Izuku never thought anything could feel so entirely relieving and yet strangely sad as stepping up to the entrance of Height's Alliance 1-A dormitory felt.

The massive 1-A lettering was the most inviting beacon Izuku could recall seeing. And the underlying Alliance might as well have spelled out 'home' instead. Even the red tint tainting the glowing sidewalk lamps couldn't detract from the sight.

Izuku was back where he belonged. Home.

Well, not entirely back, Izuku admitted, the hint of sadness lingering as he phased through the large double doors. He was still essentially a ghost, invisible and intangible to all his surroundings—trapped and isolated in the peculiar inter-plane of Kurogiri's In-Between.

But he was still there. Back on familiar and loved ground. Back with his friends. It hadn't quite been a week since his disappearance, but it might as well have been a year for how long it felt. And man, he'd missed everyone. He hadn't been certain if he'd ever see them again, and even if they wouldn't be aware of his presence, just being among them again would be life-giving.

The common area was the most welcome sight, Izuku's breath almost caught upon seeing it. The lighting was subtle, illuminated only by the dimmed hall and kitchen accent lights, and once again, the faint red gleam of the In-Between felt noticeably less eerie. He paused a moment, taking in the couch pillows haphazardly lying about, the untucked chairs at the tables. The space looked lived-in and normal, and something about it was oddly reassuring to Izuku.

He made for the stairs, stepping lightly in the quiet of the late hour, despite knowing he couldn't be heard.

He rounded the second floor and stepped out into the hall. It was as minimally lit as the common area, but he could still make out the name plate next to his door. His name. His room. His home.

He reached for the doorknob but caught himself half-way. There was no need to try it, he wouldn't even be able to grasp it. He phased through the door and entered his dorm room.

It was dark. Though the curtains weren't fully closed—a thick strip of moonlight slipped through the gap and spanned the length of the floor. Izuku had a fleeting wish he could flip the light on. He would have loved to see his room as he'd left it, all decked out in his All Might paraphernalia. It would have been a comforting sight.

He had barely made it past the threshold when he suddenly paused. It wasn't as dead-silent in there as he was expecting. The sound of deep and steady breathing met him immediately, almost startling him, and he squinted through the dark, eyes falling on the extra bed still situated opposite his.

The extra bed that was currently occupied. A still form, half-in, half out of the covers stretched across its surface.

Kacchan.

What the—? What was Kacchan still doing here? Why hadn't he gone back to his own room yet? Surely Aizawa hadn't disallowed him to return to his own room since Izuku had been—well, since Izuku wasn't able to continue their joint punishment at the moment. Aizawa could be pretty tough at times, but he wouldn't have been callous like that. Not in the wake of another of his students going missing.

But why on earth else would Kacchan have stayed in Izuku's room? It...didn't really make sense. Hadn't Kacchan been dying to move back to his own dorm?

Surprise aside, Izuku couldn't help feeling a flood of...gratitude? Relief? It was difficult to label, but Izuku found himself feeling beyond glad that Kacchan was there—even asleep and unaware of Izuku's presence as he was. Just having someone there, being back with his friend—yes, Izuku realized, Kacchan couldn't have ever been considered more of a friend than at that moment. After spending close to a week under threat and surrounded by villains, Izuku had the overwhelming urge to rush to Kacchan and half bounce, half shake him awake, and—before he could regain his senses and stop himself—pull that spiky, blond head against him in what might even qualify as a hug. He wouldn't even care if Kacchan blew him away on the spot; it wouldn't matter if he couldn't hold back his explosive anger. Because Izuku wasn't alone anymore. Kacchan was there. And who knew, maybe Kacchan might actually be somewhat relieved enough about seeing Izuku alive, he'd hold off on instantly killing him?

As it was, though, Izuku was still a ghost. He couldn't wake Kacchan, couldn't let him know he was there and alive and well, and it...well, it really sucked.

And without being able to make Kacchan aware of his presence, would it be creepy of Izuku to hang around their room? Where else could he go though? All the other dorm rooms he'd been in were also currently occupied by his classmates, and the empty ones would be blacked out, as he'd never seen them outside of the In-Between. He could go sleep down in the common area, but something about spending the night in that big, normally-bustling room alone seemed...well, lonely. And a little sad.

He decided it didn't matter if he stayed. Kacchan would be up and about his routine early, and Kurogiri would be around to collect Izuku sometime in the morning anyway.

Izuku sighed, his eyes still watching the dark outline of Kacchan's even breathing.

At least he was back at school. At least he wasn't as alone as he'd become used to. Anything was better than spending the night on the floor of his mom's empty house, in the dark and by himself.

Izuku turned for his bed, suddenly realizing how tired he was. He sat down on the edge...and phased through to the floor. Oh, right. Duh.

No, you know what? This was stupid. Izuku wasn't going to spend another night on the floor. He was sick of it, and sick of his back constantly aching because of it.

He drew to his feet, facing the bed.

Why could he walk up stairs just fine? Why didn't the floor pose any problem when it came to phasing? Why wasn't he just falling through the ground all the way to the center of the damn planet? Izuku was sick of the In-Between's nonsensical physics.

He recalled Kurogiri's words from several days before.

"There's a significant and curious amount of power of perception at play in the In-Between..."

What had he meant by that? Could a person somewhat alter their interaction with the world of the In-Between according to their own perception of it? Hmm...that thought kind of seemed to go in line with the way an individual could only view what they'd seen in-person in the real world. It was so strange. It didn't make sense.

But regardless, Izuku wasn't going to just put up with his helpless ghost situation for much longer. It was annoying and frustrating, and he was ready to try whatever he could to counter it.

He shut his eyes. He was just going to step up. Like one simple step on a flight of stairs. Same thing. No difference whatsoev—

Izuku opened his eyes and found himself standing on his bed. Actually standing on it—he hadn't phased through it!

"Ha! No way...!" Izuku exclaimed excitedly. It was louder than a whisper, but of course Kacchan wouldn't have heard him and didn't stir.

Carefully, Izuku lowered himself down to his seat. Just like he'd done countless times when he sat on the floor in the In-Between. No different. Easy.

He was sitting cross-legged on his bed, and he couldn't keep the grin from his face.

Once again, taking his time, Izuku slowly eased himself down on his side. Against his pillow. Ahhh. He hadn't slept on a pillow in ages. It felt like he was contacting it, but not fully; it was a strange feeling. But it felt so good at the same time.

Izuku had missed his bed, he'd missed his room. He'd missed the boisterous study sessions gathered around the couches downstairs, and the crowded mealtimes filled with encouraging talk of goals and latest achievements with his like-minded, enthusiastic peers. He'd wondered countless times, and shed more than a couple tears, questioning if he'd ever actually be back there.

"Kacchan?" he spoke to the quiet.

No answer.

"I'm gonna figure this out. I'm gonna find a way out of this."

It was the indent in Deku's pillow.

That was the difference that immediately caught Bakugo's eye upon drawing to the edge of his bed Thursday morning.

The covers were slightly wrinkled as well.

...

...What the...hell...?

Bakugo rose to his feet, slowly closing the gap between the beds in two drawn out steps.

The pillow was indented, there was no doubt of it. It had been smooth and domed the day before, Bakugo was certain of it. Pretty certain. He'd been trying to avoid looking at Deku's shitty, untouched bed for the last several days, but despite his ever-increasing anger at seeing it, he couldn't help his gaze falling on it a thousand goddamn times everyday.

Had the bed been messed with the previous night? Had he not noticed? How had he not noticed? And who the fuck had snuck into Deku's room yesterday and why? And what, had they randomly decided to lie down on his effing bed? What the hell?

Bakugo fumed. His base anger level wavered between a fluctuating 8 and 8.5 lately, but the thought of someone effing with Deku's shit while he was gone was threatening to boost that base level up to a solid, constant 9.

His insides felt permanently heated. From waking to sundown. His pulse wouldn't slow, his breaths were always half as deep and twice as fast, and he couldn't do anything to help it. He was sick of goddamn everyone and everything, and if he didn't find an outlet for his anger soon, he didn't know if he'd be able to hold it back any longer. He barely had half a hold on it as it was.

He grabbed for the pillow, fluffing the shit out of it before flinging it back in place. He roughly grasped the edge of Deku's goddamn All Might bedspread (ignoring his gut pinching tighter at inadvertently being reminded of his and the stupid nerd's joint admiration of the hero since childhood) and tugged it straight, trying his hardest not to singe it at the same time.

Whatever asshole thought they could just waltz into Deku's room and mess with his shit just because he wasn't around for a little while... He'd make sure they got what was effing coming to them. He'd give them a piece of his mind. He'd kill that effer if he ever found out who it was. It would be the perfect outlet for all the shit threatening to escape him. Goddammit!

And in the meantime, it was going to be another same-old, shitty-ass day. Another day without news. Another day without leads. Another day without shitty Deku.

Bakugo swallowed around whatever had decided to stifle his windpipe just then.

It was getting more difficult. To keep the fear buried by anger. To keep the denial in place. To stay fucking hopeful and goddamn positive like Aizawa had advised.

Bakugo didn't even know how to do either of those things in the first place. Why the hell would he ever need lame-ass hope or positivity when all he had to do was will something to go his way in life and it would? He knew how to work hard and get shit done. And he knew how to win. In any situation, he could always find a way to win.

Why was this so damn infuriating, then? Why the hell was he even recalling Aizawa's useless, shitty advice of not losing hope? It was so freaking stupid. It really was.

In the back of his mind, however, Bakugo knew exactly why the situation was so goddamn frustrating. It was the lack of control. Bakugo hated not being in control. He had never before been in a situation that could actually have a significant impact on his life and been without the means of swaying the outcome. It was so foreign to him. And it was...just so goddamn maddening.

He had finally begun to admit to himself that Deku's absence did in fact have an impact on him. That it was a problem for him. Which, yeah, whatever, maybe he always knew that from the start. But knowing something and admitting it to yourself were two very different things. And denial was easy. It was a lot more comfortable to immerse yourself in denial than to admit you might actually need to turn to something as stupid and shitty and intangible as fucking hope.

Bakugo wouldn't be able to get a handle on things until Deku was found. He wouldn't be able to feel normal again. Nothing would ever feel normal again. And without normalcy returning, and Bakugo's goddamn base anger level reverting to its usual 7, there wouldn't be any worthwhile or significant advancements in his heroing education or endeavors.

And Bakugo was going to be effing Number One. Nothing was going to stop him. Least of all shitty Deku's shitty absence throwing him for a loop and jacking up not only his focus and priorities but his goddamn shitty-ass emotional state as well.

And when the fuck had Bakugo even acquired an 'emotional state?!' Holy shit, it was the most laughable, girly-ass shit ever!

So why the fuck couldn't he get it together?

His insides should have reached their capacity for feeling all this shit—the anger, worry, denial, suppressed fear, and yeah, more anger—ages ago. How was it all still building?! How much longer could he continue to keep feeling shittier? Why had all this shit become so dependent on Deku's state?

Why hadn't they carried out an effing rescue already? Where the hell was he?!

Bakugo didn't have any answers. No one had any goddamn answers. And the only appropriate response to all the unanswered questions was only more added fury.

And when Bakugo arrived in class that morning to find his and Deku's desks had been separated and aligned with their row once more, Bakugo stopped in his tracks.

He blinked once at the sight, breath halting as he tried to swallow around his constricted throat once more.

He was at the desks in a fraction of a second, gripping his hard and practically jarring the shit out of it as he threw it back into place. Next to Deku's.

Bakugo hadn't noticed Aizawa already at the front of the class, watching him. And he wished he hadn't noticed Aizawa's brow lift so subtly at Bakugo's unspoken outburst. There was a hint of surprise and pity behind the slight gesture and it really pissed Bakugo off. He wished he hadn't seen it.

Screw Aizawa.

"If you think Deku's wussing out of your shitty-ass punishment this easily, you're dead wrong, Aizawa!"

The concern behind Aizawa's creased brow deepened a measure and it only made Bakugo seethe further.

"Got that?! He's not getting off the fucking hook so easily, so don't even think about letting him!" He could feel every eye on him, wide and nervous, but he didn't care.

Aizawa only watched him a long moment before exhaling quietly. "Please take your seat, Bakugo." He said it fairly softly and without anger, and again, it somehow managed to piss Bakugo off even more.

Goddammit, why was Bakugo the only one who was so angry about all this bullshit? Why was everyone else okay with being all weepy and defeated and useless? Why the hell couldn't they feel the same shit Bakugo was being consumed by? Why wasn't it making them as furious?!

"Don't try to be all subtle about attempting to make this the 'new normal' or whatever shit this is." Bakugo spat out heatedly, suddenly feeling such an urge to provoke anyone and everyone around him. "Don't think he isn't coming back, Aizawa," he glared, chest heaving. "And don't any of you stupid shitstains think otherwise, either!" He half-turned to address the extras. "You goddamn, worthless, weak pieces of shit—sitting there crying your useless asses off—pretending to care about Deku, when it's obvious as fuck you don't give a shit. If you did, you wouldn't be so okay with sitting on your asses, doing nothing but fucking grieving or whatever shit you're doing. Deku's coming back, you fucktards!"

"Bakugo!" There was definitely anger behind Aizawa's voice now, and Bakugo felt a hint of triumph at his successful provocation. He wanted everyone to feel as shitty and angry as he did, but he would find satisfaction behind just Aizawa for now. "Either take your seat and calm down, or you can return to the dorms to cool off for the remainder of the morning."

Bakugo glowered at him, an almost smug smirk playing at the edge of his lips.

"Don't make the callous and unfair mistake of assuming you're the only one struggling right now—"

Aizawa's tone had evened out again and Bakugo's sneer slackened. He wanted a shouting match, dammit! Not more of Aizawa's shitty-ass nonsense, assuming he could read shit about him. Where the hell did he even get off with those backwards, bullshit assumptions anyway? Fuck him!

"Everyone's trying their best to hang in there while the search for Midoriya continues, and as one of the top three hero students in our class, you need to do the same." Aizawa paused briefly to draw a weary breath. His eyes pulled away to address the rest of the class, but Bakugo knew whatever followed was still mostly aimed at him. "No one told you this career path would be easy—that it wouldn't often intersect the paths of villains, or that it wouldn't at times be laden with fear and pain and hardship. You need to find the resolve to stay strong despite your feelings. Even when they threaten to overwhelm you. It's one of the most vital skills you can develop as a hero. Keeping a level head when the world is falling apart around you is one of the most defining attributes of a hero, and you would do well to work on acquiring it."

Bakugo's jaw was clenching so tight he could practically hear his teeth groan.

Aizawa continued, sounding tired, apologetic and beat. And sad. "I don't want this to sound like I'm turning Midoriya's situation into a lesson of any sort, because God knows I would rather not. But regardless, valiance isn't something you pick up through the curriculum alone here at UA. It's something you obtain through experience. Through developing bonds, and caring for something bigger than yourself. Facing fears, and enduring pain, and teetering on the brink of being overwhelmed—of feeling completely spent, and yet still fighting on. Finding strength when there's none left. Trusting in hope when despair threatens to claim you..." Aizawa paused, gathering another breath. "That's what it means to have courage. To be valiant. Indomitable... It's a kind of strength that can carry you through any situation as a hero."

Aizawa's eyes settled on Bakugo once more, and Bakugo noticed the raging fire inside him had been doused a measure.

Damn Aizawa. Bakugo hated when he did that. When he got all inspirational and shit. Why was the bastard actually good at that sometimes?

The class had fallen into that same thick silence that had permeated the atmosphere all week. That same old painful, anxious, weary silence.

"Mister Aizawa wasn't the one who moved the desks..." Kirishima's tentative voice suddenly sounded from two rows over. "It was—it was me..."

Bakugo's narrowed eyes sought the redhead, pupils contracting. His gave Shitty Hair a look that clearly told him to continue.

"It's just—I thought it might be a little easier for you...not having to see Midoriya's empty desk next to you all day..."

Bakugo just stared at him, his inner flames immediately flaring to life once more.

Kirishima's voice was cautious, and rightly so. "I mean—not just you, man, but all of us. I mean—It...it really sucks for all of us, you know?"

Bakugo's nostrils flared as he drew a sharp breath. "Why don't you learn to mind your own goddamn business, Shitty Hair?" he growled. "And don't think just because Deku isn't here you can go around touching and messing with his shit!" Bakugo was still kind of addressing Kirishima, but he meant it more for the other shitty extras—in particular, whichever bastard had snuck into Deku's room.

"S-sorry, man," Kirishima responded uneasily. "I didn't think it would make you mad—I mean, I wasn't trying to—"

"Just shut up and drop it," Bakugo barked, his voice a little more scathing than he meant for it to be. He wasn't in the right place to remind himself Kirishima usually meant well. He didn't know if he'd ever be back in that 'right place.'

He sat down heavily in his seat, ignoring all the shitty, alarmed eyes glued to him. He couldn't calm his pounding pulse, he couldn't cool the burning in his chest. Couldn't unclench his rigid jaw.

The only thing he could do was continue trying to stay afloat amidst the endless bullshit surrounding him.

Izuku was awoken by Kurogiri mid morning and escorted out of the In-Between and back to the real world.

He was pretty certain Kurogiri couldn't see where he'd spent the night, since the villain had mentioned unvisited places were blacked out in the In-Between to him as well, and Kurogiri hadn't bothered asking or seemed the least bit concerned.

Izuku stepped through the gates and back into the villains' apartment, the enticing smell of breakfast immediately making his mouth water.

There was a meal and place setting at the counter. No one else appeared to be around.

"Is this for me?" Izuku asked, glancing back to the shadow villain following behind.

"It is," Kurogiri affirmed, stepping behind the counter to his usual spot and running the sink on the dishes.

"It smells great. Thanks." Izuku took a seat and quickly went to work on the dish. He was so hungry.

Kurogiri silently continued wiping down dishes.

Half-way through his plate, Izuku decided to pause a moment. He wiped his mouth, glancing up at the quiet villain. "Kurogiri?" he began a little hesitantly. "Last night I...encountered something in the In-Between..."

Kurogiri finished drying a bowl and set it aside, turning his attention to Izuku.

"It was...I dunno, I think it was a dog. I saw it across the street and didn't initially realize it was in the In-Between with me until it turned and locked eyes with me."

Kurogiri picked up another wet dish, still appearing to be listening.

"It came after me once it saw me watching it, and when it got closer...it looked like it had red and kinda glowy eyes..." Izuku set his napkin down, straightening. "Do you know what that might have been?"

Kurogiri set the dish down and cleared his throat. "It's nothing to be too concerned about," he replied in his usual matter-of-fact tone. "It was merely one of the lost shadows wandering the In-Between. They may appear frightening, but they can't harm you."

That answer was a little reassuring, but at the same time, it only made Izuku more curious. "...Lost shadows? What are they?"

"They're rather rare to encounter, but essentially, they're creatures that accidentally wandered into the In-Between at one point or other and became lost and died there. Their spirits are trapped and continue to wander it, forever lost and intangible, unable to move on to where spirits normally move on to."

Izuku blinked at Kurogiri. "...So...they're ghosts?"

"If you will, yes," Kurogiri responded, running the sink again a moment. "Your ability to see them hinges, again, on perception being different in the In-Between."

"That's...kind of...sad," Izuku said, distracted, as his thoughts suddenly raced. Another question was immediately tugging at his mind, but he didn't want to voice it. He didn't want Kurogiri to know what he was suddenly desperately wondering: Did that mean there other ways in and out of the In-Between besides Kurogiri's gates? Were there others who had access to the strange inter-plane? Could there possibly be alternative entry/exit points hidden throughout the real world?!

Izuku couldn't help his pulse picking up at the hope behind the thought. He tried his best to hide it, inconspicuously poking at his food.

Kurogiri wiped down the counter and changed the subject. "Tomura and I have matters to attend to, so I apologize if you find most your time spent in the In-Between over the next few days."

Izuku didn't respond around his mouthful of food. That was fine, no problem. It was preferable, in fact. It meant the potential for more time spent back at school. And Izuku was more than eager to return.

"Finish eating and wash up," Kurogiri advised, hanging up the towel and stepping out of the kitchen.

Izuku didn't waste time in cleaning his dishes and heading for the shower. He was anxious to get back to the In-Between. Anxious to make his way back to school. He had a lot to think about. A lot to mull over.

The possibility that an eventual rescue operation might be avoided—that escaping the villains could possibly be achieved by simply finding another way out of the In-Between—was too appealing. He needed a way to look into it, to research it as thoroughly as possible. Were there other quirks that accessed the In-Between? Were there hidden gates lurking about, just waiting to be stumbled upon? Was there actually a potential scenario of Izuku returning home without risking anyone else's safety?

It was such an appealing and encouraging thought. And yeah, maybe Izuku was merely grasping at straws, but at least he finally had a starting point. At least there might be the beginnings of a glimmer of hope. Now all he needed was a way to get more information.

Izuku was returned to the In-Between shortly after noon. He was left in the apartment, alone, with only his (Kurogiri's and Dabi's) books to occupy him.

He toyed with the idea of leaving the apartment and using One For All to book it to the nearest visible part of the city and then make his way back to school from there. But he realized Kurogiri would likely be around soon after to retrieve him for dinner. And since he was certain he'd be heading back to school that evening, he wasn't sure if it made sense to make the journey twice in a row only a few hours apart. It might be a little exhausting.

He decided to wait until Kurogiri warped him home to spend the night, as had become the routine. Getting to school would be a lot quicker and easier starting from home.

And fortunately, after the most painstakingly boring afternoon and evening spent alone, Kurogiri returned and announced he'd be leaving Izuku in the In-Between for the night shortly after dinner, as he and Shigaraki had further obligations that evening. Izuku vaguely wondered what the villains might be up to, but he didn't give it too much concern, as eager as he was to return to school.

Getting back to school was indeed easier with his home serving as the starting point. He rode a portion of the trek on a bus (which he had been pleased to find he could step up in, just like his bed) and then One For All'd the remainder.

He was a little winded when he arrived back at the dorms, but it was the best kind of winded. He wondered if anything would ever bring him as much relief and joy as seeing the building's giant 1-A sign did.

Ah! And the common area wasn't dark and empty this time! There was Mineta and Kaminari in front of the tv! And Iida and Todoroki, sitting across from one another at a study table! And Shoji and Ojiro were also there studying. And Sato was at his usual spot behind the kitchen counter, apparently practicing some type of dessert recipe, because it smelled so good in there.

Izuku was surprised to glimpse a full array of untouched cookies covering the counter. They usually disappeared faster than Sato could scoop them off the sheet.

He slowly crossed the entry hall, finding further surprise at how...solemn the normally lively space seemed.

No one was talking. Mineta and Kaminari were silently buried in their phones while a practically muted show played unnoticed on the tv in front of them. Iida and Todoroki stared stony-faced at the textbooks in front of them, their eyes bleak and shoulders tense.

The atmosphere of the formerly inviting space was thick with grief, anxiety and dread. It was palpable, even with only a handful of the class currently present.

And as much as Izuku had been looking forward to being there, he now suddenly wished he could be anywhere else. This wasn't home. This foreign, depressing, funeral home of a setting wasn't the common area of Class 1-A. What the heck?

The guilt was quick to spread entirely through Izuku, and he hated it. He hated that this thick, impenetrable sadness centered on him—hated that everyone had been in the dark, worrying, even grieving over him for the better part of a week now, with no answers, no leads, nothing.

God, it sucked.

He made his way slowly to his closest friends situated at the table. He stepped right up to them, knowing they couldn't see him, wouldn't even know he was there, but wishing so much that they could.

"Hey..." Izuku said, trying his best to brush over how much their downcast faces pained him to see. "You guys seem...a little... Ah, God," Izuku cut off, drawing a sharp breath, "You guys don't need to be so worried, all right? Iida? Todoroki? Look, I'm fine—I'm—I'm right here. I'm gonna get out of this and get back to school just as soon as I can... Just, please—" Izuku exhaled, frustrated. "Just...don't let this whole thing get to you so much, okay? I'm all right and I'll be coming back, I—I promise."

The two merely continued to work opposite each other in complete silence, their stony gazes still fixed on their books. Todoroki actually glanced up for a short moment to study Iida briefly, perhaps trying to gauge how his exhaustion level compared to his own, but he didn't say anything, just returned to his seemingly distracted studies.

Ugh, Izuku couldn't take it. He turned, a heavy pit solidly taking up the majority of his stomach, and made for the stairs. A sleeping Kacchan would be more preferable company to this. Not that he blamed them in anyway... He just felt too bad to stay.

Surprisingly, however, as Izuku rounded the second floor and entered his bedroom, he found Kacchan still awake and up—seated at his desk with his laptop open in front of him.

Izuku had kind of expected Kacchan to get back to his eight-thirty bedtime now that he had the room to himself. He was surprised to find Kacchan still working on his homework at close to nine o'clock.

He approached him a little hesitantly. "Hey... I...know you can't hear me...but, if it's all right with you, I'm just gonna hang out here for the night? Since, you know, this is technically still my room, too..."

Nothing. Of course.

"What are you working on?" Izuku asked, approaching Kaccan's chair and leaning down to peer over his shoulder. He almost snickered just then, realizing how much such an intrusive move would normally infuriate Kacchan. He could just picture Kacchan immediately snapping his laptop lid shut and turning to shout What the hell are you creeping over my shoulder for, asshole?! You know I can't stand that shit—Back the hell off!

The thought made the small grin fade from Izuku's face and the pit in his stomach suddenly feel twice as heavy. He missed Kacchan. He missed his empty threats and constant outbursts. They had come to be quite predictable and almost always at least a little amusing—at least when they were on the lower end of the harshness scale. Izuku had become more than used to them now. And he'd grown mostly entertained by them as well. He wished Kacchan would just turn around and argue with him.

Even though he was literally right in front of Izuku, he still felt a world away...

"Crap," Izuku said, eyeing the word document Kacchan was typing away at. The word count in the corner displayed 3,789. And counting. "Another essay already? Ah, the catch-up work I'm going to be looking at is gonna be rough, not gonna lie..."

Kacchan didn't blink and his fingers didn't falter. He just continued steadily typing away, his brow furrowed and his teeth grinding.

Izuku sighed. Being back at school wasn't...quite as great as he was expecting. It was almost just as painful as being trapped in the villains' hideout, but for different reasons. He...kind of should have realized it would be, but he'd been too excited at the prospect of just being back with everyone again. ...Well, somewhat 'back with' them. They still had no way of knowing. Hence, the painful aspect of it all.

Izuku decided there wasn't much else for it but to continue lurking over Kacchan's shoulder and at least try to get a snippet of catching-up in. He could at least get a feel for what subject they were currently covering in class. And Kacchan was smart. It was actually quite impressive reading his writing—it was surprisingly articulate and well-worded.

"Nice, Kacchan, way to drive your point at the end there," Izuku said aloud, even though he knew he was talking to himself. "There's a couple swear words in that paragraph above that you forgot to delete though. Might wanna catch those." He'd noticed Kacchan liked to pepper his essay with curse words every so often throughout the writing process, but he was pretty quick to mash the backspace on them. And honestly, it kind of made Izuku snort every time. It was just such classic Kacchan.

"Well, you're probably about done for the night, but I don't suppose you might be up for trying anything seance-y with me before turning in?" Izuku asked half hopeful, half joking. "You're definitely not the type to keep a Ouija Board around, or even know what one is," Izuku muttered, "but maybe we could borrow one from Tokoyami? Guaranteed he has at least one he wouldn't mind lending us. Probably more—the dude's room is practically a smaller version of Hot Topic—he probably even has themed ones. Should we see if he has an All Might one we can borrow? ...No? Maybe?"

Kacchan only saved the document on his computer and minimized the program. Surprisingly, he didn't close the laptop though, despite it being well past nine-thirty now. Surely Kacchan hadn't left more homework for this 'late.'

Kacchan pushed back his chair and stood, reaching around behind his desk to grab something. He pulled it out—a poster of some sort, it looked like—and pressed it against the wall, pinning it in place.

It was a map of Tokyo and its surrounding cities. With various shades of ink jotted across it in broad circles, connecting lines and scrawled notes.

Huh, that was a little odd. Izuku couldn't think of any of their subjects that geography would be particularly relevant in, last he could recall.

He noticed a key scribbled at the bottom of the map. Red equaled 'past nomu incidences.' Blue equaled 'current suspected villain sightings.' Yellow equaled 'past confirmed villain sightings.' Green equaled...'suspected Deku sightings...'

Izuku froze. His breath lodged half-way out his throat. His stomach dropped almost faster than his eyes could widen.

...Kacchan was... Was he really...?

Kacchan was back in his seat, grabbing a notebook from his drawer and pulling up the web browser. Izuku's disbelieving eyes took in the various tabs left open—about a million different news sites and several gossip forums. Stock still, Izuku watched as Kacchan clicked through them, refreshing each page and entering various key words into the search bars. 'Midoriya,' 'Missing UA student,' 'Shigaraki,' 'League of Villains,' 'Blue flames,' 'Copy villain,' 'Midoriya tips,' 'Midoriya suspected sighting,' 'League of villains sightings.' There was no end to the searches and the scrolling. Kacchan flipped back and forth through his notebook, crossing out notes and adding a few more with furious scribbles.

Izuku wasn't sure if his mouth had dropped open at some point during his paralyzed observing. He could hardly believe it. Kacchan was...researching his missing case... Extensively. He wouldn't have believed it if he wasn't witnessing it happen right before him.

Kacchan continued scrolling, reading, searching, scribbling. He glanced up at the map a few times, leaning across his desk to mark a new point or cross out an old one.

And Izuku continued to stand there, silently floundering in a complication of emotions: shock, guilt, gratitude, guilt, disbelief...and...more guilt.

He could not believe Kacchan was actually worried about him enough to be putting off sleep and attempting to somewhat take matters into his own hands. Like, what..? Was the In-Between playing tricks on him? Was that really what his eyes were seeing?

It was...so unexpected and startling, to say the very least.

And...man, it made his insides ache in a really uncomfortable way. It made him feel horrible. Kacchan was clearly scared...and, God forbid, even blaming himself a small measure for the whole thing? Izuku hoped to God he wasn't, but Kacchan's obsessive behavior kind of pointed somewhat to that conclusion.

Oh man, what a sucky situation he'd put his friend in. God, it felt awful.

Izuku took in Kacchan's bleary, strained eyes. The dark circles underneath them. The tight-set lines of his jawline and shoulders. Ugh, this was not Normal Kacchan. Izuku had caused some serious and irrefutable stress to his friend. And he really couldn't stand seeing it.

Izuku hadn't really noticed when he'd taken a seat near his bed, staring forlornly at the floor while Kacchan continued frantically working away. It felt like hours later (though Izuku wasn't certain if it was actually longer or less than that) when Kacchan suddenly slammed his notebook shut and chucked his pen against the wall in the same motion. Izuku vaguely noticed a couple sparks follow in its wake. He leaned against his chair, throwing his head back in frustration and rubbing at his bloodshot eyes.

"Aaarrgh! Dammit!"

Izuku jumped at Kacchan's voice, startled eyes widening further at the unexpected outburst.

"This is bullshit..." Kacchan muttered with what sounded like equal parts fury and exhaustion. He brought a hand up, running it through his hair and gripping hard at the roots.

"Kacchan..."

Kacchan leaned forward again, releasing his tight grip on his hair with an angry sigh. He reopened the notebook, grabbing another nearby pen and scratching briefly at the page.

"Please stop," Izuku pleaded, the guilt still firmly gnawing away at his stomach. "You need to get to bed, you have class in the morning." He ran an exasperated hand through his tousled hair. "And, really...I don't think you have any idea how—how completely crappy this is making me feel..."

Kacchan just continued clicking through several of the same sites he'd already been over multiple times.

"Really—I'm..." Izuku began, wishing he had something useful to say, and wishing even more that Kacchan could actually hear it. "Well, apart from being sorrier than ever, I'm—I'm right here... You...You don't have to do all of this—this research or whatever, because I'm gonna be the one who finds a way out of this, okay? Don't—Just...please stop worrying...All right?"

God, he couldn't handle all the worrying over him. It was the worst crap he'd ever felt in his life. He'd caused this. He was the reason everyone was so miserable and distracted. It was his fault everyone was drowning in the dumps with no way of climbing out. Ugh, dammit...

And sure, maybe part of him felt incredibly touched that Kacchan had actually spent a considerable amount of time and effort on Izuku's case. But the look in Kacchan's eyes...the desperation behind his actions...it was all just so Not Kacchan and it wasn't right—none of his friends should ever be in such distress (and especially not because of him!), and Izuku couldn't handle it.

Izuku dropped his head between his knees and wrung his hair, unable to watch Kacchan any longer.

He was relieved when Kacchan finally closed his laptop at quarter to midnight. He stood, flipping his lamp off none too gently and turned for the bathroom.

Izuku stood stiffly, stretching his back before turning to face his bed. He could do this again. All he had to do was close his eyes and step up. Easy. Just like stairs.

He found himself on his bed again. And it was a little easier taking his time to sit and lie down if he kept thinking of it as the floor. He'd have to start experimenting more with that soon. If there was a way to trick his own perception of what was solid enough to stand on in the In-Between, surely he could tinker with it more when it came to touching anything?

He wasn't sure. But he was tired. Tired and extremely remorseful. He was grateful he felt sleep claiming him quicker than expected.

Bakugo woke on Friday morning stiff and cramped from shitty and inadequate sleep. That was to be expected now though. After nearly a week of shit sleep, he was starting to get used to the constant feeling of functioning at only eighty percent.

Eighty percent was enough though. It had to be for now. Until the whole shitshow of Deku's absence was finally resolved. Which it had to be any day now. It had to be. How much longer could the fuckers possibly need to find him?

If there wasn't news by tomorrow, Bakugo was going to take every piece of shitty information he'd compiled over the last several days straight to Tsukauchi's office, slam it down on his shitty desk, and demand that he do his effing job already.

He sat up, reaching for his stupid phone, which he just knew wasn't going to provide anything new or useful once agai—

Something immediately caught Bakugo's eye. He blinked, wondering if his shitty sleep was messing with his eyesight.

There was an indent. In Deku's pillow. Again.

And the blankets were slightly rumpled. Again.

...

Un-fucking-believable.

He stomped to the bed, grabbing the pillow by the case's edge and flinging it smooth. He straightened the goddamn All Might blanket, not holding back on singeing it this time.

He could not believe one of the effing extras was still being such a disrespectful fuck by messing with Deku's shit. Even after that very clear warning he'd issued in class yesterday. He'd kill that fucker. He'd find out who it was and he'd kill them. What the hell were they getting at anyway? Stupid fucktard.

Class was the same intolerable shit it had been all week. Bakugo found it difficult to concentrate around his constant, all-consuming seething, and he found it even harder to keep said seething from getting the best of him every two seconds. He was incessantly and aggressively blowing up at anyone who came too close or accidentally made eye contact. He was excused from the afternoon's 'heroes vs. villains in uneven and unstable terrain' exercise/skirmish, and he didn't even give a shit.

It was the same old shit. The same old goddamn, infuriating shit. Bakugo didn't know if he could take one more day of it without accidentally (or intentionally) killing someone.

The rest of the day was a bit of a blur. A fuming, exhaustive blur. He ate some shit at one point. He did his shitty homework. Shitty Hair had the nerve to invite him to some god-awful, what, get-together that evening? Meeting? He didn't know what the stupid extras called it, but apparently they were having another one of their stupid-ass pow-wows about Deku's situation that night. Bakugo hoped Kirishima hadn't seriously been expecting a reply.

He ignored his phone and stayed holed up in his room. Trying his hardest to think about anything other than the fact that they were nearing a week since Deku's disappearance.

A full goddamn week.

He couldn't dwell on it. It made him too angry. And the anger was steadily being swallowed up more and more by fear. A week was serious. A week was a goddamn, long-ass time. A week was something you never, ever wanted to approach when you didn't know shit about the whereabouts of someone you were close to.

Someone you were close to...?

Goddammit, when the hell had Deku become 'someone close?' Bakugo wasn't close to anyone. He didn't need to be. No one else could keep up with him, and peers and tag-alongs only slowed you down and made you feel shitty for being better than them (although he supposed Kirishima had kind of somehow weaseled his way into a relatively close position over the last few months. But the dude rarely whined about being inferior, and he had guts most of the time, and Bakugo was surprised to find he didn't mind letting him stay.).

But Deku? He'd never been 'close,' he'd just always been 'there.' A constant presence of never-ending enthusiasm and goddamn, unfailing over-eagerness.

Sure, he'd never been more than a few blocks away since they were small. Bakugo supposed that qualified as 'close.' But since Deku had accidentally confided in him about One For All, and since Bakugo had accidentally confided in Deku about failing All Might... And since they sparred and got in trouble and were forced to live together, spending weeks within literal arms' reach of each other... Had they unknowingly become some strange, unprecedented variation of 'close?'

Goddammit, was Bakugo not only worried about the stupid little shit, but did he actually, kind of, almost miss his stupid ass, too? How in the hell was that even possible?

Is this what freaking missing someone felt like?

Because it was bullshit is what it was.

Ughhh... This whole thing was such a mindfuck. That's what it was. None of this shit would have ever even come close to crossing his mind otherwise.

Bakugo pulled his laptop toward him, trying not to blow the damn thing up in the process. He wished he could just turn his effing brain off for once...

Izuku spent Friday evening with Kacchan once more. Well, 'near' Kacchan was the more accurate way of putting it. Since he was still invisible. And unheard.

He'd actually been trying to get Kacchan's attention for the last twenty minutes. He'd tried shouting, screaming, tapping his shoulder, shoving his chair.

Nothing.

What he had been excited about, was his recent discovery of being able to step from his bed to his desk. And from his desk to Kacchan's. But it hadn't gotten him anywhere—he still couldn't interact with anything on the desk. Just phased through it all.

He hopped off the desk with another idea he wanted to try. Standing several feet behind Kacchan (who was once again clicking frantically away at his laptop), he called on One For All and delivered a powerful smash against the empty space in front of him.

Nothing.

He tried again with a little more power. He could hear and feel the rush of air from it, but Kacchan didn't seem to hear or feel anything.

He put more power behind it.

Again, nothing.

He was getting frustrated. "Come on, Kacchan, just look over here!" Another punch.

More nothing.

He was approaching the point where he was going to hurt himself if he put any more force behind it. Even though he was only contacting thin air, he was starting to feel the strain in his shoulder.

He'd give it one more try with as close to one-hundred percent as he dared. Come on, Kacchan, just notice me, I'm right here, dammit!

He delivered a nearly one-hundred percent smash and he felt the air get decimated, sucked away, violently whirled about. And ah, God, that certainly didn't make his shoulder feel too awesome. It definitely felt tweaked, but not anything too painful, luckily.

Kacchan actually turned his head in his direction, his eyes narrowed.

Izuku immediately paused. "Did you...did you see that, Kacchan? Did you actually notice that?!" He bounded over to the spiky-haired boy before him, and bounced at his shoulder a moment. "You noticed that didn't you?! Haha, I knew it! Barriers between worlds have got nothing against One For All!" Deku exclaimed, pumping a fist in excitement.

Kacchan continued to scan the room suspiciously for a moment before returning to his screen.

"Okay, so it's obviously not enough to communicate or anything yet, but it's at least something. One For All at least has the potential to do something..."

Izuku's heart was still pounding with exhilaration. Kacchan had noticed something. Whether a faint ripple or a subtle rush of air, there had been a physical change in the room that caught Kacchan's attention. And that was definitely something worth getting hopeful about.

He wanted to try again, but he was worried another full-powered smash like that might mess his shoulder up. He couldn't risk injury while still being held a prisoner. It would only make escape that much harder.

But he had a snippet of hope to cling to while falling asleep that night, and he'd take it.

Bakugo did something entirely unusual and out of character on Saturday.

He slept in.

Though it wasn't unintentional. He'd been up late and decided last minute to turn his shitty alarm off before finally going to sleep. He hadn't wanted to face another bullshit day of shitty fatigued training, and the entire student body giving him the widest berth they'd ever afforded any student in the history of the school wherever he went in the halls.

He hadn't wanted to remember that the clock was ticking ever closer to 10:00, and that that marked an entire week since Deku disappeared.

An entire goddamned week.

...

Could that seriously be right? Had it really been seven full goddamn days since he'd last seen the nerd?

Had they honestly let seven days pass now without bringing the stupid nerd home?

Had Inko Midoriya been crying her stupid green eyes out for seven days now?

Had All Might been MIA from school for a full week now, drowning in fear and desperation?

Had Deku been...Ugh, God, what could they have been doing to him all this time? Were the villains trying to play the friendly, persuasive recruiters they'd attempted with Bakugo? Were they treating him remotely tolerably? Or had they been nothing but cruel?

It was stupid to even wonder about. And it made his teeth clench so tight it hurt. The villains had already warranted death sentences by taking Deku from his home, from his schooling. From his dreams. They all deserved to die for that. He hoped they all would die. He wanted them all to die.

Goddammit, it was just so fucking wrong. Deku had never done shit to anyone!

And although Bakugo tried to ignore it, to pretend it wasn't there, there was a voice whispering at the back of his mind—reminding him that now that the week mark was quickly approaching, chances were likely greater that Deku would never be coming ba—

Something caught Bakugo's eye as he pushed himself up, furiously shoving his shitty thoughts away as hard as he could.

There it was again.

Another fucking indent in Deku's fucking pillow.

That was it. That was enough of that shit.

Bakugo threw his covers aside, crossing the floor in three pounding steps and throwing the door open. He didn't bother with his slippers, he didn't even notice he was without them, he just made a straight beeline for the stairs, bounding down them two at a time.

He took one brief glimpse at the empty common area and turned his fiery eyes to the dining hall. The pieces of shit would be eating breakfast at this hour.

He covered the length of the floor in a handful of fuming strides, and drew up to the dining hall doors, hardly pausing a moment's breath before throwing them open.

"Which one of you fuckers is it?!" Bakugo demanded, stepping inside.

He hardly noticed every pair of eyes immediately snap to him, completely startled and a little fearful.

"Which one of you sick fuck shitstains is it?"

The room wasn't as full as expected. Some of the shitheads must have been out training. But he barely registered Shitty Hair, Icy Fuck and Sparky staring at him from several tables away, and Frog and Roundface cowering near them. And Tail and the invisible chick and Balls and Birdface and Yaoyorozu. All with gaping eyes fixed on him, apprehensive and alarmed.

"...Bakugo?" Kirishima was slowly rising from his seat.

"Which one of you shitheads is trying to fuck with me?!" Bakugo pressed, his handle on everything long gone. "Is it you, you little piece of shit?" Bakugo's glare had fallen on Balls, and the little bastard immediately paled. "Do you think it's funny or some shit? You freaking useless son of a bitch. You think you're messing with me? What, is this somehow part of your demented and perverted M.O.? Are you that fucked in the head?"

Balls' stunned and pleading eyes immediately scanned through the group, looking for help.

"Because I'll fucking show you what happens to sick little fuckers like you right now!" Bakugo took a threatening step forward, and Kirishima was on his feet now, looking completely confused and more than a little worried.

"Bakugo!" The little shithead had finally found his voice, and it was shaking all the hell over the place. "I seriously have no clue what you're talking about! Seriously, I'm so freaking lost! What did I do?! I've been so careful about not coming within twenty yards of you this whole week—why are you going to kill me?!" The little bastard was practically sobbing as he cowered behind Birdface, who had stepped protectively in front of him. And Bakugo wasn't certain why exactly, but he believed the little piece of shit.

He changed focus, his red and glowering eyes finding Roundface. "Is it you?" he asked, his voice rasping and dangerous.

Roundface's stupid, big eyes widened further in confusion and bewilderment.

"It's obvious as hell you're obsessed with him, but I wouldn't have guessed your stalking had reached legit creep levels."

Roundface's brow pinched in hurt and further confusion. She looked more than perturbed. And completely clueless.

"Bakugo, I...I don't know what you're—" her voice caught, and her eyes got all shimmery.

They all looked so goddamn clueless like the moronic idiots they were, and he just wanted to punch all their goddamn, stupid faces till they felt as shitty as he did.

"Bakugo, that's enough, dude." Kirishima had broken out of his stunned stupor enough to finally try to defuse the situation. Stupid bastard, of course he'd try to take it upon himself to do that.

Bakugo wasn't done though. His anger was still boiling over, and the lid was gone, long gone, there was no more attempting to contain it.

If it wasn't Balls and it wasn't Roundface, then who the hell was it...?

He went back to addressing them all. "Which one of you assholes has been sneaking into Deku's room?!" He had to know. "And why?! Why the hell are you messing with his goddamn bed?! Is it to fuck with me?! Because it's so freaking hilarious to see me lose my shit?! Is that why?! Why?! Because Deku being gone isn't fucking with me enough already...?!"

"Bakugo..." Kirishima was finally making his way over to him, a tentative hand out reaching for him.

"It's been a week...! It's been a goddamn fucking week, and he's still just as fucking lost as he was on day one...!"

It was all bubbling over, spilling out, all the beginnings of a goddamn, unstoppable eruption. And he couldn't keep it in anymore. It had been bottled up far too long.

He reached for the nearest breakfast tray and hurled it as hard as he could across the room, a series of sparks and small explosions following it. A few of the stupid extras flinched, but he hardly noticed. A small carton of juice was within reach. It quickly went the same way as the tray.

"Why...?!" His voice was cracking all over the place, but he didn't give a shit. "He's supposed to be here proving how much better he is than me...!" His breaths were getting shorter. And painful. "He's always been so much fucking better than me..."

He hadn't realized he'd sunk to his knees. And his breathing was all jumpy, and his eyes stung and burned like hell. And goddammit, he hated it.

Kirishima was there, once again reaching for him, only there was a newfound confidence and understanding behind the gesture.

"Don't touch me, shithead!" Bakugo swatted hard at Kirishima's arm, finding grim satisfaction behind the loud smack of the blow.

Kirishima didn't flinch or seem to mind at all. He also wasn't deterred. He dropped to his knees, wrapping a solid arm around Bakugo's crouched form from behind and bowing his forehead against his back.

Bakugo's immediate instinct was to throw him off, but he paused without meaning to, noticing how Kirishima's grip on his shirt was trembling. And suddenly he wasn't sure if Kirishima was attempting to comfort him or if he was clinging to him in desperation. For some unknown reason, the thought of the latter made him calm a fraction. Kirishima felt like shit, too... And that realization made Bakugo marginally less angry somehow.

"Everyone knows Midoriya was your main rival...your biggest competition..." Kirishima said, his shaky voice vibrating against Bakugo. "But we also know he was kinda your best friend..." Kirishima drew a staggering, unsteady breath. "It's okay to not be alright right now, man."

Bakugo just sat there a long moment, unmoving. He felt depleted. Spent. If he'd had any goddamn energy that day, he didn't know where the hell it suddenly decided to vanish to.

He finally broke the goddamn backhug and nudged Kirishima off him. But something Kirishima had said was igniting tiny inner sparks of fury again. "Was?" he hissed, turning to face him.

Kirishima looked confused for a moment, as he let himself sit back against the floor. "Is," he quickly corrected himself, realizing his mistake. "He's coming back. I know he is."

"And let's get one thing straight, Shitty Hair. You ever say any girly shit like that to me again, and you're canceled."

Kirishima suddenly broke into a grin, a subtle laugh escaping him. He wiped at his glimmering eyes, apparently not having realized he was as teary as a goddamn little kid. "Shit, dude," he said with another small, apologetic laugh as he glanced at the moisture coating his hand. He moved forward as if to wipe his nose next on Bakugo's shirt.

"Back off, asshole!" Bakugo said, stumbling back on his ass. "Go get a tissue for that shit. Freaking kid..."

Kirishima laughed again, and Bakugo would be lying if he said he didn't feel eighty-five percent better than he had that morning. Still shitty. But slightly better.

The extras had the courtesy to have quietly and inconspicuously exited the dining area sometime during Bakugo's shitshow. He knew he should have felt embarrassed. Or livid that he'd let them see such an absurd scene of temporary weakness and irrationality. But...he surprisingly didn't feel anything. He didn't have the energy to feel anything at the moment. And honestly? It was a little relieving.

The only classmates who had stuck around were Icy Hot and Kaminari.

Icy Hot was watching him. And without meaning to, Bakugo's eyes met his a brief moment. He couldn't make out what was behind Icy Hot's gaze, and he had no clue what his own was offering in return, but again, he didn't have it in him to care at the moment. For once though, strangely enough, Icy Hot didn't seem to be judging him.

Kurogiri usually came to collect Izuku when his fellow peers were already in class. But today was Saturday. There was no class. His classmates were still scattered throughout the dorms, going about their usual Saturday morning business.

Izuku had woken shortly before Kacchan, and had followed him downstairs, wondering where on earth he had taken off for in such a heated hurry.

And now Izuku stood, immobile and disbelieving, in the dining room, peering down at a drained and near-delirious Kacchan seated directly on the tile floor.

He was completely at a loss for words. Completely at a loss for anything...

It was later that night, when Izuku had somewhat recovered from the shock of Kacchan's incredulous display in the dining hall and had been returned to the villain's hideout in the real world, that Izuku just happened upon the most perfect opportunity he could have dreamed of.

In all honesty, he couldn't believe he hadn't realized the potential of such a golden opportunity before.

It was getting fairly late. Kurogiri and Shigaraki had returned from their weekend errands (with a vague and alarming hint that they might have found someone for Izuku to meet soon), and Toga was having Izuku grind away at Persona 4 on her hand held PlayStation. But she had since quietly nodded off, seated right next to him. And Kurogiri was sitting at the bar, reading.

Golden opportunity.

Izuku had already turned the volume way down earlier, when he'd noticed Toga getting sleepy.

He exited the game, heart pounding, palms already starting to sweat. He found the web broswer icon. And clicked on it.

Bakugo somehow survived another complete shitshow of a day.

He didn't know what the hell his meltdown in the dining room had been earlier.

His emotions (he still cringed at the thought of admitting he did occasionally have them and that they sometimes actually had to be dealt with—such bullshit) were still dull around the edges, still a little numb. And that temporary, somewhat calm was a relief.

He was still angry. He was still scared. His thoughts were still constantly overridden by shitty green hair and a stupid, beaming, freckly face (a face that he actually may have possibly somewhat realized he missed). But he had his shit bottled up again for the moment.

It had taken extra effort to shake Kirishima the remainder of the day. He had clearly assumed Bakugo's freakout was an invitation to suddenly become buddy-buddy again. And honestly, though Bakugo hated admitting it, he was a little grateful to the idiot for being the perfect outlet for Bakugo's shit. But he wasn't about to attempt any phony normalcy. Not while Deku was still gone. He'd ditched Kirishima hours ago with a vague excuse of homework (which he'd already completed) and an even more vague response to Kirishima's suggestion of getting together tomorrow. The dude was annoying and incorrigible, but Bakugo knew that the figurative support of his front horse was something that was going to last a long time.

It was getting late and he was just about to close down his laptop for the night when his phone suddenly vibrated with a text.

He reached for it, picking it up off the desk and wondering who the hell would be texting him at quarter past 11:00.

He hit the home button, waking the phone.

He clicked on the messaging app, alit with a new message notification.

He tapped on the new message, curious at the odd and unfamiliar sender information.

It opened.

And Bakugo almost felt like he'd been punched in the stomach, for how fast his breath immediately left him. His insides stopped working. Everything just seemed to come to a complete stop for a moment.

The sender information at the top of the window read: TXT2DAYsndr1894702

And the text itself only contained one word:

TXT2DAYsndr1894702

Kacchan

Bakugo just sat there staring, unable to blink, his lungs unwilling to breathe.

His fingers hovered around the screen, slightly quivering—uncertain, disbelieving, nervous, bewildered. All at once.

The phone suddenly offered a succession of quick vibrations once more.

TXT2DAYsndr1894702

Please tell me you're still up
Sorry to randomly text you out of the blue but yours was the only number I have memorized
From when we were kids
Yours and my moms
But I might not have a lot of time and I figured you'd be the more helpful one to talk to
Are you there?
This is deku btw

Bakugo's pulse was racing so damn fast he was seeing black lines flit across his vision.

What the hell was this?

Could this possibly be real...?

Was there a chance this might actually be...?

...

A sudden sinking feeling flared to life deep behind Bakugo's chest, sliding all the way down to his navel. He slowly lowered his phone.

First the bed and now this...?

...It couldn't be coincidence. There was no way it was a coincidence.

Bakugo's fingers were suddenly quivering for an entirely new reason as he brought his phone back up. His pounding pulse became so hot, he winced at the flash headache that followed.

He pounded away at his phone, his breath catching in anger.

TXT2DAYsndr1894702

You think this is fucking funny, asshole?
I swear to god when I find out who you are, I am going to enjoy slowly and systematically destroying every single thing about you and all that you hold dear

Kacchan, it's me

A moment's pause.

TXT2DAYsndr1894702

I'll prove it to you

An even briefer pause.

TXT2DAYsndr1894702

OFA

Bakugo just stared at the screen, his ears faintly ringing as his blood seemed to drain. Everything was frozen for a long, unending moment until his pulse picked up again—not in anger, though, in something entirely, completely different, though he couldn't have named it if he tried. His lungs attempted to work and failed. The sinking feeling was gone without a trace. And in it's place was disbelief. Complete, exhilarating disbelief.

OFA. One For All. Only Bakugo, Deku and All Might shared the secret of the significance of those three ordinary letters, those three unassuming words.

Bakugo blinked. He attempted to swallow, attempted to move.

And when he'd finally regained himself the smallest of measures, his fingers suddenly couldn't move fast enough.

A/N: I'm so excited to finally have an update for you guys! I apologize for the wait. My husband and I were wrapping up a home addition (including laying hardwood, getting cabinets and countertops, doing wainscoting, building a mantel, laying backsplash, getting carpet, painting, etc. etc.- it was a lot of work) from the end of October to mid December, and I just knew writing was not going to happen during that time so I didn't even try. And then there were the holidays on top of that. And then after posting my update note on January 8th about this next chapter being up soon, I of course found out shortly after that I am expecting baby number 3! So that pushed this back further than I was expecting, and life is definitely not slowing down, but just continues to get crazier and more exciting. But I am still really enjoying this story, and I have no plans of abandoning it, so thanks for being patient with me. And thanks for coming back for this latest chapter. And I also can't thank you enough for the loving notes of encouragement and nudging motivation you've left me! I am so grateful and flattered by them! I can't tell you how happy it makes me to know this story hasn't been forgotten! So, thank you so much!

A few notes about this chapter- Hmm, where to start? I guess I'm mostly just hoping Bakugo's meltdown made sense to you guys. After a full week of keeping everything bottled up, I think another fairly-uncharacteristic emotional breakdown was pretty much inevitable (keeping his outburst at Ground Beta in mind). It's only when things really come to a head (after being bottled up for so long) that Bakugo actually realizes he has emotions, and they actually find their way out. Without his consent, usually, lol.

Oh, and that line of Bakugo's about Deku always being better than him? I really wanted Bakugo to have a raw and completely honest moment with himself where he admits one of those dark truths he keeps deeply buried. Kind of similar to the dark truth (and when I say 'truth,' I mean from Bakugo's perspective) he admitted to Deku at Ground Beta of All Might's retirement being his fault. I think it's only through those moments of completely honest, emotional vulnerability that Bakugo finds a certain catharsis he didn't even realize he needed. I really wanted that for him in this chapter.

And Kirishima being there to defuse and understand and comfort. The things he does best. He's just...ah, I love him.

I hope that last scene with the texting wasn't too confusing. Basically, Deku brought up a free texting site on Toga's psp and that's how he was able to contact Bakugo. And I know- that was a crappy place to end the chapter, especially when I already had so much more of that conversation written. But I was nearing 12k words, and if I included more of that scene, it would have easily passed 15k. And editing a 15k plus chapter would be a little ridiculous. Plus, it would take a little too much of your time to read, as well, I imagine. I don't know, sorry if you hated where that cut off. D:

Oh, and quick sidenote- Not only was it convenient for Deku to still have Bakugo's number memorized, but I also thought adding that little touch was kind of adorable? I mean, don't we all have that one childhood best friend whose number we'll never, ever forget...? *recites my elementary school best friend's number in my head* *remembers that was back when people had home phones* *feels old, lol*

Oh, and the reason Deku didn't text his mom (which he'll touch on next chapter) is because he heard Kurogiri and Shigaraki talking a couple chapters back, and he's concerned there's a leak in the case. And anything his mom receives from him would definitely be seen by the detectives/police. He's going to urge Bakugo to keep their conversation secret for now, just to be safe.

I have to admit I'm such a sucker for bottled up, overflowing, completely overpowering emotions (as long as they feel believably in-character, given the context), and I feel like this chapter had the opportunities to include a lot of that. I really hope you guys enjoyed it! And I hope you were satisfied enough with the characterizations as well. Thanks so much for taking the time to read!

P.S. - Hasn't season 4 been incredible so far?

Oh, and to my lovely guest reviewer- I'm so happy you're still here! Your patience and encouragement is amazing! You are the best, and I'm so grateful you've stuck with this!

And to my other reviewers I'm unable to respond to- I'm so grateful for your comments and I've absolutely loved every one of them!

UPDATE 2/27/20: Oh my goooossshhh, you guys. HEROES RISING. It was evvvverything! If this fic never updates again, it's because I am literally dead after seeing that movie. There's SO much I want to say, but I'll refrain. This is definitely a movie worth staying as spoiler-free as possible over.

Also, if you happen to start getting impatient for the next chapter, just let me know. Hearing from impatient readers really helps get my butt in gear with updating. Thanks!