[He knows the feeling. It hit him hard when he finally found Hawks and Endeavor in the resort. Their bodies frozen, expressions rigid without change, posed so damn naturally it'd be taken for life at a glance. He isn't sure if he'd prefer them completely blank of color to at least remove the creepy "trapped in time" feeling.
Hiyori's not hard to locate in the tennis courts. Why Jun was stuck here, he's got no idea. Maybe the guy had an interest in the sport. Compress had been in a damn magic shop. Bakugo approaches the idol silently, hands resting in his pockets as usual. This time, it's no Hiyori who has to rent a cart with his rank; he's taken care of that already. Padded with blankets and rope, the gurney-like cart rests outside the tennis courts for when it's needed.
Red eyes narrow on Hiyori's extended hand. The hell's his finger out like that for? Some kind of divining pose, or maybe a facet between the two of them they'd know alone. His footsteps fall to a pause near the pair. One arm hangs by his side, head cocking just so as Hiyori turns his head towards him.]
Hm?
[Hiyori sounds like he's about to cry... and Bakugo isn't going to blame him for it. No glittering tears to back that up. A gut-wrenching feeling, as if he'd wanted something not to be true for so long, only to realize there's no escape the reality sitting in front of him. Is that what Hiyori's going through right now?
[He jerks his pinky to demonstrate, and the string jerks with it—again, in his view. Bakugo still can't see it. Which he belatedly realizes, but his brain's so scrambled that he can't muster a proper explanation. He shakes his head, frustrated, confused and emotional.]
It's supposed to lead me to Jun-kun. Across time, and across space, he said! But it doesn't go to his statue, it just goes that way.
[He jerks his hand away from the bleachers, towards where the thread continues to stretch through the air. If he follows it, will he find Jun-kun? No, but that doesn't make any sense when Jun's name is off the registry and his statue is right here. And he already followed the string for hours yesterday, and again the day before that, both times to no avail. Which means what, exactly?
He thinks about what Hua Cheng told him over the Network again, and as he does so, his face flushes with emotion. He's still confused, still frustrated, still worried absolutely sick. But underneath all the worry and frustration and despair, the seeds of something else take root.]
[Bakugo arches a brow. He doesn't see a damn string, obviously, but if Hiyori's talking about strings and aiming his hand at Jun's statue... The hell kind of "red string" bullshit is this? Leftover from another event in the past? He quickly puts the pieces together in his mind, realizing Hiyori's been following a string to Jun. Or been trying to.
The idol confirms it a second later and Bakugo's... fuck, he doesn't even know how to feel about it. Having two whiplash results in such close succession is fucking insane. Are the statues real or are they fake? Frozen flesh and blood under stone shells, or nothing more than a chunk of chiseled stone.
He knows which one he WANTS to believe it is... which one it should be for Hiyori and his string.]
Then this- [Bakugo indicates the statues] -isn't him.
[This rock-solid thing isn't the person Hiyori's string is tied to. His Jun, the one he loves, is elsewhere. Possibly even outside the resort. Since he went the fucking home! As Bakugo said multiple times.]
You wanna keep following it or you wanna take this to your room first? Jun's back home, but I don't want this shitty place fucking around with a statue lookalike.
[He staggers in place. His thought are a dizzy whirlwind; everything he's heard about the statues rambles in his head, thrown up against this new and shocking turn. People become statues because they went too long without sex, or their fate got "used up" according to Jin Mingming. Sometimes they wake up up from being one with or without their memories, and sometimes they disappear again after that and turn to stone all over again. But whether they wake up, no one ever disappears off the registry without becoming a statue. Right? Right??
Only that's not right. Senku, he remembers, thought his friend from home disappeared without becoming one. It happens to new arrivals, or so he's heard. Sometimes the new arrival doesn't remain at the resort; sometimes they get "thrown back" without ever being added to the registry or given a card assignment. Right? Which means people can leave without becoming a statue.
And Hua Cheng, why—Hua Cheng couldn't find his husband's statue. Even though he had a red string too, it didn't lead him to one. It was leading him outside the resort, he thought. And now Hiyori, who has the same type of string, isn't being led to any statue, either. He found Jun's statue, but the string isn't attached. It's supposed to lead him to Jun, no matter what, no matter how far apart they are, according to Hua Cheng, who gifted it to him. And it used to lead to Jun: he could see it and feel it binding them, just like the gold string they had during the Hearts game.
It all makes his head spin. Either Hua Cheng was wrong about the string always connecting them, or the resort interfered with it and made it stop working. ... or else...]
...!
[Hiyori sucks in a breath.
Just like that, Bakugo said it. He said what Hiyori's been hoping for. What he hasn't had the nerve to even think out loud yet. The statue looks like Jun, it's in a place Jun frequented, and it appeared at the same time Jun vanished from the resort. But the string isn't connected, even though it's always supposed to bind them. Which means what?
That the statue can't be Jun.
For a moment, Hiyori stares, his eyes as wide as saucers and his mind perfectly blank.]
[He speaks at last. His voice is small, faint, oddly subdued, and still a little disbelieving.]
It isn't Jun-kun.
[Not Jun-kun. Not Jun-kun. The statue isn't Jun-kun.
The words echo in his head on an endless loop. It isn't Jun. The statue isn't Jun. It feels taboo thinking those words, feels dangerous just hoping. He can still hardly believe it.]
The tears come all at once, blurring his vision and spilling from his eyes. Bakugo gets only the briefest glimpse of them before Hiyori is hurtling towards him.]
Baku-kun...!
[His arms are around Bakugo's neck in a flash. Bakugo may have come here prepared to haul a statue away, but is he prepared to deal with a 177 cm, 61 kg barnacle squeezing him tightly like an octopus? Hiyori clings to him, he buries his face in Bakugo's shoulder, and a waterfall of tears wet the fabric of whatever shirt Bakugo wore for the occasion.]
[He's heard a lot about statues over his time here. Frozen corpses of each person the peacock brings in. Nothing more than stone replicas of who used to be. Still-living images waiting for a "soul" to get jammed back in. A trophy standing in for the next time a variant of this person is brought to the resort. Which one is right? They become statues for not playing the game, not fucking around. Or they become statues when the resort has no more use for them and send them back home. Or they become statues when the sort can no longer handle their activities and shuts off more interaction. But no matter the reason or the true nature... their names are off the contact list.
The exception is the ones who arrive at the beginning of every other month. Those who don't make it through their stupid "trial period" in the resort. No ranks, no statues, no contact, nothing more than a wild card in a deck of assigned suits. He's seen that happen before plenty of times. What the fuck is wrong with this place?
Bakugo glances to Hiyori once more, watching his brain spin wheels and churn thoughts as he tries making sense of this revelation. Which of all the stupid choices is he going to go with? At this point, it's nothing more than a matter of what someone chooses to believe. There's evidence to either camp. He's had his own beliefs rocked recently, but reminding himself of the newcomers and their lack of statues once they vanish has somewhat been ballast.
So if it can be either... why the fuck should this chunk of rock be Jun? Hiyori's string doesn't lead to it.]
Hmph. Told you. [Sorry, Parrot. Even in this emotional moment, Bakugo's still found a way to be brat. Even if he's doing it for a "nice" reason. Positive bullying. He lowers his free hand, the other one still balled in his pants pocket. He wants Hiyori to cling to that hope. Because whether he wants to admit it or not, seeing someone else hope makes it easier for him to keep his own hope going.]
Hm- OY?! [Oof! He rocks back on one foot, bracing the ball to the ground and arches his heel up to stop a skid. Hiyori fucking tackled him! Or smashed his face into his neck and chest, arms moored about his nape and shoulders so hard he can barely get himself wriggling. Fucking barnacle! Who asked him to cling to him?! Red eyes and sharp brows burn into the idol's head, hand hovering behind Hiyori's crown... but he fails to pull him off.
Tch... Fine. Hot liquid seeps into his shirt, spreading on his trap, but he stays quiet and lets him make a mess in peace.]
[One day I'll have a crying icon that isn't clearly taken from porn fanart, but today isn't that day.
It hits him all at once. He hasn't been trying to feign happiness, but he had been putting on a brave face before. He hasn't spent much time sobbing, partly because he's been too tired to even cry, but also partly because it feels like he's not allowed to. He isn't allowed to wallow when he saw this coming all along. Isn't allowed to grieve when he has a mission to fulfill, a Wish he needs granted. Rather than crying over Jun's "death," he needed to work towards getting Jun revived.
Now, though? Now he can't hold back. All the fear he felt, all of the loneliness, all the frustration and horror and despair over Jun's loss and the loss of his own future weighed heavily on his heart, threatening to crush what remained of it. But now that's all been lifted, and he can't do anything but sob. It still hurts, losing Jun does. Sleeping alone and finding his statue. He's still grieving that loss, still traumatized by the whole thing. And yet grief is no longer the dominant emotion. Now, he feels a rush of relief so great that it floors him. His knees feel weak, his head is dizzy, and he's so overwhelmed, he has to cry.
So he clings and sobs and, eventually, sniffles. Is there snot in the mix now? You bet there is! But he doesn't have the presence of mind to apologize for messing up Bakugo's shirt. Instead he just blubbers, nails clutching the fabric, tears flowing freely.]
I-I thought... [He sniffles.] I t-thought J-Jun-kun was...!
[Rather than finishing the thought, he just sobs noisily, rubbing his face against Bakugo's shoulder and spreading more tears and snot around his collar.]
But Jun-kun's n-not— [Sob] Jun-kun's not h-here! Baku-kun— [Sob, sob.] Baku-kuuuun...
How long has Hiyori been holding this in? Idols spend so much of their time putting on masks or persona to make other people happy. When do they get the chance to be honest with their own feelings? Hiyori's smiled and laughed, glowed and sparkled, pouted and fussed. Bakugo's never seen him cry. Not like this. True exhaustion, sorrow, relief. He remembers far too keenly the way Hiyori offered to embrace him a month ago when he struggled to stand on his own. Bakugo's a hero. Being someone else's strength is what a hero does.
He stays with him, listening to his quivering breaths, feeling his shoulders trembling around each hard breath. His hand settles on the back of Hiyori's shoulder, offering a few quiet rubs. Let it out, don't hold it in. Despite their differences in personalities and ideas, concealing their emotions is a habit both of them share. It hurts, seeing someone you care about locked away in this statue state, knowing they're no longer here to be with you. He can't hear his companions' voice in the morning or see them off at night. Losing someone you care about fucking sucks. At least there's some modicum of relief in knowing Jun's no longer captive here. He's back home... waiting for Hiyori to join him, once they find a way out of this place. A sensation leaking all over his collar in a warm spreading stain.
Hiyori's making a mess, sniffling on his shoulder, definitely a sticky yech of tears, snot, saliva. Ugly cry. Feels his shirt pull tighter at his chest thanks to hands fisting material over his back. He brings his hand to he back of his head, fingers grazing through his hair a few times in a quiet rub. It's fine. He'll deal with it later. Bakugo's eyes soften in a rare moment of sympathy and silent comfort.]
Aa. [He might've had far less patience with this if someone hadn't done much the same for him a few weeks ago. He brushes his thumb in small circles behind one of Hiyori's ears, shifts his legs so he can support him better, so Hiyori doesn't have to worry about sagging on his own.] He's back home. He'll be there for you when we all get out of here.
A hand comes up to pet his hair, comforting and kind. It's the kind of tender gesture no one would typically ever associate with Bakugo. Could Hiyori have imagined such a thing happening, say, a few months ago? Not in a million years, or at least not without the aid of another one of those cupid arrows. But this place has a way of bringing out seldom-seen sides to people, for better and worse.
Hiyori's shoulders shake with sobs and his crying continues steadily. But there's a bit of a hiccup, a pause, when Bakugo says the bit at the end—about Jun being back home waiting for him. "He'll be there for you," he says, the words a jolt through Hiyori's system.]
Home...
[He echoes the word against the cloth of Bakugo's shirt, sounding dazed. It's not the first time; Bakugo's said similar things about believing that people "go home" when they turn into statues before. He's always held firm in that belief, even when questioned. But Hiyori couldn't believe it, even though he wanted to. People have woken up from being statues, sometimes even with their memories intact. Not often, but often enough that it's a known occurrence. Bakugo seemed to think that in those cases, the person's soul or consciousness goes home, then gets pulled back into resort when their statue un-freezes. But isn't it strange to think about souls bouncing around back and forth across time and space, like a game of cosmic ping pong?
Still, everything about this is strange. And whether or not it's strange, this is proof, isn't it? Proof that people don't stay at the resort as statues forever. Jun's statue is here, but Jun isn't, and that makes all the difference. It's hard to believe after thinking the opposite for so long, but at last, he's coming around.
And at last, he slowly lifts his head from Bakugo's shoulder. Showing a red, blotchy, tear-stained face, the kind an idol should never show. But underneath the tears?]
... that's right.
[He's smiling. A tiny, dazed little thing, but there's absolute joy behind it.]
That's what you said before, isn't it? You had it right this whole time. You're such a good, smart boy!
[And then he abruptly hugs Bakugo again, full of excitement, possibly clinging even tighter than he did a minute ago.]
[He's mean, aggressive, and rough. He's not heartless. Despite his gruff resistance to anything "emotional", the blonde isn't immune to those feelings. He keeps them bottled up and compartmentalized, showing what he wants to show and keeping the rest close to his chest. But he's only human. Hiyori's sorrow and relief shake his shoulders in quivers, and he rests his hand on one of them to offer some quiet modicum of comfort.
If they aren't here, where else would they be? Of course Jun's back home! Where all of them should be. No one deserves to be trapped prisoner in some fucked-up place. He tilts his head slightly, peering down at Hiyori as something piques in the idol's mind. Felt him jolt slightly with his words. A quiet murmur, repeating a single idea...
Thing is, people say they woke up from being a statue. But he's seen this place fuck with people's memories before. It's drawn different versions of them from paintings. It's made people act, see, think, hear, believe differently than they otherwise would. Why the hell would anyone look at the resort and say with complete assurance it would never fabricate memories of being a statue in order to layer one more shitty reason why its captives shouldn't resist.
People come from different timelines in their worlds, different versions of their worlds, and there are people who show up at the start of every other month who never end up staying at the resort, leaving no statue behind. Is it better to think they're simple "copies" of their real-world selves who carry on living back home while their "resort selves" live on here? Bakugo still holds to his belief the resort doesn't have any power to fuck over another world or timeline.
Otherwise the people from his own world-- who are here --would've vanished from his world back home. Hiyori's string isn't pointing to the statue in front of him, but rather elsewhere. Probably "outside" the resort. Their statues are here, their "trophy" or "character select" or "placeholder" or "shell" or whatever the fuck you wanna call it, are here. But they aren't. Jun's not here anymore.
He's a stubborn person. And Hiyori's face looks like a damn mess. Bakugo clicks his tongue before he starts shucking the overshirt from his shoulders. Fabric presses to the idol's face, wiping at his watery eyes and running nose a few times to at least help clean some of the sobby boy off.]
Don't gush- omph! [WHY THE HELL ARE YOU TURNING INTO A KOALA AGAIN?!]
[Bakugo thoughtfully takes off a layer to wipe Hiyori's face with (more evidence he's a good boy), but Hiyori doesn't wait for him to finish. The fabric is still pressed to his tearstained face when he wraps dear Baku-kun in a bear hug. When was the last time he hugged anyone this hard? Let's just say it's been a while.]
But it's true! You're the best!
[His voice is high, full of enthusiasm, bursting with emotion. Sorry, the hugging will continue until further notice and so will the effusive praise, because he's so, so deeply relieved.]
[He wasn't gonna pull Hiyori's shirt off and wipe his face with it. As fitting as it'd be to do so... Now smushed against his chest and shoulder thanks to another face-plant dive of a hug. Gross. He stays his usual reaction with grit teeth and twitching eyebrows, holding it in for the moment. At least he's strong; there's no danger of cracking his back or making him hurt. Traps his arms at his sides since he couldn't escape fast enough.]
Of course I am! [Even if he can't say he's 100$ assure of his theory, he stubbornly clings to it despite evidence to the contrary. It's easier, it's better that way. People go home. To think otherwise is too crap.
Though after a while...] You trying to crack my back?
[Hug, hug. Squeeze, squeeze. The hugging will continue until morale improves he's shared all his feelings! And he has oh so many feelings to share, so much love and gratitude all for Bakugo. Bakugo is strong and reliable like a hero should be. He's surprisingly considerate, and he's smart. He's always thinking about how the resort works, and he's figured out things that no one else has. He's a good boy, in other words, and Hiyori wants to hug him tight. So, he does just that!]
Heroes don't crack, right? ♪
[That's all he says at first, his voice full of joy, his arms still wrapped tightly around the other boy.
But, alright: after a moment, he does loosen his hold, before finally drawing back to wipe at his eyes with the shirt. He removes all the moisture and then lowers the garment so he can face Bakugo with dry eyes. Dry eyes, and a warm smile full of gratitude.]
You were right from the start, hm? All I had to do was believe you.
[He could've saved himself so much worrying, so much strife, if only he believed petrified guests all went home.
[Ugh, he's not gonna let him throttle the air out of his lungs forever, dammit! Head tilting back slightly the longer this koala continues compressing his torso. Fingers twitch beside his waist, a vein slowly starting to twitch into view on his forehead, eyes narrowing and starting to spark. Temper holding has never been easy for him to do, and he's trying to keep it in because Hiyori needs the moments! ... But he's also in a better mood now, so why the hell should he let this guy continue crushing him?!
Part of him feels like shit for how much praise Hiyori's dumping on him too. He wishes he could be 100% assured and take all the credit. But it's still an informed hypothesis going against other similarly-informed theories. Fuck.]
Of course they don't!
[They still need air! Bakugo shoulders out of Hiyori's embrace once it loosens and he steps back with a grunt. Tugging at his shirt a little so it won't be bunched around his collar and chest like a figure eight. Hiyori can keep the shirt for now. He'll wash it later. They have more pressing matters to tend to.]
Took you long enough to get it through your thick head. [Both of them were operating off the information they knew and the guesses they made. Bakugo chose to go this route and believe it.]
Do you want to move the statue to your room?
[Noting the question in Hiyori's eyes. "What now?" Right?]
[He holds the shirt to his chest, still smiling warmly even as Bakugo calls him thick-headed. He'd rather have a thick head than have his original idea be proven right; rather be wrong than have Jun doomed to rot in the resort forever. Bakugo can pride himself in being right if he wants. Hiyori will gladly heap more praise on his spiky head.]
It's gotten through now. Loud and clear! ♪
[He chimes back. Though he does continue,]
But it's always been hard to figure out what's what around here. Baku-kun had his compelling arguments, but so did other people. And you can never get a straight answer from anyone about anything.
[He didn't want to believe disappeared guests were trapped at the resort forever. But he had his reasons for assuming. Reasons that float around his head even now, now that some of the joy and relief have worn off. The fact that some people woke up from being statues, and that some of those people reported vague memories of time passing, of being cold, of even of stumbling awake off of a platform. What did all that mean?
It's not that he doubts Bakugo. And it's not that he still thinks the statue could be Jun—not the string tells him it isn't. But he's still wondering about some stuff. Up until Bakugo jolts him back to the present with that question about Jun's statue, and that, at last, is when Hiyori's smile fades. The statue isn't Jun, he knows that, but there's still something uncomfortable about it.]
I guess that would make sense.
[He's the one closest to Jun, and his suite was Jun's suite, too. It makes sense for him to look after the statue. Yet he feels hesitant. If he moves it to his room, the statue will be a constant reminder of Jun's absence. A reminder of past nightmares and current uncertainties.
Because what does he do now? Again, he has to wonder. If the statue isn't Jun, and he doesn't need to work towards "reviving" it because Jun's already left the resort, then what does he do next? Continue playing Game 52? Sit in his suite with Jun's statue, drinking tea and watering his sunflowers? Stay at the resort, even though Jun's gone, and even though everyone else from his home has already left...?]
...
[Something isn't right with him, and it shows in the continued uncertainty in his eyes, the slight furrow to his brow. But Bakugo can't make his decisions for him. He tries to shake off those questions for now.]
[Hiyori is thick headed. Stubborn and stupid in certain things. Bakugo's not afraid to call him out on it. They have a choice what to believe here, since no one has the real answer. Even if someone comes back from being a statue and says they remember shit happening, who the hell knows if it's nothing more than the resort implanting those memories to make it seem like they were trapped? Keeping the illusion of "fear" and "threat" to encourage them even further into playing the shitty game. Wildcards during those "trial periods" never left statues behind, so it's not concrete fact.
Trusting anything the resort says or does 100% implicitly is a fucking surrender he doesn't want to give. Hell, he hardly trusts winning Game 52 means they'll have their wish honored. Someone had to have won before and wished the resort gone. It obviously didn't grant such a thing.]
Aa. This fucking place keeps changing up its own damn rules. [He accepts people have clashing evidence and different experiences. They won't agree. He's had his own convictions shaken a while ago, but Hiyori's reaffirmed them for him with a compelling proof here and now.] We won't know 100% for sure until we tear it apart or force it into complying.
But- [He looks at the statue.] -this thing isn't Jun. The resort created copies of us with our own memories and their own lives. Those assholes weren't "us" no matter what went through their damn heads.
[Why should a statue be any different? Their minds could be reprogrammed, memories taken out, implanted, changed, all to suit whatever story best fit the house's advantage. Hell, the "them" in the resort aren't even the "them" back in their own world. People from his world would've been gone while they were here in his own memories and they weren't. At best, they're copies made from a certain time and place in their worlds and brought here.]
It's your call. [Bakugo wouldn't want anyone else he didn't know coming around statues of people he was close to. Breaking them, abusing them, whatever. They didn't deserve to be stuck in the hotel like some damn trophy. It makes a little difference when they're with someone who cares about them. (Yeah, it's also kind of creepy, but fuck off. No different than a figurine or action figure or doll if you think about it.) He took in the two from his own world for a time until situations changed.
He glances at Hiyori, knowing what kinds of wheels twist and turn in his mind. Trying to figure out where to go from here. What happens now? Bakugo felt similar when he realized he was left in the resort with only two villains from his world, the rest gone. Then again, he's never had his classmates show up here-- thank fuck --so he's never had the experience of being around his friends in the resort.]
All right. [He's glad Hiyori agreed, but won't admit it for now. Letting the guy stay by the statue, he heads out of the courts and procures the loaded-up cart from the hall. Blankets, cushions, bubble wrap, rope, and tape.] You're gonna break a sweat today, so deal with it.
[He blinks a bit at the second thing Bakugo says, the mention of their copies. He hadn't thought to compare the Spades doppelgangers to the statues, yet didn't he and Bakugo talk about the possibilities of being "copies" once? And what was his conclusion then, when he considered the idea that he was just a "copy" of the self who existed at home?
That even a copy wants to live. That was his conclusion.
But the first words also nag at him. They hit his ears strangely, throwing his uncertainties into stark relief. "We won't know for sure.""Until we tear it apart." That's how Bakugo phrases himself, but is that "we" correct? Will he, Hiyori Tomoe, be around someday to see the end of the resort? And does he want to stick around for that, to help "tear it apart," when Jun is elsewhere and the others from home are gone, too?
Those questions swirl around in his head, creating a dark vortex. He's uncharacteristically silent as Bakugo talks, and silent still as he leaves to go get the cart. He's still absorbed in his thoughts. If he looks inside himself, he knows what the answer is: Bakugo may be a hero, but he's not. For all his frivolous talk about how heroes and idols are similar, he's no savior. He wants everyone to be freed, and he cares about the people he's met here. But more than justice or freedom for all, what he wants is to be with the people he loves: his family, his unit, his partner. But Jun's somewhere unreachable, so how does he...]
...
[It hits him suddenly, the thing he could do to escape. The one thing that might reunite him with Jun. Apart from completing his deck, which is harder and more time-consuming and relies on the staff granting his Wish. That's not a sure thing. If he wants to end up in the same place Jun ended up, then...
When Bakugo returns, he'll find Hiyori staring into space (though it could be mistaken for staring at Jun's statue). It takes a moment to get his attention, for him to slowly turn, and when he shows his face, his eyes are somewhere far away. His mind is elsewhere. He's slipping.]
[He manages to sound casual. Manages, even, to smile. Whatever he does next—whether he does what he just thought of, whether he follows in Jun's footsteps—he's here now. And while he's still here, he doesn't want to worry Bakugo any more than he already has. He'll pull his weight when it comes to moving Jun's statue, he won't break down in tears again, and he won't share what he was just thinking for now.]
First we have to cushion it, right? I can take some of that.
[And then he reaches into the cart for some bubble wrap.]
[Their painting selves were their own persons despite sharing their memories, appearances, and abilities. Bakugo faced himself from his future, other people he knew dealt with themselves from younger pasts. Yet each of them had their own lives and feelings, especially the ones which wanted to stay outside the paintings and replace their lives with the "them" existing outside in the resort. Did that make them their own people too? Whether they ended up fading away in acceptance of their lives or trapped in permanent vengeful natures inside the painting again, they had their ending. Is it any different than the statues? Hell if he knows. Doesn't particularly care right now.
Bakugo still believes the "them" in the resorts are little more than copies of their real selves back home. If the people here had really been taken from his world, he would've noticed their disappearance or they would've said something about the experience. And if people excuse vanishing and memories with "oh the resort handled it" then it makes no difference in the end whether they're copies or nothing more than a millisecond's fraction poof from their own world which changes absolutely nothing in the real world's timeline existence. No damn butterfly effect here.
Which is harder to believe? Which is easier to accept?
He can't offer any real words to Hiyori's whirlwind thoughts. Whether the idol's still here when the resort is finally put to the coals or if he's long-since gone home, Bakugo has no control over. Leaving him alone with his mulling, he takes more time than needed to get the cart and supplies. Giving him a moment by himself to think. Something in his stomach twists, ominous feelings slide over his shoulders like fingers spilling down his skin. A choice being made. One he has no bearing on.
Bakugo cants his head slightly as he stops the cart beside the other man. Spaced out and staring into nothing. Gears turning, all mental synapses firing. He hasn't seen Hiyori lost in thought before. Kinda creepy.]
Oy. [And bumps the idol in the hip with his cart's edge. Wake up, Parrot. Once Hiyori comes to, he realizes the guy's chosen... something. Not his business to dig. They have to move the statue.] Aa. Take this- [Hiyori's already grabbing for the sheets of bubble wrap and each rustling plastic foot spills out with his pull. Around and around it goes, Bakugo directs smaller sections around the statue's limbs, torso, and head. Then enshrouds the entire piece in more bubbling swaddling.]
[Hiyori can follow directions. Slowly but steadily, they get the statue covered up. By the end, he can no longer see that familiar face staring back at him. It's both a relief and a little unsettling.
It's not the only thing unsettling him. As they begin the process of lowering the statue into the cart (with Bakugo needing to do more of the heavy lifting than Hiyori, natch), different thoughts flit through his head. He wonders how strange it'll feel to be greeted by that statue every morning in his suite. Then he thinks about how this isn't even the first time he's seen Bakugo with a statue in a cart. Bakugo has lost people from his world before. Hawks, for one, although he came back. And then Till disappeared recently. And if he disappears...
His chest constricts, and his heart giving a sudden, painful lurch. Just moments ago, he'd been thinking about following in Jun's footsteps. But if he does that—if he lets himself turn to stone—will Bakugo do this with his statue?
The thought is disquieting. It hurts a bit, makes his chest ache and his stomach squirm. Not just from pain or loneliness, but also with guilt. Hiyori doesn't want to burden Bakugo by talking about his feelings or the decision he has to make, so he won't. But...]
Thanks for all your help.
[Once they're done loading up the statue, he says it. Smiling gratefully, showing his appreciation. That's all he needs to do: thank Bakugo for his kindness. But as they make their way out of the tennis courts with the statue in tow, he finds himself saying:]
... you've had to do this a lot, huh?
[Bakugo had all the stuff on hand: the cart, the rope, the bubble wrap. This wasn't his first rodeo.]
[Cushions work between limbs and tuck under any extended part of the statue. Keeping everything as safe as possible before they get to tilting anything. He's well aware of how unnerving it is to see the face of someone you know vanishing behind swaddling. Even if it's nothing more than a carved replica.
Bakugo takes the lion's share of the heavy lifting, focusing on the statue's shoulders and upper back while Hiyori manages keeping it at least balanced at the cart's level. Once the top half is on, he trades place, letting the idol take the cart's handles while Bakugo carefully slides the statue further onto the cart via its legs. When he had Hawks and Endeavor's statues in his room, it was pretty fucking weird and creepy at first. But at the same time, he grew up with action figures of All Might in his room, life-sized cardboard cutouts, and posters of his idolized hero. He got used to the statues in his room soon enough until they found new homes with people more fitting them.
Doesn't matter who disappears, whoever's left behind-- if they care about them --should take the statues and keep them safe in their rooms. Fuck the resort and its occupants; they don't care about keeping statues safe. In a way, it's both respecting what was, and flicking off the resort's sick games.
Hiyori should know Bakugo well enough by now to answer his own question already. One the blonde has no hint towards as he finishes getting Jun's statue settled on the cart. Straps of nylon weave, bungee cords, sturdy rope, and a secure harness spill out from the cart's underside. Bakugo begins hooking them together and to the card, lashing the stone figure with all the security of a straight jacket gone mad. This thing isn't gonna fucking budge even if the cart tips over. More blankets are interwoven with the straps as well, covering it along with the cart. Secure as fuck.]
Aa. [Answering both Hiyori's gratitude and his comment. Several times. Both for himself and others in the resort. He would've done it for the friends who vanished recently, but their two remaining friends currently opted to leave the statues were they were. He respected their wishes and stayed his hand.
He takes control of the carts handle and begins driving it forward, letting Hiyori walk in front to guide, protect, and clear the path.] This place can go to hell before I let it have the last word.
["Aa," he says. A simple affirmative. Hiyori accepts that answer without asking how many times, or for any names. But he assumes he's seen a lot of people leave.
As Bakugo pushes the cart with Jun's statue, doing all the grunt work while Hiyori walks in front, guilt sits heavy in his chest. Bakugo would he fine without him; of that, Hiyori is sure. He's a strong boy, after all, and he has other friends here. Yet it seems a poor way to repay him for him for everything he's done, for everything he continues to do. Giving him one more statue to haul away.
But "Aa" isn't all Bakugo says. He also says that other thing, about getting the last word in, about how the resort can go to hell. It's very Bakugo-like, spiteful but ringing with a fierce determination, and a well-timed reminder of his strength. Bakugo really will be fine, whatever he decides.]
... mm!
[He hums in agreement. Hoping, sincerely, for a storybook ending where Bakugo does get the last word, where the "hero" wins at the end. And then, still walking, he turns and flashes a smile back over his shoulder, eyes soft and sympathetic.]
We should do something fun together. Not right now, of course, but one of these days. We've both had a rough time recently, which means we both deserve it.
[After he's decided for sure, but before it's time to really say goodbye, he'd like to do something nice for him.]
[He wouldn't give times or names. Plenty. People leave, their statues remain, a garish trophy of who was here previously and managed to escape the hotel's clutches. He chooses to see it that way rather than the depressing option others seem to bow their heads under. Careful through the doors, he avoids any walls or frames trying to bump into the statue's body. Whatever pose Jun's figurine stands in, he's already memorized it and works on navigating the cart and its load through halls and entrances. Hiyori has to get doors and watch out for whatever's in front of them.
There will be more statues. There'll be more people leave. Who knows. One day, he might be among the departed. There are people here he would hate to leave behind, those he cares about and wants to protect and be with. But do any of them have a choice when they come or go? Ignoring those who dig their heels in and refuse to comply until the resort finally grows exasperated and kicks their asses out.
Brave people. Part of him's disgusted with himself he isn't willing to take that stand. The other part scoffs at himself for even considering being so cowardly and giving up when there are others here would could use his help. Their worlds aren't affected without them. His presence here means shit to his real life.
Besides, he wants to be around when all of this blows the fuck up.]
What're you thinking about?
[Narrowed eyes level on Hiyori's charming smile. Their versions of "fun" are vastly divergent. Coming up with something both of them will agree on... is gonna be hard.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Re: Absolutely no worries!
Date: 10/15/25 01:58 (UTC)Hiyori's not hard to locate in the tennis courts. Why Jun was stuck here, he's got no idea. Maybe the guy had an interest in the sport. Compress had been in a damn magic shop. Bakugo approaches the idol silently, hands resting in his pockets as usual. This time, it's no Hiyori who has to rent a cart with his rank; he's taken care of that already. Padded with blankets and rope, the gurney-like cart rests outside the tennis courts for when it's needed.
Red eyes narrow on Hiyori's extended hand. The hell's his finger out like that for? Some kind of divining pose, or maybe a facet between the two of them they'd know alone. His footsteps fall to a pause near the pair. One arm hangs by his side, head cocking just so as Hiyori turns his head towards him.]
Hm?
[Hiyori sounds like he's about to cry... and Bakugo isn't going to blame him for it. No glittering tears to back that up. A gut-wrenching feeling, as if he'd wanted something not to be true for so long, only to realize there's no escape the reality sitting in front of him. Is that what Hiyori's going through right now?
Or he's... confused about something?]
What string?
no subject
Date: 10/15/25 16:07 (UTC)[He jerks his pinky to demonstrate, and the string jerks with it—again, in his view. Bakugo still can't see it. Which he belatedly realizes, but his brain's so scrambled that he can't muster a proper explanation. He shakes his head, frustrated, confused and emotional.]
It's supposed to lead me to Jun-kun. Across time, and across space, he said! But it doesn't go to his statue, it just goes that way.
[He jerks his hand away from the bleachers, towards where the thread continues to stretch through the air. If he follows it, will he find Jun-kun? No, but that doesn't make any sense when Jun's name is off the registry and his statue is right here. And he already followed the string for hours yesterday, and again the day before that, both times to no avail. Which means what, exactly?
He thinks about what Hua Cheng told him over the Network again, and as he does so, his face flushes with emotion. He's still confused, still frustrated, still worried absolutely sick. But underneath all the worry and frustration and despair, the seeds of something else take root.]
no subject
Date: 10/15/25 18:24 (UTC)The idol confirms it a second later and Bakugo's... fuck, he doesn't even know how to feel about it. Having two whiplash results in such close succession is fucking insane. Are the statues real or are they fake? Frozen flesh and blood under stone shells, or nothing more than a chunk of chiseled stone.
He knows which one he WANTS to believe it is... which one it should be for Hiyori and his string.]
Then this- [Bakugo indicates the statues] -isn't him.
[This rock-solid thing isn't the person Hiyori's string is tied to. His Jun, the one he loves, is elsewhere. Possibly even outside the resort. Since he went the fucking home! As Bakugo said multiple times.]
You wanna keep following it or you wanna take this to your room first? Jun's back home, but I don't want this shitty place fucking around with a statue lookalike.
1/3
Date: 10/15/25 23:29 (UTC)Only that's not right. Senku, he remembers, thought his friend from home disappeared without becoming one. It happens to new arrivals, or so he's heard. Sometimes the new arrival doesn't remain at the resort; sometimes they get "thrown back" without ever being added to the registry or given a card assignment. Right? Which means people can leave without becoming a statue.
And Hua Cheng, why—Hua Cheng couldn't find his husband's statue. Even though he had a red string too, it didn't lead him to one. It was leading him outside the resort, he thought. And now Hiyori, who has the same type of string, isn't being led to any statue, either. He found Jun's statue, but the string isn't attached. It's supposed to lead him to Jun, no matter what, no matter how far apart they are, according to Hua Cheng, who gifted it to him. And it used to lead to Jun: he could see it and feel it binding them, just like the gold string they had during the Hearts game.
It all makes his head spin. Either Hua Cheng was wrong about the string always connecting them, or the resort interfered with it and made it stop working. ... or else...]
...!
[Hiyori sucks in a breath.
Just like that, Bakugo said it. He said what Hiyori's been hoping for. What he hasn't had the nerve to even think out loud yet. The statue looks like Jun, it's in a place Jun frequented, and it appeared at the same time Jun vanished from the resort. But the string isn't connected, even though it's always supposed to bind them. Which means what?
That the statue can't be Jun.
For a moment, Hiyori stares, his eyes as wide as saucers and his mind perfectly blank.]
2/3
Date: 10/15/25 23:30 (UTC)[He speaks at last. His voice is small, faint, oddly subdued, and still a little disbelieving.]
It isn't Jun-kun.
[Not Jun-kun. Not Jun-kun. The statue isn't Jun-kun.
The words echo in his head on an endless loop. It isn't Jun. The statue isn't Jun. It feels taboo thinking those words, feels dangerous just hoping. He can still hardly believe it.]
3/3
Date: 10/15/25 23:33 (UTC)The tears come all at once, blurring his vision and spilling from his eyes. Bakugo gets only the briefest glimpse of them before Hiyori is hurtling towards him.]
Baku-kun...!
[His arms are around Bakugo's neck in a flash. Bakugo may have come here prepared to haul a statue away, but is he prepared to deal with a 177 cm, 61 kg barnacle squeezing him tightly like an octopus? Hiyori clings to him, he buries his face in Bakugo's shoulder, and a waterfall of tears wet the fabric of whatever shirt Bakugo wore for the occasion.]
no subject
Date: 10/16/25 21:12 (UTC)The exception is the ones who arrive at the beginning of every other month. Those who don't make it through their stupid "trial period" in the resort. No ranks, no statues, no contact, nothing more than a wild card in a deck of assigned suits. He's seen that happen before plenty of times. What the fuck is wrong with this place?
Bakugo glances to Hiyori once more, watching his brain spin wheels and churn thoughts as he tries making sense of this revelation. Which of all the stupid choices is he going to go with? At this point, it's nothing more than a matter of what someone chooses to believe. There's evidence to either camp. He's had his own beliefs rocked recently, but reminding himself of the newcomers and their lack of statues once they vanish has somewhat been ballast.
So if it can be either... why the fuck should this chunk of rock be Jun? Hiyori's string doesn't lead to it.]
Hmph. Told you. [Sorry, Parrot. Even in this emotional moment, Bakugo's still found a way to be brat. Even if he's doing it for a "nice" reason. Positive bullying. He lowers his free hand, the other one still balled in his pants pocket. He wants Hiyori to cling to that hope. Because whether he wants to admit it or not, seeing someone else hope makes it easier for him to keep his own hope going.]
Hm- OY?! [Oof! He rocks back on one foot, bracing the ball to the ground and arches his heel up to stop a skid. Hiyori fucking tackled him! Or smashed his face into his neck and chest, arms moored about his nape and shoulders so hard he can barely get himself wriggling. Fucking barnacle! Who asked him to cling to him?! Red eyes and sharp brows burn into the idol's head, hand hovering behind Hiyori's crown... but he fails to pull him off.
Tch... Fine. Hot liquid seeps into his shirt, spreading on his trap, but he stays quiet and lets him make a mess in peace.]
no subject
Date: 10/17/25 15:15 (UTC)One day I'll have a crying icon that isn't clearly taken from porn fanart, but today isn't that day.It hits him all at once. He hasn't been trying to feign happiness, but he had been putting on a brave face before. He hasn't spent much time sobbing, partly because he's been too tired to even cry, but also partly because it feels like he's not allowed to. He isn't allowed to wallow when he saw this coming all along. Isn't allowed to grieve when he has a mission to fulfill, a Wish he needs granted. Rather than crying over Jun's "death," he needed to work towards getting Jun revived.
Now, though? Now he can't hold back. All the fear he felt, all of the loneliness, all the frustration and horror and despair over Jun's loss and the loss of his own future weighed heavily on his heart, threatening to crush what remained of it. But now that's all been lifted, and he can't do anything but sob. It still hurts, losing Jun does. Sleeping alone and finding his statue. He's still grieving that loss, still traumatized by the whole thing. And yet grief is no longer the dominant emotion. Now, he feels a rush of relief so great that it floors him. His knees feel weak, his head is dizzy, and he's so overwhelmed, he has to cry.
So he clings and sobs and, eventually, sniffles. Is there snot in the mix now? You bet there is! But he doesn't have the presence of mind to apologize for messing up Bakugo's shirt. Instead he just blubbers, nails clutching the fabric, tears flowing freely.]
I-I thought... [He sniffles.] I t-thought J-Jun-kun was...!
[Rather than finishing the thought, he just sobs noisily, rubbing his face against Bakugo's shoulder and spreading more tears and snot around his collar.]
But Jun-kun's n-not— [Sob] Jun-kun's not h-here! Baku-kun— [Sob, sob.] Baku-kuuuun...
[... yeah, have fun dealing with this.]
no subject
Date: 10/18/25 02:43 (UTC)But porn crying is some of the best cryingHow long has Hiyori been holding this in? Idols spend so much of their time putting on masks or persona to make other people happy. When do they get the chance to be honest with their own feelings? Hiyori's smiled and laughed, glowed and sparkled, pouted and fussed. Bakugo's never seen him cry. Not like this. True exhaustion, sorrow, relief. He remembers far too keenly the way Hiyori offered to embrace him a month ago when he struggled to stand on his own. Bakugo's a hero. Being someone else's strength is what a hero does.
He stays with him, listening to his quivering breaths, feeling his shoulders trembling around each hard breath. His hand settles on the back of Hiyori's shoulder, offering a few quiet rubs. Let it out, don't hold it in. Despite their differences in personalities and ideas, concealing their emotions is a habit both of them share. It hurts, seeing someone you care about locked away in this statue state, knowing they're no longer here to be with you. He can't hear his companions' voice in the morning or see them off at night. Losing someone you care about fucking sucks. At least there's some modicum of relief in knowing Jun's no longer captive here. He's back home... waiting for Hiyori to join him, once they find a way out of this place. A sensation leaking all over his collar in a warm spreading stain.
Hiyori's making a mess, sniffling on his shoulder, definitely a sticky yech of tears, snot, saliva. Ugly cry. Feels his shirt pull tighter at his chest thanks to hands fisting material over his back. He brings his hand to he back of his head, fingers grazing through his hair a few times in a quiet rub. It's fine. He'll deal with it later. Bakugo's eyes soften in a rare moment of sympathy and silent comfort.]
Aa. [He might've had far less patience with this if someone hadn't done much the same for him a few weeks ago. He brushes his thumb in small circles behind one of Hiyori's ears, shifts his legs so he can support him better, so Hiyori doesn't have to worry about sagging on his own.] He's back home. He'll be there for you when we all get out of here.
no subject
Date: 10/18/25 20:01 (UTC)Fair, I guess.A hand comes up to pet his hair, comforting and kind. It's the kind of tender gesture no one would typically ever associate with Bakugo. Could Hiyori have imagined such a thing happening, say, a few months ago? Not in a million years, or at least not without the aid of another one of those cupid arrows. But this place has a way of bringing out seldom-seen sides to people, for better and worse.
Hiyori's shoulders shake with sobs and his crying continues steadily. But there's a bit of a hiccup, a pause, when Bakugo says the bit at the end—about Jun being back home waiting for him. "He'll be there for you," he says, the words a jolt through Hiyori's system.]
Home...
[He echoes the word against the cloth of Bakugo's shirt, sounding dazed. It's not the first time; Bakugo's said similar things about believing that people "go home" when they turn into statues before. He's always held firm in that belief, even when questioned. But Hiyori couldn't believe it, even though he wanted to. People have woken up from being statues, sometimes even with their memories intact. Not often, but often enough that it's a known occurrence. Bakugo seemed to think that in those cases, the person's soul or consciousness goes home, then gets pulled back into resort when their statue un-freezes. But isn't it strange to think about souls bouncing around back and forth across time and space, like a game of cosmic ping pong?
Still, everything about this is strange. And whether or not it's strange, this is proof, isn't it? Proof that people don't stay at the resort as statues forever. Jun's statue is here, but Jun isn't, and that makes all the difference. It's hard to believe after thinking the opposite for so long, but at last, he's coming around.
And at last, he slowly lifts his head from Bakugo's shoulder. Showing a red, blotchy, tear-stained face, the kind an idol should never show. But underneath the tears?]
... that's right.
[He's smiling. A tiny, dazed little thing, but there's absolute joy behind it.]
That's what you said before, isn't it? You had it right this whole time. You're such a good, smart boy!
[And then he abruptly hugs Bakugo again, full of excitement, possibly clinging even tighter than he did a minute ago.]
no subject
Date: 10/19/25 04:53 (UTC)If they aren't here, where else would they be? Of course Jun's back home! Where all of them should be. No one deserves to be trapped prisoner in some fucked-up place. He tilts his head slightly, peering down at Hiyori as something piques in the idol's mind. Felt him jolt slightly with his words. A quiet murmur, repeating a single idea...
Thing is, people say they woke up from being a statue. But he's seen this place fuck with people's memories before. It's drawn different versions of them from paintings. It's made people act, see, think, hear, believe differently than they otherwise would. Why the hell would anyone look at the resort and say with complete assurance it would never fabricate memories of being a statue in order to layer one more shitty reason why its captives shouldn't resist.
People come from different timelines in their worlds, different versions of their worlds, and there are people who show up at the start of every other month who never end up staying at the resort, leaving no statue behind. Is it better to think they're simple "copies" of their real-world selves who carry on living back home while their "resort selves" live on here? Bakugo still holds to his belief the resort doesn't have any power to fuck over another world or timeline.
Otherwise the people from his own world-- who are here --would've vanished from his world back home. Hiyori's string isn't pointing to the statue in front of him, but rather elsewhere. Probably "outside" the resort. Their statues are here, their "trophy" or "character select" or "placeholder" or "shell" or whatever the fuck you wanna call it, are here. But they aren't. Jun's not here anymore.
He's a stubborn person. And Hiyori's face looks like a damn mess. Bakugo clicks his tongue before he starts shucking the overshirt from his shoulders. Fabric presses to the idol's face, wiping at his watery eyes and running nose a few times to at least help clean some of the sobby boy off.]
Don't gush- omph! [WHY THE HELL ARE YOU TURNING INTO A KOALA AGAIN?!]
no subject
Date: 10/19/25 17:41 (UTC)But it's true! You're the best!
[His voice is high, full of enthusiasm, bursting with emotion. Sorry, the hugging will continue until further notice and so will the effusive praise, because he's so, so deeply relieved.]
no subject
Date: 10/20/25 00:20 (UTC)Of course I am! [Even if he can't say he's 100$ assure of his theory, he stubbornly clings to it despite evidence to the contrary. It's easier, it's better that way. People go home. To think otherwise is too crap.
Though after a while...] You trying to crack my back?
no subject
Date: 10/20/25 16:27 (UTC)morale improveshe's shared all his feelings! And he has oh so many feelings to share, so much love and gratitude all for Bakugo. Bakugo is strong and reliable like a hero should be. He's surprisingly considerate, and he's smart. He's always thinking about how the resort works, and he's figured out things that no one else has. He's a good boy, in other words, and Hiyori wants to hug him tight. So, he does just that!]Heroes don't crack, right? ♪
[That's all he says at first, his voice full of joy, his arms still wrapped tightly around the other boy.
But, alright: after a moment, he does loosen his hold, before finally drawing back to wipe at his eyes with the shirt. He removes all the moisture and then lowers the garment so he can face Bakugo with dry eyes. Dry eyes, and a warm smile full of gratitude.]
You were right from the start, hm? All I had to do was believe you.
[He could've saved himself so much worrying, so much strife, if only he believed petrified guests all went home.
Although...
If it's that simple, now what does he do?]
no subject
Date: 10/21/25 03:36 (UTC)Part of him feels like shit for how much praise Hiyori's dumping on him too. He wishes he could be 100% assured and take all the credit. But it's still an informed hypothesis going against other similarly-informed theories. Fuck.]
Of course they don't!
[They still need air! Bakugo shoulders out of Hiyori's embrace once it loosens and he steps back with a grunt. Tugging at his shirt a little so it won't be bunched around his collar and chest like a figure eight. Hiyori can keep the shirt for now. He'll wash it later. They have more pressing matters to tend to.]
Took you long enough to get it through your thick head. [Both of them were operating off the information they knew and the guesses they made. Bakugo chose to go this route and believe it.]
Do you want to move the statue to your room?
[Noting the question in Hiyori's eyes. "What now?" Right?]
no subject
Date: 10/22/25 00:06 (UTC)It's gotten through now. Loud and clear! ♪
[He chimes back. Though he does continue,]
But it's always been hard to figure out what's what around here. Baku-kun had his compelling arguments, but so did other people. And you can never get a straight answer from anyone about anything.
[He didn't want to believe disappeared guests were trapped at the resort forever. But he had his reasons for assuming. Reasons that float around his head even now, now that some of the joy and relief have worn off. The fact that some people woke up from being statues, and that some of those people reported vague memories of time passing, of being cold, of even of stumbling awake off of a platform. What did all that mean?
It's not that he doubts Bakugo. And it's not that he still thinks the statue could be Jun—not the string tells him it isn't. But he's still wondering about some stuff. Up until Bakugo jolts him back to the present with that question about Jun's statue, and that, at last, is when Hiyori's smile fades. The statue isn't Jun, he knows that, but there's still something uncomfortable about it.]
I guess that would make sense.
[He's the one closest to Jun, and his suite was Jun's suite, too. It makes sense for him to look after the statue. Yet he feels hesitant. If he moves it to his room, the statue will be a constant reminder of Jun's absence. A reminder of past nightmares and current uncertainties.
Because what does he do now? Again, he has to wonder. If the statue isn't Jun, and he doesn't need to work towards "reviving" it because Jun's already left the resort, then what does he do next? Continue playing Game 52? Sit in his suite with Jun's statue, drinking tea and watering his sunflowers? Stay at the resort, even though Jun's gone, and even though everyone else from his home has already left...?]
...
[Something isn't right with him, and it shows in the continued uncertainty in his eyes, the slight furrow to his brow. But Bakugo can't make his decisions for him. He tries to shake off those questions for now.]
Well, anyway. Let's get to it.
no subject
Date: 10/23/25 15:11 (UTC)Trusting anything the resort says or does 100% implicitly is a fucking surrender he doesn't want to give. Hell, he hardly trusts winning Game 52 means they'll have their wish honored. Someone had to have won before and wished the resort gone. It obviously didn't grant such a thing.]
Aa. This fucking place keeps changing up its own damn rules. [He accepts people have clashing evidence and different experiences. They won't agree. He's had his own convictions shaken a while ago, but Hiyori's reaffirmed them for him with a compelling proof here and now.] We won't know 100% for sure until we tear it apart or force it into complying.
But- [He looks at the statue.] -this thing isn't Jun. The resort created copies of us with our own memories and their own lives. Those assholes weren't "us" no matter what went through their damn heads.
[Why should a statue be any different? Their minds could be reprogrammed, memories taken out, implanted, changed, all to suit whatever story best fit the house's advantage. Hell, the "them" in the resort aren't even the "them" back in their own world. People from his world would've been gone while they were here in his own memories and they weren't. At best, they're copies made from a certain time and place in their worlds and brought here.]
It's your call. [Bakugo wouldn't want anyone else he didn't know coming around statues of people he was close to. Breaking them, abusing them, whatever. They didn't deserve to be stuck in the hotel like some damn trophy. It makes a little difference when they're with someone who cares about them. (Yeah, it's also kind of creepy, but fuck off. No different than a figurine or action figure or doll if you think about it.) He took in the two from his own world for a time until situations changed.
He glances at Hiyori, knowing what kinds of wheels twist and turn in his mind. Trying to figure out where to go from here. What happens now? Bakugo felt similar when he realized he was left in the resort with only two villains from his world, the rest gone. Then again, he's never had his classmates show up here-- thank fuck --so he's never had the experience of being around his friends in the resort.]
All right. [He's glad Hiyori agreed, but won't admit it for now. Letting the guy stay by the statue, he heads out of the courts and procures the loaded-up cart from the hall. Blankets, cushions, bubble wrap, rope, and tape.] You're gonna break a sweat today, so deal with it.
1/2
Date: 10/25/25 01:53 (UTC)That even a copy wants to live. That was his conclusion.
But the first words also nag at him. They hit his ears strangely, throwing his uncertainties into stark relief. "We won't know for sure." "Until we tear it apart." That's how Bakugo phrases himself, but is that "we" correct? Will he, Hiyori Tomoe, be around someday to see the end of the resort? And does he want to stick around for that, to help "tear it apart," when Jun is elsewhere and the others from home are gone, too?
Those questions swirl around in his head, creating a dark vortex. He's uncharacteristically silent as Bakugo talks, and silent still as he leaves to go get the cart. He's still absorbed in his thoughts. If he looks inside himself, he knows what the answer is: Bakugo may be a hero, but he's not. For all his frivolous talk about how heroes and idols are similar, he's no savior. He wants everyone to be freed, and he cares about the people he's met here. But more than justice or freedom for all, what he wants is to be with the people he loves: his family, his unit, his partner. But Jun's somewhere unreachable, so how does he...]
...
[It hits him suddenly, the thing he could do to escape. The one thing that might reunite him with Jun. Apart from completing his deck, which is harder and more time-consuming and relies on the staff granting his Wish. That's not a sure thing. If he wants to end up in the same place Jun ended up, then...
When Bakugo returns, he'll find Hiyori staring into space (though it could be mistaken for staring at Jun's statue). It takes a moment to get his attention, for him to slowly turn, and when he shows his face, his eyes are somewhere far away. His mind is elsewhere. He's slipping.]
2/2
Date: 10/25/25 01:55 (UTC)That's fine. We are at the gym, so...
[He manages to sound casual. Manages, even, to smile. Whatever he does next—whether he does what he just thought of, whether he follows in Jun's footsteps—he's here now. And while he's still here, he doesn't want to worry Bakugo any more than he already has. He'll pull his weight when it comes to moving Jun's statue, he won't break down in tears again, and he won't share what he was just thinking for now.]
First we have to cushion it, right? I can take some of that.
[And then he reaches into the cart for some bubble wrap.]
no subject
Date: 10/26/25 01:21 (UTC)Bakugo still believes the "them" in the resorts are little more than copies of their real selves back home. If the people here had really been taken from his world, he would've noticed their disappearance or they would've said something about the experience. And if people excuse vanishing and memories with "oh the resort handled it" then it makes no difference in the end whether they're copies or nothing more than a millisecond's fraction poof from their own world which changes absolutely nothing in the real world's timeline existence. No damn butterfly effect here.
Which is harder to believe? Which is easier to accept?
He can't offer any real words to Hiyori's whirlwind thoughts. Whether the idol's still here when the resort is finally put to the coals or if he's long-since gone home, Bakugo has no control over. Leaving him alone with his mulling, he takes more time than needed to get the cart and supplies. Giving him a moment by himself to think. Something in his stomach twists, ominous feelings slide over his shoulders like fingers spilling down his skin. A choice being made. One he has no bearing on.
Bakugo cants his head slightly as he stops the cart beside the other man. Spaced out and staring into nothing. Gears turning, all mental synapses firing. He hasn't seen Hiyori lost in thought before. Kinda creepy.]
Oy. [And bumps the idol in the hip with his cart's edge. Wake up, Parrot. Once Hiyori comes to, he realizes the guy's chosen... something. Not his business to dig. They have to move the statue.] Aa. Take this- [Hiyori's already grabbing for the sheets of bubble wrap and each rustling plastic foot spills out with his pull. Around and around it goes, Bakugo directs smaller sections around the statue's limbs, torso, and head. Then enshrouds the entire piece in more bubbling swaddling.]
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Date: 10/27/25 02:18 (UTC)It's not the only thing unsettling him. As they begin the process of lowering the statue into the cart (with Bakugo needing to do more of the heavy lifting than Hiyori, natch), different thoughts flit through his head. He wonders how strange it'll feel to be greeted by that statue every morning in his suite. Then he thinks about how this isn't even the first time he's seen Bakugo with a statue in a cart. Bakugo has lost people from his world before. Hawks, for one, although he came back. And then Till disappeared recently. And if he disappears...
His chest constricts, and his heart giving a sudden, painful lurch. Just moments ago, he'd been thinking about following in Jun's footsteps. But if he does that—if he lets himself turn to stone—will Bakugo do this with his statue?
The thought is disquieting. It hurts a bit, makes his chest ache and his stomach squirm. Not just from pain or loneliness, but also with guilt. Hiyori doesn't want to burden Bakugo by talking about his feelings or the decision he has to make, so he won't. But...]
Thanks for all your help.
[Once they're done loading up the statue, he says it. Smiling gratefully, showing his appreciation. That's all he needs to do: thank Bakugo for his kindness. But as they make their way out of the tennis courts with the statue in tow, he finds himself saying:]
... you've had to do this a lot, huh?
[Bakugo had all the stuff on hand: the cart, the rope, the bubble wrap. This wasn't his first rodeo.]
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Date: 10/27/25 04:52 (UTC)Bakugo takes the lion's share of the heavy lifting, focusing on the statue's shoulders and upper back while Hiyori manages keeping it at least balanced at the cart's level. Once the top half is on, he trades place, letting the idol take the cart's handles while Bakugo carefully slides the statue further onto the cart via its legs. When he had Hawks and Endeavor's statues in his room, it was pretty fucking weird and creepy at first. But at the same time, he grew up with action figures of All Might in his room, life-sized cardboard cutouts, and posters of his idolized hero. He got used to the statues in his room soon enough until they found new homes with people more fitting them.
Doesn't matter who disappears, whoever's left behind-- if they care about them --should take the statues and keep them safe in their rooms. Fuck the resort and its occupants; they don't care about keeping statues safe. In a way, it's both respecting what was, and flicking off the resort's sick games.
Hiyori should know Bakugo well enough by now to answer his own question already. One the blonde has no hint towards as he finishes getting Jun's statue settled on the cart. Straps of nylon weave, bungee cords, sturdy rope, and a secure harness spill out from the cart's underside. Bakugo begins hooking them together and to the card, lashing the stone figure with all the security of a straight jacket gone mad. This thing isn't gonna fucking budge even if the cart tips over. More blankets are interwoven with the straps as well, covering it along with the cart. Secure as fuck.]
Aa. [Answering both Hiyori's gratitude and his comment. Several times. Both for himself and others in the resort. He would've done it for the friends who vanished recently, but their two remaining friends currently opted to leave the statues were they were. He respected their wishes and stayed his hand.
He takes control of the carts handle and begins driving it forward, letting Hiyori walk in front to guide, protect, and clear the path.] This place can go to hell before I let it have the last word.
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Date: 10/28/25 16:50 (UTC)As Bakugo pushes the cart with Jun's statue, doing all the grunt work while Hiyori walks in front, guilt sits heavy in his chest. Bakugo would he fine without him; of that, Hiyori is sure. He's a strong boy, after all, and he has other friends here. Yet it seems a poor way to repay him for him for everything he's done, for everything he continues to do. Giving him one more statue to haul away.
But "Aa" isn't all Bakugo says. He also says that other thing, about getting the last word in, about how the resort can go to hell. It's very Bakugo-like, spiteful but ringing with a fierce determination, and a well-timed reminder of his strength. Bakugo really will be fine, whatever he decides.]
... mm!
[He hums in agreement. Hoping, sincerely, for a storybook ending where Bakugo does get the last word, where the "hero" wins at the end. And then, still walking, he turns and flashes a smile back over his shoulder, eyes soft and sympathetic.]
We should do something fun together. Not right now, of course, but one of these days. We've both had a rough time recently, which means we both deserve it.
[After he's decided for sure, but before it's time to really say goodbye, he'd like to do something nice for him.]
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Date: 10/29/25 02:55 (UTC)There will be more statues. There'll be more people leave. Who knows. One day, he might be among the departed. There are people here he would hate to leave behind, those he cares about and wants to protect and be with. But do any of them have a choice when they come or go? Ignoring those who dig their heels in and refuse to comply until the resort finally grows exasperated and kicks their asses out.
Brave people. Part of him's disgusted with himself he isn't willing to take that stand. The other part scoffs at himself for even considering being so cowardly and giving up when there are others here would could use his help. Their worlds aren't affected without them. His presence here means shit to his real life.
Besides, he wants to be around when all of this blows the fuck up.]
What're you thinking about?
[Narrowed eyes level on Hiyori's charming smile. Their versions of "fun" are vastly divergent. Coming up with something both of them will agree on... is gonna be hard.]
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Date: 10/30/25 01:23 (UTC)All sorts of stuff! We could go shopping, sing karaoke, pet animals in the conservatory, eat premium sushi...
[He wags a finger and adds,]
... go dancing, play ping pong, go to the arcade... you must like arcades, right? I bet Baku-kun's the type who gets all competitive.
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