Things were… better.
Although Deku seemed to prefer hiding out in his room (nothing new there), he wasn't angry. The kid was nothing like Ace had been: lashing out at everyone who just wanted to help. These days, he felt a bit bad about how he'd acted to his future siblings. But Pops had just taken it all with a knowing smile and fond laughter. Even the assassination attempts were brushed off as nothing serious.
In comparison to his (admittedly) hot-headed disposition, Deku was far more amicable. Even if he stabbed Ace in the back sometime in the upcoming days of travel, he was determined to let it slide in favor of looking after the kid.
Would his fellow division commanders do the same? He'd just have to talk them into it. Ace was good at that! And they had forgiven his mistakes, so it was no big deal. Or at least, it would have been if the sneaky blonde guy hadn't hitched a ride with them.
Deku was socializing; the blondie, on the other hand, was avoiding all of them.
("No, I'm certain you are the only one he is going out of his way to not speak with," Izou had snorted.)
Or at least avoiding him.
Whatever plans that guy had for Deku didn't matter. Ace wouldn't let him have his way with the kid. He didn't deserve to get roped into whatever shit that guy was getting himself into. He really should have been keeping an eye on the guy, so he didn't try to convince Deku to leave with him instead.
("He seems like a good guy," Jozu had admitted with a shrug, "You'd know that if you weren't avoiding him.")
But he was just horrible to be around, so Ace would leave that up to the other commanders to handle. They were perfectly capable. At least the steady waves were a comfort for his fraying nerves.
"Are you alright?"
Ace spun around to face Deku. His hair was tussled like he'd just woken up, which he likely had. No doubt the kid could still use more sleep after that fight. After getting captured too. The kid had been through a lot ever since he had crashed the battle at Marineford.
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" he wondered aloud.
If anything, Deku was the one they needed to worry about.
"You look a bit…" he paused, clearly searching for the right words.
He was kind like that; Ace would have said whatever was on his mind and probably regretted it later.
"...pensive?"
Ace shrugged. That was one word for it, though not the one he'd use. It was a bit too fancy for his liking.
"I'm just thinking is all," he offered.
Deku frowned a little, "I can listen if there's something on your mind."
Cute, but given how much the kid had wanted them to drop their worry for him, Ace doubted that speaking his mind would go very well.
"Nah, I'm just a bit on edge. It's no big deal," he decided to say instead.
The kid's frown deepened, though he didn't call him out on it. He joined Ace in looking out at the sea, resting his forearms on the railing, laying one on top of the other. The wind rustled the kid's hair gently and he watched Deku let his eyelids droop shut. Ace wondered if this kid had been on the sea for long, or if he'd grown up in a land-locked town. Was this a pleasant, recent feeling for him, or an old, familiar joy?
"...this is why I said to leave me be," the kid muttered, remorseful and ashamed.
Ace stood up straight, no longer leaning on the rails as he took in what the kid was saying. He would absolutely not stand for this nonsense.
"That's not what I meant at all!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air, "Depending on whether the Marines get their shit together sooner rather than later, being away from Pops for so long is just making me nervous. If our whole crew was back together, that would be one thing. It's just that most of the Commanders have yet to rejoin his side and yet we left him to…"
Deku looked at him expectantly as Ace trailed off. Okay yeah, he could see where the kid was coming from, but that was one thing and this wasn't that!
He groaned, "That's not what I meant either. I don't regret coming to save you-"
"I didn't need saving," Deku insisted.
His stern face was more than a little off-putting, but given the wild people on their crew, it was nothing new for Ace. He was nothing if not stubborn; a little teenage rebellion had nothing on him! (He could practically hear Woop Slaps' comments about his his behavior and attitude. Just the thought made him flush with embarrassment).
Ace offered the kid what he hoped mirrored Sabo's disapproving stare back from when they had been kids, "Maybe not from the Marines. That was luck though! Whoever that freak was that attacked you, I'm glad we were there for that. Nothing you can say will change my mind."
Deku stared with a tired expression and Ace crossed his arms over his chest. This was exactly what he'd wanted to avoid. But he wasn't very good with people, unfortunately. He blamed Garp, that old bastard. If he'd wanted him to be good with people, tossing him to be raised by Bandits in isolation wasn't the way to go. Even he knew that.
He couldn't help but wonder if that old geezer would have liked Deku. Knowing the kid's kind nature and strong will, he had a feeling he would have.
Yeah, he wouldn't let the two of them meet if he had anything to say about it.
Much to Ace's surprise, Deku broke their stand-off with a sigh.
"I don't want to talk about this."
"You heard the kid," Ace turned in time to see the blonde man approaching, "Quit bothering him about it."
The small smile probably meant that the guy was trying to keep the peace, but Ace could only see an echo of the same teasing smile Sabo used to wear. That kid was always so good at getting away with shit because he had an angel's face and the devil's mind. Wicked sharp yet able to pretend to be kind and pleasant.
He hated this man for the reminder of what he'd lost to the world Nobles, the government, the Marines. (He missed Sabo so much.)
Ace wanted to walk away from this man, but just the memory of his conversation with Jozu filled him with embarrassment. What kind of pirate would he be if he ran away from problems as minor as this?
"He wasn't bothering me," Deku protested, much to Ace's surprise, "I just asked him a question when I shouldn't have."
The man's eyes softened as he listened to the kid. A fierce defensiveness rose up in his chest; how could this man look at the kid that way without issue while Deku fought against his every attempt to protect him. But life wasn't fair and he knew that personally. His entire life was dictated by that principle, so it shouldn't still bring up such a tense frustration within his chest.
He sighed instead, uncharacteristically biting back the wave of anger.
"I'm really good at that."
The two men stared at Deku as shied away from their gazes and shrugged before continuing his thought, "I tend to stick my nose in places where it doesn't belong."
Well, the kid wasn't exactly wrong. Though in his defense, crash-landing into a battlefield regardless of his intentions wouldn't have ended any other way. If anything, by siding with them, he had guaranteed his own safety. Or at least their goodwill.
Yet the blondie looked intrigued by the admission, "Is that so?"
That was a loaded statement if Ace had ever heard one. That knowing holier-than-thou attitude did not imply good things.
"You're not one to talk," the kid retorted under his breath.
Unfortunately for his overly kind mien, it was more than audible to the both of them. Ace snorted and earned a playful glare from the blondie. Deku groaned at the interaction, hiding his face in his hands, though he could see the kid's ears getting red.
"...please tell me I didn't say that out loud."
They both laughed at the kid's meek tone. Obviously the kid was painfully aware that he had. Ace mentally wished the kid luck; knowing his family, getting easily embarrassed is grounds for being teased to hell and back. With evident mortification, Deku stepped back from the railing and let himself sit on the ground.
He wasn't quite curled up into a ball or anything, so at least he wasn't that sensitive, but Ace was a little confused as to why he had decided to sit on the deck.
It didn't matter though, so he shrugged it off.
Instead, blondie took the kid's spot at the railing, looking out at the waves longingly. Against his better judgement, Ace couldn't help but wonder about blondie. The way he stared out at the sea as though it held something he sincerely lacked but so desperately searched for. As though it held the greatest treasure in the world only for him.
Why did this random stranger look at the sea the same way Ace did?
Although he really did want to know the answers to his questions, he knew better than to ask. Instead, Deku's slight wince drew his attention.
Staring at the way he subtly rubbed his right elbow, Ace blurted out, "Are you alright?"
The kid looked up at him, surprised.
The blondie even turned around to get a better look at Deku, abandoning the object of his forlorn stare in favor of scanning over the kid's hunched form.
They came to the same conclusion rather quickly.
"Is your arm bothering you?" the other man asked, about as bluntly as Ace would have.
In fact, it was nearly the same way he would've asked in the next two seconds had the guy not beaten Ace to the punch.
The kid clammed up. His lips pursed and his eyes narrowed.
"It isn't," he insisted.
Neither of them believed those words. Not when they were accompanied by such an expression.
"You don't have to pretend," Sabo soothed, reaching his arm out as though he planned to rest his hand on Deku's shoulder before thinking better of it.
The kid even angled his shoulder away from the outstretched hand, eyeing him with a strange expression.
Without thinking, Ace blurted out the first thing that came to mind, "Do your scars usually hurt?"
He wanted to slap himself. And by the looks of it, blondie did too. Though he had to admit, in any other situation, the scandalized expression on the man's face would have been comedy gold. Unfortunately for him, this wasn't any other situation.
"...no," Deku reasserted, though decidedly less confident with his answer.
The only reason that came to mind in the first place was because of Pop's own declining health. All those years of amassing scars on his chest had taken a toll once his physical constitution had begun to waver. There was a reason he'd spent most of his time over the past few years sitting, though he'd be loath to admit it.
Ace hadn't noticed Deku in pain from his many, many scars, but the kid was apparently good at hiding things. Hell, in his experience, people were almost always horrifyingly good at hiding their pain if it is constant or frequent. It's only the acute pain that seems to catch people by surprise and make it obvious.
He hadn't known about Pops until long after he'd joined his crew. It made sense, to keep yourself safe from enemies: from strangers. But they weren't either of those. Deku himself had all but admitted as such, yet he still kept them at an arms length.
The kid was just driving his thoughts in circles. At this point, nearly every waking moment he had was spent thinking about the kid and why he acted the way he did.
Ace wondered if he'd ever get an answer.
Evidently, their faces betrayed what they thought of his insistence, so the kid corrected himself, "Not usually."
"But it bothers you now, doesn't it?" the other man frowned.
At least the kid looked embarrassed rather than angry or upset with blondie's brazen callout. Which wasn't a surprise, but was absolutely a relief. Ace swore that if this asshat made Deku leave with his rude commentary, he wouldn't be a pretty boy for much longer.
The kid shrugged, but the drawn out stare at his arm made it clear he was also a bit stuck on it himself.
"Well, maybe there's a reason it's not doing so good right now," Ace mused, "Maybe you slept on it wrong?"
Deku raised his gaze to stared at him, unimpressed with his suggestion. Well, he tried.
The blondie chimed in, "Perhaps your fight the other day put extra strain on it."
The kid seemed to consider that for a moment before shaking his head. Ace hummed as he tried to think of what else would make old, healed wounds hurt when they don't usually. As a logia, he didn't usually get injured from fights. In his time in the New World, even after joining the Whitebeards, he hadn't run into many Haki users either.
The only injury that gives him problems is a slight twinge of his left elbow from a particularly nasty landing. He used a brace just in case, but he didn't need it that much. Plus nothing seemed to factor into how much it bothered him at any given moment, so his experience wasn't helpful.
The three of them let the silence sit comfortably between them as they tried to think of what the cause could have been.
Not too long after, Ace noticed Jozu approaching but didn't bother announcing his presence. He doubted Deku hadn't noticed the sound of his footsteps, given how loud they were. Plus he was a bit too busy trying to think of reasons why Deku's scars would ache all of a sudden to greet his crewmate.
"Are these two bothering you, Deku?" Jozu asked.
That broke his concentration. He spun around to face the man completely, utterly offended. He could feel how his face was scrunched up uncomfortably, but he didn't care.
Blondie spluttered at the accusation, even though he'd done the same to Ace just minutes ago. Served him right, but why did Jozu have to include him in his teasing?
A moment of silence passed, in which Ace assumed Jozu was getting into a staring contest with Deku. Deku had since turned away from Ace to face the other Division Commander, so he couldn't see exactly what expression the kid had. But based on the snort blondie gave not long after and the disbelieving smile Jozu had adopted, it was really something. Hopefully something sassy, then he'd fit right in much better than Ace had originally thought.
"What were you discussing that had you guys scowling?" Jozu asked gruffly.
Ace pouted, so he was in a playful mood. That did not bode well for keeping up his confident and reliable reputation in front of the kid.
Wait.
He froze as the realization struck him. Since he'd been speaking to Izou, his reputation was no doubt already out the window. Ace ran a hand down his face and suppressed a groan. He should have known letting them meet before Deku joined them officially was a horrible idea. It was just that he'd been caught up in trying to save the kid that he hadn't given it a second thought until it was already too late!
He'd been tricked!
Ace had to know if it was too late.
"Deku!" he called, stepping towards him before the kid even turned back around, "Has Izou already tol-"
A bright flash filled his vision quickly followed by an even more staggering crack of thunder that sent him stumbling back. The yelps that followed confirmed that they were all startled as well.
Shit!
Not two seconds later, the previously smooth water became choppy and the boat began to rock violently underneath them.
A memory flashed in his mind unsolicited. During a storm much stronger than this, everyone had been frantically running about manning the sails and steering to weather the powerful forces of the sea. Even Ace had been running about, ironically putting out small fires that had broken out on board, whether from a stray strike of lighting or an unfortunate accident with a candle or lamp below deck fallen from a particularly harsh wave.
He'd been too occupied to really pay attention to anyone in particular, however, he'd noticed a brief flash of pain flicker over Pops' face.
It had taken him a week after that incident to muster the courage to ask him about it. He didn't want to hurt Pops' pride, plus he wasn't sure if he'd seen it properly.
He'd been given a strange look before his captain explained it to him. It turned out that storms or even temperature changes could affect old wounds and scars and weakened or damaged joints. Just another reminder that his life was nothing like many others, though he wasn't sure this difference was all that negative. For a while, Ace had looked out for some of his scarred brothers during storms, but none of them had given any signs of ache or pain, so he'd forgotten about it.
Now, it made sense. The weather on the Grand Line—even in Paradise, though much less—was sporadic and near unpredictable. He hadn't thought of an oncoming storm as the cause, but it made sense now.
Ace made sure make a mental note of it, just so he could keep an eye on the kid in the future.
He turned towards the kid, determined to usher him below deck and out of the storm as soon as possible. If it really was bothering him, not being exposed to the elements was a better idea. Plus, as a guest, it wasn't Deku's job to manage the boat in a situation like this. He had no doubt in his mind that everyone else here would agree with him on that.
Ace didn't even make it one step before disaster struck.
They all stared in horror as another strong wave slammed the side of their ship and blondie tumbled overboard while they struggled to maintain their balance.
Ace's stomach dropped to his feet as he watched—practically in slow motion, yet unable to move a muscle—as Deku launched himself over the railing. The kid reached out in a futile attempt at catching the man before he fully submerged. Unfortunately, it wasn't even close. The wave had distracted them, had limited how fast they could react.
No, the kid could react. Ace was standing there like an absolute moron, staring as the blondie sunk beneath the water as rain continued to beat down and splash above him.
Things only got worse as, instead of catching himself on the rail, Deku's hand slipped on the now slick wood. His body tumbled over the wood, quickly following blondie as body hit the water and splashed in the same spot. Ace and Jozu could only watch in horror as it all happened in front of their very eyes.
The moment Deku reached the water's surface, Ace finally snapped out of whatever daze he'd been stuck in. He frantically looked around for something he could toss into the water for Deku to grab on to, but his brain finally caught up with him. There was no way Deku would be able to have the strength to hold on while in the sea. He couldn't-
There wasn't-
Fuck, why would he do that?
He could hear Jozu dash away, hopefully to get Izou, but Ace couldn't tear his eyes away from the bubbles rising up to the surface where Deku had just been. He couldn't see their heads bobbing back up above the waves. Technically the blonde guy could swim—Ace thought, at least—so he grabbed that small hope and held onto it for dear life.
This time, they were on house arrest for real.
The front doors of Heights Alliance were locked tight and it was dead silent. Outside their door, a pro hero stood watch as though they were criminals. Everyone wanted answers, but they were given explicit instructions not to say a word. It was infuriating. Bakugou wanted nothing more than to punch someone's lights out and scream and yell and show them what real trouble he could cause.
Yet he didn't.
It wasn't through some feat of self-control, but a tepid anticipation. Another day passed with little fanfare; only dread haunted the halls.
The whole campus trapped them in a nightmare that had once been a dream to each and every one of them. Bakugou could only imagine what kind of nightmare Izuku was dealing with. No doubt he had made friends (and hopefully allies) in that other world. The only question was whether he would let them help.
He had a sinking feeling he knew the answer to his unspoken question.
Even though Bakugou was brooding in his dorm room, he could hear the loud slam of a door. No doubt the rest of the class had as well. He shot to his feet and all but ran down the hall. He had no patience for the elevator and instead took the stairs three at a time. No doubt he was making the most noise in the entire building.
The echoes of footsteps weren't just his own.
If he had to guess, Kirishima had followed him to see what the fuss was, considering he was his dorm neighbor. Maybe Iida, who was right below him, had done the same. It hardly mattered to him. He nearly tripped as his last stride down the stairs only requiring two steps despite his expectation of three. Regardless, he righted himself and skidded to a halt at the entrance to the common area.
Aizawa looked far more haggard than usual.
Bakugou strode forward to meet his teacher halfway, eyeing the crutch and his prosthetic. It looked far too delicate to trust, plus given the chaotic situation, he wouldn't be surprised if his teacher hadn't taken the time to properly heal. This was the guy that had come to class covered in bandages from the injuries he'd received at the USJ. Nearly dying hadn't stopped him.
(Bakugou worried that this would.)
"What's up, Teach?"
Aizawa stared at him, eye pinched, though he couldn't tell if it was from pain or the anger that was all but radiating off of him. He shook his head, but Bakugou stared him down. It was painful to stare directly into only one working eye, his eyepatch hiding the other from sight. Another example of his failure.
The man sighed, "You're on house arrest, not to mention benched for the foreseeable future."
"Don't give me that nonsense. You slammed the front door. Give it to me straight," Bakugou insisted.
He refused to back down. Not for this. He had in that meeting with Nezu and look where that had gotten him: on house arrest and, as Aizawa had put it, benched. The silent treatment from the pros and staff that brought them food and other necessities was maddening.
Bakugou refused to take that nonsense from Aizawa. At least Eraserhead was logical enough to understand that.
"I have been… caught up on the situation," the hero gave in, "I simply came here to check on the class."
"Sensei!" Kirishima called out, his previous leisurely pace turning into a light jog as he approached them.
Aizawa looked relieved by his arrival. Bakugou scoffed at the interruption. At this rate, he wouldn't get anything out of his teacher.
"I'm so glad you're alright," the red-head exclaimed, a bit too loudly for his tastes.
Sensei's wince told him a similar story. At least, compared to the beginning of the school year, Kirishima was self-aware enough now to realize his mistake.
He grimaced, "Ah sorry. Please sit down, we've been so worried about you!"
At least Kirishima had some of the right priorities.
Reluctantly, Aizawa allowed his student to lead him over to the couches. Kirishima didn't bother asking for permission, instead running to the kitchenette to grab the man a glass of water. Bakugou took this time to stare the man down. After nearly a minute of glaring, the man looked away.
"I am really not supposed to tell you."
The man hardly looked convinced by his own protest. Bakugou was certain his face conveyed exactly what he thought of that. Unfortunately, Kirishima rejoined them before Aizawa could give in to Bakugou's pressuring.
Then the elevator opened with a soft hiss. All three heads turned towards the noise just in time to see Engines stride towards them.
His voice was stern, but far quieter than usual, "Is everyone alright?"
Bakugou sighed. He had guesses these two would be the nosiest, but he hadn't actually wanted them to follow him down. Then again, no doubt the rest of the class would soon follow suit. Some of them probably had to get dressed enough to be presentable, maybe wash the frustrated tear stains from their faces.
He understood.
"Ah, sensei. I am glad to see you are doing well, sir."
Kirishima's lips twitched up in a poor imitation of his usual bright smile, "Yeah. Did you need something, Iida?"
He blinked, "No, I just heard a commotion and decided to investigate."
Aizawa sighed, "I didn't think the door would be so loud."
"Nah, sensei, I'm pretty sure he's talking about Bakugou's loud stomping more than the slammed door," the redhead laughed.
Bakugou glowered at the dig. He really wasn't in the mood for teasing. The shit eating grin he got in return, however dim it was, made it clear that this was what Kirishima needed to keep himself going. So instead of blowing up, he took a deep breath and ignored the jab.
"Tell us, Sensei," Bakugou requested, offering a formal bow.
Whatever it took. He just needed to know.
"Tell us what?" another voice—Jirou—echoed from the stairs.
Great. More nosy busybodies to give Aizawa an excuse not to answer. The man sighed, surprisingly as though he, too, was annoyed by not having the chance to speak.
At least Jirou seemed to be able to read the room, unlike a certain someone. She immediately shut her mouth and quietly joined them on the couches, looking at their teacher with determination and curiosity. Bakugou lazily dragged his eyes to stare at Kirishima. Hopefully his disgruntled expression was obvious, even for someone so oblivious.
With Ears here, no doubt Cheeks would be next. Or maybe the invisible girl since they were on the same floor.
"Plans have been made…" Aizawa admitted with a frown and furrowed eyebrows.
His classmates sat (or stood) up straighter in surprise, but he'd figured that might have been the case. The look on Sensei's face, however, told him he didn't like said plans one bit.
Bakugou had a feeling he wouldn't either.
"You mean we know how we're going to defeat the League of Villains?" Kirishima gasped.
Aizawa shook his head minutely, though reconsidered half way through, "It depends, really. But we will switch our approach to be more offensive than defensive going forward."
Ears nodded, "Waiting around for something to happen makes us sitting ducks. This whole time, it's like we've been asking for them to attack us first."
Bakugou scoffed, "That was the plan, obviously."
She glared at him (half-heartedly), but he ignored it. It was her fault for not realizing the obvious truth.
"We had no idea where their base was, much less who had joined forces directly with All for One and which villains were unknowing pawns. De-Izuku might have been an idiot for going off on his own, but he had the right idea. In this case, offense is the best defense."
Engines coughed lightly to interject, sliding his glasses further up his nose, "I disagree-"
"Then you're an idiot," Bakugou retorted.
Not for the first time, nor the last, he wished Izuku was here. At least that idiot wasn't a moron and would understand what he meant.
"Bakugou and Jirou are right," Aizawa decided to correct Engine's stupidity, "As it stands, we are allowing the villains to regroup and gather their strength. By enabling them to prepare, we only put ourselves at a further disadvantage."
Iida frowned, but seemed to think over what Aizawa had said as the man dug a small bottle of eyedrops out of his pocket and dripped them into his no doubt exhausted and abused eye.
"But aren't we regrouping as well?"
Bakugou shot Kirishima another glare, "Idiot."
The redhead whined when Bakugou refused to elaborate. Instead, their teacher corrected their misconceptions.
"What regrouping have we done since turning UA into a civilian shelter?" Aizawa asked, clearly waiting for an answer.
Well, he wouldn't be a good teacher if he didn't turn shit like this into a learning experience.
Iida seemed to think about it deeply before providing a response, "We called for back-up and concentrated our forces."
Bakugou raised an eyebrow. It took him a minute to come up with that?
"And?" their teacher prompted, glancing at Kirishima, who looked even more deeply concentrated.
"And we started coordinating the heroes for our strategy?" he offered hesitantly.
Bakugou just sighed as Aizawa concluded his point, "At what point do we need to stop consolidating resources and heroes before we attack? We have to keep a defense up, but if all of our forces are in one place, that consolidation of strength is a weakness. It puts us at a high risk of sabotage and subterfuge."
"A bunch of heroes quit too. We were already coordinated when this shit went down. Our so-called coordination did fuck all," Bakugou spat.
"Bakugou," Aizawa warned, though he didn't particularly look like he disagreed with his assessment.
His classmates deflated as their hope was crushed. Bakugou didn't blame them, but at some point they had to stop holding onto the unrealistic fantasies and join them in the real world.
(This situation didn't feel real to Bakugou at times either. He didn't want it to be real any more than they did.)
Fuck this, Bakugou decided. If Aizawa wasn't going to fess up, he'd make him admit to it indirectly.
"You heard about Deku, didn't you."
Once again, it was not a question. Sensei clearly knew that, and clearly confirmed what he'd already known the moment the door had slammed, with a single surprised look and straightened back.
"You've heard something about Midoriya?" Kirishima yelled.
Bakugou gave him a glare. With a volume like that, the whole class would come to bother them. He didn't look fazed by the death glare that usually had him shying away apologetically. Difficult times really changed people.
He of all people should know, he sighed internally.
Then a ringtone blared in the silence, setting Bakugou even more on edge. If he hadn't already been so tense, the way his classmates all jumped would have been funny. As it was now, he dreaded what that phone call meant. It could only be Aizawa's phone, as Bakugou left his in the dorm and he doubted anyone would call any of his classmates since they were all on house arrest.
Reluctantly, Aizawa stood and pulled the ringing phone from his trouser pocket.
"It's Eraserhead," the man confirmed.
Bakugou eyed his teacher with suspicion. He had yet to move far enough away so that the voice on the other end of the line would be inaudible. It only took a second of listening for him to identify the caller as All Might.
Then the words finally processed and he jumped to his feet. Aizawa's surprised, but determined expression only confirmed he'd heard correctly. As the man began rushing towards the door, Bakugou was hot on his trail, only two steps behind him despite their height difference. There was no way in hell he'd let himself be left behind again.
Never again.