Chapter Text
"august slipped away into a moment in time"
𓍢ִ໋🀦
JULY, AGE 5—
Katsuki habitually watched the world through his bedroom window. In this space of his, he had his own reality. Occasionally, he thought about the future while the kids around his neighbourhood played or snickered when his dad struggled to mow the lawn. He’d also worry about the homework he had to do for school and the many things his mom nagged him for.
But he also tended to look out the window because airplanes often flew over his house. He had an interest in the two-winged aircraft ever since his grandpa got him a model for Christmas a year ago. 4-year-old Katsuki grew fascinated by the things his gramps told him about the invention. They were just so cool.
The mini plane sits on one of his shelves situated by his study desk. It had its own place in the corner of his world and he was planning on keeping it that way.
He liked having control over the things in his life. Well, at least over the tangible things. For instance, the second he manifests his quirk, he’ll work up to being the number one hero just like All Might. He’ll attend Yuei and do whatever he has to do to secure that future. He’ll make sure of it.
However, that reign seemed to have withdrawn when you abruptly stumbled into his life.
It was the week after summer break had officially started. The sun didn’t hide whatsoever these days and made its mission to make it unnecessarily hot. The AC in Katsuki’s room was in need of repairs but his dad was too busy to fix it. So he relied on the breeze that was ever so inconsistent through his window.
He was sweating more than usual and was on the brink of death. The wind had died down moments ago and Katsuki was going to lose it. Typically, he wasn’t one to complain about insignificant things like the weather, yet here he was wishing for anything but heat waves.
The blonde thought of grabbing a popsicle downstairs from the fridge as a refreshment, but he was too lazy to move.
Then the sudden noise of honking caught his attention and not in a good way. The source was coming from outside, specifically next door. A huge UHaul truck was backing up into the driveway followed by a small white car. All the commotion was starting to annoy him since he was feeling drowsy.
He watched as a couple exited their vehicles and began to unload the truck. There were boxes upon boxes to the point it seemed endless. Some appeared heavier than others, while a couple were lighter. The woman took on the lightweights as her husband offered to take on the bigger boxes.
For a couple of minutes, they were struggling against the summer heat to get their belongings out, but powered through in the end.
The house next door has been up for sale since last year. Another couple used to live in the home, however, they got a divorce and decided to move out. That’s what he overheard from his parents when they were discussing the matter, at least. He didn’t intend on eavesdropping really, he just so happened to be right there. Wasn’t his fault his parents were nosy and sucked at keeping things private.
But from what it looked like, he and his parents were getting a new set of neighbours.
Back then, it didn’t seem to matter to him at all. People moved in and out, they were coming and going, and it was just how life moved. So being oblivious to what’s to come, he shrugged it off and took a nap right there where he was.
𓍢ִ໋🀦
2 DAYS LATER—
There was this huge space of greenery a few minutes away from the Bakugou’s. It was an open field with plenty of room to play around during Katsuki’s free time or whenever he wanted to escape his mom’s errands.
Flowers of sorts grew in between the grass and the trees. Bugs hid in the crevices and made homes wherever seemed fit. And like all the other days, the scorching sun didn’t shy away in Japan. Oh, and that buzzing noise that occurred during this time of the year? It was present no matter where you were.
All of these things were flavours of summer—the season of passion, youth, and vivid palettes. Where the sky paints hues of blue over its canvas, where the stars shine brighter during the night because no clouds are in sight, and where time moves slower; a chance to touch memories and cherish them.
Currently, Katsuki is passing a soccer ball to himself in this open space. He was playing with Izuku and a couple of other school friends, but they all got called home for dinner. So he was all on his lonesome, but that didn’t bother him.
He prided himself on being independent at such a young age. It wasn’t forced upon him or anything like that, but rather a choice he made on his own. He liked walking to school without the guidance of his parents, he sometimes made breakfast (simple cereal and milk with orange juice), and he even stopped asking his dad for help with homework.
Hence, playing on his own was fine.
The field was deserted with just Katsuki now and he was glad no one else was around. Hanging out with those twerps was starting to exhaust his social battery anyway. He needed some peace and quiet.
6 PM rolled around quickly but the sun hadn't even set yet. But the blonde could see the peachy colour peeking by the horizon as the breeze started to pick up.
He should probably get going soon before his mom throws a fit about it. But before he did, he was going to master this one trick he was desperately trying.
A minute passed by, then two, then three, and eventually six. Katsuki was breaking a sweat and he was slowly becoming vexed that he couldn’t get this nailed down. So in retaliation, he kicked the soccer ball out of anger, travelling quite a distance across the field.
He observed as it flew at an immaculate speed then dying down once it hit the ground. When it rolled a couple of centimeters, the ball landed by a pair of feet. It sat by a petite girl in fact, which happened to be you.
You had your back turned against him, therefore, you were unaware of the object that was right behind you. Your undivided attention went to the pretty white flowers that stood out amongst the tall pieces of grass. They caught your attention once you roamed around the area in hopes of entertainment.
Meanwhile, Katsuki grew even more annoyed.
Well, crap.
He rolled his eyes at what he’s done. He honestly thought nobody else was here. Guess he was wrong.
His hands were suddenly cupped around his mouth and yelled, “Hey, you!”
The words echoed between them (that’s how loud he shouted). Yet, despite his awful volume of tone, you didn’t acknowledge him one single bit. Katsuki could feel his eye twitch at being ignored. You still had your back to him and you didn’t react whatsoever.
“You better not be ignoring me, ya hear?!” He tried again, but still nothing. No response.
You continued to pluck the flowers from the soil, bending down to reach for them. While nature engrossed you, you noticed from the space between your legs that there was a soccer ball.
Tucking away the flowers into your pocket, you turned around and gently picked up the ball. It didn’t look new at all as the material was starting to chip off. There was dirt and mud in a couple of places but you could tell it was cared for.
In the mere distance, you saw a boy who stood with his arms crossed against his chest and eyebrows furrowed. He was staring directly at you with an unpleasant expression on his face.
This must be his.
You took your time making your way over to him. However, Katsuki thought you were taking way too long to just give his damn ball back. He even started tapping his foot aggressively out of impatience.
That became clear to you and didn’t want to anger him any further. So you picked up the pace and eventually came face to face with him.
“About time,” he muttered.
On cue, you immediately bowed as an apology and outstretched your arms, presenting his item. With an eyebrow raised, Katsuki was taken aback by the surplus gesture.
When he didn’t take his ball back, you raised your head in question as you met his eyes. Your stare took him by surprise and his shoulders ended up jumping. It almost made you chuckle but you managed to suppress it and instead, you offered a small smile.
The boy’s eyes widened, quickly snatching what he needed. Why was he suddenly on edge?
He gave you one last look (wasn’t a very nice one) before walking off with the ball tucked into his side without saying anything else.
However, in his head was a different story.
Girls are so weird.
𓍢ִ໋🀦
A WEEK LATER—
In the blink of an eye, it was Wednesday and there were only a few more days before it was August. Today, Katsuki was in the living room, slouched on the couch as he watched the newest clip of All Might defeating some villain. He held interest for a handful of minutes while his dad sat beside him, reading the newspaper, glasses perched on the bridge of his nose.
He glanced at Katsuki for a second and found him captivated by the way his eyes grew wide. Then, his son looked in his direction with those same eyes.
“Hey, Pops?”
“Yes, Katsuki?”
“I’m gonna be the number one hero just like All Might.” Here, he was asking a question but in the form of a statement. There was determination plastered all over his face as he waited for his father’s response.
“I’m sure you will,” Masaru smiled and ruffled the top of his head.
They kept each other company for the rest of the hour before Mitsuki shouted from the kitchen.
“Kastuki, go get dressed!”
Confusion lingered in the boy’s head. Dressed? Dressed for what?
He pressed pause on the remote and walked into the kitchen where he saw his mother putting something together. The blonde came up behind her and blurted out, “Why?”
Without sparing a glimpse at Katsuki, Mitsuki continued to chop vegetables. “We have guests coming over so put yourself together.”
“Hah? Who?”
“The family that just moved next door.”
He was instantly brought back to last week when he was studying the scene of boxes being unloaded from a UHaul truck before snoozing off. A light bulb went off in his head and now he understood what his mom was talking about.
He was curious when his parents got so close to them and decided to have brunch, but he never bothered to ask.
“What’s wrong with the clothes I’m wearing now?” He asked, peering down at his red shirt and black shorts.
“You were playing outside earlier today and now you’re all sweaty. So go change!”
Rolling his eyes, he obeyed and went upstairs to his room. He rummaged through his closet, finding a new pair of shorts and a black top. Really, it wasn’t any different from what he was wearing before.
Afterwards, he hastily put them on before tossing his dirty clothes into the laundry basket. And before he knew it, he heard the sound of the front door being opened.
They were here already?
To see if he was right, he emerged from his bedroom and took a peek at the staircase. His parents were already greeting two adults, apologizing that they were still preparing things—or something along the lines of that.
Katsuki made his way down and slowly approached them. “Oh, Katsuki!” Masaru noticed his son, placing a hand behind his back and bringing him forward.
His dad then positioned his hands on his shoulders. “These are our new neighbours and this is Y/n! She’s the same age as you.” He exclaimed cheerfully.
Katsuki went still as he blinked at you, while you blinked back.
It’s her.
You stood in front of your parents, hands clasped behind your back and gave a shy smile. Katsuki suddenly felt a nudge from his dad, insisting that he should say something. So he gave a lazy, “Hey.”
On the other hand, you didn’t mutter anything. Instead, you gave a tiny wave and returned to being in a bubble.
As he stared at her with curiosity, Mitsuki crouched down to his level, where she was close to his left ear. “Y/n’s deaf. So try your best to communicate with her, alright?”
He felt his eyes go wide.
Oh. It all made sense now—that day under the sun where you guys first met. You couldn’t hear him yelling at you, so that’s why you didn’t respond right away.
He tried hiding his shock as best as he could. In times like these, he never really knew what to say. He was never generally good with words.
It’s not like your hearing impairment mattered to him. He wasn’t going to treat you any different than the other kids he knew.
“Why don’t you bring Y/n upstairs and show her around your room, bud?” His dad suggested after the immediate silence between the two of you.
“Yeah, whatever.” Katsuki huffed.
You looked at your parents and they nodded, giving you the go-ahead. And so, you followed the blonde, trailing right behind him.
Passing through the Bakugou home, you realized how nice it was. It consisted of neutral and warm colours whereas your home was a bit more traditional. A few of the walls were filled with family photos and shelves with shiny, gold trophies and awards. You couldn’t help but explore the unfamiliar atmosphere in the house. It felt different.
His home felt lively.
Katsuki led you to his room, which was on the second floor to the right. You entered quietly right after him and immediately took notice of the many posters, comics, and figurines he had of All Might. He followed your line of sight and regrettably blushed, looking away. You found it cute.
Apart from that, it was nicely cleaned up and organized. He had a study desk on one side of the room and his bed on the other. His mangas were perfectly arranged and more sets of trophies were displayed on shelves.
Once you pulled your attention away from the things in his room, you caught sight of him rummaging through his drawers. Tilting your head, you were confused as to what he was doing as he pulled out a notebook and a marker.
All of a sudden, he sauntered towards you, grabbed your wrist and pulled you down to sit on the ground. He opened the notebook to the first page and started writing. Once he was done, he clicked the cap of the marker back on and pushed the exercise book so you could see.
Use this when you want to say something. Got it?
His handwriting was quite messy but you understood what it said. He passed you the marker and you began printing your response.
I understand. Thank you. ଘ(੭ˊᵕˋ)੭
Then the messages kept going back and forth.
It’s whatever, I guess.
Would you mind spelling your name?
爆豪 勝己. There.
As in explosion and victory?
Something like that.
Wow! That’s so cool! ৻( •̀ ᗜ •́ ৻)
It’s just my name, ya nerd.
Yeah, but it has meaning to it! So I think it’s cool. Also, are you an All Might fan? You got a bunch of merch.
Duh. He’s the best hero!
Haha. He is pretty awesome!
ᕙ(‾̀◡‾́)ᕗ (I am here!)
What the heck is that?
It’s supposed to be All Might (ᵕ—ᴗ—)
It’s only a doodle though…
Oh. It kinda sucks.
How mean. I wasn’t even trying! (˚ ˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ )
You draw too much. You’re taking up the entire page!
Sorry, I can’t help myself. Drawing’s fun!
Ya, whatever. Just don’t waste my paper.
So I can still do it?
Do what you want, Pigtails.
Pigtails?
Ya. Your hair looks dumb.
Hey! Your hair looks even dumber!
What did you say?!
A laugh escaped from your lips as your hands went to hold your stomach. Katsuki grimaced at the sight; he didn’t understand what was so funny.
Sorry, you should’ve seen your face! You wrote on the piece of paper again after cackling.
I’ll rip you to shreds.
You’re being quite aggressive, Katsuki. ૮(˶╥︿╥)ა
Good.
Wait, can I show you something?
What?
You fixed your sitting position so you were facing him. Your posture was straight and a calm expression painted your face. Despite that, Katsuki could tell you were hesitant about something. Even so, he remained quiet and watched.
You slowly raised your hand and began a series of hand gestures. That’s when Katsuki was taken aback because he’d seen this before.
Sign language.
It was another form of communication with combinations of gestures and signs for those who are deaf. He remembers seeing something like this online. However, he doesn’t understand a single word.
When you finished the short articulation, he jotted down: What did you say just now?
He displayed the page he wrote on and in return, that stupid smile of yours appeared. You took the exercise book and told him.
Let’s be friends, Katsuki.
𓍢ִ໋🀦
AUGUST, AGE 5—
Time didn’t wait for anybody and it was suddenly August. After you visited with your parents, he saw you more often—as in everywhere.
When he was at the park, you were there too. If he was tagging along with his mom to the grocery store, he’d find you there. Even if he was down at the field, you were plucking flowers from the ground on your own too.
No matter where he went, he’d always find you. It was starting to annoy him because the universe decided to have you walking around in his life freely. He already had someone who couldn’t stop mumbling and that was enough.
Whenever you two stumbled upon each other, you always made sure to acknowledge him with a bright smile. This way, it made up for the lack of words. Yet, Katsuki only ever returned grunts and side glances. But it was okay because you were content with that.
You somehow understood the type of person he was the day you guys met. He’s quiet, not in the sense that he’s shy but reserved. He can be aggressive, brash, and brutally honest as well.
It was refreshing, to say the least. You’ve never met someone who was like Katsuki. Everybody around you seemed to avoid that because they were afraid to say the wrong things. But you preferred the truth even if it hurt.
These encounters with Katsuki have led you to go up to him on several occasions. He was rarely in the mood to talk but he seemed to tolerate your presence.
And surprisingly so, you don’t know when it happened, but you guys started hanging out more. An interaction led to one thing and another and instantly spending time at the Bakugou home frequently. Mitsuki and Masaru grew a liking to you rather quickly. They were happy that Katsuki finally had a friend who was a girl.
Today, however, he went over to your house. He knocked on the front door which was painted white. He waited until he heard heavy footsteps approaching. The door swung open and behind it was your mom.
“Hi, Katsuki. Here to see, Y/n?” The woman happily greeted him.
In response, he dipped his chin and your mom let him in, muttering something about your bedroom being down the hallway to the right—but he already knew that (he snuck in through the window a time or two).
He passed by your dad who was sitting on the couch watching the news. He greeted Katsuki shortly and the blonde nodded in acknowledgement.
The doorway to your bedroom was already propped open. Katsuki could spot you on the floor with your sketchbook, probably drawing like you always were.
He entered silently and tapped you on the shoulder twice. Upon seeing him, you grinned up at him while a sucker was in the corner of your mouth. He took a seat right next to you, peeking at your sketch.
Meanwhile, you quickly jotted something down and passed him a note.
Want a lollipop?
He read it, looked up and didn’t hesitate to say yes. Getting up, you wandered over to your desk and took out your stash of suckers that were in a container. From the sight, Katsuki seriously considered you had a horrible addiction.
You pulled one out and returned with an orange-flavoured one; his favourite.
He mumbled a quick ‘thanks’ and peeled the wrapper off the lollipop. He placed it in his mouth, the sweet flavour seeping into his taste buds as he propped himself on his elbows. He continued to perceive the way you were focused on a particular part of your sketch as you picked up your pencil again. Your brows were knitted closely together and your sucker was about to fall off your mouth if you didn’t bother to notice.
Katsuki rolled his eyes at how careless you were but decided not to act on it (he didn’t want to bother you). At some point, you sighed and gazed back at what you created. From where he sat, it looked decent but you didn’t seem to agree.
You erased and erased until the entire piece was gone. He matched your expression with a frown because what was the point of starting and then not finishing?
After restarting, you were at it again but this time less tense. Your shoulders were relaxed and your hair was tucked back.
At first, he didn’t catch sight of it until he really looked at you. He was disfavouring your lack of care for your hair since it was an absolute mess with tangles and knots. Looking past that, he saw something hanging on the shell of your ear.
He inched closer to get a better look at what it was. You felt his presence all of a sudden and glanced over your shoulder just to have your face so up close to his. It made you jolt back and turn away in a heartbeat. Your hair fell back in place over your shoulders, so he couldn’t see it anymore.
Nevertheless, it never stopped him from tucking your hair back once more, revealing what he caught earlier.
What’s that around your ear?
It’s a hearing aid. It helps me hear better.
“Can you hear me?” Katsuki tested the theory and to his surprise, you gave him a thumbs up, implying that you could.
He finally let go of the strand of hair and sat back. You guys returned to whatever you were doing beforehand—Katsuki observing and you being the artist that you were. He didn’t do much except finish his lollipop a few minutes later and toss it in the trash by the door. By the time he came back, you were touching up details in your sketch. He grew curious and hovered over you.
“Whaddya draw?” He attempted to catch a glimpse, but you swiftly tucked the piece into your chest before he could see anything. Your reaction made him frown, “Why won’t you let me see it?”
But all you did was shake your head, refusing to reveal anything to the blonde. In turn, Katsuki scoffed and turned away frustrated. “Tch, whatever! It probably sucks anyways…”
The room fell back into silence, but this time, the uncomfortable kind. You could feel it—Katsuki’s sour mood. As your time together grew, you were used to the tiny tantrums he threw here and there. But he was seriously petty when giving the silent treatment to the point you thought it was going to last forever. And sure, in the end, you guys would eventually resolve it, but it would take some tedious begging for him to talk to you like normal.
You were about to pass him a note, telling him you were sorry, however, you were surprised when he spoke up first.
“Pass me a piece of paper, Pigtails,” Katsuki grumbled, still not making eye contact with you. That was fine, though.
As fast as you could, you ripped a full page out of your sketchbook and handed it over. He took the page and started folding it in different ways. You weren’t sure what he was doing but it was nice seeing his creative side for once.
But at the same time, you were worried he was still angry. You couldn’t tell by his blank expression since there wasn’t much to read from. There was no point in killing yourself over the question, so you just asked.
Are you still mad at me?
He took a glance at the note that was resting on his lap where you had placed it, yet carried on with his creation and remained silent. All of that was enough for an answer and you hang your head low, feeling defeated. But not even a second later—
“Was never mad, stupid.”
You picked up on the sound of his voice.
“I just wanted to see your dumb drawing, that’s all. I don’t care anymore so you don’t gotta show me if you don’t wanna.” He said calmly.
So he wasn’t as angry as you thought.
Really? You asked once more just to make sure.
“Yeah.”
Okay. Sorry.
“Quit apologizing. I said I don’t care.”
S̶o̶r̶r̶y̶. What’re you doing?
“Making a paper airplane.” This time, the corner of his lips raised just enough for her to see it.
A paper airplane?
“You don’t know what that is?”
No, I never made one before.
“I’ll show you.”
This certain moment probably didn’t matter to you much as a kid, but looking back at it now, it meant everything to you.
As he explains the simple instructions of how to forge a paper plane, Katsuki tells you he’s liked planes ever since his gramps told him all about them. He tells you he has a model of his own sitting in his bedroom. He’s hoping to show it to you once you come over again. It was the first time he ever talked about something he was interested in apart from heroes. His entire face brightened up, eyes sparkling as he went on and on.
He was sharing a part of himself—a side to him that only a few got to know. He was slowly letting you into his life and you felt like the luckiest person alive.
And even if these childhood memories became vague and obscure later on, you knew you were never going to forget the summer you met Katsuki.