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Story Warnings: Major character trauma (death, injuries, psychological / emotional effects), mentions of possibly disturbing details (blood, injuries to heart / extremities / face / eyes), trauma induced (nightmares, panic attacks, emotional instability), hospital setting and use of medical equipment, excessive amounts of fluff and affection, dark humor
Words: 8,821
Bakugou Katsuki x Koge (OC) One Shots
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No matter who it was that asked him, Bakugou was sure he’d never be able to fully describe what it felt like to die. He couldn’t remember the exact moment his heart had been ripped apart or when his own quirk had revived him. All that he could recall through the fog of adrenaline was pure exhilaration, which wasn’t something he’d ever be capable of explaining in words.
Why was this on his mind already? He hadn’t been awake for long and his parents had yet to drill him, though he expected they wouldn’t. He could see it on their faces, though. Their child had died, after all. It was logical that they’d want to know everything he went through, both to try to comfort him and put their own minds at ease if he said he didn’t suffer. Sure, they might be content to wait to hear it from him on his own terms, but what about his friends? Or, more importantly, his lover that he had yet to see? She would want to know it all, to take on his pain so she could do everything she could to help him heal.
So… what was it like?
It was harder for Bakugou to recall what he felt before the fatal wound outside of pure instinct driven by his awakened quirk, but he did know for a fact that it felt good, or… right. At that moment, it didn’t matter to him if he died or not. He knew what he had to do, for the sake of everyone he cared about, and that drove him to use his new power without any idea how to. He had made a dent of… some kind, or at least he assumed he had, since he still hadn’t heard all that much about the battle while he had been dead once Midoriya arrived.
After he had woken up was different, but he didn’t really get all his bearings until he landed on a rooftop with All Might beside him. Getting out of the sky coffin, taking Midoriya’s hand, and rescuing his idol had been completely on autopilot, but the pain of Edge Shot finally leaving his body is what forced his complete consciousness to come forth. Having blood erupt out of your mouth and nose will do that to a person, he assumed.
Next came nothing but adrenaline, exhilaration, concentration, pride, and pain. A lot of pain, to the point where he couldn’t even recall exactly how bad it had been. Bakugou’s entire body had been cold and on fire all at once, each move he made sending white-hot scorching agony through every nerve. And yet, he had loved every second of it. It was a pretty cliche thing to say, but he could admit that he had never felt more alive than he had during his battle with All for One. If he were honest, he’d rather people not fret or pity him for his injuries and death. Instead, he hoped that he’d get comments about how cool and impressive he was, seeing as how he literally killed the head honcho while on the brink of death himself, even if it had been the weakened version of him.
In the end, nothing Bakugou could think of would be an adequate way of describing his experience. What would he say?
“It was like ‘ouch’, y’know? And ‘woah’, ‘woosh’, ‘bam’! Blood tastes really bad when you throw it up, by the way. And no, I don’t feel bad about killing a baby.”
Maybe in the future, when he had more time to think and wasn’t on painkillers, he’d be able to write it out and tell those who wanted to know what he went through.
“I wonder if writing it out would be easier…?”
“What, Katsuki? You’re already thinking about how to monetize your freaking death?!”
Bakugou was startled by his mother’s voice, having not realized he had started thinking out loud. Blinking for the first time in what felt like hours, he tore his gaze away from the window to look at Mitsuki, whose confused glare probably matched his to a T. His vision was very blurry with his right eye barely working, but he could see her well enough to be able to read the total disbelief plastered on her face.
“What? No-” Bakugou gave a small shake of his head, looking away from her to his bandaged right arm instead. “I was just thinking about… how to explain it to people.”
“Explain what?”
“Ah, y’know… What it was like to die. People are gonna ask eventually.”
Bakugou had tried to avoid the severity of the topic with some sheepish humor, but the wary smirk on his lips faded when he looked at his parents again. This time, he couldn’t read their expressions. Worried? Confused? Dumbfounded? Horrified? He didn’t know, but the way his stomach dropped in regret of what he said was enough to tell him he shouldn’t have told the truth. He should have lied and agreed with his mother, that he was already looking to the future in an optimistic light. Was that a bad thing to be thinking about? Sure, but their annoyance and disappointment would have been better than whatever this was.
“Katsuki… Son, you don’t need to think about that.” Masaru closed the magazine he had been reading and put it aside, giving Bakugou just a peek at the cover that showed an image of the war, but he couldn’t read the text. “You need to think about your recovery… About getting better.”
“No one has the right to know or demand to know what you went through.” Mitsuki stood, making her way to his hospital bed and taking a seat in the empty chair beside it. “No one! Not even us, and I sure as hell don’t want to know. You’re alive and we can start planning your recovery one step at a time. What makes you think you have to explain-”
“Utsuro deserves to know.”
Mitsuki’s voice caught roughly in her throat at Bakugou’s interruption, her body language flipping from aggressive to subdued as her hands folded together anxiously in her lap. This was the first time Bakugou had mentioned his lifelong best friend and girlfriend in a while, which he suddenly felt quite guilty about. He had been so consumed with his injuries, doctors, and a recent painfully emotional interaction with Midoriya that he hadn’t asked more than a few questions about her since he woke up. At the time, just knowing that she was safe and uninjured eased his mind, but now the aching need to see her was beginning to swell in his chest, along with the fear of how the interaction would go.
He was scared to see her. He could admit that. Koge loved him more than anything else on this earth and he knew that she was already completely distraught. She had been a mess just bidding him farewell right before the war, since she wasn’t a part of it due to something as mundane as a flu keeping her nearly bedridden. It was kind of funny to Bakugou thinking back on it, how she had been so scared he’d end up sick just from kissing and hugging her while she was ill. Nope. He ended up good and dead instead, with a destroyed right arm and a ripped-up heart. Though, getting the flu could end up bad now with his vulnerable physical health, which was probably why she wasn’t here in the first place.
“I’ve been here a week, right?” Bakugou asked after a sigh, glancing at all the medical equipment around him. “Or something like that?”
“Mhmm.” Mitsuki nodded, though she didn’t look up from her hands yet. “They kept you mostly sedated until after your surgeries. But Koge hasn’t been able to visit. They won’t let her in.”
“She still has the flu, huh?”
“She’s gone three days now with no fever, which is what they said had to happen before she could visit. Poor thing… I feel horrible that she hasn’t been able to come see you yet.”
“I imagine she didn’t take the news well…”
“She was so sick in the middle of it all, but she refused to leave our side and watched every moment with us. We haven’t even been able to see her outside of the hospital either or they wouldn’t let us in, but her mother did tell me that she fainted when she heard everything that had happened. I’ve been keeping her posted though, like I promised her I would.”
“Is she coming by today?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe… you should text her?”
Bakugou was ashamed of the fear he felt from the thought of doing so. It was horrible of him, to be horrified at the thought of contacting one of the people he loved and trusted the most. Koge deserved to be here with him and he wanted her to be, but he couldn’t stand the thought of watching her cry and fret over him. Seeing her sad or in pain was the last thing he ever wanted to go through, but at the same time, he wanted the comfort and happiness her presence brought him. He wanted to be that comfort for her as well, to ease her worries and show her that he would be okay. That they would be okay, that the future they envisioned together was still there.
“I’m… I’m scared to.” Bakugou admitted with little hesitation, though he was surprised at the growing lump in his throat and burning tears threatening to fall from his tired eyes. “Seeing her cry and shit is gonna break me. I know it, especially after what happened with Deku earlier.”
“That… That is a lot of stress on your heart, son.” Masaru stood and came to stand beside his family, holding Bakugou’s phone even against his own worries of his son’s health. “Maybe you should wait until tomorrow?”
Bakugou hesitated for a moment before taking his phone from his father with a small shake of his head.
“I can’t do that. Don’t want to, either… She’s my Utsuro, y’know. I can’t do this without her.”
As his parents fell silent, Bakugou fumbled with his phone using his left hand, which was uncomfortable and a skill he hated the thought of having to learn. But he was able to navigate to his text messages anyway, finding that it was easy to spot his chat with Koge as she had just texted him a few hours ago. In fact, she had been texting him almost constantly while she waited for a response, with various thoughts of well-wishes and ‘I love you’s. There were some mundane things in there, too, including complaining about her sickness and excitedly mentioning gifts she had gotten him.
Damn, it made him miss her like crazy.
After a deep breath to ready himself, Bakugou began to work his way through texting, doing his best to not make mistakes.
Me 2:32 PM: i dont really wanna know that you threw up out of your nose, utsuro. giving me flashbacks.
Utsuro 2:33 PM: KATSUKI! ｡･ﾟﾟ･(>д<)･ﾟﾟ･｡
Utsuro 2:33 PM: You jerk! (╥_╥) That’s what you text me first thing?! (ᗒᗣᗕ)՞
Me 2:35 PM: sorry. dont really know what to say. i cant believe you didnt break into the hospital to be here. i expected riots.
Utsuro 2:36 PM: I was scared I’d get you sick, too. (╯_╰) Then you’d die again all because of my germs. (◕︵◕) I miss you so much, Katsuki! ಥ ೧ ಥ I don’t think I’ve stopped crying since you left!
Me 2:40 PM: must be dehydrated.
Utsuro 2:41 PM: (╥ᆺ╥；)
Me 2:45 PM: sorry, koge. i really am. for everything.
Utsuro 2:46 PM: You have nothing to be sorry for, Katsuki. (◕︵◕) But can I please come see you? Please? (;﹏;)
Me 2:49 PM: i want nothing more than to see you, koge. get your ass over here. safely.
Utsuro 2:55 PM: 30 minutes! Ｏ(≧∇≦)Ｏ I love you so much, I can’t wait to see you! (´,,•ω•,,)♡
Me 2:58 PM: i love you too, koge. be safe.
Utsuro 3:00 PM: ( ˘ ³˘)❤
Me 3:00 PM: ❤
“She said she’ll be here in thirty.” Bakugou said with a sigh, relaxing back against his propped-up bed and letting his head sink into the pillow. He hadn’t noticed how tired he had been until that moment, not even having the energy to hold onto his phone. He let it go, not bothering to worry about it falling between his legs into the folds of the uncomfortable blanket that was covering him up to his hips. “Fuck, I’m tired… Dunno how I can be after sleeping so damn much.”
“They have you pretty doped up, Katsuki.” Mitsuki stood, taking over fixing her son's bedding for him and putting his phone on the bedside table. Bakugou wasn’t exactly into being babied like this, but he didn’t have the energy or will to gripe about it. He knew that it made her feel better to take care of him, too, so being Mr. Independent would have to wait. “I don’t know how you’re not drooling and slurring like a drunkard.”
“Sleep, son.” Masaru gave Bakugou’s leg a comforting few pats. “Koge will understand.”
“Nah… I can’t do that to her.” Bakugou gave his healthy eye a rub to try and alleviate the heaviness, but it didn’t do much. “She’d feel even worse interrupting my sleep. She’s a lot more sensitive than she seems.”
“Same could be said about you, mister.” Mitsuki ruffled Bakugou’s hair gently, not at all perturbed by his annoyed growl and sideways glare. “You’re becoming more and more genuine every day!”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m an asshole, I know!” Bakugou waved his mother away, starting to feel agitated from both her teasing and touching him. “That’s enough, quit it!”
“Aw c’mon, let me take care of you! Need anything? Bathroom? Water?”
“Tch… water. I guess.”
“Say ‘please’!”
“In your dreams, ya nag!”
In the end, Bakugou ended up drifting off, failing to stay awake against his best efforts. He had always been a heavy sleeper and when paired with his medication, his consciousness dropped like a rock into a never-ending well of darkness and dreams. It wasn’t all comforting, though, and the fact that he was experiencing nightmares wasn’t that surprising to him. For someone who went through the type of trauma he had, it was common sense that he’d have some form of demons that stuck around to torture him when he was the most vulnerable.
No one knew yet, though. It was just something else that he didn’t want to burden others with, nor did he want the questions and worry that would come with the confession. There wasn’t one particular thing he dreamt about, anyway. It’d be too annoying and tedious to try and explain every little detail, and if he were honest with his explanations, he’d be sent to a shrink faster than what was already probably planned for him. He didn’t like the thought of seeing a therapist, but healing his mind would be just as important as his physical recovery.
This dream was strange, though. The fact that it was about Koge was probably due to his awareness of her visiting him, but that wasn’t the issue. It was as if he were seeing the near future and the interaction had him confused if it were real or not. Was he not actually asleep and in just some dissociated state of mind? Had her instant disgust of his physical state upon her arrival set his mind off course?
That was something he didn’t expect, for him to be so self-conscious about his injuries when it came to Koge. They were both fiercely physically attracted to each other, to the point that it was hard for them to keep themselves contained when alone, and one of the major points for Koge was his strength. His hands, although dangerous and rough, were her favorite physical attributes of his, but now one of them was out of commission. Permanently or temporarily, it was still too early to tell, but what if she truly did think he was defective now?
Not only that, but his heart was ruined, too. He very well may never be able to give her that same physical closeness she had grown so accustomed to, intimate or casual. Would Koge really want to stay with him throughout all these unknowns? Was he even worth her time and affection anymore if he couldn’t give her what she was used to and wanted? In reality, they hadn’t been involved romantically for very long, but the thought of being without her truly made him sick.
That’s why this dream was a nightmare for him, to be unable to pull himself out of it while Koge ridiculed, blamed and tore him down. This imaginary version of her was mean and heartless, screaming words at him that he swore she’d never use against him.
It wasn’t at all what he wanted and he hated this tainted view of her that his mind was creating just to be cruel to him. Koge was his best friend. His light. His lover. She is what he saw when he envisioned his future, always beside him and guiding him.
Not this. This isn’t who she was, yet he couldn’t run away from it. Did that mean it was real?
“Katsuki…? Katsuki? Katsuki, c’mon, wake up.”
Wake up? He was already awake, wasn’t he? Who was that calling him, anyway?
“Shit, should we call the nurse?!”
“Katsuki, son, wake up!”
The words of whoever else was talking were blending in with Koge’s continued insults, and he couldn’t tell what was happening or where to focus his mind. As his confusion grew, so did a pain in his chest and he found it harder and harder to breathe.
“Is his oxygen on?!”
“Y-yes, honey, I think so! He looks like he’s in pain- Oh, sweetheart, d-don’t come in right now-”
“What’s wrong? Katsuki-?!”
It was all wrong. All of it. The screaming. The beeping. The hands on him, squeezing his throat and pressing down onto his chest. Bakugou couldn’t find something to grasp, to pull him back into consciousness and stop this panic inducing nightmare. All images now gone, he was left with nothing but suffocating darkness and he needed a light to guide him out. Where was she? Where was his light? Should he call out to her? Would she hear him?
Somehow pulling air into his lungs, Bakugou put in all his effort to call out Koge’s name, but it arrived choked, stuttered and muffled.
“Katsuki? Katsuki, I’m here! I’m right here, it’s okay.”
He called out again, this time reaching for anything to hold. His left hand wrapped around something tightly and it squeezed back.
“Yes, I-I’m here, Katsuki. It’s your Utsuro. P-please wake up!”
That sadness and fear in her voice… Was that real? It wasn’t anything like what he had just listened to, which was already beginning to fade out of memory as his mind began to focus. There were many things that were helping him recover, but what stuck out the most to him was an intimately familiar scent. Koge had worn the same perfume since middle school, and he had always been obsessed with it. At the moment, he couldn’t recall what it was exactly, but it never failed to soothe and relax him. It had always been one of his favorite things about being so intimately close to her, especially when it came to cuddling in bed to nap after a hard day. He hadn’t gotten to hold or touch her in what felt like years and in that moment, there was nothing he wanted more.
“Oh, his heart rate is calming down! Koge, sweetie, keep talking to him.”
“W-what do you think you’re doing, Katsuki? Trying to avoid me at all costs, huh?”
Avoid her? Why the hell would he want to avoid her? He wanted nothing more than to see that stupid, infuriatingly beautiful smile. To hold and kiss her. He wanted to look into those captivating pale blue eyes, and he could. All he had to do was open his own, right? Why was that so difficult right now?
“N… No, Uts… Utsuro.” Bakugou finally choked out between heavy breaths. “N-never…”
“Don’t try to talk, Katsuki. Just breathe.”
“How… How can I?” Opening his eyes as much as he could, it took no time for Bakugou to spot the radiance of his lover beside him and couldn’t stop the tired yet giddy smile on his lips. “How can I breathe… when you take my breath away? Hm?”
“O-oh sh-shut up-” Koge’s voice hitched as she hiccupped, releasing Bakugou’s hand as he reached up to caress her face. His effort to wipe away her tears was fruitless as more rushed down her flushed cheeks, but his thumb swiped softly across her skin anyway. “You jerk!”
“Don’t be… so sad… Utsuro.” Bakugou took in a few deep breaths through his nose to breathe in the pure oxygen from the tubing, even though his chest felt like it was on fire. “I’m alright…”
“You didn’t look alright just now… I walked in and it looked like you were having a heart attack!”
“Just… Just a nightmare.”
“About what?”
“Ah, well… That’s the funny thing. I can’t remember.”
Bakugou couldn’t help but chuckle at the shock on Koge’s face, which matched his parents when he glanced up at them from where they stood on the other side of his bed. It was true, he couldn’t remember exactly what had upset him, but he didn’t really care, either. His lover was here and he had never been so happy to see her.
“So,” Bakugou held his arm out, inviting her in. “You gonna hug me or not, Utsuro?”
Koge was still for a moment, looking him over with tearful eyes before she broke with a sob. At the same time she climbed up to sit on the edge of the bed, Bakugou sat up, putting his healthy arm around her torso while she put hers around his shoulders with her face buried against his neck. As they held each other, Koge cried and wailed openly, which was a sound that shattered Bakugou’s resolve faster than he could even build it. Before he could tame it, his own tears rushed forth and poured down his cheeks, bringing him to hide his face in her shoulder while caressing the back of her head affectionately.
“I love you, Koge.” Bakugou spoke as softly as his trembling voice would let him. “I love you so fucking much.”
“I-I lo-ove you, t-to-too, Katsuki! I love you!”
Bakugou would have sat there holding her like that forever, but they were interrupted by a pair of nurses who swiftly made their way inside in response to Bakugou’s vitals spiking and his parents pushing the call button out of panic. While the younger one checked on Bakugou, the older one was quick to snap at Koge to lecture her on behaving so as to not upset her patient.
“What do you think you’re doing, coming in here and causing a ruckus! He’s severely injured and does not need your emotional nonsense added to-”
“Oi!” Mitsuki snapped before her son could, stepping between the still crying Koge and the nurse, who showed no signs of stepping down. “If anything’s gonna upset my son, it’s you yelling at his girlfriend!”
“Well, she should know better than to-”
“No!” Mitsuki interrupted again. “That’s my future daughter-in-law you’re barking at! Besides, he started having his fit before she even walked in! If you would have answered the call immediately, you’d know that, wouldn’t you?!”
The nurse began to stutter, glancing around as if looking for a way to escape the intimidating woman in front of her. Instead, all she got was a good look at the furious yet exhausted glare on Bakugou’s face, who was ignoring the younger nurse as she tried to get his attention to check his eyes.
“Listen,” The nurse finally got ahold of herself, one hand on her hip while the other pointed a finger towards Bakugou. “He’s at a high risk for many things, including heart failure, a stroke, infection, seizures and any number of other things I’ve already discussed with you. Anything that can increase his heart rate isn’t safe, and that includes emotional reunions-”
“I had a nightmare or something, which I think caused a panic attack.” Bakugou finally spoke up, letting the younger nurse check his eyes with a flashlight and adjust his nasal oxygen tube back into its correct place. “It wasn’t her. If anything, she’s the one that calmed me down.”
While the nurse and his mother continued to bicker, Bakugou looked at Koge, who was standing there silently with her head bowed and her arms crossed tightly over her chest. Since she was still close, he was able to reach over and touch her arm, giving her sleeve a light tug to get her attention. He smiled at her once their eyes locked and he gave a small nod to encourage her over. At first, she glanced around, embarrassed and hesitant to cause more of a scene, but she soon sat back down beside him on the bed.
“It’s okay, Utsuro.” Bakugou took her hand, holding it with a firm yet comforting grip. “I’m alright. I promise.”
Sniffling, Koge wiped her face with her free hand, her still teary eyes glancing him over.
“That was… really scary, Katsuki.”
“Sorry… I had tried to stay awake until you got here.”
“That must have been a nasty nightmare…”
“Yeah… I think it was about you, but I’m not really sure.”
Koge frowned, shifting in her seat a bit.
“Me? What kind of nightmare would be about me?”
“Well, I think- Oi, could you take that outside?!” Bakugou snapped at his mother and the nurses, officially ticked off at the volume of their voices as it was overpowering his thoughts and Koge’s naturally meek voice. “I’m fine and just wanna talk to Utsuro, dammit!”
Once the women were out in the hall, Masaru followed, giving his son an apologetic look before shutting the door behind him, leaving Koge and Bakugou alone. The silence was almost deafening for a moment, as Bakugou had been surrounded by noise any time he was awake with his parents and hospital staff talking to him, but he didn’t let it sit for long.
“Sorry, Utsuro. It’s been… more hectic than you’d expect around here since I woke up.”
“Well, with a mom like Mitsuki, I’d expect her to keep the staff on their toes to take care of you.” Koge finally smiled, further calming Bakugou’s nerves. “That nurse is right, though. You’re in a really delicate way right now.”
“Tch, don’t say it like that! Makes me sound… pregnant or something!”
Koge laughed softly, rubbing the top of his hand with her thumb.
“Sorry! I couldn’t think of another way to say it.”
“How much has Mom told you?”
“Hm…” Tilting her head to the side and looking away from him in thought, the happiness in Koge’s expression melted back into her more typical voidness, giving away that the reality of his injuries was painful for her to think about. “Basically everything the doctors have said, I suppose. That your arm is basically destroyed and will need a lot of rehab to recover it. And your heart is… Well, I-I guess Edge Shot did a great j-job.”
Bakugou wasn’t surprised that Koge was crying again by the time she finished, but that didn’t make it any easier to watch. Koge was and had always been a strong person, both physically and mentally, so seeing her cry over anything was rare. He felt stupid for not being able to think of a way to comfort her, to tell her that he was okay without repeating the same things over and over again. No matter what he said, she would continue to worry for who knows how long. Actually, she’d probably fret over him their entire lives, considering the fact that no one knew what type of issues he could have in his older years.
“He did.” Bakugou gave her hand a squeeze, wishing he could move his other to wipe her tears away. “My heart ‘n lungs will be fine, Utsuro. I’ll be fine. I’m still gonna be the number one hero, that’s for damn sure.”
“I know you will.” Koge smiled again, but Bakugou could see that she was trying to hide her sadness behind it. “You’re my indestructible Katsuki, after all.”
“As long as you’re with me, Utsu-” A realization interrupted Bakugou and made his words catch in his throat, the new lump silencing him. As if a switch was flipped in his brain, everything that had happened in his nightmare flooded back into his mind, smothering the light and plunging his thoughts into darkness. The expression on his face must have been horrid, as Koge’s smile instantly faded and worry creased her delicate features.
“Katsuki? Are you okay?”
“Y-yeah.” Bakugou cleared his throat, giving a small shake of his head. “Just… I just remembered my nightmare, that's all.”
“Oh,” Koge let out a sigh of relief that he wasn’t in physical distress, but she didn’t calm completely. “Okay… Want to talk about it?”
“It’s… I dunno, it’s pretty stupid, when I really think about it.”
“Katsuki, it upset you enough to cause a panic attack or something. Plus, it concerns me, so I gotta know.”
“You’ll just think it’s stupid, too.”
“It’s not stupid if it hurts you so much. Please tell me?”
Bakugou glanced over Koge’s tense expression and posture as he tried to gather his courage. He was already annoyed with himself at how apprehensive he was to talk to her, as if describing all his fears would make her realize that he was right and she should abandon him. It was horrible and stupid for him to think that way of her, but he was finding it increasingly hard not to.
“I… I dreamed that you were berating me for getting injured. Not just the typical stuff, though… You were really putting me down. Calling me all sorts of things I know you’d never say. Not seriously, anyway. Shit like ‘useless’, ‘broken’, ‘weak’. Just lots of crap that made me feel… defective. Like I… I couldn’t love you like I always have anymore or be the man you need me to be. So because I couldn’t be the provider you wanted… you le-… Uhm, you left. You left me.”
Getting through that without bawling was a lot harder than Bakugou expected, especially with how hot the gathering tears were. In fact, he couldn’t believe how emotionally wrecked he had been since he woke up. It felt like he had been crying and emotional more than not, and although it was frustrating in general, it was infuriating right now. He wanted to be strong for Koge, who he knew was in a great amount of distress herself, but this topic horrified him to his very core.
The fear only grew as he sat there, waiting for Koge to break out of her shock and speak. What was she surprised about, exactly? Was it at the ridiculousness of his worries or that she hadn’t realized that hard truth herself?
After what felt like an eternity, Koge carefully shifted herself to sit closer to him and released his hand to instead caress his unbandaged cheek tenderly. Her touch, comforting smile and loving gaze broke him for what felt like the millionth time that day and he couldn’t stop the tears from escaping.
“Katsuki… I’ve already told you a million times. There are only three things that can make me leave you. That is: if you tell me you don’t want me anymore, you break my heart or my trust, or if you die.”
“I… did die.”
“I mean die-die. Like dead forever. Permanent unsubscription from life.”
“I just… I suppose I’m scared you’ll grow to resent me, Utsuro.”
“For what?”
“For ruining the relationship we have. For… ruining that vision of our future you’ve thought about forever and that I’ve grown to share. All because I was… All because I was weak, reckless and… selfish.”
“Nothing you did was selfish, Katsuki. You risked everything to save everyone and I am so, so proud of you.” Koge’s voice trembled as she struggled to hold back more tears. “You were and are amazing. You’re strong and brave. You are a true hero, Katsuki. My hero. You didn’t ruin anything, love.”
“But… I can’t…”
“I know it won’t be the same. I know that it’ll be hard. But as long as you want me here, I am never leaving your side. So what if our future won’t be what we had planned? We can make a new one! There’s a million different futures we can have, and as long as I can be with you, I’ll be happy. What’s with this ‘can’t do’ attitude, anyway? Weren’t you just saying you can do anything if I’m with you?”
“I can’t help but think of everything, y’know…”
“You’re always like that, and I love that about you. But me leaving you because of this? That isn’t something you have to think about.”
Bakugou released the breath he didn’t realize he had been holding, his posture and nerves relaxing as he absorbed her words. Unsure of what to say, he took a moment to wipe his face clean of tears with the blanket still covering him, but that was replaced with a tissue as Koge fetched one from her bag she still had slung over her shoulder. As patient as she always was, Koge waited for him to gather himself, though he could see her eyes glancing over his bandages and at the brace around his torso.
“Y’know what sucks, Utsuro?” He finally spoke once he felt he could without crying again. “Outside of the obvious?”
“What’s that?” Koge removed her bag to place it on the floor and settled into a more comfortable position beside him. “Tell me all the things that suck.”
“This thing?” He tapped his finger against the brace. “I gotta wear this bitch for six weeks. Minimum.”
“Aww, it’s gonna flatten your pecs! Your moobs were really starting to grow in. That’s a shame.”
“Moobs?!” Bakugou couldn’t help the amused smirk on his face as Koge laughed, which was his entire goal in the first place. “All this is pure muscle, Utsuro! Ain’t an ounce of fat on me!”
“Mmm, I dunno, Katsuki.” Sly smile on her lips, Koge held her hand up in front of her chest, motioning as if she were squeezing something. “They’re pretty squishy. Don’t worry, I’ll help you.”
“Help me with what?”
“I’ll be the judge on their recovery. I’ll be sure to let you know once they’re back to perfect squeezable condition.”
“Tch, no way, Utsuro. Once I can work out again, I’m gonna get serious about bulking up.”
“Oooh, that means they’re gonna be even squishier! The perfect pillows for my naptime.”
“They won’t be!”
Neither of them cared to pay attention to how long they sat around talking like this. All that Bakugou could feel was the happiness and joy her presence brought him, along with an almost suffocating level of thankfulness that he got this chance to even see her again. He had been granted this second chance to chase after all his life goals, and that included fulfilling the dreams he shared with Koge. His newfound disabilities didn’t deter her now and he knew that they wouldn’t in the future if more complications arise.
Just like she had said, if he didn’t want her gone, then she wasn’t going anywhere. Giving up on this woman who had and would always support him would be one of the biggest mistakes he could ever make. Now, sitting in comfortable silence listening to her steady breathing as she fell asleep resting against his side, he swore to himself that he’d never let that happen as long as he was still breathing.
Having been spaced out for a bit staring at the promise ring on Koge’s finger as her hand rested on his thigh, Bakugou was a little startled by the return of his parents, who slid the hospital door open cautiously at first to peek in. Since his left arm was around Koge’s body, he couldn’t bring a finger up to his lips, but he still shushed them with a hiss and threatening look.
Both understanding, Mitsuki and Masaru entered the room quietly, making sure the door was shut to prevent any outside noise.
“Visiting hours are almost over, Katsuki.” Mitsuki said in a soft voice, coming to stand by the right side of his bed. “How long has she been asleep?”
“What? Really?” Bakugou grumbled, hating the thought that Koge was going to have to leave him. “She hasn’t even been here that long.”
“Well, you’ve been visiting for over four hours at this point, and you woke up late in the day as it was. I already asked them if she could stay, they said only legal guardians for now.”
“Tch, that’s bullshit.”
“I’m sure it has something to do with security. Don’t worry, we all know that she’ll be back first thing in the morning.”
“Fine. Go away for a second so I can say bye without you gawking at us.”
The parents didn’t protest, leaving the room again just as Koge began to wake up from the sound of conversation. At first, she simply stretched a bit and made her signature noise of ‘I don’t want to wake up’, which was a mix of a whine and a groan that Bakugou couldn’t help but find adorable.
“Wake up, Utsuro.” Bakugou said, giving her torso a slight squeeze to urge her further into consciousness. “Nap time is over.”
“Oh yeah?” Huffing, Koge rubbed her tired eyes and sat up, giving Bakugou room to run his hand up and down her back. “Well, if you thought I was clingy before, just you wait, Katsuki.”
“I never said it was a problem.”
Turning to face him, Koge smiled that infuriatingly beautiful smile of hers that always made Bakugou’s heart flutter. Usually, he was able to hide how bashful it made him, but he could see it in the way her expression softened that his own gave him away and that only increased the heat that pooled in his cheeks and the tips of his ears.
“What’s that cute, shy look for? Hm?” Koge said teasingly. “Even with all those bandages, I can see that you’re blushing.”
“Tch, shut up.” Bakugou grumbled, looking away as he grew embarrassed. “You’re just… Your smile gets to me sometimes is all…”
“Sometimes?”
“Fine, all the time, damn it.”
Koge laughed softly, leaning forward to give his healthy cheek a gentle yet playful kiss with an affectionate nuzzle. Bakugou grunted and huffed as the cutesy action only flustered him further, but he still put his arm back around her to tug her in closer for a punishing hug. She melted back into him immediately, humming happily and hiding her face against the side of his neck, and he couldn’t help but smile as he hid his own on her shoulder.
“I love you, Katsuki.” Koge said after a moment, letting them soak in the comfortable, warm silence. “I’ll be back first thing in the morning to spend all day with you.”
“I love you, too, Utsuro. But you don’t have to stay the entire day… Don’t get me wrong, I want you to. I might just be sleeping a ton.”
“That’s okay.” Sitting up, Koge helped him fix his oxygen tubes back into place again as it had fallen off his ear. “I’ll bring stuff to do and your parents will keep me company.”
“That’s what I’m worried about.”
Bakugou couldn’t help the cheeky grin on his face as Koge laughed again, their shared humor needing no explanation to what he meant.
“I’m sure Mitsuki will enjoy going on and on about you. She’s really proud of you too, you know. Both of your parents are.” After sharing another kiss on the lips with her lover, Koge stood and fetched her purse, though they never broke the connection of their hands. “Don’t be too hard on them, okay?”
“Eh, I’m trying not to be…” Bakugou gave a small shrug. “It’s all kind of overwhelming, though… How much they’re hovering and babying me, on top of all the nurses and doctors. I’m used to being independent and I… feel like I can’t anymore.”
“I know, love.” Koge slung her purse over her head so it rested across her body. “It’ll probably be that way for a long time. If I can’t help but want to take care of you, there’s no way they can control it, either. Your relationship with them hasn’t always been the best, but they love you.”
“That’s my fault… I’ve always been an asshole to them. It’s no wonder my mom reacts with the same level of aggression and my dad is timid around me. I… need to change. I want to.”
“I would say ‘it’s never too late to change’, but… I know you don’t feel that way anymore. I can tell…”
Bakugou hummed in confirmation, glancing over her figure before meeting her gaze again. Koge was still smiling at him in that comforting and understanding way that would probably confuse him for the rest of their lives. He’d never be able to figure out how she had always been able to know him better than he knew himself, both inside and out. Not only that, but being able to love him in the first place with all his flaws and horrible things he did in the past.
He didn’t have to understand it, though. The fact was that she did and she was one of the biggest positive influences in his life that was helping to sculpt a better, more honorable and compassionate version of himself. He wanted to change, and with all the support he had from his family, his friends, and his lover, he knew he could.
“I… don’t have all the time in the world, Utsuro.” He said in a low, quiet tone, looking down at their hands where he ran his thumb across the promise ring on her finger. “No one does. But with the time I do have… I’m going to do things right. Especially when it comes to you. You deserve the world, Koge… and I’m going to make damn sure you get everything you’ve always wanted.”
“The only thing I need is you, Katsuki.” Koge took his hand in both of hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I don’t need money, fancy things or a big house. For you to be a famous hero or celebrity. You just have to be my Katsuki.”
“‘Needs’ and ‘wants’ are two different things. You’ll always have what you need, but you’re gonna get what you want, too. No matter what it is.”
“Ooh, anything, hm?”
“Damn right.”
Koge hummed in thought, glancing around the room and wrinkling her nose to really sell the facade that she was actually being serious. Bakugou could tell she was teasing, of course, so he just waited with a smirk on his face in preparation to snap back at whatever witty remark she made with one of his own.
“Well,” She started, tapping her chin with her delicate index finger. “I want a giant room dedicated just to hoarding blankets.”
“Biggest in the house, with floor to ceiling shelves and a rolling ladder so your short ass can reach it all.”
“At least ten pet rats at a time.”
“I get to name at least one of them. King Murder Rat.”
“A gourmet meal every night.”
“Like hell I’d let you cook, anyway.”
“Three babies, all with a given name that matches yours.”
Bakugou’s voice caught in his throat as embarrassment overwhelmed him, which was made evident in the way he flushed and stuttered, just like he always did the instant she mentioned children. It wasn’t because he didn’t want them. If it was with Koge, he’d be happy to, but that didn’t mean the thought wasn’t easy to grasp. For so long, he never considered a lover in his future, having been so set in his goals to become a strong, successful hero for the majority of his life. It wasn’t until he fell for her, and she for him, that he started fitting the prospects of a partner and family into his plans that had been so set in stone he was sure nothing could derail him.
Koge hadn’t done that, of course. All she did was become a co-conductor on the bullet train that was his life, with more cars added to it and more destinations to reach. More dreams. More goals. More love. More happiness. All these passengers and more were sure to board, leaving not a single inch of space left until he took his last breath.
“‘Well?” Koge said playfully, leaning forward a bit to catch Bakugou’s averted gaze. “What’cha say to that, hm?”
“You… you’ll just be disappointed!”
“Oh?”
“That’s right! ‘Cause… all three will have my quirk!”
Laughing, Koge stroked Bakugou’s hair and placed her hand on his healthy cheek, rubbing the flushed skin with her cold thumb. It felt good and Bakugou nuzzled his nose and mouth into it to not only enjoy her touch while he had it, but also to try to hide his bashful state.
“You’re so silly, Katsuki.” Koge gently urged Bakugou to look up at her. “What makes you think that’ll disappoint me?”
“It… It just would!”
“Hmmm, I dunno about that. Tiny clones of you would be super adorable. Three more little puffballs running around.”
“I am not a puffball.”
“This adorable hair of yours says otherwise.” As her hand slid around to caress the back of his neck, Koge nuzzled her face into his hair to rest her cheek on the top of his head. Bakugou grumbled and put his arm around her torso in return, and though he was agitated with her teasing, he still placed a soft kiss on the exposed skin within his reach.
“Well…” Koge said with a sigh and leaned up just enough so that their faces were level. “I guess I better go… Even though I don’t wanna.”
“I don’t want you too, either.” Bakugou ran his fingers through her hair, tucking it behind her ear even though the curls at her cheeks resisted and kept their place. “I hate that you can’t stay.”
“It does suck, but… Just go to sleep and get some rest, love. I’ll be waiting at the hospital doors to get in the instant they open.”
“I know you will. Stalker.” With light pressure to the back of Koge’s neck, Bakugou drew her in to place an affectionate kiss on her lips, which she returned with a happy hum. It was short but sweet, and when she smiled down at him, he did so in kind. “Just promise me something, Utsuro.”
“Anything.”
“Be careful. Text me when you’re home. And no more crying. I’m fine and everything will be okay. I love you, Koge.”
“I love you too, Katsuki. And I promise to do at least two of those things.”
“All three!”
“Fine, fine. But only if you promise me something, too.”
“Hm?”
“Don’t die.”
Bakugou chuckled, sharing one last kiss with Koge before she stood up straight.
“That ain’t gonna happen, Utsuro. Not for a long time. You’re stuck with me.”
“Like glue.”
“Damn right. Hey, ya hag!” Bakugou called out to his mother, who opened the door and poked her head in. “One of you walk Koge to the station at least, will ya?”
“Well, your dad was already going to Katsuki.” Mitsuki huffed, taking a step into the room with her hands firmly on her hips. Masaru followed her in and the expression on his face was enough to give away his displeasure in this most recent petty squabble. “But now you gotta say ‘please’!”
“You’re on that shit again?” Glowering at her, Bakugou leaned back against the still raised bed, suddenly feeling quite tired now that his attention wasn’t on Koge. “C’mon… I’ve already been a little bitch baby enough today. Gimme a break. I didn’t even ask you in a mean way!”
“Hmph, fine!” Mitsuki waved her hand in the air dismissively. “But I eventually expect a ‘thank you’!”
“You seriously think I wasn’t gonna thank you? This is literally my first day being awake. You gotta take care of me at least a few more months before you get that privilege.”
The playful tone of Bakugou’s voice instantly quelled the tension and Mitsuki chuckled in amusement with a smile on her face. Masaru relaxed as well and gave a relieved sigh as he walked over to where his coat was resting on a chair, pulling it on in preparation to accompany Koge outside. Before she left as well, Bakugou gave Koge’s hand a squeeze to get her attention.
“Text me.” He said, rubbing the top of her hand with his thumb. “I mean it. Even if I’m asleep, one of them will answer you.”
“I will, Katsuki. I love you.”
“Love you…” Bakugou’s voice trailed off as he watched her go, though their hands stayed together until the last second when their fingertips brushed against each other. Watching her walk out of the room with his father following behind her was a lot harder than he expected and he had to swallow down the fresh lump in his throat before he got emotional again.
Once they were gone, Mitsuki shut the door with a small sigh.
“I’m sorry she can’t stay, Katsuki.” She said, making her way over to the other bed in the room that her and her husband were sharing for the time being. “Maybe eventually. But I’m hoping you won’t be here too long.”
“Eh, I get it, but… It does suck. I haven’t spent a day without her in a really long time… Now that all this shit is over, I… never want to.”
Mitsuki was quiet while she prepared the bed for sleep. Once done, she came to stand beside Bakugou’s bed, carefully checking all the wires, tubes, and other nonsense connected to him before lowering the mattress down to his preferred height for sleep.
“I know, son. You two really are connected at the hip.”
Bakugou grunted in response, not resisting or commenting on her actions while she pulled the blanket up to his chest and made sure his injured arm was tucked into the protective sleeve that kept it still. He didn’t speak again until she was finally done, and he didn’t even realize she had walked away again until the lights turned off, except for a few that always stayed on in case of emergencies. It soothed his sore, tired eyes and he almost fell asleep instantly.
“I dunno what is going to happen, but…” He mumbled, though he was trying to be as clear as he could. “I do know one thing for sure…”
“What’s that?”
“I’m gonna marry that woman… one day…” Although his eyes closed, Bakugou said this with a giddy half smile. “I already know it… and she does… too…”
“Oh Katsuki, we all know that. I’ve known it from the instant you told me she punched you in the face at five years old. Who else could tolerate you and your bratty attitude?”
“Ha… Guess we’ll never know, ‘cause… no one else will ever have… the chance…”
“I just want at least one grandbaby.”
“She wants three, so… You’re gonna have three.”
“Ooh, three little puffballs! Just don’t wait until I’m too old!”
“Tch, Utsuro said the same thing. Puffballs… Stupid.”
“Oh hush. Go to sleep, Katsuki. I’ll respond to Koge when she texts.”
Bakugou couldn’t answer, his mind slipping away the moment Mitsuki promised to watch for Koge’s text to make sure she got home safely. This time, his consciousness wasn’t thrown into torment and negativity. Instead, he was surrounded by warm light that covered him like a familiar fleece blanket pulled off a shelf. His wife was in his arms, there was laughter and joy all around him, and he had everything he needed.
... that urge to rewrite everything I've ever written concerning Bakugou to fit what happened now that the series is over. Too many things... too much time...
Why do you find Bakubitch attractive? He deserves a good beating. Sorry not sorry.
There's lots of reasons.
I'm not just into his character for superficial shit, either. Power / quirk, and personality play a part. And, he's had some of the best character development I've ever seen.
And yeah, for some of the things he's done or said, he deserves to go through consequences. Which btw, he has, still is, and accepts that he must go through it, too. He's never been completely forgiven, nor has he forgiven himself, but he is trying to atone - to change - and that's what matters. It's not just the way he treated Midoriya, but the way he treated everyone and how he saw the world.
(Manga spoilers, avoid bold if you don't want to see it)
Even Monoma, a character that has always disliked him, can see it and showed so much distress over his 'death'. He's done so much to change, only for something like that to happen to him, and it was clear in the reactions of those that saw it and what they said that he didn't deserve it after he's grown and changed so much.
(End spoilers)
So yeah, the way that I like his character isn't completely superficial. He's a person that has done bad things and is trying to actively better himself. He's also a brat that has a lot of feelings and underlying emotions, which makes him interesting and relatable. He has his personality quirks that give him depth. He's a good, loyal person that - although it's in a very roundabout way - shows that he cares deeply for his friends (spoilers) as seen when Todoroki is talking about Touya, and Bakugou suggests that he'd like udon, thus prompting a very emotional response from Todoroki, who is clearly comforted by Bakugou's words. (end spoilers)
It's incredible the way people won't see past what he's done wrong and think that he doesn't deserve his chance to fix what he's done and himself. Some things can't be fixed. He will always know what he did and said to Midoriya, and so will everyone else. Although it isn't shown all the time - which it doesn't NEED to be - you know that he thinks about it and dwells on it just from knowing his character.
But yeah.
Character development is more important to me than design. And Bakugou's development is top tier, imo.
You gotta look past his mistakes and see what he COULD be. You don't have to forgive him. But I think it's important to recognize who he's becoming and not dwell on the negative.
If you want.
You can hate him all you want, it doesn't matter to me lol.
Also that fluffy ass hair, it deserves to be ruffled.
And I haven’t actually posted anything for a year.
I’ve just been posting everything to Ao3, but for the past year my social media has basically died as I’m struggling to get over some very, uh... dark personal struggles and mental health stuff. But I’m getting better, and I’d like to try to get back into things. Since it’s Fall and my favorite topics to write about come around, I think it’s a good chance to do that. :)
Probably won’t do requests for a while unless something comes along that really inspires me.
I have gone through a bit of a rebranding on my art side of things, like my TikTok and my Twitter.
My TikTok is @xillve.art
My Twitter is @Xillveart
My Instagram is @xillveart
My Ao3 was renamed to Xillve
I have no current art Tumblr
My spicy Twitter hasn’t changed, but it is private now.
If you’d like to follow me anywhere else, please do so! Again, my posting to any social media (except for TikTok) has basically died for now, so there isn’t much to see.
Hopefully I can stick with things soon. Thank you to all the new followers and stuff! Sorry for being a ghost lol.
Just a heads up, there is a Baku anti going around parroting he doesn't deserve forgiveness to every Baku fan they can find. Just ignore em and move on. Epic content btw dear. ❤
Wow, what a bum. Thanks for the warning tho! And thank you, I'm glad you enjoy it!
Tags TLDR: This fic might hurt you and has lots of sensitive / graphic content.
Chapter Warnings: Cursing, Emotional Conversation
AO3 Link
Do not come at me if something in this fic bothers you. It’s all out in the open. If I forgot to tag something that you think should be, let me know nicely.
Chapters and art are below the cut. Art belongs to me.
The creak of the metal door was always the hardest thing for Bakugou to hide. Even at his young age, he was incredibly light on his feet, an adept hunter and able to move around silently, even on textured ground. Every other door he could open without a click or a squeak, and yet, he was positive that this rust covered gate was going to be the end of his secret excursions one day. Eventually, someone would hear the horrid scraping of metal on metal, but tonight, he got off scot free, and he began his quick descent of the mountain side.
Another obstacle was that, in truth, the young man really had no idea where he was going. The home he was searching for was somewhere off to the west, so the first thing he did was find the main road, following along the clean stone path in the cover of the thick forest. He passed by guards and travelers alike without raising any suspicion, and when the road tapered from clean cut stone to pebbles, then to nothing but dirt, he knew he was close to the fork that would lead him further into the forest.
It didn’t quite look like what he expected. The path was narrow and hardly used, only marked with a small stone sign with the name Naegi carved into it. Kneeling down, he ran his hand across the moss-covered stone, feeling the grooves of the characters beneath his calloused fingertips. He could tell that it was worn with time and weather, and it had been left to decay on purpose. Most likely, he assumed, to keep people away from the home. Leaving it be, Bakugou did a quick check of his surroundings before he stood and began his slow trek down the mostly overgrown path.
What a pain in the ass. Do they really not want people to find them this badly? I just don’t get what the big deal is about all of this. She’s just a little brat!
Sooner than expected, he was met with a sudden clearing, quickly ducking into the shadows to the right to stay hidden as movement caught his eye. In the bright light of the moon, he saw the small girl from earlier walking away from the house, his keen ears picking up on the sounds of sniffling and hiccupping. As she vanished out of his view, Bakugou followed her through the brush as silently as he could, his eyes constantly darting back towards the house to make sure that the mother didn’t come running out after her child.
Although his focus was mostly on getting to where Koge had gone, he couldn’t help but observe the living conditions of the small farm. The house was small, clearly a single room home that probably only had enough floor area for a bed and kitchen, with a disheveled outhouse as the lavatory right behind it. To the left, he could see and smell the farm, though he couldn’t quite spot the animals at the moment, and he figured that they had been put away into the rotting farmhouse already. Behind the house, there was a decent amount of land cleared for a small amount of crops, where there was evidence of minimal growth, and he was very surprised that they had been able to get anything to live in this dirt around the mountain.
Bakugou knew that these people were going to be poor. He knew that their conditions were going to be pitiful, and that it was either going to disgust him or he was going to feel bad for them. In truth, he didn’t know how to feel. He had very little experience with the poor people of his country, having not yet traveled outside of the walls to collect taxes or do business like his father did. Was this typical of how they lived, or was this worse?
From the conversation earlier that day in the courtroom, he assumed that this was probably worse, especially since they were here alone.
The sound of quiet sobbing caught his attention again, making him stop as he had arrived right to where she was hidden while he was lost in thought. Peeking through the brush, he could barely see her, sitting there with a rusty chopping knife in her small hands. The blade was stained with old blood over years and years of use, probably to kill chickens for food, even if the blade was dull and cracked. But, what it looked like wasn’t necessarily the issue.
What the hell is she doing out here in the bushes with that nasty thing?
As if she could hear his thoughts, Koge pulled a chunk of her hair over her shoulder. It was still stained from the dye that her mother had used on her, which faded into white up near her shoulders, and as she set the lock of hair across the blade, he knew immediately what she was doing.
She’s cutting off the colored part? That blade isn’t going to cut shit, she’s just going to hurt herself-
Struggling against the dull blade, Koge pulled upward to try and cut through the lock of hair, but only succeeded in ripping through it unevenly and fraying the ends. The backlash of the effort was so strong it nearly knocked her onto her back, but even still, she got back up and prepped another lock of hair, more tears spilling down her flushed cheeks.
Her expression is what got him. Bakugou had seen her in the courtroom, so blank and content, but now, he was seeing what she had been hiding under that. Sadness and shame at a level that was so profound for a child of her age, and without thinking, Bakugou reached through the bushes and grabbed onto the arm that held the blade.
“Stop that, you idiot! What the hell is your problem?!” He hissed in a rough whisper, pushing his way through the leaves and twigs to sit in the small space with her. “You’re going to fuck up your hair and hurt yourself trying to do this with that shitty blade.”
For a moment, Bakugou was surprised at the shock on Koge’s face, until he realized just exactly what he was doing. Ears beginning to burn with embarrassment, he quickly released her wrist and snatched the knife from her, setting it off to the side so she had no access to it. “Don’t freak out. I’m not here to do anything bad, I just… I’m the prince! I had to come see what type of threat there was to my country.”
Expression and body calming, Koge took a moment to blink and wipe tears away, looking up at him timidly from behind her hands once done, as if to see if he was truly here. Taking in a trembling breath and a sniffle, she went to run her fingers through her hair, only to find that it was much shorter than she expected. Clearly embarrassed, she was quick to attempt to hide it with the rest of her hair, though it did little to help.
“You came to visit me…?” She spoke softly, though Bakugou knew from their visit earlier that day that she wasn’t whispering, and her voice was naturally this timid.
“No!” Bakugou tried to keep his voice down, finding it difficult with his naturally harsh tone. “Not ‘visit’. I came to scout out the area to see what the big deal was. My parents wouldn’t tell me, so I came to see for myself.”
“Oh. Well, I don’t know what you came to see. It’s just my mom and me, and our animals. I don’t understand what’s going on either, but Mommy is really upset and it’s like… She can’t even look at me anymore.” More tears began to well up in Koge’s eyes, the moisture making her brilliant blue eyes shine against the moonlight. “I just wanted to chop it all off. I don’t want it anymore.”
Brows furrowing with a frown, Bakugou sat down more comfortably, crossing his legs as he looked down at the small pile of hair on the grass. “Cutting it off won’t change anything. Not anymore, since my family knows about you now.”
“But I don’t understand what the fuss is about, or why Mommy is so sad all the sudden.”
“She still didn’t tell you? It’s because-” Bakugou’s words caught in his throat, remembering his father’s stern warning from earlier that day. Not all tasks… are up to us. Was it really his place to tell this girl everything that he knew? In truth, he didn’t really know all that much, and it would probably only confuse her further. He didn’t know her. He wasn’t her friend, nor did he really care about her. It wasn’t his place to tell her that, one day in the next nine years, she could be dead. All for something that wasn’t her fault.
“Hm?” Koge leaned forward a bit, trying to get his attention as Bakugou had faded off into his own thoughts again. Becoming flustered with her getting so close, Bakugou leaned back away from her, shooing her away with a few flicks of his hand to get her to back off.
“D-don’t get so close to me! She’s just sad that you had to be taken to the palace the way you did! It was embarrassing for her, but she’ll get over it!”
“Really? Huh… She didn’t like me being put in the chains at all, so I can see that, I guess. Uhm… Then what was all that you were saying about me being a threat?”
“My Mom put you in chains, didn’t she? But she wouldn’t tell me why, so I had to come see for myself if there is a threat to begin with.” Just take the fucking lie, you curious brat!
“Oh. So, it was a mistake?”
“Maybe. But until I’m sure, I’m going to be coming around to check on things!” Putting a thumb to his puffed-out chest, Bakugou gave a cocky grin, trying to show off his confidence and presence as prince. “I’m gonna be like the guard, and if I see anything weird, then I’ll take care of it! This is going to be my country one day!”
“You’re going to come visit me? Really?” The way Koge’s expression lit up brought the heat back to Bakugou’s ears, and he stuttered in his attempt to keep himself composed.
“N-no! I never said that! I said that I was going to come check on things here, not to visit you!”
“Can you come at nighttime when Mommy is asleep? We can talk and play together.”
“I already said this isn’t a playdate! I’m too old for that, and I’m the prince!”
“I’ve never had someone my age as a friend before.” As if she wasn’t even able to hear him, Koge placed her hands against her bright red cheeks, her white freckles almost glowing. “I hope you get to come all the time.”
Becoming lost for words, Bakugou glared down at the small girl in front of him, holding his breath in an attempt to not just start yelling at her. She looked so happy. How could he crush her spirit even more than it already had been that day? He knew that in the end, what she thought didn’t really matter. All that was important was that she wasn’t scared of him, and that she was going to allow him near the farm any time he wanted. It was a perfect outcome, and so he decided to not argue with her to keep this initial trust.
“Don’t tell your mom. I mean it.” Bakugou waggled a finger at Koge in warning, to which she nodded quickly while placing her own finger over her mouth. “Not only would I get in trouble, but so would you both. So, stay quiet about it.”
“How will I know you’re out here?”
“I’ll only be here for an hour or two, to check on things. Every… I guess, fifteen days. I’ll be in here, I guess.”
“That’s so long, but I’ll wait! On those days, I’ll have bread or cheese made for you.”
Bakugou gave a shake of his head, doing what he could to not snap at her in an emotional reaction to her offering. She had so little, and yet she wanted to share with him. That was just something he couldn’t let himself be a part of. “No. You keep that for you and your mom to eat, you’re skin and bones as it is. I don’t need anything.”
“But friends share with each other, right?”
“If you make it, I won’t eat it. Keep it, you stupid girl.”
Koge huffed, pouting as she crossed her arms, glowering up at him. “Meanie. I make really good bread, you know!”
“I’m not saying no because I think it would be bad, I’m saying no because I want you to keep your food! I live in a fucking palace, I don’t need anything.”
“Will you tell me stories of what it’s like when you’re here?”
Her change of topic and softening expression made his chest feel tight, beginning to think that perhaps this was a horrible idea from the beginning. Already, he was finding himself so curious about her, what made her so special, and what it was that everyone was so horrified by. She seemed like just a normal kid, though a tad airheaded and annoyingly inquisitive, there wasn’t anything odd outside of her appearance.
“Sometimes. Depends on if you’re being annoying or not.”
“Aw, I’m not annoying, ever. I’m just always so curious. I never get to leave the farm… And this one time I did, something bad happened. I’ll probably never get to leave again.” The sadness that had been present at the beginning returned as Koge uncrossed her arms and pulled her hair back over her shoulder. “Mommy always said it was because I looked different, and people would be mean to me. That’s why she did this to my hair, to hopefully make it to where I could be normal, but it didn’t work. And she was right. Everyone was mean to me or acted scared of me. Even you, at first.”
Bakugou bit down on the inside of his cheek at the accusation, remembering the way he had made fun of her blank expression. He knew that he should probably apologize, but any kind words just couldn’t pass his lips, his pride too strong. Still, Koge continued, seeming to not expect an apology.
“But if you can be nice to me, maybe other people can, too. One day, maybe I don’t have to hide myself or my hair. What do you think?”
Throat strangled, Bakugou gave a shrug, trying to hide the true meaning behind what he knew was a bleak expression on his face. “It’s possible.”
“That’s good. Mommy says it’s good to have hope, so I guess I will hope for that.” Just as she finished speaking, Koge gave a large yawn, covering her mouth as she did so. “Hm… I’m sleepy. I think that I’m going to go back to bed, Mr. Prince.”
Bakugou chuckled, just now realizing she didn’t really even know who he was. “Mr. Prince? Try ‘Prince Bakugou’. Or, uh… ‘My Lord’. ‘Sir’. Maybe ‘Future King’ or something cool like that?”
Koge tilted her head to the side in thought, glancing around the small, enclosed opening in the brush. “Hmm… Can I just call you by your first name?”
“What?! Hell no, I’m the prince!”
“I heard your name today. It’s Katsuki, right?”
“Yeah, but you don’t get to call me that-”
“Why not?”
“It’s not respectful. I’m your superior, you have to listen to what I say!”
“But I’d let you call me by my first name. Shouldn’t I get respect from you, too? How does living in a palace or living on a farm make us that different? I’m still a person.”
Bakugou gave a click of his tongue, glaring down at her as she peered up at him with that blank and firm expression on her face. Would anything he said even get through to her? For someone who spent her life outside of the walls, she was quite clever, and if he were honest, Bakugou never had anyone stand up to him like this, outside of his parents. He was rarely told ‘no’ and was always given what he asked for, so to have this girl standing so firm in her beliefs in front of him was throwing him off. What the hell was he supposed to say?
“It’s the law? The royal family is above everyone else in this country, and that includes you. So, you have to show us respect with formalities.”
“That’s the dumbest law I’ve ever heard of. It’s just a name. You can still have respect for someone even if you call them by their given name. It’s silly!”
“You’re supposed to bow and not speak a word to me, either. You’ve broken like ten laws just while we’re sitting here! You could go to jail just with a single word from me.” Bakugou pointed a threatening finger at her, which Koge didn’t flinch away from. Instead, she huffed and swatted his hand away, leaving Bakugou gaping in shock from her rude behavior.
“You’re spoiled! Maybe you should come work on the farm for a day or two and see why I should get respect, too. Even though I’m isolated here, I bet I know more about how to live than you do!”
“Well, I’m not going to show you any respect, because you’re not showing it to me! Ha, using your logic against you. Y’know, I think I’m going to just call you a nickname instead. Something mean.” Bakugou crossed his arms as she studied her face, smirking in smug victory and narrowing his eyes at her as different ideas ran through his mind. In the end, all he could really find to make fun of was her hollow expression, so he proclaimed it with pompous excitement, sitting up straight with his smirk now a cocky grin.
“Utsuro! That’s what I’ll call you! Because you never have any expression on that dull, blank face of yours and your eyes look soulless!”
Koge was silent for a moment, looking him up and down in silent contemplation of what he had said. The longer she stayed silent, the more her face began to flush, her small hands gripping on tightly to the hem of her night dress to pull it further down over her legs until even her feet were tucked into the worn fabric. Her entire presence just radiated embarrassment, now unable to even look at him as she picked shyly at the grass around her.
If Bakugou were honest with himself, he could admit that the sheepish display was cute, but it wasn’t the reaction that he was expecting, and he snapped at her in agitation. “Well? Nothing to say?”
She could only spare him a quick glance before looking back down at her chosen blade of grass, bending and twisting it into different shapes to preoccupy herself. There was a whisper that left her lips, so soft that Bakugou thought he had just imagined it, if not for the miniscule movement of her lips.
Frustrated, Bakugou leaned forward, dragging out his initial statement with his movement. “Huh…? Hello? Is your brain empty, too-”
“I said no one has ever given me a nickname before!” Koge suddenly spat out in a quick jumble of words, startling Bakugou to sit back again. “But it doesn’t matter, because it’s still mean!” Tossing her rolled up blade of grass at him, it fell into his lap before it ever reached its target, making the young prince huff in annoyance.
“It’s not meant to be nice. If you don’t want me to call you that, then you had better call me something respectful. Well? What do you think, Utsuro.”
Narrowing her eyes at him, Koge crossed her arms, pursing her lips for a moment before she gave a shake of her head, surprising Bakugou enough to wipe the smirk off his face. “No. You can call me whatever mean thing you want, Katsuki.”
“Hey! I said you couldn’t call me that-!” As a sly smile crossed Koge’s lips, Bakugou’s complaint caught in his throat, realizing that not only had she outsmarted him, but this was also the first time that he had seen even a hint of a smile the entire conversation. Embarrassed heat rushing to his ears, Bakugou crossed his arms in defeat, glaring at her as he tried to ignore the sound of her giggle as she began to scoot backwards towards the exit of the hideaway. “Shut up! Get out of here, stupid!”
“Fine, fine! Can you hand me my knife though? I need to finish cutting my hair and that’s all I have.” Koge held her hand out towards him, to which Bakugou glanced down at the cleaver beside him, before his eyes moved to the disaster of a chop she had done not long ago. Although he handed it to her, he spoke before she could dip out of the brush, keeping her attention as he pulled out his own hunting knife from his belt.
“Wait. Just sit there for a second. Back to me.”
Koge gave him a curious look before she did as told, allowing him to take hold of her hair right above her shoulders to where there was no dye staining the brilliant white. His sharp blade cut through it with ease, leaving her with a short bob. It may have been a tad uneven, but it was clear of the heartache of the day.
“There. Now go to bed. And don’t put that shit in your hair anymore.”
Running her fingers through it, Koge glanced back at him with flushed cheeks once more, before silently leaving and making her way back towards her house. For a while, Bakugou sat there in silence, staring at his reflection in his blade as the conversations ran through his brain. Of course, that wasn’t at all what he had expected, and he wasn’t sure what to think. That girl was a typical kid his age, and although she was disrespectful in ways he wasn’t used to, he had to admit that he liked that confidence and fiery attitude. She wasn’t scared to speak her mind, even in front of someone like him. That ignorance was dangerous, yet admirable.
Could she really end up something so dangerous?
Putting his knife away, he left the hair he had cut in the bushes, deciding to let Koge figure out how to get rid of it or hide it from her mother. There was nothing else for him to do here, so remembering the way he had come, he made his way back to the beginning of the path. Before he decided to leave, he took a step out of the thick brush into the gap of the path, looking back towards the house. It didn’t take long before he saw the small figure hiding in the shadow of the front door, her hand raising up in a wave.
His stomach clenching at the fact that he was visible, he froze like a deer, nearly dashing into the woods the instant Koge stepped outside of her house and ran towards him. Before he could leave, she was in front of him, hair wild and breathing heavily.
“I caught you!” She whispered, holding up a lump of something that was wrapped in cloth that had all four corners tied up at the top. “Here!”
“Are you stupid?! Someone could see you out here!” Bakugou hissed, glaring at the object she was offering. “Go back to bed- hey!” Clearly not wanting to deal with his stubbornness, Koge reached out and snatched onto his hand, shoving the gift into his palm.
“It’s fresh. As a thank you for my hair.” Koge pushed his arm back towards him once she was sure he wasn’t going to drop it, backing up quietly. “Be careful going home.”
“Is it bread? I said I don’t- hey! I’m talking to you!” His angry whisper was ignored as Koge ran back towards her house, leaving him alone with the gift. Grumbling, he untied it at the top, clicking his tongue at the sight of the half loaf of bread in his hand. “Moron.”
Starting to make his way down the path to the castle, the temptation of the food was too much, the smell and spongy texture calling to his curiosity. While he had the cover of shadow and trees, he pinched off a section looking it over before plopping it into his mouth. He found himself pausing, staring down at the fluffy treat in shock as his mouth began to water for more. Holy shit… It’s delicious!
Maybe her offering of bread every so often wasn’t that bad of an idea after all.
Do not come at me if something in this fic bothers you. It’s all out in the open. If I forgot to tag something that you think should be, let me know nicely.
Chapters and art are below the cut. Art belongs to me.
Prologue “O’ Beauty of White”
O' creature of white
Born in fear and anguish
Despised and hated 'till the end of days
O' woman of white
How you've called to me
Serenading with the light of the Moon
O' curse of white
Destined for death
Even with a soul so pure
O' beauty of white
How I wish you would stay with me
For just one more night
Bring me love like no other
And serenade me with the light of the Moon
Chapter 1 “The Threat”
It was true that no one in the large southern continent knew where the macabre tradition originated. Commoners, historians, and royals alike all believed it to be a myth, written in vague detail on century old scrolls or weather worn books. Until it happened during their time. Then, they were faced with this horrific truth, that the death of the entire country could be upon them, all with the birth of a single child. A child of white, as the descriptions told. Species, gender, or location mattered not. All that mattered was that the child was born with stark white locks of hair, which was unheard of in any normal circumstance.
A demon. A bringer of death. These dark titles and more would be bestowed upon the child, all because of ancient texts that had no proof of their true purpose. Why were they so feared? Because a scribe in a book told the world that they were dangerous? That maybe, some time hundreds of years ago, a person with white hair was able to destroy cities and countries alike? What was there that said all of similar likeness would do the same?
It didn’t matter. Proof wasn’t needed. All that was needed was preparedness and a resolve to never let such a thing happen again. That responsibility always fell upon the royal family of the country where the child was born, and they always followed a very strict set of rules.
The child was allowed to live, ostracized outside of the city or village of the royal family to keep a close eye, until its twentieth birthday. If, by that time, the child showed any signs of magical ability, they were to be sacrificed for the sake of the country and the world. If there was none, they were allowed to survive, quarantined and restricted from all means of meaningful relationships, marriage, or breeding. How often was such a mercy written in the texts? Out of the eleven times a white-haired child had been born, only two had ever been allowed to live their life in solitude.
It was cruel. But many found it justified. How could they risk it? It was better that one person died over millions. There were no other options that the royal families could take, and no other ways to keep everyone safe.
But it still didn’t make much sense to the twelve-year-old boy sitting on his throne, legs pulled up lazily into his seat. Chin resting in his hand, he was barely listening to the ramblings of a merchant in the courtroom, speaking quickly and frantically to his parents that sat beside him. They were much more professional in their presentation, as the Lord and Lady of this fine mountainside city should be, but it was clear that they, too, were quite tired of the many issues being thrown at them by the man below.
The young prince truly wasn’t listening to a word, even though he knew that he should be. His mind was elsewhere, thinking about his sword fighting training that he was looking forward to that afternoon, and what he was going to fill his grumbling belly with after all these meetings were done with. It was his fault he was there to begin with, since he demanded that he be involved with all important royal affairs, as he was next in line to become Lord, and he usually participated in everything with great focus. But city folk complaints? That’s the last thing he cared about.
‘Keeping your citizens happy is one of the first steps at becoming a great leader, Katsuki,’ his father had told him many times, especially after he would catch his son snoozing in the middle of the tedious affair. ‘I know you don’t like to listen to people complain, but you have to get used to it and learn what actions to take.’
Of course, this reaction was much better than his hotheaded mother, who would usually reach over to slap his arm out from under him to wake him up with some choice words along the lines of, ‘Wake up, you lazy brat, and pay attention before I make you go shovel horse shit!’
That is the threat he had just been dealt a few moments before, but he just couldn’t do it. He was Bakugou Katsuki, the prince. Why did he - or the Lord and Lady, for that matter - have to deal with such petty nonsense? Why not advisors or city council members? Either way, he was intent on changing that once he was in charge. There was a lot he wanted to change, but this? He would be happy if he never had to listen to another pair of bickering men argue over a fence line again.
“Guards! I thought I told you that I wanted that child in chains when she came into this room!”
Now that peaked his interest.
Sitting up, Bakugou first looked at his mother, who was pointing an accusatory finger at the two new guests who had entered the courtroom. At first, he wasn’t sure what was so strange about them, until he saw the shine of brilliant white hair. Against the rays of sun from the glass pane windows that adorned the cold stone walls of the circular room, he felt as if it could easily blind him if he stared too long, but he couldn’t help himself.
A white-haired child? Here, in his territory? How had he not heard of this? Had his parents been keeping it from him, or had they just found out themselves? His father’s expression as he turned towards him told him that it was the latter, and his words told him that the situation was serious.
“Katsuki, son, you should leave for this one.”
“What?! No way! It’s a kid with white hair, this the most exciting thing that’s happened in weeks-“
“This is not a game, Katsuki!” His mother’s aggression turned towards him, making the young man click his tongue and glare back up at her as the tips of his ears turned hot from the scolding. “Don’t be a child!”
Panicked, the timid lord stood, trying to deflect the argument. ‘“M-Mitsuki, I’m really not sure-“
“No, Masaru. He needs to be here. After all, it may be him that has to make the decision in the end.”
As the room fell silent, the soft sobbing of the woman in the middle of the room pulled the attention of all three to her, watching as she desperately clutched the small child closer against her legs.
“M-My Lady… please, there’s n-no need to… to chain her. She’s just a child.”
As the royal family settled back into their seats, Mitsuki shook her head, snapping at the guards near the door to come forward. “She is dangerous and until she leaves this room, she is going to be in chains. Step aside! We aren’t taking her from you. Yet.”
Sobbing, the woman knelt down to the young child’s height, softly pushing the white locks from her face as she spoke to her in a quiet, inaudible voice while the guards approached. Bakugou assumed that maybe she was trying to soothe the child, and it seemed to work quite fine, as the tiny girl allowed the guards to chain her arms and legs with no resistance. She didn’t even fight as one of them picked her up under the arms, marching her closer to the throne staircase and away from the mother.
Now able to get a closer look, Bakugou could see that, not only was the child clearly malnourished, but her hair had been dipped in something to try and hide its true color. Clothing dye, perhaps?
“How old are you, child?” Mitsuki spoke after a moment, though Bakugou was surprised that she was addressing the girl and not the mother, who was standing off to the back with guards beside her. At first, the young girl’s cheeks only flushed bright red, bringing forth the brilliant white freckles dusted across her pale skin. Then, with great difficulty with the weight of the chains, she held up both hands, showering all five fingers in each before shifting one hand to a single finger.
“Your eleven?”
A timid nod.
“You live only with your mommy?”
Another nod, but with a confused shifting of her eyes, as if she was unsure as to why it was only her mother she lived with.
“And you live on a farm outside of the walls?”
A nod. “Yes. We have… a cow. And chickens.” Her voice was so quiet that it was almost impossible to hear, but Mitsuki continued.
“You help your mommy with the farm?”
“I collect eggs and milk. And help make bread. Mama is teaching me to sew right now so I can fix my own dresses.” The slight excitable pitch of the child’s voice had her mother hiccup with a restrained sob, bringing her to look over her shoulder at her. “Mama, it’s okay, she’s nice!”
Bakugou looked over at his mother with this comment, surprised to see her brow furrow in a moment of what he could only guess with sympathy or pity, both emotions she rarely showed. Both were viable reactions, this was quite the pitiful display, and if he were honest, it made him sick to his stomach. This little girl was something really so dangerous? How was that even possible? She looked like she couldn’t walk a few steps, let alone destroy entire countries.
“Have you lived on the farm your whole life, little one?” Masaru took over the questioning, giving his wife a break to gather her emotions, which only he could tell were beginning to crack.
“I guess so.”
“And does your mommy change the color of your hair?”
“Uhm… I’m not supposed to say that. Can I answer a different question?”
“It’s kind of damn obvious-“ The snide comment left Bakugou’s mouth before he could really think, tensing up the instant he felt all eyes on him. Though, the ones that caught his attention the most were that of the girl before him, her pale blue gaze and white pupils sending a chill down his spine. He hadn’t noticed it before, but her expression was so… blank. Again, words left his lips without his consent, though this time he didn’t care much. “What is that weird look on your face? Aren’t you scared at all?”
“Katsuki-!”
“What do I have to be scared of?” The girl spoke in the middle of his scolding, silencing Mitsuki with her quiet yet confident response. “Chains aren’t scary, really… My Mama is here. You’re all nice people! What do I have to be scared of?”
“You’re serious? You don’t know-“
“That’s enough, son!” Masaru cut off the statement, bringing forth some firmness to get the point across that this wasn’t necessary. “That isn’t what we are here for right now.”
“Then what for? Just to ask her dumb questions?”
“We just want to get to know her. Not all tasks… are up to us.” A sad glance was spared towards the girl's mother, who was struggling to not sob openly, now. “For now, we just need to know some basic things. Now,” His attention turned back towards their guest, who was rocking back and forth on her feet patiently. “Can you tell me what happened today?”
“Uhm, well… Mama needed to come into town to get something… I can’t remember what. But all of a sudden, I was pushed over by a big man into a puddle!” Her story was quite dramatic, even with such a blank expression, which annoyed the young prince.
“Then, a bunch of people got really upset. I can’t really remember what they were saying, I just remember Mama grabbing me and trying to run away but we were stopped by some guards and taken up here to the palace. I’ve always wanted to come here! I like to look at the lights from our house.” She paused for a moment, looking around the large room as if she wanted to remember every detail. “I think what happened was that when I fell, the smelly dye Mama uses in my hair came out. Oh no! I said what I wasn’t supposed to!”
Covering her mouth the best she could, she looked back at her mother quickly, apologizing, though the older woman just gave a shake of her head to tell her not to worry. It really didn’t matter. There wasn’t any lying or hiding at this point, and there was going to be no more peace for this tiny family any longer. They had been found out, and that meant that it was now the Bakugou family's responsibility to take care of the important century old task when the time came.
“We just have one more question for you, child.” Mitsuki resumed her questioning, gaining the full attention of the girl before them. “What is your name?”
“My name is Koge. Naegi Koge. And my Mama is Kozue.”
“Very good. You did well answering all of our questions. Thank you for being honest.”
“Are we in trouble?”
Koge’s direction question had the family a bit taken aback, with both adults struggling to find what to say.
“Because” Koge continued. “I didn’t do anything wrong, and Mama didn’t, either. I don’t know what happened… But if I did something, I’m sorry. I can do work to make up for it. Or make some bread for you! I’m really good at it. We don’t have money to pay if I broke a law or anything…”
“No, child. It’s nothing that you did. You and your mother are free to go. Guards, take the child outside to remove her chains while we speak with her mother.” Mitsuki gave a wave of her hand, waiting until the girl was removed from earshot before addressing Kozue. “Now…”
Kozue kept her head hung, her graying brown hair hiding her face as tears framed her cheeks and dripped to the floor at her feet. She was truly a pathetic sight, and Bakugou was just waiting for his mother to rip into her, but Mitsuki’s calm voice shocked him.
“I can understand wanting to protect your child. But this… trying to hide her, you put the entire world at risk. What if she came of age and destroyed everything? Could you live with that on your shoulders?”
“She is my only child… I had to do what I could to keep her safe. I know it was illegal to not bring her forward, but how could I? She’s lived a very fruitless and isolated life anyway, she knows nothing outside of our farm, let alone that she’s a curse.” Sobbing openly, the woman fell to her knees, leaning forward with hands clasped in front of her to pray and beg to the royals above her. “Please forgive me! I will do what is needed just… Please let me stay with her! I’ll keep her hidden and we won’t be a burden any further!”
“I just want you to know that we have every right to conclude this predicament immediately. We don’t have to wait until she comes of age, especially not with what you’ve done and the risks you’ve taken.” That familiar bite was back to Mitsuki’s tone as she stood, taking the steps down towards Kozue before kneeling, taking both of her arms and carefully urging her to sit up, even as the lower-class woman looked up at her in shock.
“But now, go home. Take care of your child and love her. And hope that she is one of the few that is spared that wretched fate.”
“Y-yes, my lady. Thank you for being so merciful!” With another bow, Kozue was led out of the room to be escorted back to their farm, leaving the royal family alone to process what happened in silence.
For a moment.
“What in the hell was that?!” Bakugou snapped at his parents, standing and pointing with an accusatory finger towards the firmly shut doors. “When did you find out about that brat? Why were you so nice to them if they broke such a big law? What IS that law, anyway?”
“Son, this is a sensitive situation that doesn’t really have a clear answer. What is wrong with that little girl is no fault of hers… and what we have to do isn’t an easy choice, no matter what it is-“
“-Stop being such an insensitive brat!” Mitsuki interrupted her husband's kind explanation, marching up the steps to snatch her son by the shoulder and turn him, guiding him roughly towards the doors that led to the hallway. “I’m about to sit your dumb ass down with a book and make you read about this for hours!”
“No, just tell me! And stop pushing me, I can walk on my own, ya hag!” Bakugou aggressively wrangled himself out of his mother’s grip, hopping out of her range as they walked down the hallway together. “I’ve heard about this before, but I don’t know what we have to do about it!”
Masaru sighed, rubbing the back of his neck to ease the built-up tension. “It really isn’t simple, like I said. But basically, a child with white hair is born maybe once or twice every century. And when that happens, they have to be isolated and observed to see if they show any signs of magical ability. If they do, then they have to be sacrificed to prevent a possible, uhm… end of the world type of scenario.”
“But why? Just ‘cause one jerk did it forever ago? We can use magic and it’s fine. Millions of people use magic and it’s fine! What’s the deal with it being white hair?”
“I… I don’t know, Katsuki. But it doesn’t matter. This is what we have to do, our responsibility as the rulers of this territory. It isn’t easy for us. For anyone, I would assume. I hope that it doesn’t come down to having to do this, that she can just be left alive, but right now we just don’t know. We have to be ready and cautious.”
Shoving his hands into his pockets, the young prince huffed, glaring icy daggers at the pristine marble flooring as a million thoughts raced through his head. The most prominent brought about a strong sense of curiosity, and as the thought creeped closer and closer to the forefront of his mind, he decided to pry a bit further.
“Are we going to send guards out there or something?”
“No, that’s not necessary. We will just have a magician put a tracking spell on the child’s spirit, and her mother’s, so that we can know if they try to run away. There’s no point in wasting resources.”
“And we’re not relocating them?”
“I don’t see a reason to. If there are reports or rioting or misbehavior by our citizens within the walls, then we will consider it. Besides, they are already along the western side, away from the main road and mostly hidden by the forest. I believe they’re safe.”
With a small grunt in understanding, Bakugou came to a stop at the hallway that split down towards the training arena, planning on meeting his teacher there soon. His parents stopped as well to bid him goodbye for the time being, his mother threatening him with a teasing pinch to his cheek that he better not show up dirty and grimy for dinner before departing. Once alone and allowed to calm his annoyance, he turned to peer out of a nearby window, his vermillion eyes dancing along the west wall. It was strong, made of thick stone and secured with a mud mixture that had stood for hundreds of years.
And yet, it had its flaws. Along the baseline, where there were gaps that allowed water runoff from the streets, which were secured with metal doors and impossible locks. All but one, which Bakugou had found a few years ago during his time where his urge to explore was at its peak. By now, he was an expert at sneaking out of this small door, and he knew exactly where that small farm was from all his silent excursions. In that moment, something that had been so mundane and forgetful was now dragging him in, and when night fell, there wouldn’t be any way for him to resist.
My bestie @rhomsfanfic / @yandere-sins / @aizawasbedtimestories / @thecardsimagine has pre-orders open for a Yandere themed book that she worked REALLY hard on, and if you’re into that naughty fun, you should absolutely check it out, and all her other work! (〃＾▽＾〃) The book is beautiful and her writing is amazing, so please consider supporting her if you can. (◕‿◕)
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