Chapter 11: My Misfortune

Izuku struggled to even get the water running. He was already in the shower, but covered by the freezing breeze. For that reason, he had attempted to guess which switch was the hot water, though he could not find the trick. Reasonably, he refused to ask for Kacchan's help since it would just bring problems. Besides, he only had two pills left. Twisting the third handle, cold water flushed from the shower head. Deku screeched as he shortly jumped from the coldness. Returning the handle, Deku tried to switch the other ones but nothing new came out. After a few trials, he eventually had to bare with the ice.

Devastated, Deku pulled aside the curtains and stepped out, placing his feet on the rug. His body was shaking and had his arms curled together. He tried to warm himself, but forgot the fact that having the droplets of water all around his body worsen his body temperature. Exhaling a deep breath, the green-haired went behind the door and opened it so his body wouldn't be seen through the gap.

"Ka...Kacchan!" Deku called out to the hallway, but remained a low voice. It would be odd for his mother to hear Izuku calling Katsuki's name from the bathroom. It was such a pain that he didn't give Deku the towel from the beginning.

A moment later, no answer. No movements were heard and not even from the entire house. "Kacchan!" He softly yelled again, gripping the side of the door. Becoming a little nervous for no answer, the green-haired opened the door and silently walked to Kacchan's bedroom. Each step, water drippled on the hallway as he covered himself with his hands. Already behind the door, Deku gave three hard knocks and quickly went back to the bathroom like some sort of playful kid. Waiting for a while behind the door, from the other side, another was opened.

"Open the door a little more. The towel won't fit." Bakugo said as he headed to the bathroom. Even if he ordered Deku to open the door, he himself pulled it but the other scaredly clenched onto it. Bakugo sighed from the other side. "Um, just put it on the foor, Kacchan. I'll take it once you le-" The blond, stubborn boy kicked the door with force, slamming it against the green-haired's forehead violently. Deku fell on the floor harshly.

"Ahh- Ow! That hurts!" Deku cried out while he caressed his sting on his forehead, laying. Bakugo stood in front of him with the towel on hand and clothes, having the full exposed view, unconcernedly. "Stop being so irritating! Acting as if everything I did makes you scared! It really enrages me!" Bakugo hissed loudly. The green-haired flinched from his reply. Bakugo watched how Deku united his legs together and stared at the floor shyly. Hid his wet chest with his arms to sustain the freeze. His face was a whimpering expression.

Bakugo laughed mockingly but with slight rage. "Do you really think I'm going to do something to you, Deku? No, you want me to. I mean, look at you now: hiding your dick for no reason!" Deku opened his mouth, embarrassed to say anything, but shook his head in denial. Scoffing, the blond flinged the towel onto Deku's face with strength. The green-haired suddenly felt mutual anger scatter inside his head, that he even came up with an insult to diss Kacchan.

Just when the blond was about to leave, Deku spoke behind him, gripping the towels furiously. "Well then, I'm not the idiot who's mercilessly turned on!" Bakugo stopped walking. Instead of turning his head, he slowly formed his fists. Already regretting what he commented, the green-haired stood up and shifted aside the toilet.

"What... what did you just say?!" Finally turning his head behind, his widened eyes stabbed through Deku's impatience. Before he could even apologize, Bakugo ran to him and kicked his waist roughly, making the green-haired smash onto the tiles. He whimpered like a dog. Losing his breath, Deku continued to cover himself with the towel. Not because of what he said but because he felt downright humiliated.

"J-Jerk! You're a jerk!" Deku stammered vulnerably, trying to stand. Bakugo groaned from madness and forcefully stomped on Deku's back downward. The other yelped as he 'whammed' onto the floor with his chin. "Say that again! I dare you!" The blond threatened with unbelievable rage.

"Katsuki! What's going on up there?" Steps that were heard from the staircase faded, heading upstairs. Bakugo panicked. 'Shit!' Before attacking Deku, in case his mother appeared, he thought of using kicks instead of punches. He wasn't stupid, but inconsiderate. "Stand up, now!" Bakugo desperately pulled the green-haired's shoulders up carelessly. "Hold onto that towel and shut it." And he made sure the small bruises weren't visible.

His mother, seeing that the bathroom door was opened, naturally entered. In that moment she saw Bakugo throw the clothes at the poor guy's face. The mother parted away after seeing Izuku still in the room. "Katsuki, what? Why did you do that?" She questioned as she saw her son, with a frown, depart from the hallway. Still worried, she turned her attention to Izuku, and held the door handle.

"Well... um, when you finish, Izuku, come to me. I have a room you can sleep in until tomorrow. We'll have to arrange things with Katsuki's school attendance and yours, too. But since I don't plan on making you both miss school, you'll have to go while I contact the police" She informed. Once Deku responded with silence, she understood and closed the door. After sensing isolation, he lowered to the floor and cried.

---

Tiptoeing the carpet, directed to the living room, Izuku held his towel close to his chest. The clothes that Kacchan gave him were a plain-black T-shirt and some of his baggy pants to sustain the cold. Although, the blond used them to produce sweat instead. While searching for Kacchan's mother, he found her placing a tray of food, or snacks, on a similar-looking coffee table. When turning his attention to the television, he saw a special Talk & Interview show. But it was no ordinary interview, it was All Might's!

"Hi, Izuku," she greeted the boy as she stopped from going to back to the kitchen. "What's that for?" Deku wondered as he pointed at the television and at the organized tray. The Bakugo's, excluding Kacchan, didn't watch anything related to heroes especially All Might.

"That's for Katsuki. He insisted on leaving it on. After all, it's still 6PM and there's nothing to do now." She replied and put her hands on her waist. "Oh, right! Follow me, Izuku. I'll show you your room." Deku trailed her as she headed to a door from under the stairs. It wasn't a storage room nor a basement, it just looked like a secrete yet obvious hideout. It seemed that it was recently cleaned and the furniture was arranged again.

Mitsuki sat on the bed that laid beneath the window, while Deku gazed around the wardrobe. "You'll be sleeping here until I find out what to do. Still, I don't want to believe your mother is gone. She must be in the hospital and nobody hasn't been able to contact us." She considerately hoped while scratching Izuku's hair playfully. A tint of a smile formed, but behind the mask she was ill from sadness. The green-haired noticed and looked down.

"I hope so too. Whenever I think about it, it just doesn't seem real. It was so sudden, and the way my mind forced me to think in another way was stressful..." He slowly lowered his voice, and stood still. Mitsuki hummed in agreement. "But!" She cheerfully advised, twisting the mood in an instant and standing up. "If something wrong really did happen, you should know that Masaru and I will be here for you. We could help you live here! And not only that, you will be here with Katsuki as well!" Deku was left without words as she playfully rubbed his hair. He descended into his thoughts, thinking.

Mitsuki was happy about it, and she obviously didn't intend it to forget about Inko's living state. The only concerning thing for Deku was how, if he really stayed there to live, Kacchan will always be around him. His pills weren't present, he only had two left. What if he told Mitsuki? It would be as if he had lied behind her back. It was something she as a mother wouldn't like to hear. And as he thought about that, he also remembered his own mother's reaction.

Being brought back, he saw that Mitsuki had backed away, returning to her normal expression. Then suddenly, she began to tear up and held him into a tight hug. "Mi-Mitsuki?" Deku stuttered with a shocked face, yet hasn't returned the embrace. "I really hope Inko's okay... and I will promise to take care of you forever if it means to!" She insisted determinedly.

"What the-" In bewilderment, Bakugo said in the doorway. It seemed that Deku had the instinct to react to anything related to Kacchan since he had jumped a little when listening to his voice. The mother also parted. "Ah! Kacchan! H-hey..." Embarrassed after the hug, Deku kept an awkward face and barely looked at Kacchan directly. He scratched the back of his head. "What is it, Katsuki?" The blonde mother asked.

Bakugo was silent for a bit until he shook it off. "Nothing... I just don't need that pile of tray you placed on the table. I only said to turn on the television," he softly complained with his arms crossed. "So ungrateful! I know that you only meant that, but out of love for my son, I wanted to give you something to eat too," Mitsuki replied with cheesy words. The other blond scoffed in a mocking way, and left afterwards with no other response.

---

In the middle of the night, more specifically at 12:44AM, the household was dark as the only light source was from the television. Deku kept looking at its content, intrigued and unaware of the time. He had his knees up to his chest on the couch. On the other side, Bakugo was on another individual sofa. However, surprisingly, he had fallen asleep two hours in the interview. Two hours ago, Bakugo and Deku were left alone in the living room. Both were very quiet but the television wasn't. They didn't talk rather secretly snitched a look at each other. They eventually minimized their worries and unbotheredly watched the show.

The show ended aproximately one hour later. Comercials, hero applications, tips, and movies were played for the rest of that night. Bakugo's bedtime was one of the reasons for his early rest. Peacefully and without a noise, he drained into a deep sleep. He breathed in and out but didn't snore roughly. And curiously, Deku hadn't noticed just yet. Sighing or rather yawning, the green-haired felt his eyes lose its energy. He thought of turning off the television, but remembered that Kacchan had the remote.

That's when he saw Kacchan in a rare unconcious state. Taken by surprise, he couldn't help but gaze while standing up. Getting slightly nervous considering how Kacchan had the remote on his lap. What was even more troublesome was how Deku couldn't part his vision. Kacchan in his tank top, his chest breathing in and out, showing how much of an adorable side he could enable. Soft hair yet spiky-looking, still seeming aesthetically formed.

Blushing shortly, he neared to the controller and inaudibly grabbed it with his trembling hand. Impulsively, Deku snatched it and hugged the remote for some reason, later turning off the TV. Midst of the darkness the green-haired stood, admiring the body in front of him. "Kacchan...you're so...cool" He silently mumbled. Out of full courage, Deku got closer and gently rubbed his hair. As a result, he lowered his back and was aware of not kneeling on his knees or lap. His mind was growing warm, and his condition started kicking in. Smiling, he slid his hand from his hair to his cheeks, from his neck to his chest, feeling his pulse.

Deku then backed away quickly. 'Wait, what am I doing? He...even if he looks so calm now... tomorrow he will no longer be the same. Kacchan doesn't like me, and I shouldn't be doing this.' The green haired clenched onto the remote with his left hand, straightfully standing. 'But... that's more of a reason to why I should enjoy this special moment. A touch won't hurt,' Deku thought as he neared his face again, but after loosing a grip on the remote, it made an irritating sound as it crashed on the wooden floor. Bakugo woke up abruptly, blinking his eyes to hinder the blurry persception.

"Deku?" He called with confusion, mesmerized from his last dream. "What the hell are you doing?" Bakugo cursed when he saw Deku's face, while rubbing his eyes. "It's so fucking dark I can't see anything."

"Um, I was just turning off the television. I think it's late already, but you fell asleep a few hours ago," the green-haired told the blond, parting away and trembling. Bakugo was silent for a minute and Deku was as well, shyly looking away. "What were you doing...while I was asleep?" He blond questioned straightfully. The other made a quick frown, unnoticeably blushing. "W-what do you mean, Kacchan? I noticed j-just now that you were sleeping!" Deku stammered without sense. Bakugo looked at him for a longevity as a response, being skeptical. A while of smiling awkwardly and long silence.

"Whatever, I'm going to go sleep, but you'll sleep on the floor. I have another blanket so it won't be as bad." Bakugo sighed as he stood up from the couch and headed to the stairs. "Wait! Kacchan! I'm actually not sleeping in your room..." Deku ran up to him while notifying. Bakugo turned around and faced the green-haired with a glare. "Quit being a wuss, I won't do anything to you. Hurry up now," an ignorant blond responded and turned his back. "N-no! It's nothing like that! I have somewhere else where I can sleep. You know, the room I was with Mitsuki in which you entered."

"Oh," Bakugo replied and mysteriously stayed quiet. "Okay," he finished by saying and turned his back, going to his room without any other comments. Deku remained on the first floor, playing with his fingers in nervousness. He sighed as he walked under the stairs and entered the room. His backpack on the drawer and his scarf on the wardrobe. A window covered by the curtains and a soft carpet on the floor.

Next thing he knew but rather didn't notice, he fell asleep in the most dismannered way, numbed with fatigue.

---

Already the next day, sunlights crept into the room through the curtains. The chirping birds faded in and out when it was covenient. And still, the atmosphere was as freezing-cold as ever. Izuku was asleep with his stomach with such position from yesterday's weariness. "Gah!" He blurted when a hefty force was thrown on the back of his head. The weight was great and enough for Midoriya to open his heavy eyes.

"Katsuki! What did I tell you?!" A female voice yelled from a large distance in another room. "Wake up, nerd," Bakugo said as he went up to Deku and took his bag, rolling it onto his shoulder with one hand. He had the black school uniform and left the scene. Deku crawled up and kneeled while regaining recognition of his surroundings.

"Eat this as you go to school. Also, give this to Izuku" Mitsuki told Bakugo as she went to one room to another, picking up her items and putting them in her bag. She directed the blond to take two pieces of sandwhiches, one for him and the other for Deku. "I love you," she gave a kiss on Bakugo's forehead and the other grunted. Then, she headed to the door and waved at him before exiting.

Bakugo stood facing the door, with both hands occupied. With one of them, he slowly ate his breakfast. Deku left the bathroom after brushing his teeth. He took his backpack and the items inside of it. "Hurry up," Bakugo shouted without looking behind. "Erhhn, sorry. I-um, I have a problem. My school supplies, they were at my apartment..." Deku worriedly stated while trying to put on his shoes as he walked. "That's fine, just get over here. We have enough time so I could give you some of my stuff." With no interest, he clarified.

"R-really? If that's so, thanks," the green-haired said. He finally walked in front of Kacchan and headed to the door, but the other one yanked his backback from behind. Deku stumbled without falling. "No walking in front of me. Take this as well," roughly, the other advised the green-haired and handed him his sandwhich. Surprised, Deku raised his palm. "Usually, we would have normal breakfast by sitting on the table, but today is different, I suppose." Deku was intrigued but Kacchan turned and began to walk outside. Since Deku was the last one to leave, he closed the door.

Morning felt odd compared to the times Deku walked alone. Of course, it was because he didn't leave from his house and because Kacchan was with him. But that was exactly what felt weird. He sensed company, and that was one of the most comforting feelings he could experience. In spite of everything, it felt appealing to calmly be with him in a peaceful period, though it would end already.

In the school, the gates were wide opened already. Many students took their daily walk around the passage, probably never getting tired of it. Others sat on the ground and most were crowded inside the building. Deku followed Kacchan like a dependent puppy, gripping onto his straps. Apart from the morning walk, going to school felt unpleasant. If people noticed this abnormal change, of Deku naturally following Kacchan, everyone will grow suspicious. Currently, there was twenty-five minutes left before class.

"Get closer to me," Bakugo mumbled beneath his breath when Deku was aside him. The green-haired was taken out of surprise, breathing out, but silently did as he said. Their shoulders almost touched. They already joined the congested hallways with no pass to any lockers. It's not like there were hundreds in the hallways, but rather unneccessary messy groups of kids. Once they passed through the first turn, Bakugo mischeviously held Deku's hand. In an instinct, the green-haired looked down. His face rose red and shook.

"Stop it with that face. It's just so you won't be a laggard," the blond growled. Deku refused to answer since either staying silent or speaking wouldn't do any good. People started to pay attention, but while others matured, not everybody decided to talk about it.

"Wait, aren't they...?"

"It seems to be, they are holding hands."

"I can't believe this happened!"

"He probably...him."

"Imagine if he were a..."

"Could be. Afterall, Bakugo's parents are wealthy."

"No, but maybe it could be because of his..."

A simple group of friends whispered to each other after Bakugo and Deku passed. The blond was unbothered and rather careless. The green-haired knew he was being gossiped but avoided eye-contact. Finally being isolated from people, Bakugo grabbed onto Deku's wrist to bring him at the back of the building. "Open your backpack," he demanded. It was obvious that Bakugo had guided him somewhere that excluded people. But for some reason, this situation felt tensed. The blond kneeled as he unzipped his bag. Deku did so too on the floor.

While walking to school, he had taken advantage of being behind Kacchan to hide his bottle of pills where the notebooks weren't. In other words, in a smaller pocket. "Take this," Bakugo held two notebooks up. "Two notebooks for four or six classes. I need the rest so you make good use of them." Deku took it with shaking hands fading in. While so, he hid the inside of his yellow backpack so Kacchan wouldn't notice his 'Hero Analysis' duplicate. "Take this pencil, this eraser, glue, and shit," he placed the supplies on the floor.

Getting dizzier, Deku took the supplies and quickly stored them inside. "That's all!" He loudly said with a smile and stood up. When he was about to jog away, Bakugo detained his ankle with one hand. The green-haired uttered a slight breath from fear. "Why in such a rush?" Bakugo questioned while locking his eyes up. Deku turned his head below while his leg trembled. "It's nothing, Kacchan... I'm going back." The other breathed out again in resemblance. These type of events always repeated itself in the same way.

"Always fucking lying to me. Fine, just leave." He rudely pushed his ankle in a disappointed manner. Standing up and holding his bag, Bakugo knocked Deku aside with his shoulders. Wretched, the green-haired wondered while gazing at the floor.

'Thank gosh I took one pill this morning.'

---

After school ended Deku sprinted out of his last class with no intentions of being stopped. He rapidly passed many students and different classes, in desesperation of fleeing the gates. Why was he running? Well, to start off, it is known how he had one pill to soften his mood swings. So basically, it was because of Kacchan. Although, the main reason was because he wanted to sneak in his burned apartment.

It sounded crazy, but overnight he became obssessed on knowning the outcome of the interior building. He was worried of his life and his future; of his mother and their home. 'My All Might merch!'

Dashing out and stomping on the sidewalk, he couldn't believe he managed to leave without Kacchan trailing him.

Once arriving at the place, it was obviously restrained from anybody entering. It looked like a crime scene and seemed way concerning than last time. Deku thought of some technique of going inside, avoiding witnesses, and escaping successfully. In the middle of thinking, he realized how pointless and stupid this was. Getting in such trouble so in the end, he would gain nothing but regret and pressure.

In that moment, he sensed a vibration from his backpack, probably from his phone. He hadn't charged it because he was too shy to ask for a charger to Mitsuki. So, he simply let the battery drain until thirty-four percent.

'Kacchan: Go back to school or I'll lock you outside the house.'

It was stupid. His parents could just let him in but the question was: when? And whether it would take long. However, even so, Deku knew this was an alarm for him to comply. Such basic and idiotic demands could lead to something he'll regret later in the moment. He basically ran back and gave up on his plan, but, he has the thought of doing it some other day. The moment he got there, in front of the gates, there was something unusual.

Four girls were conversing with Bakugo, him normally replying but with his plain attitude. Although, sometimes he grinned as a result of one of their comments and the girls laughed altogether. This made Deku uncomfortable, considering how had to watch this abnormality revolving Kacchan. Deku knew that if he didn't say anything or showed himself, they would keep on. So, he decided to lightly push the gates to catch their attention. One girl turned around and advised the group. Bakugo went back to his bothered expression.

Noticing the green-haired, he left the gates without saying anything and walked on the sidewalk. Deku stood for a while until he noticed the girls glaring at him. They looked familiar so he also left from their vision and followed Kacchan. Something felt off and something sank in his stomach. Kacchan didn't say anything but walked. And Deku had the urge to ask but felt as if it would invade anything personal.

"Kacchan...who were they?" He couldn't bring himself to not wonder. Bakugo lowered his walking pace but didn't stop, as reconsideration that he payed attention to his question.

"You mean, those girls? They're just classmates of mine," he deeply grunted. Deku nodded for himself even though no one saw him, not satisfied of the answer. It didn't matter if it was true or not, he simply wanted to know more.

"Are they...your friends?" He lowly voiced. Bakugo's steps became a little rougher as a result of getting annoyed. His hand's tightened in his pockets. "No, I said just classmates. What's gotten into you?" He stopped his track and turned to face him. "Hm?" He groaned again.

"Nothing...it's just unsual for you to be around girls," shyly, the green-haired muttered looking at the road. "Unsual..." The blond scoffed and turned to walk. "I do whatever I want, Deku. And most things don't always deserve a reason or an explanation."

"I get it..." Defeated, Deku decided to shut himself off and follow him normally. He knew he would get nothing or rather know nothing else. Feeling the sense of lack of control and knowledge, Deku ached to know more about them. This is where his obssessive behavior began, but obviously was enlightened by a small tint of fire.

Already in the neighborhood, Deku received a sudden call from his phone. Bakugo, out of suspicion, stopped to see what was up. Deku saw it was Mitsuki calling, and he didn't expect anything bad to be said. He then picked it up and there was at first a desperate silence. The blond analyzed in interest from far away. What Deku could hear were faint cryings and once they started to appear, his colors drained.

"I-Izuku! Your mother! She's...she's-"

The phone dramatically fell and Bakugo stared at it confused, crashing on the concrete floor. Deku's expression was blank, while faded noises and talking were heard from the phone.

Inko's dead.