Kai POV
My conversation with Shoto distracted me for a bit. But now, back in class, my mind falls into chaos once more. All I can think about is the invasion yesterday. I'd once hoped that my parents had given up on getting me back. It's been almost five years.
After the stranger sent by my parents left, I called the police and calmly told them about the situation. Under the assumption that I was likely being watched, I'd asked that they don't send anyone over. And then, I hung up the phone and sat curled on the floor, unable to function. Was I doomed to be trapped in Their claws forever?
Before the last class of the day started, Aizawa requested that I meet with him briefly after class. With my classmates buzzing about the Sports Festival, none of them even notice my absent manner. I float through the day, not fully present.
At the end of the day, I approach Aizawa's desk. He clears his throat, shuffling papers across his desk, "I understand your home was invaded by a follower of your parents."
I scoff, "Yeah. It was."
"You're clearly shaken about it."
"Of course I am." I mumble, my hands wandering to the soft fluff around Sora's neck. I hope for a moment that he can distract me from the rage that festers inside me, "When I was first taken in by Endeavor and encouraged to enroll in UA, I forced everyone to make me one promise: that I'd be safe from them while I got stronger. I don't know what the hell your guys' idea of 'safe' is, but that isn't it."
"Were you injured last night?"
"Does that matter?" I feel my gestures become wild, my voice rising in volume, "A stranger entered my home last night! He could've injured me. Walked in like he owned the damn place! THAT'S NOT SAFE, AIZAWA!"
My teacher stays silent throughout my outburst. When I finish, my breathing is uneven and my heart is pounding. I'm beyond enraged. He carefully speaks up, "That makes perfect sense, Himiko. That's why I wanted to ask you: Are you interested in dropping out of the Sports' Festival?"
Disbelief interrupts my anger, I stammer, "Wha–"
"Listen carefully, Himiko." Aizawa speaks firmly, "If you participate in the Sports' Festival, we can't guarantee your safety. The festival will be televised everywhere. Your parents will see you, and it'll become very easy for them to find you. I'm giving you the option to drop out now."
I sit in silent thought. I came to UA to get stronger, so I can finally defeat my parents. My mother may be locked up, but my father escaped just before the school year started. His escape forced me to start going to classes late. He's dangerous. He keeps the crime syndicate smoothly running. I have no doubt that he's plotting to break my mother out as well.
I don't feel much stronger than before I joined UA. Compared to the hours of intense training my parents put me through, UA feels almost easy. I chew on my lip before responding, "I can't give in to my fear. It would give them too much satisfaction to think that I didn't participate because of them. I'm competing in the festival, Aizawa. No matter what."
I can't tell what his expression is, but it sounds like Aizawa is smiling, "Good. That's exactly the answer I expected. I'll let Principal Nezu know that you refused the offer to drop out of the festival."
"Thank you, Mr. Aizawa." I bow to him and leave quickly.
Despite the hysteria I felt at my parents' obsession at finding me, for some reason, Aizawa's firm belief in me reassures me. My classmates love Sora, but they don't treat me as different. Shoto—my brother—has invited me to dinner at his house on Saturday night.
It's kind of weird being normal, huh?
Bakugou POV
I have no idea why the hell I'm so nervous. My thumb hovers above Kai's contact. Friend's check in on each other, right? Are we really friends though? We barely know each other. I scoff, "This is stupid—fuck it." I hit the call button and wait for her to pick up. Surprisingly, it doesn't take long.
"Hello? Who is this?"
"Who do you think, moron?" I roll my eyes, "Don't you have my contact in your phone?"
"Does it matter? I can't read it anyways." She pauses and we both sit in a shitty awkward silence. I consider saying something when she speaks again, "I'm sorry—why exactly did you call me?"
A snarl tugs at my lips, "What? Did I interrupt something important?"
Kai chuckles on the other side of the call, "No, sparky. I was just heating up my dinner."
"Are you holding your phone?"
"No, I'm fucking juggling it." She scoffs, "Yes, I'm holding my phone."
"I know your dumbass would probably drop that shit down the sink or something. Put me on speaker and set your phone down, idiot."
"Mm yes. I suppose I'm just supposed to make an educated guess on where the button for putting you on speaker is? Or tap on my phone randomly, maybe I'll 'accidentally' hang up. Good plan." She hums cheerfully. Bitch.
I frown, "Do you really not use your phone at all?"
"It's more just for emergencies. There's not much I can use it for."
A sigh heaves through my entire body, "Ugh. Okay. The speaker button is on the left side of your screen, near the center." I hear a series of tapping noises accompanied by the occasional curse word.
"Say something, blasty."
"Like what?"
"That works." She laughs to herself, "I did it." I hear a soft thud as she sets down her phone. Her voice comes through the speaker, but sounding farther away than before, "So...why did you call me?"
"I wanted to ask what the hell was wrong with you today?"
"Wow, okay. Rude." She almost sounds offended, but answers, "The policeman who came to my apartment yesterday? Yeah, not a policeman. He was a villain trying to get information out of me." She says it so casually, it takes a moment for the words to register. When they do, I nearly drop my phone.
I hastily switch to speaker phone and set my phone on my desk while screaming, "He fucking what?!"
"Settle down. It was fine. I scared him off and notified the authorities. I was just pissed off that someone tried to invade my space, you know? So yeah, I was having a shit day today."
"You're a hazard." I mutter.
"I heard that, asshole."
"Bad luck just follows you everywhere, doesn't it?"
"Yeah, pretty much." She laughs, but it's hollow-sounding. There's a bitterness to her tone. She clears her throat quickly, "Is that the only reason you called?"
"Tch. No." I suddenly grow nervous. How do I word this? Is it a weird request? Stupid. Ugh. I pick at an old sticker on my desk. A stupid old thing that I stuck on ages ago that I still couldn't manage to scrape off. I roll my eyes, "Since the Sports Festival is coming up, I want to get stronger, obviously. I also want to improve my fighting style."
"Okay..." Kai huffs softly, "So that's kind of the whole point of Aizawa telling us two weeks' in advance. I don't see why you're calling me for that."
"I want to learn a bit about your fighting style. It's stupid, but I've watched you fight. Your fighting style is the best out of the entire class. In a hand-to-hand fight without quirks, you'd be better than all those shitty nerds."
"You know, that almost sounds like a compliment." A gasp echoes from the other side of the call, "DID YOU JUST COMPLIMENT ME?"
"Don't fucking say it like that, that makes it weird." I scoff, "I'm going to win the Sports' Festival either way, but it would look good if I learned another fighting style. Besides, there's not a bunch of shit I have to improve on before the Sports' Festival."
She speaks with a teasing tone in her voice, clear even over the phone, "Come on, blasty. I'm not sure I totally understand. You'll have to be more clear."
I growl under my breath. This entire thing feels like a trap. Part of me wants to just dismiss the whole subject and pretend it never happened. I groan in frustration, "I want you to teach me your fighting style. I'll improve my flexibility and agility by myself if you show me how I can use it in a fight."
"Well, I never..." She laughs, "THE Katsuki Bakugou wants me to teach him how to fight. I'm honored."
"Shut up, nerd. Are you going to help me or not?"
"Sure. I'll help you. On one condition." I can tell she's smirking.
It's a trap. It's a trap.
"What?"
"Come to a pairs' dance class with me?"
"What the hell? No, I'm not doing that. That's a waste of time"
"Guess you'll just have to train by yourself then."
I slam my head against my desk. This bitch. Without lifting my head, I groan out a "Why?"
"Because it's a short course, but it's not guaranteed that you'll get a chance in the class if you don't already have a partner. Besides, dance is how I developed my fighting style. I'm sure you've noticed the similarities. Dance taught me how to control my body in ways that other types of training cannot. Everything from controlled flexibility to impeccable balance. If you want to learn my fighting style, dance is the first big step. If it makes it any better, it's a freestyle-slash-contemporary pair dance class. No super-difficult ballet. I wouldn't throw you in the deep end like that."
"When are the classes?" I mumble.
"Right after school. Classes are three times a week: Saturday, Tuesday, and Thursday, for two weeks, only two hours long. Surely you can handle that, blasty."
"Tch. If I do this, you can't tell anyone. You know our shitty classmates will never let me live it down."
She chuckles, "Okay, Bakugou. I won't say a word."
"Today's Friday. So..."
"First class is tomorrow. Four o'clock. Don't be late." She hangs up and I consider throwing my phone across the room. I cannot believe I just agreed to that.
"It's just to get stronger. No other reason." I mutter to myself.
A/N: I'm working through a bit of writers' block. Please pretend like this entire chapter isn't just a filler, I know it kind of sucks, ignore the terrible writing :D