Okay, I have to admit. It's weird being back in Musutafu after so long away. I never thought I'd be this happy to see the nauseatingly clear blue sky above my head through my wayfarer sunglasses, but man, does it feel like I'm looking right into heaven right now!

Then, why do I feel so queasy?

So much has changed in Tokyo...and in me...that I can feel it down to my Quirk. Kiri's driving so fast that I can't keep up with the city's newness, but that's probably for the best. Once repressed memories resurface, I won't know what to make of them.

I don't know what to make of them.

I'm afraid if I look too closely, it'll hit me that I've made a massive mistake in returning. But I hope not because I've missed being home. I've missed speaking Japanese and not having to translate every fucking word in my head. I miss knowing where I'm going...

(Do I know where I'm going?)

Still high as a kite, I soak up the springtime sun. I'm glad it's no longer winter; the heat comforts me. I close my eyes and lean back as an upbeat synth-pop intro builds through the speakers.

I recognize the song.

.

.

.

"Oi! Nerd! Come on, get your ass over here!"

"Huh? Kacchan? What're you doing here?" Deku looked irritatingly surprised to see me at the airport pickup waving him down. I found that clueless look on his face when he recognized me adorable. So, of course, I hid that.

"Stop giving me that dumb look, asshat. Your mom asked me to pick you up. I'm here. Let's go."

But, he did look happy to see me. Deku hopped to his feet with his All Might luggage in tow. It was such an obnoxious thing to travel with. So, of course, I said that.

"What do you mean, Kacchan? You liked it when you bought it for me. Why the sudden change of heart?" I walked right into that.

"Just get the hell on! If we get caught in traffic on the expressway, I'm gonna kill you!" I popped open the trunk and passenger seat.

I arrived at the airport later than I intended, and it pissed me off; I didn't want Deku waiting at all. If not for the traffic backed up on the beltway, I would've been waiting, leaning on the side of my brand new Corvette like a fucking badass in my leather jacket and Aviators when Deku emerged from baggage claim. I would've been ready to help him with his bags.
(Fucking reckless extras! They can't even drive in a straight line home without damn near dying! Always in need of a Hero at the most inconvenient times!)

"I don't mind a little traffic. I'm tired, anyway," Deku said, rubbing his neck. Good. I was only rushing in case he had other plans. "Maybe I'll just sleep." Damn.

"You can't sleep!"

Deku shut the door. "Ugh, why not, Kacchan?" he whined, "I'm so jetlagged!"

"Why do you think, dummy? I wanna hear about your goddamn mission!" I clapped back.

Deku had just flown in from Los Angeles. The International League of Pro Heroes recruited him for a top-classified mission. I'd long let go of the resentment for not being chosen (it's not my fault the U.N. can't appreciate how much I intimidate villains…and pros). The least he told me before he left thirty-six days ago was that guerilla warfare was spreading across the Global South, funded by a syndicate ring of oligarchic villains in the West.

Since the mission was for international affairs and a press op for a peace treaty between a dozen neighboring countries at war, a secret coalition of pro heroes from around the world was requested to be present in the event of rumors of a coup of two government leaders came to fruition and a war broke out. So, essentially, the U.N. wanted pros to do the dirty work and clean up their shitty mess. Figures. Except that representing Japan was one of the highest global clearances a pro could achieve in the Hero Network—All Might did—that's all I knew. The news hadn't even covered the mission.

But Deku looked like he'd just returned from the worst experience of his life—which was saying a lot.

"Not right now." His reply was curt. So, I let it go.

"Fine, where am I headed?"

"All Might's place, please," he yawned. "Then, he'll take me to Endeavor's."

"Endeavor's? Why do you need All Might to take you? I'm right fucking here!"

"Calm down, Kacchan. I have something to talk to All Might about, and then we're both heading over to check on the man."

Then I remembered Enji's health had been declining. The scary part of pro-hero work was its dire toll on your body. If you didn't die, you had scars, injuries, or even disabilities to prove it. So, yeah, I felt shitty for being jealous, okay?!

"Tell them I said hi, okay?" I mumbled. I drove off, annoyed, fully expecting to drive back into town in silence. This wasn't what I wanted when I agreed to pick Deku up—I wanted to talk about how One For All felt on the battlefield. I wanted to discuss the villains' Quirks he faced and yell at him for boring me with his statistical analyses of his fighting style compared to the other pros he met. I wanted to hear every detail of his fights and catch up on every second of his life out of my sight. It seemed that the only time Deku and I could comfortably coexist as best friends and vibe was when we talked about work. Hero work was my saving grace with him; the few times my nerves and suppressed feelings didn't eat me alive when I was with him.

But, seeing his head slack to the side, his eyes closed, and his broccoli hair blowing in the wind, he did look exhausted. I'm not that heartless.

"I like your new car, Kacchan," Deku said softly, so gently as he drifted off to sleep, I thought I was dreaming. I was glad he couldn't see my fire-red face, blushing at a compliment I fully foresaw receiving from him. But it was nice he noticed my graduation gift without me having to mention it.

"Thanks," I muttered. I turned on my sound system as a new song on a random satellite radio station started playing. It was funky and upbeat, with a killer electric guitar and drum pattern, and reminded me of all those days we had band practice for the School Festival every year.

I hadn't picked up a pair of sticks since graduating from UA, but the song's arrangement and Deku's calming presence brought a happy groove out of me. Then I started listening to the lyrics:

I love you, I love you, I love you

I need you; I want you

You, I adore - you inflame me

You, I worship - you captivate me

You, I yearn for -you tantalize me

I love you, I love you, I love you

I want you, I need you

You, I desire - you arouse me

You, I follow - you enchant me

You, I thirst for - you excite me

I love you, I love you, I love you

I need you; I want you

You, I dote on - you fascinate me

You, I'm partial to - you tempt me

You, I'm tender to - you distract me

I rolled my eyes when I checked the display title: Platonic-Haruomi Hosono.

I hate it when lyrics get in my business.

As we sat at a red light, I took in how much Deku had changed. He'd only been gone for a month, but he looked different—his fluffy hair had grown into a large bush past his ears, his skin tanned from the heat of other countries' sunrays, the old scars on his hands were crisscrossed with fresh wounds stitched up. His plain look of a graphic tee and cargo shorts had been swapped out with a new performance tracksuit that sculpted his muscles' definition through the fabric. Even his Quirk felt more potent as he slept.

But he was still sporting his signature red shoes.

Deku finally woke as we hit the tollway toward Mitsuhara's city limits—where the traffic was. My dad equipped my car with a state-of-the-art Incident Tracker; it's the smartest thing that idiot's ever done—the screen showed a thick red line and a cluster of blue dots indicating a pileup off an exit three miles ahead. The voice guidance announced that nearby heroes on patrol captured a villain on the interchange.

"Thanks for picking me up, Kacchan. My mom said she was running late at work and told me you'd be getting me five minutes before you pulled up. I didn't expect you to arrive so quickly!"

Ugh, of course, he knew. Why did I think it'd be a surprise in the first place? Deku and Auntie Inko were joined at the hip—unlike me and my Old Hag.

"It's not a big deal. Auntie knows I got her. Whatever she needs," I grumbled, cutting my eyes at him just in time to see a smile glancing back at me. "I was more surprised she didn't call your sidekick."

Deku rolled his head on the headrest and deadpanned at me; the wind was battering his hair against his face, concealing his eyes one moment just to reveal the sparkling green gems a second later. He'd gotten hotter over the month, too.

"You know Shoto is not-" I pressed the button to raise my sunroof. A loud automatic sound drowned out his voice because I didn't want to hear his response.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you losers say, just answer the question, nerd. Where's Icy Hot?"

He sighed. "She did call Todoroki, but he's swamped managing two agencies and was finding it difficult to slip away for two hours. So, I told him you were already on your way."

I read between the lines rather quickly but still wanted to hear you say it. "Oh, I'm sure the pretty boy hated that!"

But Deku didn't reply. It was always so fucking awkward when he didn't entertain my intrusive questions into whatever he and Todoroki had going on.

"So...how did you know I was coming if your mom told you I was on my way five minutes before I arrived?"

"I said I didn't expect you to come quickly, not at all," Deku chuckled. It was my turn to say nothing, but it was because I wondered why he phrased it that way. I screwed my face at him. "Argh! I'm the one who told her to call you, Kacchan!" Deku knocked my head with his fist, laughing.

"Oi!" I swatted his hand away. "And what made you so sure I'd come running to your rescue, Rapunzel? It was a damn hassle getting to you, you know?"

"Because picking people up from the airport is your love language, Kacchan, and I'm your best friend. I know you'd do anything for me."

His bluntness struck me. Something about his Quirk getting stronger and taking on international missions made him more assertive. Confident.

Either way, I hated when he called me his best friend because I wanted to be so much more. " Don't get so cock-"

"Just like you know I'd do anything for you."

We shared a glance before looking away— Deku looked listlessly out the window of the hooded interior, and I glared at the traffic clearing in front of me. I pressed the clutch and shifted gears.

"Careful now," I semi-jokingly warned. "You wouldn't want your precious boyfriend finding out you said that to me."

I expected him to respond, say more, and correct me as he did when I called Todoroki his sidekick. Instead, all Deku managed to voice was a weak-

"Heh."

I changed the radio station. Platonic began to play.

( ◣∀◢)ψ

"Bakubro, you hungry?" Kirishima glances at me before turning left. We'd just gotten off the exit, which led to the one place I would always call home in Japan— Musutafu, where my story with Deku began.

"Starving," I grumble as my stomach growls in agreement.

"There's a new hipster noodle shop around the corner whose pepper sauce is said to give you endorphins," Kaminari suggests. "It's got a hilarious name, too."

"Hipster? Pfft. Pass. I need meat."

"Aw, come on! They let you build your own bowl, and you can have all the toppings you want at no extra charge."

"Well, that doesn't sound very lucrative," Kiri says, tilting his head in confusion.

"Because it's dumb." My stomach growls in disagreement. "Let's try the idiot restaurant out."

The food is not bad at Eat Mī Noodz, and they weren't kidding when they said their food was very spicy. We're sitting on the outdoor patio, eating and watching the busy afternoon go on around us, and I've piled up napkins to keep my nose from running while eating a bowl of spicy miso ramen. I have overactive sweat glands and am known to overheat, but this heat is absolute torture.

There's a football game on the television screens inside; it's a Japan vs. South Korea match, and I'm watching it to distract from the pain. Just from the intense midfield brawl happening for possession, it looks like it'll be a long match, but I couldn't care less which side won. I see a few acquaintances and a handful of ex-lovers on both teams playing their hearts out.

A nice breeze steals my attention from the screen and cools me down, but it's hardly enough; I peel off my biker jacket, leaving me in a loose black tank. Electricity sizzles from Kaminari's hair.

"Woah, Bakugo, bro! You gotta warn us before you take us to the gun show!"

"Shut it, Zap Brain! I'm hot, okay?"

"I'm just sayin', you know Ejiro and I can't keep up!"

"Hey, speak for yourself, Denki. I stay brolic!" Kirishima flexes his bicep into a hardened bulge. His gains show that he's been training his Quirk beyond its limit. "But, it's those endorphins from the peppers, I bet. I couldn't handle it the first time Mina and I ate here either, and I'm as manly as it gets."

Kami and I glance at each other, then at Kiri.

"...Right," I stretch out, unconvinced.

"Yeah, sure~" Kami rolls his eyes. "We're sure Mina finished your bowl."

"Hey! You don't have to believe me?!" Kiri's getting defensive, which is a silly sight if you know him.

"Mmhmm…" We both hum and grin.

"But back to Bakugo-" Kirishima hurries to change the subject before we start roasting him.

"Right! Speaking of BACKS— bro? " Kaminari twists my shoulders from the back of my chair.

I roll my eyes. "What now, you idiots?"

"The giant back tattoo?!" Denki motions around the dragon scales cascading over my shoulders. "But now that I've got a good look at you, your whole image is edgier, deadlier. And that's saying a lot."

"How so?!" I bark at my friends.

"Well…it's not like you're the tamest guy. But now you have this manly sleeve and massive back tattoos!"

"Not to mention a face full of holes," Denki points out. "When'd you get the gauges, nose ring, septum, the eyebrow-piercing…"

"The silver rods in your ears, the skull and bones rings on your fingers, the silver emo cuffs. Hey, Katsuki? Did you move to the States and go to the villain side for real this time?"

"OKAY. I GET IT, ALRIGHT?"

"I mean, you do look sexy," Kami says.

"Whoa! Is that a neck tattoo, too?!" Kirishima gasps. He's seen the gradual progression of all my body art over the years, but I guess up close and personal has a different effect.

"Yes," I say, trying not to feel embarrassed by their examinations.

"Say, man, what's your body count since racking up this bad boy aesthetic? Come on, you can tell us." That lightning bolt pervert I hate calling a friend winks at me.

"Dude!" Kiri roars. "Not cool. You sound like Mineta. So not a manly question." Then he looks at me. "But I gotta say, bro. Mina's going to lose it when she sees your new look. You don't post anything on Instagram."

My head snaps towards him. "Hol' on. Ejiro…? Does she already know I'm here?"

"...No?" Kirishima's eyes slide away.

"SHITTY HAIR…!"

"Okay, yes! But she's not going to tell anyone!"

"ARE YOU DUMB? She definitely went straight to their little girlie group chat and told everyone! And you know who's gonna go back to tell Deku?!"

"Ooh! Ooh! I know!" Denki shoots up his hand. "Uravity!"

"FUCKING URURAKA!"

Kiri leans back. "See, you should have more faith in your bro, Katsuki," he smugly replies. "I thought of that before I told her. So, I made her promise not to say anything to a single soul." Denki and I exchange looks. All I could do was groan to keep from killing the numbskull.

"I hate you guys," I grimace.

"Hey, why am I in it?" Kami asks, offended. I ignore him because he knows what he did.

"No, of course, Mina won't say anything to her girlfriends about this huge secret that I can see this dumbass over here has been live-tweeting our lunch from his burner account!" My voice gets louder until the customers and passersby shriek in alarm. "OH, CALM DOWN, YOU WEAK EXTRAS!"

Denki's head shoots up, shocked, feigning guilt. "Who, me?!"

I let off an explosion in his face. "Yeah, idiot! I can see you!" Sparks erupt from my sweaty palms to do it again. I'm angry. I'm nervous. I'm scared my carefully prepared plans have already failed.

Kiri fans the air with his hands. "Look, Katsuki. Don't worry; I've got it covered. Mina already told me that Uraraka told her that Midoriya told her-"

"OH WOULD YOU GET ON WITH IT ALREADY!"

"-Midoriya and Todoroki are away on vacation for a no-contact weekend. Sheesh…I was right there; you didn't have to cut me off," Kiri muttered. Denki snapped his fingers.

"Ah yeah! It is their seventh anniversary tomorrow, isn't it? I forgot to get them a gift. What do you get a couple for seven years? Damn, they're practically married, too!"

I'm cranky as fuck now. "They aren't married, you moron! So, it doesn't matter." I shout at Kami before turning all my fury onto Kiri. "Hey, Hard Hat, are you sure?" My voice is low and measured.

" Oooh~ sounds like someone's still jealous of his two best friends dating…" Denki teases me.

I stand up, knocking my chair over. "I'LL KILL YOU RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW!"

Gasps and terrified shrieks from the hipster-wannabes fill the restaurant. Kiri turns to face the crowd.

"It's alright, citizens! Red Riot is here! My friend here is just really frustrated about how the match's going. Woo! Go, Japan! Amirite? Please enjoy your meals. Lunch is on me!"

As the patrons and fans cheer and go back to eating and minding their own fucking business, Kiri looks back at me. "Bro, chill out! If you're mad about Mina blabbing, this isn't how to lay low. Someone's bound to recognize you. You're still pretty darn famous here, you know."

"Right," Kami chortles. "More like infamous."

I eye him with suspicion. "Infamous?"

"Don't worry about it, bro. It's just some fan noise."

"Fan noise? Whose fans? SPEAK."

My friends share a nervous glance before Kirishima changes the subject. "So where's the rest of your stuff?"

I don't know why I allowed it. Maybe it's because I already have an inkling of exactly whose fans they're talking about. Perhaps because I don't want to know, I shake off being ignored to ignore the looming truth awaiting me. These idiots' friendship may be the only warm welcome I get.

I clear my throat. "I shipped stuff from my New York apartment to my folks' place. I still have some things from my old spot in Seoul in storage, and I need to check out the new place my manager found before I'm back back. This trip is just…a trial run."

"A trial run, huh?" Denki looks at me with a dopey, smug expression.

"Don't look at me like that. If shit doesn't go my way—which I know it will…I don't have to stay," I shrug. "Think of it as a contingency plan."

"Why would you need one of those?" Kami asks, his eyebrows sharpening.

"Look, man, I've got a lot riding on this. Okay?"

"Uh, yeah, you do!" Kami says wryly. "You damn near killed the world's greatest hero when he was just the country's number-one hero! And then you ran off. Like a villain." Kiri nods in agreement. (That asshole.) "You've got a lot of explaining to do to the rest of Class A."

"And Japan," Kiri adds. "Probably the world."

"I didn't run- Ah, just forget it!" No one else but Shoto and Izuku knew why I had left Japan after the fight. It was for the best; we agreed not to make our friends choose sides.

"Why are you so nervous, anyway? It's not like we don't know how you can get. We've been dealing with your stubbornness for a decade. Everyone wants to see you, bro," Kiri says, swigging back his beer bottle.

"Besides, lucky enough for your inflated ego, we're coming together for a wedding, and it's not yours! So, you're not going to be the center of attention," Kami winks, popping finger guns at me.

"Great point, Kaminari! D'you really think the girls from our class will let you steal Yao-momo's shine?"

"Not if my life depends on it," I chuckle.

"And trust me, I've seen Jiro's wedding planner binder, man," Denki shakes his head with fear. "It does."

Kirishima gave him a sidelong stare like 'Bro, are you good?' before returning his focus to me.

"And, on top of that…" Kirishima gives me a thumbs up. "Tenya just wants to have fun with his boys in the Maldives. Midoriya and Todoroki aren't gonna ruin that."

"Right. They're not you, amirite? Blowing shit up just for the hell of it. Ooh, that was sick burn, huh?" I slap the goofy grin off Denki's face, electrocuting him. Kirishima stands up.

"Alright, boys! It's time to head to the rave to rage like manly men for Bakubro's birthday! We have tickets to an underground rager in the Financial District. It's bouta be a movie!"

"It also doubles as a mutual aid fundraiser for some pro heroes down on their luck," Kaminari adds. I screw my face.

"Pass. I didn't come back to do charity work."

"Aw, come on, Katsuki! This same Hero Mutual Aid helped Grape Juice out of a major jam. Get it? A jam, because his name is grape-"

"Don't you dare finish that lame-ass pun, Kaminari," I warn. He frowns at me but keeps talking.

"Anyway, the DJ is a friend of Jiro's and a legend in the underground scene. I heard their Quirk imbues their audience with a different feeling of euphoria with each musical note. It's trippy as hell!"

"What's the DJ's name?" I ask.

"The Feel-Good Hero: Bliss," Kami says after a beat.

FUCK. I knew the Quirk sounded familiar. We have a past that I'd rather not rehash.

"Pass."

"Why, now?! There will be exotic dancers, some sweet eye candy, a lil' Quirk sampling…if you catch my drift," Kaminari says, looking at me with all the peer pressure his doofus face can muster.

"What does Jiro see in you?" Kirishima asks.

"Sex appeal," he responds, putting on my shades. I snatch them off his face and stand up. I don't need any of this, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't want it; a night to blow off steam and forget why I left. Or maybe a night to let that shit go and remember why I came back.

And while I usually don't give a fuck that it's my birthday...

"Can I still opt out of this?" I groan, suddenly feeling a tingle of a bad feeling. Kirishima pats me on the back.

And though I don't care to share who's on my smash list…

"You cannot," he says, smirking, shaking his head.

I cave.

"Then, under no circumstances can Bliss and I cross paths."

a/n: this chapter is still a part of "Part VII' - now that we're in the story's present-day, think of the numerical parts used in chapters 1 and 2 as arcs moving forward. the start gun just shot. are you ready for the action, drama, and angst?!

behind the writing process: my goal with writing Bakugo is to be as Venusian, tenacious, lovesick, and badass as possible, so strap tf up for this hellish ride!

I hope reading this was PLUS ULTRA!

~BKG OUT~ ( ◣∀◢)ψ

[I don't own the rights to MHA.]