Work Text:
Bakugou took a seat next to the familiar white marble, the ground under him a little wet from that night's rain, despite the sun shining bright. It was a good day. It was warm and the fresh flowers laying next to the grave had been changed that day; small red roses woven into a wreath. Bakugou traced the letters engraved in the stone, a small smile on his face, trying to match the one of his dead childhood friend. But no matter how much he tried or practiced, it was never a true match. He had an energy that no one could match. Even in UA, no one had the same energy.
"It's been five years." Bakugou mumbled, his back against the tree that shaded the site from the harsh sun. "Five years to this day Auntie Inko sat me down in her living room and told me you had passed away. I was not stupid. I knew you took my advice. I could see it in the way she looked at me when she told me you came home from school crying. They never found your note by the way. You hid it well and I followed through with the promise you wrote down. I burnt it as soon as I read it."
Bakugou wasn't crying yet, but his fingers twitched and his throat tightened. He wished he never burnt the letter Midoriya left him, making him promise that once he finished reading the entire two pages he would burn it and never speak of it. And Bakugou did just that. He spent an hour reading and re-reading the explanation why a quirkless thirteen year old decided to jump off the roof of their middle school in the middle of the night, found by a passerby the next morning, then he took a lighter and burnt it. Bakugou knew he could've used the quirk to destroy what was left but he felt like that would be a slap to the face to Midoriya. He used his quirk on the person who considered him a friend countless times, the last thing he had of him shouldn't be left to the same fate. Bakugou never told anyone about the letter, not even when Inko questioned him on if he had left anything or mentioned anything to Bakugou, the kid just shook his head and returned to his room; a hole for his depression to fester and boil, waiting for him to explode.
"I saw a hero fight coming here. Eraserhead against some lowlife villain trying to rob a bank. Eraserhead won of course, but he had some pretty impressive moves. What was his weapon again? A capture scarf or something. I don't know. But he used it a lot. I can hear you mumble about it whilst you almost break your hand scribbling down those shitty notes. I'm sure you would've written at least three notes on his fighting style."
"He's my teacher at U.A you know. Teaches homeroom and always takes naps during class in a shitty yellow sleeping bag. You would've loved it there. All Might is a teacher too. Not a great one but Kirishima always tells me that he's trying his best and I should give it a rest each time I yell at him when he tries to assign students to fight against teachers. He almost broke my leg so I think I was justified in yelling at him. Kirishima is a little like you. Sunshine golden retriever energy, but he's less irritating." Bakugou paused, as if waiting for a response, but the area remained silent. The trees swayed in the breeze, leaves falling around them, covering the floor in a thin layer. He could faintly hear the sound of the city and it's traffic in the distance masking the sound of a quirk fight. It was the usual sound of the city and this far away, it was peaceful.
Bakugou laid down under the tree, pulling out a manga from his bag sitting next to the tree. It was a Saturday and his time off from the suffocating feeling of his house and overwhelm of school work. Out here, he could breathe and have a place to talk where no one was there to judge him and try to offer unwanted advice that they both knew he would not take. He couldn't let go of the explosions he had been holding in all day, but here, he didn't feel like he needed to. He barely felt any rage or anger.
"I had a dream about you last night." Bakugou said after a while of silence. He had finished his manga and was now listening to music, earphones plugged into his phone which was hidden away in his pocket. He ignored the flurry of messages from the Class 1-A group chat, no doubt planning an activity for that day or later in the night. The stone remained silent.
"It was about who you became the greatest hero in the world, or so you said. You had a quirk that broke your bones for the first few months that you had it. You even broke half of your limbs in the entrance exam by taking out a giant robot to save an extra. That landed you in the Hero course alongside me and you were quick to become popular. Middle School you can't believe it right? You even had your own group of friends who looked up to you as if you were the best shit in this school. I guess they were right.. I mean, you saved me, you saved others. Even if it meant you got hurt in the process. You were even working alongside All Might and the people who worked with him. You two were pretty close and I know IcyHot thought you were related. This dream was eerily similar to what's going on with UA.. I just hope I don't get kidnapped by the shitty low lives who run around calling themselves the League of Villains, because you were the only one with enough braincells to be stupid and go to find me with no help from actual heroes. That's no different to how you are.. were. Completely reckless and throwing yourself into danger at any chance you get. Idiot Deku.."
"That was your hero name too.. Deku. See, I'm the best at nicknames. Shitty Hair, IcyHot, Dunce Face." Bakugou paused for a second before letting out a quiet laugh, sitting up to rest his body on the stone. "Maybe I should work on it a little. But I'm still holding onto me calling you Deku years before I had a dream about you becoming a hero."
He tugged at the sleeves on his hoodie, the air had turned cold in the few hours that he had been hiding away. He wished he had half the mind to bring a coat knowing he had to walk back to his house. Maybe he'd see Kirishima on his way back to the train station. He was working that day and left around the time Bakugou usually left the gravesite for another month.
Another month. The visits were getting a lot more spaced out. For the first year or two it was every Monday and Friday, joining Auntie Inko to lay a flower or candle and hold in tears to be released in the safety of his own room that night. He blamed himself for everything and he knew he was right to do that, but Inko, who had no idea about what he did, told him that it was not his fault. If only she knew..
Year three, it was every Saturday and maybe a Sunday once School had started to pick up with it's work. Year four it was every other weekend and then five years later, it was once a month. Bakugou knew he visited as much as Inko, her work forcing her to travel across the country for days or weeks at a time. It hurt Bakugou a little to know that Izuku would be left alone for weeks at a time, flowers wilting away and moss growing up the side of the stone, breaking the precious marble. It was an irrational thought, but Bakugou often wondered if Izuku was lonely or if somehow he could sense Bakugou or his mother visiting him as much as they could. Would it hurt him to know that one day he'll never get any visitors at all?
Bakugou would one day move away and go wherever his hero work would take him and Auntie Inko would die. He often wondered who would join Izuku first. He hoped it would be him, the woman he considered an Aunt was too sweet to face the reality of death. She was a woman no one in their community saw dying. Ever.
"If there is an afterlife.. take care of your mother.. and the rest of my.. friends for me? Especially Shitty hair. Just until I get there. And when I do, feel free to slap the shit out of me for what I did to you okay? Promise me that." Bakugou whispered into the stone. He stopped once a couple walked passed, arms linked tightly. Once they were out of earshot, Bakugou opened his mouth but he couldn't think of the words to say. He wondered if this would be the last time he visited for a while. He didn't want it to be, but the work in UA was starting to pile up and upcoming hero studies, Bakugou knew it was just a part of growing up.
Growing up meant letting go of childhood. A small part of him knew that also meant letting go of the tether keeping him coming back to the same shaded place under a tree, but he wasn't ready. Not yet at least. Another hour or two sitting next to the only thing reminding the world of Izuku's presence wouldn't harm anyone.
"And if the afterlife is real.. make sure you're looking after yourself too, alright?"