A/N: To make up for the salting on Bakugou last week, you can have some softer Bakugou today. Despite what you might think, I really don't hate him. Even back in the beginning of the manga I didn't hate him, but I did heavily dislike him for his attitude and bad actions (and to a point, I heavily disliked Yuuei for seeing that behavior and not immediately correcting it - or, y'know, making absolutely certain they were putting him and Izuku in different teams, different groups, different... everything outside of different classes. The bare minimum). I still don't like him all that much, but perhaps the last arc will change that.

-line-

The silence in the classroom was almost deafening as the two boys sat at their desks, working quietly on their latest project.

The clock ticked steadfastly on, and Todoroki took a moment to glance out the window at the changing sky. The sun was making its descent on the horizon, tinting the gray-blue skies with a hint of orange.

Looking over at Bakugou, the boy's surprisingly-calm face made him pause.

"What is it about Midoriya that sets you off?" He questioned, just loud enough to where he knew he was heard.

Like a switch, when Bakugou finally looked up at him his face changed into one of irritation.

"Mind your own business," he immediately snapped.

The other boy just stared back.

Looking back down at his work, after a heated several seconds, he gruffly continued, "He frustrates me."

Todoroki tilted his head. There had been moments where the green-haired boy had frustrated everyone, but it was clear he still didn't understand.

"No matter what, no matter how strong I got… I always feel threatened. Deku refused to give up on his… foolish dream to be a hero despite his disability." Looking up, he questioned, "Do you know how irritating that is? This quirkless runt is the only one in your year not to have anything special about him, yet he's still stronger than you?"

"Not quirk-wise," Todoroki pointed out.

"I'm not stupid, I know I could've beaten him in a fight," he retorted. "But I grew up with the knowledge that I was the best. I have always been the best. That's what everyone expects of me. But Deku… back then, he really was quirkless. He had nothing. To everyone else, he was nothing." His fists clenched. "But… but he just refused to give up. He could've accepted his place in the class but for as long as I can remember he was always my competition for the top. I just didn't get it."

"And you just couldn't accept that." Todoroki's brows furrowed in thought.

"How could I? He was a runt!" He huffed.

"So he didn't have a quirk as a kid…" Todoroki mused to himself as he looked back at his paper. "Perhaps he really is related to All Might in some way… maybe he just wasn't aware?"

"Why do you even care about him so much, anyway?" Bakugou asked. "I know Round Cheeks is in love with him, or something, but you?"

He took a moment to think about it. "He saved me."

"What, just because he broke his own hand and yelled at you for being stupid?"

Shooting him a glare, he continued, "That wasn't all of it."

"That's the gist of it."

Rolling his eyes, he looked back at the window.

"If it wasn't for him, I would still be lost in my darkness. It's because of him I'm able to acknowledge that I have friends who care for me…" his voice took on a faraway tone. "... and I care for them. I told myself that I would do whatever I could to repay him for waking me up to the world around me. I became a better person because I wanted to be able to stand with him on equal ground, not as rivals, but as friends."

Bakugou didn't answer. When Todoroki glanced back his way, he found him staring at his paper and halfheartedly scribbling words on it.

Feeling that the conversation was over, he turned back to his own work.

"That's probably the calmest I've ever spoken with Bakugou," he realized. The boy wasn't known for his good demeanor, but Kirishima had been right when he'd said he could be polite. If it took a lobby-destroying fight to coax it out of him…

"You're lucky that he never gave up on you," he heard Bakugou mumble from his side of the room.

Without looking up, he replied, "He never gave up on you either."

The blond snorted. "If he hadn't, he'd still be here."

"Well that's just not true," he reasoned to himself. If there was someone who deserved to walk away from a difficult situation, he figured it was Midoriya. Heck, they all deserved it at this point - the other classes often commented that 1-A had seen more villain activity in a month than they had in whole semesters of being at Yuuei.

He knew he couldn't speak for all of them, but he could wager a pretty good guess that they were all exhausted of it. Some of them still struggled from nightmares; he'd had plenty of run-ins with Asui and Tokoyami in the kitchens after lights out to sympathize. Iida still couldn't talk about Stain, even now - and Kirishima still woke up in a panic sometimes, forgetting that they'd rescued Bakugou.

Bakugou himself could be seen around the dorms at night sometimes - it went unspoken, but the haunted look in his eyes was something that didn't need to be said. They all knew what it meant, and if they treated him extra carefully the following morning, they never spoke up about it.

"I know he blames me for what happened," Bakugou continued unprompted. "I'm one of the only ones here who knew the truth. I saw the way he looked at me when he came back to the dorm. He finally decided to give up on his stupid boon of befriending me."

Brow furrowed, Todoroki implored, "The Midoriya we know wouldn't think like that."

"You don't know him like I do." The blond's jaw set firmly, his stare unwavering. "You don't know the Deku without a quirk."

"He refused to give up on befriending Koda, and look how that turned out," he reasoned. "He… I know he didn't like to talk about it, but… he almost died that night defending him from that villain. He could have chosen to leave him alone, but… the Midoriya we know is too stubborn to quit."

Bakugou didn't reply.

"He didn't tell me much about you. I always assumed it was a touchy topic considering your pasts. I didn't have a good enough picture of you then, but... I think I do now."

"..."

"The Midoriya we know refused to leave you to the League."

Clenching his eyes shut, he admitted almost too quietly to be heard, "Sometimes I wish he had."

The blond turned away so the sympathetic frown he received couldn't be seen.

Bakugou's enraged face from a couple of days prior resurfaced in his mind.

"... Hey."

"What?"

At the slightly-choked tone, Todoroki heaved a sigh though his nose. "I'm... I'm sorry for comparing you to Shigaraki. Before."

"... What?"

"I... I lost my temper. I shouldn't have brought up... well, that."

Bakugou didn't reply for a moment.

Then, after a moment of silence, he muttered, "... it's okay. I'd have said it too."

The way it was said was so unexpectedly pained, and for several long seconds he couldn't think of anything to say in response.

The door suddenly opening interrupted whatever he could have said, and it made both boys look up.

"Wow," said Aizawa with a touch of surprise, "you're both quieter than I expected."

Turning to Bakugou, he walked over and sat down next to him.

"The principal, your parents, and I had a talk yesterday afternoon," he said, catching his attention. "We've all agreed that you need anger management counseling. Starting on Sundays, you'll meet with Hound Dog so that you can work through your anger with him."

"I don't need counseling, I'm just fine," he retorted stubbornly.

"If you don't agree to it, I'm afraid the only other option is for you to leave Yuuei." Aizawa's mouth pressed into a line. "Your attitude issues have proven to be too much of a drawback to allow it to continue."

Spluttering and stumbling over his words for a moment, he searched his teacher's impassive face.

Gritting his teeth, he looked away and hissed, "Fine."