Chapter Text
Kirishima sat next to Bakugou on the bus. Occasionally, the bus drove over a pothole, causing a small jolt. He glanced over to Bakugou, who winced each time it happened. Sometimes, he inhaled sharply, quiet, but Kirishima noticed. Kirishima always noticed.
Ever since Kamino, Bakugou had been jumpier, more quick to react to any semblance of a command. And that reaction was not to follow the order given. Just the opposite. And as the weeks went by, his reactions got worse.
That day when Bakugou snapped and walked out of class was only the tip of the iceberg, it seemed. Even though Kirishima provided as much emotional support as he could to his new boyfriend and made sure he took his medicine every morning, Bakugou’s anger grew. And as it grew, so did his tendency to snap at anyone who told, or even asked, him to do something. It could be as small as Iida asking him take his feet off the desk- Bakugou got detention for blowing a hole through it. Even worse was the time Mineta, ever the insensitive asshole, told him to stop his crackling during class. That ordeal resulted in detention for a week for both parties.
Finally, Bakugou was called to meet with Nedzu and Aizawa to figure out what was going on, and come up with a solution. Bakugou, of course, refusing to cooperate completely, demanded that Kirishima be with him. Probably just to spite them, but perhaps also to give him cover from feeling completely under their authority. Kirishima recalled the meeting with clarity.
“This is bullshit! If I’m gonna be the number one hero, I can’t have all these fucking... issues dragging me down. You think I fucking enjoy being angry all the time? Yeah, sure, it sucks for you, but could you for once fucking think about I feel?” Bakugou stood and slammed his hands on the table. “I can’t fucking believe you cancelled my therapy appointments. I was wondering why I never got any fucking reminders. You don’t get to make medical decisions for me, assholes!”
Aizawa sighed, and rubbed his temple. Bakugou had done nothing but yell the whole meeting. “Actually, we do have authorization by your parents to do that. We are legally allowed to take any measures necessary to uphold the safety of our students, short of causing harm.” He looked Bakugou in the eyes. “We didn’t want you back in public so soon after Kamino.”
Kirishima kept his eyes on Bakugou, ready to reach out and grab his hands to prevent any damage. Then he realized that Aizawa had activated his quirk, and he relaxed. Still, Kirishima scooted his seat just a little closer to Bakugou.
Nedzu cleared his throat. “I understand that this is frustrating for you, Bakugou-kun. But you must understand that we merely have your best interest in mind.” Bakugou opened his mouth, preparing another string of curses, but Nedzu held up a paw. “That being said, we believe the situation has calmed down enough to allow one session every two weeks.”
“However,” Aizawa continued, “There will be a few rules. One, you must travel in disguise. Two, you must travel with another student. We would prefer if it was a third year, but,” he glanced at Kirishima, “We understand that it might be more... comfortable for you to travel with someone you know.”
Kirishima straightened in his seat. He knew it was unlikely that Bakugou would allow anyone else to be his escort.
“And three, you cannot tell any other student where you are going. We cannot risk information of your whereabouts being leaked, when we cannot be there to protect you immediately.” Aizawa leaned back in his seat, and folded his arms. “Is this acceptable?”
Bakugou sat back down, slow and deliberate. He was silent for a few moments. He furrowed his brow, frowning. Finally, he grunted.
“I assume that is an affirmation. You will resume your appointments next week. Do you have any requests or concerns?” Nedzu asked.
“...Kirishima,” Bakugou muttered. “Nobody else. I don’t trust any of the other fuckers you might stick me with.”
Kirishima smiled. It took a lot for Bakugou to admit he trusted anyone. He was honored to be one of the few.
“Wonderful! We can certainly allow that. We will be in touch soon with instructions and disguises for the trip.” Nedzu hopped down from his chair. “That concludes this meeting. Bakugou-kun, Kirishima-kun, you are free to go.”
And just like that, they were dismissed.
And now, here they were. Wearing wigs and sunglasses, heading to the center of town where Bakugou’s therapist’s office was located.
“They should really fix these shitty fucking roads,” Bakugou grumbled after the fifth pothole. “It’s practically a fucking hazard.”
“Well, they probably have bigger things to worry about,” Kirishima said. “Like rebuilding the Kamino ward.” Kirishima saw Bakugou’s fist clench slightly at the mention of Kamino. He nudged him slightly, and pressed his hand against Bakugou's without grasping it. Kirishima smiled gently, making sure Bakugou looked at him. Gradually, Bakugou relaxed.
Soon, the bus pulled over to the side of the road. “This is us,” Bakugou said, and together, they stepped down from the bus. Kirishima thanked the bus driver, but Bakugou said nothing.
As they walked side by side down the three blocks from the stop to the building, Kirishima allowed their shoulders to brush. Bakugou didn’t like holding hands in public (he said he’d like to have both hands ready in case of an attack, but Kirishima suspected he was also embarrassed. He didn’t mind, of course- in fact, he thought it was kind of adorable), but he would allow small amounts of contact. “You know, Bakugou, it’s really brave of you to admit you need help with anything. I honestly can’t imagine you attending therapy for your ODD with how you were at the beginning of the year. I’m proud of how far you’ve come.”
Bakugou blushed at the praise, and turned his head away. “I’ve actually been going to these since January. But back then, I thought I was the fucking best, y’know? I really fucking believed I was above all that ‘mental and emotional health’ shit. If I could beat villains to a fucking pulp, who cared if I could follow orders or not?” He paused, then turned to face Kirishima. They stopped outside of their destination. “But... shit, this is embarrassing. I, uh, realized a few weeks ago that you got upset whenever I lashed out, and I... I don’t want that. I want to get better at cooling down, and not overreacting to authority. I guess I’m- I’m just scared that...” He trailed off, clicked his tongue and scowled. His gaze drifted down and to the side.
“Scared that what?” Kirishima’s voice softened. This was a huge sign of how much Bakugou trusted him. To admit any sort of fear was a sign of weakness from Bakugou’s point of view. Sharing that with Kirishima meant so much more than it would if anybody else told him. Kirishima wanted to treasure that trust, and protect it with all of strength. “It’s okay if you don’t tell me, of course, but I’d like to help, if I can.”
Bakugou was silent for a few seconds, before mumbling something inaudible. Kirishima could make out the word ‘hurt’, but that was it.
He leaned in closer to Bakugou. “Sorry, can you repeat that?”
Bakugou lifted his gaze to make eye contact with Kirishima, but his head was still tilted down. “I’m scared that one day I’ll disregard orders during a real crisis, lash out or something, and get you hurt because of it. I don’t want to be the fucking cause of your death.”
Kirishima’s first thought after that confession was about Bakugou’s implication that they would be hero partners after graduation. He’d always thought Bakugou would be the kind to go solo, no matter how compatible their quirks were. Kirishima smiled at the thought. But he soon realized that Bakugou was trembling. Kirishima hesitated, then put a hand on his shoulder. He wasn’t sure if this level of contact was acceptable in public, but he needed to do something to calm him down.
Slowly but surely, Bakugou stilled. He huffed, straightened his back, and glanced at the time on his phone. Growling, presumably in annoyance, he shoved it back in his pocket.
“Shit. My appointment is in five minutes, and I have still have to sign in. Let’s go.” He walked inside the building, leaving Kirishima standing on the sidewalk, staring at his back.
Kirishima rushed to catch up, and joined him in the elevator. He watched as Bakugou pressed the button for the fifth floor. “Thank you for telling me that, Bakugou," he said after the elevator door slid shut. "It means a lot.”
Bakugou nodded, and the rest of the ride was silent.