Tch. [Which, at least, Deku should know means Bakugou is actually going to do that. After all, he has what he wanted.] What the hell is all of this, huh?
[Listen to that dismissive snort. He's so very clearly in a mood.]
You calling me an idiot? [Listen to that venom, Deku. Even in the memories you've gotten back, it must have been a while since he last sounded like that.] I know damn well we're not in our world anymore. Even in the past, 2026 wasn't like this.
Was it a quirk?
[They live in roughly the same direction, after all. It isn't unheard of that they would both be caught up in something spread out wide enough.]
[It is very familiar, but it shouldn't be, and that's worrying him.]
I doubt it. There are others from other worlds that have come here, too, and quirks don't exist where they come from. But also, I was born and raised in this world.
It's a phenomenon people have in this world. It happens to a lot of people who have access to magic. We have memories of a life lived in another world, and sometimes, people from those worlds come here. For me, those memories are of the life the person you call "Deku" had. And since I didn't grow up with you in this world... that isn't a name I've ever had used on me. That's how I know where you're from.
[Perhaps, if it was even one month later, if they'd at least gotten through their first term finals, Bakugou might have actually let himself believe Deku a little easier.
As it is, he's just letting out an absolutely annoyed noise.]
That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Should've just known you were gonna be completely clueless. Thought I'd get at least something useful out of you.
{For both of their sanity and the safety of however much city is between them at the moment, Bakugou is going to assume that Deku isn't talking about the sludge filled, burnt up alleys he walked through on the way here. He's going to assume Deku doesn't mean that damn river.
Which means he's talking about before all of that.]
What kind of stupid question is that? I was walking home from school.
[Honestly, it's a factor of just how weird this situation is that Bakugou is giving Deku an answer at all.]
[Oh the annoyance suddenly gripping him. What did he do in class today?? What did he do????
Is Deku trying to piss him off? Is he trying to goad Bakugou because he got his stupid name okayed while Bakugou didn't? Is he trying to make a point with whatever weird reason he had behind choosing Deku?]
I'm not lying to you. I just want to know what you remember. Because I have memories of living in the new dorms at UA. If you were going home, that doesn't match up.
[Congratulations, Deku, you've earned a second of consideration.]
U.A. doesn't have dorms. [And Deku... wouldn't mess with him with something so out of left field. Something that doesn't make sense and is so blatantly false.] ... I was heading home from school. Midnight just had us do that stupid codename class.
It's not a test; that day was.. months before what I have memories of.
[He's clearly thinking.]
Which isn't that surprising, but it is really disorienting... But if you haven't been through those things yet, I shouldn't tell you about them, I don't think.
[AUGH. That's even more annoying when he can't see it or punch it to get it to stop.]
Ugh. [He's so ANNOYED. Which means he's not listening to Deku at all.] Meet me somewhere then, damn nerd. If you're gonna stick to this shitty story, then come prove it.
[At this point in their relationship, he's pretty sure Bakugou wouldn't be... worried about him. Even at the point he remembers, that wouldn't be a word he'd use.]
[Yelled with his whole chest so immediately. Did you miss this, Izuku? Did you miss this harassment?]
-- but. [Here, he's suddenly gritting his teeth, letting out a frustrated noise before continuing.] Something's going on here. And you're the only damn person I recognize in this city. So you're gonna explain what's really going on. And you're gonna prove whatever stupid shit you're trying to hide behind.
Before he ends the call and goes to blast his way seaside, himself. Hopefully the seals will leave him alone today (they won't, it's a 7). He doesn't even know what he did to them.]
[But he WILL show up, probably right at that ten-minute mark, looking a little nervous. He's dressed completely casually, no sign of UA or All Might representation. He's carrying himself cautiously, but not unconfidently, and most importantly...
[His hand's not fucked up. There are zero scars.
[Also, there's a Hawlucha hanging out behind him and backing him up.]
[It's probably strange, seeing someone from distant memories in the flesh. Probably weird, to find him standing on a beach in the middle of America, wearing clothes that are just as casual. Just as meant for fitting in here, whatever the hell that means.
His hands are in his pockets, his eyebrows furrowed as he scowls at some spheals that are rolling in an ominous circle nearby. He swears they keep getting closer.
But then, there comes Deku. With a damn... luchador owl behind him? It's enough to make him pause, but it's everything else that puts him on edge.
The lack of the muscle that Deku had put on since middle school. A posture that is still anxious, but not anxiously confident the way he's gotten in front of Bakugou, lately. And more importantly-- his hand is completely in tact. It had barely been a full day since the sports festival, when he got pulled in here. But he'd seen that Deku's stupidly mangled hand had been healed.
Well, if you could call having crooked fingers and being covered in scars healed.
So, after a moment, Bakugou is shifting his stance into one that's a little more guarded, a little more like he's preparing for a fight. And his tone is low and serious as he says, quite simply.]
[Now, he's not too lean; he isn't anywhere near as buff as he'd needed to be back home, but he's got some power here. Power that Bakugou doesn't know about, technically, but it's pretty similar to what he knows Izuku can do... only he's had way longer to get used to it.
[Bakugou airs his demand, and Izuku levels him with a firm but anxious look.]
I did. I'm from this Earth. You're from a different one. That happens here. Some people remember their other lives, or.. that's what we think they are, anyway. Other lives, past lives... whatever they are. I have a lot of those memories, but... only til a few months after what you seem to know.
[Oh, the way Bakugou is halted in place so immediately. The way his shoulders tighten and he bristles before he turns around, eyes narrowed, teeth grit, and his mouth pulling down into a sneered out frown.]
... the hell did you say, Midoriya?
[There's something about that response that makes Bakugou want to push. He doesn't want this imposter to be the guy who drives him insane, sure. But it's somehow weirder to see someone who is exactly like Deku, just... a few degrees to the left.
[urk. Yeah, that's actually kinda scary, isn't it? Deku doesn't like it, but he also... doesn't like the idea of him walking away like this. Of being dismissed.
[He's standing his ground.]
You're writing me off even though I know so much about you? You don't even know what I can do.
[It's the eyes, isn't it? This kid's eyes are stubborn, sure, but they don't have that same light that Bakugou hasn't been able to kill back home. It pisses him off.]
I'm not gonna waste time finishing what someone else started.
[Why does this make him so mad? Why does he feel the need to bite back? He's being looked down on, and yeah, he knows this feeling. The memories have said enough to that effect. But it's different now, and no matter what he feels in his life as Midoriya Izuku, it still feels wrong to look at this face and feel rejection in this way. He's never been Deku, but it still feels personal.]
Are you that afraid of seeing a version of him that might be stronger than you?
voice; un: bakusatsuou, you know when
un: izooku; voice
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[He sounds so accusatory with it.]
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The hell do you-- yeah, the city. [Good luck, Deku.] What did you get me dragged into?
[It really, really does just track that if Deku is here with him, he sure as shit is involved in whatever weird thing is happening.]
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[s i g h]
This is Kaisou City; we're in America. You were in Japan before, right? But it's 2026 here, and that's not the year it was for you.
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You calling me an idiot? [Listen to that venom, Deku. Even in the memories you've gotten back, it must have been a while since he last sounded like that.] I know damn well we're not in our world anymore. Even in the past, 2026 wasn't like this.
Was it a quirk?
[They live in roughly the same direction, after all. It isn't unheard of that they would both be caught up in something spread out wide enough.]
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I doubt it. There are others from other worlds that have come here, too, and quirks don't exist where they come from. But also, I was born and raised in this world.
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And stare.
And stare.]
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I'm not in the mood for bullshit, Deku.
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It's a phenomenon people have in this world. It happens to a lot of people who have access to magic. We have memories of a life lived in another world, and sometimes, people from those worlds come here. For me, those memories are of the life the person you call "Deku" had. And since I didn't grow up with you in this world... that isn't a name I've ever had used on me. That's how I know where you're from.
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As it is, he's just letting out an absolutely annoyed noise.]
That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Should've just known you were gonna be completely clueless. Thought I'd get at least something useful out of you.
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I'm not clueless, you're just not listening... [let him drag his hand down his face.] Okay. What is the last thing you remember happening?
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Which means he's talking about before all of that.]
What kind of stupid question is that? I was walking home from school.
[Honestly, it's a factor of just how weird this situation is that Bakugou is giving Deku an answer at all.]
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Of course you were, but wh--[wait.
[Izuku blinks at his phone, trailing off as that realization hit.]
Wait, walking home? What did you do in class that day? [Don't you live in a dorm?]
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Is Deku trying to piss him off? Is he trying to goad Bakugou because he got his stupid name okayed while Bakugou didn't? Is he trying to make a point with whatever weird reason he had behind choosing Deku?]
Do you want to die?! Where the hell are you?
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[THANK GOD FOR THAT.]
I'm not lying to you. I just want to know what you remember. Because I have memories of living in the new dorms at UA. If you were going home, that doesn't match up.
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U.A. doesn't have dorms. [And Deku... wouldn't mess with him with something so out of left field. Something that doesn't make sense and is so blatantly false.] ... I was heading home from school. Midnight just had us do that stupid codename class.
The hell is this, some kind of test?
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[He's clearly thinking.]
Which isn't that surprising, but it is really disorienting... But if you haven't been through those things yet, I shouldn't tell you about them, I don't think.
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Ugh. [He's so ANNOYED. Which means he's not listening to Deku at all.] Meet me somewhere then, damn nerd. If you're gonna stick to this shitty story, then come prove it.
[How, Bakugou. How would this be proven??]
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[At this point in their relationship, he's pretty sure Bakugou wouldn't be... worried about him. Even at the point he remembers, that wouldn't be a word he'd use.]
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[Yelled with his whole chest so immediately. Did you miss this, Izuku? Did you miss this harassment?]
-- but. [Here, he's suddenly gritting his teeth, letting out a frustrated noise before continuing.] Something's going on here. And you're the only damn person I recognize in this city. So you're gonna explain what's really going on. And you're gonna prove whatever stupid shit you're trying to hide behind.
Where are you?
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Give me some time. We can meet on the beach.
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[Is what he'll growl out, low and so, so annoyed.
Before he ends the call and goes to blast his way seaside, himself. Hopefully the seals will leave him alone today (they won't, it's a 7). He doesn't even know what he did to them.]
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[But he WILL show up, probably right at that ten-minute mark, looking a little nervous. He's dressed completely casually, no sign of UA or All Might representation. He's carrying himself cautiously, but not unconfidently, and most importantly...
[His hand's not fucked up. There are zero scars.
[Also, there's a Hawlucha hanging out behind him and backing him up.]
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His hands are in his pockets, his eyebrows furrowed as he scowls at some spheals that are rolling in an ominous circle nearby. He swears they keep getting closer.
But then, there comes Deku. With a damn... luchador owl behind him? It's enough to make him pause, but it's everything else that puts him on edge.
The lack of the muscle that Deku had put on since middle school. A posture that is still anxious, but not anxiously confident the way he's gotten in front of Bakugou, lately. And more importantly-- his hand is completely in tact. It had barely been a full day since the sports festival, when he got pulled in here. But he'd seen that Deku's stupidly mangled hand had been healed.
Well, if you could call having crooked fingers and being covered in scars healed.
So, after a moment, Bakugou is shifting his stance into one that's a little more guarded, a little more like he's preparing for a fight. And his tone is low and serious as he says, quite simply.]
Explain.
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[Bakugou airs his demand, and Izuku levels him with a firm but anxious look.]
I did. I'm from this Earth. You're from a different one. That happens here. Some people remember their other lives, or.. that's what we think they are, anyway. Other lives, past lives... whatever they are. I have a lot of those memories, but... only til a few months after what you seem to know.
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He hates Deku, because he knows Deku.
That asshole has been on his heels since they were kids. They've gone to the same school, been in the same class-- he sits in front of him, now.
And this Deku... he's annoying, sure. But he's missing that spark in his eye that really set Deku off.
So, at the end of that explanation, Bakugou is just curling his lip upward in a distasteful sneer.]
... so you're just an extra wearing his face. Tch.
[This is a waste of his goddamn time, then.
Which is why, after all of that, he's just going to turn to walk away.]
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[And he can't help but do something about it (9).]
... You're still that arrogant...
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... the hell did you say, Midoriya?
[There's something about that response that makes Bakugou want to push. He doesn't want this imposter to be the guy who drives him insane, sure. But it's somehow weirder to see someone who is exactly like Deku, just... a few degrees to the left.
And yet, he's daring to say shit like that?
His hand raises, sparks dancing across the palm.]
Wanna try that again?
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[He's standing his ground.]
You're writing me off even though I know so much about you? You don't even know what I can do.
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Who cares? You already look half dead.
[It's the eyes, isn't it? This kid's eyes are stubborn, sure, but they don't have that same light that Bakugou hasn't been able to kill back home. It pisses him off.]
I'm not gonna waste time finishing what someone else started.
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Are you that afraid of seeing a version of him that might be stronger than you?