Chapter Text
Everyone had noticed it, even Mineta and Kaminari after overusing his quirk. Bakugou had a problem with food. Either weighing his portions, refusing more food, reading every single label, and how he would write down what he’d just eaten in his notes app, someone had seen it. Everyone had seen him do at least one of these things. It was obvious with the food scale he kept in the kitchen, even if you didn’t always eat together. It stayed there from the first year, to now their third. After everything Bakugou stayed the same while eating.
Momo had seen it the most, mainly in girls she’d hang out with in middle school. She’d noticed more than their other classmates did. How Bakugou would go to the bathroom after some meals, usually on days he’d gone out to eat with them.
Momo, once, hinted to Aizawa about it. Even Aizawa had noticed it was so obvious. The only person who didn’t find a problem with his eating was Bakugou. Aizawa had thrown away the scale one day. Bakugou had gotten into a huge argument with him about it, yelling back at the teacher. Aizawa had stood his ground for a week, refusing to let Bakugou train until he agreed to no longer use a scale. That was when Bakugou pretended to cave. Right after Aizawa was off of him, Momo noticed the new scale in the kitchen. It was black instead of the old grey one. Bakugou would shove it in the back of a cabinet after using it, always making sure Aizawa wouldn’t see it out.
One time Iida tried to confront him about it. Just like with Aizawa, Bakugou started a yelling argument with him. Momo wasn’t there for it but heard from Ochaco that Bakugou fought and that it wasn’t a big deal. Iida had argued it was a form of disordered eating and that Bakugou needed help, not a new food scale.
In retaliation, Bakugou barely ate the next week. He didn’t use the scale. Instead Bakugou would refuse everything besides breakfast, usually just an apple. After the week ended Iida shut up about it, letting Bakugou continue on like normal.
Momo didn’t say anything again that week. She was worried, sure, but was too nervous. Bakugou looked like he’d pass out during training by the end of the week. For someone who trains for at least three hours every day, then studying and more, an apple or a handful of strawberries per day isn't enough.
—
Momo, Shoji, and Denki were cooking dinner that night. Momo was frying up Tonkatsu as Denki watched the rice. Shoji was frying up broccoli and some other vegetables.
Bakugou wasn’t helping, he usually cooked so the class gave him the night off. He sat there, watching Momo and Shoji cook. Momo didn’t say anything but she knew he was calculating how much oil there was. He’d use that to control how much he’d eat.
“We’re almost done, can you go get everyone down here and set the table?” Momo asks Bakugou, giving him a smile. It’s more to get him out of there so he wouldn’t know how much it is in everything.
Bakugou leaves the kitchen, taking utensils and napkins with him. Momo watches as he sets the tables, then as he heads upstairs. It only takes a couple of minutes for him to come back down. Momo was plating the food, setting it on the table. “Bakugou, I made you a plate.” She reaches it out to him. It’s not weighed, not measured, more than what he usually ate.
He’s staring at his plate when Kirishima comes up behind him. An arm is slung around his shoulders and he’s being dragged to sit down before he can weigh his food. Kirishima smiles at Momo when she sits down with everyone. She doesn’t know if he even got her plan, let alone if he knew if Bakugou had or hadn’t already weighed his food.
—
Iida had cornered Momo in the kitchen, she’d been cleaning up the dishes. “You’ve noticed Bakugou’s eating habits, right?” He asks. His voice is quiet, hesitant to speak. Some people were still sitting at the table, others on the couches.
Momo looks up at him, everyone has. Momo puts the last dish in the dishwasher, whispering back, “It’s hard not to.”
Iida nods, glancing over at the tables. Bakugou was still sitting there with Denki and Kirishima. The other two had cleared their plates as Bakugou shifted around his little food. There was barely anything on his plate in the first place. Especially since Momo saw him eat popcorn earlier, he’d even measured that. “I mentioned it to Aizawa again, just to see if he could do anything.”
Momo perks up. “What’d he say?” She asks a little too loudly.
Iida sighs, “He can’t do anything until Bakugou escalates. I think his escalation was after our fight,” Iida pauses. He still felt guilty about it. Even though Bakugou did the starving technique after his fight with Aizawa. “I think Aizawa is just waiting for an undeniable pattern. Then Bakugou can’t deny it.”
“The scale is enough of a pattern.” Momo mumbles under her breath, an approving hum from Iida agrees with her statement.
—
One day after dinner, Jirou came up to her. She was hesitant, timorous to explain what she saw. Momo had finally convinced her to speak up. Jirou, bless her heart, explained how she walked into Bakugou throwing up in the bathroom. It was obviously on purpose when his fingers were down his throat.
Momo wished she wasn’t right about him also throwing up. They hadn’t even gone out to eat that day, they had curry with vegetables and everything else Bakugou would eat at the beginning of the school year. Momo knew it was escalating more than just restricting. He was purging for no reason now.
Not many people were in the living room that night, just Momo, Denki, Shoji, and Iida. Jirou sat in the kitchen. Momo knew she was waiting for Bakugou. She didn’t stop Jirou but she knew it’d end out in screaming and Bakugou storming off.
Bakugou came down from his room, walking by the common area and tables to reach the kitchen. Dinner had been put away. Jirou was quiet as he grabbed a cup of water, leaning against the counter.
“Bakugou, you have a problem. You need actual help.” Jirou states, setting down her phone.
Bakugou glares at her, he knows what's going to happen. “I don’t have a fucking problem, maybe you do with all that shit you put in your body.”
The common area goes quiet, the movie playing now forgotten. Bakugou was already defensive without anyone saying it was about his eating. Momo glances over, catching Jirou’s eye.
“I’m going to tell Aizawa about your new food scale, and how I saw you throwing up in the bathrooms barely thirty minutes ago.” Jirou announces, standing up straight.
“I don’t have a problem, Jirou,” Bakugou says, “You need to stop invading my privacy. You don;t know what you’re talking about.”
Momo stands up as Jirou starts to speak again, “You do have a problem! You can’t go one meal without checking the label of something, or writing it down in your stupid notes app!”
Bakugou sets down his cup of water, clenching his fists. “I don’t have a fucking problem! My eating is fine!” He yells back at her.
Momo stands at the entrance of the kitchen. “It’s not healthy, Bakugou.” Momo is much calmer, trying to keep them from another full yelling match. Jirou would be the third fight and they always ended up with Bakugou on top. Momo couldn’t handle seeing him almost pass out from not eating for a week.
“I am healthy! I’m healthier than all of you extras who don’t care about your nutrients.” Bakugou continues to yell, even after Momo’s calm and quieter words.
“You’re fuckign sick! It’s disgusting that you think like this and if you don’t get help you’re going to end up in a facility!” Jirou screams back without thinking. In Bakugou’s other two arguments, neither mentioned him going to a facility.
“I’m not going to a fucking ward! You guys are too noisy and need to learn to leave people alone!” Bakugou shouts right back.
Momo was quiet this time, she’d heard Aizawa talk to recovery girl before. How Bakugou was losing weight and how he needed to gain more for a future hero. No hero should weigh that little, you need muscle.
“I hope you get sent to a facility! Then maybe you’d stop this shit!” Jirou yells at Bakugou as he storms out of the kitchen.
No one looks at him as he walks by the common area, trying to keep from starting another fight. A silence falls over them all. It’s quiet and awful. Jirou wasn’t thinking at all while yelling, just screaming whatever she could to try and make him listen. Momo is quiet as Jirou leaves too.
—
The next day Bakugou didn’t eat anything, not even a fruit for breakfast. At least with his fight with Aizawa and Iida he ate something. Kirishima gave him a bento box at lunch that was then thrown away, he didn’t even come down for dinner that night.
Momo had come down from her dorm that Saturday, pausing when he saw Iida and Aizawa looking through the kitchen cabinets. She knew they were looking for the food scale. Bakugou wasn’t dumb and had moved it from his usual cabinet that morning.
“It’s in the top left one.” Momo announces, walking up and opening it herself. It creaks slightly and she pulls the scale out from the back.
“Thank you.” Aizawa says, taking it from her and inspecting it. It was nicer than his last one.
Momo takes a deep breath, “Are you going to send him somewhere?”
Iida tenses up, he had heard that argument the night before. He knew what she meant.
“Send him somewhere?” Aizawa repeats back.
“Jirou, during their argument, talked about how he'd get sent somewhere. Like a facility or something.” Momo clarifies.
Aizawa looks at her for a second, studying her up and down. “No, we haven’t discussed that.”
Iida shifts from one foot to the other, “Recovery girl wants to help him with a food plan and sessions with Hound Dog.”
Momo shuts the cabinet, taking in what Iida was saying. “What are we going to do when he realizes it’s gone?”
“Following his pattern, we have a week until he even looks for it.” Aizawa explained, tucking the scale underneath his arm.
Momo watches as Aizawa walks away, taking that scale with him.
—
Just like clockwork, after a week Bakugou finally agreed to eat dinner with them. Momo couldn’t help but feel worry in her heart as he looked around the kitchen. Everyone else had already started eating, he was looking for the scale. Momo knew he needed to eat. A fruit wasn’t enough last time, he didn’t eat at all this time and that morning she witnessed Bakugou sitting back down after standing up too fast.
“Bakugou, Aizawa took the scale.” She announced, staring at him. He whips around at her. Bakugou slams the cabinet shut, stepping closer to her.
“What do you mean he took the scale?” Bakugou asked, his tone was harsh.
“Last Saturday, a week ago.” Momo started to explain. “After your fight with Jirou he took it again. If you want it back so badly then you need to go confront him yourself.” She felt awful about her rude tone, knowing that Bakugou needed to eat with a push mattered more.
Bakugou stormed out of the kitchen, ignoring Kirishima shouting his name. Momo knew he needed to eat but he wouldn’t do that without the scale. Today marks a week of his starving tactic, he could barely get through training the day before. He even skipped his run that morning due to sleeping in.
She felt a pit in her stomach, slowly growing and gnawing at her.
Momo knew she was right about her feelings when she heard Bakugou yelling late that night. She’d gotten up for water, walking straight into Bakugou and Aizawa fighting.
“The scales are gone, forever. You’re not getting it back, ever. You’re pulled from training till you can show improvements in your weight and eating.” Aizawa states, much calmer than Bakugou was.
“I am a perfect weight! One thirty is a perfect weight!” He argues, louder and angrier than his other fights. “I can train just fine! The scale doesn’t matter!”
“If the scale doesn’t matter, then eat something without weighing it.” Aizawa calls him out.
Bakugou freezes, dropping his arms that were over his chest. He yells back again, “I can train perfectly fine, even when I use the scale!”
“You almost passed out from standing up too fast. Either you start eating and put on weight or you don’t get to train. I’ll make sure of it.” Aizawa replies. “You should be one sixty at least.”
Momo slowly crept back up to her room, processing the fight going on. Her need for water was completely forgotten when she made it back to her dorm.