𝓐𝓷𝓭 𝓨𝓸𝓾'𝓵𝓵 𝓑𝓮 𝓜𝔂 𝓠𝓾𝓮𝓮𝓷 (BNHA/BKDK Fantasy AU) [EDITING]

Quarter Four Prologue

Midoriya didn't show up yesterday.

Bakugo was always out in the forest at this time, lingering around, waiting for his dear friend to arrive. He always forced himself to wake up as the sun rose (which, as the months passed, turned into a natural habit) then escaped the walls of his castle and the borders of the city into the woods. He would arrive at the assigned meeting spot for playdates with his friend: a large three where all the weeds were gathered, and the letters 'D' and 'K' were etched into the front. It usually didn't take long for the other to arrive.

But for some reason, Midoriya wasn't there yesterday.

Bakugo forced himself to leave after a few hours. He slowly wandered home that day, cheeks wet with the remains of tears from when he felt eerily alone. He trudged his way through his castle down, dragging his feet through the cobblestone streets like a large, old, exhausted horse would drag their hooves. And with a deep breath, he forced himself to let go of his desperation and make his way through the castle doors.

He came back the next day.

Of course Bakugo came back the next day! Why wouldn't he? Midoriya was his best friend, his calming reminder that everything was ok. And wasn't Bakugo the other's inspiration? Wasn't he the other's image of victory?

Bakugo missed him a lot more than he thought he would, and only after one day.

So now he sat by the edge of the tree, the feeling of the bark uncomfortable and scratchy on his bare back. Midoriya once asked him why he never wore a shirt, and the boy remembered him answering, "Shirts are a bother. The summers are too warm for all that unnecessary clothing."

And Midoriya asked, "But the winters are cold! What do you do then?"

Bakugo grinned at the memory, reflecting on the way he would always answer, "I'd suffer through it and be the best! The cold can't hurt me!" Of course, that was a lie, and Bakugo wore an appropriate amount of clothing during the colder seasons.

A quiet laughter filled the silent forest as Bakugo reflected on the memory, and suddenly, he was reminded of why he was here. Midoriya. Izuku. Deku. His best friend.

The bushes shifted.

Bakugo glanced up. He stood and faced the bushes, but he was not afraid.

"Deku?"

Another young boy stepped through, his green hair blending in with the plants around him. His clothes were a little more wrinkled than normal, and his body looked light and frail. He moved with exhaustion and dread in every step, every twitch, every clench of his hands on his cotton pants.

Midoriya glanced up and smiled, but his eyes lacked the magic of love in them. They only carried a heavy weight Bakugo didn't recognize. "Hi, Kacchan."

Bakugo stood up and raced over to his friend. "Deku! Where were you yesterday? I was waiting for you all day! I had so many things I wanted to do with you, and then you didn't show up!"

"... m sorry..." Midoriya mumbled.

"We were supposed to explore the east side of this forest, remember? Wasn't it supposed to be close to that village? I really wanted to see it, you know! An actual Emberium village!" But as Bakugo continued on his rant, he realized how Midoriya wasn't acting like himself. He was completely still, his eyes were wide open, and he wasn't saying anything.

Something was wrong.

"H-Hey," Bakugo whispered. "What happened? You know I'm not actually mad at you, right? I'm just picking on you!"

Midoriya only held his head down, and that made Bakugo feel even more guilty. "N-No! Please believe me! I didn't mean to hurt your feelings! You're my best friend! You know that, right? I didn't mean to... I'm so sorry! I- I love you, Deku! I don't wanna make you cry-"