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Father was gone for a business trip, and Shoto had the whole west wing to himself. He wasn’t sure where his siblings were, but it’s not like it mattered. Shoto had come to the conclusion that both his siblings hated him. Shouto doubts they would want to play.
So, Shouto picks flowers by himself. He doesn't mind too much. Occasionally, a bee or a butterfly would pass by, and Shouto would talk to it for a while until it eventually left him, like Mama and Touya. Shouto was used to this, so he didn’t cry when they left, but he still felt a sting in his heart when they flew away.
By three pm, Shouto had picked so many flowers that he had to hold them with both hands. Shouto hugged the blooms to his chest, pride surging in his chest as he stared down at his work.
Shouto placed the flowers on the grass; he needed to add more. Shouto knew flowers grew in big groups near the fence. He had seen it before when he used to walk around the yard with Mama. Since then, though, Endeavor had banned him from going too close to the fence. But… Endeavor wasn’t here. He was miles away. And none of the servants were watching him. Shouto glanced around him, confirming that none of the servants were outside.
The fence loomed tall and slightly intimidating before Shouto. Beyond its barrier, the sidewalk and road came into view, and just beyond that, a park where children played with wide, carefree smiles, tossing a ball between them. A pang of jealousy tugged at Shouto's stomach, and his nose stung with the prick of unshed tears.
Shouto attempted to push aside the sounds of their laughter, focusing instead on the task at hand. Before long, he had gathered an abundance of flowers, enough to fill the grasp of a single hand.
Shouto -so focused on his work- didn’t notice when someone walked up to the fence.
“Hey.” Shouto flinched, glancing up towards the voice. Had he been caught? Had father come back sooner than expected? Did the servants snitch?
“Hey, stop freaking out. It’s weird.” A blonde, spiky-haired boy stood on the other side of the fence, his face twisted in feigned annoyance.
“S-sorry.” Shouto stuttered, almost at a loss for words. He had never seen another child so up close. His eyes were a bright red Shouto had never seen before. It reminded him of a ruby.
“What’s your name?” The boy asked, his eyes evaluating Shouto.
Shouto wondered what he was looking for.
“I’m Shouto Todoroki.” Shouto murmured, fiddling with the hem of his shirt.
“I’m Katsuki Bakugou!” The boy- Bakugou- pointed to himself with his thumb, smirking as if he was proud. Shouto blinked, unsure of what to say next.
“Umm, what do you want?” Shouto asked bluntly. Bakugou looked a little taken aback. He recovered quickly, “Well, if I’m being honest. You look a bit weird. I saw you from over there,” Bakugou gestured to the other side of the road, “And I was curious, I guess. Why do you look like that, huh?” He sounded accusatory, but for some reason, Shouto wasn’t intimidated. “My Mama had white hair, and Father has red, so I got both,” Shouto informs him. Bakugou nods, then asks, “Why are you doing girl activities?”
Shouto blinked, looking down at the flowers still clutched in his hands, “Girl activities?” He echoes, utterly confused. What makes a girl activity and what makes a boy activity? Was this something he was supposed to know of? Father never told him.
“Yeah, picking flowers and crap. That stuff’s for girls. Why don’t you play with a ball or throw rocks at stuff?”
Throwing rocks at random objects didn’t sound very fun at all, but Shouto chose not to say that. “I’m not allowed to play ball,” Shouto murmurs, then, quieter, “I’m actually not allowed to be out here.”
Bakugou’s face scrunches up in confusion, “Hah? Whatcha mean you aren’t allowed to be out here? You mean outside?”
Shouto nods, coming closer to the fence and whispering quietly, “Father doesn’t let me, but he’s on a business trip, so I snuck out to play.”
It only occurs to Shouto after he says this that Bakugou could easily snitch on him to his father. And with this realization, Shouto feels his heart drop.
“Your dad sounds super weird.” Bakugou says.
Shouto isn’t sure what to say to that.
“So what, do you just not go outside?”
“I go outside sometimes, just not when Father’s around.”
Bakugou huffs quietly, “I’m glad I don’t have your Dad. My Dad is wimpy, but at least he’s not a butthead.”
Butthead?
Shouto shakes his head, “My father doesn’t have a butt for a head. It looks like normal…I think.” He says thoughtfully.
Shouto wasn’t expecting Bakugou to let out a loud laugh. Shouto jumps at the sound as Bakugou holds his stomach from the force of his giggles. “What the heck, halfie?” He says through laughs, “I didn’t mean actually. It was an insult.” He wipes his eyes and stands up straight as he recovers from his laughter. Shouto blushes, utterly embarrassed.
“Oh, I didn’t know that.” Shouto admits quietly.
Bakugou scrunches his nose, “You’re weird… and kinda stupid.”
Shouto blinks, slightly stunned.
“Be my friend.” Bakugou demands, holding out his pinky through the gaps in the fence.
Shouto stares at his pinky in confusion. Bakugou rolls his eyes in exasperation. “Shake my pinky with yours. It means that we’ll be friends.”
Shouto nods in understanding, holding out his pinky and shaking it with Bakugou.
His first friend.
Shouto could feel his heart flutter a bit.
“So we’re friends now?”
Bakugou nods, “Yep, we’re friends-”
Bakugou is cut off by the sound of a woman's voice not too far away. Bakugou huffs, irritation clear on his face, “My mom’s calling, so I gotta go. But I’ll see you later, okay? I’ll be back here tomorrow. Meet here, okay?”
“Okay, I’ll see you later then.” Shouto says, slightly disappointed that his new friend was leaving.
Bakugou turns and crosses the one-lane street and disappearing over the hill.
Shouto stares after him. Dazed from the unexpected interaction.
Then, Shouto turns back to the flowers and continues to pick them.
_________
Shouto and Bakugou met up at the fence every day. Even when Endeavor returned from his business trip a few days later, Shouto still found ways to sneak outside and meet with Bakugou.
Over the course of the few weeks that they had known each other, Shouto had found out these things about Bakugou.
1: He wanted to be the number one hero
2: He wanted to go to UA
3: He was a big fan of Allmight and heroes in general
4: He had an action figure collection
5: He was a bit violent but always kind to Shouto
And 6: He hated Shouto’s Dad with every fiber in his being.
The last point was both confusing to Shouto and also made him laugh.
“I can’t believe you have to go through all this work just for us to hang out.” Bakugou vented one day when Shouto had been able to sneak away from Endeavor.
“Can’t you just tell him you’re leaving to hang out with a friend? Why do you have to keep it a secret?”
Shouto sighed. He wished he didn’t have to creep around like this, but he also knew the punishments in place if Endeavor were to find out what he was doing.
Shouto shakes his head rapidly at Bakugou, “No, he really can’t ever know.”
“But why? I don’t see why your dad should have a problem with you just going outside! My parents love it when I go outside and leave them alone. Plus, we can’t play at all, we just sit here and talk,”
“Father would get really angry, trust me, it’s best if he doesn’t know.”
Shouto says, then after a moment, “Do you not like talking to me?”
Shouto fiddled with his shirt, bracing for the answer.
Bakugou flicked his forehead between the bars of the fence, “Of course I do, dummy. But I want to do more than just talk. I wanna play with you too.”
Shouto nods, “Maybe one day we can play together. Y’know, I’m going to UA too, maybe then, we can actually play games together!” Shouto feels his body get excited and jittery as he says this, a smile tugging at his lips just thinking about the fun he and Bakugou would have together.
Bakugou smiled a toothy grin. “Yeah, we can play and be the best together! I’ll still be the number one hero, but maybe you can be number two if you’re strong enough.”
They link their hands together and grin.
_______
Shouto sat by the fence, enjoying the gentle breeze. A huge bush hid him, so he knew nobody would see him. And Father was at work, so he was fine. He had nothing to worry about.
But that didn’t stop him from worrying. He flinched at every sound. Terrified that his father's car would pull into the driveway any second.
“Why do ya look so freaked out, Halfie?” Bakugou said as he approached the fence. Shouto smiled upon seeing him.
The sun shone behind him, creating a sort of halo. And Shouto couldn’t help but think he kind of looked like an angel.
“Hey! I asked you a question, idiot!” Bakugou huffed, sitting down on the other side of the fence.
“O-oh, s-sorry. What did you say?”
Bakugou rolled his eyes, but it was more affectionate than an actual show of annoyance. “I asked you why you looked so freaked.”
“Oh, well, I’m kind of scared my Father will come home early.”
Bakugou nodded in understanding, and Shouto wondered if he really did.
“Can’t you get your mom to make your Dad stop being a jerk?”
Shouto paused, unsure how to tell him.
“Umm, she can’t. She’s… not around anymore.”
There was a short pause. Bakugou seemed to understand this wasn’t a topic Shouto wanted to talk about, so he didn’t ask anymore questions.
Shouto decided to change the subject. He dug into his pocket, pulling out two colorful bead bracelets. One was mostly orange, and the other was mostly baby blue.
He reached Bakugou, the orange one, through the bars of the fence. Bakugou took it, staring at it curiously. “It’s um, for you.” Shouto told him nervously. “Obviously.” Bakugou said, then added, “It’s okay, I guess, thanks.”
“I can take it back if you don’t like it-”
“No, I never said I didn’t want it. It’s too late to take it back now.” Bakugou slipped the bracelet on his wrist, as if to prove his point. Shouto smiled warmly at him as he slipped his own. “These are friendship bracelets,” Shouto informed Bakugou, just in case he wasn’t aware. “I read about them in a book once. It means we’ll always be friends forever. You can’t take them off.”
“I’ll keep it on forever.”
_________________
“I want you to call me Shouto,” Shouto said randomly one day. Shouto and Bakugou were sitting at the fence as usual, and Shouto was attempting to help Bakugou with some homework.
“Okay, but you have to call me Katsuki.”
Shouto felt his cheeks warm and put a frosted hand against them to cool them down. “Okay then!” Shouto felt giddy with happiness. He would never have thought before this that he would have a friend so close to him that he addressed them by their first name.
“Help me with this problem, Shouto.” Baku- Katsuki muttered, his face facing away from Shouto.
“Okay, Katsuki.”
_________
“Do you think I haven’t noticed you sneaking off, Shoto?”
Shouto froze at the other end of the table. They were both eating dinner: Shouto had plain rice and unseasoned chicken, while Endeavor had curry and rice.
Endeavor stared at him, his gaze cold and piercing. Shouto shrank under his gaze, not daring to look him in the eyes.
“Answer me, son. Do you really think I haven’t noticed you sneaking off? Do you really think I’m that stupid?”
Shouto shook his head immediately. “Of course not, Father.”
Endeavor didn’t say anything for a moment. And Shouto risked looking up. Endeavor was glaring at him, his eyes only slits. “So then, tell me, son, where are you going?”
Shouto fiddled with the hem of his shirt under the table, his gaze flitting around the room.
His throat closed up and his eyes filled with tears against his will.
“ANSWER ME!” Endeavor suddenly boomed, swiping his and Shouto’s food off the table and onto the floor.
Shouto flinched, gripping the edge of his chair.
“I-I Um-”
“Don’t lie to me!” Endeavor yelled.
Shouto couldn’t tell. He couldn’t. He would get beaten. And what if he hurt Bakugou? Shouto couldn’t let that happen. He couldn’t let Endeavor hurt his very first friend.
So he kept his mouth shut.
Endeavor waited a moment, staring Shouto down with a fiery gaze.
“Well?”
Shouto stared at the table, tears slowly spilling down his cheeks.
“How dare you...” Endeavor said coldly. Then louder, “How. Fucking. Dare you!”
Endeavor stormed to the other side of the table, where Shouto still sat and loomed over him.
He grabbed Shouto’s wrist. Fire licked at Shouto’s skin, and he fought back a sob.
“I put a roof over your head. I give you food every day. I train you so you can be the best. And THIS is how you repay me?!”
He yanked Shouto up by the wrist, dangling him up in the air.
Shouto sobbed, unable to keep it down. “Stop it, stop it! You’re hurting me! You’re hurting me!”
Endeavor didn’t let go. Shouto knew he wouldn’t, doesn’t know why he even tried to get him to stop.
“Don’t you think you’ve hurt me, Shoto? Don’t you think it hurt when I discovered your betrayal? My son, my own son….” Endeavor's voice is low, calm, and sickly sweet. It makes Shoto’s stomach churn with discomfort.
“I give you all of my attention. I sacrifice hours of my time to train you,” He continues, his grip tightening.
“AND THIS IS HOW YOU FUCKING REPAY ME?!”
Shouto squirmed in his grip, clawing at Endeavor's fist, desperately trying to get away. “Stop fucking squirming and fight me, you little bitch.” Endeavor snarled, gripping his wrist even harder, his fingers digging indents into Shouto’s wrists.
“Mama!” Shouto cried, as if she were here. As if she could help. As if she could ever help. “Mama! I want Mama!” Shouto sobbed. His arms burned, and his wrist stung, and he wanted his Mama. He wanted her soft eyes, her gentle hugs, her kind words.
(At least, that was how it was before. Before, her eyes turned hard and scared whenever she looked at him. Before, she started pushing him away when he tried to hug her. Before she stood over the stove, whispering about how ugly he was. How much he looks like him.)
Endeavor dropped him abruptly. Shouto yelped, his rear end throbbing with pain from being dropped from so high up.
“You’re just like your Mother.” Endeavor snarled, his face filled with disgust. Shouto looked down at the floor, shame bubbling in his stomach.
“If I catch you sneaking away again, I’ll make sure your punishment is so severe you’ll still see scars years later.”
Endeavor paused in the doorway, turning to glance at Shouto, who still sat on the floor, tears falling freely down his cheeks.
“Get up and clean up that mess. I want it cleaner than it was before.”
He didn’t wait to see if Shouto would do it. He knew he would. Of course, he would.
Shouto stood up on shaky legs. He stared down at the broken plates and food all scattered on the floor.
And he cried.
He cried.
And cried.
And cried.
He knew what he had to do.
And it was going to hurt. A lot.
________
Shouto stumbled towards the fence, his eyes already wet. He wasn’t sure how Father found out. Maybe the servant had seen him, and they snitched? He wasn’t sure if it mattered anyway. He knew now.
And now the fun was over.
He waited by the fence. More paranoid than ever before. His arms twitched, and his heart pounded so hard that Shouto was sure he was about to have a heart attack.
He could see Bakugou in the distance. He was talking to his mother. He pointed to the fence, his mother nodded, and Bakugou made his way over. Shouto’s heart pounded faster as Bakugou got closer. The end was coming soon.
“Hey!” Bakugou panted out of breath from running over.
“I was thinking that today, instead of just talking, we’d play Hanafuda. I already brought the cards, so you have to play now.”
Bakugou sat down, all grins, pulling out the pack of cards from his pocket.
His grin fell when he caught Shouto’s expression. “What’s wrong?”
“I-” Shouto choked up, tears streaming down his cheeks.
There was a pause.
“Did your Dad do something?” Bakugou asked tentatively.
Shouto nodded, still unable to get the words out. “W-we can’t hang out anymore, Katsuki.”
Katsuki froze. His eyes were wide, his mouth agape. “What?”
“My Father found out. He’s going to hurt me if I don’t stop sneaking off.”
Bakugou didn’t say anything, so Shouto continued.
“This is the last time we can see each other.”
Bakugou shook his head, “No, that’s not fair. Dads aren’t allowed to hurt their kids.”
Shouto didn’t know what to say to that, because that was obviously not true. “We can’t hang out, but when we get older, you have to promise to marry me.” Shouto reached between the bars of the fence and took both of Katsuki’s hands. Katsuki stared, dumbfounded. “Marry you…?”
Shouto nodded, “You have to promise we’ll get married. Promise me, Katsuki!”
Bakugou nodded jerkily, tears pricking the corner of his eyes, “I-I promise, Shouto. I promise. We’ll get married.”
Sobs racked through Shouto’s body now, but he fought to hold them back so he could continue, “And don’t forget about me either.”
“I won’t. I would never forget you, Halfie. Ever”
Shouto sat up when he heard a car pulling into the driveway.
Father.
“I have to go.” Shouto warmed, letting go of Katsuki's hands.
Bakugou stared for a moment before nodding. “We’ll get married, I promise. I’ll remember you, and we’ll get married.”
Shouto nodded. And waved for the final time to the boy who had brightened his once dull days. The boy who made him laugh. The boy who made him happy. The boy who changed his life. He pushed past the bushes, ran into the backyard, and into the house, leaving Katsuki to stare after him.
______
7 years later
Katsuki's alarm rang loudly in his ear, jolting him awake.
Katsuki struggled to turn off the aggravating sound before deciding that throwing his alarm clock against the wall was the best course of action. The ringing came to a sudden stop, much to Katsuki's delight. With a quiet sigh, he rolled over on his back, arms stretching above his head.
It was six thirty AM, which meant he had an hour and thirty minutes to get ready for his first day at UA. With a final stretch, Katsuki kicked off his blankets and started getting ready.
Getting ready didn’t take long; he took a quick five-minute shower, brushed his teeth, did his hair, and he was ready. Katuski hated being late for anything, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to be late for his first day at UA, the most famous hero school in Japan.
Katsuki slipped on his beaded bracelet before heading downstairs to eat. He wasn’t a big breakfast person, especially if he was in a rush.
“Hey, Brat.” The old hag called affectionately, as Katsuki stepped into the kitchen.
Katsuki grumbled in response as he grabbed two granola bars from the pack they kept in the cabinet. “No breakfast today? Nervous about school?”
Katsuki scoffed. Nervous? Him? Oh please. Maybe Deku, but not Katsuki. Why be nervous about something he knew he was gonna ace?
“Of course not, you dumb hag! When have I ever been nervous about anything?”
Mitsuki glared at him somewhat playfully, “Well, you always get nervous about going to the dentist.”
“Shut up, no, I don’t. You make that shit up in your head.”
Mitsuki rolled her eyes and turned back to the pot she was stirring.
“When are you gonna tell me where you got the bracelet? You’ve been wearing it for years and you still haven’t told me where you bought it from.”
That was true. Even after years of her pestering, Katsuki had never told.
Because it felt like their secret, the secret Katsuki shared with the boy behind the fence. Now that Katsuki was older, he knew that Shouto was no regular boy. He was the son of the number two hero. The hero Katsuki had hated ever since he met Shouto.
Even when he was little, the blonde knew that Shoto’s life was anything but normal. He remembered once trying to tell Shoto this, but the subject was quickly changed.
“It’s none of your damn business.” Katsuki grumbled eventually, as he ripped open the wrapper of the granola bar and took an aggressive bite.
“You want me to drive you to school?” Mitsuki suggested, her eyes distant and reminiscing, “Like when you were little.”
Katsuki rolled his eyes, but the gesture was affectionate, even if he wouldn’t admit it.
“No, I’ll take a bus.”
In truth, Katsuki wanted to be alone on his way to school, so he could think. He knew that if his mother drove, there would be a whole lot of talking, something Katsuki was not in the mood for.
As Katsuki walked quickly to the bus, he found his thoughts wandering back to the candy cane boy.
“I wonder how he’s doing now….” Katsuki thought. From online sources (yes, he looked him up, and yes, he would never admit it to anyone), Shoto should be the same age as him. There was no doubt in his mind that Shoto Todoroki would go to UA. Of course, he would. It was the number one hero school in the country.
The thought of seeing the boy again made Katsuki's stomach flip in a way he didn’t want to acknowledge.
It had been about 7 years since Katsuki had seen him, and their goodbye had been tearful. Would Shoto even remember him? Why would he? Shoto was the son of the number one hero, not to mention a well-known celebrity.
It made Katsuki slightly bitter to think that someone he had once considered his best friend (maybe even more but Katsuki always tried not to think about that) may not even think about him, let alone remember him.
As he rode the short bus ride to UA, Katsuki tried not to think about Shoto anymore. He didn’t have time for that. After all, he was starting his first day at UA. He had to mentally prepare for his classes and training. He was going to be the best.
_________
As Katsuki stood in front of the large gates of UA, his heart hammered in his chest. He was not nervous, per se. Of course he wasn’t. He was Katsuki fucking Bakugo. He didn’t get nervous like dumb extras.
This was an unfamiliar experience, so he was just being wary, which was a very hero-like thing to feel.
No, he wasn’t nervous, just wary.
The campus was filled with people. All kinds of different-looking people with unique quirks. Katsuki walked to his class with his head held high, pride coursing through his veins.
The door to class 1-A was huge. It was understandable. The school had to be prepared for all kinds of students, some of whom were likely to need a door like this, but even Katuski had to admit it looked sort of dounting.
Nevertheless, he pushed the door open and immediately stopped in his tracks.
There were lots of unique-looking people in his class. There was a tall boy with tentacle-looking things attached to him, a girl with what looked like fleshy headphone jacks on her earlobes, someone who literally looked like a bird and so many others. They were all talking excitedly as they gathered around each other's desks.
But they’re not what caught his eye.
A boy with red and white hair was sitting at the back of the class, his heterocomic eyes were distant, and his posture was perfect. He had both hands folded politely on his desk. A multicolored beaded bracelet adorned his wrist, and a large scar occupied the left side of his face.
It was…
“Shouto…?”
The whole class turned to look at Katsuki, even Deku, who always tried to avoid looking at him, turned curiously towards him.
Katsuki hadn’t even meant to say it out loud. It just slipped out due to his shock.
He was here. He was actually here. Out of all the classes he could have been put in, Shoto was here.
The boy looked up in surprise at hearing his first name while amongst people he had never met.
The moment his eyes met his, Katsuki could see recognition.
There was a pause in which Shoto blinked several times, and the rest of the class stared at this odd interaction.
“Katsuki?”
His voice was much different than Katsuki had expected. His voice was not as deep as he thought it’d be, it was soft and airy and Katsuki thought it sounded so pretty.
“You remembered me…” Shoto said, his voice betraying disbelief.
Katsuki scoffed, “You were my best friend.” His voice cracked and Katsuki cleared his throat, “How could I ever forget you?”
He started towards Shoto’s desk, ignoring the whispers and murmering from his new classmate.
“Do they know eachother?”
“That guy knows THE Shoto Todoroki?!”
“Is this yaoi?”
When he reached his desk, Shoto was staring up at him, his eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. Katsuki thought he sort of looked like an angel.
Katsuki bent down in front of Shoto’s desk and took both of the boys hands in his. His hands, though soft, bore scars and burns. Katsuki didn’t want to think about where they came from.
“We’re a little young to get married,” He started, and he saw blush creep up Shoto’s neck. “But, if you want, I’ll keep my promise when we get older.”
Katsuki couldn’t believe what he was saying, or the fact he was saying all of it out loud. But as he spoke he realized he meant it. He hadn’t seen Shoto in 7 years, but despite that, he would still marry him. He wanted to marry him.
The murmuring got louder and more excited around them, but the two students either didn’t hear or didn’t care.
To his surprise, Shoto’s expression got even softer and slowly bent down to press his lips to Katsuki’s forehead. His lips were soft and velvety and better than Katsuki had ever imagined.
“I’ll hold you to that.”
Katsuki grinned at him, and gently rubbed his fingers over the beaded bracel adorning Shoto’s wrist.
“You kept it on…”
“Of course I did,” Shoto whispered softly, “You were everything to me.”
And by the look in his eyes, Katsuki could tell he really meant it. If he was being honest, Shoto had meant the world to him.
He was going to marry this boy.