Class started as usual. Aizawa entered the room and everyone scrambled to their seats, then he did roll call. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary, so when their teacher didnt immediately tell them to open a text book it got Bakugos attention.
"Today we have guest speakers from the the United States here to talk to you about the hero transfer program. " Aizawa told his class as he turned to the door. "Come in."
In walked a towering young woman, she must have only been a few inches shorter than All Might. She had shoulder length blue hair that bounced with every step. That wasn't even the strangest thing about her appearance. Her feet looked like bird claws and she had gray and white wings. Even though she was a hero she wasnt dressed in her hero costume. Just ordinary business attire, a nice blouse and a pencil skirt.
"Class, this is Ms. Alvarez. Shes a hero from America. She isn't entirely fluent in Japanese, be polite. "
"Thank you Eraserhead. " Ms. Alvarez said in a heavy American accent. She turned to the class and gave a little wave. "Hey guys. Like your teacher said I'm not perfect with Japanese, but I'll try my best!"
Deku started to mumble to himself, Trying to figure out which hero she was but Bakugo knew the second she walked in the room.
Liv Alvarez was the hero known as Harpy. She was still pretty young, but she managed to start her own agency and place in to top 50 heroes in America. Both of these facts are impressive, but that's not why Bakugo knew about her.
Harpy was the first openly queer hero in America.
Bakugo stumbled onto Harpy a little over two years ago when he stopped in the bookstore on his way home from school. He ditched his "friends" and even managed to avoid Deku, so over all it was a peaceful walk home. The only thing that ruined it was his mother wanted him to pick up a book for her.
"Why couldn't that hag get this stupid book on herself?" He grumbled to himself as he entered the store.
The book wasn't hard to find. Apparently some talkshow host has been raving about this new book, so the store had a small display full of the one he was after, as well as similar books and other stories by the same author.
"Stupid book." Bakugo said, snatching up one of the hard cover copies.
He was starting to think this was going to be a pretty painless errand, until he rounded a bookcase and saw the checkout line. Apparently, this dumb store only had one employee willing to work today; that means one guy was trying to take care of 7 customers.
"Fucking perfect. " he huffed.
The explosive teen had half a mind to forget the book and just go home. It was a tempting thought, but he knew his mother would have a fit if she didn't get her damn book. So he stayed in line, letting his eyes wander to the various books and magazines by the cash register.
They were the usual tabloid crap. Celebrities breaking up, movie and tv stars having kids, and tips on how to lose weight. Stupid shit like that.
He was about to pull out his phone when a splash of color caught his eye. The line moved, allowing him to get closer to the colorful magazine. The cover had a young womans face photoshopped in grey scale. She had dark, shoulder length hair that had some curl to it. Her eyes were big and intense, like she was trying to tell him something without using any words. Full lips were turned up in a small, gentle smile.
This mysterious woman captivated Bakugo. He has never seen anyone look so vulnerable and strong at the same time. She was beautiful, but that wasn't what called out to the teen.
It was the color that got his attention in the first place. The woman had rainbow streaks painted across her cheeks. Bakugo thought it looked a little like war paint, or that weird thing American football players do. He finally got close enough to read the cover.
"OUT OF THE CLOSET AND INTO THE SPOTLIGHT: THE YOUNG WILDERNESS HERO "HARPY" CAME OUT AS THE FIRST OPENLY GAY HERO IN THE U.S."
Bakugo was standing in front of the magazine before he even realized he stepped out of line. His hand trembled as he reached out and picked up the article. The explosive teen opened the magazine to the middle where the story about Harpy was located. There was another full page picture of her. This time in full color, revealing tan skin and deep blue hair; as well as large wings and bird feet.
It wasn't that shocking. A lot of people nowadays have a less human appearance, but the really interesting part of the picture was her feathers. All throughout her wings were colored feathers that made it look like a rainbow was trailing behind her.
Katsuki looked over his shoulder to make sure no one saw him with the magazine. He wanted to just put it back and forget about even seeing it, but he couldn't. The aspiring hero tucked the magazine under the book and shuffled back into line.
Grateful that no one got in line behind him, Bakugo placed his items on the counter. The cashier scanned and bagged his things while Katsukis heart pounded.
'Its just a magazine. It doesn't mean anything. ' he thought to himself.
As soon as paid he snatched his bag out of the cashiers hands and quickly left the store.
His house was a short walk from the bookstore. Once he was home he kicked open the front door and stomped into the kitchen.
"Here you dumb hag." Bakugo spat as he dumped the bag in front of his mother. He started to walk towards his bedroom.
Mitsuki scowled at her son.
"Alway such a brat." She removed her book from the bag. "Wheres the receipt? I need to know how much I owe you."
The teen froze in his tracks. He took a shaky breath before responding.
"Its fine. You don't have to pay back shit." He grumbled before continuing to his room.
Mitsukis eyes went wide. "Thank…you… that's nice, brat."
"Whatever. " he grumbled as he threw open his bedroom door.
Once he was behind closed doors, he set his backpack on the bed and pulled out the magazine he hid. Bakugo read every sentence that had anything to do Harpy.
He learned that she was a twenty two year old woman named Olivia Alvarez, but she always goes by Liv. Her quirk gave her the abilities and appearance of a Harpy eagle, much like her grandfather, the former hero Icarus. Further in the article is when things got more interesting. It turns out the whole reason everyone is making a big deal about her is that she got fired when she came out publicly. The agency she was with since she was eighteen dropped her the same day. People were even calling for her hero license to be revoked, which pissed Bakugo off.
"She was fucking fired for nothing!" He hissed quietly to himself. "Just because she likes chicks."
The rest of the article was just listing some of her accomplishments. Finding missing hikers, helping put out forest fires, and even the occasional beat down of a villain. From what the explosive teen could tell she was damn good at her job, never giving up until fires were out and missing people were found.
Unsatisfied with the little bit of information he had, Katsuki opened his laptop and searched for the foreign hero. At first it was mostly just different versions of the same article, but he eventually found more recent ones.
"Only twenty two and she started her own agency. " he mutters as he scrolled.
According to this article, a lot of the side kicks from her original agency left to join Harpy's, forcing the old one to shut down.
Bakugo let out a small laugh. "Ha! Serves those bastards right!"
Before he knew it Bakugo switched from news articles to clips and interviews. He watched horribly shot footage of her flying in to save the day, or compilations of fans meeting her. She seemed nice from all the videos, and SO TALL!!!! In every clip he watched Harpy towered over everyone. Especially her teammate, Lynx.
Turns out Lynx was another animal quirk user who was originally from Japan. True to her hero name she was a small woman with cat ears and feline eyes. Their quirks combined make an amazing search and rescue team, and they have been working together since they were in their teens.
It was well past four in the morning when Katsuki's internet deep dive started to wind down. He clicked on one last video, her comming out video.
"Hey guys!!!! Its Harpy!" The clip started. She was sitting in front of a white wall with nothing else around her.
"So I have something important I want to talk about. I know once I say this my entire life will change, and so will your opinions of me." Liv's voice started to shake.
"I… I-i am a lesbian. "
"This is probably the hardest thing I've ever done. I know that coming out is going to affect my career, and not in a good way." She let out a humorless laugh.
"Everyone told me that I shouldn't do this, but I don't want to hide anymore. I want to be able to show my girlfriend that I love her without worrying about the press finding out."
"I love a smart, strong, caring woman and I refuse to feel ashamed for that. Because I know I'm not the only one going through this, I'm just the first one to speak up. And if what I'm doing makes it easier for other heroes, other people, to be who they really are; to love who they want to love…then I think that makes what ever is about to happen all worth it."
The clip ended.
And Bakugo Katsuki was crying.
He tried to keep his sobs quiet so he wouldn't wake up his parents. There was no way he would be able to explain this to them. They didn't know that their son was gay, and he planned on keeping it that way.
Bakugo always new he was different. When his friends were pulling on pigtails to get girls attention, he was shoving Deku around for the same reasons. Katsuki would NEVER admit it, but Izuku was his first crush. Well…that's not entirely true. Technically his real first crush was All Might, but that seemed more embarrassing than his wimpy childhood friend.
Once Bakugo realized WHY he was different he panicked. Heroes aren't gay, he CANNOT be gay.
For years Bakugo thought he would have to hide who he was, that he would have to lie to the world. He thought he could do it. It wasn't uncommon for pros not to marry, so he wouldn't have to worry about that. And he could just ignore the flutter in his stomach every time a cute boy crossed his path. He would have to… because heroes can't be gay…
But seeing this woman stare the world down and tell the truth, to finally set herself free…
Maybe he could do it someday too.
"So my name is Liv Alvarez, also known as the hero Harpy. Me and my agency specialize in search and rescue and natural disaster relief."
Bakugo was frozen in his seat. This wasn't the same feeling he had when he first met All Might. Of course he was a little intimidated by the number one hero, but he could still think and breathe. This was different. Harpy was standing just a few yards away from him. The person that gave him hope was in the same room.
"I KNOW YOU! You started your own agency when you were only twenty two! And you're the granddaughter of the eagle hero Icarus!" Deku blurted out.
"Raise your hand Midoriya." Aizawa sensei glared at the green haired student.
"Sorry." He whispered.
"Its alright, but you guys are gonna have to talk slower. Does anyone know anything about the hero transfer program?" Liv asked the class.
Dekus hand shot up. "It's a program that allows young heroes to attend college and travel while working."
Aizawa was just about to scold him for talking out of turn again, but Harpy laughed and told him it was fine.
"That's right." The speaker nodded. "Its a wonderful opportunity, and a lot of the top universities team up with the program. My agency works with the program well."
Kaminari raised his hand.
"You have a question?" Harpy acknowledged the electric teen.
"Yeah, what if we aren't really cut out for higher learning? Does it only work for college students?"
"The program offers a lot more financial aid to students, but it is possible to apply for a transfer without enrolling in school. "
"Sweet!" Kaminari cried out and gave a high five to an equally excited Mina.
The students took turns asking the foreign hero questions about the transfer program, but soon it turned into questions about working in America and her quirk. Their teacher was being surprisingly generous with his class, letting the Q and A last over 20 minutes. It was just about to wrap up when Sero started to think out loud.
"I just don't get it. Why would someone want to waste time in another country when they could be rising through the ranks at home?"
"That is something to consider. " The foreign hero announced.
"This program isn't for everyone, and some of you would rather get to work as soon as possible. But you never know what could happen. If it wasn't for the transfer program I never would have met my fiancee." Harpy said with a smile.
"You two got engaged?!" Bakugo blurted out before he could stop himself.
All eyes went to him and Katsuki wanted to die. He managed to keep quiet and act normal the entire time, but he went and fucked it up at the finish line. Bakugo made the mistake of looking up. His eyes met Harpy's and he could feel everything start to crumble.
"I didn't know you followed heroes from America." Kirishima leaned in closer to his explosive friend.
"Yeah, especially the domestic stuff." Kaminari added.
There was no reason for Bakugo to follow Harpy other that she was a queer hero. Not that she wasn't amazing, it just wouldn't make sense for a kid from Japan to keep up with a pro that had nothing to do with the world around him.
His classmates were going to figure him out.
Bakugo breathes started to shake, as well as his hands. He was about to lose it. He made eye contact with Harpy once more. The look she gave him was full of nothing but compassion. She knew. Without words she somehow knew, and that terrified Bakugo.
"We just got engaged a few weeks ago, so we haven't been able to announce it yet." Liv spoke up, calling all attention back on her. "That's actually why I'm in Japan. We came here so I could meet my in-laws."
"Who's your fiancee?" Mina asked.
"My partner Lynx. She's here as well, but shes talking to the other first year class."
"Wait… Isn't Lynx a woman?" Midoriya pointed out. God he was slow on the uptake.
Thankfully Harpy wasn't offended. In fact she thought it was kinda funny. "Yes she is. We're lesbians." She laughed.
"Oh. That makes sense."
"Wait, you're out of the closet? That's so punk rock!" Jirou exclaimed.
"I believe I read an article about you a few years ago. Is it true you were fired after coming out publicly?" Iida joined in the questioning.
Liv nodded.
"WHAT?! YOU SERIOUSLY GOT FIRED?" Kirishima yelled, which effectively got the rest of the class riled up. Everyone was saying how unfair it was, but Bakugo stayed silent. Of course he agreed with his classmates, but he was afraid that if he spoke now he would let something slip.
He remembered all of the articles and Instagram posts of the two wilderness heroes when they first went public with their relationship. Bakugo had a feeling that they were more than just teammates, and when a tweet of the two sharing a kiss surfaced he cried again. They looked so happy. It made him think that he could be that happy some day.
"Alright settle down. " Aizawa raised his voice. Instantly the class went silent. "It's time to head out for training. Thank Ms. Alvarez and then go get changed."
The students of 1-A all thanked the bird hero and started to file out of the room. Bakugo watched his classmates leave one by one until he was the last student in the room. Slowly he made his way to the front of the classroom and stopped in front of Harpy.
"Bakugo, let's go." Aizawa called to his student from the hall.
Katsuki looked down to the floor, but he didn't move. This was his only chance to talk to Liv Alvarez, and god he wanted to take it.
Liv must have noticed that he wanted to speak in private. She must have some kind of sixth sense.
"Can we have a minute, Eraserhead? I'll sent him out as soon as we're done."
The pro gave them a confused look but allowed his student to stay behind. "Alright. Just don't take too long."
Katsuki was finally alone with Harpy. No one would hear what he saying, no one would find out his secret. It was ok to speak his mind…
But he couldn't talk.
After a few moments of silence and avoiding eye contact on Katsukis part, Liv decided to start the conversation.
"Your name is Bakugo, right?"
He managed a nod, but he still couldn't look up.
"Is there anything you want to talk about?"
Bakugo took a deep breath and forced himself to meet her eyes.
"Why did you do it?" He said in a shaky voice.
Harpy tilted her head. "Why did I come out?" Bakugo nodded. "Well…that's a tough one. I think I did it because… I was tired of feeling the way you do."
Ow. So true it hurts. The explosive teen could feel the tears starting to gather. He quickly tried to wipe them away, but Liv already saw them.
"Oh honey… It's hard, isn't. Alway telling yourself you can't be who you really are. Feeling like the world will shut you out if you tell the truth."
Bakugo was full on crying now. Every thing she said was true. Whenever a boy would catch his eye he would feel like he was drowning in shame. Some nights he would cry himself to sleep because he was afraid. Afraid that if anyone found out, his dreams would fall apart. Afraid that his parents would regret ever having him.
"Its ok hon." Harpy said as she pulled Bakugo into a hug. "Just let it out."
Katsuki tried to stop his sobs, but any resolve he had shattered when Liv wrapped her arms around him. She knew. This woman has felt every horrible thing he has. This wasn't pity. It was understanding.
It took a few minutes of crying before Bakugo calmed down enough to talk.
"Do you think I could do it too?" He whispered, still pressed against the pro. He held onto her like a life line.
"That's entirely up to you, but I hope you can." She pulled back a bit so she could look at Bakugo. "You're a tough kid. I'm sure you can do anything you put your mind to."
Bakugo started to wipe away his tears with his sleeves. Once his face was dry and his sobs stopped completely is when the embarrassment hit.
"Fuck I'm so lame."
"You are not lame." Liv laughed as she took a pen and paper from Aizawas desk. She wrote something down and held out the paper to Bakugo. "Here."
"What is it?" He asked as he took the paper.
"My personal number and email. Don't go giving it out."
His eyes went wide. "Why are you giving me this?"
"I know things are gonna be rough for you, so if you want a change of scenery after high school, just give me a call. Don't worry about college. I'll make sure we a place for you, or I can get you into another agency. I've got connections." She told him as she ruffled his hair.
This was to good to be true. "Do you mean it?"
"Of course. You've got friends in the U.S. now. If you need anything, just give me a call." Liv patted him on the back and started to lead him out of the class room. "You should go get cleaned up, your teacher is probably wondering where you are."
They entered the hall and was greeted by a short woman with an orange pixie cut and cat ears.
"There you are Livi! I thought you got lost." She marched up to the two of them.
"Hey Nori. I wasn't lost, something just came up." Liv said.
"This is my fiancee, Noriko. You probably know her better as Lynxs." She gestured to the shorter woman. Lynx barely came up to Livs chest. "And this is Bakugo. We were talking, that's what took so long."
Noriko looked at the teen and her ears twitched. "It's nice to meet you Bakugo. Not to be rude, but we really have to get going."
"I know, I know." Liv turned to Bakugo. "Don't forget what I said, call me anytime."
"Ok let's go, my parents want us there by 3 and it takes an hour to get there." Lynx started tugging on her lover. "We can't be late."
"Bye Bakugo, and good luck." Liv laughed and waved as she Noriko pull her down the hall.
Katsuki watched them walk away before he went to get changed. He washed his face and put on his gym uniform. After one last look in the mirror he walked out and headed towards the training field.
"HEY BAKUGO!" Kirishima called out. He started running to the explosive teen. "Where have you been man? I was about to ask Aizawa if I could go find you."
"Calm down shitty hair. I just had to take a form to the support class."
"I just wanted to make sure you were ok." He flashed a big, sharp grin.
Bakugo felt butterflies fighting in his stomach. He walked past Kirishima before his blush could show.
"Let's go. I already missed enough training."
Kirishima threw his arm around Bakugo. "Sure thing, dude!"
Maybe one day Katsuki would be able to tell his friend how he felt. Or just tell him how he felt about boys in general. He knows that Kirishima wouldn't treat him differently, but it still scares him. Hell, coming out will probably scare him for the rest of his life. But he knows that every thing will work out.
If Harpy can do it, so can Bakugo.
So putting my fangirling aside, Bakugo screams "im in the closet, send help." and i just wanted to make a little story about my garbage child learning how to cope.
thanks for reading!!!