Work Text:
Eijirou doesn’t know what the longest amount of time he’d been away from Bakugou had been. 2 weeks, maybe? Probably not even that. Living and working with your best friend came with little perks like that.
He knew better than anyone how much attention Bakugo’s work called for. Even fresh out of Yuuei, he was constantly getting calls for help, asking to assist on patrols, stay in late for paperwork. Climbing through the ranks at his age took a large toll on their relationship, but still, even with the gap in their hero rankings, they always found time to see each other at least once a day.
Whether it was Bakugou FaceTiming him while doing paperwork, Eijirou insisting on a joint patrol, or cooking dinner together, there was always something to make sure their friendship stayed intact.
But one day, it was nothing but radio silence.
Bakugou had been acting weird for a couple of days before it happened; not looking him in the eye and being extra touchy. He hadn't thought anything of it until the next morning he woke up and Bakugou was nowhere to be found.
Not only physically, but any trace that he’d even been there this morning. No bento with a sticky note waiting on their kitchen table, no passive-aggressive doodle on their fridge whiteboard, no eyeliner pencil on the bathroom counter. Nothing.
So, Eijirou called. He called and he called… and he called. Anyone, really. First, Bakugou, of course. But after hearing the rings trail off in his ear more than 15 times, he tried the others. Best Jeanist, Mina, Denki, Izuku, Mitsuki and Masaru, everyone he could think of. Yet, either nobody knew anything, or they were weirdly vague about their answers.
Eijirou sank into the couch, having the day off, as a horribly familiar feeling creeped it’s way into his stomach.
He called again.
Ring… ring… ring…
“I’m busy. I’ll call back when I can… actually, no I fucking wo- Shitty-Hair, shut up! Oh my fuck. Okay, whatever. Call back later, leave a message at the beep. C’ya.”
His stomach lurched at the memory brought with Bakugo’s voicemail.
Please be okay.
“-Call back later, leave a message at the beep. C’ya.”
“…Hey, Bakugou. It’s Eijirou, again. It’s been a couple months and I don’t even know where you are, or if you’re okay? That’s really all I need. I understand if this is like- a hero thing or something that you can’t tell me, but at least a sign that you’re okay would be really… really nice.
Nobody will even tell me what’s going on. I called everyone I can t- think of and none of them will tell me w- what’s going on.
I hope you’re okay…
Please be okay, Bakugou.
I love you, bye.”
“-Call back later, leave a message at the beep. C’ya.”
“Hi, Bakugou. It’s me. I’m… really confused. It’s just- Best Jeanist doesn’t even seem to care about your disappearance.
I’ve been trying, so hard, to get someone to help me look for you but nobody is listening to me!
And you’re still ranked number two in the hero charts. They know you’re still alive but it’s only been two and a half months and they won’t even bother looking.
Please. Please, anything to know that you’re okay.
Please.”
“-C’ya.”
Good morning, Katsuki. It’s been… three months? I’m really sorry I keep calling you but I don’t know what else to do. I keep forgetting to go shopping for the dogs and I’m always late for work and the house is so empty and Mina and Denki keep trying to stay here to keep me company but it’s not the same and I don’t know if I can-
Sorry. Sorry, that was a lot.
Anyway, your fancy cooking ingredients went bad and I had to throw them out so… pick some up if- if you are coming b- back.
Bye, I love you.”
“-C’ya.”
“I passed by a little girl on the street today. She was wearing your hoodie. Y’know that one that you spent weeks pulling all nighters to design?
She wanted a picture with me, too.
She said you were her favorite hero.
‘Were.’
Love you, Katsuki.”
“-C’ya.”
“I’m starting to feel like I’m only calling you to hear the voicemail. It’s been six months and I’m so scared I’ll forget the sound of your voice.
People are coddling me at work. I know you’d never do that if you were here.
Ha, ‘if you were here.’
That would be nice, huh?
Yeah…
I hope you had a good day, Katsuki. Everyone else hopes you’re okay, too.
Love you.”
“I b- broke- I broke again.
It wasn’t even a g- good villain! He was so fucking basic but he had this fire quirk and the noise it made s- sounded like yours.
I can’t eat and I can’t do anything right and our stupid friends asked if I w- wanted to clear out your room!
It’s only been a year.
You’ll c- come back, yeah?
My hospital room number is 9- 901 if you d- do.
I miss you so much, Kat.
Please.”
“Was it me, Katsuki? Was I not s- strong enough for you? I know I pushed sometimes but I s- swear we never had to be more than friends.
I’m sorry if that’s what scared you off.
All I wanted was to be b- by your side.
You didn’t have t- to leave everyone.
I can even talk to our class anymore. They say I’m irrational, n- now.
But they aren’t looking! They gave up after one p- phone call!
I’ll never give up, Kat.
I didn’t even clear out your room.”
“The landlord says I need to remove your name from the lease before next month's rent.
She looked at me with so much pity and it pissed me off because you're still alive! I’ll pay your side of the fucking rent, I don’t care.
Oh, yeah. People have been posting those sighting things on social media but they’re all stupid.
The person looks nothing like you.
Their eyes were dull and their hair was way too dark.
… I went and looked at the spots, anyways.”
“I’m terrified for the day your phone number gets given to someone else. But the fact that it hasn’t tells me yours is still in service.
I don’t know what to think about that.”
“I miss you, Katsuki.”
“I love you.”
“I’m sorry.”
Katsuki let out a shaky sigh as he saved yet another voicemail.
He pulled the phone from his ear, clicking the blue button with a shaky finger, contorting his face in a way that let him deny the tears rolling down it.
The hand around his phone clutched tight and veins popped from his forearm as he used all his willpower to stop himself from throwing it at a fucking wall and smashing it until there was nothing left but dust.
There were sounds, painful ones. He couldn’t quite register if they were coming from him or not, but he was gritting his teeth so hard that he could only assume they were.
Distantly, he was grateful for the voicemails that came in almost every day. Getting to hear Eijiro’s voice. Sometimes the message would just consist of Eijirou telling him what he’d done that day. The size of the villain he’d defeated, or his new rank on the hero charts. Sometimes he would open the inbox and listen as Eijirou whispered how much he missed Katsuki. Whisper soft words desperately, hoping they reached him.
And occasionally, Katsuki clicked on the familiar notification and froze in terror and regret and hurt, because the only thing playing on the other line was Eijiro’s choked cries, not able to get a word out.
But, a lot more presently, Katsuki fucking despised the voicemails.
Because after 3 long years of being forced into an undercover mission in the America’s, forbidden from interacting with anything involving his ‘real life,’ he realized he’d started to forget the way Eijiro’s voice sounded.
All that plagued his mind was either the timid, desperate whispers as he asked what he’d done so wrong to make Katsuki leave him,
Or the sound of his horrible, heart-wrenching sobs, his voice cracking and raspy as he begged Katsuki to come home.
And only when his beautiful image of his best friend was thoroughly destroyed because of his disappearance, did Katsuki start to realize that maybe being number one hero meant absolutely fucking nothing,
When Eijiro’s smile had been the price.