Let bygones be bygones. Let the past remain in the past. That was what they always said, to not look back to your upbringing and dwell on it. Izuku tried to do that for the longest while ever since he got outrightly rejected by the hero society. He kept on living the ordinary life, no matter how much it didn't sit well with him.
So it was understandable to say that he was absolutely bamboozled when a relic from the past decided to show up at the last second. He had to admit, it shook him a little bit.
Bakugo fucking Katsuki himself in the flesh was staring right at him, and he had his grip on the unfortunate mercenary.
And god damn if it didn't hurt.
"Well hello there gorgeous. Back from the dead, I see?" Izuku remarked.
"I have questions," Bakugo said, letting the claws sink more into Izuku's flesh. "And I want them answered."
Izuku snorted as he said, "Not until you settle down and retract those shiny claws of yours, peanut."
"You can't fucking die, why does it matter?" Bakugo scoffed.
"I don't know, maybe it's because your doodles are inside me, and not in a good way? I don't consent to this, BT dubs," Izuku quipped.
"Fucking jokes," Bakugo proceeded to ram his claws through the mercenary's crotch, causing him to let out an effeminate yelp. He then dropped Izuku into his right knee, performing a spine breaker. Bakugo tossed the mercenary away as he rolled over the ground.
Izuku protested, "Ow, ow, ow. Not very keen on patience, are you? Ow, " he slowly rose to his feet, stretching his back as he did so. "Never had the leisure to handle a lady?"
"You're not a fuckin lady," Bakugo retorted.
"On behalf of all my demasculated variants from all those cinnamon roll Deku fics, I might as well be one," Izuku said.
"That's enough from you, dickhead. I want answers," Bakugo demanded.
Izuku spread his arms as he said, "I'm all yours, Kacchan."
"I saw you while I was trying to escape from that facility, laboratory, whatever the fuck. What were you doing there?"
Izuku's demeanour changed as he heard that. "You were there?"
"That's not an answer," Bakugo replied.
Izuku decided to save his own questions for later as he replied, "Fine. Same as you. I was trying to escape from that dumpster. What I didn't expect was the fact that you were there as well."
"You know me?" Bakugo asked.
"Of course I do! I'm Midoriya Izuku. Deku, as you'd like to call me back in the day. We have a lot of catching up to do. I see you did a bit of a change in style though. Claws? Really? I thought you were more of an explosion guy," Izuku said.
Bakugo only stood there, baffled.
When the silence went on for far too long, Izuku decided to break it. "What's with the cold shoulder treatment? Don't tell me all those years of being a hero got to your head?"
Bakugo retracted his claws as he moved closer to Izuku. "You're shitting me. How can't I remember you? Shit, how can't I remember anything in general?"
It was this moment that the realisation dawned on Izuku. "I see you have a fucked up case of amnesia. Courtesy of those fuckers in fancy suits, I reckon."
"You seem to know a lot about them," Bakugo said. "Tell me more."
"Well-" Izuku was cut off short when something buzzed in his pocket. He picked his phone, only to be swallowed by a wave of panic. "Shit. Shit shit shit shit!"
"What?" Bakugo said, confused.
"I botched the fucking job, now I have to go and play detective for the other convoys. Fuck!" Izuku threw his hands in the air.
"What fuckin' job?" Bakugo inquired, but Izuku seemed to be eager to leave.
"Sorry, can't waste my time here. I gotta-"
'Snikt!'
The claws already sprung up Bakugo's knuckles. "I said, what fuckin' job?'
"What, you're nosy all of a sudden?"
"It seems to me that you're pursuing the same fuckin' assholes who detained me," Bakugo walked forward with a malicious expression. "And I have every right to be involved in this little crusade of yours just as much as you are."
"Hardly a crusade but okay," Izuku rolled his eyes. "Look I'll get back to you once this whole thing blows over, alright?"
"Asshole-"
"lookinforwardtoournextmeetingokaybyethanks!" Izuku said hurriedly as he scurried away from the scene, which consisted of multiple collaterals including damaged vehicles and the corpse of the men from before.
"HEY!" Bakugo grabbed Izuku by his shoulder before he could get far. "I told you, you'll leave when I say you can leave."
Izuku didn't respond verbally; he thrusted his leg forward, sending Bakugo tumbling onto the ground. "Sorry to cut our conversation short, ta-ta!"
As Izuku turned around, he quickly found himself being impaled by six sets of claws. "You backstabbing son of a bitch!" Izuku exclaimed in pain.
Bakugo lifted him in the air like a weightless mannequin. But before he could do anything else, Izuku flipped over his back and wrapped his arms around Bakugo's neck; subsequently, he used his weight to bring the Pomeranian down with him. Izuku nimbly drew his dual pistols and pulled the trigger into his ribs as blood slips out of his flesh.
Bakugo let out a guttural scream as the pain was excruciating.
"Are you ready to let me go now?" Izuku asked in a no-nonsense tone.
Bakugo's head moved backwards, hitting Izuku square in his forehead. Izuku's eyes widened at how painful that attack was. It felt like he was being pounded by an indestructible piece of metal.
'What the fuck?'
Bakugo quickly got up and grabbed the mercenary by his legs before hurling him towards the nearest concrete wall. Izuku went through it, feeling every inch of pain inflicted by the force.
Izuku tried to stand despite himself. He saw the magazines that were laying down on a piece of car door just a few inches away from him. He turned his attention back to Bakugo, "Listen, peanut, I just need to get this thing done, and-"
"What thing?" Bakugo inquired once again.
"The thing! You're not in the need-to-know basis right now. It's something that I have to do. For myself. Unfortunately I don't have much time as of this moment, lest I fuck up the temporary alliance I made with a certain organisation-- again, you don't need to know that," Izuku explained.
His words fell on deaf ears, however. Bakugo's back hunched to the front, his knees bending forward as claws slowly slithered through his knuckles.
"I don't wanna fight you," Izuku tried to reason with him.
"I don't fucking care," Bakugo harshly said. "Either I tag along or we're going to be here all day, motherfucker."
Izuku's anxiety skyrocketed as Bakugo prepared himself to have a go at him. He wasn't going to be out of the woods for a while, was he?
With a heavy sigh, Izuku reached for his pistols, though he only held them by their handles. "Just like the old times, huh, Kacchan?"
Izuku shrugged as he said, "Alright! Fuck it. Let's give the readers what they came for."
"Let's fucking go," Bakugo challenged.
Izuku slowly turned his head to the side to speak, "Get your special socks out, nerds. It's gone get good."
Izuku stepped forward, stomping on the edge of the door piece, sending the two magazines soaring into the air. As they fell, he swiftly ejected the empty clips from his pistols and slammed the fresh magazines into place just in time to catch them mid-air.
Pulling the trigger, the bullets raced their way towards Bakugo's vicinity, hitting him square in his shoulder. The Pomeranian gritted his teeth as he sunk his claws into the ground. He pulled them backwards before propelling himself forward, using the momentum acquired to gallop across the charred floor.
Bakugo let another wave of bullets hit him as his quirk healed all of the damage subsequently. When he closed the distance between him and the mercenary, he sliced the magazines off his guns, skidding across the floor due to the built momentum.
Izuku blinked, looking at his guns for a moment before tossing them away. He reached for his katana on his back, but Bakugo was quick enough to intercept him. He gyrated gracefully in the air, hitting Izuku's katana with his claws and causing it to lose balance on Izuku's grip.
Izuku quickly twisted his hip around, reaching for the stray katana suspended in the air. As he held the katana tightly, he turned around to block an incoming attack from Bakugo with it. Izuku reached for the other katana resting on his back, blocking another one of Bakugo's sharp claws with it.
After blocking another series of lethal attacks, Izuku caught one of Bakugo's attack with both of his katanas, trapping it in-between. He twisted it around, causing Bakugo to yelp in pain.
Bakugo quickly retracted the claws back to his knuckles and struck Izuku in the head. Shortly after, the claws sprouted once again up his knuckles. Bakugo then impaled Izuku multiple time in his chest with his right hand claws, pushing him backwards with his insurmountable strength.
The mercenary finally took the initiative to block another incoming attack, spinning to the side to slice Bakugo's back with one of his katanas. Bakugo let out an animalistic shriek, turning around to face him. He wasn't fast enough; consequently, Izuku skewered him in his neck as he thrusted his other katana to impale him in the shoulder.
However, Bakugo was quick enough to intercept the attack, pushing the katana away. Bakugo then used his other claws to dislodge the other katana that was stuck in his nape.
Once he got them out of the way, Bakugo delivered a frenzy of claw-based attacks, which were all narrowly dodged by Izuku. The mercenary then jumped over Bakugo's head, trying to slice him while soaring in the air. Bakugo was quick enough to block the attack. Izuku landed on the ground, dodging another attack delivered by the spiky-haired delinquent.
They kept this up for a number of minutes, slashing each other apart with little to no notable consequences on their bodies.
Izuku then did a somersault kick, causing Bakugo to turn over due to the force. The mercenary then proceeded to pierce his back with his katana. "Ew," Izuku remarked.
Bakugo tried to retaliate, only to end up with another one of Izuku's katana to impale him in his right torso. "Gotcha," Izuku quipped.
Bakugo roared, grabbing Izuku by his shoulder. He then sliced the mercenary in the eye, causing him to fly over. Although that was the case, Izuku recovered splendidly, using his hands to support himself from hitting the floor completely. He then used this to his advantage, kicking Bakugo in the jaw, disorienting him.
The mercenary quickly stood up, reaching for something in his foot: a small knife. Bakugo recovered, trying to slice Izuku once again. However, Izuku ducked to the side, wrapping his arms around Bakugo's moving hand and jamming the small knife to his shoulder shortly after. "Baby knife!" He exclaimed.
Bakugo was mostly unaffected by this. He then headbutted Izuku, sending him tumbling onto the ground.
Before Izuku could recover fully, Bakugo stabbed him in his chest. He cocked his fist back with the claws at the ready as he said, "Let's see you grow your fucking head back!"
"Wait, wait, wait!" Izuku held his hands up frantically. "Fuck! Just wait before you decapitate me! I can fix it, I can fix it!"
"Fix what?" Bakugo inquired.
"Whatever it is that they did to you, those pricks from that fucking laboratory," Izuku gripped Bakugo's arm and pushed it away, removing the claws from his chest. "They took your memories away, but I have no doubt that they can return them back! You just have to trust me. Just stay put, and I'll get the drug for you."
"The drug?" Bakugo said, confused.
"The quirk exterminator," Izuku stood up, clapping the dust off his suit. "Your memory loss, I strongly believe that it has something to do with your quirk. When I get it, and I will get it, first thing I'm gonna do is apply the drug on you. I promise. It'll fix it."
Bakugo's eyes shone a hopeful glint. His claws were retracted as he slowly took a step back.
Before they could converse even further, several cars came to them. They circled around the ground where Izuku and Bakugo were standing on.
When they came to a stop, several figures came out of the vehicles.
Most notably, a man with a plague mask, a tattered white t-shit, and brown pants with light-blue tunic wrapped around his waist was seen among them. "The mercenary," Rappa said in a tone that indicated that he was repulsed.
"Aw fuck, it's the Shie Hassaikai assholes," Izuku muttered himself.
Bakugo was the first to ask, "Who the hell are you guys?"
They didn't answer. Their attention was only for Izuku and Izuku alone.
"Look," Izuku stepped to the front. "It's all under control."
"Is it?" Rappa stepped forward with his fists clenched. "The boss worked hard to find the coordinates and all you managed to do was botch the job. Some tactful mercenary you are."
"That's it? That fuckin' bird sent you here to do the clean up?"
"No," Rappa clashed his fists against each other. "I just don't trust you. I could've done this job better than you ever did."
Izuku let out a mocking laugh as he said, "Aw, what, you want your bird daddy to applaud you and give you the approval you so desperately wanted?"
Rappa gritted his teeth as he said, "You may be able to heal from everything anyone could possibly throw at you, but I assure you, when I'm done with you, there'd be nothing left that your body can regenerate from."
"And the big bad boss is okay with this?"
"I told him that you're dead," Rappa said. "It took a lot of convincing, but it worked."
"You one sly son of a bitch," Izuku gritted his teeth. "What, are you going to do the job yourself, then?"
"I'm here to issue you a warning," Rappa took a step forward. "You either disappear from our radar and stay out of our business, or I'm gonna hurt you."
"I can live with the second option," Izuku shrugged.
"Oh really?" Rappa's eyes squinted as he grinned. "What say you if we pay a visit to a certain woman with an eye disability living a few blocks from where we are right now?"
Izuku's brows furrowed, his fists clenched as he realised that they knew who he was. "What the fuck are you-"
"Come on, don't play dumb, you know what I'm talking about," Rappa cut him short.
Izuku stayed silent for a while. His brain tried to rake up a strategy to get himself out of this situation, but he couldn't find a viable solution.
"Don't even think about getting one of the drug exterminators. Am I clear? I have men at my disposals as we speak, and they'll kill her at my word," Rappa threatened.
Izuku then broke his silence as he laughed.
"What's so damn funny?" Rappa asked.
"Something funny I noticed," Izuku began, earning a confused look from Bakugo beside him. "I wear the red suit so people can't see me bleed," Izuku then pointed at Rappa's pants. "You're sharp enough to bring those brown pants of yours for the occasion."
Then, the atmosphere went tense. Izuku, knowing that he just did a big mistake with his loose mouth, gasped to himself. "Oh, uh, I went too far, didn't I?"
"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY?!" Rappa charged forward in blind rage.
Izuku let out a girly scream as he moved closer to Bakugo, hugging him uncharacteristically. "Fuck, fuck, save me, Mighty Dynamight!"
"Get the fuck off me!" Bakugo yelled.
"NO! YOU'RE MY LIFELINE! CARRY ME LIKE I'M YOUR BRIDE, MY PRINCE!" Izuku yelled back.
"YOU'RE GOING TO FUCK US UP! LET ME GO!" Bakugo screamed.
It was too late. Rappa was already within the 'pummeling them both to death' range. With a swift thrust of his fist, Izuku and Bakugo was sent flying into the sky as their screams echoed through the atmosphere.
...
Izuku and Bakugo crashed onto a rooftop of a building as they rolled over the ground with their bodies squeezed against each other.
As they stopped rolling, Izuku was on top of Bakugo. "Whatcha thinkin' about?" Izuku asked in a seductive tone, much to Bakugo's annoyance.
"Get the fuck off me," Bakugo demanded.
Izuku thrashed around as if he were trying to get something out from beneath Bakugo. He said in a constricted voice, "Mmm, almost done!"
"Almost done what?" Bakugo was already fed up with the whole exchange.
"Getting my knife out of your buttocks," Izuku replied. With that, he snatched the knife out of Bakugo's bum, causing him to yell in pain.
"Pervert!"
"Fuck!" Bakugo cursed.
"Get your mind out of my pants!" Izuku stood up and took a step back. "Didn't think the great Dynamight would be one horny asshole."
"New rules," Bakugo said in a long-suffering tone. "I talk now."
"That's gonna be very hard on the readers-"
Bakugo then interrupted, "Shut. The fuck. Up! Let me fucking think. We gotta get one of those quirk exterminators you were talking about, right?"
Izuku didn't reply.
This set Bakugo off, of course. "Right?!"
"Thought you said I wasn't allowed to talk," Izuku replied.
"Just. Nod. Asshole." Bakugo emphasized on each word.
Izuku did as he said.
Bakugo nodded as he continued, "Right, then let's get moving."
"Hold on-"
"You talked," Bakugo interrupted.
"-we don't even know where they are right now," Izuku continued regardless.
"So?"
"So?" Izuku repeated the question with an incredulous tone. "How the fuck are we supposed to find them if we don't know where they are? Jeez, that amnesia really made you even more stupid than before."
"Fine, fine, what's the big fuckin idea then?" Bakugo asked.
"Only one option: we march to that confidential location that I got off from an unlucky lackey. Only problem is we don't know what they got up their sleeves-"
"Then let's do just that," Bakugo said without even leaving room for discussion.
"Wait, just wait, you insufferable pack of testosterone! Get back here! We're discussing this!"
"See, this is the problem with you. You and discussing. You and thinking. You fucked us over earlier because you couldn't keep your mouth shut!" Bakugo yelled back.
"Like you're any better. You don't even have a plan," Izuku retorted.
Bakugo let out a wheeze, laughing bitterly as he said, "Then lay out your grand plan in front of me, fuckface."
"How about we discuss it over lunch?" Izuku suggested.
...
Izuku and Bakugo was seated on the opposite side of each other, with the former having his mask removed. His face was not what Bakugo had expected.
"You mind putting your mask back on?" Bakugo broke the silence.
Izuku shook his head. "It's super hard to eat when I'm wearing it."
Bakugo retorted, "It's super hard to eat when you're not."
Bakugo skimmed a fry, taking a bite from it. He was annoyed, but he indulged the mercenary anyway. "We're stalling," Bakugo said.
"Hush now, angel baby, let's just enjoy our food for the time being,"
Bakugo looked around, before asking, "They got no beer around here?"
"Fuck, no, what do you think this is, a fuckin discotic?"
Ignoring Izuku, Bakugo raised his hand to call a waiter over to their table. One waitress came, and she asked, "How can I help you?"
"You sure you got no alcohol laying somewhere?"
"No. Strong beverages are especially prohibited in our establishment," the waitress replied.
Bakugo then looked at the display case mounted over the wall with the words that read 'first aid kit'. "What about that?"
The waitress looked at the display case, perplexed. "What about that, sir?"
"How much for the rubbing alcohol?" Bakugo asked.
Izuku's eyes perked up as he protested, "Wait, hold on, is that really-"
Bakugo glared at Izuku, causing him to shut up quickly. He then turned his attention back to the waitress.
"I'm sorry, but those aren't for sale. It can only be used should there be a costumer who is injured," the waitress said with an apologetic look.
"Well it is now," Bakugo stood up as he opened the lid to the display case, snatching the rubbing alcohol away from its place.
"Sir-"
Izuku gave her a look that said 'please just go away before you piss him off'. The waitress quickly nodded as she scurried off.
Bakugo opened the lid to the bottle, downing a great chunk of the its content in one go.
"Fuck that liver I guess," Izuku shrugged.
"So? What's the plan?" Bakugo asked.
"Let's start off with a suit," Izuku replied. "You don't exactly look appealing with a plain tanktop."
Bakugo's nose scrunched up as he said, "I'm not wearing one of those tacky ass suits that pro-heroes use nowadays."
"You are a pro-hero," Izuku deadpanned.
"Were," Bakugo corrected.
"You still need a suit," Izuku insisted.
Bakugo glared at him. "I don't. Need. A fuckin suit."
"You're no fun," Izuku pouted, leaning against the seat and relaxing. "Fine. But I'll have my friend patch up a suit for your regardless. You know, just in case you change your mind."
"Which will be never," Bakugo added. "The real plan. Now."
"I got no clue," Izuku bluntly said.
The claws were already out once again.
"Okay, okay, could you calm down, please?" Izuku whispered, leaning closer to Bakugo. "I'm all for getting good backshots every once in a while, but this isn't the time and place for that."
The claws retracted back. "You had me for a fool."
"I have a plan," Izuku protested.
"No you don't," Bakugo corrected once again.
"I do, but it's still not polished," Izuku replied.
Bakugo let out a gruff sigh as he said, "You have three days to polish this 'plan'. That's all I can give you. Any thing beyond that, you'll be getting the claws."
Izuku simply nodded. Then, he asked, "How much do you remember?"
Bakugo was caught off guard by the abrupt question. He answered, "Not enough. I got headlines and stuff filling in the gaps, but I haven't put two and two together."
Izuku stared at him, before saying, "You may not know it, but you were a great hero before they pronounced you dead."
"I was under the impression that I was the worst of them all," Bakugo huffed.
Izuku's brow raised. "Who told you that?"
"Some shmuck from a bar, and a couple of other guys," Bakugo replied. "Doesn't matter."
"Well you were a pretty darn good hero to me," Izuku praised.
"If this is your attempt at trying to get in my good graces, then you're failing miserably," Bakugo hissed.
Izuku shrugged. "Ain't nothin' but the truth."
Bakugo then took a sip from the rubbing alcohol, sighing as he swallowed the content whole.
Izuku's eyes scrutinised the way Bakugo drank the alcohol. It seemed familiar. That's when it clicked in Izuku's mind.
Izuku prompted himself to ask Bakugo, "Say.."
Bakugo raised his brow, looking at Izuku in anticipation for what he was going to say next.
"You don't happen to be that drunk guy who visited the bar I used to work in the other night, are you?" Izuku finally asked.