband for the very first time. Inko hurried back to the couch and plopped herself down beside Izuku, pulling him back into her embrace.
"Shit…" the detective sighed internally, deciding that it was best just to get this over with. "I'm going to ask you some questions about today with my quirk activated okay? You don't have to answer if you're uncomfortable."
"Okay, dad."
Naomasa licked his suddenly very dry lips and kneeled before them, already feeling Inko's glare boring into his head. "Do you want to be called Deku?" He raised his hand to stop his wife from answering, nodding for Izuku to speak.
"Yes."
"Alright then, Deku… Did you approach Katsuki? Did you ask him to take you somewhere?"
"Yes."
"Why?" he questioned, swallowing thickly since he already knew the answer. Naomasa wondered how it would go over with Inko… She'd probably be crushed. Izuku seemed to be considering his response as well, his eyes barely shifting in her direction.
"Kacchan has a strong quirk and can protect me so you and mom don't have to anymore. He and I could go to UA together…"
Inko looked like she was about to positively blow her top, face blotchy red as she held in whatever storm was brewing inside her. Naomasa, however, was slightly relieved that Izuku had found a better way of alluding to the same thing Katsuki had said. He wanted space.
"Okay, son. How about you go start your homework, okay? I'll call the Bakugo family and see if you and Katsuki can go out and see a movie or something this weekend, our treat."
"Excuse me?" Inko gasped incredulously even as Izuku got up to do as he'd been told. Naomasa braced himself for the fit heading his way.
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I can still hear them screaming as I look at the wall; it's been almost an hour and a half. My pillow is pressed firmly against my ears but it doesn't drown out the deafening shouts. Even Tomura calmed down faster than this.
I have to close my eyes to keep the near constant burning from turning into tears; now is not the time to give in to unwanted emotions like this. Every once in a while I open them if there is a lull in the argument going on in the living room, hoping that it's over only to be dismayed seconds later.
One of the times, however, I catch sight of a fist rapping on my window. I can't help but frown and trail over, nearly jumping out of my skin when I see Bakugo staring up at me.
He's literally dangling from my window sill, the light paint of the exterior wood singed slightly where he'd latched on. I immediately shove the glass up and step aside, letting him yank himself up and tumble –In perhaps the most graceful way I've ever seen— to the floor.
Bakugo is objectively quite handsome as he lays there catching his breath, his strong chest heaving up and down from exertion. With how fit he is, he must have been dangling there for a while before I noticed… I somewhat wonder how long he would have stayed.
"Jeez, Deku…" he finally sighs as he moves to a sitting position. "I thought my mom and I got in some loud fights…"
I can imagine Bakugo and his mother getting very loud; that's just the type of people they are. Personally, silence is preferable to any noise except Tomura's voice, but I can tolerate him better than this… awful shouting. I can't say that though… It's wrong.
"You alright?" he questions further, making me feel like I need to look in a mirror to see what the hell I'm doing to key him into what I'm thinking.
I nod of course, but he isn't convinced. His red eyes make me feel naked as they narrow and run over me like I'm an open book. He pulls the backpack he'd drug up with him off his shoulders and yanks it open, retrieving a pair of large, over the ear headphones.
"Put these on, Deku. They're noise-canceling so you won't have to listen to this racket; I'll hang out here for a bit until my old hag notices I'm gone."
The moment they're over my ears I almost sag in relief. Though I can still hear some of the louder shouts, the headset does an amazing job of blocking out the rest even without music playing. Bakugo gives me a small smile and pulls out his homework, sitting cross-legged on the floor while I go grab my things to do the same. Even with all my training and complete knowledge of the information, I hadn't been able to focus on the problems until then.
I still don't particularly like being near him, but I assume it's because being around Tomura has ruined any other company I could have. Tomura is the only person I can ever be close to; he's everything to me… But with him unable to visit, Shinso barred from the house, and Bakugo the only person who seems to understand my silence and has the willingness to risk legal trouble to see me, I guess I'm going to have to make due for now.
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It's been nearly an hour since Izuku looked up and noticed I was hanging off of his windowsill and he finally seems to be relaxing a little. Loud noises are commonplace in my house, but I get the feeling that Izuku isn't used to it at all... silence probably meant that the bastards holding him prisoner weren't around to hurt him.
I can't help but periodically peer up at him from my homework just to see if he's still okay with my presence, however, and maybe even to convince myself that he really is sitting there in front of me. Every morning I get up feeling sick, wondering if his return had been some twisted dream.
The black headphones I gave him almost blend in with his dark, unruly hair and my chest warms with memories of trying to help him brush it during sleepovers so long ago. He's paler than he was back then, but his cheeks have started regaining their freckled appearance.
Overall, he looks so much like the Izuku I remember from my childhood... but I know more things have changed about him than I could even fathom. I bite my lip at the thought, wishing once more that I could go back and change how I behaved... I'd even switch places with him if it meant atoning for how cruel I was.
"Deku..." I start, motioning with my hand to get his attention. My chest seers with pain the moment he pulls off the headphones and blinks at me; his green eyes are so blank and dead compared to what they were before. "I... I..."
I've gone over what I was going to say to him so many times I've lost count. For years, I practiced a speech in my head so that if I ever got the chance to see him again, I could tell him how sorry I was for how I treated him... So that I could tell him how much he meant to me even though I did everything in my power to pretend otherwise. But now, as I stare into his broken, blank expression, it all seems hollow and maybe even insulting.
"Erm... What school are you going to—after this year, I mean." I finally manage to say, internally scolding myself for giving in to my cowardice; I could at least apologize like I did the first time I saw him again.
It's difficult to identify exactly what Izuku is thinking and feeling in any situation since all of his 'expressions' seem to be minimal and fleeting, but his face is all I've thought about since he went missing... If I'm reading him correctly, my question made him uncomfortable.
"You don't have to tell me!" I add quickly, putting my hands up in surrender. "I just... It's almost time to apply, you know?"
Another several moments pass with nothing more said between us, but Izuku's head tilts slightly to the side like he's deeply considering something. Determination and calculated thought pour into his previously darkened eyes just like earlier today when he approached me at my locker and I swear I see a bit of the old Izuku staring back at me.
"I'm planning on applying to the UA hero course."
Time itself comes to a crashing halt as his words work their way through my suddenly muddled mind. Of all places, UA... the school we both promised each other we would go to as children. More than that though—Izuku still wants to be a hero! "You—" I start, almost breathless. "You really still want to be a hero? I mean... After... Really?!"
Izuku's body tenses slightly and he begins fidgeting, rubbing at his wrist. I can only assume it's because of my impulsive reaction; I have to remember to stay completely calm and quiet around him. "S-sorry, I just... I didn't expect that to still be your dream after..."
"I..." he starts, slowly raising his eyes back up to mine. "I want to change the world. I can't do that unless I go to UA and get into their hero course."
My heart fucking soars with happiness and relief and I find myself smiling more than I have in nearly a decade; it looks like the villains couldn't break him completely after all.
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Oh, Katsuki... If only you knew!
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