TW: Dysphoria. Internalized Transphobia. Past toxic personality. Please put your comfort first before reading. Also, if I missed any TW's, please say and I'll put them in.

Hope everyone enjoys!

Chapter Text

The inner turmoil began to subside from Bakugou's mind. Grounding herself in the area around her. The environment. The building. The streetlights. The bars on the bannister they leaned on, how cold they felt. The passing cars, specks of light like fireflies passing by. The people.

Tsuyu talking to everyone there like they were old friends. Hell, for all Bakugou knew, they went back to pre-school days. This was a whole other aspect to Frog-Girl's life she never thought about. Bakugou never really thought about any of her friends lives outside the class. Didn't seem important to her.

Caring about other people was for pricks anyway. That was Bakugou's motto to herself since she knew left from right. Time would tell if it remained the party line. Part of her had to admit that Tsuyu being here was comforting, even if she wasn't quite sure why. Suppose it had to do with knowing that, if she had all these shitty feelings inside her, chances are Frog-Girl did too. Not even Bakugou like feeling on an island.

Zach, his "perfect student "type haircut looked weird with the flowing Dragon tattoo crawling down his arm. Bakugou knew jack with a side of shit about this guy. But, she also didn't dislike him. That made you practically golden in Bakugou's book. Only one person (Besides her parents, not that you'd ever get her to admit that) was exempt from receiving apathy at best from Bakugou.

And that Red-Haired, sharked tooth bastard was a one in a million. Which are also the chances of Bakugou finding someone she likes returning the feeling.

For someone who wasn't even Trans, Kirishima sure was being pretty chatty at a support meeting. After helping Bakugou through her episode, Kirishima had decided to make rounds throughout the people present, introducing himself and Bakugou. Since fuck if Bakugou introduce herself. They seemed to be taking well to Kirishima, cheerfully blabbing away to him. Kirishima could make friends anywhere. If you needed proof, just look at Bakugou.

But, while taking in her surroundings helped supress her anxiety, that's all it did. Supress. Not stop. Thoughts of that day were still reverberating throughout her mind. Echoes in a cave. Nellis's begging for mercy. The blood on Bakugou's hands felt like it was still clinging to her. It didn't matter how much she looked at her hands to check. Still felt it. Glued to her knuckles.

"If I wanted to hear you talk, Freak-Boy, I'd ask!"

Bakugou's threat to Nellis was in her ears, never leaving since she had the flashback to that moment. All that changed was who it was voiced, the tone changing from hers to the one the familiar one that she heard all too often.

"Can't believe it, can ya'? You're a little Tranny. Just like Nellis. How long do you think you can keep this up, boy? How long before everyone you know realizes what you really are? Hah, Nellis would pay to see this! Wonder if he's still alive….."

Clenching her fist tightly, Bakugou began pinning her thumb between her palm and fingers. Tight as a vice grip. Anything to make that voice go away. Make the thoughts just shut the fuck up!

"Bout time you got here!"

The voice. Zach's. Filled with excitement and delight. Any other time, Bakugou would roll her eyes to the sky at someone acting so loud and stupid. But right now, it managed to cut the Voice short. And for that, she was thankful to Zach.

That thankfulness evaporated pretty quickly when she saw who Zach was greeting.

Same purple hair. Same goddamm tired eyes. Same "I look like I have Heroin for blood" expression.

With the arm of Zach slapped around their shoulders, Shinsou stood there, looking as worn out as ever. Wearing jeans and a leather jacket, they gently shrugged off the arm, moving forward towards the door. As they did, they reached into their pocket and fished out a bundle of keys.

Whelp! Bakugou knew who the Peer Educator was now.

"Overslept."

"You really gotta stop taking naps all the time, my pal. This is like, the fourth time we've had to wait for you."
Looking back over their shoulder, Shinso gave an understated groan.

"You know how it is. You buy some new clothes. You try on new clothes. New clothes make you Dysphoric. Dysphoria makes you tired. Tired makes you sleep." It annoyed Bakugou how much she related to that statement.

Kirishima seemed to be as surprised as Bakugou that Shinsou came to the meetings, barely reacting to say hi. Shinso simply cocked an eyebrow as they passed the stunned student.

Tsuyu, however, seemed to have a bit of a rapport with the Class-1B member. She was rewarded with a half-hearted wave from Shinso. Frog-Girl responded with about as much effort. Never in her life had Bakugou seen the two even spare a glance to the other. Learn something new every day. Or rather, every night.

Seated next to the door, Bakugou was the last to encounter Shinso. They didn't have a good relationship. Besides their still unresolved issues from the Sports' Festival, their random encounters in the hall left much to be desired.

"HEY, DIPSHIT! OUTTA MY WAY!" This quote came from the memory of the day the cafeteria was serving quarter pounders, and Shinso was unlucky enough to be in front of her.

There was many ways this could go down. Shinso could Out Bakugou to her class, but the fact that Bakugou could do the same to them made it unlikely. Still didn't change the fact that it made things awkward.

To their credit, Shinso barely even noticed Bakugou, simply moving forward to unlock the door. It was only after *Kcc-chk!" sound of the bolt pulling was when Shinso caught sight of the blonde, partially purple, haired girl.

Same vacant expression, Shinso gave Bakugou a look, locking eyes with her. And just as quickly, she turned back, pushing open the door.

"Try not to burn the place down, mm'kay." Saying this as they walked through the door, Bakugou barely had time to come up with her own witty response. And it would have been sooo witty.

…..

Bakugou was just going to tell them to go fuck themself, but that's witty in her mind!

As the door open, the rest of them soon followed Shinso, walking while talking with each other over this-that and some other shit Bakugou couldn't be arsed with listening to. Bakugou was busy keeping a keen eye on the crowd, waiting for a particular person to pass.

Well, two, apparently. Kirishima seemed to be in conversation with Tsuyu.

"I didn't know he came to this."

"They. Shinso goes by They/Them."

"Oh, shit, I am so sorry!"

Silently taking this in, Bakugou kicked to her feet to fall in line next to the two of them.

Seeing his friend, Kirishima's face lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Bakugou! It's a small world, ain't it? First we meet Tsuyu. Now Shinso! Wonder if Aiazawa will come waltzing up those steps next." Kirishima rested his two hands on the back of his head, letting out a small chuckle.

"Nah-ribbit. There won't be anyone else coming. Unless we get another surprise-ribbit." On the word "surprise" Tsuyu's eyes darted up quickly towards Bakugou. She supposed that her and Kirishima turning up was as unexpected to Frog-Girl as them seeing her here. "Still-ribbit, there's been a lot of newbies around here lately. Well-ribbit, you'd know more about that than anyone." Tsuyu gave a low laugh to herself, not looking at Bakugou but obviously directing it towards her.

"Do I look like I'd give a fuck if anyone else turns up?" Bakugou began, focusing her eyes on Tsuyu. The guarded, hostile exterior she had so painstakingly designed popped right back up after her panic attack. Tsuyu already knew that she was Trans. She wasn't about to let her find out anything else. "As long as they keep their mouth shut, fuckin' Grape Head could walk through the door."

Stopping momentarily, a dark worry began to form over her head. The feeling of something dreaded and horrific as the most brutal nightmare she could possibly imagine.

"Please tell me there's absolutely no fuckin' chance that Grape-Balls-Head is gonna turn up." Bakugou knew there was a 99.999999% chance that Mineata wouldn't show his face around here. But, you could never be too careful, too paranoid when it came to Mineata. That fucking pervert could turn up anywhere. And next to Deku, Mineta was the worst possible person in existence who could find out about Bakugou.

"Mineata? No. That little perv is as Cis as an arrow." Tsuyu waved a hand in the air towards Bakugou, dismissing the worry.

In return, Bakugou cracked an eyebrow at her odd turn of phrasing.

"Cis as an arrow? The fuck's that supposed to mean?" Bakugou was well aware of what the term Cis meant. You look up anything Trans related and it's bound to pop into the searches pretty quickly.

"Y'know, like Straight as an arrow. Doesn't work as well, but we ain't got anything else to use."

Bakugou opened her mouth to reply with a curse filled tirade about how idiotic it was, but decided against it. While Bakugou wouldn't say it out loud, she owed Tsuyu one for helping her earlier.

Yup! Cos not pointlessly insulting someone is definitely equal to them pulling you out of a brutal anxiety attack(!)

Quickly waltzing into the room, Bakugou's eyes scanned across the interior of the centre. It wasn't anything special. The front area was a direct hall, leading downwards with a few doors to other rooms scattered at the sides. A reception space, a simple table and chair with a few flyers pinned up, stood in front of a glass door that blocked the back of the hall of the front.

Before she could walk any further in, she noticed the rather large crowd that had formed in front of her. No, not a crowd. A line. A queue up to the desk seemed to be forming.

Once Bakugou ascertained the situation, she did what she had always done with orderly lines.

She rudely barged through, ignoring the protests and irritation of her fellows. Some things rarely change.

"So, what the fuck do I need to do here? Do I gotta sign some shit or what?" Having finally pushed passed the dude in front (Who was currently glaring daggers at the back of her head), she hadn't yet laid eyes on who was operating the station.

Sitting in front of her was girl, around her age. Purple hair, same colour as Bakugou's, but much better done. Two crystalline shaped earing decorated both of her ears, obviously made out of some cheap substance. But what caught Bakugou's attention most were the red eyes she possessed. Red from crying. And the earlier easedropping that Bakugou had participated in meant she quickly realized who this was.

Images. Sharp and painful. Remembering how only half an hour ago this girl had broken down about how some disgusting Transphobe was making her life hell. How this girl's words were interspaced with Bakugou's own bullying of Nellis. All of this combined into an internal hell for Bakugou.

The girl, who's nametag stated Melissa, seemed to be stunned by the sudden appearance of Bakugou. Katsuki could hardly blame her. She wasn't exactly the most friendly looking of people.

Before this awkward and painful silence could continue, a quick hand grasped Bakugou's shoulder and pulled her to the side of the line. The queue resumed pretty quickly as soon as she was removed.

Knocked out of her near-anxiety attack, Bakguou quickly regained her marbles, cursing slightly to herself for loosing it again. As she readjusted to her surroundings, the identity of the hand became clear.

And Bakugou could scarcely think of a worse person to deal with right now.

"Look." Shinsou began, a noticeable anger edging their voice slightly. "I know you walk around the school, thinking you're all hot-shit. But when you're here, you ain't better than anyone else. So, don't even think of pulling this shit again or you're gonna find your anger issues self flat on your ass outta here." The confidence and composure that Shinsou held themselves with gave Bakugou a clue that they had done speeches like this before. "We clear?"

To anyone else, Shinsou would be making a reasonable request that would be easy to follow.

But Bakugou was rarely easy. She was voted "Biggest pain in the ass" out of her class. (The fact she burned the yearbook and demanded a recount didn't help matters.)

"What?" A cocky and dismissive smirk forming on her face. "You think I'm scared of you, ya Hero-Wannabe?"

The last taunt managed to get an annoyed smirk from Shinsou.

"No, I don't. You're way too stupid to be scared of anyone." Leaning in closer so the rest couldn't hear (Bakugou suspected she might have been making sure the others heard as a warning to any other troublemakers in the group), Shinsou's smirk disappeared.

"But if you're here, chances are you're scared of something. Being alone. Feeling scared. Not knowing what the hell is going on in your life. Whatever it is, you need this group. And if you don't treat the other people here with the respect they deserve, you're out. And that scares you."

The silence that Bakugou responded with was all the answer Shinsou needed. Even if she couldn't admit it, Shinsou was far too close to the heart of things.

Stepping back, Shinsou let out a breath to ease the tension that was obviously apparent.

"Treat these people right, we'll be the best support network you'll need. Pull any crap, and you're on your own. It's really that simple."

Letting out an aggravated grunt, Bakugou's attempt to get some control over the situation, she started to walk by Shinsou.

"This the welcome you give to everyone?" A shrug of the shoulder accompanied Shinsou's response.

"More often than you think. Being a Peer Educator ain't easy." Shinsou began walking downwards the hall towards the glass barrier, pulling a keycard out of their pocket.

"I see you brought a friend. Make sure they keep a tight hold on your leash, OK Blasty." With a quick swipe into the security module, the glass door unsealed.

"Alright everyone! Orderly fashion in. To you regulars, y'know the drill. If you're new, first door on the left." After the quick introduction, Shinsou led most of the people into the rec room of the centre.

A slew of curse words began swarming Bakugou's mind, wanting to throw each and every one towards that insomnia riddle asshole. But, remembering their words, they decided against it.

Or at least, save it until they're back in school.

"A minute in the building and you've already caused a scene. I'd say that's a record girl." The beaming grin of Kirishima quickly came into Bakugou's eye view as her best friend walked back from the desk.

"I'm the centre of attention wherever I go. Can't fuckin help it." Kirishima was probably the only person Bakugou would let talk to her like that.

"Tsyu went ahead with some of her friends. Ya just gotta sign in at the desk and we're good to follow." Kirishima propped up a helpful thumb towards the aforementioned desk.

Glancing quickly in the direction, Bakugou's eyes propped open slightly when she saw Melissa was still there. Bakugou couldn't put her finger on what she felt when she looked at her. It was like guilt, but she hadn't done anything to this girl. Not like she did to Nellis.

Or Deku.

Realizing that was a rabbit hole she didn't want to go down, Bakugou supressed the thoughts and walked to sign in.

"So." A bit more nervous than before, Bakugou tried not to make eye contact with Melissa. "I need to sign a form…..?"

While she still seemed a bit intimidated, Melissa professionally pulled out a clipboard. Plain white paper with spaces to fill in was hanging on it, many different colours of pen highlight previously signed names. Next to it was a space to pronouns.

Spending a few moments looking at the simple piece of paper, it surprised Bakgugou how much thoughts this was causing. A name and pronouns. Give that to a lot of people, it's a quick question answered just as quick. But give it to Bakugou and people like her, it causes a whole overflowing river of feelings.

Is this MY name?

Do this suit me?

Is this me?

But, nothing's set in stone.

Scribbling in a more elegant font than someone with her manners had any right too, Bakugou laid back the clip board on the table.

Bakugou Katsuki. She/Her.

A bit of pride found itself into Bakugou as she looked at this. It felt….nice to see her make a declaration in pen of who she was.

And she wasn't the only one who was proud.

"WOOO! You did it, Girl!" A familiar feeling of an arm pulling her to the side happened once more. The only difference was that this time it was an arm pulling her into a warm hug.

Kirishima. Her ally and best friend through all of this. And also the biggest fucking dork she knew.

And she wouldn't have him any other way.