Bakugo could feel the anxiety of anticipation crawling under his skin. It was gut wrenching. He had heard Deku leave his room for his 'appointment' about 30 minutes ago, way longer than his simple blood pumping meet-up. Eri was peacefully sleeping on his lap, curled up like a kitten as bakugo had his legs cross. He was chipping at the grout on the wall, feeling the ever growing darkness that something was going wrong somewhere else. He used his other hand to stroke Eri's soft head, after using his own fingers as a makeshift comb to detangle some of the big knots. He sighed, knowing he unintentionally made room in his heart for another person besides Deku, he really was getting soft. He was beginning to relax himself, feeling his lower body go numb due to the lack of movement, until he heard keys jiggling outside his door, as it burst open without a warning.
Eri, in a panicked kitten state, instantly hid behind Katsuki, he held out his arm in a protective stance, involuntarily growling at the new presence. Out came an over confident asshole who graciously step into the cellar, a weary yellow light highlighting his back which emanated from the now open door. He stood tall, clearly an adult, and a grotesque pelican beak mask protruded from the bottom of his face, hiding his wicked smile. His hands were deep-rooted him his pockets, the top of his pat toned cloves appeared on his wrists. He seemed too chilled out to be talking to his feral prisoner, almost like he did this on the daily, and they weren't even that special. Nevertheless, bakugo remained in his feral state, waiting for the danger to make one wrong move for him to attack, though he was still chained to the wall. The threat chuckled, such a ravage beast deserved his prey.
"Oh don't look so feisty explosion hair, I'm only here to give you a gift. You two have been the upmost polite guests we have had, plus you are looking after the brat so the least we could do was give you a little treat. Toss him in!" at first the figure spoke with a menacingly sweet voice, as if he was talking to cattle. Though his last sentence were directed to whoever was still on the other side of the door. Katsuki shuddered, the sound of his voice made him want to be sick, he wanted to carve his thumbs into those sickeningly confidence eyes, he hated him already. His defensive nature only increased, feeling as if steam was releasing from his eyes as he wish his gaze could pierce through and give this asshole a unibrow. Out from the door, another figure came in, holding a another smaller one and chucked him on the cold hair floor, receiving no reaction from the lifeless new body. Bakugo no longer felt strong in his body. As if in that moment, his entire nervous system shut down. That green mop of hair, that small fragile body, that blood. He wanted to see him so badly.... this was not what he meant.
"DEKU ?! DEKU !!" He screamed, regaining confidence in his body again. He pulled at the chains, trying to run to his boyfriend's lifeless body, he didn't care that the mental was digging into his wrists and ankles, he needed to get to his loved one. Deku looked too still, causing memories and tears threaten to expose themselves. The masked man watched with pleasure, enjoying every squirm, struggle and scream from the 'tough' blond boy.
"Awwww look, the feral beast has a heart." Chisaki mocked, placing a delicate finger over the tip of his weird bird mask. Bakugo felt all the dark past of anger rise within him, no longer pulling on the chains to get to Deku, but to attack. "WHAT THE FUCK HAVE YOU DONE TO HIM?" He screeched, his deep crimson eyes begging to be met with a certain red substance from his enemy. Chisaki chuckled again, turning and waving his hand with dismissiveness. "We had fun..." he said, before slamming the door, leaving the room to fall into darkness once again.
"DEKU, DEKU CAN YOU HEAR ME?!" Bakugo continued to scream, his eyes now concentrated on the body just a meter away. The body wasn't moving, for fuck sake bakugo couldn't even tell if he was breathing. 'shit please just let him be unconscious... I can't lose him again.' He pulled and yanked and tugged but the chains were no use, he was bound to his position. He sunk his knees into the dirt below him, not willing to give up but cried as he tried to find another solution. "Katsuki?" A little girl cried out behind him, feeling the same internal struggle as the blond, though she wasn't cuffed to any chains-... THAT'S IT !! "Eri!! I need you to do a very important thing for me, ok ?! Can you go over to him and put a finger on the inside of his wrists and tell me if you can feel a pulse, is that ok ?" Bakugo begged, placing his hands delicately on her shoulders, both crimson eyes connected with a serious expression. Eri could feel the desperation from the blond, and as requested, she hesitantly walked over to their new visitor. She didn't know the reasoning behind this request, but she could only assume that this was a way to check to see if Izuku was ok. "L-like this ?"she said, placing two fingers over the direct spot Katsuki had requested. "Perfect do you feel anything?" He tried to stay positive, he didn't want to scare the little girl and say that if she felt nothing, she would be touching a corpse. Bakugo was never religious, he mostly didn't give a shit wether or not a god was watching him, but in that moment he hoped they did, and he prayed for them to listen to his calls. Please let izuku be alive... please let his bunny be alive. Kacchan scanned Eri's face with an intensity he could not describe, waiting for any sign from the little girl's expression. At first her face was just puzzled, sending bakugo to fear for the worse, feeling like he could burst into the purest form of grieve as his loved one laid dead in the floor. But then she looked up with a more serious face, awaiting her next instructions.
"Yea, I feel a beating." She said, bakugo celebrating calmly by stopping himself from having a panic attack right there on the spot. He didn't know what he would have done if his boyfriend was actually there, dead in front of him.... Oh wait, he already knows how that feels like, and he sure as hell would not like to experience it again. He sighed a breath of relief, "That's g-good.. that's good. Kiddo, do you think you are strong enough to maybe pull him towards me ? Enough for me to reach. He's always been pretty light so maybe you can do it." Bakugo calmly explained, drowning in the sensation of aching for his boyfriend's touch. That hair, that skin, hell even those damned scars, he wanted to hold it all in his arms. Eri once again hesitated, her frail skinny body displayed no signs of muscle whatsoever, which made her a little bit sceptic. Nonetheless, she agreed, rapped Izuku's arm around her neck, tugging at the much taller but almost equal balanced weight as she walked. "Wow, he is light!" She was incredibly suprised on how easy it was to move the boy, he was heavy for a child no doubt, but she could easily swing his limp arm around her shoulder and drag his body behind her. His head did not move, dangling from his body as if he didn't have to strength to do anything. Bakugo noticed this, so when Eri had reached arms distance from him, he instantly cupped his delicate cheeks, taking his body and cradling it on his knees.
"Fuck... bun what did they do to you?!." Bakugo was mortified by his condition. His cold limp body was emaciated, though he was supposedly use to the feeling of hunger, Deku had definitely shrunk tenfolds, almost returning to his original state from the beginning of the year. Some cuts and scars were re opened, and his stomach wound was sore but not bleeding or anything. Inside, bakugo was so overwhelmed with joy to be able to hold his bun like he had been dreaming of doing for so long. He laid Deku between his legs, his bodying facing towards Katsuki as he gently resting his head on his chest, placing a delicate kiss in his forehead and began stroking his hair. He wanted to make Deku as comfortable as he can be when he woke up, eager to see the wide-eyed joy of seeing he was in the blond's embrace. Katsuki felt guilty for smiling at the boy, though yes he was very happy to hug his precious boyfriend, he was in such a state that bakugo felt like he should feel angry, but he wasn't, for a split second he didn't care about those assholes in the other side of that go forsaken door, it was him, and his small broken boyfriend before his very eyes...... and Eri.
"Eri, do you know what they could have done to him ?" He finally acknowledged the small one, as she watched from her standing position, fiddling with the edge of her dress. She had never seen the two boys together until now and her heart was beating like mad. Maybe it could be the fact that Izuku was probably injured beyond repair or maybe it was because this was the first time in her life, she had witnessed love between two souls, a deep caring love that she still could not understand. It was the way bakugo gently caressed the unconscious boy's cheek, it was the way he kissed him even though he knew that Izuku was unable to return the favour, it was the way he held him so lovingly, it was different to the way he cradled her, it was a lot more tender. She sighed, the fear and panic inside her resonated once again.
"They p-probably put him in the chamber." She said, remembering the horrible methods her father used on her. Bakugo looked up at eri, with such a vague name, this obviously can't be good. "What's the chamber?" Bakugo asked hesitantly, he didn't want to trigger any unwanted memories. Though it was true that talking was painful for Eri, she knew that he had every right to know what had happened to someone he loves so much, so she pushed it aside. "It's when y-you are floating in a tube and connected to wires. You have an oxygen mask that gives you a thin supply of air. They start sending electricity through your body, not enough for you to die, and due to the lack of oxygen you are supposed to be able to control your breathing as you can't gasp for air. Father told me that its an endurance test, but it never made me look like... that afterwards." Eri explained, as calmly as she could. Bakugo found himself even more mortified at this discovery, that sounded like literal hell, why would anyone want to inflicted so much pain onto innocent people ?! "You have been through that before ?!" He asked, the a sickening thought of such a twisted torture method being used on a literal child was beyond his comprehension.
Before Eri could answer, A certain body started to groan, stirring for split second as bakugo began to feel excitement, mixed with dread, bubble inside him. "Deku ?! Deku bunny !! It's me, you are in my arms, wake up !!" He practically shouted, which wasn't the great idea considering the small boy flinched as the intensity of his voice. Bakugo instantly regretted it, and apologised by softly stroking the green haired boy's cheek, urging him to wake up. "K...a...chan ?" A croaky voice stuttered, sending shivers down bakugo's spine. Hearing his voice, really made it confirm that his boyfriend was truly in his arms. Tears threatened to spill, not wanting to make Eri worried, he held them back with massive inhale and exhale of relief. "That's me, the spikey puff ball you love, come on open your eyes." Katsuki tried to joke, knowing that the minute he opened his eyes, their world would go back to normal, as long as he was next to him, everything will be fine. The eyes teased the blond boy as they fluttered open and closed over and over again. When they finally calm down, bakugo was overcome with joy, he was here, he was with him, he was....
"I.... ka...chan?.... why is everything so.... dark?"..... something is wrong. Kacchan stared at the boy and looked back at Eri, who had a confused and terrified look on her face. "What do you mean? It's bright enough for you to see me you damn nerd." Katsuki nervously chuckled, just assuming this was his eyes re-adjusting to the new environment, surely it was just that, right ?
"No.. kacchan... It's all dark....." Deku's eyes seemed like they were trying to focus on something, but failed. He looked dazed and confused, the ever-droning feeling of dread seeped into the cracks of his lips. Bakugo's eye contact with Eri only grew to a somewhat panicked expression, his nervous laugh slowly dying down. "H...hey. Come on Deku stop screwing around." His eyes began to water, this can't be happening right? please god don't let this be happening! He could feel his heart being sliced vertically like some anime character just lifted the sword from its case for a second. Everything was crumbling apart.
"Kacchan !! I can't see anything !!" Deku shot up, his wide eyes glistening due to his tears. They were looking at Bakugo, but not really. They were dazed, the pupils still dilated. Bakugo stared in horror as he was forced examine those big round eyes. Something was definitely wrong, his irises were a mint green, no longer the emerald colour that bakugo had adored. His right eye's pupil seemed to be more frozen over than the left, though both still dazed. Bakugo couldn't believe it, it was real. Bakugo cupped deku's cheek, the small boy flinched at the movement he wasn't expecting, making the blond recoil in anguish. "D-..Deku ?" Was the only thing he seemed to murmur as the tears rolled down his cheek, staring in shock as Deku seemed to frantically look around, waiting for a sign of life.
"It's all a blur..... everything is a dark blur!!" Deku screamed, tugging at his hair. From deku's perspective, all he could see was a few catch lights and the occasional blurry colour of ash blond, everything was darker than it should be, he could barely seem his own fucking hands. It felt so suffercating, everything hurt but this was the worst pain of them all. It was frustrating, this was supposed to be the moment where he could see his stunning boyfriend, but now he is just a dark blur. He tugged at his hair, as if he could pull a lever to fix his stupid eyes. He couldn't move, he was too weak to anyway. He was afraid. Bakugo snapped out of his panicked state and gently placed his own hands over the others, letting the freckled hands to unclamped his hair. He brought the deku's hands and placed them over hischest. "Shh, Im here.... I'm here in front of you." Katsuki said, trying his best not to reveal that he was crying uncontrollably. He had to be the brave one here, he had to stay strong for Izuku. Tears poured down the concave off deku's cheeks, he used the information he had just gather from his hands to lunge himself into the big muscly embrace. "Kacchan !! I'm scared, I- I" he choked on his words, he was still in pain from the... experience before hand. Bakugo drew circles on his band to calm him down, knowing that touch will be a priority for a while. He used his other hand to gently press the green haired head into his chest once more, playing with his hair in a melancholy way. He turned to Eri, who had joined in on the 'cry-uncontrollable-tears' department.
"Do you know anything about this eri ? Please tell me this is just a side effect right? He will be fine soon right ?" He begged with desperation, Izuku clinging on to the remainders of bakugo's shirt as he sobbed in dispair. All she wanted to do was to say yes... yes this was a side-effect, yes he will be fine soon.... but, that would be lying, wouldn't it. "N-no.... this has never happened before." She said, disappointed in herself, wiping away a tear that had reached the bottom of her button nose. Bakugo sat there is disbelief. So that's it? This was real? After all that begging and crying for just wanting to see his stupid face, some fucked up god out there decided to torture him more ? He couldn't imagine how horrible this must be for Izuku, he couldn't imagine what had happened outside of that door. But he knew that this was already the last fucking straw. "Shit.... shit Izuku I'm so sorry."he rested his own head on top of the green mop of hair he had so dearly missed. The room was filled with silence, the only sound was one of sobbing. Both Izuku's and katsuki's world view had been turned upside down, and for Deku especially... every felt dark. He needed to think positively, but how can he do that if the world was going to be out of sight forever? How was going to pursue his dream career with a metaphorical blind fold? How was he going to protect the ones he loved ?..... but what if the ones he loved didn't need protecting?
"At least... you are here right ?" Deku was the first to break the silence, hugging bakugo more, nuzzling his face into that warm body. He was still here, he was still with Kacchan, so not everything was a bad right. He so desperately wanted to see those beautiful crimson eyes, but it's not like they were gone forever, he could find away to see them again. Bakugo felt his heart pang with despair.... and hope ? Deku's words always had that effect on him. "I'm.... getting sleepy ok... can w-we cuddle, like we use to do?" Deku requested, nuzzling into the beautiful man-breasts of his boyfriend, closing his eyes as there was no use of them now. He listened to the sound of the other's heart beat.... ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump.............ba-dump....did he just skip a heart beat ? Cute.
"S-sure...." bakugo stuttered, wiping away the incrusted tears under his under-eye bags. If this was to help his bun feel better, then he will do anything for him. Besides, he loved Deku hugs more than anything. Deku almost forgot about the little girl standing in disbelief, he tried to smile wide, not knowing if he was in view of her or not. "Eri...come join us" he said, shakily waving his hand as the adrenaline was leaving his skeleton of a body. Eri agreed, hesitantly stepping over and being loosely enclosed in a loving grasp by both boys, feeling their warmth. She didn't get it, Izuku was now blind, and yet they found time to give love to her.... was this what feeling loved felt like? She looked up to Izuku's face which was softly smiling whilst listening to the sound of Katsuki's heartbeat, tears still staining his cheeks. She looked up at Katsuki, who was pensively staring off into the distance whilst rubbing the back of his newly acquired blind boyfriend. His face was one of determination, tears still leaking from his eyes.
"Izuku... I promise, you will see again. I'll take you to the best doctor in the world if I have to, we are going to get out of here."
~*
Deku fluttered his eyes open, half expecting to see the grimy wall that he had grown so accustomed to, but alas, all he could see was a blurry shadow. He had been hoping that it was all just a dream, or at least an 'in-that-moment' panic. He would have been fine with waking up on his side of the wall if it meant seeing again, but instead, he was still being cradled by kacchan, and Eri snoring away on his stomach, or at least that was what he could feel. If he was speaking to someone on the outside, he would call this sudden blindness a tedious nuisance, annoying but unable to break him down, but deep inside, he was suffocating. This was so infuriatingly predictable and yet confusing. He found himself asking 'Why did it have to be me?' And yet he also found himself stating, 'of course it had to be me.' So many thoughts rumbled in the back of his thoughts, as his eyes stared vacantly into the empty space he was greeted with.
"Deku are you awake? can you hear me ?" Kacchan's soft voice softly startled Izuku, not expecting him to be awake, saying that, how could he tell. "Seems like that's the only thing I can do at the moment..." he yawned, the pessimism in the boy's voice only made Katsuki bubble with a poisonous sadness. "Did you just wake up?" He asked again, feeling like all he could was ask questions, pretty obvious ones at that. Deku stirred in Bakugo's arms, trying his best not to awake or put any discomfort on Eri, though he couldn't tell if she was awake to. "Yea... how about you?" Deku asked solemnly, feeling like he was incredibly selfish for not asking sooner. In any normal scenario, he would have been beyond ecstatic to see his boyfriend, holding him and enjoying his warmth. But he hasn't technically seen his boyfriend yet, has he. If anything, it felt like he was back on the other side of the wall, further away than imagined. On the other hand, he still enjoyed the warmth of his beloved, that was a plus side at least. Bakugo scoffed, feeling his heavy eyelids droop at the question. "Nah, I didn't sleep." He sighed, supressing a over exaggerated yawn. He had spent (what he believes to be) over 8 hours examining the little body he cradled, checking for any infections and just overall, keeping an eye on him. He just couldn't find himself able to relax, his eyes were permanently forced open, scoping the empty area for threats. It was as if the moment his guard was down, his broken beloved would be snatched away from him once again. He had watched as Deku woke up, and witnessed him staring into the wall with little to no expression. It was a gut wrenching sight to see to say the least, watching your boyfriend eyes look so vacant and follow. Deku followed the direction of the voice, not to attempt tolook at him, but directing his face so the other could see it. "Kacchan, you know that is not good for your health!" he whined, weekly pouting at the mention of Bakugo's bad habit.
Bakugo could get a clear view of that freckled face. His two visible scars were still there, though they seemed sorer than usual. He had a few additional scratches and bruises, but not deep enough to leave a mark. He was pale, very very pale, it was like all of his face, including his eyes, were wiped off most of its color. The only feature that still showed a sign of life was the subtle pink blush that was permanently there and those star like freckles that still playfully danced around his cheeks. Those freckles were a sign of deception in Katsuki's eyes, reminding him of the jolly times when Deku was somewhat healthy. He still wanted to kiss every single one of those little spots though... and maybe join them together, to find any constellations, Deku always had the ability to bring out the childish side of Katsuki. He smiled for a moment but then scoffed at deku's last statement. "Yea well, so is having most of your blood pumped out of you and turning blind due to stress." He said with an unintentional snarky tone. He sound like he was angry at deku, but truly he was just angry at himself. He could feel his eyes beg for slumber, and yet, if he fell asleep and something would happen, he would never forgive himself. Deku thought for a moment, his face metaphorically pending until he looked sternly into thin air.
"That's it, we are switching positions!" He said suddenly, lifting Eri's body up as he tried his best to lay her back down into kacchan's arms as he stood. Bakugo sat there confused as hell, watching his boyfriend wave his arm around to get his bearings. "Wahh... what are you doing ?!" Bakugo asked, sounding like he had taken over deku's flustered role. Deku had reached his hand on the blond's shoulder, knowing where to go from there. He gently repositioned himself behind the blond, taking Bakugo's original place. Though Deku was a lot smaller than bakugo, he still managed to rap himself around the boy as he gently pulled the blond's head towards his chest. "I'm Giving you some much needed mental break time.... sleep!" He said, glee filling his tone as he was proud of his big idea. Bakugo looked up, his eyes connecting with the other's as they were still staring into nothing. He also saw a smug looking grin on that pale freckled face, which Bakugo just couldn't understand why.
"How can you be so chipper ?! How are so caring towards me when you are completely fucking blind ?! I just.... I just don't get it." He whisper shouted, trying to sit up but to no avail, found himself being dragged back by Izuku's arms. He really didn't understand, how can someone go through so much and come out on top with a smile on his face. The world was too grim to deserve such a kind smile, so why was he so willing to give it away. Deku tried to look down at him and then smiled. "Well, number one, I'm not completely blind!! everything is dark and extremely blurry, but I can see regular shapes and where stuff generally is. The fact that it has gotten better since a few hours ago means that it is curable right? Secondly, of course I'm going to be caring towards my boyfriend. Kacchan, I don't want to think about how much stress you are being put under. Sure I'm getting a lot more physical abuse, but I can't imagine what you are going through in your mind." Deku explained, gently rubbing Bakugo's head, playing with his hair, a weakness he didn't know he had. He felt himself relax, though his mind was kicking him for doing so. Izuku's calm voice sent bakugo down a wave of emotions, though they were not overloading him, more calming him down. Maybe it was the way that Deku delicately stroked his suprisingly fluffy hair, the blond was incredibly touch starved after all. He had never even considered the fact of being cuddled by Deku, he was always the one doing the cuddling! Especially after what Deku had just been through, this did not feel appropriate to Katsuki, and yet his body said otherwise. Deku sighed, feeling the internal struggle radiating from the spikey haired boy.
"Kacchan, you haven't been the same since that incident, and I don't blame you. You watched me die in your arms!!! of course you are going to be protective and anxious about my well-being. And for you to listen to me from behind that wall and me becoming blind before you could do anything.... kacchan, you must be in a lot pain. And I'm here for you, you feral Pomeranian. A relationship has to go both ways, and it's time you have someone acknowledge your struggles." Deku explained, moving forward to place his lips on any surface he could find that belonged to the body below him, kacchan's forehead for the most part. That was it, that was what sent the blond over the edge. He clung onto the remainder of deku's shirt, feeling his own tears soak the surface. This wasn't a panic attack like his mind immediately jumped to, this wasn't even that much of a sombre cry... it felt relieving. Finally feeling acknowledged was exhilarating. He hadn't even realized how much weight he was carrying, all these traumatic moments happening to Deku had subconsciously been affecting him to, as he watched from an outside perspective. This constant feeling of hopelessness and isolation made him feel like he had no control over his own life.... and he didn't even realise he was screaming for help.
"Cry as much as you want to. I'm not going anywhere." Deku said, gently rubbing the back of the blond, feeling the sobs and the hiccups make his friend guilt crawl in his thoughts once again. He knew his boyfriend needed to know that his efforts were validated, he was glad that bakugo was allowing himself to also show vulnerability, but now he wants to punch himself in the face for making his amazing partner cry. "Deku... I'm scared that I'm gonna lose you." Kacchan sniffed, interrupting deku's agressive thoughts towards himself. He sighed, of course kacchan would be afraid, it's kacchan, and he's just as human as the rest of them. He had seen Bakugo's cries for help, pleading and fear , but he unintentionally Ignored them, some boyfriend he was. Nevertheless, he hesitantly slid his hand down, careful not to accidentally poke an eye out, and rubbed away the tears that plagued the blond boys eyes. "I know... but you won't!" he said, as straightforward as he could for a gay guy.
"Tch... how do you know that?" Bakugo sighed, his pessimistic thoughts still very much present. Deku nervously chuckled, feeling embarrassed for saying something that might be considered dumb. "Well I personally I believe you can't lose me until there isn't a single trace of me anywhere. And even though I may not have much to give, I've already left my mark on little Eri here, on our class and on you! sure I may... go way someday, but it's those memories that keep me alive with you right ? So unless you are planning on decontaminating every I have ever touched, you are stuck with me for life.....Period." Bakugo found himself puzzled for a moment at this way of thinking. This was something he also wanted to believe in, it resonated with him. But that deep connection was interrupted but the inclusion of the last word, sending him snickering at the unexpected meme. "Pfft... who taught you that?....wait let me guess..."
"Kaminari!" both said in unison, sending them in a roar of laughter. Bakugo wiped away the now tears of laughter, finally feeling like a teenager again by the sheer mention of their chaotic friend. Deku has stopped laughing before bakugo, smiling to himself as a blush crept on his face "Ya know what's the worst part about being... you know... unable to see." The green haired boy sighed. Bakugo had almost forgot that Deku was blind, which wasn't the nicest reminder in the worst. Still, he gave in and shrugged, hoping he didn't have to talk about this topic for much longer. Deku's grip on bakugo grew tighter, as bakugo was brought back to deku's chest, listening to his heartbeat as he spoke. "I can't see that amazing rare laugh you have." He spoke in a low tone in kacchan's ear, sending a shiver down his spine. Did the nerd just.... flirt with him? Bakugo buried his face into the nerds chest, cursing at himself for being glad that Deku was blind, as he was blushing uncontrollably. Deku chuckled, feeling the flustered energy coming from that porcupine. Bakugo coughed away this indescribable feeling, sensing like he should flirt back. "Well if it's any consolation. You really did leave your mark on me... it's because of you that have changed for the better. Thank you Izuku Midoriya, you are forever in my heart." though his words were meant to be flirty, they came out a lot more sentimental than he would have liked. He quickly changed that awkward feeling ending, he simply finished off with a.. "period." Deku chuckled, also blushing uncontrollably.
"Did you just say a meme?"
"Don't ruin the moment."
"Imma have to tell the whole class now!"
"DONT RUIN THE MOMENT NERD!!"
Deku laughed at kacchan's tsundere approach to everything, wishing he could see his cute, suprisingly chubby enough, red cheeks. Though the inclusion of the meme culture did sent his mind reeling somewhere else.
'I wonder how the others are doing.'
~*
The class walked to the hospital in an orderly fashion, almost like a herd of mindless zombies on their way back to their graves. They just had a week of suspension since the day of the terrorist attacks and the couple's kidnapping so life had been moving pretty slow. Miraculously there were only a few casualties, leaving many people injured, and a handful dead. They had heard through the news that a few people were saved by a green haired teenager, rapping bandages around their wounds and lifting rubble of their bodies. They were calling this mysterious boy their hero and the class instantly knew who this was, which only made his deprivation even more disturbing. That week of being left in the dark was torture for the friend group, 2 people in hospital, 2 people missing, all 4 of them being vital parts of the class' moral. It was infuriatingly predictable, seems like only the charismatic ones get targeted, in this scenario, for the worse.
The news of Iida and Todoroki awakening was bittersweet. They hadn't heard much from them, but they were generally told that they were left with minor injuries. They had been sedated due to the stress, after being intoxicated with stains weird concoction of tranquilliser, victims would find themselves unable to think properly for a few days, so they were put into a medically endured coma for a short period of time. However, just because their pain was minor compared to the whole 'classmates-are-missing' subject, didn't mean that their well-being was any less significant. The herd mindlessly droned into the hospital, not even communicating with each other, just looking dead ahead. 'The same hospital as last time' they collectively thought, memories of that dreaded night at the training camp swarming their buzz filled minds. Mr Aizawa, who had to chaperone his class for the time being, stepped forward to the front desk, being the only one brave enough to speak outside of their depressed thoughts. The scruffy adult was even more scruffier that usual. The bags under his eyes had increased, and his once silky smooth hair had turned until an un-detanglable mess. He had the bad habit of over thinking situations with a pessimistic view, and though he had hope of his childre-.... his students survival, there was a small part of his ethos that reminded him that miracles don't happen twice in a row. After midoriya's revival after his fatal blow to the abdomen, he became a believer of miracles, but even he knew that Miracles don't happen Willy-nilly. Nevertheless, he stayed strong for his missing problem children, not even realizing how much his missed listening to that 'old-married-couple' bickering from the front right of the homeroom.
He was given the floor and the room number, and once again the gathering moved in unison silently into the elevator, no quirky 'haha' commentary, no Kaminari pressing all the buttons.... nothing. Time moved so slow and yet so fast for the group, simultaneously feeling like they have been in that god-forsaken hospital for hours, and yet they had arrived at their destination sooner than expected. Mr Aizawa gently slid open the door, all scared to find any more depressing imagery to send them over the edge. However, they were surprisingly met with a calm Todoroki, sitting up right on the bed, looking like his aloof self.
"Sup." He said in his low monotoned voice, attempting to lift his hand up as a small wave, but then realizing after that he was in a cast. To say that them finding such a calming and almost comedic moment play out infront of them was any less than surprising was an understatement. The group piled into the room , which was only preoccupied by 3 other beds inside. Luckily there was no one else who was bunking with Todoroki and Iida, meaning they were left alone in their room to recover.
"Todoroki! How you feeling?!" Uraraka asked first, stepping closer than anyone else dared to, placing one of her tiny hands on the edge of the bed. Todoroki did not look too damaged, his left arm was invaded with a sturdy cast but other than that, he was covered with small bandages and plasters. "Good... sorry, iida is currently being examined, he will be back soon." Todoroki answered, he seemed more calm than he did before the incident, as before he was still sulking due to the guilt of exposing the couple. This confused the class to their entirety, none of them had been able to sleep for the pass week, and yet he seemed so chipper. Did he not know ?
"Don't worry bro, we understand." Sero said, solemnly rubbing the back of his neck. None of them wanted to be the one to bring it up, it was either due to not wanting to return unwanted memories, not wanting to tell Todoroki up right just incase he was being left in the dark on purpose and because it was too hard to mention without someone Shedding a tear. "I heard stain turned himself in after what happened. Pretty freaky shit but I heard he was actually kinda hurt after your confrontation." Jirou also stepped forward, not wanting to make it look like the whole of the class were avoiding the calm candy-caned man. Todoroki chuckled, wishing he could rub his neck for his awkwardness. "Yea, that's all thanks to bakugo, he really stood his ground. Speaking of the spawn of Satan, where is he? and where's Midoriya? I still need to apologize." His voice had turned less monotone, that guilt still hidden in the back of his tongue. He was startled when he was met with shocked and appalled faces, some hiding their expressions as not to start bursting into tears right there and then. Did he say something wrong ?
"Todoroki, haven't you been told ?" Asui's blunt croaky voice coming though from behind her taller peers, not afraid to speak the truth that no one else wanted to express. Todoroki could finally see the depression that was emanating from his classmates, which filled him with a sense of dread. "T-Told what ?" He sounded more human, his smooth silky voice now a cracking at the terrifying faces of his peers. "Dude, it was written on the group chat, you responded. didn't you scroll up?" Kirishima said in shock, still trying to prolong the inevitable. Todoroki was getting frustrated, he leaned closer to the edge and swung his legs off, directly facing them with confused and scared eyes. "No I just wanted food- why ? Is something going on? Are they ok ?" He asked desperately. His scrambled mind not even noticing the yellow hair that was slowing coming towards him.
"We don't know." Todoroki looked up, a sad but familiar face peaking out of a dark hoodie . Kaminari had dark circles around his eyes, and his hair was flater than usual when he finally removed his hood. Kaminari was taking the news a lot worse than anyone else in the class. Not only due to the fact that he generally thinks of the two mentioned as brothers, but his ADHD was flooding him with an extra amount of overwhelming emotions. He had grown attached to his classmates, especially Izuku, finding the need to protect him and nourriture him as if he was the younger brother he never had. However, now that he is currently missing, his flooding attachment issues had swarmed his mind into a depressive episode. Todoroki looked up at this kid, he couldn't even recognize his voice, let alone his vibe, he was so quiet. The class were use to the funny, happy go lucky, 'doesn't-think-before-doing' pikachu, that they could never expect such a depressing sight to be seen from his once bright face, which made the week prior even more unbearable. Todoroki's confused face said it all, making Kaminari sigh as he understood this. He to was confused, he couldn't even imagine a life without one of his many family members to not be a part of it. He delicately placed his hand on the half'n'half ( as bakugo would put it ) boy's shoulder, as tears threatened to ooze out.
"They are missing. It's been exactly a week, still no sign of them." He sniffed back the tears, the other one shaking his head frantically before nervously laughing. "You have got to be kidding me right ? This is just another one of your pranks righ-" in that moment of Todoroki's pleads, two tear drops fell into his lap, but it was not his own. Kaminari was sobbing to himself, inviting Todoroki into a hug as he softly cried into the other's shoulder . Todoroki was in shock, not being use to this at all. He looked at the rest of his classmates from behind Denki's convulsing body, their faces equally showing the same amount of despair. Even mr Aizawa, who was covering up one of his eyes with his scarf.
"This is...... I... I-" he stuttered, feeling his own tears begin to pool out of his eye sockets. He used his free hand to grasp onto the roots of his hair, tugging lightly as a frustration dealing tactic. He still hasn't proved himself worthy of forgiveness yet, and now he had failed to protect them. His mind filled with guilt, but realized he couldn't imagine the guilt that Iida must be feeling. Wait, if Todoroki didn't know, then....
"Shit...., how are we going to tell iida-" he said in a panicked tone, Kaminari ungrasping him in a state of shock and also panic. The world stood still for a moment until the class heard footsteps behind them.
"Tell me what ?."
There stood a tall boy at the door, still holding his IV drip in his left hand as the right was protected in a cast. No one knew how much of the conversation he must have overheard, but surely it was only a little due to the content facial expression on his face by his friends visit. They could not say a word just yet, blatantly ignoring his question by changing the subject. "Iida? How are you? How was your check up?" Uraraka asked desperately, the one who was the most concerned for their robot friend. She had liked him for a while, and had planned to confess after their tournament with 1-B, but due to the unfortunate and unforeseen turn of events, she found it inappropriate and waited until the time was right. Iida sighed, shuffling towards his bed behind Todoroki, sitting down before he got too tired.
"My right arm tendons are severely damaged. With out a certain surgery, it's movement will be restricted." He explained, looking down at the tight bandages around his broken arm. He didn't want to tell the class just yet that he won't be taking any surgery in the mean time, not until he proved to himself that he deserves to be influential figure. He didn't tell them because he knew they would try and talk him out of this risky decisions, but his mind was made up, and he was content with. He smiled to himself, the slight hint of a guilty conscience resonated within his glistening eyes.
"But Nethermind that. First, I need to apologize for my misconduct. I realized that I have been very distant to all of you due to my vengeful thoughts, I can't imagine how worried I could have made you feel, and for that I'm sorry." He said, taking the opportunity to smile widely to his peers. He had vowed to himself to try and be like a certain someone, someone he really looked up to and admired. The class shivered at this sight, a not so friendly reminder of the empty dorm rooms back at home. "Iida it's ok b-But-" Kirishima tried to gently break the news, but was interrupted iida waving his free hand in his usual robot fashion, though it was more wonky due to using his left arm.
"No no, I must insist. Though I must enquire, are both midoriya and bakugo staying at the hospital with us ?" He questioned, finally speaking out about the shortage of students who have visited. They had just done this whole shenanigan with Todoroki, who bare in mind was still in shock, and now they have to do it to the guy who instigated their run in with stain in the first place. It was frustrating, but before they could finally speak up, iida began to mumble under his breath, speaking to himself, much again like their sweet little green haired classmate. "Or have they already awoken. I wouldn't be surprised if they healed quicker than us. But the truth is, that if it is anyone that I have to apologize to, it's those two-"
"They are missing.... they were captured by stain." It became too excruciating to see Iida's blind imitation of their dear friend, so Todoroki ripped it off like a bandage, not letting him be the only one who was raw to the news. Iida stood there in shock, Todoroki rarely ever interrupted people, he had too much posh boy charm to do something so unprecedented. He hesitantly laughed, "No.... no they can't be...." he stuttered, Todoroki's words still ringing in his ears. It had played in loop in such a short period time over and over again, that the words no longer processed as words. 'He probably meant that they are somewhere else right ? Like gone to a park or gone to get lunch right ?' Iida's eyes finally gazed back to the rest of the class, who were now holding back inevitable tears, their faces clearly hinting that the couple were not just having a leisurely day out.
"Iida... I..." asui tried to speak, but even she was lost for words. The group decided to not just stand in the corner of the room, but express their support through action. They careful placed themselves around the two boys beds, some sitting down, some standing up but all comforting each other. Everything felt bittersweet. Everything felt wrong but right. They had each other, except not really. What would have become of the group if Midoriya and bakugo were never in the class, to be honest, they would definitely not be as close as they are now. Watching the couples bond mend and grow itself helped the group want to be understanding to one another. They stayed in their semi-circle for a while, all connected by a simple hand on each other's shoulder or a deep routed hug. They have otherwise easily been avoiding the solemm subject for the past week. So this was the first time they have actually all sat down and finally acknowledging the twisted nature of their Situation. Izuku Midoriya and Katsuki bakugo were missing, the last incounter they had in public, was with a notorious serial killer.... they are presumably dead, though the authorities were still investigating.
"do we have any intel ?" Iida spoke with serious low voice, no longer carrying that familiar optimistic impersonation. He looked at Jirou, knowing that both of her parents are police officers, so if anyone had that information, it would be her. She sighed, knowing that sooner of later someone would enquire her about info. "No.... the police have a lead, something to do with a decade old yakuza group but... they don't know where they are located, or if they are even.... alive. Though they are still trying to find possible hostage areas.... they are also doing a search for.... bodies." She stated hesitantly, rubbing the back of her neck in the awkwardness of mentioning that her parents are considering the two boys... dead. Iida flinched at the last sentence... this was all his faul-
"Iida this wasn't your fault."Uraraka said, placing her delicate hand on his back. He knew he had no time for this, this wasn't his moment to make it about himself. "I know.... I'm not going to start a pity party.... I'm just so worried." He said, holding back the true amount of emotions welling up inside him. The last time he kept his emotions to himself, he ran into a serial killer without a plan, so he wasn't planning on keeping them to himself like he usually would do. They remained in an uncomfortable silence, no mumbling, no shouting, no dumb 'whey' noises Kaminari would make just randomly... just silence. Aizawa couldn't take this anymore, this wasn't his class, he was not going to fail them as a teacher again.
"Kids.... I get why you are all stressed, but this time should not feel limited. As your teacher I should say not to worry about them and focus on your studies, but as human-being, I'm telling you not worry because those problem children will be fine. I don't think anything can bring them down, especially not when they are together. I promise you, they will return to us, and one day they will be all fine and you can do whatever you stupid teenagers do. Believe in them, the way that they believe in you." His inspirational speech had somewhat inspired them, though it was what most of their inner monologue was screaming at them from the start. However, hearing it from their otherwise lax teacher made it drive home a lot harder. For a stuck up stickler for the rules, he sure does act like a tsundere, as he hid his embarrassment by turning his back towards the children to go get a coffee of something, letting them have their angst filled teenaged moment. However, he was not expecting to be suddenly hugged from behind by a sobbing Pokemon character, Kaminari. He was stunned, but not surprised by his actions, that annoying pikachu looking ass could not handle his emotions as much as he would like. He had grown to be very touched starved, hugging almost anyone who he felt safe around. So, in away, it made Aizawa very happy the fact that this worrisome kid had placed the teacher in his protective circle, (another adoptive paper to sign)
"This is the only time you are gonna get this, make this count." Turning around and opening his arms out to the others, though he wasn't expecting to be met with a tsunami of children crushing him in a group embrace. Though initially it hurt, he could not stop laughing to himself.
"Stupid problem children. "