Izuku sat at the edge of his tub, still sporting sweaty street clothes from sprinting through Musutafu.

Tenya and Shoto both insisted that they give him a ride home, despite his reassurances that he would be fine walking.

In the end, he didn't really have much of a say, since they were both final with their decisions on the well-being of others--especially himself.

The first thing he did after bidding his friends goodbye and entering his house, was of course, go straight to taking a bath.

He was aware that soaking blistering feet in ice-cold water wasn't the best notion, but the numbing sensation it provided was suitable for the occasion.

It was always such a cinematic feeling, being surrounded by absolute silence in a room with an echo.
Even more so, that Izuku was shin-deep in chilling water, trying his best not to dampen his already mudded clothes.

Every drop, breath or shuffle could be heard, but after the faucet closed, there was nothing but a deafening silence.

Izuku hated the quiet.

Throughout adolescence, quiet was his means of brainstorming, dreaming of his future.
But as more time passed and more tragedies arose, quiet would become the soil for seeds of doubt, hurt and anger in Izuku's mind.

Katsuki's disappearance pushed him over the edge.

"Hm."
Izuku mused, combing his fingers through the surface of the water.

To think, the one time Izuku went off the handle as bad as that, he has no recollection of the event?

'They deserved it, though' he thought.

He swept his fingers through once again, splashing droplets against the glossy tile of his bathroom walls; causing some of the lapping water to spill.

Katsuki would've yelled at him for something like this.

"You know," Izuku suddenly perked up, as if he'd just acknowledged unseen company,

"I don't even know if it was painful. You know, the light that took you. Was it even a light? I mean, witnesses could be pretty unreliable. For all I know, you could've been snatched by a UFO."

He chuckled at the thought.

"Sorry, sorry. I know, I'm a comic book geek. But imagine the headlines."

He made a box-shape with his hands,
"Katsuki Bakugo. More extraterrestrial than anyone could've predicted."

Ah.
That didn't feel right.

It was almost a chemical reaction to even mentioning Katsuki's name as a means of satire; the feeling of dread crawling at the back of his throat.

He began to feel nauseous.
Cold.
Frozen.

In an attempt to subside this stand-still feeling, he allowed his body to fully slide into the water.

His clothes were heavy.
It didn't feel right, but it didn't feel wrong, either.

Like his body was fighting the urge to feel comfortable.

But he didn't want to feel comfort.

He wanted Katsuki.

Was it really wise of Izuku to dedicate that much of his time, effort and affection to simply the memory of someone?

It wouldn't be absolutely impossible for Katsuki to be a completely different person if he were there, but then again, who cared?

If Katsuki was living, breathing and standing right in front of Izuku, Lord knows that he'd be within a tight embrace before he could even object--being held and treasured, showered with 'I love you's and ceaseless tears.

Nothing, no-one, would ever be able to fill the gap that Katsuki left behind.

And without closure, Izuku was just...
Falling.

...

The city at night was eerie.
Ochako couldn't help but feel uneasy onlooking a quiet street through the blinds of the hospital window.

It was empty, dull and almost hypnotic. Without the passing cars or walking pedestrians disturbing the picture every few minutes, it was almost as if she were looking at a painting.

A painting of a silent, unforgiving city.

She felt quite alone at the time, since visiting hours were long over, but she couldn't bring herself to sleep.

Things were still unclear.

Yes, both she and Izuku had acknowledged at least part of their mistakes, and had apologised as such.

But where did they go from there?

Yes, they're on good terms, but where do they start?
How does a friendship that has survived this many bumps rekindle what it used to be?

Was that even possible?

Ochako had stared at the empty street for such a long time, that her vision had long blurred and lost focus.
Which is why she was surprised–to say the least–when there was a hint of movement from within the blurred setting.

Momentarily dazed and perplexed, she rubbed at her eyes, then strained her sight to behold...
A man?

Of course, it wasn't unusual for persons to be walking around at night--especially in a buzzing city like Musutafu--but something about this particular person...Was odd.

They'd stepped into the illumination of a street light, making themselves visible in the first place, before ceasing all motion completely.

They were adorned in a rather generic grey trenchcoat, with no discernable features besides twisted wafts of dark hair.

Ochako furrowed her brows in confusion towards their mannerisms–or rather, lack thereof.

She observed as the stranger had begun rolling up the sleeves of the trenchcoat, upturning pale, bare palms to face the night sky.

'The hell?'

The unknown figure then turned their palms to face the hospital building.

Before Ochako could even guess as to where this was leading, a blinding light shone through the window, nearly knocking her off the bed.

In fact, the light shone so sickeningly bright, that even as she shielded her eyes with her fingers, it shone through like a luminous x-ray.

Ochako could barely keep her eyes open, as the brightness was overwhelming.

As the light still shone, however, she began to feel the air suddenly grow thinner, as though she were in a vacuum.

It almost reminded her of her training with thirteen, the similar feeling of air being pulled from around her.

When the light subsided, Ochako couldn't even hear her own heavy breathing.
In fact, she couldn't hear much of anything over the sound of the falling rubble.

The building...Was falling apart.
...

4 years ago

Heavy breathing emanated from within the confines of the poorly-lit alley, a heavy dust cloud beginning to bloom from the buildings that lined it.

Pale, dry hands had planted firmly onto the culprit's trembling shoulders.

"Yes... You'll do nicely."

"H-Huh? I don't know what you're–"

The stranger's grip on the junior's shoulders loosened, as he pat his back with a playful vigor.

"Come on, boys. We got exactly what we came for."
He called to an unseen group as he led the boy out of the alleyway.

"Boys, he says."
Another man came into view, swiping a thumb over his nose-piercings.

The teen was becoming progressively alarmed with every passing second.

"W-Wait--sir, what could you possibly need from me? I'm... Just a menace..."

Vermilion eyes stared blankly at him for a moment, before the stranger grinned from ear to ear.
Something about him, despite making such a harmless expression, was reeking of malicious intent.

"I need you,"
He pointed at the gaping hole that spread across a number of the already dilapidated buildings,
"to do that again for me."
As if he were oblivious as to what he was inferring, the grin that he bore was on the verge of splitting his face in half.
"Now... What's your name, boy?"

The younger's eyes sparkled with what he assumed was an admiration, a sense of dependency overwhelming him. This was the first time anyone seemed to acknowledge him; and his purpose.

"...K-Kagayaki."