Pre-Author's Section:

This is basically my first story in BNHA for KatsuIzu Fic and my first fanfiction in a while. I'm originally a Fairy Tail GraTsu shipper until I've lost my interest writing for the fandom. The flame of desire rekindles after I started reading KatsuIzu/BakuDeku and ShoutoIzu/TodoDeku fics so this is like a comeback fic as well. Okay, enough of my ramblings. Read on!

Warnings: Boy X Boy Pairing/ Yaoi/ BL/ Bromance/ Whatever you wanna call it. Back off if you don't like this sort of stuff.

Disclaimer: I don't own Boku No Hero Academia.

Summary:

Katsuki stared up the sky, wondering if this was the punishment for all the sins he had done. He knew nothing can change the past, but he had changed for the better. It is forgiveness he sought when he came back to Japan, hoping to get the chance to atone for his mistakes. This time, he wanted to make things right. But how was he supposed to ask for forgiveness after Izuku's revelation?

This Time

Chapter 1: Accosted Past

By: Johan Winterfrost

He wasn't particularly lying when he called out to his mother he'll be outside for a morning jog. He knew she could tell what's really going on in his mind, but she was kind enough to pretend oblivious about it. Jogging was a part of his normal morning routine anyway, even back in Texas, so it wasn't a lie. Just not the whole truth.

Breathing in the familiar scent of the neighborhood he had spent the first fifteen years of his life, the man with the spiky blonde hair, one and only Katsuki Bakugou announced through a whisper, "I'm finally home."

Ten years ago, he would have been heard screaming profanities early in the morning, fuming at the smallest things such as germs in his mouth. Now, he was the perfect image of a real gentleman. Although the infamous Bakugou scowl did not completely left his features, it became less intimidating and served more like an addition to his charm than a threatening gesture. Katsuki could imagine the stupefied look he would receive once he'd shown his face to his friends and colleagues. Not that he has a lot of people he considered as friends but, being the top one student in middle school and the most feared bully has its own perks - the latter wasn't something he's really proud at but it's a fact he couldn't deny.

Katsuki took off after fifteen minutes of stretching, his crimson eyes surveying the place as he jog. He noted how much things have changed over the length of his disappearance. Several establishments have been built, the road has improved, and there were tons of faces he no longer recognized.

Who was he kidding? It's been a decade since he left.

"I wonder if he still lives around," Katsuki mumbled under his breath, glancing around with hopeful eyes; too painfully hopeful for his own liking.

An hour and a half of jogging later, Katsuki found himself standing in front of a small park's entrance. It wasn't crowded yet, considering it's still too early in the morning, but a few souls had already graced the place with their presence.

Katsuki couldn't help felling nostalgic as he entered, his heart racing with adrenaline and anticipation.

The first time he stepped his foot in this place, he made a friend. And the last time, he lost one.

Katsuki didn't know what to expect as he ventured further into the park, his eyes scanning people's faces in subtle glances, hoping to catch a familiar set of emerald eyes. His heart sank in disappointment when he found none. And it took him a moment to realized he had stopped in front of an old pair of swing he once claimed as their throne.

He used to play around here with a friend. Whether instinct brought him here or not, Katsuki knew this is the very first place his heart would sought the time he gained the courage to go back to Japan. He approached the swings in slow footsteps and took a seat on the right side. His crimson eyes lingered to his left, envisaging a freckled-face boy beaming beside him.

The happiest days of his life took place in this park, even the ones he wished to forget. They were all stored in the shackles of these swings, and embed forever in these seats.

The swings don't seem like it will last any longer. What used to be a well-painted piece of metal were now covered with rust. The tiniest movement would cause its hinges to creak in protest, like an old man groaning from the pain of arthritis. It's just a matter of time before the rusts ate them away, and so as the memories.

Katsuki felt a tiny prick in his eyes, his vision blurring as tears threatened to fall. He was too scared back then. Too scared to face his true feelings.

He held his head high, not letting his emotions spilt. Like hell he would cry like a kid in a public place.

He heard the swing released another irritating scuff, but this time, it's not from the one he was sat at.

Katsuki felt like he was his old self again. A territorial beast who doesn't appreciate strangers getting too close in his personal bubble and before he was able to stop himself, he had turned his head with the deadliest glare and snapped, "Who the fuck do you think-"

His words halted in an instant. Katsuki clamped his mouth shut as soon as his eyes landed on the the person who just made himself comfortable beside him. The first thing he noticed was the pair of eyeglasses framing the person's face, and the freckles that still adorned the his cheeks. Although his hair had been trimmed shorter than the last time he saw him, there's no mistaking the curly mop of green locks belongs to none other than the central figure of Katsuki's dreams.

"Deku..." Katsuki gasped, his voice coming in whisper as the nickname he gave the other rolled out of his tongue like a sacred spell.

A scarred hand reached out to brush some green curls away and took an earphone off. Katsuki, for the first time in ten years, witnessed the world stilled for a split second when a pair of pristine wide eyes met his own. It's as if he just stared in a real life photograph until time resumed to its normal pace again.

Katsuki didn't realize he had held his breath in anticipation, waiting for a reaction as emerald eyes studied him through black-rimmed eyeglasses.

An agonizing silence followed.

Katsuki chewed the inside of his cheek to hide his slight discomfort at the intense gaze. Ten years ago, he was certain he had already barked a threat to the other. Hell, Katsuki would bet a thousand bucks his old self had already planted a punch on the nerd's face for even looking his way. Now, he felt like he was in a court room, accused of the sins he would admit committing, with Deku as the judge ready to announce his verdict.

"Dek-" Katsuki paused, shaking his head and corrected himself, "Izuku. Midoriya Izuku."

"...Yes?"

"How..." Katsuki choose his words with great caution, afraid he may fuck things up and ruin his chance. "How have you been, Izuku?"

He watched with interest as Izuku's eyes blinked at him like a lost child in the middle of winter, his left hand clenching on his lap and the right one reaching out to the bottle pendant of his silver necklace. Whether what's inside was sand or ash, Katsuki was yet to confirm.

"I am well, thank you for asking. Uhm.."

Deku fidgeted with the bottle pendant, looking slightly uncomfortable. Something told Katsuki the gesture helped the other calm down. The scar on his right hand however, distracted Katsuki and his stomach churned with dread. Last time he checked, it wasn't there.

"What happened to your hand?"

The green-haired male didn't answer and Katsuki panicked when he stood up to leave.

"Deku! Wait-"

Katsuki dashed forward, grabbing the other's arm a little not-too-gently before he could even stop himself. He felt a lump formed in his throat when the other threw a harsh glare towards him, wrenching his arm away.

"Izuku," he tried, advancing to stand in front of the shorter male.

"Who are you?" Izuku suddenly blurted out, taking a step back, "You... seem to know me."

Katsuki gaped with enlarged eyes before his brows knitted in bewilderment. He expected a yell, a punch but not a stupid question about his identity. Okay, given his face had matured after he went through puberty and his physique had gained an incredible growth, thanks to years of dedication he spent in weight-lifting and fitness program; but as far as Katsuki knew, his appearance didn't change that much for the other to not recognize him.

Katsuki could feel it, the ugly feeling of fury sizzling in his chest, searing through his veins like lava from the mouth of a raging volcano. Was his being too insignificant for the other to not remember him? After what they've gone through? Sure, the last memories they've shared weren't a pleasant recollection, but 'who are you?' punctured Katsuki's dignity and it took him an immense effort not to snap. Taking deep breaths to try and calm his rage, he reminded himself of the Anger Management sessions he had back in Texas. "Of course I know y-"

Izuku took that moment to look up, his eyes as clear as day Katsuki could see his half-shocked, half-angered expression through the clear eyeglasses the green-haired male wore. "Who are you?" he repeated, the words jabbing Katsuki's chest like a spear. "Do I know you? Are we... old friends or something?"

Katsuki in his bewildered state wanted to say yes, but he found himself unable to utter a single word. It's as though his vocal cords suddenly malfunctioned as the green-haired male continued.

"You see, I had an accident a couple of years back." Izuku brushed up his bangs to show a diagonal scar slightly above his left temple. "I don't remember much after that so.. sorry if I don't recognize you."

Katsuki was at lost of words, and now that he's up close to Izuku, he noticed that his left eye was no longer emerald green but a shade of aquamarine. Confusion must have been obvious in his face because Izuku answered the question he's been meaning to ask.

"Also, I had an eye transplant," he explained, taking the eyeglasses off to give Katsuki a clearer view of his now monochromatic eyes. "And I became nearsighted since then so I have to start wearing glasses."

Silence ensued. Katsuki, who felt the world just presented the cruelest joke, tried to digest the information his former childhood friend revealed. The spiky blonde-haired male have heard about the saying 'drop a bomb to someone' which was what Izuku exactly just did and Katsuki felt bamboozled.

"That... must have sucked huh?" Katsuki found himself saying when he gained his ability to speak again, regretting it a second later when Izuku gave a hollow chuckle.

"It does." He put his eyeglasses back on. "I must have looked like a freak to you by now, that is if I haven't been that way to you ever since. I was told I was the center of bullying back in middle school. Do you perhaps knew something about that?"

Katsuki averted his gaze, inwardly flinching at the bitter tone that stab an invisible knife in his gut.

Izuku side-stepped to take his leave, stopping midway to give Katsuki his final regards. "I should get going. Sorry for the destruction my presence has brought you, but it was nice meeting you..."

"K-Katsuki," he filled in when Izuku trailed off. "The name's Katsuki."

"Right. See you around, Katsuki."

"Yeah." Katsuki watched as the retreating male pressed the bottle pendant against his lips, and he couldn't help but to call out, "Nice necklace by the way."

Izuku stopped and glanced sideways, a small smile on his lips. "It's my husband's." And with that he was gone, leaving Katsuki standing in the middle of a faceless crowd with memories only he can remember.

Katsuki stared up the sky, wondering if this was the punishment for all the sins he had done. He knew nothing can change the past, but he had changed for the better. It is forgiveness he sought when he came back to Japan, hoping to get the chance to atone for his mistakes. This time, he wanted to make things right. But how was he supposed to ask for forgiveness after Izuku's revelation?

"I guess it was too late."

Katsuki felt a sudden vibration through the fabric of his jogging pants and his brows furrowed. Wasn't it too conveniently cliche to receive a phone call when he's in the middle of his musings? Katsuki wanted to roll his eyes as he fished the black device out of his pocket. His frown even deepened when an unknown number flashed on the screen of his smartphone. Nevertheless, he answered the call with a gruff "Hello?"

There's a small pause on the other line, Katsuki almost missed the muffled words 'I think I dialed the wrong number' assuming the caller covered the mouthpiece in futile attempt to not let their voice be heard. Katsuki heard them anyway, "Who's this?"

"Yes! Good day, young man! This is Toshimori Yagi of Yuuei High School. I was hoping to speak with Mr. Bakugo Katsuki?"

"..S-speaking.." Katsuki internally cursed himself for the stutter and kicked the closest thing his foot could reach which was the slide's ladder. He bit his lip to muffle his scream a second later regretting his action as pain shot out from below his leg. 'Motherfucking piece of shit!'

"Great! I thought I dialed the wrong number. Anyways, I just read your Curriculum Vitae. Are you free for a tea this afternoon, Bakugou-kun?"

Katsuki stopped moving around like a crazy gorilla clutching his foot in a horrible dance and focused on the words of his possible future employer. "Sure. Just send me the time and location, Toshinori-san. I'll be there."

"All right. I'll see you around three o'clock in the afternoon. Principal's office. Yuuei High."

Katsuki tightened his grip around the black device as the call ended with a soft beep. He better get his shits together and prepared himself for the impending doom.

To be continued...

Post-Author's Section:

What will Katsuki do now after learning his Izuku has an amnesia?

What does the necklace symbolizes?

Who is Izuku's husband?

What kind of twisted fate awaits Katsuki upon meeting Toshinori-san?

Why am I fucking asking you this ridiculous questions? Let's find out next chapter!

The Sorcerer of Winter,

Johan Winterfrost

13/08/2017