Things continue to cool down further, and he definitely will not say it aloud, but Bakugou is grateful for that. He's even been talking to Kirishima more normally in class, since the guy has finally stopped wallowing. Well, mostly.

Everything is going great, though.

On an unassuming Thursday the next week, Bakugou is in the middle of sitting through a boring and ear-grating lecture from Present Mic in English when the loud speakers beep from the ceiling. "Bakugou Katsuki, please report to Principal Nezu's office." The piece of machinery repeats the message before beeping and going silent.

Curious eyes pin Bakugou to his chair, and he turns with a scowl to see some worried faces peering at him.

Present Mic raises a fist to his mouth and clears his throat, lowering his other hand that was frozen in an awkward extended position with chalk a few inches from the chalk board. "Bakugou, you're dismissed," he says, adopting a cheery grin. "Take your things with you in case you are gone long."

Bakugou huffs his acknowledgement before gathering his supplies and calmly walking out of the room, his hands stuffed into his pockets comfortably.

When he arrives at the office, Bakugou does not hesitate to walk inside, glancing briefly at his homeroom teacher, who stands beside Nezu's desk, before shifting his gaze and raising an eyebrow at the mouse/bear/dog.

"Ah!" Nezu says in a faux exclamation as he grins politely, paws folded on his desk. "I suppose you don't know what you are here for, do you, Bakugou-kun?" Bakugou quirks an eyebrow while not responding. That acts as his response perfectly well, it seems. "Well, how about you sit, and I will explain," Nezu says as he gestures to the chair positioned in front of his desk and to Bakugou's right.

The student takes a seat and crosses his arms over his chest, as the eyes of his teacher and principal bore into him. He can't read Aizawa's face. There is an odd expression in his eyes, and Bakugou can't tell what it is for the life of him.

Nezu shifts and leans backwards slightly, and Bakugou's eyes snap back to him. "We have very good news, Bakugou-kun. I don't want to keep you waiting for the information, so I will give it to you clearly and concisely," Nezu says, and his smile leaves his face and is replaced by something firm but compassionate. "You don't need to worry anymore. We caught the men who attacked you. I'm sure you know to whom I am referring."

Ah. Bakugou knows what the emotion in Aizawa's eyes is. It's relief. It is the same relief that Bakugou is feeling now at such a high degree.

Don't cry, Bakugou hears his mind snap at himself as he grits his teeth, but he can't help the sheen of water that covers his eyes. He's been waiting for this for so long, and finally...finally...

"Finally, those douchebags are behind fucking bars where they belong," Bakugou grumbles, and the adults in the room smile at him, as he glares down at his lap. They can see the relief in his eyes and the almost imperceptible drop of a previously permanent tension from his shoulders.

Aizawa walks over to Bakugou slowly, squatting down to eye level and waiting for his student's eyes to latch onto his hand before he lightly sets it on his shoulder. "We know that sometimes it doesn't feel like enough for the criminals of heinous acts to be in prison, especially for the people they hurt, so thank you for taking it like this," Aizawa's gruff voice explains. "They haven't gone through the court yet, but we have everything we need to put them in prison permanently since we have account of their crime against you as well as many other criminal activities they've taken part in in their gang, including several cases of manslaughter, drug dealing, and a large amount of assault and battery. They'll never be let out. You're safe."

Bakugou feels his lip wobble and more water flood to his eyes, but he fights the feeling and nods his head shakily, spiky hair obscuring his face from view. Aizawa pats his shoulder reassuringly before stepping away, and Bakugou somewhat wishes that grounding hand would still be there, which is an odd thought, in Bakugou's opinion.

Nezu straightens his posture in his chair and folds his paws on his desk. In a business-like tone, he pipes up, "In case that it is still unclear, you will not be needed at the trial because you are a minor, there are many other accusations against the perpetrators, and you already recorded your account of the event of the crime during your meeting with the Detective. Thank you for being so forthcoming with us, Bakugou-kun." Bakugou nods minutely in response, still not looking up, and instead staring at his hands which he now has tightly tangled in his lap. Nezu continues, "You are welcome to be present at the trial should you wish to, though there is no requirement for you nor your parents to be there. Do you have an idea of what you would like to do about this?" he asks kindly.

Bakugou's brow furrows. He doesn't want to see them, that's for damn sure. But...if he doesn't see them get put into jail himself, it almost doesn't feel real even if he knows it is.

Bakugou weighs the pros and cons in his mind for several minutes before Nezu lightly interrupts his thoughts. "You can take your time in making this decision. There is no real rush. The trial will be held in a couple of weeks and will likely span quite a few days considering the number of accusations against the convicts, so please just get back to me by then."

Bakugou takes a deep breath and pulls his head upright atop his shoulders. Those bastards are in prison, and they'll be there forever. Even if they weren't caught, he won't be weak anymore, especially not when it comes to this, so he speaks up with confidence and not a single waver in his voice, "No. I want to be there when the damn decision is made. I won't sit through the whole fucking shit-show, but I for damn sure am going to watch those sad excuses for human beings get set to jail for the rest of their sad fucking lives." Bakugou raises his chin, and his red eyes practically glow with emotion and fervor as they stare into Nezu's eyes resolutely as if he has just made a massive declaration—which, for Bakugou, he has.

Nezu smiles widely. "I would normally ask someone in this situation if they are certain, but I can see that that is not necessary. Do know that you can change your decision at any time." Nezu waits for an acknowledgement and continues after Bakugou nods, "Thank you very much for your time, Bakugou-kun. We will be in touch. You are dismissed."

—————————————————————

Okay, this may be kinda like bleh of me since I pretty much vanished off the face of the earth for a while but I think I actually love this chapter just cuz of Bakugou's strong vibes 🥳 I love my boi

Also, thanks for not spamming me with things like "plEaSe doNT DrOp tHIs 😱" and while I said I won't drop and not to send those, it's completely fine to ask about timing for when I'm updating or if I have something in the works (I probably won't know since I pretty much just write when I feel like it, but I'll still respond and let you know. I do that to authors but I think a lot of them take it the same as the "please don't drop this" and "UPDATE PLEASE" people's comments anbahshsjnejdh)

Thanks for being patient with me! I had been super busy cuz ✨school✨ and then just hadn't been in a write-y mood ;-;

-Angry
Word Count: 1178