Masaru stepped on the brakes. He looked at the surroundings around him. He was in his car driving down the long road that leaves the empty plot of land the hospital was placed on. He took his hands off the wheel, inspecting his palms. "What the fuck?"
"Are you okay?"
"Holy shit!" Masaru jumped. He quickly turned behind him, accidently hitting the middle of the wheel and having the horn blaring. "Jesus!" In the right backseat was Katsuki who looked at Masaru with confusion. "Katsuki," Masaru looked around at the field. "How did we get here?"
"Get where?"
Masaru looked at his son, "Here! In the car! We were just at the-'' Masaru pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell. I just..." his voice trailing off. He went back to facing the road in front of him. "Maybe I was just zoned out. It's okay." He tapped onto the computer screen of the car, putting in his home address. "Yeah," he put his hands on the wheel. "It's okay." Katsuki looked at him with skepticism
Masaru drove down the dirt path for a road to the exit. Katsuki was staying silent, looking out the window, like in the hospital, and occasionally stealing glances at Masaru.
Masaru broke the silence as he turned onto the main street. "Katuski?" He hummed. "How are you doing?"
Katsuki shrugged, Masaru caught the action through the rear view mirror. "I'm alright. How are you?"
Masaru chuckled, facing the road again. "You know life." Katsuki hummed. Masaru wanted the conversation to continue but he could see his son's disinterest. "Do you want to play some music?"
"If you'd like."
"Okay," Masaru pulled up the music they had saved. "Name a song."
Katsuki turned his head to look at Masaru. "Can I?" Masaru nodded, looking at the road ahead. "Okay," Katsuki cleared his throat. "Then maybe -um. Maybe-" He gave the name of a song and Masaru grinned. He pressed the song title on the screen. It was one of his sons favorite songs, he would always play it any chance he got. He liked it so much he saved it on the cars files, not only that but even slipped it into Masaru's music playlist when he wasn't looking.
"Of course, bud."
After a minute of the song being played, Katsuki spoke, "This is my favorite song."
"And here I thought I was going to finally escape this song." Katsuki looked at him quizzically. "You love this song so much that you put it on your mothers and my playlist. You never get tired of it."
Katsuki hummed again, "What's she like?"
"Hm? Sorry, what did you say?"
"My mother. What is she like?" Katsuki turned back to the window just as Masaru looked at him through the rearview.
"She's very passionate. Passionate and competitive," he grinned. "That is something you got from her. You had gotten everything from her. Her hair," Katsuki touched the ends of his hair. "Her eyes, nose. Every feature you could think of." Katsuki rubbed the tip of his nose. "I'm the opposite of her. While she's loud, confident, and energetic; I'm quiet, insecure, and unmotivated. She's a model. She hates cooking but she loves trying new things. She would find something online, some 'exotic' food, and force us to make it. She has a powerful personality that makes everyone look to her."
"She sounds nice."
"She sure can be," Masaru changed lanes on the highway and sped up. "You can continue asking. I'll answer everything so don't be shy. Oh! Actually," Masaru grabbed something in the cup holder and put his hand behind the passenger seat. "I got this for you. It's cherry flavored!"
Katsuki stared at the lollipop Masaru was holding. Katsuki slowly accepted the candy and Masaru brought his hand back to the wheel. "Thank you."
"Of course. I can do anything. Do you have anything?"
Katsuki took a moment, fiddling with the stick of the candy. "Do you have any pets?"
Masaru tilted his head, "Kinda. We don't let her inside because your mom doesn't want her to make a mess. Your mother is also allergic. She's doing fine, though. We built a house for her with a heated blanket and we have food and water bowls for her outside near the door of the patio. She accepts food from me but she much prefers you feed her. You're her favorite"
"Cats are really picky."
"Say that again."
Katsuki turned to look at Masaru. "Cats are picky?"
Masaru glanced at Katsuki through the rearview mirror, "How did you know she was a cat?"
Katsuki opened his mouth then closed it. His eyes fell onto the screen of the car and then the lollipop in his hand, "I don't know."
◈ ◈ ◈
The long, awkward, silent car ride came to an end as they had finally had reached the house. Katsuki watched in a gape as they pulled into the very long driveway. His eyes looking at every detail of large, modern house in front of him. The beautiful house was the only one he had seen since they turned onto this path. The house seemingly to be located in a forest. Katsuki didn't have enough time to even look over one level from the outside before they were in the garage.
Two man had appeared just as Masaru killed the engine and opened their doors. Katsuki scanned the large garage. It was bright with rows and rows of cars that he couldn't even begin to fathom the price of. He looked out that the floor in front of him and bit his lip. Katsuki started to shuffle his way towards the edge of the seat when Masaru shouted, "Wait! Katsuki, don't move!" Katsuki stayed in his seat, watching as his father went around, looking at the back seat and then opened the trunk of the car. "There they are," he pulled out the crutches and went to hold the out to his son. One of the servants closing the trunk.
He carefully stepped out, gripping onto the crutches, and the man who opened his door bowed. Katsuki slightly bowed his head, muttering a quick, "Thanks."
"Geez," he heard Masaru say, walking ahead. "Sorry, I didn't think I would lose track of time that badly. The process over there wasn't like a normal hospital."
The man that opened Katsuki's door helped him to get to Masaru's side. Masaru smiled, "You ready?" Katsuki nods. They start to be escorted by the man that opened Masaru's door. It was silent other than the crutches clicking. Katsuki winced at the volume of it. They walked through a door and entered a large hallway that led into what Katsuki assumed was the main floor. It was a large living room that extended to an open kitchen. After the kitchen was a wall of windows and Katsuki could see a large patio with a fireplace in the middle, surrounded by outdoor furniture. The floors are all marble and there are rugs under every piece of furniture. There were two visible staircases that Katsuki could make out, one leading into a floor above him that had an indoor balcony and another staircase on that floor leading farther up. Everything had a modern sharpness to it, the color of the furniture being either white or gray. Masaru ushered Katsuki to sit on the closest couch, a servant taking his crutches away and holding them off to the side.
"Masaru?" Hurried footsteps sounded from the floor above them. "Masaru, is that you?" A woman appeared at the stop of the stairs, blond spikey hair and red eyes. She made eye contact with Masaru and immediately rushed down the stairs. Her heels clicking and clacking on her way down. Half way, she ended up tripping. She caught herself with the railing and cursed. "These fucking shoes," she pulled them off by the heel and dropped them on the step. She rushed to where the two stood then stopped right in front of her husband. "What took you so damn long?"
He put both hands on her shoulders, "I'm sorry. They had different rules there." He pulls her in for a quick kiss. "I have someone for you," he smiles, moving out of her view to show Katsuki.
"Katsuki." She looks at him, never tearing away contact. She stood staring at her son who sat calmly looking at her. Their stares are almost identical, not intimidating, not scared, just curious. Katsuki shifts to get up, but both of his parents bring their arms out, shouting for him to stay seated. She walked over and sat on the table in the middle of the rug, facing Katsuki. "How are you doing?"
Katsuki nodded, "I'm doing alright."
She shook her head, "Katsuki, you just came back from the fucking hospital. You don't need to lie." He nodded. Masaru sat on the floor next to them and she glanced at him. "What are you doing?"
Masaru shrugged, "Nothing. Wait, actually, I'm going to get water." He stood from the ground, "Katsuki, do you want anything? Water, juice, soda?" Katsuki shook his head. "Are you sure? Let me get you something to drink, please."
"May I have some water?"
Masaru smiled and headed off to the kitchen, "Mitsuki, you want anything?" He called behind him.
"Water!" She changed her focus back to her son. "How are you feeling? Honestly, you can tell me the truth."
"Confused."
She motioned with her hand to continue, "Keep going."
Katsuki shrugged, "There is some pain here and there but it's not bad. I don't know what else to say." Masaru returned holding two plastic cups and a water bottle under his arm. He passed the cups and found his way back on the floor, unscrewing his bottle. Katsuki was grateful for the thoughtfulness of his parents. The plastic cup was sturdy but lightweight and was only filled halfway. He held it both hands and brought the cup to his lips. He looked slightly childish and cute, but as his parents observed him closely they noted how his hands were shaking ever so slightly. He brought the cup down to stand on his thighs, hands keeping it balanced.
"So," Mitsuki started. She glanced at her husband and then at her son. She waved her hand, "Nevermind, we can talk later at dinner. Right now, we should take you to your room. Finished?"
Katsuki peered down at his cup and nodded. Masaru had taken the cup and Mitsuki walked out of the path. Katsuki scooted to the edge of the couch before a man in a suit came up to him, holding his crutching. Katsuki gripped his crutches and steadily lifted himself up.
"Jesus," Mitsuki gasped. She slapped Masaru's arm, "You didn't fucking tell me he was on crutches!"
Katsuki looked at Mitsuki, "Is there something wrong?"
"Yes, there is!"
Katsuki flinched.
"Hey, it's okay," Masaru started.
"No, it's not fucking okay! He can't walk and his room is on the third floor." She sighed, "God, Masaru. I told you not to get rid of the elevator."
"I'm sorry."
Mitsuki pondered for a moment. "Wait," she pointed a finger at the man in a suit. "You guys still have a freight elevator, right?"
"Yes, madam."
"Good, that's good. Give Katsuki a key to the elevator. Lead us to it." The man bowed and directed them to a corner of the floor with two doors looking to open a pantry. He opened the doors and slid the gate open, stepping aside for the family. He walked in last, closing the double doors and sliding the gate closed. He pressed the third floor button and stood off into a corner until they arrived at the floor, repeating the process.
The family walked down the corridor, Katsuki failing to keep up. His parents waited for him by a white door at the end of the large hall. His mother opened the door for him and they waited patiently as he made his way inside. He took in the sight of the large room. There was a floating bed and nightstands, large windows that reached to the ceiling and a large desk. It was all spread out with a wardrobe near his bed. Everything was painted a cool blue and pearly white. There was a T.V. on top of a bookshelf. On the right wall was mainly covered with a few framed paintings and a large mahogany door. He looked to his parents who smiled and nodded over to the bed. He made his way and sat on the very comfortable mattress.
"We'll let you rest, okay?" Katsuki nodded. "We will call you for dinner a little bit later," exiting the room and closing the door. Katsuki leaned his crutches against the nightstand but they kept falling over so he set them on the floor. He layed on the bed, getting himself comfortable and looking up at the ceiling.
"Holy shit," he whispers to himself. "Holy fucking shit." He looks to a side of his room, "They're rich." He pushed himself to the edge of the bed, wanting to explore around the room but the strength in his legs were giving out. His eyelids felt heavy and his arms went limp. God, he didn't realize how tired he was. He grudgingly reached to his night stand and grabbed a book that had been placed. He quickly flipped through the pages, front to back then back to front. It's so bright. He closed the book and opened it from the middle and placed it on his face. He closed his eyes and let his arms fall to his side, one hanging off the bed before being set into a deep sleep.
◈ ◈ ◈
"Hey, there." Katsuki groaned, rubbing his eyes. He blinked a few times and looked around the room. "Hey, kiddo." Masaru came into view, placing a book on the nightstand. "How do you feel?"
"What?" Katsuki responded, half-asleep. Masaru chuckled and Katsuki sat himself up, yawning.
Masaru rubbed his back, "It's time for dinner," Masaru stopped rubbing and placed his hand on Katsuki's shoulder. "I know you're tired but you need to eat something." Katsuki hummed and stared at Masaru's hand. He cleared his throat and removed his hand from the boy's shoulder, "Sorry."
"How long have I been asleep?" Katsuki asked, rubbing his eyes.
"Not long. Anyway, I made dinner and I'm sure hospital food wasn't that tasty. You can go straight back to sleep when you're done. Don't worry." Katsuki nodded. Masaru smiled, "I'll wait outside."
Katsuki weakly swung his feet over the bed, biting his cheek, and reaching down for his crutches. He stood them in front of him, trying to ready himself to pull all of his strength into standing. He pulled himself up just enough to lift himself from the bed. He leaned forward but his body wouldn't let itself be straightened out. Katsuki fell forward.
"Jesus, what was that?" Masaru rushed into the room. He made sight of his son sprawled out of the floor. "Oh my god, Katsuki! Are you okay?" He ran to his side.
Katsuki groaned as Masaru lifted him to his knees, "Just giving the floor a lil' kiss." He scrunched his eyebrows, "What?"
"What?"
"What did I say?" Masaru gave him a puzzled look. Katsuki shook his head, "Sorry, I'm fine. Just lost my balance." Masaru lifted him to his feet and carefully handed him his crutches. He walked behind to watch and make sure his son was in his reach in case he fell.
They made their way to the elevator in awkward silence, somewhere in the middle Masaru had to move in front of Katsuki to lead him around the floor. Katsuki didn't understand how big the house was. It felt almost too good to be true.
Once at the elevator, Masaru slid open the metal gate and moved to the side for his son to enter first. Katsuki nodded and made his way in, moving to the closest wall and leaning against it. Masaru walked in and closed the fence. He pressed the button and leaned on a different wall. Katsuki stared at the gate, head against the wall, before noticing something was off.
He lifted his head and shifted his gaze to the ceiling. "Was," he cleared his throat, "Was there always music?"
Masaru smiled, "No. We added it after you went to your room. It's your favorite song, the one we heard in the car, and we thought maybe it would help you feel more at ease."
"Maybe I'll finally get sick of the song."
Masaru chuckled, "You've listened to that song for four years straight. I don't think so." Not a moment later they arrived at the first floor and instead of Masaru opening the fence, a woman was standing by the elevator and opened it for them, bowing as they stepped off. Masaru smiled at the woman and Katsuki nodded. They silently maneuvered through the cramped hallways, Katsuki's crutches slipping at the flooring. It embarrassed Masaru. If only he didn't request to remove the elevator. If only he wasn't so naive to think his son would outgrow his hero obsession. If only he took better care when he saw his son. All sorts of questions filled Masaru's head, but the answers to them don't matter as he can not change the past. What's done is done and he was embarrassed as his son struggled to keep up.
He felt relief when they exited the workers unit and onto the main part of the house, open flooring with a small number of hallways that were large in size. They still needed to go through a hallway, but with how big it felt, he only hoped his son was struggling less.
The dining room was large, sure it was an open concept but even then the space that would be considered the dining area was still big. The dining table was long and marble like most of the house. Like the rest of the house, there was a large rug underneath the table and chairs. Mitsuki sat at one end of the table, food layed out in front of her and two seats at both of her sides.
"Hey," Mitsuki greeted. She stood from her seat and leaned into the table, "I hope you're hungry. We made all your favorites." Masaru helped Katsuki get seated and then rounded the table to his seat across from him. Mitsuki sat and clapped her hands, "Well, let's dig in!"
Katsuki looked at his food, it was steak that had been cut for him along with some steamed and seasoned vegetables, rice, soba, hambagu, and a different assortment of seafood. They filled Katsuki's plate but he never took a bite. He could feel the states they were giving him so he decided to have a piece of broccoli. He picked up the plastic fork and picked up the vegetable. He chewed slowly.
"So," Mitsuki started. "Did you have fun exploring your room?" Katsuki nodded. "I'm sorry, I didn't know you would be on crutches. I mean, I was told you wouldn't walk properly, but I didn't realize." He nodded again. "How does it work, though? 'Cause to have crutches one leg has to be okay, right?" She looked at Masaru, "Right? I'm not crazy, right?"
"No, you're not crazy. Katsuki, could you explain?"
Katsuki cleared his throat, "One is weaker than the other."
Mitsuki hummed, "Okay, but doesn't it strain your leg? Wouldn't a wheelchair have been better?"
Katsuki shrugged, "I don't know."
She turned to Masaru, "We should call Mr. Yazaki, just to check." She took a sip of her drink, "What did you think of your room?"
"It was nice."
"Yeah? You had designed it. Would you like to see the rest of the house?"
"Now?"
"No, not now." Masaru interjected. "Later, maybe with your friends or just with us or with Chef or with a staff," he listed. "You don't even need a tour if you don't want one. You got the basics down." Katsuki nodded. Masaru bit his lip, "Some weather we're having, am I right?"
"Oh my god," Mitsuki muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Katsuki, what do you think of a phone? We're getting you a new one, seeing as your last one broke, and you get to choose, of course."
"Oh, thank you." Katsuki caught Masaru eyeing his plate and he picked up another piece of broccoli.
"So, what kind of phone would you like?"
"Anything is fine, I don't need anything extravagant."
Masaru and Mitsuki gave each other a look. "Okay. It's still going to be the same brand most likely. It's easier to transfer your stuff to a new phone if they're the same brand. We'll figure something out." Mitsuki continued, "How are you feeling? And no bullshitting."
He shrugged, "A little tired."
"Do you still feel confused?" He shrugged. "What are you confused about?"
"I don't know. It's not a bad feeling, though. I like it."
She furrowed her brows, "Okay, how was the hospital? I don't know if you know this but we have never been there. How did they treat you?"
"It was nice," he placed his fork down. "They were nice.."
"What did the doctors say?" Masaru asked.
"They didn't give us some kind of report?" Mitsuki asked Masaru. He shook her head. "What the hell? Katsuki, did they say anything to you about your condition?"
"They said I sustained most of my injuries from when I overused my said quirk."
"Said quirk," Mitsuki repeated. "What is 'said quirk'?" She looked at Masaru, "What does he mean by that?"
Masaru put down his utensils and wiped his mouth with his napkin. He took a sip of water and placed the cup on the table, holding it with both hands. "Katsuki doesn't have a quirk."
She dropped her fork. She stared at Masaru, "What do you mean?"
He took off his glasses and wiped them with a cloth napkin, "I was told the doctors had run tests. They couldn't find any trace that he had ever held a quirk even though he did."
"What?" She screeched. "The fuck do you mean? He just lost his quirk? You don't just lose your fucking quirk!"
"W-wait a seco-"
"And they didn't think to fucking tell us? I can't fucking believe this! I don't care how big that fucking shitty ass school is, I will be taking legal action!"
"Mitsuki! Calm down!" Mistuki silenced. She glared at her husband. Masaru turned to his son, "Katsuki."
He shook his head, "It's alright. It's not common to lose a quirk, I suppose. I just didn't realize how big of a deal it was."
"Why do you think it shouldn't be?" Mitsuki asks.
"Because I wasn't trying to be anything like that." Mitsuki groaned in despair, putting her head in her hands. The table went silent. "I'm sorry."
Masaru spoke up, "No, Katsuki. It's not your fault and we're not mad at you. It's just that your quirk was special to you and having both your memories and quirk gone it's just..." his voice trailed off. "We're sorry, Katsuki. Maybe this was too early. We should've let you rest, I will tell the kids to come on a different day."
Katsuki shook his head, "I can see them."
"Are you sure?" He nodded his head. "Alright," Masaru placed his glasses on his face. "Please, continue eating." Katsuki nodded and the two put their attention to their meals, occasionally stealing glances at Mitsuki who lifted her head back up and ate her dinner.
Katsuki mainly picked at his food, he took a few bites of small and soft foods whenever he could feel their stares at his plate. His jaw felt sore and his arms felt heavy. He cleared his throat, "May I use the bathroom?"
"Of course, honey." His dad replied, "You don't need to ask. Here, I'll take you."
Katsuki let himself be helped to his feet, "May I rest in my room?"
Masaru placed a hand on his cheek, "Yeah, whatever you need." They left Mitsuki at the table and made their awkward journey to Katsuki's room.
Once inside, Katsuki bowed and was left alone. He hurriedly made his way to the bathroom as fast as the crutches could take him. Once near the toilet he tossed them aside and fell to his knees, crawling the rest of the way before vomiting in the bowl. He closed his eyes but that didn't stop the tears from trickling down and he covered his nose at every break, flushing the toilet before repeating the process.