"Please, have a seat." Aurora gestured to the seat across from her. "Thank you for meeting with me. I apologize for the meeting space, however the school does not have a private office yet."
"What's this about?" Bakugo asked as he sat. Aurora slid a cup of tea across the table between them, offering it to him.
"With all that you and your class have been through, I felt it would be beneficial to meet with each of you." She explained, her own cup of tea warming her hands. Aurora leaned back against the couch.
"What we've been through?" He sounded almost cautious, but his voice still had its sharpness. It reminded her of a serrated knife.
"Within your first few weeks of school, your class was not only attacked by villains, many of you witnessed extreme violence against three of your teachers." Aurora pointed out. There was a brief silence as she sipped her tea.
"We're gonna see lots of that kind of crap." He argued and crossed his arms, leaving his tea untouched. "I don't see why it matters."
"Because like it or not, Bakugo, you all are still children." She took another sip as he sat in silence. "Do you know what happens to the human brain when exposed to trauma?" Aurora asked, sounding almost off handedly.
"I've been paying attention in class, haven't I?" He bit back, referring to his stellar grades. While he had been aceing every assignment on theory, Aurora hadn't tested them in practice.
"Trauma on a brain can be damaging. Some beleive trauma to a brain that has not fully developed can cause permanent damage." She offered him a soft smile. "I'd say that attack on the USJ was traumatic."
"So you wanna know how I'm feeling. Is that it?" She could hear the sarcasm in his voice. He had yet to learn just how controlling feelings are. Aurora let up a bit on her aura and the soft glow revealed itself. It was extended and stopped just a few inches from Bakugo, ebbing and flowing against an invisible barrier.
"I know how you are feeling." Aurora explained. "I see it on your face, I feel it when you get too close. I feel all of my students' feelings at some point. Most of the time it's when changing classes. There is one that almost always stands out to me."
"Lemme guess, Deku's weak ass feelings?"
"Your rage."
It wasn't what he was expecting and she could see it. While his arms were still crossed, his face was surprised. Aurora pulled her aura back in and it diminished. Bakugo shivered as the cold of the room replaced her aura. He lowered his head a bit.
"You are frustrated, angry. You are so angry at yourself for making the same mistakes pro's make." Aurora could practically see the gears turning in his head and clicking into place. "You've placed an impossible standard of perfection on yourself. It's good to have goals, but be realistic. Not even All Might is perfect."
"Who said I'm trying to be perfect?!" He raised his voice at her and she just sat there, knowing. "And All Might's about as close to perfect as you can get. And I'm gonna be even better than All Might! Just you wait!"
"I have no doubt you'll be better than All Might, some day." She assured him still smiling. "But that day is not today. You have a long way to go." Bakugo glared and crossed his arms.
"So what, these meetings are supposed to help me be better? Sorry, but I don't see how talking about feelings is gonna help me in the long run." His smirk was back. Aurora shook her head.
"Have you ever been through the trauma of losing someone you were trying to rescue?" She asked, already knowing the answer. "Have you experienced going to back to work with that weight on you, only to be expected to save more people?"
Aurora sipped more tea, waiting for another quip or snarky response. She got silence in return.
"This isn't an easy job. You tend to be ruled bu reasoning, yes. You are very bright, Bakugo and I cannot wait to see the hero you will become." Aurora started and his face almost seem to light up in curiosity. "But you have to get a hold on your temper. Being fueled by emotions such as rage or hope can save you in a battle, it can give you that little bit of adrenaline you need to win. However, it can also push you right into a trap." He just glared at her, knowing she was right but having nothing to say against it.
"I'll be meeting with all of you every week. I'd like ti hear about your progress in school and anything that may be weighing on you, anything you can't get off your mind. Today was mostly just a starting point, but I will be giving you homework to do." He sighed and leaned back, clearly not pleased.
"What do you do for fun?" She asked, watching her student. He sat there, thinking. "What do you do to relax? Do you do anything outside of school? Anything that has nothing to do with becoming a hero or school?"
"Why would I waste my time on that crap?" He asked, genuinely.
"When you spend every waking moment focused on your goals, pushing through school, and working towards your goal, you'll burn yourself out."
"You're talking about the kind if burn out heroes get." He recalled an earlier class. "That's why you taught us self care. My self care is working on my goal."
"Bakugo, you'll burn yourself out, no matter how much ambitious and drive you have." Aurora told him firmly. He sat there, thinking, piecing it together. "I want you to spend one hour a day this week doing nothing related to school or heroes. You can try reading a fun book, taking up a sport, you don't strike me as the artistic type but I do encourage at least considering it."
Bakugo just sat there, arms crossed.
"Can you do that for me? I want you to at least try." Aurora asked. He nodded.
"Fine."
"Intrauterine growth restriction?" Aurora asked, not familiar with the term.
"Yes," the doctor confirmed. "We anticipated your pregnancy would have some complications as it was unlikely for you to conceive at all." He pointed out matter of factly as though he was discussing the weather.
"What's wrong with the baby?" Toshinori asked, his grip gently squeezing Aurora's hand. She gave a gentle squeeze back. "Is it fixable? Is there anything you can do?"
"It isn't so much what we can do." The doctor explained. "At this point there is no treatment we can provide to ensure the growth of the fetus. That being said, I would like to ask you a few questions."
"Go ahead." Aurora nodded.
"Do you smoke?"
"No."
"Do you drink caffeine?"
"Not since I've become pregnant."
"Do you drink alcohol?" The doctor rattled off a series of questions about her diet and lifestyle, inquired on the food she ate, how well she slept, any exercises she was doing. Aurora answered them all honestly and in the end the doctor just slowly shook his head. "Well, the fetus could be struggling to receive appropriate nutrients but we would have to run a few test to rule that out. In the mean time, try to limit physical activity, and perhaps increase your calorie intake."
"Is there anything else we should know about the baby?" Toshinori asked quietly. Both of them knew the likelihood of an easy pregnancy was slim to none. That didnt make the news any easier. The doctor looked at his clipboard and sighed. He rubbed the bridge of his nose before looking at the expecting couple.
"Intrauterine growth restriction means the fetus is not developing quick enough. Each trimester new organs are developed and if the fetus does not grow properly it will not develop properly." He told them almost coldly. "If the pregnancy is successful you should expect further health complications."
"If?" Toshinori furrowed his eyebrows and leaned forward. "Is there a significant chance we could lose the baby?" The doctor looked at him. The gears in Aurora's head clicked into place. Not once had he referred to their child as a baby, always fetus, he didn't sound optimistic and seemed jaded to them.
"You don't think the baby will survive, do you?" Aurora spoke quietly. The doctor shifted his weight from foot to foot and began looking at his clipboard again.
"I think it would be best for you two to prepare for any possibility, including a termination or loss of pregnancy." He told them. "If you'll excuse me, I have other patients to assist." He excused himself and left the two alone. Aurora sat there, a comforting hand on her stomach. She had wondered why there was very little bulge. she had gained almost no weight. She felt an arm wrap around her shoulders and pull her into his chest. She breathed in the smell of her husband and wrapped her arms around his torso.
"It'll be alright." He told her, rubbing her back. "We will get through this, I promise."
"I'm sorry." She whispered.
"You've done nothing wrong." Toshinori told her as he held her close, feeling her body shake with silent sobs. "We will get through this."
Thank you so much for reading! Let me know what you think!