Work it Out - KiriKami

8 ~ Real Help

『 just wanna say that this update has some platonic krbk in it. baku is ooc but that's on purpose. i don't write bakugou as he is in canon, i write him as the person i see the potential for him to become with time. this is a second year fic so i wanted to give him the development he deserves. 』

image cred: the-noahs-and-a-wolf

The boys managed to get through class without incident. They chatted with their classmates, focused in class (as much as Denki's ADHD allowed), and generally appeared to be okay. Their friends were relieved to see them engaging normally after the chaos of the previous day.

But the concern lingered, especially for Katsuki. Although he'd never admit it, he felt partially responsible for what had happened. He didn't fully understand the situation, but he knew his actions had made things worse. He had hurt Eijirou—well, Eijirou had hurt himself through Katsuki's actions. To Katsuki, it all felt like the same mistake.

That's why he decided to pull Eijirou aside before lunch, catching him in the hall, "Hey, uh, you okay today?"

"Do you mean my arms? They're fine," Eijirou said, rolling up his sleeve to reveal the bandages, "Just a bit sensitive, so I have to be careful not to put too much pressure on them."

"Oh. That's good. I guess I... I, um..."

Eijirou smiled, "Were you worried about me, Bakubro?"

"Maybe. What the fuck of it?" Katsuki crossed his arms defensively.

Eijirou chuckled, "I'm okay. I promise."

Katsuki looked down, "I'm trying to get better at this whole 'friend' thing, okay?"

"You're doing a really good job."

Katsuki met his gaze, "How are you and Sparky doing?"

Eijirou sighed, "I think we're okay. We talked through a lot last night and this morning. He says he's okay."

"Do you believe him?"

Eijirou hesitated, "No... I don't believe him at all."

"There's nothing anyone can do to help?" Katsuki wasn't trying to pressure Eijirou into sharing details, but he still wanted to offer support.

Eijirou shook his head, "Not right now. He needs... I don't know."

"Look, you don't have to tell me shit if you don't want to. But if you do want to then I'm here. I'm not very good at advice but I can shut up long enough for you to vent or whatever. I don't care."

Eijirou smiled a bit, "Thank you, but I don't think it'll help."

"Then what will? Yesterday you were yelling at everyone and just... You weren't yourself. I don't like that," Katsuki admitted, struggling to be open. It was tough for him to express his feelings, but Eijirou was his closest friend, so he was pushing through, "I want to do something."

"That was yesterday. This is today. Denki and I talked, and it helped a bit. We probably need more talks before things get better, but we'll manage. I'll handle it," Eijirou said, looking down, "I won't stop until it's better. I can't."

"You said it's more about him, and he's not okay. Are you sure you can handle it alone? It's obviously fucking you up too. Are you sure you can manage by yourself?"

Eijirou looked up to see Katsuki's earnest concern, "I have to."

"Why can't you tell anyone?"

Eijirou paused, "I don't think he'd be able to handle it if I did. He could barely talk to me about it; he's not ready to open up to anyone else. Also, I don't think he'd trust me again if I told someone."

"Fuck his trust. If he needs help, then get him fucking help."

"I am helping him!" Eijirou snapped, frustration spilling over.

"You don't have to shout about it! I'm trying to help you!"

Eijirou clenched his fists, "I—I'm helping him... I am... I..."

Katsuki frowned, "It looks like all you're doing is hurting yourself."

"No, I'm doing what I have to do."

"Are you though? I'm pretty sure you're avoiding what you have to do."

Eijirou looked at him, "What do you think I have to do?"

"Get him real help. I don't know what kind of help he needs because I don't know the details, but it seems like some adult intervention is necessary."

Eijirou took a deep breath, "Something bad happened when he was younger. That's all I can say. I think he needs trauma therapy. The problem is he wants to pretend nothing happened instead of facing it."

Katsuki nodded, "Maybe you need to tell someone for him. At least some of it. I know it's a breach of trust, but sometimes what we want isn't what we need."

"I think you're right... I hate it."

Katsuki rubbed the back of his neck, "Maybe you should tell someone now before you talk yourself out of it. I'll keep an eye on Kami."

Eijirou nodded, "Okay... Okay..."

And with that, Eijirou walked toward the teacher's lounge, steeling himself for what he knew he had to do.