explosion.

Stress and frustration cling to Shouto’s body like an unwieldy armor as he goes out of his way to return all the books he had thought would help him figure out what brought him here and what’s stopping him from leaving. How long does he have to stay here? Have people from his universe started searching for him and Izuku? Or has this city made them cease to exist in that world which would somewhat explain his friend’s memory loss? Shouto immediately shakes those thoughts away before he could give himself another headache. Nobody can function properly with a throbbing pain right between their eyes, but there’s nothing a good cup of coffee can’t fix. He then takes his leave from the library and ventures out to the nearest coffee shop he could find.

However, he isn’t prepared for what the shop has in store for him.

❝Oh.❞ Shouto utters in genuine surprise as he lingers by the door, heterochromatic eyes staring right back at a pair of familiar crimson ones. Just when he thought Izuku is the only recognizable face in the city, the young hero finds himself in the presence of no other than the epitome of a ticking time bomb: Katsuki Bakugou.

And yet, something seems different. Bakugou is notably several inches shorter and less— for lack of better words— ripped compared to the last time Shouto had to deal with him. He couldn’t even remember the last time Bakugou called him by that nickname. Not to mention the blonde’s facial features appear to be softer and… younger?

Without a word, Shouto takes a few steps closer (or at least as close as the counter would allow him) to get a better look. ❝Bakugou,❞ he finally speaks up, his tone dead serious.  ❝where’s… the rest of you?❞ For emphasis, he raises his hand to gesture to their height difference.

         When he didn’t get an answer, Bakugou felt his irritation rise upward. He knew Todoroki was strange, but what was this other smartass talking about? When he saw his hand raise up, Bakugou growled in retort, and grabbed the hand that was in the air – or, tried to.

            ❝ Just shut up and order so I can go home already! ❞ he ignored the boy’s serious tone. There was no way he was playing this game today. He got up hella early just to do his shift, because no one wanted to wake up at the crack of dawn, and now it was finally ending. Going home to sleep sounded like a blessing to the blonde right about now. Maybe he was already sleeping? There was no way Todoroki should be here, right? Let alone, taller… he must be wearing his tall boots. That’s it.

            ❝ Everyone from class better not have followed you here, idiot, I’m getting off in eight more minutes. And counting. We can discuss whatever the hell you want after I make your sick coffee, ❞ he really did want an explanation. Much as he wasn’t sure how much he got along with the red-white haired boy, he knew they were the closest thing to home he had. While he did feel a little homesick, he attempted to ignore it, and replaced it with the thought of food.

         Quietly tapping his pencil against the table, he focused on the book in front of him. Lately, it’s been harder to study, and to come up with things to study. Since reaching Koi, he hasn’t felt the need to, especially since he wasn’t back at UA. They had the most amazing collection in their library that it was almost unreal. Bakugo read to help himself stay calm and focused. It was the once in a lifetime moment that he was able to keep his cool.

                But this was only irritating him.

        He should apply to one of the local schools, but he really didn’t want to deal with the crowd of idiots. Perhaps a private teacher? No, he could teach himself better than that. He used to be the top of his class, after all.

        Enough of that thought. He had to keep up his smart reputation and jot these notes down, stat. He started to write away against the notebook as he read. Once finished and satisfied, after a good solid ten minutes, he looked up and saw a familiar green hair walk down to the tall bookshelves.

                                Was that… no, it couldn’t be, he was taller…

        Curious, he shoved the books in his bag (having already rented them out) and went to have a better look. Damn, if only he hadn’t been right about this. Those freckles were familiar.

i still want to create a better theme for this boy’s blog but i really want to put him in the koi!go event so!! cap is at three so i don’t die.

            Thankfully, he’s had a bit of downtime near the end of his shift. But now he was incredibly bored, and his coworkers left him until someone new clocks in. He looked around while cleaning the machine away. Ten more minutes left in this hell hole. He knew applying for this job was a bad idea, but he also didn’t believe they’d hire him. Boy was he wrong, because somehow, he was now stuck with this job. At least it was helping him save for food.

            He looked up when the door made its chiming noise and stared the new customer over. ❝ Welcome— ❞ a pause. This person was familiar… but they looked different last time he’s seen them…

            ❝ Fuckin’ IcyHot ? ❞ he was glad none of the other coworkers were working, or he’d get a slap for cursing for the tenth time today. ❝ What’re you doing here!? ❞

                    ❝ You’re in the damn way, and what’s with your hair?! ❞ he scoffed, his red eyes staring at the stranger. He wasn’t sure why, but they irritated him. Maybe he should just leave. He was trying to enjoy his walk, after all.

Ed could only feel the heat rise to his face when the other pretended to be oblivious about that cursed nickname he gave Ed! Hell, he was so infuriated you could practically hear and see the steam come out of his ears!

“Don’t play dumb! You called me a short stack! I know you did-” The sudden release of his arm had thrown Ed off by surprise, if he really thought more carefully, he’d have tried to punch Bakugou. However, he was distracted by the other’s finger pointing straight towards the coffee shop. Ah, that was the coffee shop he liked to go to! He hadn’t been there in a while, so he didn’t see the pink chalky “NOW HIRING” letters written across the blackboard placed on display by the door. He stares intently at it and analyzes it to see that Bakugou indeed wasn’t making things up and Ed just wasn’t just seeing things. With that, a light ‘hmm’ is uttered from his lips.

“Never knew they were hiring.”

                  Ah, it was so amusing to hear someone yell under him, and while he wanted to get the boy even more riled up, they had a job to get to. Well, if they get hired. He wasn’t sure how difficult that’d be in Koi.

                      ❝ ….That’s it? That’s all you give them? Ugh, just follow me, ❞ he was expecting something more out of the others mouth, but he wasn’t quite sure what that was. He continued to drag Edward until they got to the door, and grabbed him another application from their bulletin board.

                  ❝ Ya applying or am I the only one sending this stupid thing in?” he finally let Ed’s arm free, figuring he’d need that one to write. He had no idea how well Ed could use his prosthetic arm.

                      ❝ Or maybe they’ll think you’re too young and damn short to work here. I’m getting a coffee, ❞ and with that statement, he pointed at the table, 

“Fine,” He says with a pout, “Though I still have some Yen left over from this time I had a competition with my mentee, I think I’ll be fine before I really have to go looking for a job.” Really, he was rather stubborn about trying to find an actual job. Throughout his life, he was used to his job being a state alchemist and paid for what he did. He was also used to getting free food and lounging, so having to actually work for it? It kinda pissed him off! But he could try to manage, he just hoped whatever job he could find was something suitable for his path. “But I’ll look for some jobs. Whatever’ll make you stop calling me a shortstack!”

              Wait, this guy was from Japan? He was pretty short, but he didn’t look the least bit Japanese. Though, Bakugo didn’t really have distinguishing features either. His angry face didn’t help, it was probably giving him wrinkles. He let out a grunt and continued to drag the boy. They’d be there soon.

                But what he didn’t expect was someone to intervene. He did ask on the Koi network if someone was willing to train with him, but he wasn’t sure if anyone actually saw his request. Maybe this person did? Something was weird about the explosion he just made. Did it bounce off something or rather?

                    ❝ Hey, show yourself! I ain’t got time for the likes of you! ❞  he hollered, waiting for their answer.

He only got more heated as the cursed word ‘shortstack’ kept being repeated at a constant pace. Gritting his teeth he yells, “God– I’m going to kick your ass if you don’t stop calling me-!” He attempts to clap his hands together and perform alchemy but the kid grabs his metal arm with a tight grip. Damn! The kid could snap that arm like a twig with all that force, and if that happens? Winry’s going to kill him! “Watch the arm! At least grab the arm that has flesh!” He exclaims, “-Why do I have to go with you?! Do I have to sign something? If this is a contract I’m not joining–!”

                   ‘The Flesh’? The hell was he talking about—actually, now that he got a better look at the scrawny kid, he was missing a damn arm. And was he about to do something before he grabbed him? Bakugo narrowed his eyes and decided to swap hands. It’s not like he was being nice, or anything.

explosivebeliever‌:

          even dressed in his hero garb, shoto isn’t affected much by the cold. his left side sends warmth through his veins, keeping the boy from shivering while he traversed through the cave.           he’d received a letter days before explaining his task – the teacher who had sent it off had kept themselves anonymous, but shoto had his own suspicions. they had specified that he’d be working alongside one of his classmates, and when midoriya hadn’t also received a letter for the same task, he’d expected the worst.           and of course, fate is not so kind to him.           he hears the other before his eyes adjust enough to the blackness of the inside of the cave, the other’s incessant whining echoing through the caves and shoto wants nothing more than to plug his ears full of cotton. of course – out of everyone to be paired with for something such as this, it would be bakugo. the teachers must be aware of their rivalry, and decided it would be best to pair them together for this mission.           it’s here that he wishes, for the very first time, that his father would have been the one to appoint him to this task – the prideful man would have boasted that the son of the number one hero ( ugh ) would be perfectly capable to handle this on his own.           at least, that’s what he’d like to believe.

          ❝ i don’t like it either, but we’re being forced to work together. ❞ it’s not like they haven’t worked together on a few choice occasions – but bakugo certainly isn’t his first pick.           shoto sighs and does his best not to give too harsh of a glare towards the other, and in an act that could be perceived as kindness, he steps over to bakugo’s side, his activated left side sending a steady hot cloud of steam up towards the cave’s ceiling.            ❝ keep close if you want to stay warm. or don’t. it’s your choice. ❞

                 Honestly, Bakugo wanted nothing more than to run away from this place… but he didn’t know what would happen. Why this task was appointed to them other than improving teamwork, he had no clue. There wasn’t much explanation in the letter, other than stating they had to save someone and bring them back safely. But the only danger about this cave was the damn cold air. There were no signs of life, besides the two bickering.

                    ❝ What--…!? ❞  a pause. Before he could complain more, the Earth beneath them started to rumble. It felt like an earthquake, though a mild one—small enough for chips of the cave to fall. He managed to keep his balance, but now he had no choice but to stick near Icy-Hot.

                    ❝ Dammit, at this rate we’ll be squashed like a bug. You better not die on me, ❞  not that he needed him in the first place, but he didn’t want to hear Deku’s complaints for days. He knew the other boy worried about the Icy-Hot bastard. 

                    ❝ If a boulder falls down, I’m crushing it, ❞  out of instinct, he activated his Quirk, but it was only a mildly small spark of energy. It didn’t seem life-threatening at all. He ignored that fact, and kept following ahead, until there was a fork in the road before them. 

explosivebeliever‌:

     the mountains were always a perfect place for the hero-in-training to continue strengthening and honing his quirk’s power. they were remote enough that no buildings could potentially be destroyed should her push himself too hard, but the city was still close enough for him to be able to walk, er, run ( if that was what you could call ) … to and from his desired training spot.       midoriya hadn’t been to his usual spot as of lately, preferring spend most of his time with todoroki– or exploring more of koi. usually he only came up here when todoroki had other plans, or wandering about didn’t sound as appealing as it normally did ( also… getting lost was starting to get REALLY old ).       truthfully, sometimes he didn’t even TRAIN while he was up here. just wandering through nature and taking his time to admire his surroundings was just as therapeutic as destroying a massive rock with his feet or fists. today was one of those days– just one where he wanted to wander about and see how the changing seasons would look, likely just as pretty as the city was, but without all the holiday decorations.       midoriya hadn’t realized just how far off the path he’d wandered until a stick snapped beneath his feet, green eyes widening out of surprise. oops. had he really… meandered this far away ?      the familiar voice that … sorta greets ( ? ) him makes the young man nearly leap out of his shoes, scarred fingers reaching to part the branches enough so that his head could poke through.

     ❝ k–… kacchan ?.. is that you ? ❞

                It didn’t take long for his victim to show themselves—his eyes immediately went from anger to confusion and surprise. He really wasn’t expecting to see Deku here, of all places. He expected him to be outside of this stupid Koi fish place. There was a long pause on Bakugo’s end as he took the moment to register that the greenbean was, in fact, nearby.

                  ❝ Deku…… ❞  he wanted this camping spot, didn’t he? Is that why he was here? It didn’t seem like he was hiding, though—just… possibly lost. But he refused to believe that. He wanted an excuse to shout at him, even if only once. ❝ The hell ya doin’ here!? This is my training spot, not yours! ❞  he protectively stayed near his tent, but with just one swift movement, his tent fell over. It wasn’t even halfway set up yet. Just great...

Edward was quietly awaiting for his next roommate to arrive, he had a few pop in and out from time to time, parting their own ways. This time around, he didn’t quite know his roommate well. Were they nice? Were they easygoing? Were they chill with him and his weird food tastes? He could only hope. Finally, a kid with platinum blond hair barges into the room. Oh, how rude! Ed’s done it before, but this peeved him to no end! He tried telling the kid not to barge in like that, but the kid seemed to ignore him. Instead, the kid seemed transfixed on some paper. After what seemed like ages that the kid was stuck inside of his room, he steps out again, (thankfully) closing the door gently than before. In an instant, Edward hears the word bug. His eyes dance around the room, searching for the apparent ‘bug’ until he realizes the kid’s talking about him. …Bug?  He’s not a bug!

“Whattaya mean bug?” He raised an eyebrow with a sigh, his anger not getting to him this time around. …Wow, did he jinx that one. How dare this kid call him short!

“SHORTSTACK?!” He booms with rage. before stomping and bolting ahead to block his way. “I’M NOT A SHORTSTACK! YOU TAKE THAT BACK. NOW!”

                     Oh, the supposed bug heard him speak. Whatever, he was in a hurry to turn this application in. But if this kid didn’t move an inch, he was about ready to blow up the paperwork. They had extra applications, so it was really no big deal, but it would be improper manners—though this guy was really getting him on edge.

                        ❝ You heard what I said. You’re a petty shortstack of a kid, ❞ he scoffed, fingers twitching for action. This ‘kid’ was pretty agile, it wasn’t every day someone could get around the Bakugo Katsuki. How irritating. He did, however, take this as an opportunity to take the time to think. Just then, his mind clicked. This shortstack was here because he was his new roommate. That must be it. God, why did they even bother going through all this trouble?

                        ❝ Either move or I’m dragging you with me! Y-y’know what, screw it, I don’t have time for this…! ❞ using his strength, he reached over to grab the blonde’s arm, and headed for the door. They might as well talk while he’s on the run. He just really needed a job, and if this kid didn’t have one either, he was going to make him get one. Time to go job hunting.

                 The toughest part about moving to Koi was finding a job. He desperately needed one, he couldn’t depend on whoever the hell his roommate was. It shouldn’t be that hard for someone like Bakugo Katsuki, a grade A student, to find a job, should it? He sure as hell hoped not. Though, there were very many, limited options that he wanted to do.

                                                Customer service sucked.

                                                                                Really.

                But if that was the only option he had, he’ll apply. He squinted at the application in annoyance, furiously put his signature on it in dark pen, and stood up. He’ll deliver this and go grocery shopping with what he had. There was other food in the fridge, but he wasn’t touching that. Who knew where it came from.

                Right as he headed out of his own bedroom, he met eye to eye with a blonde looking idiot. Maybe his eyes needed checked—perhaps he needed glasses.

I’M SORRY HE’S BEEN DEAD. I’ll fix that soon!!

K I’m doing a, uh, one of those things! of what I owe and stuff! thread tracker? ya! you might get tagged if you’re threading with me!

             Lately, there hasn’t been much for the Bakugo Katsuki to do. He recently purchased a tablet to look up the daily information on UA. He was still considered part of the school, after all. And he knew there was plenty he was missing out on, but for the time being, he was in Koi for his own reasons. What he really wanted, though, was to have more options when it came to doing something.

            He did consider finding a job. He did kinda need one, and he decided to search today. But that search didn’t last long when his tablet started to act all wonky. His whole body twitched, and he tapped it repeatedly, in attempts to ‘wake it up’. He even turned it off and on again. While the page failed to load like it should, he growled and tossed the tablet onto the ground. He was pretty high up, hanging out on a playground set, and not caring if he somehow hit someone with the tablet below. There shouldn’t be anyone out this early in the morning, though. Everyone should be at school, right?