He stood alone on a familiar street in front of a familiar building. “Damn it!” he huffed. His body had been able to handle the additional strain of his new quirk, but its power had made his old one unpredictable. He let off another barrage of explosions; they were still bigger than he wanted them to be. “Damn it!”
“Bakugo, my boy,” came a gentle voice from behind him, “that’s enough for now. Come take a break for now. Please?”
“What are you doing here, All Might‽” Bakugo whirled around to confront the man he’d looked up to for so long. Even now, the man had that same gentle smile that promised everything would be okay even though Bakugo knew nothing ever would again.
“I asked him to come,” Uraraka said timidly, stepping forward trying to imitate All Might’s smile. But there were tears in her eyes, and Bakugo knew what she was going to say next before she said it. “Deku’s been asking about you. Everyone else in the class has been to visit him, but -“
“I’m not going,” Bakugo cut her off, his voice barely above a whisper.
“What do you mean you’re not going? He’s your friend too, isn’t he?” She was crying again now, and Bakugo shut his eyes tight against the beginnings of his own tears. “He doesn’t want any of us to worry, but I know he’s scared too! Bakugo, he needs -“
“I said I’m not going, okay‽” Bakugo shouted. Uraraka shrunk back from him, and All Might put a hand on her shoulder to reassure her. “I just can’t; I’m not like you guys!”
“Young Bakugo…” All Might sighed.
Bakugo turned around and let loose a devastating explosion against the side of the building, and just like that the place he and Deku had fought so long ago, the place where he’d lost even though he hadn’t been hit once, was destroyed. “I can’t control my explosions anymore! He gave me his power, and now I can’t even handle my own!”
“Gave you his power?” Uraraka asked quietly.
“But it doesn’t even matter, does it‽” Bakugo turned to face All Might. Tears were flowing freely down his face now, but he didn’t care. “Do you remember, All Might? Do you remember what that nerd said the last time you found us fighting out here?”
All Might glanced at Uraraka nervously. “What do you mean?”
“He said he was gonna get stronger than me! He said he was gonna be the number one hero! He promised! Damn it!” Bakugo fell to his knees and punched the asphalt. “But how’s he supposed to do that now? Huh, All Might? Uraraka? How do we both get stronger if it’s just one of us?” He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Uraraka kneeling beside him.
“It’s okay,” she said, wrapping her arms around him in a hug. “I don’t know everything that’s happened between you and Deku, but I know he wouldn’t want you to give up now.”
“Damn it,” he said quietly. “You’re just as bad as he is, you know?”
“I know.” She smiled up at AllMight, who’d come over to help them up. “You said that after you and I fought too, if I remember right. Come on. It’s late, but I know he still wants to see you.”
“Okay,” he said, letting All Might and Uraraka help him up.
