His Deafened Dream

3

{Bakugo POV}

He came back to school on the day he got his hearing aids.

"Make sure you aren't too loud around Midoriya. His ears are sensitive." Sensei said at the dorms. He had a backpack slung over his shoulder. He awkwardly smiled, waving at all of us. My eyebrows furrowed as I sat far away from the group.

"I'm sorry to hear about it."

"I-It wasn't your fault, Todoroki-kun. Don't apologize, I'll manage."

He wasn't exclaiming like an idiot anymore. He was talking quietly. Was it because of his ears?

"Deku-kun, make sure to tell me if you need anything, ok? I'll help as much as I can." His friend said in a low whisper.

"Thank you, Uraraka-San."

"Tch." I rolled my eyes as everyone greeted him quietly. It felt way too different. Normally the extras were too loud. Now they were too quiet.

"Kacchan." I flinched, turning around. Deku was standing there, his wide eyes blinking rapidly. His lips were pursed. "Um...can we talk?"

"Hah? Hell no, fuck off."

"But...But I really need to talk to you."

"Don't give a damn." I stood up, walking away.

"Bakugo, that was mean, man."

"Wait, Kaccha—"

"I said to fuck off!" I flinched when I realized I accidentally yelled. Deku flinched, before covering his ears with his hands. His face trembled for a few seconds before it settled.

"Bakugo! No yelling!"

"I just want to talk..." He looked at me all shyly. His skin was sorta pale, so his black hearing aid was clearly visible. That just made me feel even more bitter.

"What, and make me feel fucking guilty?"

"N-No!" He said quickly, shaking his head.

"You're making it stupidly obvious you think it's my fault," I said, my fists clenching.

"I don't think it's your fault, Kacchan..." He said, taking a step closer. "I really don't...! I just want to talk because I think YOU think you're at fault..."

I furrowed my eyebrows, pissed he knew exactly what I was thinking. Turning around, I stormed towards the elevator, pressing the button and stepping inside. Deku was looking at me, waiting for me to say something.

"The hell are you so slow for? Hurry the fuck up."

He brightened, running after me.

"Cover your sensitive-ass ears," I said, and he did exactly that. "Don't you extras follow us. I'll kill you!"

With a ding! the elevator doors closed.

. . .

"Close the door.

"Sit on the bed.

"No, take your shoes off first, idiot."

This no-yelling rule is getting on my nerves.

"Um...So..." He took a deep breath. "Kacchan, I know what the doctor said. About...y'know, me losing my hearing because of the blast wave and such, and you think it's your fault..."

"What, suddenly it isn't?"

"I'm not saying it is, or that it isn't. It's not your fault. It's no one's fault." He said. "I was being reckless. Really, really reckless."

"No shit."

"I think I fainted under the building that collapsed." He said, rubbing his head. "The doctors said I had damaged my auditory nerve already. The blast wave just finished it."

He looked at me before quickly looking down.

"Um...so I'm just saying most of it isn't your fault."

I stayed silent, processing this information. What did it change? He was still deaf. It was still my fault.

"So you're saying I made the situation worse."

"Wait— Kacchan, why do you take everything so negatively? You know that's not what I'm saying."

"What, so you're trying to comfort me? Wow, it's working so fucking well."

"I'm not trying to comfort you either. I'm just telling you the situation...!" His voice raised slightly, but he didn't dare raise it too high.

"This pisses me off. What, first I cause the end of the greatest, number one hero." He stayed silent at that. The bitter feelings of that memory started rushing back as I stood up. "And lookie here, I've ruined his number one fan."

"You didn't ruin—"

"Get out."

"Wait—"

"Damn, you've gotten confident." He flinched when I placed a hand on his shoulder. "Didn't I tell you to get out?"

He stared at me, before shoving my arm off. "I'm not like I used to be. I'm not scared of you, Kacchan."

"That's good for you. Get out."

"Not until you listen to me. Kacchan, you can't just place all the blame on yourself. Why do you do that?"

"Don't tell me what I can't do."

"Kacchan—"

"If you say another word I'm going to rip out those hearing aids and blast them to dust." I snapped. A heavy pressure pushed me down, making me feel heavier. Deku clenched his fists.

"Fine then. Do it." He muttered. He snatched his hearing aids off, placing them in his palms. "Do it!"

Instantly, his voice sounded slurred and weird. I could see his hands trembling as he was engulfed in silence again.

"I can't hear you. I can't hear your blasts anymore. So do it, blast them and see if that makes you feel better about yourself, Kaccha!" I noticed his watery eyes. He grabbed my hand, sending a spark up my spine. He placed the hearing aids into my hands. "It's peaceful without the sound anyway and I can use sign language, so I guess they don't matter anymore, huh?!"

He wiped his tears, flinching as he rubbed his ears aggressively. "It was stupid of me to think you had changed..."

And with that, he walked out of the room, his hearing aids in my hands. With a loud creak, the door shut.

"The fuck..." I stared at the two tiny objects in my hands, thinking about what had just happened. I sighed, pissed at myself. I rubbed my head, releasing yet another sigh. "I fucked up..."