STRINGS // KATSUKI BAKUGO [2]

Chapter 19 // Time

Your anxiety returned when Aizawa parked in front of your house, more immense than before.

"You want me here or inside?" he questioned, turning his head to look at you.

"Here," you replied, pushing open the passenger side door. "Like you said, this is my mission."

You pushed your anxiety down into the pit of your stomach as you exited the car and approached your house.

Unlike the day before, you ascended up the porch steps with determination instead of fear. You were scared, but you refused to show it even if there was no one around to witness it.

You didn't waste any time while entering. You practically shoved open the front door and immediately dropped to your knees to start inspecting the floorboards.

You tried to find a hollow spot, but there was none, so you simply began tearing away at the wood. You used your bare hands to pry the planks up and see the ground beneath.

You did this until every floorboard of the first floor was removed, which left every room of floor-less except the kitchen since its floor was tiled.

There was nothing.

All that was beneath the floor was piles of dirt, an odd amount of dust, and tons of cobwebs. The occasional spider scrambled past every now and then.

How could there be nothing?

What else could your father have been referring to?

Was he simply so deranged that he started spewing out quotes due to paranoia, or was he actually trying to help you?

You returned every floorboard to its original place, although they were now much looser than before, and headed back outside where you climbed back into the passenger seat of Aizawa's car.

Aizawa, noticing you were empty handed and not in despair with the discovery of any body, spoke, saying, "nothing?"

"Just dirt, dust, and bugs," you sighed, wiping your dirtied hands on your pants. "What else could my dad have meant?"

"Maybe he was just talking about the underground in general," Aizawa suggested. "Maybe the League said something in the presence of your dad like a possible location or place they're holding your mother and Bakugo underground."

"Maybe," you said, almost frowning as you rubbed a hand down your face. "God, I thought I had something."

"You did," Aizawa assured. "You do. It's something we can work it. It just might take a little bit of time."

"Hm," you sounded, resting your elbow on the jutting out edge of the window, "it always comes back to time, doesn't it?"

¥¥¥

You were in and out of sleep that night. You never stayed asleep for more than a few minutes before waking up and having to shift your position.

When 1 A.M. rolled around, your bladder decided it was time to stay awake, and you found yourself getting out of bed to take a journey to the bathroom.

You stumbled down the hallway of the second floor, rubbing your tired eyes with the back of your hand, and eventually stopped halfway through your walk to gather your bearings.

You looked around and eyed every door around you, thinking for a few silent moments.

Where was the bathroom?

You couldn't remember.

You blamed it on your exhausted state and stumbled to the most familiar door. However, upon pulling it open, you found it was just a closet.

Where was the bathroom?

How come you couldn't remember?

You yanked open another door to find an office and then another to discover a home gym.

Where was the bathroom?

Why couldn't you remember?

You turned to make a b-line for Aizawa's room only to come a halt when your brain short circuited, and you realized you had no idea where his room was.

You opened another door, or what you thought was another door, but it ended up being the same closet you had just been in front of moments prior.

You felt your eyes beginning to burn and throat starting to close up as your frustration grew stronger.

"[L/N]?"

You whipped around at the sound of Aizawa's voice to find the man standing at the other end of the hallway, hair pulled back into a messy ponytail and clothes wrinkled.

You sniffled, blinking rapidly to avoid producing any more tears, and wiped your damp cheeks.

Aizawa, immediately picking up on your distress, began to stride toward you, asking, "what's wrong?"

"I..." you trailed off, almost feeling ashamed about what you were going to admit. "I can't find the bathroom."

You could tell if the sound that left Aizawa's mouth was a sigh, a scoff, or a breathy chuckle. Maybe it was a mix of all three.

"I'm sure that's nothing to cry over," he stated, but his words only made you sob more because it was very much something to cry over, but he didn't know that.

The one thing you've always feared most is forgetting, especially after being brainwashed. You were scared to forget your friends and family again, to forget Bakugo again, but, now, there was nothing you could do to stop the process, to reverse it.

It was inevitable.

"I forgot where the bathroom is," you began, "and I forgot where your room is. I forgot where every room is."

"You're probably just tried," he said.

He reached out his hand and brushed his thumb across your left cheek, getting rid of a particularly heavy tear trickling down your face.

You weren't tired. You were dying, and you didn't know how much longer you could lie about it.

"[L/N]," Aizawa continued, voice strained, "is there something you need to talk about?"

Need? Yes.

Want? No.

Did you listen to your brain and inform those around you of your fate, or did you listen to your heart and hide your pain to get the job done?

"Where's the bathroom?" you eventually asked, deciding to continue on with keeping your condition a secret.

"First floor," he replied, not questioning the sudden change in topic but also sounding evidently confused, "on the right at the bottom of the stairs."

"Thanks," was all you could manage in response before promptly walking past Aizawa and heading for the stairwell.

You weren't even on the right floor.

[EDITED]