Third person pov
They were in a janitors closet, and Bakugo was pacing so hard Harper was pretty sure he was going to wear a divot in the floor. He'd stalk to one side of the closet, spin on his heel, and then trudge right on to the other. Harper watched this all with tired eyes. He was lucky she had the patience of a fucking saint these days, or else she would've just left. Why did she have to care? This wasn't an issue before UA. When in doubt, blame Nezu. He probably had something to do with it anyway. He was the root of all her problems. They all began with that tiny, damned little rat man.
Bakugo suddenly stopped in front of her, towering over her and looking extremely frustrated. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Predictably. Harper stared up at him with raised eyebrows. As much as she'd love to stand in this dark closet with Bakugo while his palms sparked semi-threateningly, she was hungry and tired. It was far enough into lunch now that she was going to have to give up food or sleep at this point, and she wasn't a fan, nor did she appreciate it.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Bakugo turned back around, growling to himself. "What do I fucking say? How do I ever-- dammit, this was a shitty idea. As though Depresso over there is going to be able to help me with jack shit. She doesn't even like people!"
Harper was severely unimpressed, but not offended. He wasn't wrong. In fact, he was pretty creative, combining espresso and depressed together. She could always be seen in the morning with a cup of coffee. Aizawa told her to stop a few times for appearances, but his thoughts told her she could bring it in anytime because he knew she didn't sleep much. She'd given up a cheers to that, which he'd almost died over. She could almost see his facade pop right before her eyes. Her and Kirishima were thinking of devising a game where they tried to make him break face in front of the class.
Bakugo turned around again, his face set into a determine scowl that told Harper he really didn't want to be doing this. Had she just tuned out of his entire self pep talk? Shame— that might've ended up being pretty amusing had she stayed clued in. That was fine. She was about to hear a lot more of the thoughts flying through Bakugo's head, which was... fun. And she meant "fun" in the most sarcastic sense. Her headache was ramping up fast and his barrage of frustrated emotions wasn't helping in the least.
"You... You fucking understand people." Bakugo grit out, glowering down at her as though she'd dragged him into this closet to chat. Harper blinked, sort of seeing where this is going but also not at all. Everything about Bakugo was about Izuku Midoriya, so it was safe to make a few assumptions. "Shit! How do I ask this?! I fucking— I don't need a shrink, but I need help. She's always in people's heads and shit. She knows how this fuckery works. I don't... I want to apologise to fucking Deku! I know he'll probably never fucking like my sorry ass after all I did, but I still..."
"Yeah, I guess." Harper answered his verbal statement dryly. He looked ready to bite her head off. "What about it? Did you want something?"
Using the words "need something" would be a no go. Had she gone that route, he would've shut down. Which would've been her preference, but she'd been meaning to reach out and try to help him ever since she first heard of his dilemma. There was something wrong with him. Nothing particularly bad, per say, but it wasn't great either. It's like he couldn't get the words out. He'd try to say something, but it would come out completely different and far too aggressive. She knew now that he wasn't meaning to sound so hostile. It just happened. He had absolutely no idea how to control it.
"...Fuck. Fucking— dammit, I need your help!" Bakugo's glower darkened. "Tell a soul and you're dead."
"My lips are sealed." Harper responded tiredly, knowing she'd be dragging Kirishima into this later despite the blonde's threat. She looked him up and down for a moment. He was extremely defensive and just about ready to bolt, like a scared animal that had been cornered. Ironic considering who'd dragged who in here. She let out a heavy sigh, bringing a hand up to massage her temples. "Is this about Izuku?"
"Shut the fuck up! You don't know anything!" Bakugo shouted, palms sparking with renewed vigor. Harper frowned at him flatly. "Fuck, why am I yelling? I knew she'd be good at this. She saw my dumbass note."
Alright, how did she deal with this? She needed to help him without pissing him off. Harper didn't have the energy for this. She had Sero on her plate, she was trying to figure out where the fuck Stain was and when she could talk to him again, summer camp, Kurogiri in general was a joy to deal with. Harper was tired. She missed her parents and her home, as much as she loved Tsukauchi, Dabi, Kurogiri, and Sansa. Things were just hard. She could deal with it just fine, and she wouldn't complain, she just... was tired.
"Do not scream at me." Harper glared right back at him, causing him to falter slightly. "You dragged me in here. If you want my help, you'll have it, but you're going to have to converse with me like a normal person. I'm not going to deal with the yelling. I don't have the energy. So either tell me what's wrong and what I can do, or I'm out."
It was harsh, but the truth. She was exhausted all the time. Harper was willing to try helping Bakugo if that's what he really wanted. But she wasn't going to sit here and let him throw a tantrum either. She bad better things to do with her time. Like sleep. And eat. Go comfort Sero in the midsts of his mental breakdown. He really was doing okay! He was just okay with a side of existential crisis, that's all.
Bakugo's shoulders went slack. Harper felt defeat start to ebb out of him as he calmed himself. Apparently, being firm was the way to go. Harper didn't like getting snappy, but she would if it meant not getting shouted at in a dark closet during her lunch break. Mineta had been thinking about Ojiro's thighs all day, and she didn't have the energy. That on top of Mr. Aizawa, Izuku's ramblings, Hagakure's daily monologues, and Kaminari's weirdly warped Wii theme... she really needed a break.
"...Fine. You know about Izuku and how I..." Bakugo ground his teeth together as though it were a struggle to force the words out. "Why can't I just tell her? She's secretive, but she's fucking trustworthy. She's good with keeping shit to herself and helping people. Just... Fuck!"
"How you feel?" Harper asked, watching him flinch. "I read your note. I think you should probably apologise first before jumping into marriage."
Bakugo looked more thoughtful than angry now, giving her an intrigued look. Harper let out a breath of air through her nose. Great. She wondered if she could toss Kirishima at him and let the redhead handle it. That would be too mean, though, even if the explosive blonde was friends with him. Dammit. At least Bakugo wasn't the "beat around the bush" type. He'd either let her help and be quick about it, or he wouldn't and this would be over.
"...Alright. Fine." Bakugo said finally. "What did you have in mind?"
"Meet me after class." Harper stepped around him. "I need a nap."
She didn't give him time to say anything else. She was already out the door, an image of the the teacher's lounge's couch in her mind's eye.
~~~~~~~~~
Harper was already regretting this. There were a million other things she could do with her time. Fuck her for caring, honestly. Her conscience had some real balls showing up around here with its fancy 'morals' and 'values' and all that shit. There was an unmistakable urge to help her classmate broiling in her. She would have loved to ignore the drive, but she was really too exhausted to bother fighting it. She could only hope some good would come out of this. Productivity, and all that.
"Why the fuck is shitty hair here?" Was Katsuki's first question when Harper met him outside the school. She'd told Dabi to handle Kurogiri before grabbing her redheaded friend and storming off to find the explosive blonde. She'd already updated Kirishima on what had happened, and he seemed beyond amused. Bakugo, not so much. "Fucking shit! Did she tell him?! God dammit, if this spreads and gets back to Deku, I'll—"
"Shut the fuck up. You asked for my help, great. But we're doing it my way." Harper glowered. Kirishima turned to the side to mask his laugh with a cough. It wasn't convincing in the least, but Harper had to give him kudos for trying. "I assume you reached out because this dumbass summer camp thing is coming up and you want to be on good terms with Izuku."
Katsuki stared at her quietly. "How'd she know?"
"Don't worry, Bakubro! Harper is really, really good with emotions. I know she comes off as sort of cold, but she really cares a lot!" Kirishima was pleading Harper's case. Flattering, but unneeded. Harper would be extremely happy if Katsuki decided to say fuck all and stomp off. More sleep for her. "He doesn't realize how amazing she is. We can really help him, if he'll let us! Wow, Harper and I as a 'we'... We are a pretty good team! True love is amazing."
"No shit she's good with emotions. Why the fuck do you think I talked to her in the first place?" Katsuki snarled, ignoring Harper's flat look. The angry teen looked reasonably uncomfortable. Harper didn't blame the guy. She would be too if she weren't so numb to this stuff. "Dammit, she did tell him. But this is for Deku! I can't just... fuck!"
"Look, I can't leave campus without Dabi and Kurogiri. I'm assuming you don't want them tagging along, so we're going to do this here." Harper looked him dead in the eyes. Katsuki froze. Not a lot of people had he nerve to meet his gaze head on like that. Barring Deku. "You have trouble converting your thoughts into words. Yes?"
Katsuki looked left and right as though someone were actually going to be listening in. They were literally in the most secluded hallway in the school, and after hours no less. The only eavesdroppers they needed to worry about was Nezu, but that jackass knew everything anyway. Harper really needed to find a good way to spite him. If only he weren't a genius. She'd probably be able to get something real blackmail worthy out of his thoughts then.
"...Yeah." He answered gruffly. Harper sighed, turning towards Kirishima. He nodded back, unzipping her bag and taking out a notebook and a pen. Katsuki watched with mild interest. "What the hell are they planning?"
"Don't worry, dude! She gave me this same advice and it worked like a charm." Kirishima said excitedly, his eyes shining with adoration. He sounded like a lovesick puppy, which only made Katsuki glare harder. He wasn't impressed. Ironic, considering his current situation. Kirishima was undeterred as usual. "This is so cool! Seeing Harper in action is amazing. She's amazing."
"Shut the hell up, shitty hair. I'll decide what works and what doesn't." Katsuki ground out, cheeks burning hot with embarrassment. "This is fucking humiliating! But Deku... Fuck. I have to deal with it. I fucking have to! There's no way I can go without apologizing for all the fuck shit I did. Deku deserves to know I regret it and that it wasn't his fault."
Harper sighed. She could already see that this was going to be a mess. Despite that, she let herself slide down onto the floor. Kirishima followed her, and she waved Katsuki down as well. They'd be here a while, and she'd be damned if she stood the entire time. It was nice of Kirishima to agree to come with her. She knew he was friends with Bakugo, and also more optimistic than she was. If Bakugo got too pissy with her, or her with him, he'd mediate.
Bakugo sat cross legged, hunched forward and absolutely glowering. He looked beyond annoyed with all that was going on, but Harper could tell he was desperate. It was made rather obvious by the fact that he'd stuck around this long alone, not even needing to delve into his thoughts to see that. Kirishima seemed impressed too, handing her a pen.
"Kirishima is here because he's your friend and wants to help. Let him." Harper ripped a piece of paper out of the notebook and handed it to Katsuki. He took it almost on reflex, taking the pen offered to him too. "Now, you're going to write a letter. All your thoughts and that shit."
"I already tried that shit and it didn't work." Katsuki growled, the paper crumbling slightly in his grip. "Shit doesn't come out right on paper either! She knows that, too!"
"I wasn't done." Harper gave him a look. He all but hissed back. Kirishima looked between them like an excited puppy. "You're going to write a letter to yourself. I'm going to read it, and then you will read it again. It's for our eyes only and I won't be telling anyone anything you write. Shit will take a lot of trust. You and I deduce whether or not you put down what you meant to, or if it came out wrong as hell."
"And after that?" Katsuki grumbled, seeming almost interested. "Not sure I want tired bitch reading what I write. But... fuck, I do trust her. Shitty hair, too, but I'd die before letting him read it. Harper is good as hell with secrets. It's obvious she has a lot of her own. If she can hide those, she can hide this."
"After that, you burn it!" Kirishima blurted out, grinning. Harper snorted and gave a nod of confirmation. "Such a good idea! I did mine alone without letting anyone else read, but it's pretty obvious Bakugo is going to need a second opinion to see whether or not he wrote something good."
"...Alright, fine. What if I don't get that shit?" Katsuki asked, sounding less angry and more open. His grip on the paper loosened. "Burning it... no one else could ever read it that way. And it's not for Deku. It's just for my shit ass. And I guess Harper. Depresso will be able to tell me if it's shit. She won't lie or lighten the blow, either."
"We'll stay here as long as we're allowed." Harper sighed, leaning back against the wall. Kirishima nodded. "And if we can't get it today, we'll do the same thing tomorrow."
"Yeah! We got you, bro." Kirishima beamed. "This is going to work. I know it is."
Katsuki looked at the pair before him. They were an odd match. Harper, slouched, tired, and analytical, right next to a very optimistic and upbeat Kirishima. He considered it for a moment. Harper was smart. She knew how the human mind worked and shit. Anyone with half a brain could deduce that, easy. If she thought this would work, well...
Katsuki clicked the pen, pulled a book into his lap to use as a table, and got to writing.