Polishing Pillars to Shine

Ch 22: Coffee

As if Katsuki's night hadn't already gone to shit, he walked into the teachers lounge to see Hawks drinking coffee straight from the pot.

Bakugo sneered. Too cranky to deal with hawks and his shit. "That better not be the last fucking pot."

"And what if it is?" Hawks raised a brow at him. As fast as he seemed to be he was ridiculously slow at realizing he was number 2 on Katsuki's past pro shit list.

"Then your flying your ass to the nearest convenient store feather fucker." Bakugo glared. "I'm not subjecting myself to your backwash."

"There's a fresh pot brewing over here not so young Bakugo." All Might's voice urged Katsuki into casing the other half of the room. The tension in his shoulder's lessened as he saw All Might sitting across from Best Jeanist. "It should be ready in a few minutes. You're free to have a seat while we wait."

"So long as you don't blow up the table." Jeanist added, fixing his hair. "Though I don't think I have to tell you that anymore do I?"

"Nah." Katsuki cracked a smile recalling when he'd blown up a rather expensive table cloth at his internship with Jeanist when an extra said they were out of coffee. The explosive pro sauntered over to the pair. He dragged out a chair and collapsed into it.

"How are your young selves?" All Might asked him leaning towards him eager information.

"Recovery girl not givin' you updates?" Bakugo frowned at the former pro.

"Truthfully, I'm almost too scared to check my phone.  The state you boys were in..." All Might clutched his phone tight.

"Lil Deku and I got a little roughed up but we'll heal up fine. Stop worrying. It's too late for this sappy shit. I came here for coffee, I don't need..." Bakugo dragged a hand along his face. "...whatever this is."

"Very well. If that's how you truly feel..."

"It is." Bakugo insisted. "Geez. If your so bothered why don't you go up there and sit at Deku's bedside. I'm sure the nerd'll be elated to wake up and see you."

"Young Midoriya isn't my only concern, not so young Bakugo."

It took Katsuki's tired brain a second to realize that All Might was talking about his younger self and not some other actual problem.

"The fuck you worrying about me for?" Katsuki frowned, even after all these years he was taken aback by All Might showing him anything close to the preferential treatment Deku usually got.

"For starters you were poisoned with a fast acting venom that nearly stopped your heart." Best Jeanist spoke up. "Hawks and I would've gotten there too late. He has a right to be concerned about your condition. I am as well."

"Well you both can knock it off. Shouto burned the poison right up. It's like it wasn't even there. Young me'll sleep it all off. You'll see."   

A silence would have settled- if Hawks didn't slurp from the pot again.

Katsuki wanted to kill him. His younger self would have acted on the impulse and blown him up a bit but the blonde of the future had far more restraint. God did he hate that guy.

He shut his eyes and started counting backwards from ten to calm himself.

"Bakugo."

"Mm?" He lifted his head-when had he put it down? Had he dozed off? He looked around, All Might was gone-so was the hawks fucker, he blinked tiredly at Jeanist. The man had a cup of coffee in his hand but he looked hesitant in passing it over.

"Your coffee's ready." His old mentor told him.

"Huh? Fuck how longs it been? Damnit, Shouto's gonna worry. Why'd you asshole's let me drift off?"

"You looked tired." Was Jeanist's simple reply.

"I-I'm not-" He pulled out his phone. He didn't carry on with the denial.

He was.

"Fuck this schools archaic wifi-shit won't send."He shoved his phone roughly into his pocket. "I-I've gotta get back." He snatched the coffee out of Jeanist's hand. "Never let me doze off like that again."

He rushed out the teachers lounge. He almost spilled the coffee twice. About a million Deku grade apologies just for Sho on the tip of his tongue when he ran into a pull door he tried to push. He cursed the door, the school and the pack rat that had designed them-and almost ran over Shouto. Not his Shouto mind you. The teen one.

"Sho shit almost turned you into peppermint dust. You good?"Katsuki finally slowed, pausing to take the teen in again. He looked worse than when he left him. More tired, but also something else.

Teen Shouto's face remained blank. He said nothing.

Katsuki's brows furrowed. "Chin up, Candy face. I asked you a question."

Teen Shouto's mouth pressed into a thin line. "I'm tired. I'm going back to the dorms."

"You let yourself go alone?" Katsuki frowned further as the kid shrugged. "Wait here-just give me a sec. I'm gonna walk you back."

"That's-"

"It's not up for debate, Shouto. Two seconds."

Bakugo slipped past the teen and walked over to a half awake adult Shouto. He sighed at his husband. That explained it. "Oi, drink some of this. Wake up. I'm taking Young you back to the dorms."

"I said I didn't want anything." Adult Shouto murmured, but he accepted the coffee gratefully none the less.

"Don't drink all of it, I'll be back for the other half. You can heat it up again for me when I get back." Katsuki pressed a quick kiss to his Shouto's forehead before he was sprinting out to where he left teen Shouto. Expect the kid wasn't there and he was already briskly walking a good ways down the hall.

Fucker.

"Oi. I told you to wait." Dynamight jogged up to him. "It's not safe."

"I'm fine to walk by myself." Young Shouto insisted. "I'm uninjured- I don't need a guard."

"Keep telling yourself that princess."

Young Shouto shoved his hands in his sleep pant pockets. "I want to be alone."

"That's too damn bad, not gonna happen."

The noise of frustration teen Shouto let out had Katsuki raising a brow. "It's a safety measure. What's the big deal?"

Young Shouto didn't answer him. His mouth staying firmly shut in displeasure.

"Fine be that way." Bakugo sighed. "Still not letting you end up in a hospital bed."

There was a twinge deep in teen Shouto's gut at the statement. That was exactly the problem. He couldn't stop replaying the moment that teen Bakugo had jumped in front of him and the consequences he'd suffered from taking that damage. What he had to go through..that scream he'd let out when his older self had burned the poison out of him, the teen felt sick. 

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Alright guys! Here's a shitty chapter! Next chapter will be out soon and be better than this one hopefully! Point is we move forwards! 😤

1. What do you think teen Shouto needs to learn/see about Bakugo the most?

2. Any sorts of trio moments you'd like to see?

3. Anything else you'd like to ask, rant and or tell me!