Katsuki put as much distance between himself and the bathroom as he could, focusing only on getting away from Mirio as he walked. It wasn't until he had rounded a corner and gotten halfway down the next hallway that he realized he was moving away from Professor Aizawa's class. Although it hadn't been a conscious decision and he had simply gotten turned around… he wasn't sure whether or not he hated the idea of skipping the remainder and just heading down to the auditorium.

The responsible thing to do was to simply talk to the man after class was over, as Mirio had suggested. Even so, how awkward would it be to sit there for the remaining half an hour with everyone's eyes on him? Would Professor Aizawa put him under the spotlight immediately and demand an explanation as to where he had gone and why? Had Minoru covered for him? Had Daisuke, or Amaya, or any of the others stood up for him pre-emptively? What if they had gotten in trouble because of his inability to cope?

It was all too much- too concerning and embarrassing to mull over in addition to the other things on Katsuki's mind. Then again, running away from an awkward social situation was equally, if not more embarrassing. When had he become such a coward?

A text had come through, and Katsuki paused his journey to read it. The message was exactly what he had expected… and yet seeing it filled him with a sense of relief.

Dai

Got notes on everyone's hero names. Professor Aizawa's going over the syllabus for the remainder of the year now. You coming back? Hope you feel better either way.

Katsuki tapped out a quick response. Putting it in writing meant he was committed and served as a great motivational tool. No more taking the coward's way.

On my way. Thanks.

Katsuki resumed walking at a quicker pace as he continued down the hall with the intent to loop around and approach Professor Aizawa's classroom from the other side. It wasn't long before he heard laughter echoing from a different room nearby, and he slowed his approach. The sound was nerve-shredding to him- it wasn't just a simple, quick round of appreciative laughter- it was long, drawn-out, and obnoxious. Pinpointing where it was coming from was easy enough, and Katsuki peaked in the window of the room as he passed by it.

Vlad King stood before Class 1-B, his arms folded over his chest and a smirk on his face. The students were gathered in a wide circle and the desks had been moved up against one wall to give them room enough to move. Momo Yaoyorozu was holding what appeared to be a beach ball in front of herself, and her cheeks were aflame with embarrassment. The source of the noise was the other students gathered around the formation, and it looked as though Momo had just admitted to something that they all found hilarious. Katsuki's heart stopped at the sight as he realized what was going on.

Class 1-B was playing a game.

Katsuki picked up the pace as quickly as he could to avoid being seen through the window. Though Aizawa had mentioned that he wasn't one for frivolity or time-wasting in his introduction, it hadn't hit Katsuki until just then how much he appreciated the sentiment. Leaving class because of his mistake was a mistake in and of itself. Things could've been so much worse, and the questions about his choice of 'Atlas' as a moniker were likely to die down before day's end. With a shiver, Katsuki decided that he was ready to speak to his professor after class and before the assembly, and everything would just work out.

He was ready, at least, until he rounded the final corner and found Professor Aizawa waiting for him outside of the classroom door.

Katsuki once again slowed, the pressure hitting him like a truck as he approached the classroom. Professor Aizawa was leaning with his back up against the door, arms folded across his chest as he waited, unblinking, for his student to arrive. After what felt like an endless trek, Katsuki did finally make his way over to the professor and bowed his head in shame.

"…Professor. I… please accept my sincerest apology…"

"…you seem to be quite popular, Bakugo," Professor Aizawa said, his voice totally flat and tone merely observational.

"…what?" Katsuki asked as he rose to look up at his professor, expression full of disbelief. "What do you mean?"

"Four of your classmates have volunteered to look for or contact you in the past fifteen minutes," Professor Aizawa let on. "Two of them spoke to me privately once the remainder of the class began their first written assignment, trying to explain away why you might have disappeared so suddenly. You have quite a crew of friends at your back."

Daisuke was obvious. Probably Eijiro, as well. Minoru, oddly enough, had to have counted among the four… unless he had simply gone to the bathroom without telling Professor Aizawa what he was really doing. That could have left two- Amaya and Juzo? Would Tsuyu have gone after him? Surely Kyoka cared enough… but would she say anything? It was also possible that Tenya had taken it upon himself to figure out what was going on. How many of them did care, but didn't dare put themselves on Professor Aizawa's radar on day one?

A sudden thought popped into Katsuki's mind as he stared, dumbfounded. Barring Hitoshi Shinso, who he had just met… there was a believable argument that every single one of his classmates may have checked in on him. He didn't feel particularly negatively about any of them bar Minoru, and even he had gone out of his way to try to fix the situation. He was surrounded by friends for the first time in his life, and they would risk themselves to go out of their way and help him. Katsuki had absolutely no idea how to feel about the revelation. All he could do was offer Professor Aizawa a slow, silent nod before bowing his head once again.

"…that won't save you from consequence, you know. It also won't save them if occurrences like this become a pattern."

"They won't," Katsuki said as he straightened up immediately. "Don't put this on them. I didn't ask for anyone to come after me, and it's… it's never been like this before. I'm not used to being 'popular' like this, and before U.A., there's only one person I can think of that would've done the same. This is a fluke. It's unusual. It won't happen again."

"…is that so?" Professor Aizawa asked, his voice carrying an obvious curiosity. "You mean to tell me that you were unpopular before now? Why was that?"

Katsuki furrowed his brows, unsure about the line of questioning. It seemed like a fairly complicated issue to demand an answer for so suddenly… but he did at least have some idea.

"I said a lot of things people weren't ready to hear," Katsuki began. "Especially when they went after other people. I'm not the type to just let things go when someone's acting… when there's some kind of injustice going on. I got into a lot of fights. Called out a lot of people- popular people who thought they could just throw their weight around and get their way. Made some enemies that way."

"I see," Professor Aizawa replied as he rubbed at the scraggly stubble on his chin. "Would you say that your classmates in high school were afraid of you?"

Katsuki didn't have to think much at all to answer.

"…yeah. Even… my one friend."

"Why?"

"Because…" Katsuki started, only to realize just how much of his antagonism toward Izuku was based in his Quirkless nature coupled with his insistence at becoming a hero in spite of it. "…because I have a lot of my own issues, and I don't handle them well."

"Issues tied to what just happened in my class?" Professor Aizawa probed. "Not something that can be resolved in a quick walk through the halls."

"…yeah," Katsuki agreed. "I… shouldn't have left. I don't know what I was thinking."

"It sounds to me like you rely on instinct quite often," the professor considered as he let his arms fall to his sides. "Is that an accurate assessment?"

"Yeah," Katsuki repeated. "Sorry…"

"For what?" Professor Aizawa asked. "Do you see it as a negative?"

"I mean… look at where it's gotten me now," Katsuki pointed out frustratedly. "Screwed me over all throughout high school and now I'm here having this talk with you."

"This talk with me, in which I get to know you one-on-one and get a feel for who you are as a person before any of your classmates," Professor Aizawa pointed out. "Those very same classmates you seem to have won over in a matter of days by nature of simply being around them and continuing to be yourself. That tells me that either you were not the problem before U.A., or you've grown in ways you can't see yourself between then and now, enough so that those around you are gravitating toward you."

Katsuki was once again stunned into silence for a moment. He was beginning to loathe how much smarter everyone around him seemed. It was all so obvious when pointed out, but something he would never have considered on his own.

"…I guess…"

"Tell me something, Bakugo- do you see yourself as a natural leader?" Professor Aizawa asked. "Someone capable of making the right calls out in the field, helping others play to their strengths? Someone that people would naturally follow."

Katsuki paused, trying to determine his teacher's intent. There had to be something obvious again. Something he could call back to in order to stay competitive in the conversation.

"…you saw the entrance exams," Katsuki pointed out, feeling a bit more confident. "You already know that I took charge when it came to bringing down the Zero-Point Villain. People listen to me when I give orders… even if those orders are to stay away from me and those I'm defending."

"Indeed. And where would you rank yourself, in terms of skill level in the field, in relation to your classmates? Where do you see yourself falling in the initial tier list, as it were?"

Katsuki hesitated for a moment. It was true that he had only seen his classmates function in a limited capacity in combat… but he was still confident. Confident enough not to lie for the sake of letting Professor Aizawa hear what he might have wanted to hear.

"…at the top," Katsuki declared. "Or near it, based on what I saw that day. I can handle responsibility, and I can definitely fight."

"Top three, would you say?" Professor Aizawa asked.

"…top three," Katsuki confirmed with a nod. "Easily. That's a promise."

"A promise?" the professor asked, sounding almost amused. "Well then. Make sure that you don't break it. Otherwise, I'll be quite… disappointed. I have a certain reputation when it comes to being disappointed. I'm sure you must have heard, by now."

Professor Aizawa's reputation was something that Katsuki did indeed know. He suspected that everyone in Class 1-A and 1-B knew. It was hard to avoid the rumors about the U.A. professor notorious for throwing people out of the hero program, even if some of the reasons given were clearly exaggerated. So far as Katsuki knew, no first-year class had ever retained all of its members. He saw it as a challenge rather than something to be afraid of.

"I've heard," Katsuki confirmed. "I won't let you down… and I won't let any of the others let you down. I'll get my situation under control, Sir."

"See that you do," Professor Aizawa advised. "Should you feel like sharing the details, come by my office later. If not… then I'll trust that you've found a way to handle it on your own. Be careful from here on out, Bakugo. This has been… interesting."

"Yeah," Katsuki agreed as Professor Aizawa opened the door and led him inside. "Yeah, it has…"

Author's Note:

Next time- Dabi.

-RD