[Expected. Katsuki disconnects the call and turns to face the window again. He's only bothering to let the few closest friends he has here know about this. As Raidou knocks on the door, the automated function kicks in and slides its panel open with a gentle hiss. Evening glow fills the room with a warm orange, highlighting Denji's sleeping form on Katsuki's bed. His disappearance at midnight did nothing to help his boyfriend's trauma, nor the hours through that dark time until Katsuki reappeared in the morning light. Took him all day to calm Denji down until he was able to sleep again.
A bowl of half-eaten rice with toppings fills the room with a savory, spicy flavor, mingling with the pot of tea warming over Katsuki's portable burner on his desk. A strange picture of peacefulness, but the kind suggesting not everything's all right in the scene.
He moves away from the window to face Raidou, baring a collection of new and oldscars. The wounds on his chest and right arm still look relatively fresh. Only a week or so old, with stitching and staples visible with bandages half done. But perhaps most telling is when Katsuki moves, his right arm stays dangling at his side. Fingers not twitching, muscles still, his limb shattered and torn apart, now together but useless.]
[Raidou steps inside, silent as ever, taking everything in with a brow furrowed in concern. Katsuki doesn't look great, to say the least. He takes a few tentative steps inside, unsure of what to do other than nodding at Katsuki's request.]
Do you want to talk elsewhere, or...
[Or would he rather the serenity of this place right now?]
[Katsuki shakes his head slightly, gesturing for Raidou to have a seat if he wants. He approaches him and uses a foot to nudge the chair out from under his desk.]
No. I don't wanna be gone when he wakes up.
[Denji would snap. He picks up the kettle and pours a glass of tea, puts the kettle down and picks the cup up, then approaches Raidou and offers it to him. One armed work. Fun.]
The worst part was... I didn't remember anything from here.
[Raidou sits down, folding his legs underneath him. Luckily when Yuji returned home, it happened so quickly that Raidou didn't have a chance to notice. Had he, he would have been in a panic much like Denji.
He takes the tea with a thankful nod.]
That seems common. But at least you remembered being here when you returned. People forgetting ever being here the first time has also occurred.
[Nanami, for example.]
I'm not sure what to make of it. Why LILITH would do this without people's consent or seemingly at random times.
[He shakes his head lightly, taking a careful sip of tea.]
It... looks like a lot happened while you were gone.
[Katsuki's vanishing for several hours had a very adverse affect on his boyfriend. Especially after Romania. He feels guilty for it, even if that's a fucking stupid think to guilt himself over. Not like he had a choice in the matter.
Once Raidou has his tea, Katsuki makes to grab his bowl from the desk, stops with a grumble, and has to get up to walk around and grab it with the other arm. Fucking thing.]
I don't think those people are the "same" people who came here before.
[He works his chopsticks well enough with his left hand. Even if he's right dominant, he trained himself to be ambidextrous for this exact possibility. (Plus all the kids in his neighborhood went "OOOOO!" at his amazing skill.) Denji's become a good cook.]
Tch. Who knows. They won't answer if you ask.
[Back to chewing.]
Aa. The war ended. We were able to save most of them.
Probably not. The universe is very big, after all.
[Them being entirely different versions of the same version will not surprise the guy who knows one of his own alternate universe selves.
The smiles a little at that.]
Of course you did. I'd expect nothing less.
[Winning the day, that is. No matter how difficult it was, and it must have been awful from the look of Katsuki. Raidou's eyes flick to that unmoving arm.]
But it seems like it was a pretty difficult ordeal.
[Raidou had his own alternate self experience. Katsuki's not met a double of himself, but he knows the Nanami that's here now is not the Nanami he was close to before. Frustrating reality, but nothing he can do about it.]
Damn right we did. [Returning to Neo Tokyo is a crash of bitter feelings and relief, but this time made easier without the looming shadow of his world and war hanging over him in unknown clouds.
Raidou's unspoken question in his note earns a quiet exhale.] The doctors said it'll never go back to normal. He suggested amputation if I want to keep being a hero.
Hell no. My Quirk comes from my palm. [He drops his eyes to his arm, hanging useless at his side, but still there. Still with him. It's never failed him even in its final moments. Like hell is he gonna give up on it.]
I'm gonna kick that physical therapy's ass and bring it back to full strength no matter how long it takes me.
Perhaps LILITH can do something to help without replacing it. Ah, some kind of device to bring back movement. [He taps a finger lightly on his mug in thought.] I'm hardly the expert though.
... How do you feel about being back here, though?
Hmph. Of course I can. [He won't let Raidou's faith in him down, for his own pride as well. Thinking of LILITH offering him some kind of device to help move it leaves Katsuki silent for a while. But ultimately he shakes his head against it.]
The doctor said I shouldn't be moving it apart from exercises. [Rushing its recovery, as much as he wants to do so, would only risk fucking up his progress later on. He has to be patient. And it's hard.]
Tch... Pissed and relieved. [Angry he's "kidnapped" again, but happy to be back with his friends and the people he cares about.] It's easier, knowing how the war ended back home.
Aa. I'll need some help moving it so it doesn't freeze up.
[He won't ask Raidou to do that now, since he'd rather not wake Denji up with a stray bark of pain.]
It's not so bad now. [He leans back in his chair and lifts another bite to his lips.] The war ended in my world. If it can end there, then I'm gonna make sure it ends here.
[War isn't eternal. And he won't accept that way of thinking. He's here to end this fucking thing. And he will.
Katsuki tenses slightly, then "kicks" Raidou's shin under the table like a petulant teenager.]
We'll end these things and save this world. Then decide where to go from there.
[Bakugo doesn't know if he wants to stay or return. Far more willing for the former now that the main clash in his world is done. But... it depends also on Denji, and whether or not they can return to each other's worlds, not just their own.
Or he'll stay here, content knowing his world is safe.
Hmph, that grin across from him, as attractive as ever cause it's so stupid rare.]
Does your voice even go above a loud talk? You had to call your demon names out at home.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
@Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight ... [evening]
Those bastards sent me home.
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What happened? Are you alright?
Do you want to meet to talk?
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We won. Japan's safe. But we couldn't save everyone.
[As for himself...]
You should come over.
[Sure, punch your friend in the gut, why don't you, Katsuki.]
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A bowl of half-eaten rice with toppings fills the room with a savory, spicy flavor, mingling with the pot of tea warming over Katsuki's portable burner on his desk. A strange picture of peacefulness, but the kind suggesting not everything's all right in the scene.
He moves away from the window to face Raidou, baring a collection of new and old scars. The wounds on his chest and right arm still look relatively fresh. Only a week or so old, with stitching and staples visible with bandages half done. But perhaps most telling is when Katsuki moves, his right arm stays dangling at his side. Fingers not twitching, muscles still, his limb shattered and torn apart, now together but useless.]
Hey Raidou. Don't wake him up.
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Do you want to talk elsewhere, or...
[Or would he rather the serenity of this place right now?]
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No. I don't wanna be gone when he wakes up.
[Denji would snap. He picks up the kettle and pours a glass of tea, puts the kettle down and picks the cup up, then approaches Raidou and offers it to him. One armed work. Fun.]
The worst part was... I didn't remember anything from here.
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He takes the tea with a thankful nod.]
That seems common. But at least you remembered being here when you returned. People forgetting ever being here the first time has also occurred.
[Nanami, for example.]
I'm not sure what to make of it. Why LILITH would do this without people's consent or seemingly at random times.
[He shakes his head lightly, taking a careful sip of tea.]
It... looks like a lot happened while you were gone.
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Once Raidou has his tea, Katsuki makes to grab his bowl from the desk, stops with a grumble, and has to get up to walk around and grab it with the other arm. Fucking thing.]
I don't think those people are the "same" people who came here before.
[He works his chopsticks well enough with his left hand. Even if he's right dominant, he trained himself to be ambidextrous for this exact possibility. (Plus all the kids in his neighborhood went "OOOOO!" at his amazing skill.) Denji's become a good cook.]
Tch. Who knows. They won't answer if you ask.
[Back to chewing.]
Aa. The war ended. We were able to save most of them.
[The villains...]
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[Them being entirely different versions of the same version will not surprise the guy who knows one of his own alternate universe selves.
The smiles a little at that.]
Of course you did. I'd expect nothing less.
[Winning the day, that is. No matter how difficult it was, and it must have been awful from the look of Katsuki. Raidou's eyes flick to that unmoving arm.]
But it seems like it was a pretty difficult ordeal.
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[Raidou had his own alternate self experience. Katsuki's not met a double of himself, but he knows the Nanami that's here now is not the Nanami he was close to before. Frustrating reality, but nothing he can do about it.]
Damn right we did. [Returning to Neo Tokyo is a crash of bitter feelings and relief, but this time made easier without the looming shadow of his world and war hanging over him in unknown clouds.
Raidou's unspoken question in his note earns a quiet exhale.] The doctors said it'll never go back to normal. He suggested amputation if I want to keep being a hero.
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Raidou considers that for a few moments.]
That's a tough decision to make. LILITH can probably help, but...
[He knows how his friend feels about their surgeries and body modifications.]
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I'm gonna kick that physical therapy's ass and bring it back to full strength no matter how long it takes me.
[Even if it hurts like hell.]
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If anyone can do it, you can.
[He means it.]
Perhaps LILITH can do something to help without replacing it. Ah, some kind of device to bring back movement. [He taps a finger lightly on his mug in thought.] I'm hardly the expert though.
... How do you feel about being back here, though?
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The doctor said I shouldn't be moving it apart from exercises. [Rushing its recovery, as much as he wants to do so, would only risk fucking up his progress later on. He has to be patient. And it's hard.]
Tch... Pissed and relieved. [Angry he's "kidnapped" again, but happy to be back with his friends and the people he cares about.] It's easier, knowing how the war ended back home.
[That overwhelming shadow of pressure now gone.]
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[He's not sure what else to offer in a time like this.]
Sorry that you had to go through all that, only to end up back here. Where the war might never be over.
[Raidou covers up a hint of a smile with his tea mug, though.]
But I have to say... It'd be too quiet here without you.
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[He won't ask Raidou to do that now, since he'd rather not wake Denji up with a stray bark of pain.]
It's not so bad now. [He leans back in his chair and lifts another bite to his lips.] The war ended in my world. If it can end there, then I'm gonna make sure it ends here.
[War isn't eternal. And he won't accept that way of thinking. He's here to end this fucking thing. And he will.
Katsuki tenses slightly, then "kicks" Raidou's shin under the table like a petulant teenager.]
Urusei. Learn to be noisier.
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[To end this kaiju meance, and make this place safe for those who live here, and those Outsiders like himself who want to stay.
That kick only gets another grin from him.]
Don't really think that's my forte. I'll leave it to you.
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[Bakugo doesn't know if he wants to stay or return. Far more willing for the former now that the main clash in his world is done. But... it depends also on Denji, and whether or not they can return to each other's worlds, not just their own.
Or he'll stay here, content knowing his world is safe.
Hmph, that grin across from him, as attractive as ever cause it's so stupid rare.]
Does your voice even go above a loud talk? You had to call your demon names out at home.
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I can be loud. Only when I need to be, I guess. You'll have to wait and see if I ever get my demons back to find out.
[Got to have a commanding presence, after all.]
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[Using "vague" or "unchanging" as an excuse for planning ahead is bullshit. That's why you plan in the first place!]
Hmph. If you do, I better be one of the first three you tell.