Chapter Text
Bright white floods his vision. The acrid smell of gun powder assaults his nose. Blinding pain fills his head as loud pops continue to go off. His vision and nose clear, no longer being filled with such invasive intruders. The pain, though, lingers; ringing and muffled shouts filter through his ears. Then all is silent.
-
Katsuki awoke with a start; slight panic filled his mind as he tried to take in his surroundings. Light softly entered his room through slightly ajar curtains. The sweet smell of what were probably pancakes filled his nose. His blankets were slightly damp; his pajama shirt clung to his skin, also damp with sweat. There’s one thing missing, one thing that’s been missing for the past three months, sound.
Sitting upright in his bed, Katsuki began to peel himself from sweat covered sheets. He removed his shirt, and made his way to the bathroom. A quick shower was all he needed to relax his mind; something short and cold to invigorate the rest of his senses. With a now clear mind and clean clothes, Katsuki made his way to the kitchen; the smell of pancakes filled his nostrils again, getting stronger with each step he took.
Entering the kitchen, Katsuki saw his father cooking away. His father has always been an amazing cook, an important skill that he passed on to Katsuki. Masaru looked up at him, giving a kind smile and a small wave to bring Katsuki closer. He did as beaconed, making his way around the counter to stand next to the stove, facing his father.
“E G G?” Masaru finger spelled.
Katsuki grimaced at the attempt to sign. It had been three month since he lost his hearing, his parents should know simple signs outside of just finger spelling, by now. Their excuse was always work, “The fashion industry waits for no one,” a phrase he’s heard his entire life, and one he’s damn sure they are saying now. They couldn’t even be bothered to take an hour out of their days to learn a language that Katsuki is forced to know. Katsuki was lucky enough to have learned quite a bit of sign language when he was in grade school; he didn’t have to start from scratch after losing his hearing. After constantly practicing and taking classes almost every day, Katsuki became fluent in sign language. He had to learn as much as possible as quickly as possible, seeing as he was off to university in just a few more days. Three months to perfect a language was something that not many could do, something that his parents deemed impossible, but Katsuki Bakugou is no quitter. There’s also the fact that he had a full-ride scholarship hanging in the balance.
UA University, one of the most prestigious schools the world has ever seen; a school known to raise the brightest minds and hone the best sports teams. It’s also Katsuki’s dream school, a place that he has wanted to go to for as long as he could remember. Not only had Katsuki gotten in, he received a scholarship to cover his entire academic and housing costs. His mother said that they would probably let him push off his starting date because of the accident, but Katsuki didn’t want to risk anything.
There he stood, days away from leaving off to school, making his own damn eggs and toast for breakfast. He didn’t give his father an answer, only pushed him aside and got to work. There was no way he would eat sickly sweet pancakes, and no way he would let his father think that he couldn’t make something as simple as eggs and toast. It was strange cooking, not being able to hear the sizzle of eggs on the stove, or the scrape of a spatula on a pan. He had to remain extra focused in order to not burn his food, worried that if he looked away and forgot it was there, no sound would pull his attention back in.
His mother and father were seated at the table once Katsuki finished making his own food and went to sit down. They were obviously talking about something, seeing as their lips were moving, but Katsuki didn’t pay any mind. There’s no point, they couldn’t sign and he couldn’t lip-read well enough to follow conversations.
Mitsuki tapped on the table a few times to grab Katsuki’s attention. He looked up from his plate after feeling the vibrations on the table. His mom gave him a small smile; it’s a smile he still wasn’t used to seeing. His whole life, Katsuki had been head strong and fiercely independent. His mother was the same, if not more so, causing them to butt heads constantly. It wasn’t until he woke up in the hospital with cotton filled ears and bandages tightly wrapped around his head that he first saw such a small smile. He hated it, it was filled with pity, so much pity that he wanted to slam his face into the nearest wall. That stupid fucking smile didn’t just make one appearance and leave, no; Katsuki had seen that smile so much over the past three months, he felt physically ill any time is graced his mother’s lips. It was always there whenever she tried to talk to him, only to realize her mistake. There is was, after she probably said something but didn’t get a response, so she had to knock on a table to get her kid’s attention.
Katsuki scowled at his mother, but made no move to look away. She pulled out her phone to type something. Katsuki waited, not so patiently, as he drummed his fingers against the table. She handed him her phone, after a minute.
You’re leaving in a couple of days. Are you sure you don’t want us to call the school to get an extension on your starting date? You can always wait until next semester.
Katsuki shook his head as he typed back.
No fucking way you old hag, I can’t fall behind. I’ll be fine; I know sign like it’s my first language. I already have an interpreter set up, stop worrying.
He handed the phone back to his mother, and then stood from the table to wash his now empty dishes. He didn’t bother waiting for a reply, knowing that it would only spark a full on argument. Arguing these days was quite different than it used to be. He used to yell a lot; his mother would yell back, they would go at it for hours most days of the week. It was a way for both of them to get out their aggression and energy. Nowadays, arguments happened over text or passing notes. It was slow, far too slow and never ceased to frustrate Katsuki even more.
Once his dishes were cleaned, Katsuki made his way to the front door, intending to get a morning run in. It would probably be the last one he could do before moving; he still had a lot of packing to do, so the next couple of days would be far too busy for a long run around his neighborhood.
Closing the door behind him, he set off at a fast pace, attempting to burn some of the frustration that this morning’s conversation drew from him. Katsuki was feeling rather nostalgic as he ran past his neighbors’ houses, down the road to his old high school, across the field and playground he used to play at, and past Deku’s apartment complex. Ugh, one thing I won't miss is annoying Deku, Katsuki thought.
Izuku Midoriya had been a thorn in Katsuki’s side since the tender age of 5. He was constantly around Katsuki, taking random notes in an overused journal and mumbling random nothings into the air. In elementary school, the two were best friends; they bonded over their mutual love of All Might comics. Middle school came around and Katsuki was sick of the little nerd following him around, acting like a complete child all the time. To get Izuku to leave him alone, Katsuki would degrade him and shove him around. It never got too serious, but their friendship broke apart anyway. Once high school rolled around, Katsuki apologized; he realized how rude he had been and it didn’t sit right with him. By no means did Katsuki want to completely mend a friendship, he only wanted to let the nerd know that he was wrong. Deku, of course, took the apology as a sign that they were best friends again. Katsuki would ignore him most of the time, but he never seemed to get the hint. Katsuki was so relieved when high school ended; he never had to deal with Deku again.
It was only a week after graduation that the accident happened, the one that lead to Katsuki’s deafness. While nothing lucky seemed to be on Katsuki’s side when it happened, one silver lining was that he would never have to deal with Deku pitying him. If it happened before graduation, he’s sure Deku would have never left him alone. Count your fucking blessings, I guess. I’ll be at university soon, so I won’t have to worry about crossing paths with him on accident. Katsuki thought.
He made his way back home, only stopping once to tie his shoe when it came loose. Entering his home, Katsuki removed his shoes and made a beeline to his room and started packing.