"Hey guys, I just got a text message!" Kirishima announced to everyone.
Todoroki sighed "I'm sure you get text messages all the time Kirishima but I don't think that you need to announce them"
Kirishima briefly glared at Todoroki before speaking again "Should've clarified...It's a text from Bakugou!"
Todoroki rolled his eyes "...and we're supposed to care why?"
Because this is what he texted me- "Kirishima? It's me Bakugou...I know you don't want to talk to and I don't blame you. But please hear me out- I need to talk...to all of you guys. Is there a way I could visit Shiketsu? This is really important" Don't know why he added those ellipses but…"
Midoriya sneered "You sure that Kacchan sent that to you? I knew him since I was kid and that guy never apologized for anything and I doubt that he'd start now…"
"I'm as shocked as you are, man! I haven't talked to Bakugou since we got kicked out of UA and then suddenly I got a notification that Bakugou just texted me. I thought he would send me something along the lines of "I found some new friends Shitty Hair" imagine my surprise when I read this apology from the guy!"
Iida spoke up "So he wants to visit our school to personally apologize for acting so crude to all of us." he tapped in chin in contemplation "Though if I were to be more logical I would assume he would just want to apologize to Kirishima…"
Kirishima clenched his fist in anger "Like I'm gonna accept any apology from that no good asshole!"
At this point Yaoyorozu chimed in "Kirishima, I think we should see what he has to say." the rest of the former UA students stared at her incredulously prompting her to sigh "Apologizing for his prior actions may as well lead Bakugou into a much better path. We should encourage his atonement."
Kirishima crossed his arms "Alright...but don't expect me to accept his apology if it's shit."
Yaoyorozu nodded "If he were serious he should accept any response you make towards him as long it is reasonable"
Their peers who had been in Shiketsu since the beginning were observing their conversation with bewilderment
"Uh...What the hell is going on?" Inasa was the first to speak up.
"Yeah babe, do you all hate that Bakugou guy that much? That's the kid we beat during the license exams right? Dude was aggy AF!"
Iida quickly explained that Bakugou was the student they had rescued from the league of Villains and that he and Midoriya hated each other and that Kirishima was Bakugou's former best friend.
"Is it possible to hate Midoriya? The dude's pretty damn friendly!"
"Me and Bakugou go way back, Nagamasa. We were friends as kids and when he got his quirk he quickly became too good to hang out with me. I tried to be stay friendly with him even after he made it clear he didn't like me anymore...he was my first and during that time only friend so I felt like I was doing something wrong. Coming to high school and making real friends made me realize just how awful Bakugou was too me…"
Seiji put his hands his head "Damn...that's rough. Why didn't you have any other friends until high school?"
Midoriya recited the lie that he knew by heart "My quirk...didn't develop until the end of middle school. I was the biggest loser because I still wanted to be a hero despite that. Even when my quirk manifested I didn't have any training with it so I kept breaking my body anytime I used it until I started training really hard" Midoriya prepared for the onslaught of questions that usually followed that tale.
Seiji just shrugged his shoulders "Huh...never heard of a late bloomer. But humanity still knows little about quirks to rule out the possibility. I'm sure there are other cases of that happening around the world."
"I think I could arrange a visit from this Bakugou guy soon" Nagamasa said "I just have to speak with the principal and some other staff members."
"We'll stay clear of the recreational room too." Camie continued "I get the feeling that he wouldn't really care about us."
Seiji and Inasa nodded in agreement.
"Alright, I guess Bakugou's gonna apologize to us soon." Kirishima declared while shaking his head in disbelief.
"I'm pretty sure he's gonna just try to apologize to you, Kirishima" Todoroki stated "Bakugou never really gave a damn about me, Iida, and Momo. He also probably still hates Midoriya's guts." Todoroki turned to Midoriya "Sorry man."
Midoriya smiled back at him "I hate that guy too, so it's alright...I think"
Nagamasa managed to schedule a visit from Bakugou about three days later. The four Shiketsu students who had no prior history with Bakugou left the school to go hang out at the mall. They did that partly because they knew how personal this was going to be for their friends and they didn't want to get in the way and partly because they hadn't hung out together since before the "UA Five" transferred to Shiketsu.
The five of the former UA students were lounging in their usual areas of the recreational room. Iida, Todoroki and Yaoyorozu were just there in case any conflict escalated between Bakugou, Midoriya, and Kirishima. They feared the tension between the three was a lot higher than they first suspected and that they would need to intervene.
Midoriya lazily yawned while looking through his phone. His girlfriend mentioned taking care of some elementary school children soon to make up for failing their exams and he wanted to know more. If he were to be honest- he just wanted this to get this over with. He couldn't' wait for Bakugou to deliver some half-hearted apology to Kirishima and then leave without much fanfare. Midoriya hoped that this would be the last time he saw that prick before he graduated high school.
Kirishima was a lot more anxious than he let on. Despite all his bluster, the redhead did genuinely consider Bakugou a close friend for a period of time. Granted, he wasn't aware of how much of a toxic shithead Bakugou was until Mina told him but that still didn't make him forget all the great times they shared together when they were classmates. Deep down, a part of him still wished that things would go back to the way there were; when he didn't know about Midoriya or what Bakugou did to him for all those years.
Kirishima took a look at Midoriya and inwardly shook his head at such notions. How was he able to think such thoughts when the guy who Bakugou bullied relentlessly for years was right there? He felt so guilty that he was even thinking about it. Kirishima couldn't believe that Bakugou wanted to apologize to him.
The door opened abruptly and Bakugou arrived looking as sullen as ever. The security guard that escorted him told them all that he would be waiting outside the door in case anything happened and left.
All of the six teens stood in silence for what seemed like eternity until Bakugou finally spoke up
"Can I...speak to Midoriya real quick? I need to say something to him privately…"
All of Midoriya's current classmates urged the green haired teen that he didn't need to do anything with Bakugou but Midoriya accepted his offer.
"Guys, it's cool...If Bakugou wants to talk to me I guess I'd be willing to hear him out."
"You sure about this, dude? If he starts anything we'll be there to back you up!"
"I don't think Bakugou's dumb enough to do anything, Kirishima. Just let us talk…"
Midoriya took Bakugou's offer because the blonde called him "Midoriya" for the first time since before Bakugou's quirk developed. He figured it was something important and he genuinely curious.
Besides, Midoriya figured that he could take Bakugou on if he tried anything funny.
The two stepped into a separate room and Bakugou started talking
"...It looks like you and Shitty hair are pretty fucking close-"
"Cut the crap, Bakugou. Just what the hell do you want to talk to me about?"
Bakugou flinched at the unexpected venom he received "Me and Raccoon eyes had to hear a lecture from All Might after we failed the exams"
Midoriya shrugged his shoulders "Okay…?"
"I opened my big fucking mouth and blabbed to him my suspicions…"
"Suspicions about what?"
"About how your quirk has something to do with All Might"
Izuku's eyes widened in realization "K-Keep talking…"
"It turned out I was right…" Bakugou looked up as if he was looking for some sign from the heavens "All Might somehow gave you your quirk. You were a quirkless loser since we were young and then you suddenly developed this badass strength enhancing quirk. All Might also kept very close tabs on your growth too like he was fucking training you…"
Midoriya gulped
"All Might also told me and Raccoon Eyes the truth about how you got your quirk." he noticed Midoriya begin to panic "Don't have a fucking fit because we promised All Might that we wouldn't tell anyone and don't doubt me because I'm trying to make up for how much of a shithead I was"
Midoriya took a deep breath in attempt to calm down and Bakugou continued his tale
"He told me about how he told you that you could never become a hero without a quirk."
Midoriya cringed when he thought back to that terrible memory, that was his lowest point and he hated being reminded of that. Bakugou looked at the floor because he knew that he couldn't stand how guilty he felt.
"You tried saved me that day...after I told you to jump...after All Might told you to give up on your dreams..."
"Yeah...I guess I did"
"Why?"
Midoriya shrugged "I just...couldn't just sit back and watch you get kidnapped like that...My legs just started moving and before I knew it I ran to save you."
Bakugou threw his head back and chuckled sardonically "Fuck, All Might was right…"
"What?"
"You deserve to be his successor...you deserve every good thing that comes your way, you know that? You're already a fucking good hero! I admit it, alright?!"
Midoriya became uneasy about Bakugou's sudden outburst "...Okay?"
"When he told us that I knew that I had to change. I had to step up and become a better person if I wanted the chance to even begin to measure up to someone like you…"
"Wait...Are you apologizing? To me?"
Bakugou growled "What does it look like I'm doing?"
"It looks like you're still yelling at me."
"Well, I'm sorry, okay!" Bakugou paused before slumping his shoulders "Raccoon Eyes is fucking head over heels for you. After what All Might told us I wouldn't be surprised if the next time she sees you, she'll suck your dick on the spot"
Midoriya's face scrunched up in disgust "That's really gross, Bakugou"
Bakugou scoffed "Whatever! I'm just saying that she's really proud of you…"
"Oh...that's good to hear"
"Listen...I've been wondering why back when you were in UA you never told anyone about the shit I pulled on you. Even when you told Raccoon Eyes you made her promise never to rat me out. You could have had me kicked out of UA for what I did. Which makes it kinda ironic that I sorta got you kicked out of UA when I think about it." Bakugou shook his head
"Anyway, I wanted to know why you never retaliated for how I bullied the fuck out of you. Until recently, you still treated me like a friend and I need to know why."
Midoriya took a deep breath "Even after all you did to me...I didn't say anything because I always thought you could become a good hero. You're really strong and I felt that it would be selfish to deny your chance to live your dreams.
"Fuck...you really know how to make a guy feel guilty, you know that?"
Izuku smiled warmly, possibly the first genuine smile Bakugou gave him in years
"Are we cool again? Can we go back to the way we were? Before I became a shithead with my quirk?"
"Of course not! Are you crazy?!"
Bakugou's eyes widened "Wait, what?"
"I don't think we could ever be friends like we used to be Bakugou. You treated me worse than dirt for more than a decade and now you finally realized just how terrible of a person you and you think things could just go back to the way they were?
Midoriya continued his rant, ignoring the fact that Bakugou's head was low and he was gritting his teeth "Part of why I never really fought back was because you were my first and only friend for a while. I figured that I did something wrong to get you to be mad at me all the time. Then I made some real friends and I realized just how much of a bastard you were."
"Make no mistake; even though I don't hold any grudges against you I don't think I could ever bring myself to be your friend ever again. There's just too much pain and I can't let it go."
Midoriya took a moment to take in the shock that was plastered all over Bakugou's face
"Don't tell me you actually expected things would be that easy? Well, it's not...you were a fucking asshole Bakugou."
Bakugou gulped the wad of saliva that was in his throat "I...understand. It was stupid of me to think that you would forgive me for how I treated you. I know I need to make up for all the crap I pulled and I'm going to change for the better…"
Midoriya sighed "If it makes any difference- I do think if you actually commit to not being an asshole than everyone else might be cool with you eventually...Just don't expect me or Mina to ever be alright with you ever again. It's just too late to salvage any friendship between us…"
Bakugou grunted "That's fair...you think Shitty hair could forgive me?"
"I wouldn't count on him forgiving you now but this could lead to a better relationship between you two down the line."
The two returned to where the rest of the former UA students were. All four of them were patiently waiting for the duo and since they only heard some yelling (which was expected) and not any explosions or super powered punches they all assumed things went well.
"Are you two...like cool now?" Kirishima asked
"I don't think I will ever be "cool" with Bakugou now but he did apologize for all the things he did to me in the past. All I can say now is that I don't hold any grudges against him."
Kirishima's eyes widened in surprise "And you're alright with that Bakugou?"
"It's not what I hoped for when I set out to apologize but I know that I had to take what was coming to me. To be honest, this was probably the best outcome that could have happened."
Midoriya jabbed Bakugou's side with his elbow "Aren't you forgetting something?"
"Oh yeah." Bakugou turned towards Todoroki, Iida, and Yaoyorozu "Let's be honest- none of you guys were that cool with me back in UA but I still have to apologize for being part of the reason why you all got kicked out."
The three glanced at each other before accepting Bakugou's apology
"Just don't expect us to be friends." Todoroki glared at him
"Tch, wasn't counting on it."
Yaoyorozu and Iida gave each other a bemused look
"That went rather well…"
"I have to agree, Yaoyorozu."
Bakugou took a deep breath before approaching Kirishima
"You were the first person I talked to back in UA. I was trying to mind fucking business and then you came asking me if I wanted to be your god damned "bro". The fact that I had headphones on didn't stop you from trying to talk to me."
Kirishima huffed "That's when I thought that you were this "rough around the edges" sort of guy. I was wrong about you; you know that?"
Bakugou flinched at his former best friend's biting words "Damn…what changed your mind about me?"
"Mina...she told me what your past with Midoriya and even if she didn't, Midoriya told all of us shortly after we all came to Shiketsu."
It all started become clear to Bakugou. All this time he wondered why his best friend became vicious towards him so quickly. Now it all made sense.
"...How long have you known?"
"A fucking long time. Like, before we rescued you"
"How come you didn't say anything before?"
"I...I didn't want to believe it. You were my best friend, alright?! Then I started observing the way you acted towards Midoriya and I also remembered all the shit you pulled on him since we started UA and then it slowly dawned on me that everything Mina said was the truth."
"I don't know if you care anymore at this point but I hate bullies. I hated them since I was a kid. I was always made fun of because of my teeth and I saw others who looked even less "normal" than me get tormenting way worse than I ever had been. To find out that my best friends was one of those people? Well…"
"So it's personal for you? I get it...But why were you still so insistent on saving my ass when I got kidnapped?"
Kirishima sighed "Well...I couldn't just let you get captured! There...there was another reason too…"
Bakugou raised an eyebrow "What was it?"
"I was afraid...you'd take their offer to become a villain."
Bakugou's eyed narrowed in anger "You honestly fucking thought I'd join those fucks?!"
Kirishima yelled back "Well, with the way Mina described your treatment of Midoriya can you fucking blame me?!"
Bakugou took a moment to breath before speaking "Alright...I don't really blame you. I was an asshole...hell, I'm still an asshole but I'm gonna change."
"Well you gotta long way to go, you know that? You got a long way to go before you make up for the shit that you did and for me to ever think of you as a friend again."
"I understand…"
"I know you wanted me to say "I forgive you" or "let's be cool again" but even though deep down a part of me actually wants to say that; I just can't bring myself to forgive and forget so easily."
"I don't want anyone to forget what I did to them or how I was"
"What?"
"There's no better point in becoming a better person if anyone including yourself forgets who you were before. I want people to remember just what a fucking scumbag I was when I get better…"
Kirishima put his hands behind his head "If it means anything- I really hope that you actually become a better person...for your sake."
"Thanks...it actually does."
Bakugou left the room shortly afterwards. He said everything he wanted to say so just staying any longer wouldn't help anyone. He had a difficult journey ahead of him and he was going to tackle it with everything he had.
The four Shiketsu students who spent the day together returned shortly after Bakugou left. They asked their friends about the meeting with Bakugou and after they were told it went well they dropped the subject. It wouldn't be good to pry in a situation that didn't involve them.
Inasa changed the subject to something he thought would be more interesting
"So...internships? Anyone planned anything yet?"
"All Might actually told me that his former partner wanted to know more about me. Apparently the guy's name is "Sir Nighteye" or something…"
Todoroki chimed in "Are you interested?"
Midoriya shrugged his shoulders "I don't really know. I will probably end up doing it but I have a feeling that my time as his intern would be a really long slog that ultimately ends up as wasted potential. I just have this feeling, you know?"
Todoroki nodded "I'm gonna work with my dad some more. Even though me and him still don't see eye to eye, he's still the number one hero and I will learn a lot from him."
Iida spoke up next "When I submitted my application, the "Rabbit hero- Miruko" snatched it from my hands and told me that I was going to be working with her soon. So I guess she's the pro I'm interning under"
Iida's weird story earned a laugh from the rest of the class. Camie wiggled her eyebrows "She's pretty cute, should I be worried babe?"
Iida become flustered and began chopping the air "Of course not! She is an adult and it would incredibly unprofessional to start such a relationship!"
"Relax babe, I was just messing with you!"
"Inasa and I are going to be working with Fatgum" Yaoyorozu state matter of factly. Since both of our quirks revolve around our consumption, I figured it would be wise to work with him."
Seiji nodded "And since his quirk also involves changes in body mass and shape, I would probably learn something from him as well."
"Nagamasa and I are working with Edgeshot! He's pretty high up in the ranks so it should be fun!"
Kirishima pumped his fist in the air "And I'm working with Ryuuko! Not only that, Tsuyu is gonna be with me! You guys (well except Midoriya) don't know how much it sucks dating someone across the country and I'm gonna be seeing her a lot more!"
"I hope that wasn't the sole reason why you chose to work under Ryuuko…"
"Of course not, Iida! Why the hell would I not want to work with someone who could turn into a kick-ass dragon?"
A week later, Yaoyorozu arranged a trip to the beach to so the "UA five" could reconnect with their former classmates once again and introduce them to the students of Shiketsu high.
Midoriya was thankful for that as he was currently lying on a beach towel with his girlfriend's arms wrapped around him, enduring an onslaught of kisses
"D-Don't you think that's enough, Mina?"
"This is the first time I've seen you since All Might told me how you got your quirk...Just think of this as my way of telling you that I'm proud of you, Izu!"
Midoriya chuckled before giving in to her charms and returning her numerous kisses before speaking again "Well...at least I don't have to worry about telling you my secret."
"Yeah...I bet it's a load off…"
"Anything interesting happening in UA?"
"Well, as you can clearly see- Tooru and Shouji are dating now. I gotta admit I was sure that Tooru had a thing for Ojiro…"
Midoriya smirked "Just like you were sure that I had a thing for Uraraka?"
"Okay fine, I'm bad at predicting who like who!"
The duo laughed before looking over to Shouji and Tooru, who were hanging out with Iida and Camie. Shoji's hands covered his face in embarrassment as he begged Tooru to put her bikini top back on.
Tooru simply stated that she was invisible so it shouldn't make a difference. Iida thought about for a minute before agreeing that since Tooru was invisible she wasn't breaking any laws...or at least he thought.
Camie just gave Tooru a high five.
Not that far away from them was Yaoyorozu urging Todoroki to apply sunscreen on his entire body. Todoroki was adamant that his fire controlling side would get strengthened by the heat of the sun and that it would only make him more fire resistant later. Yaoyorozu told him that it was just going to give him an extremely inconvenient sunburn.
Uraraka and Kaminari were trying to turn Nagamasa into the world's largest static floating fluffball, an endeavor that Nagamasa was against at first but he quickly relented since he always wanted to experience a zero gravity environment.
Seiji and Inasa were judging a swimming contest between Kirishima and Tsuyu. Before they started racing Seiji asked the redhead that it would be stupid idea to attempt to race Tsuyu since her quirk gave her an enormous advantage. Inasa however, told Kirishima that if he tried hard enough he could succeed.
Kirishima lost every single race he took part in.
Midoriya was shaken from his observations when he felt Mina rest her head on his shoulder.
"When are you going to take your makeup exam?"
Mina's face became sour when her boyfriend reminded her of the task at hand. "In like two days. It's gonna be the worst!"
"You never know...you might end up inspiring a young kid to become a hero. Sometimes that's all it takes…"
Mina took notice of Midoriya's wistful expression pulled him into yet another kiss.
"You inspire me every day, you know that? All Might chose the right guy!"
Midoriya blushed "You really think that?"
"I know that, Izu!"
*So yeah...This is it. I know it's kinda rushed but I didn't want to pad out this story. It's kinda bittersweet ending this. I have to thank all the readers for sticking with this thing. I always aim to finish all of my fics
I'm probably going to write a sequel series later*