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It's a normal day in Class 1-A, which means everything is about to go to shit.
The fact that this is expected would be sad, except everyone has grown far too complacent to the idea and can barely even joke about it anymore.
If anyone were to ask Katsuki Bakugou, he'd blame the following incident on his homeroom teacher. 'It's Aizawa's fault,' he'd gripe. ‘He’s the one who made us do the goddamned assignment.’
And that would be true. But no one asks Bakugou, nor anyone else.
It is not a mandatory assignment, surprisingly. Well, not fully.
One thing that all heroes have to face is their fears. Some fear losing, some fear losing someone , some fear something else entirely. There is not a single hero who has not been afraid at least once in their life, but many heroes do not know how to deal with their fears.
Which is where the assignment originates from. In an attempt to keep the hero students of today and heroes of tomorrow prepared, Nedzu had brought in a professional. A woman with a Quirk that allows the chosen’s worst fear to be projected for all to see. Nedzu brought them in, and she was to project each student’s fears for the rest to see.
“It will show them not to be embarrassed of their own fears!” Nedzu had explained when introducing the lesson to Aizawa, and the man begrudgingly agreed to the idea.
“You don’t have to, though,” Aizawa explains after introducing the guest. “If you’d rather, we can work individually.” Aizawa would never force his students to share their worst fears, not when they could be about private matters.
But surprisingly, or perhaps unsurprisingly, no one raises their hand. Perhaps they were too embarrassed to admit that they wanted privacy, or simply did not care. Either way, all twenty stayed, and the activity begins.
Some fears are mundane. They’re simple fears, easy to swallow and enough to make the others relax somewhat. Kouda is still a little afraid of bugs. Aoyama doesn’t like heights. Sero is afraid that people will make fun of his elbows. Yaoyorozu is afraid that she’ll be nothing more than a pretty face. Mineta is afraid of the dark.
Some fears begin to make the atmosphere feel darker. Kaminari is afraid of frying his own brain. Satou is afraid that he’ll start to become permanently stupid. Tokoyami is afraid of losing control of Dark Shadow. Ashido is afraid of hurting others with her acid. Hagakure is afraid of being forgotten- especially while injured.
Some fears begin to pull up memories most would rather leave forgotten. Asui is still afraid of Shigaraki and the U.S.J. attack. Iida is afraid of a world where Midoriya hadn’t shown up in time to defend him from the Hero Killer- and isn’t that a surprise for the class to find out about. Uraraka is afraid of giant robots and being trapped under rubble. Shouji is afraid of losing one of his actual limbs.
Ojirou is afraid of being looked over. Jirou is afraid that she’ll hurt someone she cares about. Todoroki is afraid of his father- another reveal that makes people tear up. Kirishima is afraid that he won’t be able to defend people well enough.
Midoriya stands up, moving to the guest, but he backs away before she can lay a hand on his head.
“I’d rather not do this in here,” Midoriya says, voice hushed, and Aizawa blinks in surprise. So do the students of 1-A, who eye him curiously.
“Why not?” Kaminari asks, and Midoriya winces, head ducking.
“It’s not something I can say,” the boy admits, and that causes some of his peers to perk up with interest, the idea of Midoriya having secrets an interesting one.
“Are you not allowed to?” Ashido asks. “Why not?”
“If you’re afraid, that’s okay,” Asui states. “We’re all a little afraid, kero.”
“Don’t be chicken!” Mineta protests. “You saw our fears, so why can’t we see yours? It’s only fair!”
“If you do share your fears with us, we’ll be able to help you!” Iida states.
“You don’t have to if you’re not comfortable, Midoriya,” Aizawa says, but the rest of the class’s words have gotten to Midoriya, who shakes his head.
“I- nevermind. I’ll do it here.”
“Are you sure?” Aizawa asks, eyebrows furrowing, and Midoriya shakes his head quickly, as if afraid that he’ll back out otherwise. “Alright, if you say so.” Still skeptical, but not wanting to draw the conversation out longer, Aizawa nods to the guest, who places her hand on the boy’s head.
And as the scene begins to play, the class begins to regret goading Midoriya on. One blond especially so, for letting it happen.
--The scene starts in a middle school classroom, Midoriya shaking in place as Bakugou approaches him. The scene’s Bakugou places a hand on the fake Midoriya’s, and his hand begins to heat up, smoke visible.
“I’ve got an idea for you,” Bakugou says, leaning in, smile growing more wolfish with every word. “If you want a Quirk so bad...why don’t you take a swan dive off the roof and pray it works out in your next life?”
Bakugou lets go of Midoriya’s shoulder, and it’s clear that the cloth is still smoking. The scene blurs, then, and suddenly Midoriya is standing on a rooftop. Oddly enough, All Might’s voice joins Bakugou’s as Midoriya stares at the sky.
“Young man, I’m sorry, but you can’t be a hero without a Quirk.”
“Pray it works out in your next life.”
Midoriya steps closer to the edge, hands reaching the railing. An explosion rings in the distance, and for a moment, it looks like Midoriya is going to go to the source, already taking a step in the right direction.
But one hand still clings to the railing, and a second later the bright smile disappears, fading into something more...resigned.
“Take a swan dive off the roof. ”
Midoriya takes one last look in the direction of the noise, the place where everyone is gathering…
And then he jumps.--
The real Midoriya, the one who didn’t jump, who never did, backs away from the guest with teary eyes. He looks to his peers, fearful, only to see that they’re staring at him with similar expressions.
It’s silent for a moment. One painful moment, where Midoriya waits for the other shoe to drop, for his classmates to react.
And they do, in a burst of noise and actions, half of them jumping out of their seats as they begin to talk to him.
“You didn’t actually consider it, did you?” Uraraka asks, tears already falling from her eyes. “Right, Deku?”
“Did Bakugou actually tell you to jump?” Todoroki asks, voice colder than ever before.
“Why would All Might say you couldn’t be a hero?” Kaminari asks. “Was that your fear?”
“No,” Midoriya chokes out. “That’s what happened .”
“What?!” It’s Bakugou who shouts this, hands slamming onto his desk as he jumps up. “Deku, did you-”
“ No !” Midoriya shouts back. “I didn’t jump, guys!” Wiping away tears of his own, he offers the class a shaky smile. “I didn’t.”
“Why was that your worst fear, kid?” Aizawa asks, keeping his voice gentler as he asks. Midoriya answers automatically, eyes hazy as he does.
“Because if I had done it...Kacchan would have been hurt.”
The room falls silent again, eyes turning to Bakugou, who grimaces.
“What does he mean by that?” Aizawa asks Bakugou, and Bakugou looks down.
“Deku...Deku saved me, that day. From the Sludge Villain.” He hates to admit it, that much is clear from the way he tenses and won’t look anyone in the eye.
“Is that your worst fear?” Uraraka asks. “That Deku couldn’t save you?”
“Kacchan didn’t want my help,” Midoriya says helpfully, and Bakugou freezes before saying, “It’s my turn.”
“Are you sure?” Aizawa asks, seeing how the boy is beginning to flex his hands, a usual sign that the boy is about to, quite literally, explode.
“Let me go,” Bakugou says, voice hoarse as he storms up. “Right now. Let’s go.”
“Bakugou-”
“ Now .”
Aizawa gestures to the guest, and she places her hand on Bakugou’s head. 1-A watches with surprise as two people walk onto the ‘screen’.
--First comes Midoriya...and then Bakugou trails after.
“Deku!” Bakugou shouts, and Midoriya speeds up. “Deku, come on!”
“Why should I?” Midoriya asks.
Bakugou lets out a shout, inarticulate and full of an emotion that isn’t quite comprehensible, but it’s enough to make Midoriya stop. There’s a long pause, as Bakugou looks at Midoriya. For a moment, the vision flickers, and the current Midoriya on the screen is replaced by a younger one, whose shoulders are hunched and head is tilted downwards. Even facing away, it’s clear that the boy is scared, sad, and alone. But when the vision clears up, the Midoriya that faces away has their shoulders back, head facing upwards, and seems...better. More confident, happier, all around improved.
The vision shows how Bakugou struggles, opening and closing his mouth, eyes furrowing as he seems to choke on his own words before, finally...
“I- I’m sorry , alright!” Bakugou grinds out, and Midoriya...Midoriya doesn’t even look at him.
“Sorry means nothing, Bakugou,” Midoriya says, and it’s clear that the lack of nickname hurts, the scene’s Bakugou taking a step back as if hit. Still facing away, Midoriya continues to speak. “You hurt me. You hurt me, so so much. I tried to forgive you! I really did. For years I forgave you.”
Midoriya glances over his shoulder, and the look in his eyes is clear. The boy is done. “And you tossed me away. You hurt me, Bakugou. I can’t forgive someone like you.”
“Deku-” Bakugou tries, and the hurt in his tone is so real, so broken. (The students watching can’t help but gasp.)
But the fake Midoriya doesn’t even bat an eye, instead turning his head away once again. “You’re just a villain, Bakugou. I should have known from the start.”
When Midoriya continues to walk, Bakugou doesn’t follow, but his eyes scream in pain.--
Bakugou swipes his arm over his face, then looks at Midoriya. The same incomprehensible emotion is still in his eyes, but Midoriya’s aren’t the cold ones from the scene.
No, they’re ones that are bright and full of tears, and they belong to a boy who flings himself at Bakugou, hugging him tightly.
“Oi!” Bakugou shouts, but he doesn’t make a move to push Midoriya off. “I didn’t even say it!”
“I still forgive you!” Midoriya says, and 1-A watches in surprise as Bakugou softens , a smile slipping onto his face for a moment.
But only for a moment, and then Bakugou flips off his peers, as if being too nice is a problem he can’t handle.
“Show’s over, fuckers!” Bakugou shouts, ignoring the glare Aizawa sends him. “Stop looking at me like that!”
“Who knew Kacchan was a softie?” Kaminari asks jokingly, and that, surprisingly, is when everything finally turns to shit.
Because Bakugou finally blows up.
Three desks have to be replaced by the end of the day, but in the end, it’s for the best.
Sometimes, facing your fears can be a good thing.
Not that Bakugou will ever admit to that.