Far sooner than he would like, Bakugou reaches the teachers' lounge. He glares at the door before screwing up his face into a sneer and shoving one of his hands into a pocket, other hand slinging his bag haphazardly over his shoulder, intent on showing only confidence to his pro-hero teacher. He raises a leg and kicks open the door, slamming it against the wall inside with a bang.

Bakugou begins to take a falsely confident step forward but freezes mid-stride when he sees so many of his teachers in the room. Midnight, All Might, Present Mic, and Aizawa are all inside and Bakugou has a sinking feeling in his gut.

"What are you doing standing there, kid? Come in," Aizawa says blandly from a chair sat in front of a coffee table opposite a small couch. The man is no longer in his yellow cocoon and all parts of his exposed skin are covered by bandages.

Bakugou steps inside warily but he doesn't know where to go, and the teachers' gazes don't make him feel any more comfortable. All Might stand next to Aizawa and looks like he is seconds from bawling like the nerd. Present Mic is staring off into space, standing over by the opposite wall, with a sad look on his face that Bakugou has never seen on the vibrant and loud man. Midnight's gaze is also sad, but she is looking straight at Bakugou with a weak smile from her position next to the couch, and Aizawa...most people would not be able to see it. It's very well hidden, but Bakugou can see regret and sadness clouding the man's eyes, and even deeper than that, he sees anger. Anger, which stirs feelings of apprehension and dread in Bakugou.

Midnight motions for Bakugou to sit on the couch, which he does slowly and anxiously, perching on the edge of it stiffly as he drops his bag onto the table. He pulls a scowl onto his face and silently looks up towards his homeroom teacher who sits opposite him, waiting for the man to speak, trying to push away his dread.

Realizing that Bakugou is going to stay silent, Aizawa sighs, running his mummified hand over his bandaged face tiredly. "Alright, kid. This may be a long talk and it won't be easy for any of us, so just listen," the hero begins, his stoic face still unnerving Bakugou, who become even more distressed at the man's words.

What is this about?

Is it because of the way he acted at the Sports Festival? Are they going to expel him because he behaved like a villain? Is he not able to become a hero anymore? What will he do? He trained his entire life for this. They can't just take it away, right? They won't do that, right? They know he's a hero...right?

Right?

Please.

He'll do anything to be a hero.

If he doesn't become one, he won't be able to fight back against him if he sees him again. He's still too weak.

Tears begin to fill Bakugou's eyes as he attempts to force them away.

This'll only make it worse. He can't be weak now. Then they'll be certain that he can't be a hero.

"Bakugou!"

Bakugou is drawn from his thoughts by the loud voice, his head snapping up from where it had somehow sunk towards his knees which are suddenly curled up towards his chest. Bakugou blinks in surprise for a second, shocked by his position, and finally looks up towards his teachers voice. He is once again startled and lurches backwards into the couch's cushions when he realizes his teacher had come just in front of him, crouched down on the floor in front of Bakugou's position on the couch so that their eyes are at the same level.

Aizawa's brow furrows. "Bakugou, can you hear me, now?" The blonde's brow draws downwards in confusion at the hint that things had been said before now, but he slowly nods and the teacher's face relaxes as he sighs. Bakugou looks around and sees that the other three had also come closer and they hover just a few feet away on either side of his homeroom teacher. "Christ, kid, what caused that? You started having a panic attack," Aizawa asks tiredly.

Bakugou realizes what he just did and mentally slaps himself, quickly leaning back seemingly lazily into the couch, legs moving back over the edge of the cushions, arms crossed over his chest, and chin angling upward cockily as he scowls at his teacher with fire in his eyes. "None of your fucking business," he spats.

All of the teachers' brows shoot up, even Aizawa's, from the sudden mood change. Aizawa groans and Bakugou begins to internally panic. He just really fucked up, hadn't he? If he wasn't going to get expelled before, he sure is, now. Oh no.

Before Bakugou's mind can gyrate into the abyss any further, Aizawa speaks up. "Fine. You don't have to explain that," Bakugou's eyes flash with a slight bit of victory for a moment, "yet," and the glint is gone again. "Before that, we all have to apologize to you." The blonde teen blinks at his teacher for a moment, his head slowly swiveling to either side to peer confusedly at his other teachers as well before landing back on the black-haired man.

"What?"

Aizawa's eyes close for a moment before opening with even more emotion in them, unnerving Bakugou. "Kid...Bakugou, I am so sorry that UA handles the Sports Festival that way. It was not okay and it certainly was not heroic." Bakugou opens his mouth to speak, his brow furrowed in confusion as he begins to sit up straighter, arms now at his sides, but Aizawa raises a hand to indicate for him to stay silent, so the boy's mouth snaps back shut. "No matter the circumstances, chaining a student, a teenager, to a post was not justified and is still not justifiable for any reason. Even worse, the horrific treatment of you was broadcast on television. I am so sorry that you had to go through it. I was not aware of the situation until the next day, as I had been in Recovery Girl's office, highly medicated for my injuries from the U.S.J. incident. I assure you that had I known what was going on, Bakugou," Aizawa says seriously, his eyes gazing deeply into Bakugou's own, "I would never have allowed it to proceed and would have interfered. I am disgusted by the treatment of you and am still quite angry at those responsible," he continues as he turns to glare at each of the teachers around him, who look solemnly and apologetically back. Turning his tired eyes back towards Bakugou, Aizawa finishes, "I have more to discuss, but first I will allow these idiots their chance to apologize for their disgusting, unheroic behavior." Bakugou sees each of the other three teachers flinching at the two harshly spoken words, but none of them refute the terms.

Midnight speaks up first from Bakugou's right. "Bakugou, I am really so, so very sorry," she says apologetically. "I overacted when you lept towards Todoroki at the end of your fight. You never actually did anything wrong. You hadn't hit him. You were yelling at him, and while that wasn't exactly kind, it was not violent, and it definitely didn't warrant me using my quirk to make you pass out. For that and for using it to knock you out when we were taking you off the podium, I am so, so sorry." Midnight's eyes are brimming with tears as she apologizes to her student, and Bakugou is forced to look away from such raw emotion.

Present Mic speaks next, his voice far too quiet for his usually loud self. "I...It's my fault, too. I didn't do a thing to stop it and treated all of it like it was normal. Kid, I'm so sorry. I could've said something, but I stayed at the microphone and reported on what we did to you like you deserved it when you did not. At all. We shouldn't have done that to you, Bakugou. You had every right to refuse a medal you thought you hadn't rightfully earned, and I—I am so sorry that we did such a thing." Mic's face is scrunched up when Bakugou glances at the man, and it seems like the hero is fighting his tears away.

That is when All Might begins his emotional tirade. "Young Bakugou, I of all people am the most guilty. I—" Bakugou's hero's eyes fill with tears as Bakugou watches through his fringe, red eyes wide in surprise and mouth slightly agape. "I am the number one h-hero, but I don't know if I deserve the title after this..." Bakugou's chin quivers as he fights tears. "I w-walked up to you, young Bakugou, as you were chained to a post—a teenager, chained to a post—and I—" The tears begin to flood down All Might's face as his usually sturdy, deep voice begins to shake. "I s-saw the look you gave m-me. I didn't even comprehend it at the time, but...I saw it. A-and I did n-nothing." Bakugou feels his body beginning to tremble. "You l-looked so scared...you were t-terrified...of me," All Might practically whispers out the last word. "You should never n-need to look at a-anyone that way, and I—" he sniffles, "I, a hero...your teacher...caused such a look on your face. Then I e-even.... When I took off the m-muzzle I saw y-you look so relieved, b-but then I forced a medal into y-your m-mouth and you w-were t-terrif-fied ag-again. Y-young Bakug-gou, I.... I am so...so so very s-sorry and I d-do not ev-ven expect y-you to f-forgive such terrible ac-actions," the large man sobs, hands coming up to cup his face and catch his tears.

Bakugou feels something wet land on one of his hands. He raises one of the hands in confusion only for more droplets of water to land on it. Bakugou blinks at the shimmering liquid for a moment until he realizes his vision is going blurry.

"...Bakugou?"

Bakugou looks up towards Midnight, who had voiced the softly spoken name. The woman is looking at him worriedly and that's when the boy's dam comes loose. His lungs heave sporadic breaths and tears flood rapidly down his face. He tries to steady his breathing, gripping tightly at the cloth over his pained chest. "I—ugh," he wheezes out weakly, curling up again, leaning down to his knees. Bakugou mumbles something that the teachers don't catch and Present Mic asks softly for him to repeat it. "Th-thank you..." comes Bakugou's quiet, tearful voice. The blonde boy pulls his body back up, sitting so that he can see them all and the teachers all see the boy's tear-stained, wet face. "I—I don't blame you for what you d-did...I kn-know I'm a terrible kid—"

Bakugou is interrupted as the teachers all let out forceful refutals to what the boy says, and he jolts backwards slightly. Aizawa grunts, "Bakugou, you are not a terrible child. Loud and brash, certainly, but you are a good kid with the heart of a strong hero. Don't say things like that about yourself. You are not the one in the wrong."

Bakugou's lip wobbles as he sniffles and tries to contain his tears. Failing, the tears continue to flow off of his face and he nods at his teacher. He may not agree, but it sure as fuck feels good to hear someone say it.

Midnight comes over to give Bakugou a hug, only to have to boy shrink away from her. The woman hesitates, but slowly comes closer and sits on the couch, wrapping her arms around his stiff body. It takes several minutes, but Bakugou relaxes into the hug and turns towards her, burying his tear-covered face into her shirt as he sobs like his life depends on it. Midnight begins to rub small soothing circles into Bakugou's back and Bakugou startles slightly when he feels someone else's hand rest on his head, but he relaxes again as he realizes it is his homeroom teacher.

Bakugou knows Aizawa won't ever hurt him.

"Hah..." he laughs weakly after a few minutes, tears finally slowing their pace down his face. He slowly pulls away from Midnight, who continues to rub his back. He turns to face forward on the couch, and sure enough, Aizawa is on his other side, sitting next to him as the other two male teachers sit in front of Bakugou on the coffee table. Bakugou wipes at his face. "You're all fucking emotional like the damn nerd," he half-heartedly chokes out.

Aizawa chuckles slightly, hand still combing through Bakugou's hair. "Says the gremlin that was just crying his eyes out."

Bakugou grumbles something under his breath and Aizawa rolls his eyes at the childish behavior before nearly slamming his own head into the table. He is a damn child. Aizawa sometimes forgets that about his students. He knows it logically, but they all have been through so much more than any child should, so it...slips his mind.

As Bakugou wipes violently at his face and only minuscule sniffles escape him, Aizawa's expression turns serious again, and the other teachers notice, their own expressions becoming grave as well. Bakugou is the only person who does not sense the change.

"Bakugou," Aizawa begins. The boy turns his puffy red eyes towards his teacher. "There's something else we need to talk about, too. Something your classmates brought up with us."

Bakugou's stomach drops.

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That's a monster of a chapter wow if I kept those two together it'd be almost 3,500 lol but yee we r about to get into the nitty gritty deep stuff good luck to baby boi he's gonna need it😬

-Angry
Word Count: 2324