The Kids from Yesterday 

Chapter 1: The last of all the rides

Kirishima put his sunglasses on, the sunshine reflected on the car’s glass, causing him to squint his eyes to see the road he was driving on. From the window, a gentle breeze entered the vehicle, rich with salts and sea grass notes.

Kaminari turned his head towards him, ignoring all Kirishima’s scolding for having his foot on the dashboard, and smiled brightly, incapable of holding in his enthusiasm.

“Man, just smell the air! We’ve just entered the city and it’s like we’re already on the beach. This shit is crazy, I can’t wait to put my butt in the water.”

The redhead smiled fondly at him “Yeah bro, it’s really different from what we’re used to. Maybe after we drop our luggage at the hotel, we can go see the beach” he whispered, glancing in the rearview mirror to look at the three other people sleeping in the back. Mina and Sero were deep asleep with their heads resting on each other. They passed out right after they stopped to change the driver and guide after several hours spent driving. Jirou was sleeping against the window with her headphones on. They needed to rest, hell, all of them needed a much-deserved break after so many years had passed without rest.

The war they witnessed and fought, in their teenage years, left them drained and deadly tired, physically and emotionally. Once Shigaraki and All For One had been defeated, Japan needed everyone’s help to rise from the ashes. After the dead had been buried and the rubble cleaned, it was time to rebuild their society, with new laws, new needs, and a renovated vision of heroes’ work and responsibilities. The road was still long, and the civilians were still shocked and not inclined to trust heroes as they used to, but they were working hard to gain their trust once again.

So, after their graduation from UA and a few years spent working incessantly as pros, they finally managed to get some free time to have a holiday together. The whole Bakusquad hit the road and traveled to Fukuoka, a city on the sea in the south of Japan.

Kirishima shook his head slightly, it's the squad, just the squad he thought angrily, tasting the familiar acrid bile in his stomach at the thought of Katsuki.

He wondered once again when all this rage and sadness would go away, when he could leave behind the first stages of his grieving to embrace a more quiet and serene mourning, when the memories of his young, talented and loved friend would leave him with just a sad smile on his face instead of a chasm in his chest. He wanted to think of the blond and be able to remember all the time spent together without tearing his heart apart, just fond and grateful of the time they managed to spend together and the feathery touches they managed to share. Instead, here he was again, trying to fight back the tears and stay focused on the road in front of him, while the vivid image of Bakugou’s lifeless corpse appeared in his mind, the blood on his chest haunting his memories. One of the many victims of a war fought by kids who should not have had to give so much and paid the biggest price.

“Stop!” Denki shouted in his ear and pressed a hand on his chest just as a bus honking its horn got his attention. Kirishima blinked, suddenly coming back from his subspace. He had missed the stop sign! He pushed hard on the brake, just in time to avoid a collision with a bus crossing the road in front of him.

A stream of curses raised from different voices in the car, all now fully awake and scared.

“Man, what the fuck, how did you manage to miss a freaking bus!” Sero shouted from the back, grabbing Eijiro’s shoulder and forcing him to turn towards him. The tears on his cheeks and his terrorized face stopped Sero from cursing at him.

Mina joined the conversation. “Kiri, babe, why don’t you pull over the car and let Denki drive? You must be dead tired too, to miss a stop signal.”

Kirishima sighed, wiping the tears quickly with the back of his hands, he drove past the intersection and pulled the car over.

“Yeah, hell knows I need to fucking rest.” he murmured while undoing the belt.

“Denks, would you mind driving for the last part? We’re almost at the hotel anyway. Shit, I couldn’t even drive for a bit, what a shitshow I am”, and without waiting for a response he opened the door to take Kaminari’s seat. Inside the car, the other passengers glanced at each other over the miserable display.

The blond started the car once again and looked at the roads shown on the map. Ready to bring everyone to their destination and to try to lighten the mood he said, “Fuuuck Kiri, you know we don’t get paid enough to crash! If I knew how life would be now when I was growing up, instead I would have dreamed of becoming an engineer or something like that! We’re freaking broke!”, he received some small laughs from the back of the car. After some minutes of silence, the blonde started to laugh out loud, “Wow, everyone of us has said at least one curse in the last 5 minutes, guess we really took cursing as Bakugou’s inheritance.” he said, a fond tone in his voice.

“Yeah, he would pretend to be disappointed in us, but deep down he would have been proud. You know how he smiled when he thought nobody was looking at him” Jirou said, joining the conversation after her nap. Kirishima’s lips trembled a bit, as they always did when thinking or talking about their friend, and managed to whisper softly “Yeah, he would be really fucking proud.”

Denki stopped the car in the hotel’s parking lot, and everyone got out to take their luggage. They managed to find a shared flat with three separate rooms, one for Mina and Sero, one for him and Kaminari and the last one for Jirou.

While he was putting his bag on the bed, trying to find a swimsuit and towel to bring with him, he really hoped for his sanity that his friends would be too tired that night to fuck, or at least have mercy on his single heart and be quiet. He loved them all, he was willing and ready to give his life for them, but sometimes being surrounded by happy couples made him sick. Even if Momo and Hitoshi couldn’t manage to be there with them due to their work schedules, they still called their partners every single chance they got, making him feel alone. He felt guilty thinking that he was quite pleased that he didn’t have to sleep by himself and that he would be way more miserable if all the couples of the group would have been together during their trip.

He was happy for them, don’t get him wrong, he cherished their love and felt at peace knowing that the people he loved most have someone they trusted by their side, but he also wondered if he would ever feel that feeling again in his lifetime. After the war, after Bakugou… he didn’t even dare to think about a love interest anymore. He was too scared to get attached again, to fall in love and be torn away from them; not that he thought anyone else in the world could be compared to the explosive guy. No extras could ever make him fall as hard in love as Bakugou had.

Shaking his shoulders to ease all the tension, the sturdy hero took his bag and a deep breath, before leaving the room with a smile on his face. This was his life now, it had been like this for the past five years, and he had all the intention to get the best out of it. He wanted to live to the fullest, for Dynamight and all the other people who didn’t have the chance, and because he knew he deserved to be happy after so much pain. He was going to have a great holiday with his best friends, because they have earned it, and he will manage to bring back the sunshine attitude that he had forgotten to have. This was going to be the time to change things for good, he promised that to himself.

After leaving the hotel, they caught a bus in the direction of Fukuoka tower. The streets were crowded, full of people running to their jobs or just enjoying a walk. Skyscrapers were everywhere, touching the sky, a neat contrast to the sea a few meters ahead, gently caressing the sandy beach with its perpetual movement.

Following the road, they arrived at Momochi seaside park. The beach had white sand and faced Nokonoshima island, and they managed to find a spot to leave their bags between the multitude of people that filled the place. The beach volley fields were full of teenagers playing, there were children chasing each other happily, while the bathers chilled in the warm august water.

For the first time in a long, long period, the group of friends breathed freely, feeling at peace for a brief moment.

It didn’t take long before Kaminari tossed his clothes on the sand, herding everyone towards the shore, eager to get his limbs soaked.

“C’mon guys, what are you doing still with your shirts on? I’ve waited too long to swim!” he chirped happily, jumping on his feet, excited.

“Careful, Chargebolt, you’re going to electrocute yourself if you don’t calm down” Jirou laughed, joining her friend, and heading to the sea. The rest of them were quick to put the clothes in the bags, heading for the couple already playing in the water.

When Eijirou reached the shoreline, he tested the water temperature with his feet. He couldn’t even remember the last time he went to the beach and wanted to savor every moment of it. He closed his eyes, breathing in the salty air. He was lost in his thoughts and when he heard some stealthy movement next to him it was too late. He opened his eyes, but Hanta and Denki had already grasped him by the shoulders and the legs and in 2 seconds he found himself drowned by the sea.

He emerged from the water, tilting his head like a dog to get rid of the hairs that fell in his eyes, teeth clenching because of the sudden change of the temperature.

“Oh, come on man! I didn’t even have time to wet my belly to get used to the water!” he pouted, but the corner of his lip was already turning a pout into a smile.

“I didn’t know the great Red Riot was such a grandpa! What would his fans think about him? So unmanly!” Mina giggled, trying to imitate the deep tone of his voice. Everyone started laughing at that, and he found himself joining them, feeling light and relaxed.

They stayed in the water for a long time, playing with a ball they bought on the beach, racing to see who was the faster swimmer or just relaxing, appreciating the first holiday they managed to get since they started High School.

Time passed incredibly fast and before they knew it, it was time for dinner. The sun was starting to dip down to the horizon so they dressed up and joined the locals in the streets.

Mina was typing on her phone, her long, pink, nails tapping the screen with a pleasant sound.

“Guys, I’ve found a sushi bar that’s open that seems to be pretty good, it’s next to Maizuru park in the center, what do you think?” she asked, still scrolling through the photos and reviews of the place.

Jirou lifted her head immediately “Please! There is a sick shop I want to visit in that area, can we stop there after dinner?” she pleaded, her eyes full of hope and enthusiasm. Denki put his arm around her neck and smiled “Of course, Jack, we can’t miss the hundredth record shop you bring us to!” he told her, his tone mocking but full of affection. She pushed him away and sent an “Asshole” his way, flipping him off.

Eijirou laughed at the display, they still looked the same since high school, the best of the friends, but ready to jump at each others throats when they started joking.

Once the plan was decided, they took another bus to reach the center of the city. Here, far from the white beaches, life was bustling , with an ambush of lights and sounds coloring the approaching evening.

They waited a bit outside the bar, chattering amongst themselves, before they managed to get seats in the small place. They ordered nigiri and some beers. The dinner left them full and satisfied and lazily, they started walking toward the main street, while Jirou guided them with a map on her phone to the shop she wanted to visit.

As the sun kissed the horizon, smearing a deep orange veil on the city, Kyouka started getting excited.

“Oh, we’re almost there, I can see the sign from here! Just see, you guys are going to love it. I’ve read that the owner is a man from Norway that moved here with his family some years ago and opened this shop that has a ton of records from America and Europe, I hope I’ll manage to find some pieces I’m missing in my collection” she said, while grabbing Mina by her wrist, trying to get everyone to move faster.

As they entered the shop, the atmosphere inside brought them to another place and time, maybe in the Eighties, when some buildings were still made of wood, the air smelled like cinnamon and vanilla and the turntable played a vinyl record.

The redhead looked around in awe, the walls were covered in posters of famous rock bands, fairy lights came down from the ceiling, casting a soft light on the counters where the records were displayed, each genre of music divided and cataloged. He walked around the shop, smiling to himself when he saw Jirou and Denki talking animatedly about some records they had found.

In the background he could hear the melody of a song that was being played, but he couldn’t quite remember where he had heard it before or what the name of the band was.

Lost in his thoughts, Kirishima was trying to remember more about the familiar music, an itch tickling his brain, a feeling that the lost memory was something that he had once cared for, a moment he cherished in the depth of his subconscious.

And you want to live forever in the lights you make 

When we were young we used to say 

That you only hear the music when your heart begins to break 

Now we are the kids from yesterday 

The song got to the chorus, words suddenly reemerging, note after note breaking open the raw wound that was his heart, and Kirishima was overwhelmed by the memories that exploded in his mind all at the same time.

Carmine eyes veiled by melancholy, a rough voice whispering the lyrics in the privacy of a room, almost afraid to be heard, a calloused hand turned towards him, eager to be grabbed and held gently. 

Eijirou brought a hand to his heart, gripping the shirt he was wearing, suddenly too tight to breathe normally. He lifted his head, trying to find his friends to ground him, feeling a raging panic attack coming faster than he had ever experienced before.

He looked around the shop with frantic eyes, drops of sweat already beading on his forehead, when he saw him.

A head full of explosive, fluffy, blond hair, broad shoulders wrapped in a black tank top, a metal band logo printed on the back with two skulls facing each other.

His heart skipped a beat, too afraid to feel the dim embers of hope burning, but his mouth spoke of its own will, calling a name he did not dare to pronounce in a long, long time.

“Kats…” he whispered, a pathetic whimper of a name he once had called with fiery love, his throat now tightened by the tears that were already crossing his face.

It’s not him. It can’t be him. I’ve seen his corpse, his shredded heart. Edgeshot tried and failed. I’ve heard his last breath on the earphone. I’ve buried him. It can’t be, can’t be, can’t be, can’t be, can’t be, can’t be, can’t be, can’t be, can’t… 

He heard rather than felt his knees hitting the ground, a dull thud reverberating in his ears while all the air was drained from his lungs. Kirishima tried to breathe, but pathetic gasps were all that he managed to take in. Tears rushed from his eyes like a river flowing into the sea, impetuous and unstoppable.

From his veiled sight he saw a blur of pink and black running toward him, hands outstretched.

The blond man in the shop turned to look at the commotion, worried and confused, a pair of eyes settled on him. They weren’t the carmine he loved, though, but a light brown, like a pool of melted honey.

And that was the moment he realized that the guy in front of him wasn’t Bakugou, but just a random man who appeared to have a similar physique, just a trick his mind played on him, who wanted nothing more than to see his friend once again, at least for a proper goodbye.

He is dead. 

The thought crashed on him with inconceivable violence, sinking in with a finality he never had the courage to think about.

A scream erupted from his throat, prolonged and desperate, broken and raspy, full of years of grief, denial, sorrow.

While he was still crying aloud, everything went black.








Notes:
If you arrived here, thank you for reading! I'd love to know what you think about it.
I really recommend reading the fic while listening to the song that inspired it, here’s the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqR526rkqTM&ab_channel=SongsFromDangerDays