Chapter Text
Tilting his head back up towards the sky, he takes a deep breath. The mountain air is cold, like ice spreading in his lungs. Bitter, frosty, unpleasant.
Hida, Gifu is a little bit different than the pictures. Sticking his hands into the pockets of his winter coat, he looks down on the snow-covered pavement, his shoe sole imprinted in them. Noise from the city just down the road is blocked out by the forest surrounding them. He tucks his chin further into his scarf, hands fidgeting with the string in the inside of his pocket - wrapping and unwrapping it to feel the pressure in his fingers.
He’s careful to keep the blood flowing. To keep his mind off of how hard producing sweat in this condition is, and everything else. Back and forth, to make the circulation stable.
He flickers his eyes around to get a feel for the place. The first time he came here as a visitor, he didn’t think much of it.
The area surrounding the schoolyard itself is clear and maintained - but where the forest starts is dense. It’d be difficult terrain to navigate through, packed with mud and high trees that give it a ceiling.
He stares at the building for a long time. For what feels like a long time, anyway.
It doesn’t look like it fits there. Even with all the nice paved roads to and from, and the mural on the side of the dormitory building - even though it’s polished. It was deforested just so it could be built but—it doesn’t fit there.
He takes inventory of that in the back of his head. Knowing things always put Katsuki at ease. In the cases he’s worked, even the most gruesome, he always opted to have every detail. It helped him face it, and give way to solving the crime with a clear head. He’s always been a bit of a control freak and even if something was fucking unsightly, he tried his best to know it like the back of his hand. It always gave him some assurance.
But that’s not like this. Even knowing that everything leads back to this building fills him with a sense of dread he can’t even begin to understand.
Lost in thought, he’s startled by the car pulling in up at the road. It’s just like that sleazeball from the hero commission described. His neck feels tight as he watches the sleek, black sports car pull in. He can see him through the window.
Even with these stupid fucking costumes on, Bakugou would know that face anywhere in the world. His heart thumps against his ribs like it's going to run somewhere. He wants to claw his face off a little, an itch on his cheeks.
The car engine is almost silent as it pulls into the lot, slowing to park in an empty lot. When Shouto steps out, his breath hitches. He has two pieces of luggage with him that he rolls through the thick snow, crunching under the wheels.
He’s taller than Katsuki despite the fact he’s standing on the pavement and Katsuki’s standing on the sidewalk. His expression is, as usual, unreadable. Over what, Katsuki doesn’t know and refuses to ask. He sighs.
“You got here early.”
Katsuki grits his teeth, grinding them together.
“Yeah. Long time no see,”
He frowns at him then sighs.
“Right. We should head inside. The headmaster is expecting us,”
“Lead the way,”
__
The headmaster's office is on the top floor of the primary school building.
The classrooms are bland but expensive. Each floor separates out each grade, K-5. It totals out to be 6 floors. They almost act as separate entities, each floor with four classrooms total, fixed with a kitchen and bathrooms for the students. They even have an elevator.
Most of the staff have rooms based on grade, but the headmaster's office is all the way at the top where the 5th graders are.
If Bakugou had to guess, each floor is exactly the same. The first and fifth look nearly identical in layout, a copy and paste of each heading up. The only difference is how they’re decorated and what hangs on their walls. The younger kids have nothing but art in display cases and little notes for their prestigious parents behind glass.
The 5th graders have their own accomplishments. Trophies, magazine and newspaper clippings, accolades. It reminds him a little of his time at U.A., the display of his accomplishments like some prized animal, hanging out as a way to flaunt status.
Shouto trails in front of him, silent as stone. It’s not unexpected, and it’s not like Katsuki is exactly eager to talk to him. Right now, they need to appear like good college buddies who are chatty and kind of dense. It takes him a minute to swallow his pride as they quietly walk down the long hallway.
“We’re supposed to be socializing, dipshit,” He whispers. Shouto throws him an unimpressed look over his shoulders.
“Excuse my insolence. I was sure someone was giving me the cold shoulder,”
“Oh, fuck you. Sorry for not being able to just pick back up on the friendship thing, not talking to someone for an entire goddamn year just does that to people,”
“If you would just let me explain—”
“Oh, so you can explain how you could contact shitnerd Deku and not me? Not that I even fucking care,”
“Baku—Kishou,” He pinches the bridge of his nose “Let’s not do this right now. Just pretend you’re not mad and that you’re happy when we get into the office, okay? Get angry later.”
“I’m not gonna fuck up my job for you, Ikuro. Don’t even fucking think about it,” He scoffs, pausing as they’re in front of the door “Now let’s go. And by the way, this hair color looks fucking ridiculous on you, “
Shouto pauses then laughs under his breath.
“You’re not much better,”
The door in front of them is stained dark oak. On the wall next to it is a plaque, that says, Headmaster. With various Ph.D. and other academic certifications along with a familiar name. It’s gaudy looking.
“Show off,” Katsuki huffs. He sees the corners of Shouto’s lips tug up as he knocks twice on the door.
“You may come in,”
He shuffles in behind Shouto to get a quick look around the office before having to show his face. He has to be on his best behavior for now.
As he expected, the place reeks of self-importance. Hanging degrees on the wall and other little achievements are fine, but the miniature shrine and portrait of himself on the left is a dead giveaway to his rank attitude. It’s so ridiculous he wants to laugh out loud but refrains, stiffening his posture. Glancing at Shouto tells him that he’s much in the same condition.
“You must be the new hires,”
They both give him a polite smile, bowing.
“I’m Ikuro Yoshida,”
“I’m Kishou Suzuki. Nice to meet you, sir.”
“My, what polite young men you are. Calling me Mr. Nakamura will suffice for now,” He insists, laughing loudly. Katsuki frowns inwardly in disgust “You two seem to know each other well,”
“Yes. We’ve been close friends since college and applied to the school together.”
“Ah, yes I remember. You both attended Kanazawa University. correct?”
“That is correct,”
“A good school indeed. I hear Ishikawa is nice in the summer, perhaps it’d be a good time to visit,” He stands up from his chair, walking over to one of the windows to take a view outside “As I’m sure you know, most of our staff is also boarding here. Due to some complications, only one room is available for you two.”
Katsuki manages just barely to hide his frown. Then, he gets an idea. He wraps an arm around Shouto’s shoulder, giving him a plain smile.
“Not at all. We used to dorm together,”
Shouto gives him a startled look before laughing a little. Katsuki shoots him a glare, if you say anything about this I’ll kill you.
“Oho, how refreshing. Well then, I’ll let you get settled in first. One of our staff members will direct you to your jobs and you’ll be trained from there on. I hope to see you do well,”
They both bow again.
“We appreciate the hospitality, Sir.”
“You’re dismissed,”
Shouto shoves him off him, making Katsuki snicker as they head out of the room. With the door quickly closed behind them, they immediately make their way back out of the building. Neither of them talks until they’re in the elevator. A soft ding sounds, followed by a woman's voice. Going down.
Stepping inside, they wait to make sure no one else is coming in before Katsuki slumps his shoulder and leans against one wall.
“Fuck,”
Shouto leans on the opposite wall facing him.
“This is very exhausting,”
Katsuki snorts.
“Fuck yeah it is. That dude gives me the creeps,”
Shouto smirks at him.
“I thought you were still mad at me?”
“I am, you asshole. But right now, we got work to do so I’m letting it slide,”
“How mature of you,”
“Fuck off. You got more annoying while you were gone for a year,”
The elevator stops on the first floor, and Shouto steps out first while Katsuki trails behind - hands in his pockets. It’s weird to see him from the back. He’s tall, the same height and build, but his hair is a strange sea-green color and down his back.
They walk out of the building with their luggage, stopping at the campus map. It’s big and colorful, behind some plastic and staked into the ground - right at the very end of the walkway going in and out of the building. Katsuki crosses his arms over his chest, looking it over with him, and trying to make out if there’s any differences from the blueprints they received from the Hero Commission.
“Ah fuck, this weather sucks,”
“You want me to keep you warm?”
He looks over at him, disgust on his face. Damn bastard isn’t even looking at him.
“Why the hell did you say it like that?”
“What did I say?”
“I’m not that shitnerd, don’t play dumb.”
Shouto smirks.
“I really do have to keep you warm though. Winter isn’t good for you,”
He doesn’t bother correcting him this time, merely clicking his teeth. It’d be wasting his breath, so he returns his attention back to the map. He wishes he had a copy with him right now, but all the papers are in a suitcase. Still, wracks his brain going over every curve and landmark.
“The store room is missing on this map,” Katsuki says after some time. Shouto glances at the same spot, thinking back over to the blueprint.
“...You’re right. That’s odd.”
“Take a picture of it,” Katsuki whispers, a little low “We’re new hires, it’d be more suspicious if you didn’t.”
“Right,”
He reaches into the pocket of his pants, stepping back to get a good photo of the map. Katsuki steps away.
“You don’t have to move,” Shouto says, smug “This is an important day, we should get pictures,”
Fuck this guy is so annoying.
“Fuck you. Just take the picture,”
“Your mom would be mad if I didn’t take them, though?”
Katsuki grits his teeth. This bastard is talking about his mom, as in his real mom.
“I’m going to kill you,”
“But the scenery—,”
“Dammit, fine!”
He huffs a little amused, shrugging as Katsuki steps into the frame, hands in pockets. He doesn’t know why he keeps insisting - but he wants to go inside. He steps into the frame, sending death glares to the camera as Shouto smiles at him. He’s giving him that intentionally empty-headed smile. Bakugou narrows his eyes.
They walk side by side again, taking a path down to the main staff dormitory - on the upper west side of the campus.
“Stop being a freak.”
“It’s revenge for the headmaster's office,”
Katsuki feels his eye twitch and Shouto looks on passively. His face is frustrating to even look at, so he stares at the road ahead of him and closes his eyes - trying to regain his composure. Once he manages, he takes a good look around the place.
The campus is small with an interesting layout. The dorms are on the upper west side. The main classroom building is the center of the campus. Everything else seems to be facilities, all stuff that had been on the map.
To the left of the main building are student and staff facilities. Mostly dorms and a large gym with an indoor pool. On the right side of the main building is what Izuku and he visited only a few months ago - the impressive labs, the museum, and the gift shop. To think some dumb, nerdy tourist scam that Izuku got caught up with would be doing all of this still feels absurd. His head aches a little.
“Looks like this is the teacher's building,”
Katsuki looks up and nods his head. They glance at each other briefly before walking in. The automatic doors slide open with a faint whoosh as a warm burst of air hits Katsuki’s face - making him all blotchy.
There’s a front desk with a bored secretary very obviously scrolling social media. To her credit, she perks up a little at the sight of them, smiling tiredly.
“Oh, hi.”
They both bow and Katsuki looks off. Shouto walks up to the desk, giving her a smile.
“Hello. We’re the new hires. I’m the librarian and my friend over there is the Mathematics T.A. Ikuro Yoshida and Kishou Suzuki.”
Katsuki watches through the corner of his eyes as she types something into her computer. He lets his gaze wander around. It’s a small building from what he can tell. Makes enough sense, less staff than there are students. Being in a dorm like this really does feel like high school, the thought makes him laugh under his breath.
“Yes, finally found you. Looks like you two will be in the same room for the time being. The other open room had an issue with water damage, but it should only be temporary,”
“It’s alright. The headmaster informed us.”
She looks surprised. It’s not exactly hard to guess why, but she doesn’t say anything about it. Katsuki takes note of that, watching as she gets a set of keys off the corkboard behind her. There are two copies. Shouto hands him one, pocketing the other before giving her a smile.
“Your room should be just down that way, on the left.
Putting them on the first floor is another thing he notes. Shouto gives her one more quiet thanks and the two of them walk with their luggage, footsteps echoing the closer they get to the door.
When they arrive at the front door, Shouto undoes the lock wordlessly. They glance at each other before entering. Katsuki peeks both ways and at all the doors, making sure no one is looking as he comes inside.
Before they do anything, Katsuki slides his jacket off. He drapes it over a chair and reaches into the inner pocket. Shouto has already gone with the little detector device, starting from the top right corner of the room to the bottom.
They complete the task in total, unending silence. Only one recording device, Shouto disables quietly. They run through the routine two entire times before they’re certain. Afterward, Katsuki finds himself dropping onto the bed with a deep sigh.
There are a lot of things Katsuki resents about undercover missions. Mostly that’s it’s tedious and not at all rewarding. He has no fucking idea how Mindjack and Eraser do this bullshit for months on end. Acting like some character, keeping a low profile, keeping your head down. All of that is so off base for the type of thing he even does hero work for. If the Hero Commission hadn’t groveled at his feet to do the job, he would’ve rejected it.
Not only did they spring the whole thing on him in the middle of the work week, he had less than a week to debrief. And to top it all off, they were pairing him up with the only friend he’s been in a fight with for the last year. The only reason he can think about it now is because this is the first time in weeks he’s had a second to breathe.
And now that he can process everything, he can feel irritation bubbling in his throat. Fuck he hates everyone in the Hero Commission so much. A bunch of scumbags, he should’ve punched that old geezer in his mouth for even asking.
Scrubbing a hand over his face, he takes a deep breath and stares at the ceiling. He can hear Shouto around him, probably starting to unpack.
“There’s only one bed in here. Two desks but one bed,”
Katsuki groans. He hadn’t noticed before.
“You’ve gotta be shitting me.”
“It’s weird that they thought far enough ahead to give us two desks but only one bed. Two twin-sized ones would fit fine?”
“It’d probably be more expensive. Not that these idiots don’t have money to spare, but I’m pretty sure they already suspect us.”
Shouto pulls out a chair from one of the desks, sitting and facing Katsuki. He sits up, palms sinking into the mattress. Stretching his legs out, he cracks his neck.
“You think so? Already?”
“I don’t really know how to explain it, but the headmaster definitely suspects us. Everyone else in the building seems pretty damn clueless,” Katsuki scratches the back of his neck, contemplating “It’s a lot of young kids.”
“You’re not that much older than them,”
“Whatever. My point is that all the staff we’ve seen aside from like.. a handful of teachers are young. Fresh out of college and desperate, scummy as hell tactics.”
“Then that means for us… we have to be careful around the older staff.”
Katsuki sighs.
“Yeah. Like really fucking careful. I figure the reason Slug and Seltzer got caught up was because they probably got too curious, too early. The turnover rate here is 2-3 years max, so anyone who’s been working here longer than that is someone we have to be cautious of,”
“...I’m thinking something gruesome.” Shouto sighs, a pained expression on his face.
“Go ahead and say it,”
“...Truthfully, I can't imagine those people just got let go. If we have a chance to work on this earlier, I would’ve had someone investigate past teachers and what happened to them after quitting,”
Katsuki winces at the suggestion, reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose.
“Shit… you think they’re still around somewhere?”
Shouto nods.
“Given what we know about the drug so far, it’s been hard to find consistent results. It was all very experimental up until the school got involved, then symptoms became more consistent,”
His jaw tightens.
“Test subjects huh… makin’ my skin crawl,” Katsuki clicks his teeth, head leaning back “When I got here, all I could think about was how fucking weird this place is.”
“I think I know what you mean, but explain anyway,”
“Dunno if there’s shit to explain. Just a feeling. We see some pretty fucked up shit every day - but something about this place feels off. More off than usual.”
Shouto leans back in the chair, arms crossed over his chest.
“It’s so hard to fault that it’s unusual. Like unnaturally pristine”
“Yeah, exactly. And I’ll bet your ass that it has something to do with the inconsistency on the map.”
Shouto runs a hand through his hair.
“Either way, we need to start collecting information today but we don’t work until tomorrow which is troublesome.”
“Socializing in the common area in this building is our best shot for now. Use your pretty boy thing and swing us some information.”
Shouto gives him a dry look.
“I hear bad boy delinquent types are more popular these days.”
“From fucking who? You watchin’ romance movies with your big sister and mom or something?”
He nods seriously and Katsuki only gets a second to process it before breaking out into laughter.
“Haah, shut up. It’s your job today 'cause I said so, so deal with it.”
“Is this because you're mad at me?”
That catches him off guard. Icy-Hot is weird with what shit he thinks about. A familiar pang of discomfort shoots through him as he clicks his teeth, looking away.
“I told you it could fucking wait.”
“But I hurt your feelings,”
That makes him angry. Not because it isn’t true, but because unlike Shitty Deku - this guy isn’t capable of mincing words. It’s not like he’s not still upset about the whole thing. He doesn’t think that’s super fucking unreasonable even for him. He wasn’t even mad until he found out he’d been talking to Deku now and again and not him.
And whatever if that’s what he wanted. It’s his own fault for being all fucking sensitive, but he thought they were at least kind of closer than that after the shit that happened between them. So what if he’s pissed about it. That’s his god-given right.
“If you know that, then shut up,”
His frown deepens.
“Bakugou,”
“Fucking what?!”
“Sorry.”
He says it sincerely. Like it’s all he has to say. Icy-Hot’s like that too, succinct. He doesn’t beat around the bush about hardly anything. Always been good about that. Katsuki doesn’t exactly forgive him. He’s still annoyed, still frustrated - but that stupid dejected look on his face is more urgent. He waves a hand.
“I said I wasn’t fucking mad alright. Stop being annoying.”
He seems pleased by that answer, nodding.
“Okay.”
“Tch. How was the mission, at least? A year out in the Artic to hunt someone down is fucking insane.”
“Truthfully, it’s all a little blurry. At some point, it felt like every day was the same. It’d b best to talk when this is all over. Either way, I’m relieved to be back in Japan,”
“I’m sure our idiot friends are happy to see you back.”
He smiles a little
“I am looking forward to seeing them,”
“Deku was whinin’ about how I got to see you first for like a week,”
He flushes a little, hand on the back of his neck in embarrassment. Katsuki snickers.
“That’s a very Midoriya thing to do,”
They sit for a moment in comfortable silence. It’s hard to describe the feelings that Katsuki is experiencing. Longing is too flowery. It feels different than that, like having teeth sinking into his throat slowly. Not unpleasant, but impending all the same. He takes a deep breath.
“We’ll start with putting out feelers for the schools class structure,” Shouto says, deep in thought “It’s not a good feeling, but whatever is happening seems very embedded in the school in general,”
“Get changed into something more casual and we can go by the dining hall,” Katsuki says in approval.
Shouto nods, taking his leave.
__
They head to the dining hall after a quick change of clothes and a quick debrief on what to do once they leave.
Since their room is the only room that they can comfortably speak in, they have to be extremely conscious of how they act. It’s a skill-set Katsui has always been sorely lacking in, which is why he doesn’t take these shitty undercover missions in the first place.
In an annoying turn of events though, it’s a hell of a lot easier to have Shouto around than not. Initially, when they’d been called for this mission - he was very displeased about having to co-operate with him. Neither of them are fond of this kind of mission. They make a good team but that’s on the field and fighting. They’ve got flashy quirks and have never once been mentored to work undercover.
In terms of good candidates for this type of job, Katsuki can name at least 10 people he’d pick before him and Icy-Hot. He might be the best but that’s at what he does. Not at whatever the fuck this is.
But, walking and quietly arguing with Icy-Hot gives him a better idea about why they were suggested. Though they labeled it formally as undercover, this is more of a tactical mission than not.
Katsuki harbors nothing but complete disdain for every single person in the Hero Commission. It’s easily the most corrupt body in the entirety of Hero Society. Everything it does is in self-interest, and it is not unwilling to overlook ethics for the sake of profit and control. He’s at odds with him fucking constantly and hopes to take them down someday.
The only reason he went to college is cause some fucking punk from the HC tried to drain his finances when he was opening his agency. He spent two years getting a technical finance degree and then his early adulthood busting ass so he’d never have to interact with them again.
So, all of this is especially annoying, but Shouto being here makes it marginally less annoying.
He sticks his hands in his pockets as they come through to the end of the hall where the cafeteria is.
Luckily, it’s relatively full. Everyone here knows each other, and even as they stand at the entrance - they can feel every pair of eyes on them. Katsuki clicks his teeth, straightening up. He leans over a little so Shouto can hear him.
“Don’t engage. Save us a seat, I’ll bring food but don’t approach anyone first.”
Shouto nods his head, agreeing. Instead of just leaving, he raises his voice just high enough to talk.
“Please bring me some sweet bread,”
Katsuki pulls back to stare at him before giving him a flat look. He sees Shouto smile from the corner of his eyes.
“Yeah, yeah.”
With the tension broken, he makes his way to the end of the line. It’s hard to ignore all the people staring at him as he shuffles through the middle path. Every table he passes nearly breaks their fucking neck to see him.
He does his best to keep his temper at bay and lets their gazes slide off of his shoulders. Standing at the back of the line, his eyes scan the room briefly.
As he thought before, the staff skews unusually young. The room itself has large windows on either side. The tables are wooden and circular with a shiny finish, and the chairs have expensive wooden detailing on the back. Instead of normal overhead lights, they have small chandeliers. It looks like a private school in essence, but Katsuki can’t get used to the environment.
Regardless, he’s moving up the line. He watches people take trays and talk to the people serving them with familiar smiles. It kinda reminds him of his own agency. His chest swells suddenly feeling pleased.
When it’s his turn, he takes two trays and balances them in his hands.
“You’re new,” The woman in front of him has a mole on her cheek and sharp features “Who’s the second tray for?”
Katsuki nods in the vague direction Shouto is sitting in.
“My friend over there. It’s uh, nice to meet you. We both just got in today,”
She gives him a smile. It’s eerie. Without asking, there’s sweet bread on both of the plates. He doesn’t know if it’s intentional or not, but either way, it makes him uncomfortable.
“The two of you already know each other?”
He tries not to frown.
“We met in college and applied together,”
“Oh! Well isn’t that just lovely,” It’s subtle, but Katsuki doesn’t miss it. He narrows his eyes “You know, after what happened with our new teachers - it’s nice to see new people,”
He can feel his jaw grit as their eyes meet over the counter. Calm down, calm down.
It’d be more suspicious if he didn’t ask anything. He can’t look eager.
“Did they quit? Dean told us there’s a lot of turnovers since the mountains make it hard for people to adjust,” He says, suppressing the murderous intent in his voice “You could probably scream and no one would hear ya,”
He feels a little victory watching her face go pale with fear. He gives her a shrug - purposefully feigning indifference.
“Yes. I hear they got some letters home and decided,” She says, a tremble in her voice.
Katsuki can feel something in his stomach go sour. Even if it is meant to spite him and Shouto, it’s a piece of information that’s only given in the reports. It had to have been unintentional. Katsuki watches as her face contorts in mild horror. He has to hold it.
“Oh, I see. Hope they made it out of the mountains okay,” He looks through the corner of his eye, fucking delighted by her panicked reaction “I better sit. Holding up the line doesn’t make me look too good,”
He gives her another vicious smile before balancing two trays and walking back to Shouto’s table.
He drops it off with a thud, before getting drinks and utensils - returning once more. Shouto doesn’t hesitate to grab the chopsticks Katsuki handed to him.
“You look like you have a dark cloud hanging over your head, like a ghost.”
He didn’t realize it until he sat down but he’s fuming. He can feel a vein in his neck threatening to burst. He should really just blow the place up.
In an effort to quell his anger though, he simply picks up the chopsticks and stares at Shouto. The half-haired bastard gives him an amused smile. A quiet itadakimasu slips through their lips, one after the other, as they start to eat.
Shouto has no trouble talking about complete bullshit as Katsuki scarfs down his food violently. Normally, knowing he’s doing it for Katsuki’s sake would piss him off. Right now, he’s kind of grateful.
“Do you feel better?” Shouto asks.
He swallows a bite of rice, nodding his head.
“Shut up, I’m fine,” He says, picking up a piece of meat with his chopsticks “Eat this. You eat like a sick patient, it’s annoying,”
“Your motherly instincts are charming,”
“Do you like being alive? Think very goddamn carefully,”
He accepts the meat without further question, eating in one swoop.
“I had to get used to only eating when necessary so my appetite is poor,”
“That's why you look like a fucking fairy prince?” Katsuki shakes his head “Aah, I forgot. You always look like that. Pansy,”
“You know better than anyone that’s not true,”
Katsuki scoffs, offended. So fucking what if they’re tied for sparring session losses?
“If we sparred right now you’d stick to the mat like a wet grain of rice. Eat so you stop looking wimpy,”
“Of course, mom. I shouldn’t worry you in your old age,”
Instead of saying anything, he elbows him. He can’t wipe the grin on his face, but he ignores the ticklish feeling in his chest. What an idiot.
“Go to hell,”
The conversation is cut short when two people approach their table. Katsuki gloats internally, he fucking called it.
“Hey, gentleman. Mind if we join ya?”
“Oh, uhm. Not at all. Who might you be..?”
If he had to guess, both of them are in their mid-thirties. Their appearance is so average that Katsuki doubts he’d be able to describe them later. That in and of itself puts him on guard. He keeps quiet instead.
The taller one goes first.
“Ah, we’re both professors here. I’m Tomita Nori,”
“I’m Hanif Almasi.”
Katsuki isn’t phased. The two of them sit down across from them. Katsuki merely watches, turning over their introduction in his mind.
“So you boys are the new hires, huh? I’m surprised! I can’t imagine this place is very exciting,”
It’s the second time someone has tried to sniff out their intentions today alone. If they’re all playing a part in this shit, they seem pretty fucking confident they’re not gonna get snubbed out. Either way, it’s a little annoying. Katsuki is eager to beat the shit out of them.
The person next to him doesn’t say anything. He looks at him in displeasure and quietly goes back to eating.
“Oh, we recently graduated college and couldn’t turn down the opportunity. We applied together but it’s a stroke of luck that it worked out,” Shouto offers with a smile. He’s so good at being polite, sometimes it’s amusing. If Katsuki didn’t know how shitty his real personality is, it’d be convincing.
“Haha, it’s a nice place to be. Very peaceful and everyone knows each other,” The old man gives them a polite smile “What are your positions?”
“I’m a librarian,”
“Uh, I’m the T.A. for the math department. I don’t know who I’m assigned to, yet.”
“If I had to guess, you’d be up there with Ms. Akane and the 5th graders. She’s got a rowdy bunch,”
It’s a good opportunity to grab information about the school structure like they wanted to.
“Older kids are easier for me to handle anyway,” He says. It sounds unnatural to his own ears to speak so formally “I uh, also don’t have a good grasp on how everything work. I’d love to know.”
“Why, aren’t you diligent! That’s always good, to be curious and all. It doesn’t differ too much from a normal school,”
He furrows his brows.
“…But?”
Mr. Nori has the same look as that lady from the lunch line did. He has to admit, it's real fucking gutsy to make the network so obvious. It’s probably an order from the headmaster. It’d be more surprising if nothing happened after this. From what Katsuki can tell they’re not high in the hierarchy. They lack class and reek of arrogance. Easy to manipulate and get off on showing power.
It’s a good way to get information, but it makes his blood pressure rocket. How fucking shameless can these people be.
“But, this school has a very hands-on approach to learning. The kids are energetic and tough to manage, that’s all,”
A thought suddenly passes through his head, nearly making him choke on his food. He glances at Shouto who meets his eyes curiously. He shakes his head to signal that they should stop where they are, to which he merely nods. They make small talk for the rest of the lunch period.
___
“They’re provoking us,”
Shouto locks the door behind him as Katsuki goes to fish something out of his bag. He didn’t realize it sooner. He knew that they’d probably suspect them, and goes as far as trying to pry information out of them.
But they’re not threatening them. Not explicitly. Dangling information in their faces and bragging about being a part of it means one thing only.
The two of them are more valuable as assets than they are dead.
“What do you mean?”
“They’re trying to lure us but not to kill us. Whoever’s in charge must've told them to try and convince us of something.”
“But what would that even be?”
“Fuck if I know. But it gives us another angle to work with,”
Katsuki takes a minute and fishes the report out of his bag.
CASE: 01169281210 | HIDA, GIFU, JAPAN — M.T. ELEMENTARY
DATE: JANUARY 28TH, xx22
LEAD INVESTIGATORS: NAOMASA TSUKAUCHI, HIROSHI IMAI
UNDERCOVER FORCE:
PRO-HERO: SELTZER (NAKANO SHIZUE—19) (PRESUMED DECEASED)
PRO-HERO: SLUG (WARD TAHIR—21) (PRESUMED DECEASED)
Bakugou stops reading. Even with his demeanor and general inclination towards apathy on the field, seeing heroes that young, dead, or presumed dead, puts a foul fucking taste in his mouth. He gives it a moment of silence before forcing himself the read the report summary.
- On Jan. 1st, Ward and Nakano were sent to go deep cover at M.T. elementary. They were intended to report on any suspicious findings, and return within 8 weeks. Ward was assigned to attend the children's facilities, Nakano was sent to go undercover to investigate the building and check if it was in accordance with the public record. All messages to the hero commissions were encoded and sent through private post to an unassuming address correspondent with a liaison at the local detective's office. Letters addressed to Mother and Father in case of interference.
- 1 Week of No Contact. Codename: Mother (Detective Tsukauchi) sends a coded message asking for distress signal. Code: Any souvenirs you’d like to bring home?. No response.
- 2 weeks of No Contact. Codename: Father (Detective Imai) sends coded message to Ward. asking for distress signal. Code: Big fish in Hida? Maybe I’ll go visit! No response.
- 3 weeks. Contact received. Presumed threat/warning. Plain 5x8 White Letter Envelope. White grid paper. A singular piece of white grid paper with two dead mice caught by the throat in traps. Drawn in black ink, ballpoint ink pen.
- No traces of fingers prints. Single hair found, no matches to any single person in the system or census.
- 4 Weeks of No Contact. Nakano and Ward presumed dead. Request for additional manpower put in. Case currently under deliberation and on hold.
- Note from Detective Tsukauchi: The situation is more serious than once presumed.
Shouto sits next to him on the bed, his weight making the mattress dip as he reads the document over his shoulder. It’s information he’s been through over a hundred times in the week he’s debriefed.
Reading it now is different though.
“I think they brought us out here intentionally,” Shouto suggests. Katsuki nods his head.
“It’s definitely fucking looking like it. Not that they knew it’d be us, but they probably knew some bigger heroes would be coming in,”
“What do you think we should do now?”
“Wait it out and show interest,” Katsuki says begrudgingly, pissed off about the idea “They’re trying to entice us. So when they offer us an opportunity, no matter how morally bankrupt - we have to show interest,”
Shouto sighs a little, flopping back onto the bed suddenly. He closes his eyes, hands clasped over his middle.
“That’s the thing I want to do the least,” He says with a faint, displeased smile. Katsuki sympathizes with him “I’m afraid we’re reaching the one conclusion I was hoping to avoid,”
Katsuki already knows. Though he was hoping he was wrong, that off-hand comment about the kids from earlier in the afternoon means they’re definitely involved somehow. He knows it’s his job to be rational, that’s why he was brought on over other people - but it’s going to fucking suck trying to do that if they’re doing something this scummy.
He can feel the back of his neck get tight. Leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees - takes a few minutes to recollect himself. There’s still a decent amount of daylight left before tomorrow. He wants to go out and get the information now, that’s his instinct.
He can understand why Slug and Seltzer got caught so early on. It’s high stakes, emotionally taxing, and dangerous and he quite literally just wants to say fuck it and bring it all down.
But he can’t. They can’t. It’s driving him to the brink of insanity to not be able to really do anything right now.
Shouto must sense it. Wordlessly, he tugs on the sleeve of Bakugou’s cardigan and gives him a look like he’s shaking his head. Katsuki laughs under his breath.
“Are you trying to comfort me?”
“Is it working it?”
He shakes his head.
“Not at all,”
“Well then, no I’m not,”
That time he laughs.
“It feels fucked up to just sit here when everyone in this building is in danger,”
“I know. But right now, it’s probably best to lay low. Tomorrow we’ll have to be on high alert 24/7 and monitor the kid's behavior as well as the teachers. No sense in moping over that,”
“You got real wise while you were away, huh?”
Shouto huffs a little.
“A year in an isolated cold front made me consider becoming a temple priest in a faraway land,” He says, eyes closed while thinking back “There’s a lot of time to do nothing but think, so I suppose in a way I’m used to this,”
“I can’t believe they’re making you do this just after that fucking mission,”
“In a way it’s comforting.”
“Sick in the head for saying that. Winter is fucking awful,” Katsuki lays down. He doesn’t think twice about it “The cold sweat is harder for my quirk and everything is bleak as shit,”
“You don’t really like rain either,”
Katsuki wants to ask why he even remembers that but refrains.
“Nah, I don’t. I like the sun and summertime and whatever,”
“Somehow it doesn’t fit your image,”
Katsuki snorts.
“Yeah, guess not. What kinda weather do you like, anyway?”
“Spring,” He answers easily, a small smile on his face “My mom likes Spring. She used to like flowers and stuff,”
“How’s she been lately?” He turns to face him. The gap between them is just wide enough but he can’t help but be aware of their proximity. His voice is just above a whisper “She know your back yet?”
They face each other. Shouto shakes his head.
“Not yet. So far, just you. I figure Touya might for some reason,”
Katsuki chuckles.
“Yeah, that seems like him.”
He’s only met Touya a few times in his life, as Touya at least. Shouto seems fond of him.
Katsuki is suddenly aware of the two of them. In the same room together, so close after a year apart. He’s been managing his emotions well since he got here but now it’s like this. The air in the room feels denser. Shouto smells like spearmint gum and the shape of his mouth is familiar. Everything feels like it could shatter at any minute, that anything in the entire world could break the middle ground they’ve managed to find.
Katsuki thought he’d be more pissed about it. More hurt, angrier, more irrational. Instead, it’s all a little hollow. Instead, he traces the curve of Shouto’s throat and feels himself stumble over his own thoughts like nothing matters anymore. He wants to close his eye and stop thinking so fucking uselessly. That’s part of the reason he wishes there was more to do.
Right now though, they have nothing but time. Time to think, time to talk. He hates it all.
He hates Shouto for being here and he hates himself for still being like this. A year has passed. Time had been standing still for a year. Now it’s not anymore. It’s passing through Katsuki’s fingers like grains of sand and getting washed away. He’s here again and nothing makes sense lately.
Shouto is looking at him. He can feel his gaze lingering. It’s unavoidable now.
“I’m sorry,” He says first. Katsuki feels his lip tremble. He doesn’t know if he wants to kiss him or shoot him between the eyes. He looks away.
“What for?” He whispers, voice hoarse. He feigns ignorance.
“For leaving. For not contacting you, I just—” He looks strained and sad. A little pathetic, maybe “I didn’t know what to say,”
“You should’ve said something, you dick.”
“I’m sorry,”
Suddenly it all comes out and Katsuki wants to rip the world in half with his hand. Like his heart is. Split and raw and open, tears well up in his eyes but he doesn’t go to wipe them. A small, childish part of him wants Shouto to look.
“Fuck you for that. You fucking—anything. I would’ve taken anything, you’re a piece of shit for just not—do you know how that shit felt? When Deku told me you talked to him when I hadn’t heard a word from you in months?”
He closes his eyes.
“What the hell is your problem? If you changed your mind, you should’ve just—”
“I didn’t change my mind,” He looks nervous, eyes all wide and face flush “Did you?”
It’s hard to be mad at him when he looks like that.
“...No. Doesn’t mean I’m not pissed,”
“I didn’t know how to… I’ve never—”
“Neither have I, you shithead. You know that. It doesn’t matter what we are now, we were fucking friends before anyway. You should’ve said something. Anything.”
“I’m—”
“Don’t say you’re sorry again or I’m knocking your head off,”
He clamps his mouth shut. Katsuki sighs a little. Fuck, this guy is so annoying. Smug and agitating and… painfully pretty. Demure, an absurd thing to think, but true all the same. Katsuki doesn’t know when it got like this.
“Bakugou,”
“Todoroki,” He mirrors, sneering.
Shouto winces.
“..Katsuki,”
“Princess,”
Katsuki feels like he’s losing his mind.
“I missed you,”
It’s as quiet as the radiator. A low steady hum like white noise, but it’s music to Katsuki’s ears. A confession had always felt meaningless. It’s nothing more than a confirmation of something that already exists, and has existed for a long time. Why tell someone you like them, when you could show them that you’d burn the world down for them instead? It always felt like a pointless thing to do. He’s a man of action in the first place.
But hearing i miss you feels like the waves crashing at his feet. Like he’s sinking into Earth, comforted by cold water. He stares at him for a long time. The once dimmed feeling of affection surges all at once and suddenly his hand is reaching for his hair.
It only occurs to him just know that they don’t look like each other right now. It doesn’t really matter to him. He reaches for him - taking a long strand of hair between his fingers. It’s sea green and soft, pretty like an illusion.
He kisses it and watches him. Eyes narrowed intensely. They shouldn’t fuck on the job.
They shouldn’t.
They can kiss though. That much should be fine.
Katsuki leans forward and presses their mouth together. His lips are soft like he remembers. The angle is awkward and everything is messy but Katsuki wants more. His hand cups the nape of his neck, drawing him so that their bodies are flushed next to each other. Shouto’s mouth is soft. It’s gentle and warm and soft - and something about him is easy. He falls apart in Katsuki’s hands every single time.
And he whimpers which drives Katsuki fucking crazy. It’s so sexy it’s fucking ridiculous, and Katsuki wants to take him. He wants to forget the mission and fuck him on the bed, driving him to tears for spending the last year making him worry. He wants to say a million terrible things to him and whisper praise in his ear for doing nothing but sitting pretty.
He wants and wants and wants and Shouto gives and gives and gives. Greed overtakes him, and with little effort, Shouto ends up on top of him.
“You make me so fuckin’ mad,” Katsuki whispers, hoarse when they pull away. Shouto’s lips are a little swollen. He reaches up to cup his cheek in his palm, thumb running over his bottom lip, dipping into his mouth “Why’d you run away from me, huh?”
“I wasn’t trying to,” He promises. Familiar desperation in his voice. He sounds so ruined and they haven’t even done anything.
“I’m not fucking you like this,” Katsuki whispers, smiling with all of his teeth. A familiar frown appears on Shouto’s face. “Not now,”
“But—”
“Consider it punishment for getting on my nerves,”
He huffs.
“Just spar with me or something. Wouldn’t a few punches do?”
Katsuki can’t help but laugh.
“Think I’d make it that easy for you? No way. This works better,”
“Have you considered you’d be a great villain?” He mumbles, obviously petulant. The second time Katsuki kisses him it’s affectionate, makes Shouto smile even if he hates it. Makes his heart race or whatever.
“You’re real fuckin’ late on that one,”
Shouto gets bold enough to bury his face in Katsuki’s neck.
“If our mission fails, it’s your fault. Just remember that,” He complains, albeit there’s no bite to his words.
What an idiot, Katsuki thinks, hands resting under his shirt, I missed him.
__
After a little making out, the two of them manage to go back to the original task at hand. They spent the rest of the day looking over the layout of the school and analyzing the map they had seen and the one that’d been given. The only thing that’s inconsistent is the storage room that’s gone missing from one of them - but nothing else sticks out.
Today is day two of their mission and the first official day of scoping out the school and working. It’s also the first day they have to spend apart, which means they’ll have to regroup at the end of the day.
Katsuki was fully prepared to do this mission. He spent a week debriefing for it, and he has all the technical fake qualifications. At the very least, he’s pretty damn good at math so he can actually help the kids.
Like he was told earlier, the teacher he’s working with is Ms. Akane - a chatty, upbeat widower. She’s only been working here for a year, and from the brief conversation they had at the beginning of class, Katsuki can tell she’s no threat. Good for him, bad for getting more information.
His best bet is probably the students. While his tempers improved now that he’s an adult, he doesn’t really know how he’s gonna do here. He doesn’t have the Pro-Hero thing anymore. But his face is marginally less intimidating now that his hair and eyes are dark. Looking average should help a little, but his personality is… a little abrasive.
He tries to be gentle with kids though. To an extent, these days.
Recentering himself, he trails behind Ms. Akane. The door slides open, her heels clicking as she walks in. Katsuki closes it behind him and goes to stand next to her in front of the classroom. His eyes look around for anything interesting.
He doesn’t find anything of the sort though. The kids names and cubbies, some nice drawings, and other assignments. He glances at the student body, seeing if anything sticks out to him.
They all stand, bowing and greeting Ms. Akane before sitting back down. She taps his manilla folder, lost in thought before remembering Katsuki’s presence.
“Good morning class,” She says first, stepping aside “Class will proceed as usual. But we’ll have someone helping us out from now on. This is Mr. Suzuki.”
He does a vaguely polite wave.
“If you have any questions during your work, feel free to ask me. And make sure you pay attention to Ms. Akane, alright?”
Class goes on.
Katsuki mainly sits at a desk and grades papers while Ms. Akane teaches whatever's up there. He doesn’t find anything noteworthy. The curriculum is appropriate for the ages and Ms. Akane is a good teacher.
It’s alarming because it’s nothing special. In a way, Katsuki was expecting some superhuman advanced teaching, like learning discrete algebra or something. He was also expecting the kids to be more… malicious and menacing. He was told that they’re rowdy, but right now - they seem perfectly well-behaved.
They all perform in school surprisingly well. Pushing up his glasses over his nose, he marks incorrect answers in red pen and evaluates the work in silence. Taking it seriously isn’t so bad. Maybe in another life, this would’ve been a good profession for him.
Hah, Who the fuck is he kidding? But it’s weirdly fun to do.
Time passes like that for a better part of a half-hour. After she’s finished with the lecture, it’s time to pass out papers. The students volunteer to do it so Katsuki remains seated until the work is already passed out. After that, he waits to be called on.
A little girl in the back of the classroom raises her hand. He glances over at Ms. Akane to see she’s already busy so he walks toward her.
She has to look up at him. Kids are so tiny, aren’t they 11? Shouldn’t they be bigger than this? Shaking his head, he opts to kneel down so they’re eye-level instead of looming over her like a shadow.
“Whaddya need help with, kid?”
“Uhm, I don’t really understand this one,”
It’s a question about fractions. Kaminari used to detest doing algebra. A fond memory.
“What part don’t you understand?” He says slowly, mostly trying to soften the natural gruff in his voice. If he freaks them out early on, they’re not gonna talk to him and that’d be an issue. She thinks on it. Her seatmate leans over. It’s not hard to guess they’re probably both struggling with the same one.
“I don’t understand how they’re the same thing,”
He pauses, flipping over her paper.
“Is anyone else having trouble with this question?”
A couple of other brats pop out of the woodwork and crowd around him. He sighs inwardly. taking the pen resting behind his ear and trying two circles.
“You see these? They’re supposed to be perfect circles. If I divide ‘em in half like this,” He draws a line between each “Now they’re two halves of one circle,”
He looks around to make sure everyone understands before going back to his explanation.
“But let's say I divide this circle in half again. It’s the same circle cut into different pieces, but it’s the same amount, right? So this 2/4 is the same as ½,”
“Woah, mister, you’re a genius!”
Katsuki chuckles.
“Don’t push it. You guys can do this too,” He says back “Does it make sense now?”
“Yes, it does. Thank you,”
He nods, readying himself to return back to his seat. The kid tugs on the end of his shirt, a small smile on her face.
“Mr. Suzuki, if you have any questions about something, I’ll help answer them too!”
Katsuki smiles a little.
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll take you up on that. Now finish your work and pay attention,”
__
Katsuki repeats the same efforts all day, switching classes until lunchtime. When that happens, he picks up something to eat from the dining hall and goes to the library to find IcyHot.
He’s been able to gather a surprising amount of information from just a few off-handed and innocent questions. Kids like to talk, so he knows a little better what their schedule is like.
The hallway to the library is empty. It’s all the on the bottom floor. He knocks before opening the door, hand turning the knob and swinging the door open.
It’s a plain looking place. There’s a desk with a computer that Shouto is sitting behind when he enters - typing something into an interface. Katsuki leans over the edge of the table, peeking over his shoulders.
“Is there anyone else in here?”
“Not right now. A lot of the kids who eat in here aren’t here for now,” He says. Katsuki nods.
“That’s good,”
He puts the sandwhich, chips, and drink he bought on the table next to him, Shouto gives him a small smile and thanks, unwrapping the plastic as he rolls his desk away from the table.
“You can talk freely,” Shouto says first, mouth full of bread “I disabled some of the stuff in here so it should be fine,”
“I haven’t found out anything super important yet, so I don’t think I have much to report back to you on, Ms. Akane seems pretty clueless about the whole thing, and she’s only been working here for a year,”
“So, it’s about what we expected then, right?”
“Seems so,”
“And the kids?”
Katsuki takes a minute to think on it. He opens up the drink in his hands, cool against his palms as he twists the lid. He stares into the top, clear liquid fizzing in the middle.
“They’re kids,” Katsuki concludes, taking a sip in between “Normal kids. They laugh and fight and argue. They’re not… exceptional geniuses or anything. Just kids,”
Shouto stops eating. Katsuki can feel a pair of eyes on his back. He turns to him, confused.
“You’re attached to them, aren’t you?”
Katsuki gasps in offense.
“Fuck you, no I’m not,”
“It’s only been a day, Katsuki.”
“I am not attached to them. You’re outta your mind,”
“It’s not bad to care,” Shouto offers as a peace treaty “...No matter what, we’ll make sure they’re safe.”
“You know they called us here to be more… cold about all this shit.”
“Too bad they didn’t know Dynamight is weak to children,”
“Fuck you! You’ve seen how I am with kids-”
“Did you think I forgot that summer where we interned on an island? And those kids got attached to your hip? You still talk to them,”
“It’s guidance, you prick.”
“Whatever way you cut it, you love them. It’s fine, Katsuki. I think it’s nice that you get along with them,”
“Don’t you?”
“I’ve always been awkward with them. I don’t really know what I’m supposed to say.”
“Just treat them like people. They’re small but they’ve personalities and shit. I guess your awkward with people too though,”
Shouto sighs.
“At least you caught on,”
Katsuki smiles into his drink after that.
There’s not really much of an opportunity to talk though. Half-way through their lunch break, someone comes in through the door and interrupts the peace.
In an odd twist of events, it’s the guy they ate lunch with not too long ago. He looks a little surprised to see them together.
“Hello, sir,”
The man doesn’t respond, instead turning away in a hurry and scurrying into the archival section. His intuition kicked in the moment he entered, and Shouto seems much in the same. They stop talking, and Katsuki decides to shut the door and wait for a while for him to return.
It’s too early to know. But if this is a matter of survival for the staff, there has to be at least one person who knows what’s happening but doesn’t agree. They just don’t have the power to fix it. When Katsuki noticed it before, he thought it’d be something to investigate later on. It could always be a ploy - that’s not impossible.
But that look of disgust he gave Mr. Nori isn’t something that’s easily faked. Katsuki would known a look like that anywhere in the entire world.
Almost predictably, Mr. Almasi returns with something and a wide look in his eyes. He looks a little panicked. Stumbling over to the desk, he drops down a book. But it lands with a hollow thud on the desk. Katsuki’s breath hitches. Why would a normal encylopedia be hollowed out? He stares at Mr. Almasi for a minute, unusre of what to do.
They both pause.
“Is it safe here?”
“Yes,”
“I’m a chemistry professor,” Mr. Almasi states, opening up the encyclopedia. Its a locked box. He takes a chain from around his neck and uses it to unlock it “I make the drug you’re looking for, but I don’t know what it’s being used for.”
Todoroki puts a hand on the box to stop it from being opened.
“Why are you helping us?”
His features quickly reflect his despair. His closes his eyes, clasping Todoroki’s hands.
“My child goes here. Laila. She’s in the 5th grade,” He says, a fearful shake in his voice “I…I don’t want anything bad to happen to her.”
A pang of grief goes through Katsuki’s body. The little girl from earlier, wasn’t that her name? He looks at Mr. Almasi seriously.
“We’ll protect her and everybody else here. Right now we need information,”
“I don’t know anything about how the drug is used,” He says shaking his head. He opens the box to reveal a yellow envelope. There’s several baggies of a powdery, pink dust next to it.
“....Is that?”
“Yes. This is the most complete form we’ve made so far. In the envelope there’s all the information I have,”
“How long have you prepared this?”
“Your colleagues… the night before they disappeared they asked this of me. I don’t know where they are,”
“Is it likely they’re alive?” Todoroki asks
“I think so. You don’t often see bodies drop as a result of the drug. Functionally, it’s not effective is people die. At least, that’s what I hear,”
“...Thank you for this. Your effort will be rewarded so please hold tight and keep our identies concealed for now,” Todoroki asks. Mr. Almasi nods.
“Whatever is happening here is not something the average person can control. I am grateful,”
Katsuki feels a sting in his heart. He’s not very sentimental about being a hero, at least not often. But every now and again he’s reminded that there are so many people he doesn’t want to disappoint. The weight of that sits with him as he looks at Mr. Almasi, even trembling. Strong in his own way. Katsuki fixes his eyes on the floor.
“Your daughter uh, is in the first math class I teach. She’s a good kid. You should be very proud. I wouldn’t be able to look at myself in the mirror if I couldn’t protect her, so rest easy. This is what we do”
He looks away, tearful and nods.
“Yes.. yes, thank you. I’ll get going, any longer - they’ll suspect something. Thank you again,”
Mr. Almasi leaves the room, leaving the two of them alone again. The first thing Todoroki does is give him a somewhat smug grin.
“When did you get so sentimental?”
“Go die,”
His smile grows wider.
“I think it’s kind of endearing that you care though,”
“Who said I care?! It’s just a mission, it is our job so-”
“Coming from the person who used to hate rescure missions because he thought that the comforting part was above his paygrade? Hm, very interesting reaction to me,”
Katsuki feels his face grow hot, anger rising in him.
“Shut the fuck up!”
“Will you comfort me like that too, if I cry?”
Katsuki sneers at him.
“Fuck you, no. I’d make it worse. Pity is reserved for decency, you degenerate,”
“You’d think you’d be nicer to me after everything,”
Katsuki grins this time.
“You wouldn’t like that either,”
Todoroki laughs.
“Touche,”