Tics and Scratches

Chapter 19

The next time Bakugo's eyes opened, light was seeping through the small gaps in the curtains and there was a hesitant tapping at his door. Assuming it was just Aizawa trying to check he was still alive, he grunted and buried himself deeper into the covers, nestling his head between the abundance of pillows. It wasn't often that he actually felt the need to sleep in, but the soft duvet that encased him made the prospect of leaving its warmth feel almost sinful. He only lifted his head, eyes barely open, when he heard the door click and felt a presence ominously looming over him.

"I got tired of waiting, bitch." Shinsou stated before throwing himself onto the end of Bakugo's bed without a moment of hesitation. The sleepy blonde was astounded to say the least, the two barely knew each other, yet Shinsou seemed to have no worries in nestling in next to him. He didn't fail to notice however that the other boy moved cautiously, pausing and assessing whenever he saw even the smallest hint of a grimace flash across Bakugo's face.

"uh-"

"Your mums a bitch too, huh?" Shinsou questioned, going as far as proceeding to lift up the duvet and wiggle his way underneath.

"Yeah, I guess she is." He mumbled back, looking to the side when Shinsou began prodding at his side. 

"Budge up, you're taking all the space." Katsuki paused for a good minute, staring intently at the other boys' tired face before begrudgingly shuffling a bit to the side. Something about the situation filled him with a warm sense of longing - well, maybe it was more like satisfaction. The two had never really even met, yet the atmosphere wasn't awkward in the slightest. He felt...at home.

A whistle broke through the quiet air as Bakugo's body began to wake up more. The stupid noise had become more and more noticeable in his day to day life and he was sure it was about to get 10 times worse now he was living with the source. He knew Shinsou wouldn't care, yet he still tensed in apprehension of a reaction. Maybe he was expecting a question or maybe he was expecting him to morph into his mother and start hitting. But instead, the other boy breezed straight on, not even blinking at the unusual sound.

"Dad and pops said you're staying." Shinsou said it in a welcoming way, no trace of any malice in his tone, yet it still lit a spark in Bakugo. Did he want him to leave? Was this air of kindness an elaborate act?

"Yeah well I don't think I'm really welcome home anymore." He clarified, wanting Shinsou to explicitly know that this wasn't really his choice.

Shinsou hummed, seeming to be considering his next words carefully. "What happened?" He settled on. Not the most subtle or delicate ways of asking, but Bakugo admired the straight forwardness.

"Mum flipped out about me ticking. Smash, wine fucking everywhere and I was out the door." Bakugo thought it was a pretty accurate description of what went down. Maybe in the future he would feel more comfortable talking about the nuances of the event. 

"Fucking bitch." Shinsou stated, venom dripping from his words. Bakugo merely nodded in solidarity, glad that someone else agreed. 

"How did you end up here then?" He tentatively asked back, unsure whether he was allowed to ask.

"Meh, I don't really remember much but my parents didn't like my quirk and my mum decided a muzzle was the best course of action." Katsuki wondered how he could say it so casually, even as the boys hand came up to trace along his mouth where a faint scar resided. He hoped that his scar would fade like that soon. "Dad - Aizawa - found me on a job and then wouldn't let me out of his sight."

"Sounds like him." Bakugo chuckled, remembering how Aizawa's eyes never seemed to leave him as soon as things started looking awry. 

"You know, he wouldn't stop talking about how worried he was about this kid in his class to me?" Bakugo looked over in shock, watching as a smile tugged at the other boys' lips. "I'm glad they managed to save you as well." Katsuki was convinced that if Shinsou continued to talk like this the he would end up crying. The confirmation that they were happy to have him in the house, that they'd been waiting for him, filled him with an indescribable feeling of joy. "Anyway, lets go get breakfast, I'm starving."