Strings and Buttons

Chapter 3: Drawing Room

"Yeah, Deku. Your nickname. Or would you prefer loser?"

Deku sighs, not bothering to follow him.

"Isn't that the same thing...?"

Katsuki crackles. 

It rains the next day. The kind of rain that you would expect from a place like this, not a nice sprinkle, but rain so heavy it slaps and bangs against the ground. The kind that makes the mud splatter up and turn it into a soupy brown mess.

The window wiggles for only a moment as he watches, washing the dishes at the sink. Like hell he was going outside when it was like that, so he opted to stay inside as long as it took for the rain to let up.

Though, he doubts it would be a short wait, with the sound of thunder getting closer and closer every passing minute.

"I'm bored as all hell."

He says to no one in particular, but his old hag answers. She was in the kitchen, her computer out on the dining table with a cup of warm tea next to her. She was probably working, wanting to listen to the rain as she did so.

"Then go study. God knows that with this fucking move and shit its gonna take a lot of hours to catch up since you transferred late."

She doesn't stop typing on her computer, not even bothering to look away from the screen. The thing was, with his mother and father, he was born in the height of their careers, which forced them to take a break until Katsuki was old enough to be left alone.

During that break, there were moments Katsuki remembers where everything seemed almost normal. Like they were a normal family. But that was a long time ago. He has been reminded time and time again how long it took to build back up again after what they call 'the accident.'

So, by their reasoning, he was the one who had to make up for it. Mostly by his mother's rules, he was to study day in and day out, rank the top of his class, and keep up on his studies even when they were in the middle of the move.

Though, Katsuki can do anything, so it was no fucking problem.

It was just shitty having to be reminded of it over and over.

He finishes with the dishes, wiping his hands on a small rag set aside, and begins to walk out of the kitchen.

"Whatever."

She calls after him before he can make it all the way out, his back already well away from her and the kitchen.

"And be quiet!"

He moves through the hall as quietly as he can, but it's not easy with the way the old floorboards creak and whine under his every move. He glances at another window, and has a wondering thought about how many windows this place has. Not that many right?

If all the lights are on in the house, will someone see from inside? Not like there are many neighbors around that would snoop or anything, except maybe for that dorky Deku, though he's probably not that stupid to go around in the rain when it's that bad.

He glances at one of the windowsills and sees a spider crawling across the smooth surface.

Gross.

He crushes it with his shoe, putting it up on the windowsill. He watches and waits for it to move, but when it doesn't, he continues through the house. He figures he should try and talk to the old man at least once today, so he stops past his study.

"Hello Katsuki, do you need anything?"

He said warmly, not looking away from his papers all over his desk when he came in. His old man's study was one of the first things to be completely moved in thanks to its importance in the business.

It was covered in designs, papers, and sketches.

"No. I was just walking around. It's raining a shit ton so I'm not going outside."

He replies, though it's very dry. Him and his father had a more talkative relationship, if you could call it that. What he means is that he talked to him a little more than he did his mom. His dad doesn't look up, looking to be designing a coat.

Katsuki guesses that's the coat he'll be modeling for the new collection.

"Thats too bad. Being cooped up in here can't be good for your health."

He would say the same about both him and his mom, but he won't. At least not to his face. His father continues when he doesn't answer.

"It would be very bad for your skin, and we need it perfect when you start modeling again."

"Right. Bye old man."

"Goodbye Katsuki."

He can still hear him scribbling away when he turns his back and walks out the door. It creaks as he shuts it.

So much for a fulfilling conversation.

He continues to walk through the house, stopping one last time at the drawing room. This place was mostly for guests, away from all the dry and forced conversation of their family and into the warm and loving home of the Bakugos.

Though of course, they hadn't had any guests yet, and he doubts they ever will unless someone is willing to drive hours out just to see them. Which again, he doubts it.

But this is the place his mom keeps all the pictures and her prized awards, all put up on walls or the built-in shelves. He walks around the open room, looking for something to keep his attention. Though all he sees are old pictures of them when he was younger.

He hates how he looks in these despite having one in his own room. He looks so happy, always covered in bandages or dirt from playing with the neighborhood kids, and his parents looked happy too.

Looking at the photos is when he realizes something strange.

A big wooden door in the corner of the room. He walks over to it, expecting it to open, even though he had never been inside before. But when he turns the doorknob and tries to open it, he finds it locked.