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Ever since he was a kid, Bakugou knew not to touch people. His hands were bombs and his sweat could ignite if it lingered. As much as his parents tried, it was almost impossible to hold a kid the way they needed when at any moment they could explode without even trying. Of course they tried. They wrapped him in blankets, they cranked the AC, they even tried just pointing his palms away, but after one too many close calls, Bakugou decided that was it. He wasn’t going to touch people again.
It wasn’t easy. People didn’t understand it at first.
What ten year old doesn’t want a hug from his mom. They thought.
He’s always shoving away his friends.
Why does Kaachan hate me.
But it was worth it. Some took more convincing than others Midoriya but eventually everyone kept their distance.
It’s for the best.
I’ll just hurt them.
Someone hold me.
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UA was weird. There were always so many people in his space.
Please stay.
Bakugou tried the same tactics. He fired off at will, always safely but most couldn’t tell. He pushed his classmates away. He insulted them. He kept his distance. They kept coming back. Not all of them of course. Some saw him as unstable. A bully. Mean. Violent. Villain. But most saw him as just kinda grumpy and irritable.
Midoriya saw his opportunity to creep back into Bakugou’s life. Finally.
But there were some who were determined to not just stay but get closer.
First there was Kaminari. Someone else with an erratic quirk. They found common ground in grounding themselves. Sure they seemed like opposites to most, but what few saw were the struggles they both had. Bakugou couldn’t help but fire off at any opportunity. The blasts weren’t big but they still hurt. Kaminari was able to hold his in better, but whenever it finally exploded, it was too much power. They both kept up facades to hide the pain, but around each other they could let them down. Bakugou could relax and Kaminari could feel his pain for once.
Then there was Sero. At first Bakugou didn’t know what to think of him but over time they grew closer. Sero couldn’t connect over quirk struggles like Kaminari could, but he was always a safe place to go when Bakugou didn’t want to talk. Sero never pushed (at least not on the important things) and never expected anything. They eventually found similarities in their quirk side effects. Most people don’t realize how much it hurts your arms to swing from your elbows.
Next came Mina. She was everything Bakugou hated. Pushy. Loud. Brightly colored. Seemingly didn’t care about anything. Turns out that acid and nitroglycerin have more in common than one might think. Experimenting with what happens when they mix the two in different ways became a new favorite pastime. After all, two bright and loud individuals can create something even bigger and brighter together.
Lastly, Kirishima. How to explain his relationship with Kirishima. While the others were hard to push away and his friends, he has friends now, were determined to get closer, Kirishima seemed to come barreling in with no regard for his safety. Bakugou knew he could harden himself, but what if one day he was too late or it wasn’t strong enough to keep him safe. Bakugou would never forgive himself.
So he withdrew.
He pulled away from the brightly colored boy with a shark toothed grin who was always happy to see him.
He tried to leave behind a feeling of warmth that he hadn’t felt in years.
He pulled away.
He wrapped himself up tight again and decided none would come near him again.
He –
Was that a knock?
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Bakougu stares at the door. It was 9 p.m. Everyone knew he was in bed, or at least that was what he told them.
Another knock.
He slowly walks to the door and opens it.
“Hey Katsuki. I think you might need a hug.”