(A/N): K then. I think I need to clarify that Bakugo is still trapped inside the CLIC simulation. I did not just bamboozle everyone. He has simply entered stage two. I'd also like to clarify that since this is a simulation, these are Bakugo's fears and insecurities, so please, don't think I'm making these characters assholes, namely because they aren't actually the characters you know and love (aside from explosion boi :3). Instead of hating these guys, hate on FACELESS lol. So with that in mind, I'd also like to warn you that this portion contains A LOT of homophobia and self-hatred, so be careful about reading this.
"Bakugo??? You okay???" Kirishima waved his hands in front of me in an attempt to get my attention, a look of concern on his face, but I tried my best to ignore all of the feelings stirring up in me at this moment.
Of all the people I had to be gay for, why did have to be my best fucking friend?
"I'm fine." Was all I said, as I grumbled and looked away from him. I just couldn't even glance at his face right now without triggering a cluster-fuck of emotions. It broke my heart to ignore him like this, but I didn't know what to do.
No matter what I did, it still really hurt.
Headphone chick, who also happened to be in the room, stared at me in sheer confusion, but said nothing about the matter. Instead, she changed the subject at the drop of the hat.
"Hey Kirishima, didn't you have to meet up with Kaminari and Sero at the mall?"
The Red-head's eyes widened in surprise as he realized he was late.
"Oh crap. Sorry guys, I really gotta go."
I'd usually be the one to remind him.
It was only when he left that Headphone chick finally acknowledged what happened.
"So...Something happened yesterday, huh?"
"What? No."
She sighed. "Must be a touchy subject. I'm not surprised; you don't seem like the type to talk about how you feel. Not like Kirishima."
I couldn't help but raise my voice at the mention of his name.
"Can we just not talk about him, please?"
At that Headphone chick - no, Jirou - was genuinely taken aback, and looked at me knowingly.
"Ah. I see." She played with her ears casually, reacting shockingly in a relaxed way to my surprise yelling.
It took me second to register what that knowing attitude meant, and at that my face turned red.
"I - uh - just - don't tell anyone, ok?"
"Wasn't planning on it. Just so you know, there's nothing wrong with who you are. You're not sick, you're not messed up, you're just madly in love. And no matter what anyone else says, you deserve happiness." She smiled.
"Anyway, if you ever want to talk to someone, I'm here." Something about the look in Jirou's eyes gave me the impression that she meant every word she said, and that made me feel reassured.
"Thank you...Jirou."
She grinned. "No problem, Bakugo."
-.-
"Just so you know, there's nothing wrong with who you are. You're not sick, you're not messed up, you're just madly in love. And no matter what anyone else says, you deserve happiness."
Ever since the conversation Jirou and I had a few days ago, those words had stuck in my mind and seriously resonated with me, so much so that I'd begun to act normal around Kirishima again (with a couple of embarrassing exceptions), in spite of the fact that I had feelings for him and my heart thumped whenever he got close. Not to mention Jirou was always there to talk to me about stuff like this. She even introduced me to the whole LGBT community on the internet, and as far as I can tell she hasn't said shit about how I felt.
Good for her, because if she did I'd blow her the fuck up and shove her out of a window.
Needless to say, things were definitely easier, and I felt a lot less like there was something wrong with me. A tiny crush is not going to get in the way of me being the best hero there ever is. It's not like I'm fucking going to die because of this, like Jirou said it's just like a guy liking girl.
-.-
I sighed with exhaustion, opening the door to our dorms with a sigh. I was fucking tired. We'd been working our asses off today. For some reason Mummy-man thought it'd be a good idea to make our hero course TWICE as long, which at first I was all for, but now I just wanted to go to fucking sleep. Besides, my palms really fucking hurt from blowing so much shit up.
I sighed and collapsed onto the couch, getting ready to nap for the rest of the day. Everyone else seemed weirdly energised after that, and it really confused me. I guess it was because all those fuckers were slacking off. For some reason, I couldn't get in a comfy position, so I spent around fifteen minutes constantly moving around the sofa before eventually settling on a position I liked.
It was at that moment the door opened, and a familiar voice rung through the dorm.
"Yo Bakugo!" Kirishima called out. "I heard you were pretty worn out so I came here to keep you company." He walked into the room, and our eyes met each other.
Fuck.
Kirishima was shirtless.
I'm such a fucking idiot. Didn't he say that he was going to the beach? I should've seriously went and taken a shower instead where he couldn't get me. I guess I was too fucking tired to realise what was happening and just collapsed. Damnit.
Noticing me staring, Kiri grinned coyly.
"What are you looking at, huh?"
My face flushed. "Nothing. What the fuck are you looking at?"
He winked flirtatiously. "Nothing."
FUCK WHY DOES HE HAVE TO ACT LIKE THIS-
To make matters worse, Shitty-hair decided to sit on the couch where I was lying, grabbing my legs and placing them on his lap. Almost instinctively, I sprung up and away from him into a sitting position, in spite of how tired I felt. I wanted to get up and run, somewhere, anywhere, but I was too exhausted to get up. Every part of my body was throbbing, and I felt really sleepy.
Which guess what? Means I'm really fucking vulnerable.
"What? You don't want a foot massage?" He giggled playfully, as my ears turned red with embarrassment.
"Just....shut up and let me sleep....Eijiro....." I was starting to close my eyes, the drowsiness taking over.
"Eijiro, huh?" Suddenly his arms were around me, and my eyes shot wide open, my face about as red as his hair.
"So it's true. I know you've had your eyes on me, Katsuki. That's true, isn't it?"
I felt chills down my spine as he uttered my name. He said it. The man I was in fucking love with said my name. He had made me a mess.
"Fuck....it...is." My heart pounded rapidly after saying those words.
His hand held my cheek and pulled my face close to his. At this point we were so fucking close I couldn't breathe. I was lost in his eyes, I wanted to fall asleep in his arms and never wake up. I wanted to be with him forever.
But then his face contorted into a mean-spirited one.
"Sike, you f*g."
My heart sank.
"Guys, you can come out now!"
All of a sudden, practically most of the class had entered the dorm, hiding in all sorts of places. Kirishima let me go and pushed me to the ground, his face filled with disgust. He laughed.
"You seriously think I'd ever be friends with someone as sick as you?! You're a piece of work Bakugo, and no one's gonna love you, especially the dick you want so much!" He kicked me and all I could do was clench my fists and allow him and the rest of the class to beat me. I was so tired. I just decided it'd be better off if I gave up. I didn't even have the fucking strength to cry anymore, in spite of the fact that my heart felt like it was being shredded by someone who I thought I fucking loved.
I just wanted to fucking die. I wanted all of this to stop. Kirishima hardened his arms and pummelled me, causing me to cry out in pain.
"No one likes you. You're just a f*ggot who's going to go to hell."
I closed my eyes, and I gave in.
But then, by some miracle, the beating stopped. I slowly opened my eyes at the sound of Kirishima and the other students crying out in pain at the acid that had singed their eyes. Ashido and Jirou stood over my body, their eyes angry and filled with tears of rage.
"The fuck, Ashido?!" Pikachu yelled, who was holding his phone and recording everything.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Her pink skin was red with anger, and her eyes stared at Kirishima with shame.
"What the fuck is wrong with all of you?"
She looked around at everyone, her voice getting louder.
"I get that Bakugo isn't perfect, but he's our classmate. He's our fucking friend. And you guys are just going to beat him over something he can't control?! Have you all lost your fucking minds?!" She was yelling now, as the whole room was filled with silence at her words.
Jirou, on the other hand, had decided to kneel down and see if I was doing alright.
"You okay, Bakugo?" She said, clearly trying to keep calm like she almost always did, but failing this time around. I could practically sense the alarm and concern in her eyes, and so I grinned weakly.
"I'm not the best, but that's not going to stop me from being the number one fucking hero."
She smiled weakly, biting her lip in an attempt to prevent herself from crying. Looking around, I realised they weren't the only ones who had come in. Tsuyu was there, and so was Hagakure, Uraraka and Deku. They all looked really fucking pissed.
I tried my best to get up, wincing in pain as I did. Every part of my body felt broken, but I knew this was the only way I could get them to just leave me alone. I looked straight into Kirishima's eyes, and grinned. I wanted him to feel like shit for this. If I had the strength I would've strangled him right then and there.
"There's nothing wrong with who I am. I'm not sick, I'm not messed up, I'm just madly in love. And no matter what anyone else says, I deserve happiness." Jirou finally let her tears flow, as I spit out blood violently. It fucking hurt. I felt like vomiting. But I had way more shit to say to these assholes.
"So yeah, you can say I don't deserve shit, that I'm going to fucking hell, that I'm a fucking f*g, but I'm still going to be a better hero than any of you fuckers. Just you fucking wait."
And with that, I collapsed to the ground, finally succumbing to my drowsiness and my injuries.
The last thing I heard before I completely blacked out were the words 'Stage two: cleared' before fully blacking out.
(A/N): Well...shit. This chapter is almost 2000 words long, which makes it the longest chapter I've ever written for this fic! Don't worry guys, things will be a bit less heavy next chapter. Bakugo is going to need to get his wounds healed, so he'll have some chill time with Nine. Plus, there's only two more stages, and you just need to remember that this Kirishima is not the real Kirishima, simply a projection of Bakugo's fears of Homophobia. The behaviour of the characters in this chapter (with the exception of Deku, Hagakure, Tsuyu, Uraraka, Ashido and Jirou) are 100% not excusable and are absolutely horrendous. The reason why I was compelled to incorporate this storyline was because of how homosexuality is treated in Japan and how absolutely unfortunate it is. In most fics I've read the idea of them being in Japan and the saddening fears that must arise from being anything but straight is ignored, and so I wanted to address it. I'm sorry if this chapter was a bit too much, but I tried to be as real as possible! Anyway, I'll see you guys in chapter 9, a much lighter and humorous chapter!
Yours,
@Red_Phoenix_writes