Right Here (Kiribaku Fantasy AU)

Chapter 11

A/N: HUGE trigger warning (there will be a little note letting you know where the content starts). But you'll find a lot of answers. See the end of the chapter for more notes.

Kirishima only glimpsed Bakugou fleetingly through the next two months. A small puff of blonde hair, flitting away through the marketplace crowd. Honestly, Kirishima didn't know why he stuck around town. He'd grown a bit detached from Deku and his friends, snapping at them more than once when they'd brought up Bakugou. They'd learned to keep their distance from the subject, as kind as they were. They'd been crestfallen when they heard about Bakugou, but they seemed sure that Bakugou would eventually come to his senses and return to them. Kirishima didn't think so.

But Kirishima no longer felt as if he had any ties, no strings forcing him to stay anywhere. His friends were fairly safe in Cappadocacia. He could just fly away, or try to find his family again. And there were other options. Worse ones. But for some strange reason, Kirishima no longer felt as if hurling himself off a cliff would be a good use of his time. So he stayed with his friends because he really just didn't know what to do.

Everything was becoming gray and pointless, but he didn't know what he could do about it.

---

Bakugou's POV

Another two months and damn, time was passing fast. He still thought about Kirishima a bit more than he should, but he couldn't push the shapeshifter out of his head. Toga didn't notice anything, going about her cheerful life as usual, and Bakugou couldn't bear to bring it up again.

He'd been settling down really quite well in Cappadocacia, and Bakugou knew he was changing. He'd lost around 40 pounds and was currently hovering at around 120 pounds at 5 foot 9. He wasn't starving or anything, he just wasn't always hungry. His activities consisted solely of walking around town and relaxing with his girlfriend. And sure, some might call it unfulfilling, but it was plenty enough for Bakugou. Things were simple, and Bakugou was fine with that.

Until one day, Bakugou was at a small cafe drinking tea (he'd begun to take a liking to it) and a small group entered, the bell at the door ringing. They were laughing and chatting as they walked up to the counter to order. They didn't see Bakugou, but there was almost no way he could leave without being spotted. But the blonde, his heart pounding, was desperate to leave, drinking the rest of his coffee quickly, picking up his book, and making a beeline for the door with his head down.

He was almost there when he heard a small yelp and collided with someone, hot coffee sloshing down his shirt.

"Fuck!" He growled, looking up to see a pair of big red eyes.

Damn it.

---

Kirishima's POV

"Fuck!"

Kirishima stumbled backward, nearly dropping the cup and saucer. Then he realized. That's Bakugou's voice. And for a moment, the shapeshifter almost let himself believe that the conversation in the alley had just been a hallucination because that gruff voice was the same as he remembered from before everything. Nothing like that stupid shy tone that he'd heard.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"

Kirishima turned, and there was Bakugou, with that disgusting fucking look in his eyes. Guilt. Because guilt wasn't something Bakugou did. It just wasn't.

So Kirishima just stared, not responding.

"I'll buy you a new one. Was that a mocha?"

Bakugou wasn't looking at Kirishima. The blonde's eyes were pointedly averted staring past Kirishima at the counter and cash register behind him.

Bakugou hastily paid for a new drink and hurried out of the cafe, Kirishima not saying anything the entire time because, of course. It was so stupid of Kirishima.

He'd been fooled so many times, but he still kept believing and telling himself that maybe things would go back to normal. Kirishima kept telling himself he'd moved on, but he hadn't, and he might never. He was too naive, too stupid.

Stupid, stupid Kirishima.

And I can accept it if Bakugou no longer wants to date me, but at this point, I just want my best friend back.

---

(OKAY TRIGGERING STUFF STARTS HERE)

(scroll)

Bakugou's POV

Bakugou was terrified.

He hurried home, hoping that maybe she wouldn't be home. He would just change shirts and she would never know.

Because Himiko Toga only repeated orders once.

Don't talk to Kirishima, She'd said. And he'd just disobeyed directly. So maybe he deserved whatever punishment he had coming.

So when Bakugou opened the door to see Toga sitting on the couch, he trudged into the house and answered all the questions that were pelted at him.

When the first blow came, he was expecting it.

When the second and third came, he didn't fight back.

After the

fourth

fifth

sixth

seventh

he couldn't count anymore.

So when it was all over, swings and cuffs later, Bakugou just spat out the blood and didn't protest when he was told to sleep on the floor.

Because he deserved it.

He was becoming a whore, a worthless piece of trash, just like Himiko had screamed.

And whatever Himiko did to him, he knew she cared for him. She just wanted the best for him.

Because this wasn't the first time.

Not even the second, or third or fourth.

And Bakugou knew Himiko was making him into a better person.

---

A/N: So that was interesting. Okay, so a bit of background info on Himiko and Baku's domestic violence and abuse. This is clearly not the first time this has happened, and if you're wondering why Bakugou hasn't reported her to the police or fought back or whatever, that's not typically the way domestic abuse works. Many victims believe it to be their own fault, or are too embarrassed to report it. Many don't think it's as bad as it really is. And plus, think about all the pressure that has been put on Bakugou by his family in the past to be "manly". (That's part of the reason I'm a bit iffy toward Kirishima's fixation on "Manliness", which includes a lot of ideas about strength) - Male rape and abuse are real, and when the abuser is female, it can really discourage male victims to seek help. And according to a ton of societal standards, men should be strong enough to not get raped or abused which is a terrible expectation, by the way. I saw online that a ton of people believe male abuse victims are weak or not as important or as worthy of attention as female abuse victims.

Also, I know this may seem extreme, but this is a reality for more people than you think and it's important to be aware.

Anyway, there's my mangled and jumbled attempt and explaining abuse. If there are any victims or knowledgable people out there, feel free to correct me because my only source is the internet and a couple of books. (I tried to do a bit of research)

Also, chapters are going to be getting a bit longer now. I just realized how short my chapters are :)))