Chapter Text
It was already the end of the summer holidays, the days began with the warmth of the wind with an aroma that warned of the occasional rains in the city, commonly that only happened in a few minutes in a very small amount, the young people of the schools did not they worried about this fact as they all made their way back to their classes, of course none of them could get lost after moving on to the next grade.
On the other hand, it had been a week since they entered, it could not hurt someone so much, right? A young man had passed day by day with the words dragged by the weather,
he would go from calling it volatile because despite the calm of the lessons his thoughts seemed to have more weight lately allowing the attention spans to be slightly shorter.
Bakugo Katsuki was the victim of that phenomenon, he was spending more and more energy passing that boy with green hair, since both had passed of age, with the same age still living in the same space growing distant, he was not sure why that was happening, the fault must have been the period in which they were, that is, even if it was the beginning after this year they would both leave in other directions.
Although time went by, he still looked the same while he himself was a self-image of progress ... so why is it that now of all the years it seems different to him? One side pulled and the other pushed, it made him uncomfortable and irritated but everything was confusing, that is why he blocked the echo of his voice by enclosing himself in a bubble in his head; That would prove to be a worse option, each day he was left behind and had to stay to study later while the entrusted were cleaning, he looked outside the window that particular day, the other was inside 'Rain, rain' in repetition around the room but outside it was clear 'I'm going home' was given in response to getting up.
In Deku's side, the long-awaited return to school had finally arrived, summer threatened not to be as warm as the inhabitants of Shizuoka City were used to: large, fat gray clouds decorated what used to be a blue sky before.
A sensation of pressure in his chest was tormenting his from the first day of school, it was as if his mood was as sad as the landscape that was drawn above his head; It seemed somewhat nostalgic, the heavy sighs did not stop escaping as he went with that yellow backpack on the way to school, why would it be like this? It was like a warning, a sixth sense that is activated for pure protection.
Anyway, he decided not to take it too much, he wanted to tear it down with that sweet and impossible dream of being a hero. Impossible? In a world where more than 80% of the inhabitants have a special ability? Well, yes, I had To live with being one of that other percentage that had been born totally ordinary, B-But that wouldn't stop him from dreaming about that! Oh yeah ...? It doesn't matter! I'd go ahead one way or another.
The saliva that he swallowed as soon as he received the so common daily taunts burned his throat, it was as if he tried to swallow hot mud and it made lumps in his windpipe, choking and making it difficult to breathe. He could bear it, he could bear the explosions on his face and the "Kill Yourselfs" by that boy with the explosions who had once played heroes with him, the one who had become a goal to overcome and who in a certain way had become a symbol of admiration for poor Midoriya.
Although all week it had rained for small periods of time, that day only seemed to threaten them, but no drop had complied with this. Being one of the first on the attendance list, he and several others had to clean the classroom after school, in that small period of time in which the teachers began to leave; The funny thing was that Bakugo had decided to stay, he seemed to be studying or reviewing something like that, his curious attention was placed behind the boy's back to use a little in those notes that were written quickly and in which he heard how the tip of the pencil was broke over and over again.
"Will he have problems in the matter? Maybe it's just stress, uuh, but Kacchan has always been smart, is he stressed?"
He wondered and muttered to himself as he did his broom work. He had to admit that he got really into this, barely noticed, Bakugo was already leaving the classroom with that stooped pose and killer gaze; The young man's worried emerald gaze went to the living room window, The sky was grayer than ever! It was almost confirmed that the rain was about to start and it was clear that Bakugo was not carrying an umbrella.
- Kacchan, wait! -
The green-haired voice along with his hurried footsteps urgently needed the other's attention.
- It's about to rain and you're going to get wet! I have an umbrella, we could ... We could go together so you won't catch a cold.
He suggested as he squeezed the old wood of the broom that was still held in his hands, with a little air of hope from a "Tch, okay" that looked further away than anything, he didn't waste much trying anyway.
Yes, that day seemed not to be happening, as the sounds of the outside world drowned out of his bubble his loud and irritated footsteps quickened with the boy's voice echoing loudly within his, any instance of him was a reaction lighting a lighter that It burned in seconds, I had not seen it all summer, why is it that now it returns to it? In the footsteps of him closer
Closer
Close ... to him.
-Rain?-
Backing slowly looking at the green-haired boy approaching, he planted his feet in reality, of course that was not hallucinating him, but outside it looked like the rest of the days, if he wanted to leave before it rained he would run home before accompany you.
Walking with the tunnel view I pass him by giving him a look that intended everything to say 'Get away from me' and he took a step out of the roof awning outside the school, being that the other is still nothing more than one distraction.
The rejection was absolute, curt as usual. That sensation in his throat had returned, that lump that made his breathing weak. Her concern increased as the sky began to make those typical thunder sounds that threatened something even bigger than they were used to. She put the broom aside and ran to grab his umbrella and then get as fast as possible to the grumpy boy.
- A-At least take mine! -
He had the option of being able to go with someone else, he was not the last in the classroom and there were still some umbrellas available, he was not going to harm him in any way lending him his.
- Here, at any moment it will start to rain.
He stretched his arms far enough for him to take it, a small smile playing alongside this.
Breathing from good to bad the cold made him cover himself with both arms with the crackling of the sky, just as the other one was running towards him, he seemed to be cursed and in his curse his voice continues to enter directly towards the eardrums of his ears like thunder.
- I do not need it!-
Again looking at his face, with that same tedious face, with that same attitude 'What kind of lost child do you think I am !?' he would run home on time and he could keep the umbrella, he could take care of his own affairs even if deep down it bothered him to admit that he wouldn't; one more thunder resounds through the skies.
Drops evaporated on his way and they barely got wet with the current, at that rate he would get wet, but of course the other one was slowing him down before he could be struck by lightning, he picked up his step and without warning he ran off.
Before even saying anything else, the other's heavy footsteps quickly moved away, he walked away along with the rain that was beginning to fall, losing more and more of his sight.
"Midoriya! We are done now, we can go home."
He listened behind his as they handed his that big yellow backpack between his hands and a pile of umbrellas began to open one after another, the sound of water crashing against the plastic of these took over the place.
- Thanks.-
And soon his was opened in the same way, revealing that it was one more item in his great collection of All Might things. During his return home he did not meet Bakugo in it, surely he had arrived at his house minutes ago, even so he could not help looking around in search of it.
-
The following days were the same, with one worrying difference: Bakugo had been absent daily and not even the class teacher knew the reason for this absence; They were all aware that they both had a story behind them and the questions were more and more frequent: 'Where is Bakugo? Has he died? Is he sick?'
- I do not know.-
It was the answer he gave everyone, because well, the last time he saw him he was running in the rain, perhaps his fear that he would catch a cold came true at the end of the day, for years he had not had a normal conversation with Katsuki .
A whole week passed, during this they had finally revealed that the boy had had a cold that barely allowed him to get out of bed but that he would be there very soon. "Thank goodness" he was heard muttering as he released all the air that he had held.
It was difficult to go unnoticed, he walked around at the pace of someone who was determined not to disappear, he still seemed sick of the brilliant difference of his healthy yet terrifying expression to a mask covering his dry grunts, the bags under his vicious eyes, giving off a heavy aura of what it was to be awkward around.
Even those two boys he hangs out with talk nervously to him as if he was going to kill someone but even if he spent the whole day of that wish he could only stare the green haired boy to death, in every class, in every move he made. I wait as patient as you can call someone patient at the end of it all, like that day it rained, just sitting alone with the power of his own efforts, it was a cruel coincidence that he cleaned up that day too.
- Deku ...
He came out of his throat, silenced by pain.
He felt that at any moment he was going to faint from the fear that the other was beginning to cause him just by seeing him in that unreal way in which he aroused pure hatred without saying anything; it was clear that he was more than angry with him for having been the culprit of those two black spots under his tired eyes and the horrible cold.
He was misspelling all the classes, waiting for a hit, an explosion, a scream that would make him jump with fright; from just eating at his head he wanted to cry. He spent the whole day, at the end of which he began to calm down until the notice was given that Bakugo cleaned it together with the group with which he did it every Monday. He felt the pressure drop, he almost vanished on the ground. He barely heard his voice in that deep, aggressive and violent tone of voice.
- K-K-Kacchan? -
He asked him as he hid behind a broom, holding it in front of him as a method of defense to whatever the other had in mind; it was more by reflex.
"How do you plan to explain your notes to me with that handwriting?" -
His demands were clear, without time to think about them, he maintained an aggressive tone, luck is for Deku this time because his state was certainly weak, on any other day he would be out there kicking tables, exploding in his face as he breathes normally .
- Hurry up-
He held one of his hands up with the gesture he makes when he wants to do something explode for a few seconds as a threat and he returned resigned to take his own utensil to clean, and while he did his task of cleaning, he aggressively barked again waiting for another to come. move
- You will go with me HURRY! -
'Damn nerd' he muttered reluctantly hitting a bench.
"... E-Explain?"
It seemed that there were still bits of symptoms in the other, his voice seemed to come with difficulty from his throat and he seemed to be a little less aggressive than usual. At least he was saved from taking a hit.
Even so, the situation puzzled him, did he understand his notes? Was the other going to take his notebooks away from him? He was still slightly scared by the situation, and he held the broomstick tightly between the trembling hands of he; at least that's how he was until the other's scream startled him again.
- Y-YES! -
He replied while he began to clean up quickly, it was still quite a bit so the best thing for himself was to comply with the time that the other was giving him.
At the end of everything, goodbyes and complaints about the weather arose, it still did not seem to change and he was beginning to be quite annoying. With his All Might umbrella and backpack on his back, he stepped out after the grumpy boy, taking a few steps away.
- H-Hm ... Kacchan, will you take my notebooks? -
He asked nervously, as the other had not touched the subject again.
- No, carry them yourself—
On his side he was clinging to the simple umbrella that the other carried even with difficulty to raise his voice between the sound of the rain, he pressed his throat lightly with his fingers to clear it.
- Mine or yours? -
He spat from his mouth to dry suggesting a place to go, the weather was disgusting, again he was just looking to go home, and whatever was necessary he would take the other with him, he had been floating in his head that week in which he had been absent, He had infected his dream and his mind as he had managed to do that day when they returned following him like the moon in the sky from above, he seemed unattainable, ready to take the pressure off his chest and the rage that he swallowed in his closed throat began to walk faster and faster occasionally looking over his shoulder listening to his footsteps, searching for his breath, he will be watching him gritting his teeth under that mask.
It was so strange to hear Bakugo's voice like that, Strange? Rather ... Worrying, it seemed that it still hurt a lot, was he still taking his medications?
- To mine, my mother is going out today so there will be a lot of silence.—
Now it was more than clear that the other wanted him to show teach or show him everything that was lost in those days, it seemed even more strange that he had chosen him; He had a group of friends who were good students and ... Well, he began to understand why he chose him.
After a while of stepping on puddles and trying not to die from the looks of the other they arrived at Deku's house, his mother seemed to be finishing the meal and was in a hurry to get ready, it seemed that the time when he should be away from home already had passed and the home earrings were not yet completed.
"IZUKU !, I'M GLAD YOU ARRIVED, PLEASE TURN OFF THE FOOD WHEN IT'S READY!"
And the busy woman with the buttons of her shirt badly placed almost running out of the house, leaving them standing in the living room, without much time to say something.
- Sha-Shall we go to my room? -
The place where Midoriya lives breathes in a special way, mixed with the fresh smell of the earth soaked by rain and the aroma of homemade food, he was so distracted by the feeling of a kind of nostalgia that he ended up missing what It passed so quickly, in his time he walked listening to the slight creak of the wood, to the feeling of the steam and heat of the room.
'Haah?' Even seeing him back conjured up the same feeling as his home instantly deciding it was uncomfortable.
He walked in his direction without saying anything, covering his mouth to cough with his arm despite having the mask on.
- Quick, lets go-
As much as he tried he couldn't raise his voice.
- You shouldn't force your voice so much, you're going to be hoarse.
He murmured as he opened the door to her room, running to pick up one thing or another to hide it, he had a bit of a mess, after all the other barely and had given him time to accommodate his space well.
Posters and figures of All Might were the center of attention of the place, a full bookcase and a desk along with the bed was all there was (also a small rug) aside that everything was All Might, there were a few plants in its window, they looked fresh and full of life, they still had morning water drops on the leaves.
"Ah! Do you want tea? My mother bought some chamomile and I think they can help you."
He left his backpack on the bed but not before taking out some notebooks and putting them as a priority before running out of the room to put the water to heat, he knew that the other would refuse, so the best he could do was leave without waiting for the answer .
The gray that flooded the entire environment was mixed with the sunlight that wanted to escape from the clouds, that struggled more and more to touch the ground and begin to heat everything; the food had long since stopped bubbling and the sound of steam being shot from the kettle made him run to the stove to lower the flame until it disappeared; the cherry-decorated mugs were the thickest they had, he loved to use them with coffee or tea as he avoided burning his palms. One and two tea bags fell into the hot water that was still steaming, the somewhat greenish color began to take over the water.
- Done! -
He said as he carried the wooden board with both cups and entered the room and then put them on the floor.
- H-Hm ... There really wasn't much of what you missed, we saw new topics in calculus and ... I think also in history, which one do you prefer to look at first? -
That situation filled the freckled man's chest with melancholy, it felt like those afternoons where they watched movies or simply played until the starry sky and the voices of their mothers telling them to go to sleep separated them, those days where they were friends, colleagues, a couple of children who played at being heroes and enjoyed each other's company without knowing that their days were numbered; Was that day an opportunity to once again recover those days with Bakugo? Catching that dream that woke him up during the nights, that silent longing that was kept even for his notebooks, he had to try to return to what they once were.
The other's actions passed like an illusion near him, he seemed like a blur out of the corner of his eye from which he could only answer his questions and words with a snort, he moved slowly through the other's room with his hands in his pockets, his posture bent over and the image of a criminal he carried, despite having grown away from him his room felt like the same, full of an illusion like the rest of the house, while the kettle boiled with the emergence of its whistle, he could barely smell something with his stuffy nose but he inhaled as if searching for it in his essence.
Did he have pictures of the young man? was it strange? Not to stand in a room upholstered with the image of a muscular man.
Finishing walking took all those notebooks that he could find in his backpack without asking, he stacked them and looked carelessly, he could learn it quickly and leave ... but he was still raining outside.
The coffee cups were emptied as the pages of his notebook were passed one by one. Bakugo had not given him an answer so he opted to go for history which was the easiest thing, they were talking about nuclear wars and things that had happened so long ago but it was still essential to know about it.
The truth is that he tried to be as explicit as possible, he felt like a preschool teacher explaining things to Bakugo, his hands moved everywhere and his expressions spoke more than anything. He had been left with a dry mouth after all, he had let go and embarrassed him somehow.
- UHM, D-DO YOU WANT SOMETHING ELSE TO DRINK OR EAT? -
He understood what lay ahead, he kept leaning on the table and writing his own notes, the steam from the coffee and the heat of his own bodies had warmed the room and fogged up the windows, he was still in his subconscious That it was not necessary that it was so 'What do you think I have in my head' was repeated when they finished and all the work they had, looked around with the little light that remained from the outside.
He took the other's coffee cup and took off the mask, he had the tip of his nose and some of his face slightly red because the rest of his body was cold, drawing steam from his mouth, he took everything that was left in it and lowered it in front of the boy trying to see if he would react in any way. Why? He simply wanted to annoy him in return without being delayed by his physical condition.
Was it his time? He was also smiling at him in a mocking way without saying anything, it's not like he could talk much anyway.
Between closed his eyes and gave the other a rather nervous smile, he had not noticed that the other had not been so Bakugo that day, I mean, he had not bothered him as usual and well, that day would not be the exception. After he put the cup on the wooden table, he got up with it on his hands in the direction of the kitchen, as he could open the door with his foot; He left everything in the sink and after rolling up his uniform he washed it well.
Now he had brought down a bag of chips, he had remembered that his mother won a kind of pantry where they came from and because they were spicy neither of them had touched it so far, in his head he related the explorations with the spicy, and these two with Bakugo, so maybe and he ended up enjoying them.
The rain ended one or two hours after the calculation explanations and the review of the notes finished, the truth is that in the end they had only been writing an extra thing or two with a movie playing in the background; Although they had more things to see, a fatigue was noticeable in both, more in Midoriya who had improvised her classes right there without a planning behind him, her eyes fell from fatigue as she held her face with both hands.
After a few minutes, the sound of the other putting away his things startled him, forcing him to sit up in his seat and wake up. It didn't take long for Bakugo to get out of his house, snorting and threatening him that tomorrow's classes must be better than today.
"... Classes tomorrow?"
It was so annoying that he didn't understand the other's demands at first, but it was so unusual that they missed him; he reluctantly went to sleep until the wee hours to accommodate well the information that he would give to the other.
After that, it seemed that the distinctive smell of his home had gotten into Bakugo's brain, puffing as if being near him made him feel dizzy, it also burned the itchy skin on his neck treating how an infection would affect his Thought, deciding to come back tomorrow to feel the heat of it, becoming one to separate himself from the studies to pursue was the right thing to do for him.
'Are you coming with us after school?' the self-made criminals asked him, he kept wearing the mask on his face, it is obvious that he is still ill, right? do not ask questions of the one who plans to kill the rabbit on the moon, he himself was convinced of it, even if in his presence he acted alien, if not with a cold heart, it would be a shame if he went out when going out together every day, he should having told him not to mention it, being provocative in airs of grandeur, he creaks with the tiny rabbit but also trembles when he feels close.
At last he could go out at his own pace, thinking in his own space, he thought of the final moments of the class where he got up with more energy than yesterday, now more than lost he had a goal, he squeezed the other's shoulder and whispered behind the back of the world 'Don't follow me'.