This document Beta'd by kylekatarn77 and Poliamida

23: Born of Battle, Born of Blood

Sing, O muse, of the rage of Achilles, son of Peleus, that brought countless ills upon the Achaeans.

-Homer, The Iliad

Bakugo stalked off alone after dinner, still angry. The others were going to do that stupid test of courage. Well, he wasn't going to play their silly games. No damn point. He wasn't scared of dumbass tricks or weird noises. And he was still too pissed off about Hatsume to be around anyone anyway.

"Sometimes getting away from everyone can help you blow off some steam, ruff. Exercise is good too. Bark! If you get so mad you can't think straight, get alone, and literally explode, Katsuki."

"Oh screw you, Ryo," Bakugo muttered to himself. He ground his teeth, shoving his hands in his pockets. He found himself hearing Mr. Inui, better known as Hound Dog, in his head whenever he was getting cheesed off.

He thought back to dinner. Sitting with Uraraka. Bakugo would have died if anyone had realized it, but he thought she was kind of hot. Especially after her time with Gunhead. She'd gotten pretty ripped, and she had kicked his ass in that hand to hand fight in their last training session before school ended. Sure, losing had pissed him off, but he'd never met a girl who was actually decent in a fight before. Well, except maybe the rest of his classmates. Most of them weren't complete losers.

"But that damn brownnoser Iida was there as well," Bakugo muttered. Girls would go for the straight laced nerdy type. Midoriya! Weak, worthless Midoriya had a girlfriend, the quirkless loser who-

Bakugo stopped, putting his hands to his head, gritting his teeth. "I'm strong," he whispered to himself. "I'm stronger than my anger. I don't need to put others down to make myself strong. I make myself strong by making others stronger too. To be strong, you have to test yourself. Losing doesn't mean you're weak, it means you can still get stronger. Winners are not born, winners are made."

Things had gone downhill so fast after the Sports Festival. First, Iida had lectured Bakugo, in front of half the class, about beating up disabled people and discrimination. He could have tried to explain that he'd beaten Mei bloody not because she was autistic or whatever but because she canceled his quirk and broke his damn nose, and that he hated Izuku for looking down on him, not for being quirkless, but what was the point? Bakugo didn't need to justify himself. Or, he thought he hadn't. After that, no one would speak to him unless forced. Not even Kirishima, who before had acted like a lost puppy or something.

And then came the requests by agencies after the Sports Festival. Todoroki was showered with them, but chose his father, the spoiled brat. Ashido got several dozen. Tokoyomi got one from Hawks, a top ten hero. Uraraka, damn her for being so nice, got ten. Even Iida, who hadn't even placed, got a few as did several others. But how many did Bakugo, the second place finisher get? None.

Because he was weak. Not because his quirk wasn't strong. Not because he couldn't fight. Not even because he had lost to a quirkless boy. But because he had beaten a girl bloody, when he could have found another way. Because he had ranted, and raved, and boasted, and bragged. Because he was proud. He was weak. And he needed to find a way to become strong again.

After repeating the mantra to himself a couple of times, Bakugo was still royally pissed off. But not at Midoriya or Iida. At himself. Bakugo had been mad at himself a lot in the last few months. Really, he'd been mad at himself for a long time. Mr. Inui had helped him see that.

"Dammit, All Might." Bakugo started jogging through the woods, not really sure where he was going. He was following a sort of path up a hill, and he knew he could make his way back if he needed to. He'd always had a great sense of direction.

Thinking of All Might brought Bakugo back to the Sports Festival. Standing up on the podium, for all the world to see what a failure he was. While Izuku Midoriya stood tall, revealing in the praise and affection Bakugo had always assumed was his birthright, but was now denied.

That was when Bakugo had realized something: You weren't born a winner. You became one.

"I didn't fail. I can still get stronger. Stronger than Midoriya. Stronger than anyone. Even heroes lose," Bakugo panted. All Might had told Bakugo that. Shown him that awful scar. Shown him how weak he actually was. That had been a shock to his system.

And then, All Might had taken Bakugo to Hound Dog, the school Counselor. At first, Bakugo had done nothing but rage and snap at Hound Dog. And for once, someone had raged and snapped back. After their first "session" Hound Dog's office had been torn to shreds, partly from Bakugo's explosions, partly from Hound Dog's ripping the place apart. And Bakugo had needed about 10 stiches too.

He smiled at the memory. Hound Dog was strong. And he'd helped Bakugo realize he still was strong. But that he was also brittle.

"You think that heroes always win?" Hound Dog had demanded. "You're an idiot, Katsuki! Hell, even All Might lost sometimes! You saw his scar! And what else did he tell you?"

"That he's retiring!" Bakugo had yelled back. "What do I care if some washed up old man turns into a loser!"

"Because you're a washed up loser and you're only 16! Now sit down before I bite you!" Hound Dog had snarled.

"I'm not a loser!" Bakugo had barked back. But then he'd sat down hard. "Except I am. I got beaten by a quirkless nerd and his tin can! I'm worthless! Just let me drop out! Everyone in my class knows I'm weak, that's why they hate me!"

"They don't hate you, you spoiled brat! They just show you all the respect you show them! Now sit down before I growl BARK BARK BARK!"

That session had ended with another visit to Recovery Girl for both of them. It hadn't been until recently that Bakugo realized Hound Dog was letting Bakugo use him as his punching bag. And eventually, Bakugo had started to listen. These past few weeks, he had started to try to do what Hound Dog suggested. To be nice. To let himself show a little weakness, because it wasn't being weak to admit you needed help.

"Too bad I'm crap at it," Bakugu grunted. He ascended to the top of the rise, and was now on a wide rocky shelf, looking out over the valley below.

"What are you doing here, stupid?!"

Bakugo turned to see the shrimp he'd noticed around camp. He frowned. "What's it to you, shri-kid. What's it to you, kid? Why do you care? And don't call me stupid! That's rude!"

The kid didn't back down, stepping forward and glaring at Bakugo. "This is my hiding place! Go find your own!"

"I'm not hiding you rude little bastard!" Bakugo yelled. Inwardly he winced slightly. He was pretty bad at this whole being nice thing. "Otherwise you wouldn't find me!"

"Well then go away!" the kid said, tears coming into his eyes. "I don't want to talk to anyone."

Bakugo sat down, turning his back to the kid. "Fine. I don't want to talk to you either."

For a second, Bakugo thought the shrimp would try to hit him or something, give Bakugo an excuse to put him in his place. No! If the others thought he was beating up on runts again, he'd never get what he wanted. What did he want, anyway? He damn sure didn't want their help. Except, he sort of did. It would be nice to have someone to talk to.

The kid sat down next to Bakugo. He felt his eyebrow twitch in irritation, but he ignored the little jerk. See if he cared where the little idiot sat.

"Heroes are stupid," the kid said.

Bakugo looked at him. "That's a real mouthy thing to say. Isn't your mom one of the Pussy whatevers?"

"No!" the kid snapped. "Don't you even know who I am?"

"No," Bakugo said. He almost turned away again. Then he made himself try to smile. "I'm Bakugo. Who are you?"

The kid looked at Bakugo's face and paled slightly. Good. The smile was working. "Um, I'm Kota. Don't hurt me, please."

"I'm not going to hurt you, so shut up!" Bakugo roared. He sat there fuming for a moment, wishing the kid would go away. Then he closed his eyes. Nice. He could be nice. He was strong.

"So, um, why are you hiding? This part of some stupid game or what?"

"No. I'm hiding from you," Kota said.

Bakugo snorted. "Wow. Stellar job. You're real damn good at this."

"Shut up! You weren't supposed to come up here!" Kota whined. Then he looked down. "It's 'cause heroes are dumb. That's why I'm up here."

"Well why the hell are you here? I mean, at the camp? What, are your parents dead?" Bakugo snapped.

Tears came to Kota's eyes, and he drew his legs up to himself as he started to sniffle. "...I hate you. I hate all heroes."

"Hmph. You're barking up the wrong damn tree, kid. I'm not a hero," Bakugo said. Crap. The kid's parents were really dead. Great, now Uraraka would hate him again because he'd made a kid cry. But what did he care? Why should he care about what Uraraka, or anyone, thought? Why did he care? Dammit, why did he have to care?

"Well you're here, right? You're from that school for heroes," Kota whimpered. "See if I care. You'll all lose and die, like my parents did, because they didn't love me!"

Bakugo glanced at the kid, then sighed. Hesitantly, he put a hand on the kids shoulder. "I...guess your parents loved you, or whatever. They were heroes, right?"

Kota only nodded, tears running down his cheeks.

"Well, I bet they were heroes to keep you safe or something stupid like that. That's why most idiots want to be heroes," Bakugo said with a shrug.

Kota looked up, frowning. "Then why didn't they come home to me? And don't call my parents idiots!"

"Fine, whatever. Look, I bet they were strong, right?"

Kota nodded again.

"Well, maybe there was like, some villain or whatever they had to stop. Maybe they saved people. So, they were strong. They won. They did save those people. And you. So, stop saying heroes are stupid, you ungrateful little bastard! Your parents did everything they could for you, so show some damn gratitude!"

Unexpectedly, Kota dissolved into hysterical tears and threw himself onto Bakugo, clinging to the older boy and weeping uncontrollably. Bakugo froze, totally unsure of what to do. Slowly, he put his arms around Kota, trying to think. What had his mom said when he'd cried as a kid?

"Don't be such a pussy," Bakugo growled. "You're stronger than this. Winners don't cry. And you're not a loser, right?!"

"N-n-no," Kota sniffled. He wiped his nose on his arm. Disgusting little twerp. "I'm strong! Are you strong?"

Bakugo grunted and looked away from Kota. "I thought I was."

"Well, I saw you training. You can like, make explosions and stuff, right? So you must be strong." Kota let Bakugo go, but sat down with his head leaning against the older boy. "Why couldn't you save my parents?"

"I told you, I'm not a hero. Not yet, anyway. Maybe I never will be. I'm...bad at being nice. And apparently, heroes have to be nice or some crap like that."

"My mom and dad were nice," Kota whispered.

Bakugo looked down at him. Reluctantly, he gave the kid a pat on the back. "Yeah. I bet they were."

"If you're not good at being nice, what are you good at?" Kota demanded, glaring up at Bakugo.

"Blowing stuff up, mostly. Breaking things. And people," Bakugo said, looking at his hand. "So if you need something wrecked, I guess I can do that."

"Can you kill Muscular?" Kota whispered, shrinking in on himself.

Bakugo froze, then looked down at the kid. "Holy crap, your parents got wasted by that freak? Jesus Christ kid, who the hell were your parents?! That villain's a monster! A lunatic!"

"They...they were the Izumis. Team Water Hose," Kota sniffed.

"Shit. Yeah," Bakugo gingerly put his hand on the boy's shoulders, the boy instantly snuggling up to him. "Your parents were heroes, kid. Real heroes. I heard about that. It was messed up. They saved a lot of people before they died though. Sorry. Guess I was being an asshole again."

Kota shrugged, wiping his nose with his hands. "It's OK. I was being mean too. I...I'm glad you found me."

"Really?! Well, I guess that's what they'll write on your tombstone then! Died like mommy and daddy!"

Hairs rose on the back of Bakugo's neck. Without thinking, he grabbed Kota with one hand, and launched himself to the side with an explosion from the other. He felt a slash of wind as he moved, and a split second later heard the sound of stone shattering and then felt pebbles bounce off his back.

He used another explosion to spin himself about, tucking Kota to his side in a football carry as he fell into a fighting stance.

"Not bad kid!" a blond giant of a man with a scar across his eye laughed. He had on a red tank top, and bits of what looked like muscle fiber poked out of his skin in various places. "You've got good reflexes, I'll give you that!"

Bakugo felt his blood run cold. "Muscular!" he gasped.

"In the flesh!" the monstrous villain laughed. "I couldn't help but overhear your touching little heart to heart! Brought a tear to my eye!" Muscular mimed wiping away a tear, but his smile was pure malevolence. "I was just going to case the place before the fun and games got started, but, well, it looks like I get to start things off right! Oh, before we begin, either of you AssumingDirectControlN7? That's one word, weird capitals and stuff. On the internet or some crap. We're supposed to be looking for that guy. Well, are you?"

"The hell are you babbling about, you ugly bastard?" Bakugo snarled. He felt his pulse racing. He knew this guy. Muscular. The Water Hose duo had not been his first or last kills. Other heroes had fallen, and some civilians. Now that Stain was in jail, he might just be Japan's most wanted. Him or Moonfish.

"I'll take that as a no. Good! I'm not supposed to kill him. He's been most helpful!" Muscular laughed. He slammed his fist into his palm, showing his teeth in a predatory grimace. "Guess I get to kill both of you then."

Bakugo moved as soon as he saw Muscular's legs tense up. He launched himself into the air with explosions directed towards feet, annihilating his shoes in the process. But it had been the only way he could think of to move without letting Muscular see which was he was going to go. Kota screamed, and Bakugo managed to launch himself over the brute, who buried himself in the mountain side.

"Kota, run!" Bakugo ordered, setting the kid down and turning back to face Muscular. "Get the hell out of here!"

"But I-"

"I didn't ask you, I told you! You're going to get in my way you useless shrimp! Now run home to mommy!" Bakugo snarled.

He didn't turn to look, but he heard Kota start to cry and heard his footsteps recede down the mountain trail. For a second, he thought about following after him. But then Muscular ripped himself free of the rock and spun, laughing.

"I'm going to kill you, boy! And then I'm going to hunt that little weakling down and bury him like I did his parents! Their wills were weak, just like his! And yours!"

"I'd like to see you try!" Bakugo snarled. "You're just a stupid meat head! A stepping stone on my path to glory!"

"Oh ho, I do like it when they're spirited," Muscular chuckled. "It makes it so much more satisfying to watch the disbelief as I squeeze the life out of them!"

This time, Bakugo didn't wait for Muscular to charge. He went on the offensive. First rule of fighting: he who hit first, usually won. He couldn't get close, not with someone this strong. But his explosions had a bit of a reach to them. He waited for Muscular to lunge for him, then immediately snapped his arms forward and unleashed the biggest blast he could, sending himself flying away.

That nearly got him killed. Muscular was fast, and stronger than Bakugo could have imagined. The blast ripped Muscular's clothes off and even shredded his skin, but that didn't seem to phase the freak. He charged through the blast, and Bakugo had to blast again to send himself sideways to get out of the villain's. He used his hands to blast off the rock, then blasted at Muscular's back and then fired again to launch himself away and atop a higher ledge.

"Well, I guess you're not completely weak!" Muscular laughed. Blood trickled down his back and over his face, but he didn't seem to care. "I actually felt that! I'd say good job, but really, you've yet to show me even an ounce of real will. You're just another weakling!"

"I'll kill you, you ugly freak!" Bakugo snarled. He raised his hand, sweat dripping down his body. That was good. He could use that, use it to blow this idiot to kingdom come. But it was also very, very bad. For the first time in his life, Bakugo was terrified. He hadn't been scared when he fought Midoriya. Up until the very last moment, he'd been certain he could win. But he'd lost then.

Now, Bakugo didn't think he could ever beat the monster before him. And if even he didn't think he could win, what the hell was the point?

"It's you who's weak! You pick on people you think you can beat? Well this time you bit off more than you can chew, asshole!" Bakugo roared as Muscular leapt into the air towards him.

"That's it!" Muscular laughed. "That's what I want to see! Come on then! Let's see who can keep their word! I'm betting on me!"

Bakugo used Muscular's jump to his advantage. He was strong, but he wasn't like Bakugo, who could change direction in mid air. Bakugo didn't hold his ground, instead diving under Muscular's charge, and firing off a series of explosions from below, blowing Muscular higher into the air. For a few seconds, Bakugo seemed to climb through the air on explosions and juggled Muscular higher and higher. But then, Musclar's arm brushed the mountain. The enormous man slammed his fist into the rock at an angle, sending him hurtling back down at Bakugo.

But Bakugo had been ready. He'd seen Muscular getting closer to the rock, and blew himself out and sideways, then down, landing on the rock below with a jarring thud. He didn't give himself time to wince, time to think, he just reacted. He threw himself forward, using explosions to fly along the cliffside. He was just in time. Muscular impacted close enough and with so much force that rock shards cut into Bakugo's bare feet and arms and tore at his shirt and pants.

Spinning in the air, Bakugo unleashed another barrage of blasts at Muscular as the man charged him. He altered his trajectory slightly, looking away from Muscular and at the mountain side. Just as he was at the cliff edge, Bakugo launched himself down as Muscular barreled towards the edge. Bakugo slapped a hand to the rock and let loose an explosion that made him cry out in pain as more rock shards dug into his body, but it worked. The surface under Muscular shattered and fell away in a rock slide, tumbling down towards the forest below. Bakugo didn't stay still though, jumping up and away and blasting at Muscular to try to keep him off his footing.

However, Muscular just jammed his arms and legs deep into the rock, halting his tumble at the edge of the cliff.

"God dammit it!" Bakugo snarled as he scrambled back up onto the cliff. He ran, trying to get some distance as Muscular yanked himself free. "Just die already!"

"That's your job!" Muscular laughed. "You can't keep this up forever!"

"Longer than you dumbass!" Bakugo roared. But part of him quavered. Muscular was right. He couldn't do this forever. Already his blasts were weakening, and he was already drained and tired from his long day.

"So you think you're tough, do you?"

"Damn right I am!" Muscular laughed. "I-" he suddenly stopped, a vacant look coming into his eyes.

Bakugo blinked, taking another step back, then glanced around. Shinso was floating there, in mid air.

"Hey," Shinso said with a wave. "This is going to sound really stupid. But I need you to catch me."

"Fine," Bakugo said with a growl. "How are you doing that?"

Shinso rolled his eyes. "I suddenly manifested a flying quirk. How do you think?"

"Guys, I'm starting to feel like I'm going to puke," Uraraka's shaky voice called. "I really overused my quirk today…"

"Fine, I got him!" Bakugo snapped. He jumped out and grabbed onto Shinso, who for a moment was utterly weightless.

"Release!"

Immediately Shinso turned as heavy as a bag of rocks, and Bakugo plummeted. He slowed himself with a series of explosions, though they still landed hard.

"Gentle," Shinso groaned as he sat up atop Bakugo. "I still got him, but don't knock me around too much."

"Bakugo!" Uraraka cried. "Are you OK!?"

"Fine. Where's Kota?" Bakugo demanded. He blinked. Why did he care about the kid?

But Uraraka smiled, a few tears moistening her eyes. "He's on his way back to camp. Shinso, can you move?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired still. Crap, I don't know how much longer I can hold him," Shinso panted.

Bakugo glanced up at Muscular, who was simply standing above them, not moving. He ripped his shirt off, wrapping it around his bare and bloodied feet. No time to stand still now.

"Tell him to go jump off the cliff the other way," Bakugo said.

"I do that and it breaks the control," Shinso said. "Don't try hitting him. That'll break it too."

"Fine. Let's just run then," Bakugo said.

"Good idea," Uraraka agreed. "Come on!"

The three of them sprinted away, Bakugo forcing himself not to look back. He felt as though a spider was crawling down his spine, and that at any moment Muscular would come tearing after them.

"What are you two idiots even doing here?" Bakugo demanded as they ran.

"Saving your sorry ass," Shinso panted. "A thank you would be nice!"

"We were worried about you!" Uraraka gasped. "The games were starting and we couldn't find you!"

"Because I wasn't going to play your dumb games!" Bakugo ranted. Then he swallowed and tried to take a breath. "And...thanks. You two...you really saved me. I don't know how much longer I would have lasted. I was just…" he trailed off, thinking that he was just about to get killed.

"You were being a hero! You saved Kota!" Uraraka declared. "I knew you were really a nice guy, Bakugo!"

"The hell I am!" Bakugo snarled.

"Less talking, more running. He just got free," Shinso gasped. "And does anyone else smell smoke?"

Just then, something like a voice echoed inside Bakugo's mind. ATTENTION. VILLAINS HAVE BEEN SPOTTED IN THE TRAINING CAMP. AN ATTACK IS UNDER PROGRESS. STUDENTS SHOULD MAKE FOR THE CAMP. MANDALAY OUT.

They soon found themselves coughing and gasping for breath. A few more meters down the trail, they had to pause and put their shirts over their mouths.

"I hear crying," Uraraka gasped. "Kota!"

"What the hell is happening? Did you start a fire or something Bakugo?" Shinso demanded.

"Not on purpose, idiot! And it would be behind us, not ahead of us! The wind's blowing in our faces you moron!" Bakugo snapped. He looked around. "Kota! Come out before you choke to death you little idiot!"

"H-h-help," Kota cried, stumbling out from the trees. "The smoke, it's-"

"Shut up, it's fine, we're here now," Bakugo said. He scooped up Kota, then looked around.

"Come on, we have to get off the trail, otherwise Muscular will just catch up to us."

Urakaka nodded. "Yeah, here, we can hide there in those thorn bushes."

They quickly scrambled off the trail, Bakugo snapping at Kota to shut up. Thankfully, the boy did, burying his face against Bakugo's chest.

Not more than a minute later, Muscular thundered down the trail.

"I'll murder you, you little bastards! Get back here!"

They waited until Muscular had passed, then Shinso stood and motioned them forward. "This way. Smoke's not as bad in this direction."

"But the camp is the other way," Uraraka protested.

"Highway's that way," Bakugo coughed. "Whatever's going on, we'd best get the hell away from here. Kota's not doing well. And...I'm not saying I couldn't fight, but today was a long day. I'm tired."

"We all are," Shinso agreed. "Come on."

They made their way through the trees and shrubs, trying to avoid the worst of the smoke.

"Where did Muscular come from?" Uraraka gasped. "And how'd this fire get started?"

"I don't think he's alone," Bakugo said grimly. "He talked about casing the place. Said 'we' were looking for someone."

"Who?" Shinso asked. "And why the hell are they way out here looking for them?"

"I don't know. It was some dumb name or something. N7 control or some crap like that," Bakugo answered.

Shinso suddenly froze, and Bakugo nearly bumped into him. "Keep moving, you idiot! We've got to stay ahead of the fire!"

"They weren't...they weren't looking for AssumingDirectControlN7, were they?" Shinso demanded, spinning around to grab Bakugo.

"Yeah, that was it. Why, you heard of that freak or something?" Bakugo demanded.

Shinso had gone deathly pale, even more so than usual. "Oh God. What have I done?" Without another word, he shoved Bakugo aside and sprinted off, back the way they had come.

"Shinso!" Uraraka coughed.

"Shit," Bakugo muttered. He shoved Kota at Uraraka. "Keep the kid safe! I'm going after that idiot!"

"What, but Bakukgo-"

"Be a hero, dammit!" Bakugo snarled. "Keep Kota safe!"

He didn't have time to worry about them though as he chased after Shinso. Damn, Shinso was fast. What, did he run a 10k everyday or something? It didn't matter. He was the first kid at school that had shown even an ounce of respect for Bakugo in months. And dammit, he wasn't going to let Shinso get himself killed over whatever stupid nonsense he had in his head.

Because Bakugo wasn't weak. He was strong. Even if he needed people to save his ass once in a while.

Authors Note:

I am not a licensed clinical psychologist or an SBBH. My job is data collection and recommendations based upon classroom behavior and implementing team decisions for behavior modification and support. That said:

Name: Bakugo, Katsuki

Birth Date: April 20

Age: 16

Sex: M

Evaluator: Inui, R

Referred for Psychological Evaluation

Reason for referral:

Disorderly conduct, emotional instability, difficulty forming peer bonds

Person Initiating referral:

Yagi, T

Findings:

Bakugo has impairments in self functioning: he is heavily reliant on how others perceive him for his own emotional regulation and self esteem evaluation. In his mind, Bakugo must always be seen as strong by others. Offers of help and support by others are perceived as direct insults, implying that they look down on Bakugo or think he is weak.

Bakugo has impairments in intimacy: he struggles to form meaningful bonds with peers and staff. His relationships revolve around Bakugo's own ego and self worth, and are largely superficial. Bakugo seems to view others as nothing more than a way to validate himself, typically by validating his strength and superiority.

Bakugo exhibits pathological antagonism, characterized by grandiosity: Bakugo feels entitled to the praise and support of his peers, and preferential treatment, due to his strength. He firmly believes that he is superior, and is very condescending towards anyone he perceives as inferior to himself (typically all his peers and most adults).

A home interview and interview with previous school bears out that this manifestation is consistent and stable across time and environments and is not unique or novel to Bakugo's current situation.

Bakugo's actions are not normative for his peer group and age, nor can they be dismissed as a result of his recent successes as the pattern has been consistent throughout Bakugo's life since early childhood.

Bakug's mental state is not a result of pharmaceuticals, prior injury, quirk manifestation, or general health and well being.

Conclusions:

Bakugo exhibits all criteria for Narcissistic Personality Disorder, per the DSM XII. The team is in agreement on this diagnosis. Bakugo's parents, and Bakugo himself, recognize the need for treatment.

Recommendations:

Bakugo has agreed to attend therapy sessions three times weekly. Bakugo and his family will attend weekly family counseling sessions.

Note: Bakugo has been prescribed a mood stabilizer, following a deep depression as a result of his recent loss in the UA sports festival.

Prognosis:

As Bakugo recognizes his condition and need for change, general health outcomes over a three year period are positive. Yearly re-evaluations will be conducted. Family has been notified that this condition is considered a lifetime mental health issue, and that treatment can ease, but not eliminate, difficulties.

…

Please note that I don't consider this to be AU in the slightest. While I am personally not licensed to diagnose mental health disorders, I would refer any child who exhibited behaviors in line with those Bakugo does in the canon story, and would be confident this would be the diagnosis the mental health team on my campus would return.