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Chapter Text

As bakugou leered at the door he couldn't help but get more angry than he had in days.

A couple days ago Deku pushed him past his breaking point. After that apparently the entire class decided that they were all gonna pitch in to send him to a therapist. He raised hell at the idea of it but he was shut down as soon as Aizawa heard about it.

He said that his classmates were trying to help him and that he needed to go to this.

Bullshit

He wasn't some weakling who needed this. He hates this and those assholes from his class. He wouldn't have even done this without the threat of expulsion placed on his head.

With that he sighed as he opened the door.

As expected he saw a standard looking therapists office. A couple of chairs, a couch, some books on a coffee table. For some reason though there was a punching bag in the corner.

"Bakugou, you're right on time" he heard a voice say.

It came from a man sitting in a chair across from the couch. He put down a book and bakugou was able to see him clearly. He was around the same size as him but his hair was neatly combed, he wore what you would expect a therapist to wear, and for some reason had a black eye. He wasn't going to question it however.

The man gestured towards the chair and couch.

"Take a seat" he said. "Don't care which you choose. Whichever is more comfortable."

He glared at the man as he took a seat in the other chair.

"So I take it you don't want to be here"

He couldn't tell if it was a question or a statement but he had to admit that it was true.

"Yeah, I don't need this shit. I was forced to come here" he told the man.

The man looked him dead in the face, nodded his head a bit, and spoke.

"Alright then" he said kicking his feet onto the coffee table in front of him and grabbing his book back.

Bakugou looked at him in confusion. The man then looked up.

"If you don't want to be here then I won't be bothering you. Plus it'll be good payback on the guys forcing you to be here, wasting their money."

Bakugou looked him in the eye then grinned like a mad man. This guy gets it. This'll show those extras.

Before he knew it bakugou was reading a book on the table. It was about a kid stuck in the Canadian woods with only an axe, and it seemed pretty interesting. However he was interrupted from it.

"Hey bakugou, your quirk makes your hands explode right?" The man said

"Yeah" he told him, mostly lost in the book. "More or less." He said marking his place to put the book down.

"I got to know, what happened when your quirk first showed."

"Oh, I was arm wrestling with a friend."

The guy looked concerned

"Was the kid okay?" He asked

Bakugou shrugged as he thought back on the memory. He never liked telling the story, but why not.

"He was fine. I was more worried than he was. Nearly blew his hand off but he was just focused on how cool my quirk was." He shuddered at the memory.

'that's so cool Kachan" he remembered him saying

"It was honestly pretty freaky." He conceded

"Did anything like that ever happen again?" The man asked

Bakugou exhaled. About as close to a laugh as he can really get to.

"Hell no, I don't let anybody near my hands if I'm not trying to hurt em."

The man nodded as he looked at his watch.

"Well it looks like it's time for you to leave. I'll see you again tomorrow then." The man told him.

Bakugou nodded as he stood up and walked out the door.

He managed to make it out to the parking lot before it hit him.

"That asshole tricked me!"

Chapter Text

Bakugou slammed the door to the bastard's office.

After realizing that he was tricked yesterday he was extremely pissed off. Even now he was barely able to comprehend his rage.

As he was last time his "therapist" was sitting in one of the chairs, reading a book when he heard the sound of the door opening. He marked his page in the book before putting it down.

"Ah bakugou, right on time."

"You fucking tricked me, you bastard!" He yelled at him

"No I didn't." He replied. "I asked you questions and you answered. There was no trick."

"You knew I didn't want to talk but you tricked me into doing it."

The guy grinned

"What do you think therapy is."

"It's just weaklings talking about their problems cause they can't deal with it themselves."

The guy didn't even react to it.

"pretty much, yeah." He said."

Bakugou's eye twitches in rage.

"How about this" the man said. "We do the standard therapy thing for a today. If I can't see any problems with you then I will personally tell your class to suck it."

He nodded along. That was a pretty good offer, but what about the catch.

"What do you get out of this." He asked

"If I see anything then you have to go through my treatment as intended."

Bakugou leered at him. Honesty it was a good deal. He knows he's not fucked up so he can't lose.

He went over to where he was sitting yesterday and looked at him. The man nodded and picked up a notebook.

"Now I've never been good with standard therapy honestly. I took notes on it though since I figured something like this would happen." He said flipping through pages.

When he found the right one he took his feet off the table

"So what's your relationship like with your parents."

Bakugou sighed in annoyance

"My old man's a pushover and the hag's a bitch. Don't really talk to either of them anymore now that I'm in the dorms."

"Why do you call your mother hag"

"Cuz she's a hag."

The guy nodded, as he should. It was really a no brainer.

"What about friends you have any of those?"

Bakugou thought for a minute.

"Not really."

"Do you get along with your classmates?"

"Not sure. I think so at least. Generally just try to stick to my own thing."

"Do you get good grades?"

"Ranked number 1 in my class."

"Are you religious?"

"Yeah"

"Who do you trust more than anyone?"

"Haven't trusted anyone in a long time."

The guy looked at him.

"You seem to be getting uncomfortable from answering the questions." He pointed out.

Bakugou realized that his hand was gripping the arm of the chair, and the leather was tearing.

"How about we switch this? You can ask me a couple of questions. We only have a couple more minutes anyway."

He squinted. Loosening his grip from the chair he spoke.

"Where'd you get the black eye?"

The guy smirked a bit.

"Some asshole at the bar tried picking a fight. He got one good hit in before I sent him to the hospital."

Bakugou looked surprised. He wasn't expecting anything like that. He figured he was reading and walked into a door or something. He'd seen Deku do it all the time.

He looked at the clock and saw that there was time for maybe one more question. He knew what he wanted to ask though.

"What's your quirk?"

"Mind reading." He said casually.

Bakugou's eyes went wide.

"Relax, I haven't used it on you."

That didn't make him relax. He didn't like the idea of someone looking through his head.

"Well it looks like we're out of time." He said breaking bakugou's train of thought."

"Good."

"See you tomorrow."

"What are you talking about, you said I didn't have to come if I answered those questions."

The man looked at him.

"That was if I didn't see anything wrong from the questions. I saw plenty that needs work."

Enraged at hearing this bakugou slammed the door. He was not going to deal with this.

Or so he thought

Chapter Text

Bak sat at the table in the dorms. Everyone else was asleep already fortunately. He was glad they were so that he wouldn't have to deal with them. They'd ask questions. Or even worse, talk about therapy.

Of course

He doesn't get what he wants, does he.

"Bakugou chan, kero" a voice spoke, trying to get his attention.

He looked up from the table and saw that it was Asui. He glared at her, not only because he didn't want to deal with anyone but he doesn't like her. What she said on the bus to the usj messed him up.

"What do you want froggy?" He asked her.

'deal with it quickly and she'll be out of your hair. ' he thought to himself.

"Call me tsu, kero" she said as she sat at the table across from him.

'of fucking course' he thought.

"Are you okay bakugou chan?" She asked him

"What that supposed to mean?" He asked her. His voice full of malice

She frowned as she looked at him. Her eyes full of something he had come to hate more than anything else. Sympathy.

"This week has been pretty rough for you, and your being forced to go to therapy, kero. Plus it's the middle of the night and you're sulking in the kitchen" she responded

He sighed

"Do you always have to say what you're thinking?" He asked her

"It's a habit I've had since I was a kid" she said. "So are you going to answer the question, kero?"

He sighed to himself. He never liked talking to people, especially about his problems.

"I'm fine" he told her. "No more pissed off then usual."

"Are you sure your okay?" She asked him

He always hated that. How people would ask the same question multiple times expecting him to have a different answer this time. Even if he wasn't okay why would he tell her anyway, just cause she asked twice?

"I told you I'm fine." He said with venom in his words.

With that she nodded her head slightly and went to stand up.

"By the way, kero, I have been meaning to tell you something." She told him after stepping away from the table. "I'm sorry for what i said when we went to the usj, kero."

His eyes widened a bit hearing this.

"I should have apologized sooner but we never really talked to each other, and I forgot about it before the other day."

"It's alright" he lied. "Honestly forgot about it until you mentioned it."

It was a major lie but he had to. He wasn't going to mention that those words never left him, and led to most of his self doubt since.

"I figured it would be something like that, kero" she said with a slight smile.

She went to walk away but turned back

"Remember, kero, if you ever aren't okay" she hesitated for a moment. "You can talk to me."

He couldn't lie to himself about this, but it was oddly heartwarming hearing that from her. However he could never say that.

"Tch, just what I need, another therapist

Her expression dropped for a second and that made him feel a bit of regret. Then the girl in front of him started to giggle.

She smiled
"Offer still stands, Bakugou Chan."

She walked away and Bakugou was left alone with his thoughts again. However this time they were not of anger.

'what the hell just happened?'

Chapter Text

As he had done four times already, Bakugou went to the door to his "therapists" office. Only this time there was one key difference. He wasn't angry this time.

He was feeling off because of what happened with Asui last night. She apologized so he can't hold a grudge anymore, and it somehow subsided his anger entirely.

However he had to push those thoughts aside as he opened the door.

The man was in his seat as usual but he saw that he was drenched in sweat. He then looked to a sound he heard and saw that the punching bag at the side of the room was shaking slightly as if someone was using it not to long ago. He nodded as he went to his seat.

"Bakugou, right on time." He said as he did the three times before.

He nodded in response.

"Alright then, we can skip the pleasentrys and just get into what we're here for."

He marked his page and put the book down keeping his feet on the table.

"I'm gonna give you two choices for today on what we talk about. Either you can start with what I already know a bit about with when you got your quirk" he started. "Or you can tell me about the day that You class pushed you past your limit."

He glared at him. He didn't like being forced to talk about himself.

"I don't give a shit." He told him

The man looked at him. He sighed and shook his head in annoyance before he started talking.

"I want to hear about when you got your quirk. Tell the entire story, and leave nothing out."

Bakugou sighed

"It was in elementary school. Me and Deku were-" he got cut off

"Who's Deku?" The man asked

"Tch, that kid from the sports festival who shattered his fingers."

He nodded at that.

"So you two went to the same elementary school, and I assume middle school as well. Is that right."

He nodded before continuing the story.

"We were just kids doing the usual kid things. That time we wanted to see who was the strongest. So we started arm wrestling. It was pretty close for a bit, but I slowly took control and got his hand down."

-Flashback-

Young bakugou and Mydoria we're arm wrestling at a desk. Bakugou slowly manages to push enough to get him near the desk.

Deku resists his hand from touching the desk. He held back his friend for almost 10 seconds with neither of them moving an inch.

Bakugou growled, and then let off a scream that would have made Goku proud. He slammed down earning him the win. However at the moment of contact with the desk a loud bang goes off from bakugou's hand.

-End of flashback-

"I won but i nearly blasted his hand off."

-Flashback-

They were all in shock from what happened. Bakugou just stood there looking in horror between his hands and his friend.

Mydoria stood there, covered in his own blood with most of the skin on his hand blown off completely. He had done that, to his best friend.

"That's so cool Kachan." He said stepping towards him. "You got your quirk. It looks like it makes explosions."

Mydoria tried walking towards him but bakugou stepped back.

He then ran out of the room.

-End of flashback-

"It was like he didn't care though. He was more concerned about how cool my quirk was. He tried to get a closer look but I ran so that I couldn't hurt him again."

The man nodded.

"You said you don't let anybody near your hands if you're not trying to hurt them. Does that have anything to do with this."

Bakugou just nodded.

"Every time someone tries to get close to me I always see that image in my head of Deku covered in his own blood."

The man nodded as his watch started beeping.

"Well it looks like out time is up. I will see you again same time tomorrow."

Bakugou stood and made his way to the door. However he was stopped with his hand on the door knob by the man's words.

"By the way bakugou" he turned to face the man talking to him. "You seemed off today. Did something happen?"

The image of Asui went through his thought for a second before he banished it from his mind.

"Tch, I'm fine."

"I didn't say you weren't. You actually seemed less angry today."

He glared at the man who then had a face of realization and then smirked.

"I see. Well then we will have to discuss that tomorrow."

With that bakugou left feeling like he was going to puke.

Chapter Text

Bakugou needed to clear his head. He decided to go to the kitchen again like yesterday. Yeah he ran into froggy there last night, but what are the chances she'd be there two nights in a row.

"Bakugou Chan" he heard a familiar voice call out when he got to the kitchen.

'of course' he thought. 'why would it be any other way'

"I made tea, kero" she said. "Would you like some?"

As she said this she held out a cup of tea.

'wait a second' he thought

"If you're the only one awake then why'd you make two cups?" He asked her

She shrugged

"I had a feeling that you'd be here again, kero" she told him.

His eyes narrowed

"The fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"It was just a feeling, kero. I just decided that it wasn't the worst thing to make another cup Incase I was right. And it seems that it was. kero"

Bakugou grumbled under his breath as he took the cup of tea. He couldn't argue with her logic.

"Still didn't have to do it." He muttered

"Yeah, but I thought you might like it. Nothing helps clear your head like a fresh cup of tea, kero."

With that she walked to the table and sat with her cup and started drinking it. He just stood there for what felt like years, but in all reality couldn't have been more than a couple minutes.

He sighed as he walked over to the table and sat in the seat across from her. She looked up from her tea and smiled at him. Thankfully her attention was brought back to her tea because if not she would have seen him blushing, and he never wanted anyone to see that.

The two drank their tea in silence for about ten minutes. Suddenly froggy stood up.

She smiled at him again, and walked out of the kitchen.

'was she trying to keep the silence?' he thought. 'good.'

Bakugou finished his tea and realized...

He had forgotten about his problems for a little bit.

'god damn it'. This shits so annoying.'

Chapter Text

Bakugou was in his dorm room getting ready to leave for therapy, when his phone started ringing.

He held the phone to his ear

"Hey, bakugou," the voice of his therapist said.

"Tch, what do you want" bakugou asked

"Well you see something came up so I have to cancel your session for today." He said

Bakugou almost smiled

"don't worry though, I sorted something out for today."

He was no longer almost smiling.

"What did you plan"

"You'll see," he said before hanging up.

Bakugou's eyes narrowed. That sounds ominous.

Suddenly he heard a knock at his door. This made him tense up. His fist clenched in reflex as he walked to the door. He took a breath and opened the door.

"Um, h-hey bakugou kun."

Round face was the one at the door. She wasn't looking directly at him instead it was off to the side towards the floor. She had a major blush on her face.

"What do you want Round Face?" He asked

"Well uh, your therapist asked me to help you today."

He sighed.

'great, now they have to be involved in this shit.' he thought to himself

"Ca-can I come in" she asked

He stepped aside and she walked into the room. She stood there in the middle of the room for a second before sitting on his bed.

"So you see uh-he said that I should um-" she tried to say but couldn't get the words out.

"Tch, I don't have all day, Round Face."

She blushed and looked away from him.

"He said that you should try… holding my hand."

Bakugou froze in shock. He was so shocked he couldn't even explode in rage.

"No" he said simply

She snapped her head back to facing him with a worried look.

"But you have to," she said. "He said if you don't go along with this then he won't see you anymore."

Bakugou looked back with a blank expression.

"That's what I want."

She sighed

"Please, just go along with it. I'll owe you big time."

He almost said it again but stopped.

'why is she talking like this is for her benefit. Does she actually want to?' he thought.

Suddenly he blushed

'Fuck. Of course she doesn't.'

She looked at him and looked amazed to see that he was blushing. He looked away but it was too late.

"F-fine." He said

She smiled as he walked to his bedside to grab some baby wipes off of it. He started wiping his hands off and she asked him something.

"What are you doing?" She asked

"Tch, cleaning my sweat off. I assume you want to keep your hand, right?"

Her face dropped, but was immediately replaced with a soft smile before nodding.

He sat next to her on the bed and she held out her hand for him to take. Her face was as red as he believed it could get and his probably was too. He took her hand and interlocked their fingers.

Her hand was soft, and warm. This was something completely different to him. He never had anything even remotely like this, at least not since elementary school.

He looked out of the corner of his eye to see her. She was smiling, and clutching her free hand to her chest over her heart.

Suddenly Bakugou found himself getting nervous. He realized that his hand was getting sweaty again, so he let go of her hand and pulled his away.

"Wait, baku-"

"Relax, my hand is getting sweaty. We should probably stop or you might get hurt." He told her

She looked to the floor. She nodded as she stood up. She walked to the door and was about to leave but she turned to say something to him.

"I hope this didn't make you too uncomfortable."

Then she walked out of the room.

Chapter Text

Bakugou walked into his therapist's office again. As usual the man was in his chair reading a book when he looked toward the door.

"Ah bakugou, right on time." the man said, as usual

Bakugou sat in the chair as he usually did.

"I must apologize for not being available to show up yesterday. You see I had a personal issue and wasn't able to come into work." The man explained. "However that is the past, so I think we should focus on our talking point for today."

Bakugou nodded. He didn't want to talk if he could avoid it. Yesterday was just weird, but he remembered how tricky this guy could be with words.

"Alright so bakugou, I want to ask you about the sports festival."

Bakugou rolled his eyes. A lot of people had wanted to "talk" about the sports festival. Heck, if it wasn't for kamino people would probably still be talking about it.

"Let's start in the third event since that is all that matters. Can you tell me what happened that day for me?"

"Tch, fine" he said as he leaned forward to put his weight on his knees.

First round

Bakugou stood in the arena on a concrete platform. He looked across the way to his opponent, who was a girl from his class.

As far as he remembered she was primarily a rescue based hero, and her physical ability wasn't that impressive. Her quirk wouldn't be that much of a threat anyway since all she can do is negate gravity and aerial combat is one of his specialties.

However that doesn't mean he should go easy on her. If she managed to make it to his class then she might be dangerous in some way that he wasn't aware of. Just to be safe, he is gonna only use about 10 strength unless things look like they could get interesting.

After the falling rocks

Bakugou was excited. Finally someone in his class seemed like they could actually present him with a serious challenge who wasn't a major prick. He was running towards her deciding that he could use full force, but then his hopes were shattered.

Round face collapsed, probably from the accumulated damage. He was disappointed, but even so he had to hand it to her that it was fun while it lasted.

Present time

"So you were having fun during the match" the man asked him.

"Yeah, minus the extras in the crowd yelling at me of course" bakugou said

"Well that's understandable. Well how about the next match?"

Bakugou sighed

"Honestly the next two were pretty boring. Shitty hair was to dumb to think about technique, and the bird guy was just weak."

His therapist nodded

"What about the finals? They were pretty controversial."

"Yeah, for all the wrong reasons! I'm fighting a guy who should have been stronger than me, but I won because he was holding back. I try to refuse the metal, so what do they do… they chain me to a pillar and mussel me."

"Yes, that does seem fairly unreasonable. Now, do you think that has to do anything with your reputation of being considered villainous?"

"Of fucking course it is. First real time I have any real recognition in the public eye and I'm chained to a fucking post with a mussel on. They call me a monster, but what else are they supposed to see when that's what they get shown be the fucking heros themselves."

The man was looking at bakugou intently. He didn't say anything for a few seconds, probably waiting to see if he was still saying anything. When it was obvious that bakugou was finished the man spoke.

"Well I certainly never thought you were villainous. To me you were justified in trying to refuse the metal. It wouldn't seem like an actual win to me either."

Bakugou nodded

The man pulled out a pocket watch and looked at the time.

"Well unfortunately it seems like that is all the time we have today."

Bakugou nodded as he stood up, he walked to the door and walked out. However something was different this time.

He wasn't even the slightest bit angry.

Chapter Text

It has become standard practice nowadays for bakugou to go to the kitchen in the middle of the night. Today was no different. However, as he looked around as he was making some tea something became apparent. Froggy wasn't there tonight. He smirked at that.

'I guess today I finally caught a br-' He thought before he got cut off.

"So you were here first tonight,kero." Froggy said as she walked into the kitchen.

Bakugou lost the smirk immediately and started pouring his tea into his mug. The girl stepped next to him and took the pot as he was done with it before pouring some into her own cup.

"Thank you for making me some this time, kero" She said. "I wasn't expecting that."

'Wait a second.' He thought to himself. 'Why did I do that? I didn't even think she was here.'

"Tch" he simply responds, returning his focus to the tea in his hands.

However it was at that point that his classmate decided to start talking.

"So, kero, how have you been doing?" She asked him.

Bakugou scoffed.

"Like I said before, I don't wanna talk about therapy-" he spoke before getting cut off.

"I don't mean with therapy, kero. I'm just asking how you're doing. In terms of everything. Life in general, kero. How are you?"

Bakugou squinted at her. He wasn't used to people asking him that. People just always assumed he was pissed off. Though admittedly they were usually right.

"I'm fine." He said before taking a gulp of his tea.

She looked at him. He doesn't usually pick up on these things but it looked like she didn't believe him.

"Okay then." She said before she began drinking her tea.

He kind of just stares at her for a moment, almost as if in shock. She wasn't one to just drop a subject due to a noncommittal answer. But then again why would that bother him?

He nods and the two of them just stand there for a while, drinking their tea in silence.

This went on for a while. He ended up finishing his first before he took his mug to the sink and cleaned it out. He put it back in the cabinet and went to walk away but suddenly froggy said something.

"Hey bakugou, kero," She said.

He turned back and looked at her.

"I know that you aren't actually doing fine. And I know you don't want to tell me about it. Kero, just please… talk to someone. Don't just hold back your anger like you have been, okay."

He looks at her for a moment before sighing. He walked off into the hallways.

'This shit just keeps getting more and more annoying.' He thought as he walked off to bed for the night.

Chapter Text

Bakugou opened the door into the therapist's office again. As usual the man was sitting in his chair, but this time he was reading a magazine. It looked like a boxing magazine, but there was no time to address anything before the man put it down.

"Ah Bakugou. Right on time"

Bakugou gives him a blank glance.

The man sighs

"Look, I'll be honest with you. I'm not quite used to coming into the office this frequently yet." he said

Bakugou sits down in his spot as the man says this.

"Tch. Not used to actually doing your job." Bakugou says, trying to strike a nerve.

"Not so much that, as not being used to having this many sessions." He says nonchalantly. "I don't get many clients, but usually they do one or two sessions a week. Meanwhile you're doing a session every day."

Bakugou's scowl deepened.

"What, so you're complaining about my being forced to do this affecting you."

"No, not really. It's nice having the work. It's just unusual."

Bakugou crossed his arms, eyeing the therapist skeptically. He wasn't sure what to make of this man's honesty, but he didn't have the energy to argue about it either. "Whatever, just get on with it," he grumbled.

"Now, for today I felt it was be appropriate to go less into the serious stuff for today. So I was wondering, what do you generally do after you leave these appointments?"

Bakugou sighed in annoyance.

"I go back to the dorms. What else am I supposed to do?" He said, with noticeable spite in his voice.

The man nodded. Then he continued.

"Well that is the responsible thing to do. And what do you do when you get to the dorms? Preferably answer with some detail, okay?"

"I train for a while and do my homework. Around 6:30 I'll make and eat dinner. Then I go to bed at around 8:30." Bakugou explained.

The man nodded.

"So is that your typical day?" He asked

Bakugou nodded.

"Any general variation from that you can think of?"

"Not since I moved into the dorms."

The man nods before the sound of a phone ringing goes off. The man looks at his phone and looks to bakugou.

"I'm sorry, this is urgent. I hope you don't mind if we cut this short today."

Bakugou's eyes widened a bit before he speaks.

"That's fine with me." He says as he stands up.

Bakugou walks out of the room with a weird thought in his head.

'I might actually be catching a lucky break.' He thought

__________________________________________________________

As bakugou leaves the office his therapist looks at his phone. It shows an alarm titled fake phone call. He swipes to dismiss it and puts his phone away, and he sits back down in his chair before he picks up a notebook and begins writing in it. The name on the spine of the notebook however reads "Izuku Midoriya"

Chapter Text

Bakugou was getting ready to go to therapy again. However, as he was about to walk out the door his phone began ringing. He checked it, and it was his therapist.

Bakugou sighs.

“I swear, if this ends up like last time” He grumbles to himself as he picks up the call.

“Hello, Bakugou. I am calling to inform you that I am canceling your session again, but like last time I have set something up to make up for it.”

“Tch, fine.” Bakugou said as he hung up.

At that, Bakugou had a feeling about what was going to happen. He sat on his bed and waited. He could feel his hands sweating even more than usual as he did, but he kept wiping them off with the baby wipes he keeps on his bedside table. When eventually, the knock he was expecting came from his door. He sighed to himself again as he went to open it, to reveal round face once more.

“Um, hey, Bakugou kun.” She said

Bakugou just stepped to the side so that she could walk in.

“So, um, I take it, you know what I’m here for?” She asked.

He sighed again.

“Look, I don’t have the energy to argue today, so let’s just get this over with.”

Her face went bright red as he held out his hand.

“Uh, actually, I was told we should do something… more.”

Bakugou’s eye twitched.

“What!” He said. He wasn’t yelling, but his tone clearly showed irritation.

“Well, uh, he said we should hold hands again… but he said we should… talk.”

“What?” He was clearly still irritated, but now he’s confused.

“Well… he said we should talk to each other. Not just… sit in silence like last time.” She said, just radiating anxiety.

Silence fell between them for a few moments before Bakugou gave in and just held out his hand to her. She hesitantly reached for it before she took his hand into her own. They interlocked their fingers, but neither of them could meet the others' eyes.

“So…” She tried to speak. “ um…” She stutters for a bit. Her face bright red.

Bakugou sees her blush out of the corner of his eye, but he knows he’s probably just as bad.

“Um… so, how’d you do on that chemistry test the other day?” She asked

“Seriously, that’s what you wanna ask about?”

“No, not really. I know you probably got an A like always. I’m just not sure what else to say.” She says.

Bakugou sighs.

“Yeah, me neither… and yeah, I got an A.”

She gives a nervous chuckle.

“You’re really good at chemistry… actually, is there any subject you aren’t good at?” She asks, probably rhetorically.

“No, not really.” He answers.

She chuckles.

“Wow, so you’re even good at being humble.” She chuckles.

“I’m a straight A student. That’s not me bragging, I’m just stating facts.” He says.

“Yeah, I know. You’re amazing.” She says

He feels his blush deepen as she says that.

“So, I assume you’re already prepared for that math test we have on friday. She says, and he can even hear the smirk in her voice.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” He smirks. “All it is is just memorizing equations and applying them.”

She chuckles.

“Easier said than done Bakugou kun.” She says.

The two talk for a bit longer. Most of it was him explaining the equations that would be present on the coming test. However, every once in a while he could feel her hand slightly squeezing his. He remembered how her hands felt, but it was even more pleasant this time. They were soft, somehow even more so this time around. Eventually though, Bakugou felt his palms starting to sweat once more. He went to let go of her hand, but it seems she knew he was about to. Because she gave one last squeeze before he released her hand.

At that, she stood up from his bed.

“Well, thanks for the tips for the test Bakugou kun… This was nice…” Her face was still bright red. It looked like she was once more having trouble with her words. As if she wasn’t sure what to say next.

“Well… See you in class tomorrow.” she manages to stammer as she quickly goes out of the room.

The silence suddenly hit Bakugou.

“Well… that was…”

He couldn’t find the words to tell himself.

Chapter Text

Bakugou was stepping into the office of his therapist again. The man said his usual greeting as bakugou entered the room and sat down. Bakugou however had something to say immediately.

“What the fuck was up with yesterday?” He all but yelled.

His therapist finally put his book down.

“Oh, well you see, I had to see my doctor about a-” he started before getting cut off.

“I meant about what happened with Uraraka?” He said, pisssed off

“Ah, that” the man says nonchalantly. “Well you see that was a… let's call it exposure therapy.”

“...what” bakugou said, equal parts angry and confused.

“You have issues with being touched, especially your hands. So I asked someone who was willing to be a subject for this exposure therapy. It's quite simple really.” He explains, as if it was nothing.

“... wait… what do you mean willing?” Bakugou asks, now fully confused.

“Well, as soon as all of this came up, she immediately asked me if there was any way she could assist in your treatment. And she immediately accepted the idea.” He explains.

“But enough of this, we still have to get into the actual therapy now.”

Bakugou groans, but doesn't argue.

“So bakugou, this is probably an appropriate time to ask this, but you stated on your first day of therapy with me you said that you don't have friends. But multiple of your classmates seem to be willing to go to great lengths to help you?”

Bakugou sighs.

“They think we're friends. Doesn't mean we are.” He says simply.

“So, you don't like your classmates?” He asks

“I think most of them are fine. Doesn't mean we're friends though.”

“Well then, what do you think qualifies someone as a friend?” He asks.

Bakugou pinches the bridge of his nose as he sighs.

“If both people think of the other as friends.”

The man nods and writes something down in a notebook.

“Well, your logic there makes perfect sense. So, it's not friendship, but what would you call it?”

“I don't fucking know… classmates, acquaintances, whatever. Does it even really matter?”

“Well then… why don't you see them as friends?”

“Because it's a waste of time. Why bother with it, it'll just get in the way of my progress as a hero.”

“Well… do you spend time with any of your class? Outside of lessons I mean? Maybe after hours?”

Bakugou is about to answer, but suddenly his thoughts are drawn to the past few nights with Tsu. Every night he and her… in the kitchen… talking… or even just staying in each other's company…

“No!” He said loudly

His therapist jumped in surprise as he yelled out.

“Okay, I believe you” he said, in an almost joking tone. “Okay, so you don't believe in friendship, is it?”

Bakugou almost answers, but he goes quiet. And his therapist doesn't talk either, just waiting for an answer. Until eventually, as time passes and an alert goes off on the man's phone.

“Oh, well I do believe that's our time for today.” He says as he turns it off.

Bakugou gets up to leave, but as he does the man continues talking.

“Now bakugou, until our next session, I want you to-” he was saying, but was cut off as bakugou closed the door behind him.

“God I hate this.”

Chapter Text

Bakugou found himself once again in the dormitory kitchen, a habitual retreat for him in the quiet hours of the night. Tonight, however, he was met with a surprise. Tsuyu was already there, sitting at the table with a cup of tea in front of her.

He paused for a moment, considering his options. But with a resigned sigh, he decided to proceed as usual, pouring himself a cup of tea and joining her at the table.

“Hey there, Bakugou kun, kero" Tsu greeted him with a warm smile.

Bakugou raised an eyebrow, slightly caught off guard by her already talking to him. "You're here again? Don't you have anything better to do?"

Tsu chuckled softly. "Well, I could ask you the same thing, kero. But I guess we both find some comfort in this routine."

Bakugou grunted in agreement, sipping his cup of tea and avoiding eye contact.

"So, how was your day, kero?" Tsuyu asked, breaking the silence.

Bakugou raised an eyebrow, surprised by the question.

"It was... fine," he replied gruffly, still not looking at her.

Tsuyu nodded, taking a sip of her tea before speaking again undeterred by his lack of enthusiasm.

So, kero, anything new or interesting happen lately?" Tsu asked, her voice gentle yet curious.

Bakugou tensed at the question, his mind immediately recoiling from the recent encounter with Uraraka. He couldn't let Tsu know about that, not after what his therapist had labeled as "exposure therapy." He needed to keep it buried, hidden beneath layers of dismissiveness and anger.

"Just the usual crap," he muttered, his tone guarded as he kept his gaze fixed on the floor.

Tsu nodded understandingly, though he could sense her curiosity lingering beneath the surface. "I see," she replied softly, her eyes filled with unspoken empathy before she spoke again.

"I was thinking, kero," she began, and Bakugou raised an eyebrow, curious despite himself. "Would you like to hang out sometime?"

Bakugou's eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected invitation.

"Hang out? With you?" he echoed, his skepticism evident.

Tsu nodded, her expression earnest. "Yeah, I thought it might be nice, kero. We could train together or just talk. Your call.”

Bakugou felt a sudden knot of anxiety tightening in his chest.

"No," he blurted out before he could stop himself, the word leaving his lips with more force than he intended.

Tsu's reaction, however, was not what he expected. Instead of disappointment or hurt, she simply chuckled softly, a playful glint in her eyes.

"Well, you don't beat around the bush, do you, kero?" she remarked, her tone lighthearted.

Bakugou was silent, not because of anger but rather confusion. Not even because he wasn't expecting that reaction. It was all because of a single thought that went through his head.

‘she's kinda cute when she laughs’

Suddenly his face turned bright red, but he thinks he managed to keep her from seeing it by downing the rest of his tea.

She kinda just looked at him while he did this, but rather than talk she just giggled to herself quietly. And while bakugou did this she stood up herself. She said goodnight to bakugou and walked back to her room.

Bakugou couldn't help but feel a strange mixture of relief and disappointment as he watched her.

Chapter Text

Bakugou walked into his therapist's office once more, genuinely too mentally exhausted to be angry. He was still glaring though, after all, it is basically his natural facial expression at this point.

The door opened, and the therapist was actually laying down on his couch reading a book. Once he heard the door opening, he looked over and got up from the couch.

“Ah Bakugou, you're early today.” He said as he got into his usual seat. “if I didn't know any better I'd assume you were starting to look forward to these sessions”

Bakugou narrows his eyes at the man as he sits down. The look being enough of an answer.

“alright” the man says raising his hands passively. “Still, it's surprising, didn't think you'd be early. Why you do it?”

Bakugou freezes, trying to maintain his expression.
He didn't want to say that he left early for this so he wouldn't have the chance of running into Froggy or Round Face.

‘I don't wanna deal with them’ he thinks. ‘But I'm not telling him that.’

“Tch, wasn't intentional. It just happened.” Bakugou says.

The man nods and writes some stuff down.

“Well then, I suppose that makes sense. Plus, I don't have any other clients today, so it's not an issue. How about we just get started then?”

Bakugou was silent for a few moments before he gave a slow nod.

“Okay, so today I wanted to look more into your relationships with your classmates. So, we're going to go down the list of your classmates and you're going to talk about them briefly. Is that okay with you?”

“It's fine” bakugou says

“Okay, first one is Aoyama.”

Bakugou sighs and is silent for a few moments as he thinks.

“He's annoying. And I have a feeling he can't be trusted… not sure why though”

The man writes down some stuff on the paper again.

“Interesting. Okay, how about Ashido?”

Bakugou thinks back. He's definitely been around her more than most of the others.

"Ugh... Raccoon eyes is a total gossip. She's always hanging around people, getting on my nerves. She's annoying, but tolerable at least.”

He writes down more.

“Okay, next is Asui”

Katsuki tensed up when Asui was mentioned. He didn't know what he was feeling. He wasn't scared, he was never scared.

And yet there was this uncomfortable tightness in his chest when he heard her name being said

“Asui... She's...”

His face felt warm, but he wasn't sick. What the hell was wrong with him?

“I don't know… don't talk to her.” Bakugou lies.

The therapist's pauses for a bit before he writes down onto the paper again.

“how about Iida?”

Katsuki let out a scoff and crossed his arms, looking away with a scowl on his face.

"Iida... The self-righteous prick who thinks he's a damn saint. Always following the rules, never bending the damn rules. He's a damn nerd too. Not to mention he's always on my ass about my damn temper…”

“Interesting” he writes down more. “How about Uraraka”

Katsuki's heartbeat quickened at the mention of Uraraka's name. He was still trying to calm down from the Asui comment, and now this? God damn it.

He let out an frustrated huff and looked towards the wall, trying to avoid eye contact.

"Round face... she's the complete opposite of me. Too damn cheerful for her own good. She's always looking out for everyone, damn bleeding heart... And... she's strong... way damn stronger than she looks…”

“Yes, you've mentioned how you respected her strength earlier” he comments as he writes down more. “Now, how about Ojiro?”

Katsuki relaxed a bit as he mentioned Ojiro. The boy was easier to talk about.

"The tail kid? He's decent, I guess... Not as annoying as the rest, for sure. But he's pretty damn boring..."

The man writes down some more.
“Okay, and what about Kaminari?”

“He's a pain in the ass. He's constantly being careless and always trying to get under my skin. He's annoying, stupid, and he's always talking crap about me. Plus, he's always drooling over girls…I barely tolerate him most days.”

The therapist writes down more.

“Okay, and how about Kirishima?”

Katsuki lets out a sigh as he thinks about the redhead. Out of all his classmates, Kirishima was the one he tolerated the most.

"Tch... Shitty Hair? He's a little more tolerable than the rest, I guess. He's kind of an idiot, but he's strong, and he's one of the only ones here who doesn't think I'm a complete asshole…”

“Okay, and what about Kouji?” He says as he's writing down on the paper

Bakugou shrugs.

“I've got no problems with him. He never starts shit and he keeps to himself. He's fine.”

“Okay, and how about Satou?”

Katsuki rolls his eyes at the mention of Satou's name, not really seeing anything about him worth mentioning.

"Satou... the idiot with the sugar quirk. He has a lot of damn power when he uses his quirk, but he's just as stupid as that sparky bastard.”

The man nods and writes down even more. After that though he spoke again.

“Okay bakugou, it looks like that'll be it for today's session. We can go over the rest of your classmates next time.”

Bakugou nods and stands up, but before he makes it ti the door the man says another thing.

“Now, I do have an assignment for you” he says. “I want you to go out of your way to spend time with another person. And not in a class or something like that, just a normal activity.”

Bakugou just glares at the man, but he just pulls his book out again and goes back to reading it.

Bakugou just growls to himself as he leaves the room.

Chapter Text

The following night, Bakugou found himself back in the dormitory kitchen, just as he had the night before. His feet had carried him there without much thought, as if on autopilot. He had convinced himself that it was just needed to do it to deal with everything happening…Still a bad reason, but better than the alternative.

The air was cool, the silence comforting, and the soft hum of the refrigerator the only sound as he poured himself another cup of tea. He leaned against the counter, the events of the previous night still lingering in his mind. Tsuyu’s invitation to hang out, her lighthearted chuckle, and that infuriatingly adorable smile of hers. He gritted his teeth, trying to shake off the thoughts. He wasn’t supposed to be thinking like this. Not about her. Not about anyone

‘And then the same thing is basically happening with Round Face’ he thinks. ‘This is just… insane… and now I’m expected to try hanging out with someone.’

But before he could spiral further, the door to the kitchen creaked open. His heart skipped a beat when he saw her again, Tsuyu, entering with that same calm demeanor.

She met his gaze, her eyes bright with recognition, and Bakugou cursed inwardly.

Why was she always here now?

“Back again, kero?” she asked with a small smile, as if this was all part of some unspoken agreement between them.

Bakugou scowled, turning his attention back to his tea.

“You got a problem with that?”

Tsuyu shook her head, unfazed by his tone.

“Not at all, kero.”

She moved to the cabinet, reaching for a mug, and Bakugou found his eyes following her movements. He hated this. Hated how he was suddenly so aware of her presence, how he couldn’t just ignore her like before.

As she poured herself a cup of tea and settled at the table, she glanced at him. “You seemed lost in thought when I came in. Anything on your mind, kero?”

Bakugou tensed, his first instinct to snap back with something harsh, something that would push her away. But instead, he found himself shrugging, unable to muster the usual venom. “Just… thinking.”

Tsuyu tilted her head, curiosity flickering in her gaze. “About what?”

“Nothing that concerns you, Froggy,” he muttered

Tsuyu didn’t seem bothered by his curt response. Instead, she took another sip of her tea, her eyes never leaving his. “So, kero, how about that hangout? No pressure, but the offer’s still open.”

Bakugou stared at her, the knot of anxiety tightening in his chest again.

‘Godamnit, of course she asks that just as I have to do it with someone.’ He thinks irritated.

Tsuyu’s smile widened, and for the first time, Bakugou didn’t feel the urge to snap at her for it. Instead, he felt a strange sense of… relief? Is that the right word?... why that?

“How about tomorrow, then? We could study together after class, kero. I could use the extra work, and I think you’d be a good partner.”

Bakugou hesitated. The idea of spending more time with her made that knot of anxiety tighten in his chest.

“Fine,” he finally agreed, his voice gruff. “But don’t expect me to go easy on you.”

Tsuyu’s eyes sparkled with amusement. “I wouldn’t expect anything less, kero.”

They lapsed back into silence, but this time it felt different—lighter, somehow. Bakugou finished his tea, trying to ignore the way his heart was beating faster than usual. When he glanced at Tsuyu, she was still watching him, her expression soft and understanding.

“Goodnight, Bakugou-kun,” she said, standing up and giving him a small wave before heading toward the door.

“Yeah… goodnight,” he mumbled, watching her leave.

Chapter Text

The day was going fairly normal so far. He woke up at 4 am to go on a run like usual, he got back to the dorms to take a shower and eat breakfast, and eventually he had class. They had a combat based class where he got through it relatively easily, and they all went back to the classroom to finish up before they were dismissed. After that of course, he had to go to therapy, but that’s… He doesn’t want to think about it right now.

As the class walks into the room, he’s actually a bit behind the others so he gets in as one of the last people in. As he goes to his desk to get his bag he actually sees a folded piece of paper on his desk.

“The fuck is this?” He mutters to himself as he picks it up and takes a look at it

‘Let’s meet up in the training area later since we’re supposed to train together. We can meet there after you get out of therapy’ -Tsu

He reads the note and kinda just sighs to himself before he turns his head to look at Tsu as she’s grabbing her bag. She looks over to him at that moment and he gives a brief nod. She smiles at this and he just turns to walk out.

‘Well… guess I’ve got plans tonight.’ He thinks as he goes through the hallway.

After a little bit Bakugou had left the dorms and was on his way to his therapist's office. He makes it to the building and walks past the receptionist, the two giving a nod to eachother as he does.

‘I should probably ask what her name is one of these days’ He thinks as he opens the door.

"Ah Bakugou. Right on time" The man says, marking his place in his book before putting it down.

Bakugou sat down in his usual chair across from the man.

“So, I hope you don’t mind if we continue from the questioning from last session.” The man says

Bakugou nods as the man reads from his clipboard.

“So, as you likely remember, we were going to go down the list of your classmates and you were telling me briefly about your thoughts of them.” He says

“Tch, yeah, I remember.” Bakugou says, a bit of snark in his tone.

“Excelent, so, continuing where we left off, I believe the next person would be Jiro.”

Bakugou pauses and his frown turns into a scowl.

“Jiro’s another person I don’t have any major problems with, I guess.. She’s quiet and doesn’t bother me.”

Bakugou watches as he jots down some notes.

“Okay, now how about Sero?”

Bakugou rolls his eyes as he thinks about the tape user.

“The wannabe comedian, huh? Man, I really don’t like that guy… He’s always doing stupid jokes and trying to get a reaction out of me. I honestly can’t stand him most days. His jokes are so damn lame. And I’m pretty sure I’ve smelt weed on him before”

“Okay, and how about Tokoyami?”

Bakugou let out a snort as he thought about their class bird boy.

“The goth edge lord? He’s always doing cringey, poetic crap. He tries so damn hard to be cool and mysterious, but it just comes across as annoying and annoying. He’s always going on and on about ‘revelry in the dark’ or some shit” He rants

“Huh, well, moving on. Next up would be Todoroki”

Bakugou just scowls

“Oh, that prick. I can’t stand him.”

After a few seconds of silence the therapist then gestures for him to continue, so bakugou sighs and does so.

“He disregarded me as a threat, then he holds back when fighting me, and consistently acts like he’s better than me. Quite frankly I have no reason not to despise him.”

The man nods for a while before listing off the next person.

“Do you mean ‘the damn ghost’?” Bakugou asks. “She’s... I don’t even know how to feel about her. On the one hand, I can’t even see her half the time, so she’s not as annoying as the other extras. But on the other hand... she’s a complete damn gossip. She’s always talking about what some other person did or said, and she’s always sticking her nose in other people's business. It’s annoying as hell. Her and Racoon Eyes have probably taken a year off my life alone just from having to overhear their nonsense”

The man nods understandingly.

“Okay, how about Yaoyarozu?”

“Yaoyorozu, huh?” He says. “She’s... She’s kind of hard to talk about. She’s a good student for sure, and she’s smart as hell. She’s just… Kind of… pretentious. I think that’s the word.

“Okay, and how about Mineta?”

Bakugou gives a deep sigh.

“He’s the biggest disappointment I’ve ever seen.”

“Can you elaborate?”

Bakugou looks up from the floor.

“I swear, if he tried, he’d be top 5 in the class easy. But he doesn’t. Quite frankly he has issues. If anyone should be in therapy, it’s him.

The therapist simply nods as Bakugou talks.

“The damn midget is... he’s... He pisses me off more than anyone else. But... he isn’t a bad person, I guess. He’s just so damn infuriating. He clearly has the potential to be a strong and useful classmate, but... but he’s so perverted and... and cowardly. He’s a complete coward. It’s just the fact that he has so much potential and he’s just wasting it. I honestly can’t believe a guy like him even passed the entrance exam…”

“Okay, now… I believe this is a good place to end off. We can skip out on the last person for now.”

Bakugou nods as he stands up.

“Oh, one final thing” He says as Bakugou is about to walk out.”How are you working with the assignment to spend time with someone?”

Bakugou stands there, his hand on the door.

“I… I’m working on it.” Is all that he says as he avoids more talk by closing the door behind him.

Chapter Text

Bakugou got back onto campus and went to his dorms. He changed out of his normal clothes into his usual black tank top and shorts he always wore when he was training. With a deep sigh of frustration he left his dorm and walked to the training area on campus to meet up with froggy.

He walked into the building. It was a fairly large training center, but basically just a very large gym. It had areas with a lot of different equipment for different training since the different students preferred different training methods. Bakugou had to admit, this was definitely his favorite place on campus.

As he entered he saw tsu stretching close to the door. She looked up as the door opened, and a smile immediately came to her face.

“Oh, Bakugou chan, kero” she greets. “I'm glad you made it.”

Bakugou sighs as he walks over.

“tch, I don't go back on what I agree to” he says in a firm tone.

She smiles and just nods.

“so, what exactly were you planning on doing today?” He asks her.

“Oh, actually I wanted to try out what kind of training you do, ribbit” she says as she continues stretching

Bakugou narrows his eyes

“why” is all he says.

“Well, I don't really do this kind of training, ribbit. Mostly all I do is swim, so since I'm training with you I might as well try learning stuff that might be good to start doing.”

Bakugou doesn't say anything, but he nods. He can understand that.

‘So that's why she wanted to hang out,’ He thinks. ‘probably easier ways to go about it though’

At this Tsu finally stands up off the floor where she was stretching.

“So, you gonna warm up, ribbit?” she asks him

“tch, no. Don't need to” he says

“really, kero?” she says with a confused and surprised look “I didn't think you were the type to cut corners.”

Bakugou glares at her.

“I'm not cutting corners. My body heat is always high because of my quirk, so a warm up is just redundant.” He says in an annoyed tone.

“Oh, I guess that makes sense, ribbit.” She says, her index finger on her chin as she considers it. “So, you ready to start then?”

“Yeah, let's do this.”

A couple hours went by where Bakugou ran Asui through his typical gym session, or as close as he could manage.

As it typically goes, bakugou went to muscle ups, bodyweight rows, hanging leg raises, planche push ups, 1-armed push ups, l-sits, pistol squats, box jumps, handstand push ups, etc.

To her credit, Asui definitely did her best to try to match him. It was definitely hard though due to a lot of the movements using muscles she hasn't specifically trained or technique she's never used. She did however show him up quite a fair bit on the box jumps, but that was expected.

Tsuyu wiped the sweat from her brow as they finished and let out a breathy chuckle, her chest rising and falling as she caught her breath.

“Whew, ribbit… that was tough, kero. You really don’t go easy, do you?”

Bakugou grunted, reaching for a water bottle. “Tch, you knew what you were signing up for.”

He paused, glancing at her as she stretched out her legs, still recovering from the session.

“Not bad though. Most of the extras around here wouldn’t last half as long.”

Tsuyu smiled.

“Thanks, Bakugou-chan. That means a lot coming from you, kero.”

He didn’t respond, simply taking a long drink from his bottle to avoid the awkward feeling settling in his chest. Compliments weren’t exactly his strong suit. After a moment, Tsuyu stood up, stretching her arms above her head.

“I think I’m gonna feel this tomorrow, ribbit,” she admitted with a soft laugh.

When she stretched out her legs in front of her, leaning forward with her palms flat on the ground, his eyes betrayed him. The angle gave him a full view of her toned back and the subtle curve of her hips as she bent forward, her shorts riding up slightly, revealing more of her smooth thighs. Her tank top clung to her skin, damp with sweat, and the way it hugged her chest made it impossible not to notice how her body moved with each deep breath.. He caught himself almost immediately, clenching his jaw and focusing hard on anything else, like the weights nearby.

‘Damn it,’ he thought, mentally scolding himself. ‘Get it together.’

Tsuyu, completely oblivious to his inner turmoil, looked up at him with that same calm expression.

“Bakugou-chan,” she said between breaths, her tone easy and casual, “I was thinking, kero… maybe we could keep doing this together. You know, train like this more regularly?”

Bakugou felt a sudden twinge of tension in his chest, though he wasn’t sure if it was from the workout or her suggestion. He stared at her for a moment, his usual frown deepening as he tried to figure out what exactly was going on in his head.

“Seriously?” He mutters

“Yes, kero”

Bakugou pauses for a few minutes, but despite his better judgment-

“I'll think about it”

Chapter Text

Bakugou walked into his therapist's office again. He was actually a couple minutes early today, but he was finding it difficult to actually care today. Yesterday had more or less drained him of his social energy. Even more so since he basically agreed to start training with Asui regularly.

‘Goddamnit, it's like with those other extras all over again’ he thinks about the self proclaimed baku squad

He opened the door, and without saying a word sat down in his usual chair.

The therapist was writing in a notebook when bakugou did this. As he saw bakugou open the door though, he suddenly scrambled to put it away and his pencil behind his ear.

“Oh bakugou… you're early today” he says as he puts the notebook away

‘Hmm… looks kind of like one of dekus notebooks’ bakugou thinks to himself. ‘Probably a coincidence’

He didn't have the energy today to question the man's behavior. It was weird, but not worth paying attention.

The therapist cleared his throat, adjusting his glasses as he folded his hands in front of him.

"So, how are we feeling today, Bakugou?"

Bakugou scoffed, leaning back in the chair with his arms crossed.

"Tch, same as always. What do you think?"

The therapist offered a small, nonchalant nod.

“Well, did you make any progress with the assignment I gave you? Y'know, trying to spend time with someone outside of class.” He asks, picking up his clipboard and pen.

Bakugou’s scowl deepened, his eyes narrowing at the therapist.

“Tch. Progress? I didn’t even want to do that stupid assignment in the first place.”

The therapist didn’t react to Bakugou’s tone, calmly jotting something down on the clipboard.

“And yet, you did, didn’t you?” His gaze met Bakugou’s, unphased. “I’d call that progress.”

Bakugou clicked his tongue, his jaw tightening as he looked away.

“Only because she wouldn’t shut up about it. Asui wanted to train with me, and I’m not gonna half-ass something like that.”

The therapist tilted his head slightly, his expression neutral but clearly intrigued.

“You trained with Asui? That’s interesting. She’s not someone you typically spend time with, is she?”

Bakugou freezes for a moment at the question, but he recovers fast enough to hopefully not have been noticed.

“Tch, course not.” He lied, crossing his arms tighter across his chest. “But she asked, so whatever. Not a big deal.”

‘Nobody can know,’ he thinks, choosing to leave out their interactions these past nights.

The therapist leaned back in his chair, the faintest hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

“Not a big deal, huh? And yet, you agreed to do it again?”

Bakugou froze for a moment before his glare sharpened.

“How the hell do you know that?”

The therapist shrugged.

“I didn’t. You just told me.”

Bakugou let out a low growl, clearly annoyed at being baited.

“Yeah, fine. She wants to train together again. I said I’d think about it. That’s it.”

“You didn’t say no, though. Something stopped you. Why do you think that is?”

Bakugou shifted uncomfortably in his chair, the memory flashing uninvited in his mind. He clenched his jaw, forcing himself to look at the wall rather than the therapist.

“Tch, I didn’t say no because… I wasn’t really thinking about it, alright?” he muttered, irritation lacing his words.

The therapist raised a brow, clearly intrigued by Bakugou’s uncharacteristically vague response.

“Not thinking about it? That’s not like you. Usually, you’re very decisive.”

Bakugou tensed, his fingers digging into his arms where they were crossed over his chest.

“Yeah, well, I had other things on my mind,” he shot back defensively, his glare sharpening. “And I didn’t want to deal with her whining if I told her no.”

The therapist hummed, unconvinced but unwilling to push too hard.

“Fair enough,” he said, jotting something down on his clipboard. “But if you weren’t thinking about it, what were you thinking about?”

Bakugou’s eyes darted to the side, avoiding eye contact.

“None of your damn business,” he growled, his tone more defensive than angry.

The therapist gave him a knowing look but didn’t press further. Instead, he leaned back in his chair, tapping the pen against the clipboard thoughtfully.

“Alright, let’s pivot for a moment. What do you think makes her different? Why do you seem to tolerate her more than most of your classmates?”

Bakugou exhaled sharply, trying to steer his mind away from where it wanted to go.

“She doesn’t piss me off like the others. That’s it. She keeps her mouth shut most of the time and just does what she says she’s gonna do.”

“Reliable,” the therapist noted. “That’s a good quality to admire in someone.”

“I didn’t say I admired it,” Bakugou shot back, glaring. “Just that it’s not annoying.”

“Right,” the therapist said, a faint smirk on his lips. “Not annoying.”

Bakugou shifted again, his gaze darting toward the clock on the wall.

“Is this over yet?”

“Not quite,” the therapist said smoothly. “You agreed to train with her again. Any chance of something outside of that training? Could this go anywhere else?”

Bakugou didn’t answer right away, his mind flashing again to the moment he’d caved. He could still see the way she’d stretched, her tank top clinging to her sweat-slicked skin, her shorts riding up just enough to make his breath hitch. His answer coming before he even knew what he was saying.

But there was no way in hell he was admitting that.

“It’s just training,” he said finally, his tone firm. “She wants to get stronger, and I don’t mind showing her how. That’s all.”

The therapist watched him carefully, noting the subtle tension in his jaw and the way his gaze kept flicking away.

“If you say so,” he said after a pause.

Bakugou didn’t respond, glaring at the wall as his thoughts churned. He wasn’t about to admit anything, especially not here. The sooner this stupid session was over, the better.

The therapist sat back in his chair, tapping his pen against the clipboard thoughtfully. After a long pause, he decided to change the subject.

“You know, Bakugou,” he began, his tone measured, “I’ve been thinking about something you said the other day.”

Bakugou shifted in his seat, his eyes narrowing as he turned his attention back to the therapist.

"What now?”

The therapist didn’t look up from his clipboard as he continued, his voice calm but probing.

“You mentioned Mineta, how he annoys you but also has potential. You said, and I quote, ‘The damn midget is... he’s... he pisses me off more than anyone else. But... he isn’t a bad person, I guess. He’s just so damn infuriating. He clearly has the potential to be a strong and useful classmate, but... but he’s so perverted and... and cowardly. He’s a complete coward. It’s just the fact that he has so much potential and he’s just wasting it. I honestly can’t believe a guy like him even passed the entrance exam…’ at least that's what was in my notes.”

Bakugou’s fists clenched in his lap, his face flushing with frustration at hearing his own words read back to him.

“Tch, you gonna keep repeating everything I say?” he muttered, irritation creeping into his voice.

The therapist ignored the snark and continued.

“You’ve got a pretty strong opinion of Mineta, but I’m curious. How exactly did you come to that conclusion about his potential? What makes you think he has it?”

Bakugou’s scowl deepened as the therapist’s question hung in the air. The room felt too quiet, like the question was digging deeper than Bakugou wanted to admit. He clicked his tongue, his red eyes narrowing.

“Tch. It’s not like it’s that complicated. The damn pervert is... smarter than most of the extras in class. Hell, he’s one of the only two people in the class who’s smarter than me, and that’s saying something,” he admitted, his tone sharp, as if begrudgingly giving credit.

“He's not an idiot. And it’s not just that. Before he even got to UA, the guy did judo. Half the fucking class didn't even try to learn to fight, but he's a fucking black belt. Hell, he took down Midnight in the 2v1 training after she knocked out his partner. That's ridiculous, but he managed it.”

The therapist’s eyebrows lifted slightly. “That is impressive.”

“Yeah, exactly,” Bakugou muttered. “He’s got the brains, he’s got the training. He’s got a quirk that, when he uses it right, can screw up anyone’s plans. But what does he do with all of that? He wastes it. And don’t even get me started on his perverted crap. He spends more time drooling over girls than actually trying to do better.”

The therapist tilted his head slightly.

“And do you think he’s aware of that? That he’s wasting his potential?”

Bakugou scoffed, the sound harsh and bitter.

“Of course he is. He’s not stupid—he’s probably more aware of it than anyone else. That’s why it pisses me off so much. He knows he could be better. If he’d actually focus, he’d be one of the strongest people in our class. But no, he’s too busy being a joke.”

The therapist leaned back, his expression calm as he processed Bakugou’s words.

The words spilled out of him in a heated torrent, his frustration palpable.

“It’s like, he could be great, but instead he’s just this cowardly, useless idiot. He’s got everything he needs to be better, but he doesn’t want to be. And that pisses me off.”

The therapist nodded, his expression thoughtful as he made another note.

“So, it’s not just his behavior that frustrates you? It’s the gap between what he could be and what he chooses to be?”

Bakugou just nods.

“It sounds like you see a lot of wasted potential in Mineta. Do you ever feel like there’s something you could do to help him change? Or is it just easier to be frustrated with him?”

Bakugou’s face twisted into a scowl, his gaze shifting away as he mulled over the question.

“I don’t know,” he muttered after a moment, his voice quieter. “It’s not my job to fix him. He’s got to figure it out for himself.”

The therapist opens his mouth as if to retort, when he's cut off by a beeping sound. The man pulls out his phone and turns it off.

“Well, I suppose that's it for this session.” He says with a sigh.

Bakugou stands up and goes to the door.

“Keep that assignment I gave you in mind. It's not just a one time thing.” The man says as bakugou leaves.

“Tch, yeah right.” He mutters as he finally leaves.

Chapter Text

As the title of this chapter implies, this is not an update to this story, but rather an attempt at getting some feedback from people enjoying this story. I have decided to take some time off from posting for this story while I get the next chapters written up because I want to make sure this story is enjoyable for my readers. However, in order to make sure I give good content I would like to ask you all to to give me some feedback.

For starters, the following questions:

1. Which part has been your favorite? The scenes with the therapist, exposure therapy with Uraraka, or talk with Tsuyu?

2. Were there any parts you feel I didn't go into well or could have expanded on more?

3. Were there any specific interactions or events you are hoping to see or were dissapointed I didn't do?

4 (Most Important). Why are you choosing to read and continue to read this story.

While I usually just leave it at saying that comments are greatly appreciated, I am going to be outright asking for them here. Thank you all for your time, and I hope to get an idea on what has made this story good so that I can make it even better for you all going further.

Chapter Text

Bakugou got up and started his usual routine, mentally preparing himself for another irritating therapy session. As much as he hated the entire process, it was becoming part of his day—something he could grit his teeth through and get over with. But as he finished getting changed out of his school uniform, his phone rang. He glanced at the screen, recognizing the number.

He sighed, already guessing what this was.

“If this is canceled again, I swear—” he muttered, answering the call.

“Hello, Bakugou. I’m calling to let you know that today’s session is canceled again. However, I’ve arranged for another exposure exercise in its place.”

Bakugou’s grip on the phone tightened.

“Yeah, figured as much.”

He hung up, tossing the phone onto his bed. His eyes drifted to the box of baby wipes on his nightstand, and his stomach twisted. If it was like last time, he knew what to expect. Still, his hands started sweating, and he wiped them dry as he waited. Moments later, there was a knock.

Bakugou forced himself up and opened the door. Round face stood there, smiling nervously.

"Uh, hey, Bakugou-kun," she greeted with a nervous smile.

He stepped aside, letting her in without a word.

She hesitated for a second before walking past him, standing in the middle of his room like before. Bakugou shut the door and crossed his arms, already bracing himself.

“So,” he said, “what is it this time?”

Her face was already turning pink.

"Uh, well… my instructions were to take it a step further again." She fiddled with the hem of her sleeve, clearly dreading what she had to say next. "We’re supposed to hold hands while, um… maintaining eye contact."

Bakugou’s eye twitched.

"You’re kidding.”

She quickly shook her head.

"I—I mean, I wouldn’t joke about this, Bakugou-kun."

A muscle in his jaw twitched, but he didn’t argue. He just held out his hand like before, his movements stiff and unwilling. Uraraka hesitated, then placed her hand in his, fingers lacing together.

They had done this much before, but then—

"Okay, now look at me," she said, her voice already unsteady.

Bakugou’s eyes flicked up to hers on instinct, but the second their gazes met, he immediately looked away.

"Damn it," he muttered. His hand flexed around hers, and he instinctively wiped his free hand against his pants to get rid of the sweat he could already feel forming.

"You okay?" she asked softly.

"I’m fine," he snapped, forcing himself to look up again.

Her eyes were wide, watching him intently, but not in the way that made him feel scrutinized. It was… patient. Understanding.

Which somehow made it worse.

Seconds passed. His throat felt tight. His mind screamed at him to break away, to pull back, but he didn’t. He forced himself to stay put, even as his skin burned under her gaze.

Uraraka’s fingers curled slightly around his own.

"...This isn't so bad, right?" she said, barely above a whisper.

Bakugou swallowed. "Shut up."

She let out a small laugh. "Okay."

Seconds passed. His throat felt tight. His mind screamed at him to break away, to pull back, but he didn’t. He forced himself to stay put, even as his skin burned under her gaze.

Uraraka cleared her throat, then awkwardly shifted her weight.

"So, um… do you like playing video games?" she blurted out, clearly trying to distract herself—and him—from the tension.

Bakugou blinked, thrown off by the sudden change in topic.

"What? Why the hell would you ask that now?”

Uraraka laughed nervously, her cheeks bright red.
"I—I’m just trying to make conversation. This is a little… weird, right?" She swallowed.

Bakugou's brow furrowed, still fighting the urge to break the contact.

"Tch, I don’t have time for that crap anymore," he muttered, but his mind still raced through the idea. Why the hell is she asking about video games now?

She looked at him sheepishly, her thumb brushing lightly over his hand as she held it.

"Yeah, I get that. Studying’s important. But… sometimes it’s nice to relax, you know?"

Bakugou couldn’t answer right away. God, why is her hand so soft? He shoved the thought down.

His eyes flicked up again, reluctantly meeting hers for a second. She was still holding his gaze, though hers was more nervous than he’d ever seen. He forced himself to stay put, though his face heated up slightly.

"Ugh, whatever," he grumbled. "We’re wasting time with this."

Uraraka let out a nervous giggle, probably more out of discomfort than anything.

"You’re really serious about your work, huh?" she asked, her voice quieter now, just trying to keep the conversation going.

“Yeah,” Bakugou grunted, “If you wanna get anywhere, you don’t sit around playing games all day.”

The two of them fell into a tense silence. Uraraka squeezed his hand lightly, trying to keep the connection, but Bakugou's mind was elsewhere, battling his own frustration and the discomfort growing in his chest. His palms were sweating again. He wasn’t sure how long he could keep this up.

Another few moments passed, and finally, Bakugou let go, wiping the sweat from his hand against his pants again.

Uraraka, still flustered, stood up.

“Well, uh, thanks for… well, for holding hands with me and, you know, talking,” she said quickly. Her face was still pink.

"Yeah, yeah," Bakugou muttered, barely acknowledging her words.

She shuffled awkwardly toward the door, then turned back.

“Uh, see you tomorrow, Bakugou-kun. And good luck!”

Bakugou watched her leave, the door closing softly behind her.

He let out a long breath, finally releasing the tension in his body.

"What the hell was that?”

He just sits in silence like that for a few minutes just trying to process all of that. The weight of it all pressed against his chest, irritating and unwanted. It didn't help that, now that it was over, he could clearly feel the ghost of Uraraka's touch still on his palm—a reminder of the stupid therapy exercise that was supposed to be "helping" him.

He would have likely been like this for the rest of the day had he not had more plans. After all, he had to train… with Froggy.

Bakugou just sighed to himself as he recognized that he had to leave to take care of this, but he knew for a fact that he couldn't just bail on it. Because then there'd be questions of why he agreed in the first place.

Bakugou left his room with a huff, shoving his hands deep in his pockets, his mind already bracing itself for whatever the hell was waiting for him next.

Bakugou walked out of his room, already in his training gear and mentally bracing himself for whatever ridiculousness awaited him in the gym. He needed to clear his head, and physical activity was one of the few things that helped him do that. As he was about to head down the hall, he spotted a familiar face rounding the corner.

Mineta.

The smaller boy’s eyes flicked up to Bakugou, his usual smile spreading across his face.

"Hey, Bakugou! You heading out somewhere?" he asked, his voice sounding more casual than usual.

Bakugou’s lip curled, annoyance creeping up his throat at the sight of him.

"Tch. What do you want, Mineta?"

Mineta hesitated for a second, as if debating whether to push or not, before deciding to go for it.

"I was just curious... How’s the therapy going? Is it working for you?"

Bakugou’s eyebrows furrowed.

“What’s it to you?” he growled, already feeling defensive. "It’s none of your damn business."

Mineta scratched the back of his head awkwardly, but then, almost as if he couldn’t help himself, he added,

“You know, I might’ve chipped in a little extra for your sessions. You know, just trying to be a good friend.”

Bakugou’s eyes narrowed sharply.

"You what?" His voice dropped low with suspicion. "You think just ‘cause you threw in some extra cash, you’ve got any say in what goes on with me?"

Mineta quickly raised his hands defensively, his expression faltering.

"N-no! I just thought it’d help, y'know? I didn’t mean to—"

“Save it,” Bakugou snapped. “The therapy’s a pain in the ass, and it’s not gonna make me soft. But sure, whatever. You wanna waste your money, go ahead.”

Mineta blinked, clearly thrown off by Bakugou’s words.

“I—uh, yeah, whatever, man. I didn’t think it’d be a big deal.” His voice trailed off awkwardly.

Bakugou’s sharp gaze lingered on him.

"You're the biggest waste of potential I've ever seen, Mineta. How’s that feel?" he muttered, not thinking much of it, but noticing Mineta's reaction.

Mineta froze, blinking rapidly.

"What?!" He looked genuinely confused, clearly not expecting that comment. "I—I don’t—what the hell do you mean by that?"

Bakugou just smirked, his tone dripping with annoyance.

"You know exactly what I mean. You could be doing something, anything, useful with your time. But you’re just wasting it. All of it."

Mineta’s eyes narrowed, a mix of hurt and confusion flashing through them.

“I—I don’t think I’m wasting anything. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Bakugou turned on his heel, not wasting another second.

“Whatever, man. I’ve got shit to do. Don’t follow me.”

He started walking toward the gym, ignoring the feeling that lingered from the weird interaction. Mineta’s words had barely made a dent in his mind, but for some reason, he felt a slight discomfort settling in.

‘why did I tell him that?’ he thinks to himself As he exits the building.

Chapter Text

Bakugou slumped into his usual seat, arms folded, leg bouncing just enough to be annoying.

The therapist looked up from his notes and offered his usual quiet greeting.

“Afternoon, Bakugou.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Bakugou muttered. “Let’s just get this over with.”

The therapist didn’t press the attitude.

Instead, he closed the notebook in front of him and leaned forward, elbows on his knees, fingers laced.

“Today, I want to ask you a few questions about your home life. Is that alright?”

Bakugou blinked, caught off guard.

“My home life?”

“Yes,” the man said with a nod. “Where you grew up, what things were like, family dynamics, that sort of thing.”

Bakugou rolled his eyes.

“Tch. Nothing special.”

There was a pause.

“You still live with your parents, correct? You’ve stated that you refer to your mother as a hag in the past.”

“Yeah.” Bakugou said, picking at a loose thread on his sleeve.

“Tell me about her.”

Bakugou shrugged.

“She’s loud. Pushy. Doesn’t take crap from anyone. Always yelling about something. You leave a sock on the floor, she’s screeching like it’s the end of the world.”

He gave a bitter laugh.

“Hell, I think I learned to dodge faster from her throwing slippers than I ever did from combat drills.”

The therapist’s pen tapped softly against the edge of the notebook.

“She throws things at you?”

Bakugou nodded without hesitation.

“Only when I piss her off. Which, y’know… used to be all the damn time. Still do when I’m home”

He didn’t see the way the therapist’s pen froze mid-tap.

“I’d mouth off, she’d throw something. Once got smacked in front of All Might and Aizawa. Learned not to make her look bad in front of my teachers.”

Bakugou wasn’t even angry. He looked almost amused.

The therapist took a breath, voice calm.

“That sounds intense.”

Bakugou just snorted. “Tch. Please. She’s a saint compared to some parents. It’s just how she is. She yells, I yell louder. Keeps things even.”

The therapist gave a small nod, writing something slowly.

“What about affection? Did she ever hug you? Tell you she was proud?”

Bakugou looked up like the question didn’t compute.

“What?”

“Did she ever express love or pride in you growing up?”

Bakugou scratched the back of his neck.

“I mean… she’d say stuff like ‘Don’t screw this up, you’re not an idiot,’ when I got good grades. That counts, right?”

The therapist didn’t answer that. Just wrote something else down.

“And your father?”

“Works a lot. He’s quiet. Keeps his head down, lets the hag run the house. He never yelled at me. Not really. But if she was going off on me, he didn’t exactly step in either.”

Bakugou shrugged again.

“He’d try to calm her down sometimes. Or take me out for ice cream after. But mostly he just… stayed out of it.”

A long pause.

“Sounds like a difficult environment.”

Bakugou tilted his head.

“Huh?”

The therapist glanced up, carefully choosing his words.

“Not everyone grows up with that kind of dynamic. It’s not… always normal for parents to express discipline through yelling or throwing objects.”

Bakugou frowned slightly.

“Well… she only threw things when I was being a little bastard. I had a temper. Still do. I deserved it.”

The therapist didn’t agree or disagree. He just let the silence settle.

Bakugou looked away.

“I turned out fine.”

The therapist was quiet for a moment. Then, carefully:

“Do you think that kind of environment helped you? Or hurt you?”

Bakugou blinked like the question was a riddle.

“What the hell kind of question is that?”

“It’s a serious one,” the man said, voice calm but focused. “Looking back, do you think being treated that way helped shape you into the person you are now—for better, or worse?”

Bakugou leaned back in the chair, arms crossed again.

“Tch. I turned out fine, didn’t I? Top of the class, strongest in the year, doing better than half the weaklings in this school.”

He waved a hand dismissively.

“It’s just how she talks.”

The therapist tilted his head a little, scribbling something lightly on his pad. “Did that bother you?”

Bakugou blinked. “What? No. That’s just how she is.”

“Did she ever hit you?”

“Only when I deserved it,” he said casually, arms folded. “Or when I broke something. Or swore. Or forgot to bow to someone once. Y’know—kid stuff.”

The therapist didn’t respond, just waited.

Bakugou looked mildly confused at the lack of reaction.

“Seriously, it wasn’t that big a deal. She’s got a strong backhand, sure, but everyone’s mom gets pissed like that sometimes. Right?”

The therapist asked carefully, “What do you mean by ‘strong backhand’?”

Bakugou shrugged again.

“Like, she doesn’t slap you half-assed. She goes full force. One time she actually knocked me down. Got me across the face so hard I saw stars.”

He said it like it was a funny anecdote.

The therapist’s pen paused mid-word.

“…How old were you then?”

“I dunno. Nine? Maybe ten. Doesn’t matter. It was years ago.”

Bakugou shifted in his seat, starting to frown—not because he was uncomfortable, but because the therapist hadn’t moved on yet.

“You act like this is weird or something,” he said, narrowing his eyes slightly.

The therapist remained neutral. “I’m just trying to understand.”

‘The fuck is that supposed to mean.’ He thinks, but knows better than to say anything.

“Tch. Everyone gets yelled at. Everyone gets smacked around once or twice. That’s just parenting.”

He said it with the blunt, absolute confidence of someone stating a fact.

“It’s not like she beat me with a pipe or whatever. She just… yells. And throws stuff sometimes. And yeah, if you mouth off or break the rules, you get smacked. That’s normal.”

The therapist set the notebook down. He didn’t close it. He didn’t even look away from Bakugou.

“Bakugou,” he said slowly, “that’s not actually what’s considered normal. Or healthy for that matter, but it’s not normal.”

Bakugou tilted his head slightly.

“What?”

“I mean that most people aren’t hit by their parents. Most parents don’t throw things. Or scream daily. Or make their child afraid of making small mistakes.”

There was a long silence. Bakugou just stared at him.

Then he frowned again—confused, not angry.

“…The hell are you talking about?”

He said it low, like he genuinely didn’t understand.

“That’s just… how it is.”

“No,” the therapist said simply. “That’s just how it was for you.”

Bakugou stared for a moment longer, then looked away, clicking his tongue.

“…Whatever. It’s not like it screwed me up or anything.”

The therapist didn’t argue. He just picked up the notebook again, slowly jotting something down.

But Bakugou wasn’t really focused on the questioning anymore. He sat quiet, eyes locked on the floor, like he’d been told the sky wasn’t blue after all.