Chapter Text
Bakugou's skin burned. It was inside of him now, trying to take control of his body. He tried to fight back. He had to get away. He was Bakugou Katsuki. He was stronger than this fucking villain. He had to be.
But no matter what he did the stupid sludge monster never let. Bakugou let off his strongest explosions, but the sludge monster wasn't even phased. It was like the sludge monster couldn't even feel them.
Bakugou had never felt so useless. So weak. What the fuck was wrong with him?
None of his fighting made any difference. Bakugou might as well have laid down and let the monster take him. It forced his was into his mouth, and there was nothing Bakugou could do about it. He wasn't strong enough.
Bakugou woke up in a cold sweat. His sheets were scorched. He must have been letting off explosions in his sleep. Fuck. He'd have to buy new ones. The Hag was going to be pissed. This was the fourth set he'd ruined in two weeks. It was a miracle Bakugou hadn't burned down the dorms yet.
He'd been dealing with nightmares since middle school, but they'd gotten worse since Kamino.
Not that they weren't anything he couldn't fucking handle. But he was getting fucking tired of having to see his worst memories every time he closed his fucking eyes. At least it hadn't been All Might's retirement again. That one was the worst.
His alarm clock read 1:49. Bakugou groaned. He really try to go back to sleep. But the last thing he wanted was to end up battling that stupid sludge monster again.
What he really wanted was to hit something. The problem was his favorite punching bag was sleeping peacefully in his own dorm room. Bakugou wasn't about to pretend he was above barging into Deku's room, waking the nerd up, and beating the shit out of him, all to make himself feel better.
Bakugou would be on his way down stairs right now if beating up Deku wouldn't mean someone else would know about his nightmares. As much as he hated to admit it, Deku was smart. If Bakugou barged into his room right now looking for a fight, the creep would take all of two seconds to figure out why Bakugou was awake in the first place. The stupid nerd already looked down on him enough, he didn't need to know Bakugou couldn't deal with his nightmares.
Bakugou tried to come up with another option. He couldn't sulk around the halls looking for someone to terrorize because everyone was asleep. He couldn't go to the gym and out his frustration on punching bag because the school was locked. How hard was it to find something to punch in a school for heroes.
He slammed his fist into the wall. The plaster was already coverded in dents from his previous tantrums. If he kept at it, Bakugou would punch a hole to Kirishima's room and then he'd have to buy more than new sheets.
Bakugou jumped out of bead. Kirishima's room. That was it. The dumbass had a punching bag in there. Bakugou had hear him and Dunce Face arguing about why Kirishima needed it there in the first place when UA came with a fully equipped gym. At the time, Bakugou had agreed with Dunce Face, not that he'd ever admit it, but it didn't matter now. Kirishima had a punching bag. So Bakugou had something to punch. It was perfect.
If it was someone else's room Bakugou might have hesitated, but this was Kirishima. Shitty Hair wouldn't bother him with annoying questions or analyze what he was doing there in the middle of the night. He'd probably think the extra training was manly or some dumb shit like that.
It was an effort not to run to the other boy's room. He knocked on the door, loud enough to wake him up if he was asleep. Although with how fast it opened, Bakugou knew he hadn't been asleep.
Kirishima stood in the doorframe staring at him. "Bakugou, hey. What are you doing here?" His eyes darted downward and his cheeks turned almost as red as his dumb hair. "And I think you forgot something Bro."
Bakugou glanced down at himself. Yeah he was shirtless. He slept shirtless and half the time he worked out shirtless too. He didn't know why Kirishima was making such a big fucking deal about it. They shared a locker room and a bathroom. It was like Shitty Hair had never seen him shirtless before. His cheeks heated anyways.
"Tch." Bakugou pushed past Kirishima to get into the room. He wasn't about to ask permission to walk into some extra's room. Even if that extra was Kirishima, who Bakugou had to admit, wasn't really an extra anymore.
He'd never actually seen Kirishima's room before, but it was exactly how Bakugou would've imagined it. Not that he spent time thinking about where the other boy slept. It was a total mancave. Crimson Riot posters plastered anywhere there was space, work out gear shoved up against the wall, a messy desk covered with half completed homework assignments. Bakugou would have to force him to do those in the morning. Maybe make him clean his room too.
All the lights were on and weights were resting on the floor. It looked like Kirishima had been in the middle of a workout when Bakugou barged in. Bakugou turned back around and really looked at Kirishima. He was fully clothes, drenched in sweat, and his favorite pair of headphones hung around his neck. "What the fuck are you doing working out this late Shitty Hair? Don't you fucking know how important it is to let your body fucking rest sometimes!"
"Look I'm sorry if I woke you up, man. I didn't think anyone could hear me. You can go back to bed, I promise I'll keep it down. I know how much you like your sleep."
"I didn't fucking come in here because you woke me up."
"You didn't?" Kirishima tilted his head. "Why are you here then?"
"Because I want to fucking punch something and Deku's room is locked."
Kirishima chuckled. He probably thought Bakugou was joking. He wasn't, but he liked the sound of Kirishima's laugh so he didn't bother to correct him.
"Well if that's all, be my guest, Blasty." Kirishima gestured in the direction of the punching bag in the corner of the room. "I'd offer to spar but I don't think we really have enough space for that." He sat back down on his bed and picked the dumb bell off the floor. "But stay as long as you want. I won't get in your way?"
That was all the invitation Bakugou needed. He threw himself at the bag.
As much as he loved being about to use his quirk during training sessions at UA, there was something he missed about just using his fists.
Bakugou had learned a long time ago that imagining the punching bag had the faces of his nightmares made them easier to cope with. So he threw himself into each punch. The bag was Deku, it was the sludge monster, it was Shigaraki, it was himself. He hit the bag again and again and again.
It wasn't long before his knuckles were bloody. He should've wrapped them before he started, but he'd been too eager to hit something. It didn't matter. The pain was part of the purpose. The screams of his body were louder than the screams of his mind. For a moment, he could find peace.
Bakugou didn't know how long he had been at it before he felt the grips of the nightmares loosening. They were still there. The memories never really left his mind. But he could close his eyes without seeing the sludge monster, and tonight that was enough. He could focus on more important things.
His gaze shifted to Kirishima. The redhead was still sitting on the bed lifting weights. He had his headphones in, probably blasting his shitty rock music. He wore a brooding expression that didn't fit him at all. Bakugou didn't know what to do, but he knew he hated seeing that look on Kirishima's normally happy face. He didn't give a fuck about most people, but he did give a fuck for that dumbass redhead sitting on the bed.
Bakugou sat down next to him. He had to punch Kirishima's shoulder to get him to take the headphones off and put the weights down. "So Shitty Hair," Bakugou started. "Gunna tell me what the fuck you're doing working out in the middle of the night when you should be sleeping?"
"Only if you tell me what the fuck you're doing coming to my room and working out in the middle of the night."
If anyone else had said that Bakugou would've blasted them into next year, but this was Kirishima. He would just harden and take the blast. Besides Bakugou was supposed to be making him feel better.
Sitting this close to him Bakugou could see the dark circles under his eyes. This was not Kirishima's first late night. Bakugou should've noticed earlier. He should've told him to go the fuck to sleep.
"Well," Kirishima prompted.
Bakugou considered how much to tell him. He didn't have to say anything. He could just shove himself off the bed and go back to his own room and try to get some sleep. It would be in character, it was probably what Kirishima was expecting, and Bakugou wouldn't have to admit to not being able to handle his nightmares. But if he did that then Kirishima would just keep sitting there brooding and overworking his muscles until he hurt himself.
Then Bakugou would have to spar with Deku while Kirishima healed. He told himself that was the only reason he opened his mouth. "Couldn't sleep," Bakugou grunted. "Nightmares."
"Nightmares?" Kirishima's bright red eyes widened. Bakugou braced himself for the jokes, the laughter. He was not prepared to feel Kirishima's hand squeeze his thigh. Or the tendril of warmth that one touch sent throughout his entire body. "Me too. I thought I had a pretty good grip on them, but then Kamino happened..." He trailed off. "If I had been stronger at the summer camp then none of this would've happened. So I'm going to get stronger now."
It was Bakugou's turn to reach out and grab Kirishima's hand. He wasn't any good and words and shit, but he had to try. Kirishima had been blaming himself for Bakugou's capture, the same way Bakugou had been blaming himself for All Might's retirement. "Kirishima, Kamino wasn't your fault.
"Yeah well it wasn't your fault either."
"Tch."
"I'm serious." Kirishima squeezed his hand. "If you getting kidnapped wasn't my fault then everything that happened: the villains getting away, One for All, All Might's retirement , none of that was your fault either."
He'd heard it from Deku, he'd heard it from All Might, but some reason it sounded different coming from Kirishima. He didn't quite believe it yet, but he could pretend to for the night.
"Whatever you say Shitty Hair." Bakugou punched Kirishima's arm and got to his feet. "I'm going to try to get some sleep. You better too dumbass. You're no fun to beat when you're exhausted."
"Yes sir." Kirishima smiled and mock saluted. It wasn't his normal happy go lucky shark smile, but it was a hell of a lot better than that serious look he'd had a few minutes ago. "You know you're welcome in here anytime you have a nightmare Blasty. Or just anytime really."
Bakugou snorted. "I'll keep that in mind."