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He shouldn’t have done it.Over and over the thought raced through his mind, eyes filled with tears as he ran away from the training grounds, from UA, from…him.Kirishima Eijirou, an up and coming hero in his second year of Hero training at UA with tanned skin, bright red eyes, and even brighter red spiky hair, knew it wasn’t very manly of him to run but honestly could anyone blame him? What started out as their usual sparring match transformed into what will now be recorded as his greatest regret. How can he ever talk to him again? How can he even face him? He ruined everything.After getting a fair amount of distance away, he finally slowed his pace to a walk. He knew he had to go back eventually. Curfew was not much further off and getting in trouble on top of everything else would honestly break what little dignity he was managing to hold onto. He sighed heavily to himself, running a hand through the now drooping spikes of his hair as he turned around to make his way back to the school. Maybe if he was lucky, he wouldn’t get murdered right away. Maybe he can sneak into his room from the balcony…though that’d be a difficult climb-A huge explosion of fire went off around the corner from where the redhead stood and for one terrifying moment he thought it was the very person he just fled from...that is, until he heard the screams.Instantly he shifted to hero mode, removing and tossing aside his third favorite hoodie (he learned quickly in his first year to never wear favorite clothing to spar) before he activated his quirk. Once his body was completely covered in the hardened layers of his rock solid skin, he ran straight into the heart of the chaos. Before him was a warzone of oddly colored fire. An entire block completely engulfed in the flames as a tall man with glowing skin slowly walked out, his entire being radiating an almost ethereal light as he moved. The man (who was quite obviously a villain as far as Kirishima was concerned) appeared to be grinning, his skin shifting colors from blue and white to red and yellow with each burst of flame arching out of his body like sunspots, each wave causing a new explosion of flame to fill the area. Kirishima, still hidden around the corner, took in the scene and tried to gauge just who and what he was dealing with. His breath hitched seeing the villain heading right for a mother and son who was cornered by the flames and huddled tightly together. Without thought, Kirishima found himself in motion, his body a battering ram of solid muscle as he slammed full body into the side of the now surprised villain and sent him flying across the lane into a wall and away from the civilians. Voice gruff and filled with gravel thanks to his quirk, Kirishima looked to the mother and pointed to where he had just come. “Run quickly! There should be police not far away! I’ll hold him here till help arrives! GO!”Immediately the pair followed his instructions, the mother carrying her son in her arms with a breathless thank you on her lips as she passed the young hero.Now sure of their safety, Kirishima zeroed in on his target, body braced and ready for an attack as we watched the villain pull himself from the small pile of rubble. The man didn’t seem to be in any hurry, lifting himself up and dusting his shimmering shoulders off almost without a single care in the world. It slightly unnerved the hero as he watched. Surprisingly, the villain began to applaud. “Bravo, good sir! I can honestly say you are one of the rare few to have not only surprised me but also managed to land a very solid strike! Goodness, you are built like a train, aren’t you?” He chuckled easily but his tone was less than kind. Kirishima recognized that tone. It was the voice of one who has killed many and has no intention of stopping any time soon. One who enjoys it.He attempted to keep his own growling voice light as well, perhaps if he matched the levity set by the man before him, he could buy some time for help to arrive. “Thanks, dude! I’ve been enjoying a very high protein diet and it certainly helps!” He would have tried to grin but his hardened form prevented that particular action so he instead allowed his stance to relax a slight bit, still ready to move but less threatening...sort of anyway. “So who’re you, bro? Don’t think I’ve seen anyone like you befo-“A huge wave of bright fire and heat lashed out from the villain’s body and slammed against the hero’s hardened skin, cutting him off a moment before making him scoff. “Well that was rude!” He braced himself for another wave, each one slightly brighter and rolling with more strength than the last as the man stepped closer and closer.Feet firmly planted into the ground, Kirishima continued to stare down his opponent and laughed. “Tough luck, Buddy! It’s gunna take a lot more than that to affect me!” He smiled a bit wider, his teeth razor sharp and on full display. “I train with Ground Riot and his blasts make your bursts feel like tickles!” The villain finally paused in his steps, his grin finally shifting to a lightly miffed frown as he scoffed, “Is that so? Well then I shall certainly have to up my game, I suppose. Can’t have you getting bored now can we?” His skin shifted once again in color, the ethereal blue and white returning as he gathered his energy to his center. “Let’s see what you think of this!” He stretched out his arms towards Kirishima, the energy shooting instantly out of his body and landing solidly against the hero’s arms that he had lifted to guard his face. The force sent Kirishima flying through the opposite wall, and into a house behind it. A wide grin crossed the villain’s face at his success…only for it to drop to a frown as seeing Kirishima get back up and dust himself off, seemingly mostly unaffected by the damage that should have happened.“Not bad, not bad! I feel kinda bad for the owners of this house now though but at least you’ve finally managed to move me!” Kirishima made his way back to where he had first planted himself and taunted the man before him. “Wanna try again? We can make a game out of it and see just how far you can toss me! I mean…unless you’re tired or something?” The hero won’t lie, seeing the villain’s glowing eyes twitch was very entertaining. Maaaaaybe he’s been spending a little too much time with a certain abrasive blonde…“So…you are going to be difficult, are you? Very well, I suppose I’m close enough.” The man sighed before planting his feet and wrapping his arms slowly around himself. The colors of his skin began to rapidly shift from one to the other, the speed increasing as he gathered more and more energy into his center. His body began to shine a brilliant white, ropes of flames and energy lashing around him before they seemed to slowly be absorbed into the man’s form. Eyes growing wide, Kirishima took in the scene before him. Having seen an event somewhat similar from a certain fellow classmate, it was not hard to guess what was about to happen. Without another thought, He tackled the man to the ground, the action not stopping the villain’s actions in the slightest, and tried to cover him with his entire body in unbreakable form. Every inch of Kirishima’s skin grew harder and more jagged than ever before as his arms and legs locked around the literal ticking time bomb moments before he felt the energy released. They say in the moments before death, your life flashes before your eyes. Memories of loved ones and precious events would flood the mind one last time before the end. However, for Kirishima, in that one moment, the only thought in his head was of one person, the one most precious to him, the one he loved. He smiled wistfully and quietly whispered the name he had never been permitted to say before, “Katsuki...” There was an explosion of brilliant blue and white fire that expanded into a swirling ball of energy. A loud, terrifying roar pierced the night sky, then suddenly…Nothing.Everything within the block vanished, a smooth crater in its place as if someone used a scoop to remove the land there. No flames, no buildings, no explosions, no glowing man….No Kirishima.The only sounds heard from that moment came from a news helicopter far above and the pounding footsteps of heroes that arrived far too late.
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Bakugo Katsuki, ranked in the top five of his class, already infamous for all the goings on in his first year of Hero classes at UA and prior, spiky blond hair, piercing red eyes, and an explosive attitude, was not happy.Slowly and with fists buried into his pockets, Bakugo trudged to the dorms from the sparring grounds he and Kirishima just finished destroying. Inside the blonde’s head was a confused mess of surprise, confusion, frustration, and more than a little outrage. What the fuck was that shitty-hair idiot thinking, pulling a stunt like that then just running off? And what the fuck was up with the face he made before he left? It all was pissing him off and all he knew was Kirishima had better have a good explanation for all this.He kicked in the front door to the dorms and stomped angrily in. As this has been pretty common place, the students of 2-A didn’t think much of the behavior except…“Yo, Bakugo! Where’s Kirishima? Weren’t you two beating each other up again in the gym?” Kaminari, the electric idiot with bright yellow hair and a black lightning bolt highlight, dared to wrap an arm around Bakugo’s shoulders like Kirishima usually would but was quickly removed with a blast towards Kaminari’s face from the lighter blonde’s curled hand. The poor Pikachu yelped in surprise, barely managing to dodge before whining after Bakugo’s retreating form. “Geez, dude! What’s got your panties in a twist?”Usually, such a comment would earn a much more painful retort but right now really was not the time for this nonsense. Apparently Kirishima didn’t come back to the dorms after he fled. Bakugo took the time during the elevator ride up to his floor to try and think of where his shitty haired idiot could have gone before stomping his way to his dorm room. “Whatever…” he grumbled to himself. “I’ll just wait for the fucker to show up.” He went into his room and flopped onto his bed in a huff, ears trained on the room next door, waiting for any sign of Kirishima’s return. Hours passed, evening giving way to night, the only noises heard were the three other idiots, Kaminari, the fluffy pink haired Ashido, and the plain faced Sero with short black hair knocking on the door next to his own to check if maybe they missed the redhead’s return. But there was only silence. An unwelcome feeling of unease entered the pit of Bakugo’s stomach as he pulled out his phone and sent a text. Bakugo: Hey Shitty Hair. Where the fuck are you?The blonde stared at the text, waiting for the ‘read’ notice to appear and feeling his frustration and anger rise the longer it took.After fifteen minutes, he tossed his phone aside with an angry sigh. Fine. If he was going to be ignored like this, then fuck it he guessed. He’ll just blow him up before class tomorrow and make him explain himself then.Bakugo shifted onto his side and forced his eyes to close, trying to will himself to sleep.The unease didn’t leave. Fuck_________The next morning came with rain. The droplets of water hitting softly against Bakugo’s balcony window as he slowly sat up from his bed. He barely got any sleep and felt like shit. His text still wasn’t read.Quickly he got dressed and ready for the day before bursting out of his room and banging harshly on his neighbor’s door. “OI, SHITTY HAIR! WAKE THE FUCK UP!”He pressed his ear to the door and listened, waiting for the usual stumbling sounds of the redhead tripping to get to the door.But there was silence.“LISTEN, FUCKER, DON’T MAKE ME BLOW YOUR DOOR IN! FACE ME LIKE A FUCKING MAN!”He listened again and heard nothing.He tried the door and was shocked to find it unlocked. The unease in his stomach turned into a cold and heavy weight as he pushed the door open.No Kirishima. He shut the door.Bakugo’s mind whirled a mile a minute in sudden panic before he shook his head and frowned hard, fists slammed deep into his pockets and shoulders hunched as he turned down the hall. “Fucker probably left for class early to avoid getting his ass blown up but I’ll show him…” He grumbled to himself as he stomped his way to the school.To say he was surprised to not see any red hair in the classroom would be an understatement. Face forced into his more neutral frown, he marched over to his desk and flopped into it with arms crossed as his mind tried to figure out where the fuck shitty hair could be.Moments pass before more of the class arrives, Ashido, Sero, and Kaminari dashing in and laughing together before looking around the room. Seeing their friend’s desk unoccupied, they quickly gather around Bakugo’s desk. “Sooooo where’s Kirishima?” Asked the pink haired alien. “We haven’t heard from him since you two left to spar yesterday!” Kaminari whined as Sero nodded behind him. “We went by his room, but he didn’t answer. Did he get sick or something?”Bakugo shrugged at the three, his temper showing on his face as he glared at them. “How should I fucking know? He seemed in perfect health when he ran away from me yesterday like a coward.” He huffed.The three idiots blinked before Ashido tilted her head. “Ran away? Why would he-“The door to the class slid open to reveal a more tired than usual teacher with a very serious face.“Everyone sit down and be quiet. There’s something very important we need to discuss and I want everyone’s undivided attention.” Aizawa’s voice was sharp and clear as he stepped fully into the room. As everyone quickly took their seats, they were surprised to see not only him come in but All Might, Midnight, Principal Nezu, Present Mic, Cementoss, and…Tetsutetsu?All the adults looked a mix of serious and concerned where Tetsutetsu looked just as lost as the rest of the students.Silence filled the room.Aizawa pressed a button on his desk that lowered a large white backdrop behind him before sliding a laptop over to the tiny Principal. The black haired teacher closed his eyes a moment before staring straight ahead and addressing the young heroes before him.“Last night, a villain by the name of ‘Super Nova’ made an appearance for the first time in a year. His quirk is the same as his name. He has been described as being a living star, able to create burst of explosions from his body as any star in the universe can.” Multiple images appeared on the backdrop showing different shots of said villain. “This particular villain has not been able to be apprehended in any for nearly a decade now as he appears at random and somehow manages to slip away leaving behind a giant crater of death and destruction behind.” Images of gigantic holes in land appeared on the screen showing whole cities devastated and gone. “It is believed he was targeting this school for his next blast however…” All the images disappeared to reveal one depicting a much smaller hole of destruction. “This time, an unnamed hero in civilian clothes showed up and fought Nova.”The cold weight in Bakugo’s stomach returned as Nezu brought up a news video and played it. “This is Crane with the channel 5 evening news reporting live to you from the scene of a very explosive battle! A villain appeared in a giant burst of flames not moments ago however before they could do much more, what appears to be a very spiky hero out of costume has leapt in!” The camera shifted from a bird like reporter to the flames down below where you could just barely see he battle as described. The camera zoomed in and attempted to get a clearer shot. “It appears two civilians were trapped in the flames but have managed to escape thanks to our brave hero! Look at them go! It appears the villain, whom I’ve just been informed is the infamous ‘Super Nova’ himself, is blasting giant loops of flame from his body onto the hero but he isn’t budging an inch! How amazing! What strength!” The whole class watched in a mix of awe and confusion at the sight of the battle. They watched as the eerily familiar hero was blasted back. They watched as Nova began to glow bright. They watched the hero tackle him down. They watched the explosion, the roar ringing throughout the room over the sounds of the helicopter getting knocked around a moment.Then silence.“Well…it appears Super Nova has once again disappeared…along with our unidentified hero! We will keep our viewers posted as we investiga-“The video was paused, the scene frozen on the screen as other images, blurry close ups of the hero that fought scattering around the screen as well.“The hero that fought did not announce himself to the only two witnesses on the scene and their descriptions were not very clear as it was difficult to see details in the chaos however…due to the evidence gathered thus far, as well as one clue found on site…we are forced to believe that the hero that fought Super Nova and prevented his attack from stretching further was none other than our very own Red Riot.” Aizawa lifted a piece of clothing for the class to see.A very familiar piece of clothing.A red hoodie that said Crimson Riot.The whole class sat in stunned silence. Tetsutetsu, who had been standing, sank to the floor.Ashido was the first to speak though her voice was quiet and shook. “M-Mr. Aizawa? Where’s….what happened to…to Kirishima? Is he…at the hospital? C-can we go see him…please?” the last word was breathless, almost a plea for them to tell her that what she was thinking wasn’t true.All of the adults shifted slightly but didn’t let their faces change as Nezu took over speaking. “Super Nova’s power rivals that of a true dying star. If he wanted, I am quite sure he could have destroyed the whole planet but luckily he has not chosen to do so. However, the blasts are still in such a way that they quite specifically vaporize anything within a certain radius of Nova. Now, considering the size of the blast, and the likelihood of the size it was meant to be, it is a good bet that Red Riot had used his unbreakable form to take on the majority of the blast onto himself. Though effective in stopping the blast…I am afraid….” The principal looked down before looking back at the class. “There is very little chance that Kirishima Eijirou survived.” Tears fell from Ashido’s eyes as all the students stared at their teachers in shock.Aizawa ran a hand through his scraggly black hair and sighed heavily. “This is the hardest lesson any teacher has to give their students and it is one I had hoped to avoid for as long as possible but…” He leveled his eyes onto his students. “This is the reality of the profession you have chosen. Deaths can and will happen. Friends, family, colleagues, civilians, good people and bad.” He lifted a hand towards the other teachers. “All of us teachers are here for you if anyone needs to talk or needs anything at all. Classes are canceled for today as we will be working with the police to gather more information on the situation.” He placed his hands onto his desk, on top of the hoodie. “There is a very slim chance that Kirishima survived. Super Nova somehow manages it so maybe he did. It is due to that hope the police are classifying this as a missing person’s case first. However, I will be very clear with you. It is the most likely that he is dead. Please take your time to process this. Take comfort in your friends tonight, family can be contacted if desired, and as I said, all of the staff is here for you as well.”For a moment, no student moved. Many of the class burst into tears though none as loud as Tetsutetsu who had begun screaming with all his might as his fists slammed down, cracking the floor. Ashido, Kaminari, and Sero held each other tight before turning to Bakugo, their faces a mix of grief and confusion as they stared at their usually explosive friend. Bakugo did not weep. He did not scream or react in any way at all. He merely sat, staring at the hoodie on the desk in an almost passive daze as he tried to process all that he was told. He didn’t believe it. As most of the class gathered together to embrace and console each other, Bakugo rose from his desk, walked over to Aizawa and asked, “Is class dismissed?”All the adults stared at the young hero, each trying to read him and failing as he remained completely passive. Aizawa slowly nodded. “Yes but no one may leave campus. If you need to use the training grounds, you may but yo-““I don’t.” Bakugo replied easily before exiting the room and walking casually down the hall.Immediately the self-proclaimed bakusquad chased after him as the rest of the class joined Tetsutetsu in their grief. Many of the teachers left to their duties while Aizawa, Present Mic, and All Might remained with their students._____
Outside, the Bakusquad began to pester and question Bakugo about his reaction. Why was he acting like this? Is he ok? What the hell? Each yelled question was met with silence as they came up to the dorms. Still they pestered, still they followed, all the way up to, not Bakugo’s room, but Kirishima’s.The crew gaped at the easily opened door and their silent friend just walking inside and flopping on Kirishima’s bed. A moment passed before Ashido slowly walked in as well and asked, “Bakugo? Why are we in here? Please talk to me?”She sat carefully on the bed next to Bakugo’s head and looked down at his passive face.Slowly his face shifted to a scowl. “There’s no way that idiot let himself break from a pathetic blast like that. He’s probably bandaged up from head to toe again by some well-meaning civilian and since the dumbass didn’t identify himself, they wouldn’t know who he was or who to report to. Otherwise, he’s with that Super Nova whatever and kicking his ass wherever they ended up. He’ll show up and when he does, I’m going to murder him.” His eyes shifted to Ashido’s and locked onto her golden eyes. “He’s alive and I’m going to wait for him right here.”Sero and Kaminari slowly stepped closer, the door closed behind them as they looked between their two friends in silence. Ashido blinked first, her eyes tried to tear up but she blinked again to keep them at bay before grinning ear to ear. “You know what? You’re right! I’ll bet ya Kiri is going to burst through that door any day now with a million apologies and a wild story to tell! Right guys?” She turned to the silent pair still standing who hesitated a moment before grinning back.“Yeah! If nothing else we’ll get a call from a teacher saying he’s recovering somewhere and we can all go visit him! Bet he’s done up like a mummy again with his hair poking out like horns!” Sero chuckled at the thought.Kaminari stepped closer towards the bed and lifted a fist dramatically into the air. “We are the Bakusquad! We cannot doubt one of our own so easily! It wouldn’t be ‘Manly!’” He slammed his fists together, mimicking Kirishima before laughing. Ashido and Sero started to join in the laughter though it wasn’t quite as boisterous as they usually would.Suddenly Bakugo sat up, palms crackling and popping in rage. “And how DARE he get himself in this situation after what he did! I’ll fucking kick his shitty haired ass!”The other three, blinked in surprise, their laughter cut short as Kaminari sat on Bakugo’s other side and leaned towards him. “Soooo, what did he do that has you all mad? What happened yesterday?”The crackling stopped as Bakugo froze, his face and the tips of his ears slowly turned red as he hunched his shoulders and looked down.Sero knelt in front of him and carefully placed a hand near Bakugo’s legs, not quite sure if touching him would be a good idea but still wanting to show he’s there. “Come on, man. It’s just us. Whatever it is we swear we won’t share outside this room, right guys?”The other two blinked a moment but slowly nodded. Silence filled the room as Bakugo debated with himself and they waited. In any other circumstance, he would have blown them all off and up in a heartbeat but…in this moment…maybe if it’s JUST them…Finally, in a voice so quiet it was almost missed, Bakugo whispered three words that have been plaguing his mind since the day before: “He kissed me.”
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The day had been a typical one for the travelers, really. Full of walking, riding, flying, hunting, more walking, climbing, and even more walking as they headed further north west. The group had been on the road of ages now, trying to form an army to take on the might of the necromancer and his army of powerful creatures called the Nomu. One of those demons is difficult to take down but an army? That requires the might of many powerful armies bound together to defeat.Still, it was a peaceful day all in all and the group had stopped to make camp just as evening was beginning to set in. A fire was quickly formed and food prepared for the group as they chatted away with one another, the sun sinking below the horizon. Well…most of them were chatting it up anyway. There were a couple that couldn’t speak at the moment so really-A giant explosion split the darkening sky above them, filling the view with blinding white for a flash of a second before a huge circle of flame formed. The travelers used their arms to guard their eyes from the spectacle as they watched the flames swirl faster and faster till two large shapes shot out in opposite directions, the circle fading into nothing as both shapes scorched their trails across the sky, heading down quickly for what is sure to be a hard landing. The smaller of the two was heading out to the east and was sure to land in enemy territory if it didn’t disintegrate first while the other, much larger projectile seemed to be heading…almost right for them! Without hesitation, the largest of the travelers, a bright red dragon who’s size dwarfed the surrounding trees easily, leapt forward and flared his wings to their maximum length to shield the rest from any possible harm with his scaled body. A outraged yell sounded behind the dragon, harsh voice edged with the barest hint of worry but was almost instantly drowned out by the deafening boom that shook the land harshly around them all. The dragon lowered his horned head and dug his claws deep into the ground as he braced for the wave of wind, dust, and force that struck moments after the object landed no more than a few miles away. As suddenly as the event occurred, everything stopped. The wind died down and the dust slowly settled around them, revealing a giant, flame filled crater where a grassy field once swayed beautifully just moments before.
“OI!” yelled the voice that had sounded not moments before. “What the FUCK were you thinking you stupid lizard brain?” The red dragon shook himself, a layer of dust and dirt shifting off him before he carefully folded his wings and turned towards the group with a tilted head. The source of the voice was from a very irate man with poofy blonde hair who was stomping closer to the dragon, hands flaring with literal flames in display of his already obvious displeasure. The Dragon lowered his head and gently nudged the man’s exposed and very muscular chest, a light trill sounding as he exhaled a gust of hot breath against him that ruffled the red flowing material of the man’s fur collared cape. The man shoved at the snout in agitation. “No you don’t! You think you can just-FUCK!” he yelped as the dragon nudged him harder and knocked him off his feet onto the ground, immediately covering him with a large wet tongue in quick swipes. The blonde began to thrash in rage, explosions going off from his hands as he tried and failed to stop the affectionate attack. “Stop it you-Damn it! I’m serious! Fucking shitty dragon!” He flailed before the dragon stopped and let him stand, a soft trilling sounded once more as the dragon blinked slowly at him. The deep scowl that had been set on the man’s face softened a small fraction as he let the flames leave his hands and placed them upon the dragon’s snout in a solid grip, deep red eyes locking with the dragon’s golden gaze. “Alright, I’ll forgive you but you can’t keep doing that, Red. I’ll fucking kill you next time, you here me?” The man’s voice was still harsh but not in the rage it was as he ran a hand over the dragon’s scales, a tiny smile forming at the purr vibrating beneath his touch.Both were startled at the sound of a throat clearing behind them and they turned to see the rest of the group watching them in varying degrees of emotions. The glare was quick to return to the man’s face as he stood tall, practically challenging them to say something.The one that interrupted them wasn’t the least intimidated, much to his irritation, as a young lady with chestnut brown hair curling out from under a large and pointed sorcerer’s hat made her way over, rosy cheeked face a mix of humor, challenge, and irritation as well. “Not that watching you two be adorable isn’t sweet and all…” She crossed her arms, hands nearly buried in the layers of her robe like jacket as she locked eyes with the scowling blonde. “But shouldn’t we be a BIT more concerned about what in the HELL that thing is?” She pointed to the thing smoldering in the center of the crater, the flames around it almost completely out but smoke still flowing thick into the sky. The group, nine in total if you include both Red and a second, brightly pink colored dragon with yellow curled horns, cautiously lined the edge and scanned the area before the blonde scoffed. “Red and I will check it out, you extras wait here.” He completely ignored the whines and protests they gave as he swung himself onto the red dragon who immediately took off into the sky in a short swoop before landing heavily just outside the center ring of earth that dipped down and held the solid, smoky mass. The man slide down into a crouch, a golden handled scimitar drawn and held tightly to one side as he carefully approached and made his way down, his free hand lighting his way with a gently floating flame. The dragon whined low in his throat softly but stayed behind, eyes scanning the area and making sure the blonde wasn’t in any identifiable danger.The closer the blonde got, the more his eyes slanted in confusion. The mass was completely black and spiked out in every direction, smoke slowly clearing in a sudden breeze that made his flame flicker as he slowly extended his blade out to gently prod the surface.“You sure you should do that?” The blonde jerked back and wheeled around to point his blade at the throat of the speaker before scowling fiercely. “Damn it, round face! I told you extras to stay the fuck back!” he shouted, looking out to see everyone sliding off the Pink dragon next to Red. “Since when do I care to listen to you, Blasty? Besides, do you have any idea the magical properties a space rock this size could posses? You are going to NEED me if it’s cursed or something so suck it up and focus.” The brunet glared right back with arms once again crossed as she watched the emotions of rage, and fury cross the blonde’s face before he growled and returned to examining the mass. “Just stay the fuck back until I-“A low grinding crackle sounded as the mass moved, the blonde immediately shoving the brunet behind him as he got into a battle stance and watched the mass shift once more before something sounding like a shaky sigh escaped it. The blonde slowly stepped closer, fascinated and cautious as he watched the spiky mass actually seem to breathe, completely ignoring the soft gasp behind him from the brunet that didn’t move, “It’s alive???” Once beside the mass, the blonde gently prodded the mass like he had intended to before. “Oi. What the fuck are you?” His voice was solid and sharp in demand as a low groan escaped the mass before it slowly shifted what appeared to be…a head? The blonde locked eyes with the mass- no, the creature and was a little unsettled with how familiar the exhausted eye seemed to be before it seemed to focus on him. Its body stiffened a moment before a shuddering sigh of relief rolled over it.“B….baku….go…” it whispered, voice deep and graveled as another shudder ran through it.The blonde could not stop the shock showing on his face as he quickly stepped back and studied the creature before him, trying to figure out how it could possibly know him before the body seemed to ripple and shift.The black spikes slowly crunched and shrank down into the creature’s body until it left behind what appeared to be a chest down body of a man, skin still coated black, jagged lacerations, and what had to be blood pouring out of him…but what completely dumbfounded the pair watching was the face. It was impossible.The brunet, eyes still locked with the body before her, called out to their companions, “Uh….guys? You’re gunna want to see this….”_________The first thing he remembered was being pulled into darkness which was quickly followed by the most excruciating pain he had ever felt in his life. A pressure he had never known before weighed in on him from all sides as if trying to crush him flat but he was Red Riot! He’s not about to let a villain get the better of him like this! Not as long as he still had breath…granted each breath was harder and harder to draw in, still he pushed his body to harden more, to become a solid force down to his very bones, he had to be Unbreakable. Even when he felt himself shatter again and again, he pushed himself to fight for what felt like a never ending loop stretching into eternity. Then an explosion like what he heard before the dark shook his body out of the agonizing pressure and sent him flying. He remembered landing hard, his body had instinctively locked him into a defensive curl to try and soften the blow but honestly at that point it didn’t matter anymore. Everything hurt and he was so very tired… For one moment he thought he saw Bakugo over him…but that wasn’t possible…Bakugo is disgusted with me…he wouldn’t be here now…why would he-Kirishima’s body jerked with sudden awareness, his eyes snapping open only to quickly close again and groan from the pain of too much light all at once. He took a deep breath, testing his sore body and trying to center himself before reopening his eyes, much slower this time. All at once, he realized quite a few odd things. To start, he was not inside a hospital. The roof above him was made of wood and had all sorts of colorful odds and ends hanging from it. He was also lying in some sort of earthy smelling liquid. Not quite water but not anything he recognized either. He carefully lifted an arm and was surprised to see that not only did the liquid slide clean off his skin, leaving him dry, he didn’t seem to be injured at all! His arms did showed signs of fresh scars forming but the wounds that he expected to see were all closed and healed quite well. He also was naked but after everything that happened he honestly would have been surprised otherwise. He turned his head as best he could to examine the room a bit further and felt his confusion deepen at seeing the walls covered with old wooden bookcases and herbs growing from every available corner. Tools he didn’t really recognize were somewhat organized on a table at the far side of the room from him next to a door that he was pretty sure he would have to duck his head a little to go through. Right as he decided to chance sitting up, watching in fascination as the liquid slid completely off him, the door creaked opened and in walked a very tiny and familiar old lady with her grey hair wrapped in a tight bun on the top of her head. “Ah! You’re awake, I see!” She smiled warmly as she made her way slowly towards him, using a cane for balance as she let the door close behind her.Eyes taking in the new comer, a large and very relieved grin stretched across his face as he eagerly leaned over towards her. “Recovery Girl! I’m so glad to see you! Did the lady and her son make it to the police ok? Did the villain get captured? I tried to contain his explosion but I honestly can’t recall much after that…” He sheepishly scratched the back of his neck, his hair falling loose around his face. “Also…where are we? And why are you dressed like that?” He asked, eyes furrowing in confusion as he took in her lack of the trademark hero attire he had never need her without prior. For one moment, the elder woman just stared in shock back at him. “Recovery Girl?” she questioned, their eyes locking as they studied the other before she tilted her head at him. “I haven’t been called that since I was much younger…surely decades before you were born…so how could you have known…” She frowned as she studied him. “Tell me, who are you, young man?” She asked as she watched him absorb her words.The young hero shifted his eyes from hers and studied her clothes and the room again, trying desperately to make sense of his situation but…couldn’t. Slowly, he looked back into the eyes of the tiny grandma and tried to keep his voice steady. “I’m…Kirishima, Eijirou, second year Hero in training at UA Hero Academy, Hero name Red Riot. Recovery Girl is the hero name for the grandma that works at UA as the school nurse and has helped many heroes to heal from even the most life threatening of injuries…” He trailed off as confusion settled on his face. “…and you are not her? Or you were her?” He lifted a hand to his forehead and closed his eyes with a sigh. “I’m sorry, I’m confused…did I get hit with a quirk?”Unfortunately, she was just as confused as him but understood his distress. “I’m afraid I am the only ‘Recovery Girl’ I’ve ever known.” She reached out and gently patted his arm, guiding it away from his face so she could look at his eyes. “As for the rest, I have no idea what you just said other than there is someone you know that I apparently highly resemble that goes by the same nickname and that you are an apprentice hero. Very dangerous profession, I must say however it is nice to know there are strong young people like you out there to protect people like me.” She smiled up at him kindly, pleased to get a tiny smile back in return from the poor young man before her. “Let’s focus on your physical health for the moment. Then we’ll get you all cleaned up and see if we can’t make more sense of the situation.” She pulled over a stepping stool and hopped up to better examine her patient. He quickly tried to hide his lower self, face blushing a bit as she laughed. “I’m afraid it is far too late for modesty, young man. You were brought in completely nude and even if you weren’t, I would have needed to examine you completely as you were wounded, quite literally everywhere.” She gently lifted his arms and watched his face flame a shade brighter than his red hair as she shifted his legs down leaving him exposed in full view. Thankfully, the tiny grandma was a professional and kept her examination clinical. “Seems to me all your wounds have closed perfectly. You gave us quite the scare, you know! Covered head to toe in lacerations, blood, and a very odd layer of black soot of some sort! I had to have help getting that stuff off you, whatever it was, and even then it took almost a full day before I could safely get you into the healing salve bath. Quite lucky you didn’t bleed out on us, actually, so I’d suggest getting food in you right away. My baths help in most ways but you still need nourishment you know!”Kirishima just nodded his head slowly, letting his body be moved as she needed while he tried to think back on all that had happened. He was fighting a villain, tried to contain the explosion, fell into the pain filled void.....did he….DIE? His eyes went wide as the possibility ran through him. Maybe he somehow died and this was a rebirth of some sort? Wait…that’s not how that works…I don’t think? He shook himself, a snort of disbelief at his own stupidity escaped him. No, that surely wouldn’t be it. Maybe this was an effect of another quirk? An Illusion maybe?He was then directed to step out of the tub, the salve sliding clean off of him and staying in the tub as he moved and stood towering over the elder and feeling the cleanest he had ever felt. She handed him some clothes to change into before walking over to her table and making notes in a large journal. “So tell me young man.” She dipped a quill into a cup of ink. “What are you?”The pants fit him almost perfectly which surprised him but he wasn’t about to complain. It was the vest that confused him the most about the outfit. It seemed a bit more like a crop top or something and he wasn’t sure how he felt about it so he just left it off. He had the important parts covered and besides, until he was sure of his situation, it might be best to spare himself from more damaged clothes. He blinked at the question directed to him. “What am I? What do you mean?”Grandma looked him kindly in the eyes. “Oh come now, don’t be shy. Almost everyone is part something these days. My own mother was a forest nymph. That’s how I learned all these healing spells, you see? So what is your mix? The group that found you and brought you to me mentioned your body being covered completely in jagged scales. Dragon, perhaps?”Kirishima continued to stare at her in utter confusion. “I’m still…not sure what you mean…do you mean my quirk?”Confusion passed over the grandma’s face and was about to inquire further before her mouth snapped shut and eyes narrowed at the door. “It is very rude to eavesdrop on other people’s conversations, you know!” She called out sternly before waving a hand. The young hero could only gape at seeing the door spring open on its own, causing a pile of bodies to tumble in with a yelp.After a moment of tangled limbs and grumbled complaints, the group of four stood sheepishly before them and bowed. A familiar brunet apologized profusely to the grandma before getting cut off by a loud cry. “Guys! You’re here too?” Kirishima laughed and walked forward a couple steps, ready to group hug his friends…that is until he notice them stepping back and gaping at him.Slowly the smile slid off his face and he lowered his arms, taking a moment to actually take in their clothes before stepping back from them. “You….you’re not…my friends are you?” A sharp pang rushed through him as his face fell completely, the feeling of loneliness wrapping him tight as he realized just how wrong things were. He felt his eyes sting with tears that he tried desperately to keep back. Now was not the time.The group continued to gape open mouthed a moment before a lady with pink fluffy hair, tiny curled yellow horns, golden eyes, and and pale skin stepped forward with a bit lip. “H-hey….please don’t cry!” She stepped closer and tilted her head. “My name is Ashido!” She pointed to the others behind her, first to a tall, thin boy with chin length, straight black hair who quickly smiled wide. “This is Sero,” Her finger went to another boy, shorter than Sero with slightly fluffed blonde hair that had a black lightning bolt streak along the left side and was still gaping at the redhead that was clearing his eyes with a fist. “The idiot that can’t seem to close his mouth is-“Kaminari…Denki…” Whispered the Red head, completely shocking the group into stunned silence. Red eyes went over each of them. “Ashido, Mina. Sero, Hanta. Kaminari, Denki…and Uraraka, Ochaco.” “Holy shit…” whispered Kaminari, dazed as the rest tried to keep calm. Quickly, Ashido shook herself lifted a hand out to him. “That’s right!” She smiled as wide and friendly as she could as she kept eyes locked with the red head. “I’m sorry, you know our names but…what’s yours?”She watched him wince a little before slowly stepping forward himself and taking her hand in his in a firm shake. Softly he answered, “Kirishima. Kirishima, Eijiro.”“NO YOU FUCKING AREN’T.” The room shook with the volume of the yell from the newcomer as Kirishima dropped the handshake with Ashido to gape a little himself at the view before him. Holy Hell. He might not understand a damn thing going on but he can’t really lie, the view before him is almost worth the headache. A slightly more built, shirtless, tattooed, ear pierced, tight pants, fur trimmed boots, and cape wearing, Bakugo, Katsuki was stomping towards him and Kirishima’s gay heart didn’t know whether to flutter or pang as he felt himself brace for whatever was coming for him.Apparently, it was about to be a very solid punch to the face if the enraged blonde didn’t lock eyes with his wide red gaze and freeze completely mid step. For a moment, they just stared, both of them trapped and unable to move as a million emotions shot through the both of them. “Excuse me.” The grandma’s voice cut through the air, shaking both men out of their trance before they turned towards her disapproving glare. “I just finished healing this young man and I would appreciate it if you didn’t try to injure him all over again.” Approaching the pair, she lifted her cane and gently brought Bakugo’s arm down to his side. “Now then, it is much too crowded in here for all of you to be in here at once. I suggest you wait outside until I’m finished checking over my patient, that YOU brought to me, might I add.” She gave the blonde a very pointed look before he scoffed angrily and turned to follow the rest out the door.“W-wait!” Kirishima called after them, a hand outstretched as he fought back the need to shake as another thought teased at the back of his mind. “Why do you say I’m not Kirishima?”Bakugo glared at the red head and opened his mouth to yell back but…“Because, I’M Kirishima, Eijiro…” Kirishima’s eyes widened at the equally shocked gaze of yet another man in the doorway. There before him was…HIM! Another him with bright red hair spiked though his own was down, the same scar over the right eye, a tiger printed scarf, a vest similar to what he was given to wear earlier, the same pants, leather boots…the only immediate differences he could see were the scars on their bodies, those were vastly different, and he can’t see his teeth.Slowly both Kirishima’s approached each other, both cautious and watchful of the other, fully aware of the blonde beside them growling and twitching the closer they came to one another.Finally a mere two inches apart, they stood tall. Red eyes locked on Red. Gazing deep into each other for a few tense moments before-“Katsuki, look! He looks just like me!” The other Kirishima squealed with a huge and excited grin, showing the points the young hero was looking for earlier, the other’s hands already up and opening the hero’s mouth and peering inside. “Same teeth! And Scar!” His hands left the mouth and traveled around rapidly, examining every inch of the very confused Red Riot all the way down till he got to the waist band of his pants. “I wonder if we have the same-““STOP!” cried the hero, face flaming bright red, his hand grabbing the other’s before he could pull open the band of his pants and tugged the hand off. “I uh…think that’s enough…thanks um…I am very, very confused right now and would love it if someone could explain what is going on…” He pleaded, looking around at those in the room.The other Bakugo had a hand to his face, openly exasperated by the other Kirishima’s actions. The other Kirishima, whos hand was then released, was smiling and shaking in place like an excited dog and briefly the hero wondered if he ever got like that himself. The only one completely calm in the room was the grandma who was taking notes in her journal. “Seriously, Ei?” Grumbled Bakugo. “The first thing you think to do is molest this fucking imposter? What if he fucking attacked? We don’t know shit about him or why the fuck he looks like you so stop looking so fucking excited!” He yelled the last bit and smacked his fist into the other Kirishima’s shoulder. Kirishima was fascinated to see the now laughing red head’s shoulder cover with blood red scales, actual SCALES, for a moment before the impact before disappearing again into his skin. Feeling a tug, the hero looked down at the grandma who was holding out a cup of liquid. “Drink this.”He stared at the cup a moment, his hero training kicking in as he contemplated the situation. Right now, he could be in the clutches of a very confusing and very intricate quirk. He could be hallucinating, poisoned, drugged, anything….then again, if these people wanted to kill him, they would have already done so while he was out. This woman healed him. He will trust her. After all, what else did he have to lose at this point? So, watching the other Kirishima hug onto Bakugo in a much closer way than he had ever been allowed, he drank.And immediately regretted it. Oh it tasted so awful but he didn’t want to just spew it everywhere so we slapped a hand over his mouth and went to find a place to spit. The grandma stopped him. “I know it’s no berry juice but you have to swallow that. It may give some insight to what is happening.” She patted his hand in pity as he grimaced and forced himself to swallow. He tried to hand the cup back but she pushed his hand back towards him. “All of it, dear.” To which he whined but did as he was told.For Bakugo, arms wrapped protectively around his Kirishima, this whole situation made no sense! The more he watched the imposter, the more alike he was with his Eijiro! Everything about the man matched right down to the sound of the whine and the tiny gestures he’s made showing his upset and unease. It was pissing him off to see that look on a face that looked like Ei’s. Such a face is not meant to ever look like that, damn it! He really wished this guy would stop looking like Eijiro already, it was screwing with his head. He couldn’t even bring himself to hit the guy, not with those eyes. He looked down into the wide red eyes of the one in his arms. Not with…his eyes...Fuuuuuck!While Kirishima sat in a large chair and focused on not throwing up all over the floor, the grandma turned and ushered the two remaining spectators out of the room and firmly shut the door before returning to her desk and journal. “I’m sorry, my dear, depending on a few things, you might feel a bit uncomfortable for the next few minutes. I have a theory on the situation but we won’t know for sure until the potion takes effect.”Kirishima closed his eyes and tried to force himself to relax as he felt his body shudder and shake, his quirk rolling lightly across his skin as wave after wave assailed him. “I feel like I’ve been sucked into a video game or something….” He mused out loud, trying to distract himself. “This is way too complicated to be someone’s quirk…at least I think…maybe a time quirk like Eri’s? Nah…” The Grandma watched the young man muter away before her, eyes fascinated seeing his skin shift around but not transform. He is certainly an unusual person…it is possible he is from another…_____________“Guys! You should have seen him! He looks and acts EXACTLY like Kiri!” Squealed the pink haired girl with her arms flailing wildly.The group of travelers were gathered outside the healer’s home, the first four that stumbled in retelling the story to the others in shock and amazement while the rest either sat listening or cooking…except for a certain fuming blonde who was pacing back and forth in the back of the camp with his arms crossed.“And he knew our names! You could see it in his eyes that he actually recognized us!” Uraraka bounced on the tree stump she was using as a chair.“I don’t know…” interjected Sero, sitting on the ground with his legs crossed and his hand holding his chin in thought. “I think he thought he recognized us but you saw how his face fell! You think there is another group of us somewhere other there somewhere?”“GAH! That’s too freaky to think about!” Cried Kaminari, panic on his face as he grabbed Sero’s shoulders and shook him.A young man with messy green hair, sat on a fallen log and held his chin, a finger curled around his mouth as he began to mutter to himself in deep thought, trying to come up with the most logical reason for this most bizarre event to be possible. Obviously the man inside with the healer isn’t one of the clones they faced in the past because he didn’t revert to clay even with all the injuries and besides that, didn’t he come from the sky? Does that mean he came from outside out world? Was it a set up? Some sort of demon or shapeshifter that somehow knows Kirishima’s mannerisms? Nah, we would have figured that out right away with all the wards and the healer’s salve bath right? She said the salve would strip his form down to his most base form and that just so happened to be this so he is as he is which means-“Whelp…looks like we lost Midoriya again, eh Todoroki?” sighed Ashido, giggling a little at their muttering companion.Next to the green head sat a very stoic, well dressed young man with two-toned hair, white on his right half, red on the left, two colored eyes, grey right and bright blue left that was surrounded by a large burn scar from his youth. The man, identified as Todoroki, regarded everyone with the same emotionless face as he absorbed the information and tried to figure his own theory…mostly involving Kirishima somehow having a long lost twin but he’d keep the idea to himself unless prompted. Otherwise he turned towards Midoriya and listened to his mutterings with only the slightest shift to the corner of his mouth as the tiniest hint of a smile formed.The ninth member of their group, who was currently stirring a huge pot of stew in very precise counter-clockwise motions, was a very tall man with crew cut black hair and wire rimmed glasses. He used his free hand to make vertical chopping motions at the others. “Well no matter how strange the situation, we will all have to be sure to introduce ourselves properly to him and be understanding of his situation. Considering his arrival, I can well imagine he is just as confused as we are and we should make efforts to-““Oh, come on, Iida!” whined Kaminari. “How are we going to be able to act natural with a Kiri-doppelganger? It’s sooooo weird!”“Eeehhh?” Ashido leaned over and elbowed the panicking blonde. “Doppelganger is a pretty advanced word for you, isn’t it? Careful not to hurt your brain!” She teased as Kaminari’s face shifted from fear to insult. “HEY!” He jumped up and started chasing the pink haired girl around as she and Sero laughed.The chase was cut short when the front door of the healer’s house opened and both the grandma and the red head stepped out towards them. Immediately, the group’s eyes locked on them as they waited for them to join them in the clearing.Once seated on another fallen log, the hero having helped the grandma up onto it before joining her and not looking at any of the others in his nervousness. The grandma, quite content to sit and relax a moment, took a long sip from her tea, making a full show of swallowing it, opening her mouth a moment…then taking another long sip. Bakugo lost his patience. “WELL?” he demanded, irritated at everything to do with this stranger and wanted some fucking answers for fucking sake!Absolutely unaffected by the outburst, grandma took her time for another sip before finally setting it beside her and smiling at the group.“It would appear that this young man is indeed who he says he is however...” She placed a hand lightly on the hero’s arm to pat him in comfort. “It appears he is from another world. A parallel dimension, if you will.”There was a long pause of pure silence. Even Iida paused his stirring to gape at the pair.Then, they all drew in a collective breath and“WHAT?!?”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
It’s been a week. One full fucking week.And still no sign of him. It was the end of the school year. Kirishima’s disappearance had taken place right after their finals and now everyone was locked in a serious debate on what to do during their break before camp. No one really wanted to leave but many of their families were insistent to at least see them a few days so everyone was discussing which days who was going to go where so everyone knew where everyone was and could contact each other at a moment’s notice should any news come…not that many of them really expected there to be any.Secretly, however, there was a second reason why they were discussing shifts. Bakugo.Everyone was keeping an eye on the eerily calm blonde. He hadn’t really snapped or blown up at anyone the whole week. Constantly keeping his eyes forward, hyper focused on school and hero work, performing any task set before him to almost a scarily accurate degree. The only people that seemed to be able to connect with him at all were those of the bakusquad and honestly seeing them that tightly knit was as amazing as it was bittersweet. However…everyone also knew…It was only a matter of time before the calm would snap._________________________The day started out pretty good, actually. The test results were finally posted and everyone actually passed with decent scores! Camera in hand, Bakugo took a photo of the results, making sure to save it before heading back to the dorms, a small smirk on his face. Immediately his squad, his friends, flanked him and elbowed him, causing him to scowl lightly. “Awwww, come on, Blasty!” Kaminari poked the taller blonde’s cheek. “We saw that grin! What has you so pleased?” It has been a very odd adjustment for Bakugo to get used to the more physical teasing of his group. Usually he would only have allowed Kirishima to jerk him around like this but he has come to understand they are trying to show they are here for him too. He has also noticed, however, that no matter how rambunctious they have gotten, they have never once tried to wrap their arm around his shoulders…and he is grateful for it. So, instead of biting Pikachu’s finger off, he showed him the photo on his phone while Raccoon eyes and Tape Deck shift over to see as well.Ashido gasped in shock, “The results are already up?!?” She snatched the phone and scanned the results. “YES!” She cheered before grabbing all three of them in a group hug, much to the protests of the two blondes who had to flail to keep balance while the other two laughed. “WE PASSED! WE ALL PASSED!” Bakugo grunted and managed to get himself untangled from the Pink girl’s death grip before scowling. “Of fucking course we passed. I’m just pissed the four of you didn’t get higher grades! You’re making me look like an incompetent tutor!” He swatted the three of them though not hard enough to remove their grins, apparently. As a group, they bowed and yelled, “Thank you for all your help, Bakugo-Sensei!” before hugging him on all sides again, causing Bakugo to blush bright pink before his palms started to spark, “ALRIGHT ALREADY!” They jumped back, laughing all the while. “Don’t expect me to go easy on you next year! I’ll beat these facts into your heads so hard you better make the top ten!” He yelled but they all just continued to laugh before Ashido looked at the phone again. “Kiri is going to be so happy seeing this…he did so much better this year…” her voice was light and wistful, the tone slicing through the humor of the group as the mood sobered, Sero and Kaminari nodding their heads with light smiles. Bakugo took back his phone and pocketed it with a huff. “Yeah well, just because he made it to the eleventh doesn’t mean I’ll go easy on him either. Eleventh isn’t the top ten and I can’t have a team of idiots working with me when I start my agency, you know! I expect the best!”The other three froze and gaped at him a moment, completely taken aback by his words and were completely blown away by the very small smile he directed at them before turning away and heading towards the dorms.Their squeals of joy echoed down the halls as they charged after him in delight, each of them wishing more than ever that Kirishima had heard that too. They have so much to tell him.Please come back soon…____________________It really was interesting how quickly the group fell into a routine, barely separating as they did everything they could to keep each other distracted from the shadows of doubt trying to wiggle in as each day passed. Bakugo kept surprising the three with little moments of what could only be the legendary affection Kiri had always claimed their favorite explosive blonde possessed. This particular evening he cooked their favorites for dinner and allowed them to dig in at his dorm room, an action/comedy blaring on his laptop as they practically inhaled their plates. He had done this the past three nights and the others slowly started to recognize that this was him trying to express his brand of gratitude. Their classmates were supportive and all but…the squad could feel how the others didn’t really think their favorite spiky red head was ever going to return…and it was starting to eat at their own resolve. That’s why these moments were so very important. They could support each other and remind each other that there was still a chance! Just because he’s taking his time doesn’t mean he…it just doesn’t. The movie complete, the four cleaned their mess and started gathering the blankets and pillows for their routine of camping in Kiri’s room to await his return.Imagine their surprise hearing a thump through the wall that separated them from said room. Before anyone could question the noise, Bakugo was already in motion and threw open the door to the hallway…to see two men in in light blue coveralls shutting the door to Kirishima’s room behind them, two dollies stacked full of boxes sitting across the hall. The two men paused and blinked at the sudden appearance of the Blonde and the three faces peering out around him. The man holding the doorknob quickly smiled and bowed to them, “Ah! Sorry about that, kiddos! Just had to get the last load out so we can be on our way! Hope y’all have a good evening!” His partner did a quick bow as well before the two men took their loads and rolled them towards the elevator.Full confusion hit the young heroes hard a moment before Bakugo was once again in motion. Without a sound he threw open the door to the neighboring room and froze.Empty. Everything was gone. No gaudy drapes, or carpet, no loud colors clashing with one another and yet somehow still matching, no school books, or photos, no posters, no hoodies tossed around….not even the god dammed punching bag or ridiculous flexing clock.A wriggling sensation started to build in Bakugo’s gut as he slowly processed what he was seeing. The gasps behind him barely registered over the slowly building roar filling his ears and his body began to shake. The wriggling intensified, bringing with it a feeling he recognized all to well. Rage.Pure blinding rage that he hadn’t felt in such a long time flowed through his entire body, filling every inch of his mind and with it, the flames that began to build in his hands and explode. The volume of the explosions was absolutely nothing compared to the primal screams he hadn’t even realized were ripping out of his throat until he felt something wrapping around him tight. He immediately fought, arms pinned to his sides and keeping him from lashing out as he struggled. Dimly, he was aware of voices yelling into his ears.“BAKUGO, PLEASE STOP!” Raccoon eyes. Ashido. She was to his right…he could feel wetness hitting his shoulder but registered it wasn’t acid…“BRO, IT’S US!”Kaminari to the left, tingles coasting over his side through the panic and heat. The screams shifted to sobs…not only around him but…from him.“It’s ok! We’ve got ya! We’re here!”The tightness around him shifted and loosened as he registered Sero’s gentle words and let the fire in him run cold, tears heavy out of his own eyes as his vision finally took in everything around him. He was on the ground, for one thing, covered in a layer of tape that was being removed carefully while also being replaced by arms from the bodies lying on either side of him. There were people in the door way to the room he scorched but he the anger was still rolling through him, forcing unstoppable tears out as his thoughts finally formed into coherent sentences though his mind. How DARE they! Don’t they know he’s coming back? How is he going to feel seeing his room already cleaned out like he is some disposable, replaceable… “FUCK!” his voice was hoarse but the word carried the force of his bitterness.After a minute of mumbled sounds out in the hall, the door to the room closed, another person walking slowly towards the pile of distraught teens before kneeling beside them. Gently, with a voice almost as worn as the one screaming moments before but still firm, their scraggly black haired teacher asked them what happened.Slowly they sat up, Sero shifting behind Bakugo to support him as he spoke for them, explaining what they saw and the shock. “Why? He’s going to need his stuff here for next year!” Ashido demanded through her sobs, eyes glaring at the emptiness around them as Kaminari nodded, expression just as torn.Their teacher, Mr. Aizawa, shifted to sit cross legged before his students and sighed as he ran a hand through his long hair, the bags under his eyes seemingly going darker before he leveled his gaze on them. He truly hates this part of his profession. He knows their pain, has seen it multiple times and even experienced it himself. Reality can be cruel…especially to those with good hearts. “Kirishima’s parents asked for his things to be returned to them. It is not unreasonable that they would want at least a part of him returned to them when he himself is-“ seeing their faces lock up shot through the Pro hero’s heart and forced him to temper his words. “…still missing.” They sat for several minutes, Aizawa trying to decide the best move. This was a battlefield full of mines. One wrong action or word could set off another explosion within the volatile youths and such collateral damage is not worth being careless or brash. He couldn’t deny his relief and gratefulness that these four were so close. He had feared Bakugo’s stability falling to the wayside, a risk that is still very possible now but seeing them cling to him, holding him up and together as well as each other was truly heroic.The silence was broken by a low, graveled voice muttering harshly from the blonde. “Fucking shitty hair…taking his sweet fucking time to get his ass back here. How could he let himself get caught up in a mess like that? Trying to take on a super villain alone, out of costume even, didn’t call me or anyone for back up…fucking idiot…shitty fucking dye damaged his brain, I swear…”Everyone listened to his ranting, the three holding him nodding and adding their own bitter two cents. “Yeah! Knowing our ray of sunshine, he saw people in danger and just barreled in without thinking. We are going to have to have a serious talk with that boy!” Ashido leaned her head back so she was resting on Sero’s shoulder who was just nodding along, Kaminari frowning, eyes staring at a mark on the wall. “He owes us a HUGE apology for putting us through this….” Another wave of tears pouring out as he turns to his group. “Guys?” Everyone slowly turned towards him. “Why won’t he just come home?” The group immediately shifted so he was in the center as they wailed and comforted each other. “I’ll forgive him if he just comes back!” Aizawa knew there was nothing he could do or say that would comfort his charges, no matter how badly he wished he could. The stages of grief are as intense as they are necessary. This is something they are going to have to get through on their own…and as he is sure they will. Quietly he left the room but returned quickly with the huge pile of blankets and pillows that were left in Bakugo’s room. He set them beside the students along with a box filled with drinks, snacks, and tissues that he had found outside the room, the side of the box filled with notes of comfort from the rest of the class. Truly he was proud of them all. They will get through this and be the absolute best heroes he had ever trained. They might not get to the highest rankings of the hero’s list but he knew none would be as compassionate as his 2-A…now 3-A._____________________The group shifted many times that night as each person hit that low, their rage petering out to exhaustion and near silent tears as they begged the universe for the return of their lost friend.One by one, they slipped into troubled sleep, still clinging to one another like a lifeline. Bakugo was the only one still conscious, eyes unfocused as he faced the ceiling. The numbness thick through his body made him feel heavy and the pull of rest was strong but his mind was locked in memory. Slowly he went over what happened that last day…He would have been surprised he still had a tear to shed if the wave of regret didn’t distract him from the feel of the wetness escaping down his face.‘Damn it, Kirishima…’ even in his mind, his voice sounded broken. ‘I didn’t mean to…I…you…Please come back…I have to tell you…’A brief flash of the last face he saw on the red head’s face swept across his mind. The look of defeat and anguish was not something that should have ever dared to form on that face meant for joy and unbridled manliness. ‘And I put it there.’Thus the once proud and explosive hero slid into stage four with a wave of darkness so thick he felt he could drown in it….And at that moment, he really wished he could.
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Determination
For Kirishima, walking through the forest has always been a great way to calm the mind and reflect and considering the past few weeks, there was certainly a lot there to sort through.The time following the tiny healer’s announcement was filled with a mass round of questions, confusion, shouting, and planning. Almost everyone wanted to know about their other selves and the world he was from though the main question of focus was how did he even get here? Kirishima closed his eyes, grinning wide as he remembered the faces they made when he had explained the fight as best he could (leaving out the personal details, of course) and how after the villain exploded, one moment he was being crushed, the next he was here! Ashido had tried to explain what they saw on their end, how he arrived and how he got to the healer, but was loudly interrupted by Bakugo kicking up a fuss over who even cares about all that. Kirishima winced to himself recalling the angry glare the blonde had leveled on everyone as he near shouted, “All I wanna know is how do we send him back?” the only answer being silence at the time. Bakugo was not pleased but really, what did he expect? Kirishima would bet that even in this world of magic users, world jumping wasn’t exactly a common thing so of course everyone would be at a loss. Luckily the other him was there to take Bakugo aside and calm him...in a far more affectionate way than Kirishima had ever been allowed himself…At that thought, the young hero’s grin fell to a more neutral look as eyes slowly opened, not really taking in the scenery as he was before, too deep in his own mind to really pay attention beyond continuing forward with his companions.According to the others, he had been unconscious for four days initially before waking into this reality…then it was another three of countless spells and tests to try and send him back that didn’t seem to do anything more than make him nauseous before Midoriya spoke up, his hand already on his chin in thought, “Maybe the second fireball that shot out with Kirishima was the villain? Maybe he could be the way back?” The group had turned to him in surprise as he blinked back at them. “You guys saw the second one, right? It flew in the opposite direction and, sure, it was quite a bit smaller but I’m very sure I saw-” “FUCKING DEKU! YOU DIDN’T THINK TO SAY ANYTHING BEFORE NOW BECAUSE…???” Kirishima almost laughed watching Bakugo shot up from his position of leaning against a nearby tree to stomp over to the greenette in anger as Midoriya sputtered and tried to reason the situation out. He wondered what had even happened between the two in this world, if their history was somehow the same as the two back home or was it just their personalities? He’d most likely never know, honestly but this time the tension of the situation had been interrupted by Kaminari who had let out a sharp whine, “Guys! Calling them both Kirishima is hurting my braiiiiin! Can’t we use a different name or something?” Kirishima chuckled quietly to himself recalling the offended look on Kaminari’s face when Ashido had blinked in surprise and commented on how that was actually a good idea! She had grinned sheepishly before turning to the young hero in question and admitted, “Honestly, I’ve been struggling with it myself…you got a nick-name or something we could use?”The redhead had blinked a few moments before telling them about his Hero name, Red Riot. Since he was technically still on a mission of sorts, it would make sense that he should go by that while here. After a quick debate, it was decided that the hero Kirishima would then be called ‘Riot’ as ‘Red’ was what their Kirishima was often called, the explanation getting a laugh out of both Kaminari and Sero who, after both of them maneuvered the Kirishima’s next to each other, loudly announced, “Look! It’s the heroes Red and Riot!”Both Kirishimas had looked at each other a moment before breaking into twin gigantic grins and put their fists together with a laugh that spread to nearly the whole group though Bakugo had refused to admit his own mouth twitched at the sight. It felt good to actually laugh again. Afterwards, they had set out to get back to Riot’s landing site, taking them another day of travel to reach. The size of the crater had caused said hero to gape as they discussed which way the other guy might have gone. The news wasn’t encouraging to hear for any of them, really, and true to form, Bakugo had made his displeasure known right away. Riot cringed to himself at the memory.“ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?” Bakugo had screamed as he triple checked the map laid out by Midoriya who cringed at the blonde’s outburst. “I’m sorry, Kaachan, but the direction I saw him go definitely was to the east and based on Riot’s landing, it only makes sense that the other landed-” “IN ENEMY TERRITORY. OF FUCKING COURSE!” The angry blonde then threw the map back at Midoriya before he paced back and forth, grumbling angrily to himself while the others groaned.Riot, thoroughly confused and not up to date of the goings on of this world, had asked for some clarification on the situation. “Basically,” Ashido sighed, “There’s a great big war building up. We’ve been on a quest for the past year to gather up as many forces as we can to defeat the enemy threatening our world…the same enemy who currently holds power over most of the east…which is where Midoriya thinks your villain went…because of course he did…” “And who is the enemy?” Riot tilted his head with a frown. His concern had far outweighed the fact the likelihood of him getting home wasn’t looking good for him.Iida had then quickly shot his hand up into the air as he answered, “The true identity of the leader of our opponents has not been revealed as of yet however we do know that the armies are being led by necromancers that have been creating gigantic and powerful monstrosities, each of which have taken a great deal of effort to defeat!”The group continued to describe their plight to Riot as they worked to set up camp for the night, the similarities of the enemies causing him to share in stories of the League of Villains from his world. He really couldn’t believe that there were Nomu here as well. So many things were the same yet so very different and it was really jarring for Riot to process it all. After much discussion and debate, it was decided that they would travel to the west and hope that maybe, just maybe, the villain didn’t land past the boarder…or die, as Kaminari oh so helpfully pointed out as a possibility considering Riot’s condition.So much time had passed since the fight that Riot was starting to lose count of the days but he was pretty sure classes were over for the year and summer was started by now. Hopefully this year’s training camp goes much smoother than last year’s… He looked up at the trees surrounding the traveling party, finally taking in the swaying leaves and sunlight filtering through them as he let out a small sigh, lowering his gaze to the trail before him…Only to jolt and bite back a yelp of surprise when he finds Red staring at him, head tilted, while walking backwards. “You keep making faces, Riot. What cha thinking so hard about?”Riot immediately let out a nervous laugh and scratched the back of his neck, embarrassed at letting his emotions show so easily on his face. “Ah, nothing…just thinking of things…everything that’s happened so far…home…school…summer training camp should have started by now and I-”A pink arm landing around his shoulders cut Riot off as he was tugged to the side away from Red. “What sort of camp did you say?” Asked Ashido, her eyes wide with curiosity as they seemed to always get at any mentions of Riot’s world. The others, who had been chatting casually, turned towards the three in varying degrees of interest.Lightly disengaging himself from Ashido’s grip to stand upright again, Riot’s face broke out into a wide grin. “Summer training camp! In between school years, we are given time off to visit our families and relax before the next school year starts but the hero course is given the option to participate in a really intense training program where instead of studying multiple topics, nearly the whole time is dedicated to improving our quirks!” The more Riot talked, the more amped up and excited his voice and mannerisms became until he stopped walking altogether, fists slamming together with a sharp grin. “Ahhh! Just thinking about what Aizawa has in store for us this year has me so pumped! Yeah, the training was hard but feeling myself getting better and stronger was such a rush!” A flash of how the camp had ended shot through his mind and Riot’s smile faltered, “Well…some things weren’t good…it actually ended pretty badly BUT!” He pounded his fists together again. “That was last year! This year I’m sure I passed enough to be allowed to participate in everything! This year I’ll…I’ll…” This time the smile shrank, Riot’s excitement falling as he realized something very important. “This year I’ll be here, far away from home, trying to find a way home while everyone gets to train….” and I fall further and further behind…did I really even pass? What if I didn’t? What if I can’t attend next year? What if it’s years before I’m back? What if-“OI”Riot jolted out of his thoughts and jerked his head up to stare at the now visibly agitated blonde. “I can hear you fucking overthinking from here.”Slowly, Riot blinked and turned to look at everyone else of the group, each looking at him in varying levels of concern. He blushed. “Sorry guys…”Sero immediately waved a hand in the air dismissively. “Nah, it’s all good! This camp thing sounds really interesting and it sucks that you’re stuck here instead of getting to go but hey! Maybe we’ll get you back in time to catch most of it!” Ashido and Kaminari both nodded in agreement while Riot smiled lightly in thanks.Red, however, was grinning ear to ear as he shouted, “I HAVE AN IDEA!” Before anyone could make a quip about it, he turned to the whole group with open arms and excitement pouring from his very being. “What if WE did this training camp thing? We ARE preparing for war and it has been a while since we really took time to sharpen our skills…maybe some training would help us gain an edge for what’s to come AND Riot can get the training he was looking forward to!”Silence fell over the group as they thought the idea over before a scoff sounded from Bakugo. “That’s going to take time out of our already tight schedule that we don’t have! We’re already looking at a huge delay as is and I don’t wanna be blamed if war starts before we’ve-” The blonde paused as he found himself eye to eye with Red. “Aw come on! We can train as we go! Like how you and I did when you taught me sword fighting!” Bakugo’s eye twitched and scowl deepened seeing the beginnings of Red’s famous pout start to form as the dragon shifter moved in closer. Crap. “Pleeeeeease, ‘Suki?” Red whispered, eyes wide and begging. Fucking….“Damn it, FINE.” The blonde yelled, arms flying up in frustration before facing the Riot. “I don’t know how your camp works but we need to know if you can hold your own here anyway so tomorrow, we’ll stop by the main stream and train.”Riot smiled wide, touched and excited to see what’s to come. After all, maybe he could learn some things here that he couldn’t back home! Either way, he was determined to not slack off just because he wasn’t there. Before he could thank anyone, he froze in shock as Red tackled Bakugo into a very enthusiastic kiss. One that was becoming increasingly enthusiastic rather quickly. One that was apparently normal considering how no one else looked even remotely surprised though a couple did laugh and call out teasingly to the pair.A wave of bitterness rushed through Riot at the sight before he turned away, hands clenched at his side as the memory of his own failed kiss played in his head. He had managed to not think about it since first waking here. As long as he can focus on the here and now, he can set aside the regrets of then…but when the here and now stabs directly into that regret? Riot closed his eyes and quietly took a deep breath to clear his mind and let it go. It’s not their fault or problem and it wouldn’t be fair of him to resent them for having what he doesn’t…what he never will…“Ah! Sorry guys! Didn’t mean to get carried away there…” Riot turned back to see Red laugh, facing the group as he blushed and stepped out of Bakugo’s arms…Riot refused to let himself dwell on the details. Even if Bakugo was smiling a tiny soft smile and looking at Red with eyes so full of lo-Riot sharply shook his head, trying to stop himself thinking about it before forcing a wide grin as he stepped forward. “Well guys, we still have a ways to go for today, yeah? Let’s keep going to we make it to the stream before nightfall!”The rest of the group followed once more, Bakugo and Red taking the lead as they knew the way. Midoriya and Iida discussed ideas for training and drills, Todoroki and Uraraka listening and nodding along, while Sero, Ashido, and Kaminari groaned in dread at the hard day that tomorrow was sure to be. Riot, smile stubbornly staying on his face, spent the rest of the day doing everything in his power to ignore the pair before him, the memories inside him, and focus on making sure he trained till he dropped tomorrow.
The group did manage to make it to the riverside as hoped. Camp was made, food was eaten, plans for the morning were discussed, and finally it was time to sleep. Bakugo took first watch, as usual, and was joined by Red, also as usual, while the others bid their good nights and zonked out.An hour or two into the watch, the others snoring away in their different degrees of volume, Red looked over at the sleeping form of his twin, his bed set furthest away and back turned to the pair, before sighing softly. “I wonder what happened…”The blonde shifted beside him, head tilted though his eyes stayed forward on watch. “Hm?”Red shifted himself further onto Bakugo, his head resting in the blonde’s lap and sighing again at feeling his hair start to be played with. “With the Bakugo of Riot’s world…something tells me things are not the same between them as it is us…” Red shifted his eyes to look up at the blonde’s face, a wave of sadness flowing through him as he lifted a hand to gently trace Bakugo’s jaw. “I can’t even imagine a world that you and I would not be together…just the thought alone hurts…”Sharp red eyes slid down to look at Red’s soft ones, a battle warn hand firmly covering the dragon’s on his face as he nuzzled into it and kissed the center of his palm before replying. “I have noticed his reactions to us…to me in particular…every time we lock eyes I see a deep pain in his. It agitates and haunts me because his eyes are also your eyes. I can’t help but want to destroy whatever it is causing him to hurt but if what’s hurting him is me, what do I do?” He let out a heavy sigh. “He also does what you used to, both wears his emotions on his sleeve while shoving anything negative aside, refusing to face whatever it is until he absolutely has to…and unknowingly letting it eat him up inside.”Red hummed thoughtfully, eyes still tracing over Bakugo’s features as he thought over what to do. “Maybe…I should talk to him? I mean, no one would know me better than me, right? Maybe we could train together a little away from the others tomorrow and try and work things out…”Bakugo leaned down and gently kissed his red haired love before nodding in agreement. “I think that’s actually a good idea, who knew a shitty lizard could have those?” He teased with a smirk as the other immediately frowned and smacked him in the chest.The rest of the night passed easily enough, even if a few of the group shifted around more than the others.
The next morning started before the sun really rose, much to the displeasure of most of the group. Food was made and eaten, everyone dressed and relatively ready to begin their first day of the ‘training camp’.“Alright, extras, shut up and listen. This spot was chosen because of it’s openness and the slight difference in terrain. The larger area passed the outline of trees is where Red, Racoon-eyes, Idiot, and Riot can train since they will need the room the most. Glasses and Sticky-bitch will be keeping an eye on the camp as well as making food, Deku, Half-n-half, and Round-face have the field across the river, and I’m going to keep watch in general for now. I’ll join in the training later. Got it? Good.” No one really had the chance to answer (or complain) before Bakugo climbed up to the top of a huge pile of boulders, the view enough of a vantage point to see everyone around him clearly and beyond.Honestly, Riot wanted to laugh hearing the usual nicknames (though sticky-bitch was new) but decided to just follow the others to their specified area. His eyes widened seeing the size of the training field. “Uh…Isn’t this a bit much for just us? I mean, this is nice but I would think Todoroki’s quirk would-” His voice was cut off by the sounds of shifting and crunching noises. Immediately he turned to see two dragons, one pink and one yellow. His jaw dropped as he stared in shock and awe as the two rumbled and trilled in what could be understood as laughter. “What’s that look for, Riot?” Asked Red, head tilted and grinning wide. “Aren’t you going to shift too?”Riot’s eyes slowly shifted to Red as he blinked slowly, brain struggling to process what was happening before his eyes widened. “WHAT?”Red looked over at the two dragons before raising an eyebrow at Riot. “Shifting? You know, to dragon form? Is there something wrong?”Looking back and forth between the dragons and Red, Riot lifted a finger and placed a hand to his face. “Wait one sec…are you telling me…in this world…y'all are DRAGONS?” His hands flew out to his sides. “Is EVERYONE a dragon?? I mean, that’s absolutely badass but Holy SHIT a little heads up would have been nice!” Riot continued to ramble, though mostly to himself, while Red came to his own realization. “No, not everyone is, I mean there are more than just us but in this group…wait, you mean you aren’t?” Red’s eyes widened in shock while Riot finally stopped to lock eyes and shake his head.Minutes of silent staring passed as they both processed this before an agitated voice called out. “Oi, the fuck is going on? Why aren’t you shitty dragons training yet?” Bakugo, apparently having noticed something amiss, stomped over and crossed his arms, eyebrow raised at the dumbstruck looks the two redheads were wearing. “Well? Why do you both look like Drooly after he shocks himself stupider?” The growl from the yellow dragon went completely ignored as Red turned to Bakugo. “Um…apparently Riot isn’t a dragon shifter…and I’m guessing Mina and Kami in his world aren’t either?” Everyone looked at Riot who shook his head before letting out a bark of a laugh, startling the others.“Dragons! HAH! Wait till I tell them they are dragons here! That is so manly and cool! Aw man! And here I thought…but my quirk…it’s nothing compared to dragons!” Riot’s shoulders dropped on a sigh.“But…you had scales? I mean…sort of?” Red floundered with his words as he turned to confirm with Bakugo who nodded. “If not dragon, what are you?”Riot laughed again. “That’s what grandma asked me too.” He grinned and shook his head. “I’m just human, guys. Like I mentioned before, we have quirks instead of magic. I do know someone who’s quirk is to be a dragon but mine is just…hardening….” He lifted his hand and showed his hand change from soft skin to solid...except something was off… “Wait…what the?” Riot’s eyes narrowed as his hardening skin didn’t shift to the solid skin tone he was used to. Instead, the hardened parts turned a shiny black, harder and sharper than he had even been before he deactivated his quirk.The others were fascinated though still confused. “What’s wrong?”Hardening his whole arm this time, Riot turned it around the best he could, trying to see it in all angles and letting it catch the light. “My quirk has NEVER been like this! Usually it stays my skin tone and becomes like solid stone…this is…like black diamond or something!” An excited smile stretched across his face. “How COOL! Oh I hope this stays like this when I get back! It feels even stronger than before!” He hardened both his arms and slammed them together with a solid clunk before turning a fierce grin to the others. “Alright, dragons! I might not be a shifter like y'all but BRING IT ON! I wanna see what this can do!” Red, feeling fired up from Riot’s challenge and enthusiasm, grinned back just as fierce as he returned the fist slamming gesture. “YOU’RE ON!” He cried before shifting, his dragon form far bulkier and a bit taller than the other two. Bakugo had to turn away from the sight of the redhead’s gearing for battle. The grins they shared made his heart act up when it was just one, but two? The whole situation was just fucking with him at this point and it both pissed him off as well as made him want to jump into battle with them. Honestly, he would have if he didn’t remember Red’s plan from last night. “I’m heading back. Don’t fucking kill each other before I have a chance to train too, got it?” He stomped back over to his vantage point, slightly huffing in amusement hearing the laughter and dragon chuffs behind him.Riot undressed to just his pants, debating a moment on removing those too considering they were probably going to get destroyed, before the choice was completely removed from him by a swipe of claws from the yellow dragon that he quickly dodged. “Attacking while my back was turned? That’s pretty unmanly of you, Kami!” He smirked before lunging forward with claws of his own. Yeah, it wasn’t his world. Yeah, it wasn’t the friends he had grown with, wasn’t the camp he looked forward to, wasn’t the summer he hoped and dreamed he would have, but that’s ok. When he returns, WHEN not if, he’s going to make sure he hasn’t fallen behind. He’s going to be a hero.Still…He can’t help but wonder, even while dancing between the claws and fangs of three dragons…I hope everyone is ok at camp this year…
__________________________________I commissioned some art for this chapter from thehappysunflower88 on tumblr I highly recommend them for commissions! ( https://thehappysunflower88.tumblr.com/ )https://naughty-hero-sen-sation.tumblr.com/post/186950370194/had-a-commission-done-by-thehappysunflower88-for
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Depression
Inevitably, camp ended up being postponed for the time being, what with all the safety concerns and public backlash of Kirishima’s…disappearance.Suited Bakugo just fine.After the mass breakdown of the squad, things attempted to shift back to some semblance of normal for the last week of school. Things were kept light hearted as summer plans were figured out and certain topics avoided, life continuing to flow and the world still turning as graduation passed quietly and everyone returned home to visit family and hope camp will still happen soon.Everyone except for Bakugo.His realization that day sparked something dark deep within him. The last memories of the redhead haunted him and his nights were spent either tossing and turning in fitful sleep or staring unseeing at his ceiling. He still went through the motions of every day, of course. Still stuck with the squad and went through his usual routines as those last days of school had passed but…it was becoming increasingly clear to those who saw him that the spark and fire had gone out within him.Without the sun, he was in darkness.And it was his fault.Again.If he hadn’t…if he had just…then maybe he wouldn’t of…Doesn’t matter now…and as the blond continued to stare at his bedroom ceiling, ignoring the seemingly endless notifications on his phone, the numbness completely filling him from head to toe, he wondered if anything did anymore…
The Kirishima family had certainly had enough of the endless questions, news articles, and backlash that the school was getting over the disappearance of their son and reached out to the parents of all the students of the hero course. They were going to need to band together if any progress was going to be made and Hell would have to freeze before the Kirishimas let a place that held the best memories of their son’s life get thrown under the bus for something outside their control…for the millionth time.It took many meetings, a lot of hours, gallons of coffee, and arguments but the families were finally ready and had U.A. call for a press conference.The very next day, a large room was filled with cameras from every station possible, reporters and security squishing together as some semblance of order was figured out. Every tv was tuned in, all the public eyes pausing in their day to watch and see what U.A. had to say and what the decision was going to be for the future of not only the school but the young heroes as well.There was quite the confusion when the time came to begin and the one standing at the main podium was not Principal Nezu, not even a staff member of U.A., but Mrs. Kirishima herself with the rest of her family standing tall behind her.Silence settled on the room before she took a deep, steadying breath and began to speak:“Greetings to everyone. We appreciate you taking the time to come here and appreciate U.A. for allowing us this chance to speak to all of you.As many of you know, my son Kirishima, Eijirou was taken from us with very little chance of him ever being able to return. I will never be able to properly explain or convey the level of pain I felt and still feel at this very moment at having to come to terms that a child I carried, cared for, and loved will no longer be a part of my life, that a bed will be left empty, and one less plate will be needed at our dinner table.” She had to pause a moment, her eyes closing as she gripped her partner’s hand to ground herself. “The whole family feels the void he has left behind and it is one that absolutely can never be filled and the fact that we may never know for sure if he is even alive of dead will haunt us the rest of days. The only person that comes to mind as one who can understand how I feel outside the family is Mrs. Bakugo.” She lifted a hand out to her right as both Mr. and Mrs. Bakugo walked out onto the stage to stand by the Kirishimas. “You may recall how her son was also taken, missing for days with no clear answer of his wellbeing and no certainty that he would ever return home. Thankfully he was returned to her alive and well but during those days, she, like I, felt everything and nothing all at once with the only focus being the prayer of our son’s safe return.” She turned towards Mitsuki and smiled at her a moment, an understanding passing between them before Mrs. Kirishima faced forward again.“However, not once did either of us blame U.A. for what happened.” Both Mrs. Bakugo and Mrs. Kirishima’s eyes narrowed into a glare as they pinned each person and camera in their gaze. “Not a single member of either of our families has ever spoken a single harsh word towards the school or its staff because they are not the ones to be blamed. Every parent of a future hero goes through that initial trial of feeling both proud and terrified of and for our babies. I’d wager to say every hero across the globe has someone that goes through that same internal battle themselves because to others, they might be heroes but to us, that’s our child, our lover, sister, brother, parent, and so one. Someone we care about placing their life on the line for others in the hope of making the world a better and safer place. Danger, risk, pain…and sometimes death…is part of the job description and we would be idiots to think otherwise. U.A. has gone above and beyond to ensure they are the safest place possible for their students, our children, to be and regardless of what has happened, they still are, and we are tired of being used to try and destroy the place Eijirou found his place and his happiness. In preparation of talking to you, my family and I took the liberty of reaching out to every parent of those currently in the hero course and as you can see…” She lifted both her hands as the stage filled with parent after parent, all with matching serious expressions as the gathered and faced the crowed. “They all agree when I say we are happy that U.A. exists and pray they will continue to do so for many years to come. U.A. isn’t an enemy, they do not deserve your doubt, disrespect, and slander. They deserve your support and trust.If anyone is to be blamed for any of the harm that has and will come to the students, the Heroes, to you, and to me, it is the Villains. They are the ones out there set out to hurt others and they are the ones trying to trick you into destroying the establishment they fear the most for the good it does. Don’t fall for it. Don’t be a Villain. Remember all the heroes that owe their success to this school. Remember our children. Remember our sons and…” Mrs. Kirishima’s voice wavered a moment before she took a deep breath and smiled, “Remember to be Manly.” She and everyone around her on the stage placed their fists together in Red Riot’s signature pose, the action signifying the end of her speech and the conference.For the first time in recorded history, there was no immediate noise and chaos of questions from reporters, arguments, or anything of the like. There first was silence, then, slowly, others stood and copied the pose, a moment of solid respect for the passionate words spoken and the truth in them before a reporter finally directed a question to Principal Nezu about the camp, to which he happily replied would still be taking place after some final details were put in place. All of the staff of U.A. turned and bowed their thanks to the parents, thanking them for their support and trust in their care of their children as well as a solid promise that should Kirishima return, he would be welcome to resume his studies should he desire to return.Truly the conference was a total success and nearly all the Hero students watching their parents felt pride and joy at seeing the support they gave. Nearly…
Mina turned off the tv and turned to her friends that had gathered in her parent’s livingroom to watch them “Be totally badass!” as stated by Kaminari, a smile on her face seeing everyone else lowering their arms from the Riot pose as well. “So…looks like camp will be soon…”Kaminari, Sero, Tetsutetsu, and Jirou nodded as a wave of melancholy filled the room. They had all tried to get a hold of Bakugo but he just wasn’t responding to anyone and it was getting beyond concerning.“Do you think he’ll go?” She asked, hands folded around one bent leg she had pulled up and leaned against while the other hung from her chair.The silence she got in return wasn’t very reassuring.Jirou checked her phone a moment and sent a text to the missing blond but honestly she didn’t expect a reply. “Considering the lack of…well…anything from him, I honestly can’t say for sure…this has really messed him up.”Kaminari and Sero nodded in agreement but Tetsu frowned and crossed his arms, huffing up just a bit in annoyance. “He’s not the only one…Big K would be upset to see him acting like this! We’re all hurting and I get that maybe something more was happening between those two than I thought but he’s gotta snap out of it and let himse-” a small blast noise notification tone from Jirou’s phone startles everyone as she quickly checks the screen. “I didn’t expect him to actually…” Her eyes widened. “Holy…shit…”That got everyone’s attention REAL quick, Kaminari leaning over to try and see. “What’s wrong? Is he…” His jaw dropped, “No fucking way…” both he and Jirou faced the others, their faces pensive as they waiting impatiently for at least a little more info but as nothing was being said, Ashido finally snapped. “WELL? WHAT IS IT? IS HE OK? TALK!” She yelled, making the two jump before Jirou turned her phone towards them and bit her lip. “He…he’s not coming…”They all blinked, Sero, being the furthest from the phone tilted his head in confusion. “To camp?”Jirou shook her head. “To U.A.”Ashido gasped, tears immediately welling up and falling while Tetsu started to growl, rage filling his body as his fists started clenching and unclenching at his sides. “That….absolute…COWARD!” He bellowed before storming out of the livingroom and out of the house, the rest of the group stunned before scrambling to follow.
Bakugo rolled over in his bed after shutting off his phone. Why he didn’t do it sooner, he really didn’t know. Probably just didn’t feel the need to bother. At least they knew his decision now though he supposed he‘d have to tell his parents now so they didn’t pay for next year’s fees.Sitting up made his head spin. How long had he been laying there? Too long, probably, but fuck it. Least the hag didn’t barge in. He honestly was surprised that she hadn’t gotten on his case for his behavior these days but he was also…grateful…he didn’t have the energy to argue anyway. The corner of his mouth twitched with a small smirk that held no feeling. Who knew the day would come that he, Bakugo Katsuki, wouldn’t have the will to argue? The end of times is truly nigh…
Slowly he dragged himself to the bathroom and let himself switch into autopilot. He cleaned himself up a little, the routines so automatic that it didn’t register at all as his mind zoned out for the millionth time, trying to think of nothing while thinking of everything. He regrets not messaging more. Regrets shrugging off his hugs. Regrets so much. He thinks of every missed moment, every sneer and cruel word, all the things that showed him over and over what kind of hero he was. What kind of person he was.Harsh knocking on his front door startled him out of his haze and he realized he was standing in his kitchen staring at the dishes that had yet to be washed from the breakfast he missed that morning. He also realized for the first time that day, that he was alone in the house.He wondered a moment where his parents had gone before the harsh knocking happened again. He stared towards the door, debating the worth of opening it, almost deciding to ignore it until the knocking got louder, and harder, like someone was trying to punch their way through the door. ‘Who the fuck?’ He wondered as he warily made his way there.To his surprise, he heard a familiar voice start to yell through the door, “Bakugo! It’s Tetsutetsu! Open up or I swear I WILL break this door down, bro!”Confused and getting a little irritated, Bakugo unlocked the door and swung it open, “What in the fuck do-”A fist to the face was unexpected to say the least.Falling flat on his ass, Bakugo, lifted a hand to his cheek while he glared up at the raging silver haired bastard. “They fuck is wrong with you?!? What if my parents answered the door, you maniac!”Sliding into his fighting stance, Tetsu glared right back at the blond and growled. “Your parents are still at the press conference and YOU are a COWARD, BAKUGO!”Standing up, both hands sliding down to his sides, Bakugo’s glare took on a hint of confusion. “What press conference, you stupid tin can?”The fact he ignored to argue the second half both shocked and enraged Tetsu further but he was also confused. “The conference Kirishima’s Parents put together with all our parents? To encourage support for U.A.?”Bakugo’s uncomprehending look was the last straw.Tetsu launched himself forward and swung at Bakugo again, the blond just barely dodging in time as his reflexes tried to kick in with his worn body. “You mean,” Another swing narrowly dodged, “…you’ve had your head so far up your ass” and another “in a pity party that you didn’t know” and another “the conference was happening?!?”Choosing to save his parent’s home from any damage, Bakugo managed to dodge outside, the small sparks of familiar anger starting up inside at being attacked for reasons he didn’t understand. “Why the FUCK” he twisted and started to pant. “Would I give a damn” duck and dodge “About some stupid press shit!” He yelled.“IT WAS IN KIRI’S HONOR YOU DICK!” Finally another punch landed on the stunned blonde’s chest, sending him hard to the ground just in time for the rest of the squad to arrive and gape in shock at their two panting friends.Slowly Bakugo sat up with a groan before Tetsu stormed up and yanked him up off the ground by the front of his shirt to bring him eye level to his furious glare. “Listen up, you pathetic piece of shit!” He seethed. “Kirishima would be absolutely ashamed of you right now! You think he would want you to quit hero work now that he’s gone? FUCK NO! He’d want you to keep fighting for you fucking number one ranking you’ve done nothing but bitch about for the past three years! For you to just throw it all away, everything, just like that, is like saying none of it was worth anything at all to you! You really going to insult his memory like that?” Tetsu paused in his rant and stared at the broken man before him. The conflict of emotions and shame plain on his face in a way the Bakugo he knew would have rather died than to show another person. Slowly he lowered him to his feet and the others joined the two.Sero was quick to steady Bakugo as he wobbled a little on his feet. “Hey, man…we’ve been missing you, ya know? Beating Denki at Mario Kart just isn’t the same without your quips, dude…”Kaminari nodded enthusiastically, tugging a little on Bakugo’s arm, “Yeah, Blasty! And what’s this about you not coming back to school? You gotta! It’s hard to be the Bakusquad without the Baku!”Jirou placed a hand on Bakugo’s back. “Yeah, who’s going to destroy my drum set with awesome music while I practice my guitar if you’re gone?”Ashido, however, stepped between Tetsu and the blonde with a quivering lip and a wet glare. “If Tetsu didn’t already hit you, I would. How dare you. How dare you try and leave too. We just lost Kiri a-and…” She burst into tears, tackling Bakugo and nearly knocking the whole group to the ground. “I REFUSE to lose you too, you hear me, you bastard?!?”“…y fau….” He mumbled back, voice rough as if he was crying but he just didn’t have any tears left to shed.“What’d you say?” Ashido sniffed, face buried in his chest but an ear tilted towards his mouth.“It’s my fault…” he whispered again. “My fault he was there…I hurt him and he ran…I can’t stop seeing the face he made…the last one…and I did that…”“Fuck you.”The squad looked over at the still angry Tetsu. “Are you really so full of yourself that you think somehow you MADE Kirishima fight that guy? Somehow you MADE him choose to save those people? Hey everyone!” Tetsu turned to face the miraculously empty neighborhood with arms opened wide. “That villain attack wasn’t stopped by Red Riot’s actions and sacrifice! No! It was all the doing of the great Bakugo!”“Uh…Tetsu?” Sero’s voice called as the squad slowly backed away from a shaking Bakugo who’s hands were starting to smoke.Tetsu ignored them, just puffed out his chest and walked around like a ringleader talking up a main act to a crowd. “After all, Kirishima wasn’t capable of making his own independent decisions! No! He needed to be told what to do!”Kaminari cleared his throat loudly to be heard over both Tetsu’s booming voice and the increasing sound of popping from the blonde’s hands. “Dude? Maybe that’s enough?”“I guess he was too weak in the end. If it were Bakugo, I’m sure the villain would have been caught since every decision is up to-”A roar of rage was his only warning to activate his quirk before the silver hero was hit in the side by a powerful blast. Immediately the two engaged in battle, that wasn’t as powerful a display as it could have been (much to the other’s relief) but was still emotionally charged enough to be felt just as strongly as any blow.Still, it ended as abruptly as it had begun, the two fighters locked hand to hand and glaring at each other as they panted hard, sweat pouring off of them both before Tetsu head-butts the blonde to the ground. He then squatted over the blonde’s body and spoke softly but clearly. “Stop disgracing Kiri’s memory by letting himself fall. Live life without regret, right? Fall down and get up again. Keep moving forward, live your life, and be the hero Kiri knew you could be.” He stepped back and offered a hand to the once again stunned blonde. “That we all know you will be.”Slowly the others stood beside Tetsutetsu, each of them extending a hand to him as well.Bakugo stared at each of them in shock. The words finally breaking through the heavy layer of darkness that had been smothering him.In this moment, he knew what it would mean to take their hands. The promise it would hold and the chance it would bring.He sat a moment more to stare as another hand seemed to be held out with theirs, one he would never be able to deny.With both hands, he reached out to theirs and, with them, chose to move forward.This moment, he was no longer a hero driven by pride.He would now be driven by love.