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The car felt cold. Cold and vacant. It was supposed to feel nice… right? Not just the car… everything. He was a pro–hero! He had people looking up to him! He didn’t have to race Izuku anymore… That was supposed to be a good thing. A good thing because now he’s better! Katsuki was better than Izuku, and that was all he had wanted. Why did he feel so empty? Why wouldn’t he care if he were to just… die?
The sound of calm, breathy humming crowded the small car. Eijiro’s nails could faintly be heard scraping against the screen of his phone as he scrolled. Other than those two sounds, it was only the tires on the road. Katsuki sighed and dug his nails into the withering leather of the steering wheel. Eijiro’s phone buzzed.
His humming stopped briefly, “Izuku asked if we could pick him up from his house and drop him at the school.” he said tentatively, like he was slowly slicing the poison from an octopus. The moon hung in the sky accompanied by a couple of shimmering stars. Katsuki’s gaze flicked upwards then quickly back down at the road.
“Now?” Katsuki shifted his fingers and the turn signal beeped dully. Eijiro pushed himself up in his seat. He chuckled softly, “No, tomorrow morning.” Katsuki blinked at the road. Eijiro breathed a beaten sigh.
“You can’t hold it against him for rejecting you–”
“I’m not!” Katsuki brought one hand from the wheel to meet the nape of his neck. Eijiro rolled the spit down his throat as he watched him. His eyes were glued to the empty road. He rotated the wheel again down another deserted street.
Eijiro pursed his lips. Katsuki knew that he wasn’t good with this kind of stuff. Eijiro was more of a laidback, funny, side–character kind of person… he wasn’t the one who should be giving the “speech.” Eijiro’s brow furrowed, “I know you cared about him,” He started slowly, planning what to say next, “but you’ve been distant these past five years.” He looked at Katsiku with a look of pleading concern, but he didn’t meet his eyes.
“I don’t care about him.” Katsuki replied gruffly. Almost without emotion, but his eyes told Eijiro that he understood what he was trying to say.
Eijiro turned back to the road and smiled slightly. His eyes curved with a look of knowing. He knew Katsuki, of course he was to come around eventually.
“You don’t care about him?” Eijiro murmured absent mindedly.
“No,”
“You don’t care that you got rejected?” Eijiro knew he was pressing now. He was circling the tender skin surrounding a bruise, but he kept going.
“It was only a job. I can find another.” He snapped, Eijiro’s words clearly slowly getting to him.
Eijiro sighed, “To live is rare, most just exist.” He rolled his head back and tiny pops echoed from his neck. Katsuki glanced at him once quickly, then back at the road, then back again, frowning.
“What… what the hell is that supposed to mean!?” He stared at Eijiro in bewilderment. His spikey red hair reflected against the windows and sent a weird melancholy feeling down Katsuki’s spine.
“It means you’re driving up to his house,” Eijiro nodded forward. Sure enough, a small house that blended with the rest of an urban neighborhood stood out. Vibrant U.A. flags and signs decorated the front lawn. A shiny – clearly recently cleaned – stand-up All Might had its feet buried into the dirt.
“No it doesn’t?” Katsuki gaped at Eijiro still, but Eijiro was ignoring him and waved to the skinny man that stood on the porch with the strap of his bag clutched between his hands.
Izuku waved back at him and popped the back door open.
A sudden wave of awkwardness enveloped Katsuki as his childhood friend climbed into the seat behind him. His childhood friend… his enemy… his hero… whatever Izuku was to him now, it was weird to have him in his car with all of these meanings.
“What d’you have to be doing at the school at this hour?” Eijiro grinned into the rearview mirror at Izuku, clearly disregarding his and Katsuki’s earlier conversations to Katsuki’s relief.
Izuku chuckled softly, “I was actually starting to wonder the same thing!” Eijiro snorted but let Izuku continue his story, “I have a meeting with somebody and then I have to prepare some training.”
He yawned and Eijiro nodded understandingly.
Katsuki blinked multiple times in an attempt to keep his eyes open as he rolled to a stop at a red light. Eijiro and Izuku dove into a conversation that Katsuki didn’t bother listening in on. He could see the looming school building a couple of blocks ahead.
He desperately wanted to be back there. He wanted to be back there learning… he wanted to change things he did back then. He rubbed the rubbery skin beneath his eyes with his thumb and pointer finger. The gates of the school slowly grew closer, soon enough the car was parked in front of the large metal gates.
“Thank you guys so much for driving me!” The click of an unbuckling seat belt sounded from the back and Izuku pushed the door open. Izuku walked around the car to the side walk, the side that Katsuki was on and waved one final time at the both of them.
A silent feeling of dread clung to Katsuki’s lungs as he watched Izuku leave. Shit–No. He can’t just let him leave! Katsuki threw the door open.
“Izuku!” Katsuki felt the world had tilted forward as he stepped over the curb onto the sidewalk. Izuku turned in shock. The half–turned–around Izuku locked his wide eyes with a Katsuki standing, panting like he had finished running a marathon. He didn’t speak for a moment.
“I want you to know…” He squeezed his fingers into the palm of his hands as he searched for the words. Izuku stood facing him now. “I want you to know that I believe in you.”
A beat.
“Even though you can be over trustworthy sometimes, I trust you to make the right decisions. I know that it doesn’t sound right coming from me. I am in no place whatsoever to be telling you any of this. But I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t have acted this way all through middle school and all through highschool…” He gushed, the words spilling out because he’d had no place to put them.
“Kacchan–”
“I was in the wrong. I am so sorry. I know that you can do so much. I’ve brought your career down greatly, and I cannot fix that. I know I’ve taken a mental toll on you too, and that is even more unforgivable… but… I–” He gasped, he’d run out of words to say. He’d imagined him having a great, long, meaningful monologue. But that wasn’t it. It was just blabbering.
“I…” He groaned, “Goodbye, Izuku.” Katsuki slowly started walking back to his car.
“Goodbye, Kacchan.” Izuku said almost reluctantly, then turned and kept walking.
Katsuki clenched his eyes closed, “Izuku!” He yelled, again, turning back to face the man. Izuku spun around expectantly, his mouth agape and his eyes wide.
“Do you… do you forgive me?” Katsuki rasped. Anybody there could’ve seen the crystals forming in his eyes as he took steps towards Izuku.
“Do I forgive you?” Izuku murmured, Katsuki stood only feet away.
A bird cawed.
“Do you forgive me?” Katsuki asked pleadingly. Izuku could see the reflection of the stars in his eyes, he was so close. Tears rolled down both of their faces, Izuku’s like a waterfall.
Izuku grabbed Katsuki’s forearm and looked up at him. His eyes were apologetic, his grip was soft.
“I want to, Kacchan. I want to so badly, but–”
Katsuki reached for the back of Izuku’s neck. It was what he’d expected. In no universe did Izuku ever forgive him, but at least he had this. This one small fleeting second where Katsuki’s lips were on Izuku’s. It was a moment he never knew he needed. Izuku weaved his hand up Katsuki’s arm.
It was magical, it was wonderful, it was a dream come true, it made him want to live a little but more, it was–
“Deku!”
Her. Of course it was her. Katsuki detached himself from Izuku, looking above his green hair and down the sidewalk. With her same short brown hair, he stood in a mixture of shock and embarrassment.
Of course. Who else would Izuku have to meet at three a.m.? Katsuki quickly backed away and slid back into the driver's seat. The car started with a sputtering Eijiro, then sped down the road with one glance of Izuku’s face: Shock, regret, disgust…?
“Bakugo…” Eijiro’s voice was soft.
“I really loved him, shitty hair.” Katsuki wailed between sobs. The car sped up slightly.
“I could tell, but it’s gonna be okay, Bakugo.” Eijiro sounded scared, a little anxious.
“Oh, God.” He floored the pedal.
He heard his name called one last time, then a crash… then nothing.
The press went wild.
“Pro–Hero Katsuki Bakugo –formerly known as Dynamite, was found dead in a car wreck early this morning. Along with another Pro–Hero Red Riot who has been critically injured and is being taken to the hospital. May our hero rest in peace.”