triangles are the strongest

"Twice, wake up our guest."

"Wakey wakey." A gentle hand lays on Bakugous shoulder. "WAKE UP!!" The hand shakes him, hard.

Katsuki opens his eyes, scowling around the room. He's chained tightly to a chair in a small bar, and his hands are contained the same way they were at the sports festival. It's cold, tight, and chafing his wrists in a disgustingly familiar way. In front of him is a broad man covered in spandex, and when Bodysuit steps away he sees more villains.

"Is your neck sore?" Drawls the man covered in scars and staples with a smirk. "It's rare that I keep someone alive, so my aim might've been off when I knocked you out." He smiles, and it radiates danger.

Bakugou continues to glare. The one with the scars doesn't break eye contact.

"Why the fuck am I here?" Katsuki decides to ask.

The villain dressed in bright colors and a hat pulls out a deck of cards before answering, "We thought we should introduce you to the aftershow."

"I'm asking Freakshow here," Bakugou grumbles.

"Call me Dabi." Dabi finally breaks eye contact, glancing across the rest of the room. "I'll watch him for now, go have an orgy or whatever. I don't care." Surprisingly, the others leave at his command.

'What's an orgy?'

"What the fuck? Did you fuckers drug me?" There's no other explanation for that voice in his head (that sounds mysteriously similar to Half n Half).

'My name is Todoroki, actually. Dabi has my dad's eyes. Ask him about it please.'

'Fuck off and die.'

Dabi looks at Bakugou like he's grown two extra heads. "That would be... Counterproductive, seeing as we want to gain your trust. What makes you say that?"

Katsuki hesitates, trying not to squirm uncomfortably at the villains amused expression. "..... Nothing."

"I don't believe you."

'I wouldn't believe you either.'

"Shut up." Oops. He hadn't meant to say that out loud.

Dabi raises an eyebrow at him, holding up a hand and setting his fingertips on fire. "Something tells me you weren't speaking to me just now. Care to tell me what's up?" He closes his hand around the flames and shakes his arm, almost as though it hurts.

'My older brother had a similar quirk, and it hurt him too. He's dead.'

"Who's quirk did this? Why?" Whatever's happening, Bakugou isn't happy about it.

A meaningful look is sent his way, icy stare slicing through him.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Katsuki-kun." Dabi begins studying his fingernails, feigning nonchalance.

"Don't call me that."

The villains eyes gleam with amusement, scarred lips quirking up at the sides. "Why not, Katsuki-kun? Also, you never answered me earlier. Is your neck sore?"

Katsuki narrows his eyes at the grotesquely scarred man in front of him. "Why do you care?"

"Just wanted to know if my aim was off. It's easier to knock someone out than you'd think."

'Just one firm hit to the neck, under the ear, with a palm. My father taught me.'

"My father taught me. Despite how terrible he is, he taught me some valuable lessons. All it took to have you defenseless was a single hit, just under your ear, with my palm."

"Why are you telling me this?" Katsuki is growing increasingly uneasy now. This is creepy as fuck.

"Adults have failed you, too." Dabi's voice has gone cold, hateful. "Recognize those restraints, Katsuki-kun?"

He looks down, nauseous with the realization. "I've been in them before."

"I know. The sports festival. Those so called heroes put you in the same chains. Same model, actually. Did you know those are the real deal? Your teachers put you in the same quirk restraints, same muzzle, as they use for high profile criminals." Dabi looks up at him again, voice softening slightly. "Shigaraki wanted you immediately after he saw that. You're powerful, you're volatile, you had a flashing neon sign above your head signalling you to be a good target. And the heroes put that target on your head."

Bakugou Katsuki doesn't cry very much. He doesn't cry easily. His mother taught him from a very young age that crying is weak. If you cry, someone will take advantage of that vulnerability. Even if they're your own mother.

Surprisingly, the villain doesn't take advantage of the situation. Instead, he crosses the short distance between himself and the crying child tied in a chair, stroking his cheeks and slowly counting down from one hundred. For some reason, he remembers a moment from when he was young, but from Deku's perspective.

"'Kacchan! Are you hurt? I was worried you'd hit your head.'"

For the first time, Katsuki can't help but wonder if he should've accepted his help. Maybe it was fine to ask for help sometimes.

~*~

Kirishima is very concerned with Todoroki's behavior. He's weird, yes, but today he's using a different brand of weird. What does "I can feel his dreams" even mean? Why did he want to know what an orgy was? Eijiro decides that the manly thing to do is see if his friend is ok, and if not, to provide a shoulder to cry on.

"Hey, Todo-bro? Are you all right?" He reaches a hand out and gently places it on a cold shoulder.

Before answering, Todoroki takes a long sip from his juice box. They're in the hospital cafeteria after seeing that Midoriya is still (mostly) unconscious.

"Do you think the teachers made a mistake?" Todoroki finally looks up, heterochromatic eyes red rimmed and nearly leaking. "At the sports festival?"

This catches Eijiro off guard. "W-what do you mean, bro?"

"During the awards ceremony, when the teachers tied Bakugou up. Those were criminal restraints." A tear leaks out of Todoroki's right eye, and Kirishima can't not gape at how his friend pushes forward in a deadpan voice, crying actual tears. "Should they have let him say no to the award?"

Well, shit. How come this had never crossed his mind before? Before he can respond, though, Todoroki manages to say one last sentence before collapsing into Eijiro's shoulder, sobbing quietly.

"Aren't the teachers supposed to be heroes?"

~*~

Upon waking, Izuku can't help but wonder if this is what a hangover feels like. When he was younger and his dad was still around, Hisashi Midoriya would often complain of pounding headaches, sore muscles, lights that are far too bright, and a very empty stomach. Currently, Izuku is feeling all of the above.

He opens his eyes and immediately regrets it. He's in a hospital, with lights that are far too bright, and the floor to ceiling windows are allowing far too much direct sunlight to shine on his face.

'You're up,' chimes Todoroki's voice. In his head.

'I think whatever deity exists must really fucking despise me. First I get kidnapped, then hallucinations, I cry on a fucking villain, and now another voice in my head. Please let me die quickly.' And that sounds like Kacchan.

'I heard your dreams.'

Izuku decides that he's probably still asleep, turning his head away from the window and slowly opening his eyes. His whole body is stiff, but it looks like his Mom wants to make sure he's ok. Even if this is just a dream, he wagers his Mom would do the same in real life.

'This is the real life.'

'No, it's just fucking fantasy.'

'Kaminari is coming to say hello, Midoriya.'

A hand wraps around the hospital room's sliding door and gently nudges it open to reveal a wide-eyed, very nervous Denki Kaminari.

"Oh. You're up! Have you seen the news?"

The entire class swamps into the room after that, and for some reason Mineta brought a melon.

'That slimy purple pervert is so fucking annoying.' Kacchans voice says.

'I'd like it if he stopped trying to touch YaoMomo. It's not her fault she has to expose her skin for her quirk. Also she's a lesbian.' Comes Todorokis voice.

Izuku can hardly focus on the conversation in front of him. Even though he's dreaming it seems like he knows exactly what's going on where Kacchan is. Why is the League offering him candy? And why does Todoroki keep thinking about his brother?