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Bakugou Katsuki couldn't sleep. He just couldn't. Even after the crushing boulder that left his shoulders.
He knew that his girlfriend Nagisa Doragosu was safe. They had finally rescued her, brought her back to her senses, and made sure she was fully healthy and healed so no more surprises would unfold.
Recovery Girl had given her the check up to end all check ups. She let them know that Nagi was perfectly fine, save for the injuries and scars from the beatings she received but other than that, freedom was hers again.
It was like the Class of 1A could finally breathe for the first time in a while when they were told that. Though, it did creep him out she still had to look like when she had tried to murder them all for the next few days. He was also pretty sure he wasn't the only one who felt the same.
"It's fine dumbass. Only until that shit leaves her system." Bakugou grumbled to himself as he walked over to his window and pushed it open, desperate for air. Why did he still feel uneasy?
Katsuki thought it was incredibly cliche and cheesy, but he always found himself not raging at the drop of a dime when he looked up at the beautiful night sky, the stars blinking their dance. It was one of the few things that kept him calm.
In fact, it was during his first date with Nagisa that she found out about this little interest.
"After the licensing exam, we can take a trip to that new open-field observatory. I heard they have a private stargazing site!"
The ash blonde scoffed. Obviously, they never had the chance since it was only a matter of time that shit would hit the fan once again since they became heroes in training.
He just....never expected that his girlfriend's own mother who turned out to be the notorious villain Killer Siren would turn her over to the dark side by force.
Bakugou could still remember even now in crystal clear detail the day he found out. That crazed smile with her fangs poking out making her look like an even more ferocious beast, her baby blue hair had turned into a disgusting grayish color while looking like she never brushed it, and her natural tanned skin replaced with an eerie pale glow.
But what got to him most of all, was her hollow and cold eyes. They were not the pretty soft pink he was used to. The ones that immediately brightened his day whenever he got to see them.
No, the eyes he saw were this sickly green color just like her bitch of a mother who injected that poison into her veins which was the cause of the change. Especially since said eyes were even more soul piercing when he first looked into them.
He was pretty sure if All for One had eyes, they would look like Fake Nagi's. It haunted him when she left him to die at the hands of Killer Siren's minions, more with that psycho laughter that always came with it.
"Goodbye Katsuki. I guess this proves you never gave enough damns about me."
The furious boy growled while slamming his fist into his bedroom wall. That was in the past, the villain who loved to wreak absolute havoc and didn't care who she hurt or got in her way, wasn't his lover- his best friend and rival. That was someone else entirely and that was the one he'd been fighting with all that time.
For the life of the only one he would give up everything for. He did give a damn about his Nagi and would till the end of time. It only made him realize more then ever about the selfish asshole he'd been acting as for half of his life.
If only he had swallowed his pride when Nagisa ran off crying after their screaming match, he would have been able to protect her then and everything that had transpired after would have never happened.
Now she would be traumatized for the rest of her life and that's all on him.
"It's my fault. Why the hell didn't I just stop her from leaving or fucking followed her that night!?"
God, he couldn't even remember what they were fighting about at this point. Probably something utterly pointless.
"If only I was stronger then." The stubborn male turned back to his window, again questioning the integrity of being a good boyfriend to-
"What the shit?" When he turned his eyes down to the tree on the dorm's front lawn, he saw a shock of blue hair leaning next to it.
Knowing immediately who it was.
"Nagi?" Katsuki quickly threw on a sweater and headed downstairs.
Nagisa Doragosu was gazing at the open night sky for the first time in almost a year. She relished the peaceful feeling she missed and no longer had to worry about staring at the barren walls which belonged in her former 'room' with only her thoughts for company.
She knew she was placed strictly on bed rest ever since she got back. (All Might having to personally convince her father to not take her out of UA and move to Middle of Nowhereville.)
Despite it being the same room she got to decorate to hearts contend, the now terribly cramped area did nothing to ease her nightmares and PTSD symptoms.
Until her looks reverted back to normal, she decided to avoid mirrors in fear that the girl staring back at her would jump out and strangle her to death for her disobedience.
'I'm safe. I'm okay.' was Nagi's new mantra. Every time she woke up in a cold sweat she had to remind herself that the people she loved and cared for were here and not dead at her hands, but supporting her and gently leading her back to the light on her road to recovery.
Of course, the scars would remain and she would remember every time she closed her eyes the...consequences that woman dished out on her due to her failed 'actions.'
Gulping while feeling her heartbeat race a little, she clutched the object she holding closer to her chest. She was glad it helped calm her a little.
Deep down, she was mostly worried that her friends weren't warming up to her appearance considering the look away glances she would get from them once in a while.
Even though it was a temporary side affect like Recovery Girl stated a million times, it all still hurt like hell.
"Evil bitch. I hope you're rotting down there." Nagi growled out, cursing her torture's name. Though, it will still be a while before she can think about her without the need to crawl into a hole, wanting to die from the agony those painful memories would bring up. She didn't want to lose anymore strength.
"If only I was stronger then."
The bluenette was so deep in thought, she didn't notice the crunching of the footsteps behind her. Inching ever so slowly.
"Yo Beasty."
Gasping, she was about to tense up at the voice if she hadn't heard that special nickname a certain someone had the only privilege to call her.
"Oh, hey Katsuki."
Said boy stopped his walk to stand a few feet away from his girl since he knew she still needed her space, "Can't sleep?"
"Shouldn't I be asking you that?"
"Why do you think I'm down here at all when I know I need to get up at ass o'clock soon?"
The long haired teen felt a hint of a smile crawl up on her face. "I bet you're looking forward to whatever Best Jeanist has cooked up for you."
The spiky haired teen scowled as he crossed his arms, "As long as he doesn't lay a finger on my head again, I won't say shit."
The water quirk user chuckled at that before she went back to staring at the city's beautiful skyline.
"You didn't have another nightmare again, did you?"
Instead of deflecting from the question like Bakugou assumed she would, "If I did, I wouldn't remember it by now. Or I would feel that awful emptiness in my chest when I would usually have a nightmare, but I don't think I had one at all today."
The explosion quirk user gave a great sigh of relief and decided to take a risk by asking her a new question, "Then, why are you out here?"
"I was thinking, it's why I couldn't fall back asleep." Nagi answered softly.
The male raised his brow, "About what?"
The restless female breathed in and out gently. "When Siren still had control over me, everything was dark. All except for this..."
Nagisa held out her hand to show her boyfriend the object she holding tightly this entire time.
Katsuki's features all widened in absolute shock. In the shorter girl's opened palm, was the pin from one of his old costume's grenade gloves he turned into a pendant which he'd given her as a makeshift gift for their one year anniversary.
"I was slowly losing my memories and everything I knew and loved was fading away. Soon I would've became nothing but her more advanced puppet without any free will. "
He looked up at her as she continued. "A light that managed to pierce the darkness within me. I held onto it as long as I could, it was the only thing that made me realize that I wasn't who I was led to believe."
"H-Holy c-crap..." Nagi heard her boyfriend's voice crack as she looked up in slight surprise to see tears now flowing freely down his face as he held the necklace with his own hands.
"Katsuki?"
"I thought you forgot, but somehow you kept this piece of junk with you this whole time."
The bluenette remembered the blonde saying that he didn't like the gift himself when he first gave it to her since he almost forgot about the anniversary on that day.
She didn't care though. Sure, she understood why he didn't feel like it was an adequate enough present. But it was something her true love gave to the water user and that's all that mattered even if the hot tempered boy knew or not. The thought made her grin a tiny bit.
Slowly clasping her smaller hands with his larger ones, "I kept it because it reminded of a promise I made once..."
Still crying, Bakugou looked up again at the beautiful face of his lover as she said, "That no matter what... I would always be there to protect you."
Nagi now felt tears pooling in her own eyes and falling down her face as she was pulled into the chest of the taller boy.
"You're really something else, you know that. Right Beasty?" His breath tickled her ear as he entangled his fingers into the soft hair that he missed playing with.
Nagisa Doragosu came to an realization, this is what loving another felt like. Holy shit! She could feel again! And it was because of the one she decided to trust the most.
Unbeknownst to the couple, the nasty green of the now free female hero's eyes disappeared to give way to a familiar pink as she tightly embraced her best friend, rival and lover, letting out a shuddering breath.
"Nagi, sorry for being such a jackass since, well, I guess since we were fucking kids."
Smiling her first full genuine smile, "I know Katsuki. I'm just so happy you never gave up on me."
She buried her face into his broad shoulder, muffling out the words she wanted to desperately tell him since that night, despite knowing he already forgave her.
"I'm sorry too."
Not wanting to let the other go until the sun came up, The young heroes in love decided later that night would be a good time to visit the observatory.
They don't hear it enough, but these two are truly the strongest.