Katsuki couldn't stop pacing. Despite his attempt at a comedown up in Izuku's dorm, he was still fuming over the entire situation with One for All. He had said he was going to head back to his own room and go to sleep, but Katsuki knew better. There would be no rest. There would be no peace. How could he manage to relax, knowing what he knew about his friend's lapse in judgment and the impending day spent on combing through footage that may or may not implicate Hagakure as being a spy? It was all getting to be too much, but it wasn't as though he had any option but to keep it all in and vent his frustrations privately.

Was there?

After a good ten minutes of silent pacing, the door to the hallway opened slowly, revealing Momo Yaoyorozu on the other side. She had kept her gold flip-flops, but traded the bathrobe for a set of silken red pajamas. Under her left arm was a lavender-colored laptop, and she had a travel bag in her hand. The young woman's expression almost seemed to be one of pity, which Katsuki didn't exactly appreciate.

"…I'm sorry, Bakugo."

"For what?" Katsuki asked as he watched Momo close the door. "You're not responsible for what you were told, and you reached out and made plans to check in after you found out about the situation. Deku's the asshole here, not you."

"He is… desperate," Momo offered, taking a seat atop Eijiro's bed and setting her laptop and bag down beside her. "I don't think he's being actively malicious or trying to cause stress for you, it's more so that he cannot cope with his own stress."

Katsuki finally stopped, staring at Momo as he kept his fists clenched.

"And why. The hell. Not?" he seethed, teeth clenched. "He doesn't even know what stress is. All he had to do was keep a secret and trust that All Might and I can manage him, and that's it. He's had me looking after him for years now and making sure he can protect himself, and he's had support from his family. Decent grades. No real responsibility until just now, and he's already folding like a house of fucking cards the second he has to grow up."

"Do you not think that his former privileged position might be exactly why he's collapsing so quickly?" Momo probed. "If what you say is true, then he isn't equipped to deal with a situation like this, especially without you there shouldering part of the burden on a daily basis anymore."

"And how is that an excuse!?" Katsuki replied, red in the face. "He needs to learn to stand on his own two feet and deal with the stress of life! I can't be his goddamned babysitter! He's sitting in a dorm, socializing, and he's gonna be going to classes! We're not even out on the streets using our Quirks! He's got no reason to be stressed enough to crack!"

"We all learn to cope with different things at different paces, Bakugo," Momo said calmly. "Do you expect him to be able to simply… handle it and stand firm on his own in every situation moving forward?"

"Yes!" Katsuki said, the suggestion almost cathartic. "People need to learn to just deal with their shit!"

"And if they cannot?" Momo asked. "What if it isn't as simple as 'just do it' for all of us?"

"Then he never should've been given this power!" Katsuki declared. "All Might fucked up and should've seen it coming that Deku couldn't handle it! I was right there!"

Momo said nothing, merely folding her hands in her lap as she regarded Katsuki with a frown. The boy was livid, his chest heaving and a light coat of sweat beading around his hairline and the collar of his shirt. He looked not only angry, but somewhat crazed. When Momo spoke again, her voice was full of sorrow and far softer than before.

"…you believe it should've been you. Is that what this is really about?"

Hearing it aloud from someone else's mouth, the statement didn't hit Bakugo quite right. It was about that, in a sense, but there was much more to it. The situation wasn't so easily reduced to the fact that he would be better suited as the bearer of One for All… nor was that really the main focus in Katsuki's mind.

"That's… no," Katsuki said, unsure how he really felt about the notion. "Yeah, it should've been me, but that's not why I'm so pissed."

"Are you sure?" Momo inquired. "Because the way it came out…"

"It's not about jealousy," Katsuki denied before she could suggest such a thing. "It's not about the fact that he has it, and I don't. Not… entirely. That's part of it, yeah…"

"Bakugo," Momo interrupted before he could explain himself further. "I want you to be honest with me. How much of all this anger is your resentment that All Might didn't choose you?"

Katsuki made a noise of frustration and closed his eyes. Silently, he considered the question, trying his best to be truthful with not only Momo, but himself. All Might was just as much a part of his childhood as Izuku's… and they both knew it. The number one hero in Japan had been his idol, and he had been embarrassed in front the man in a way he still thought about often. After that, he was barely acknowledged at all… and as much as Katsuki didn't want to admit it, those two things hurt.

"It's… it's about a third of the problem," Katsuki said firmly as he opened his eyes and looked up to Momo. "It's not the biggest issue at hand, but it is there. I'm fucking pissed that I was looked over after… it doesn't matter. Leave it at that. Drop it."

"Then the other two-thirds?" Momo asked. "What makes up the rest of your anger right now?"

"It's the fact that Deku is a piss-poor choice for this kind of burden in general and I know it… but I was never consulted before the decision was made. Not by him, not by All Might… it's that this could've been avoided," Katsuki emphasized. "All of this stress and bullshit and whatever fuck-ups he makes from here on out are totally unnecessary. It's that, and the fact that he's spreading the information around so freely like its no big deal. His mother, you, Todoroki, Iida… it's those two things in equal measure that are making me so goddamned mad."

Momo stood up from the bed and approached, coming up just a few inches short of Katsuki's height as she fixed him with a cold stare.

"…even so, if he hadn't said a word to us… half of your problem right now would still be about the fact that you weren't chosen. You would still be furious, albeit to a lesser degree. That particular problem wouldn't just go away… and it would only be a matter of time before you snapped like this. Correct?"

Katsuki he could feel strain on his teeth as he kept them clenched together, parting them only to speak a single word.

"…yeah."

"Then perhaps you, too, need to find another way to… 'deal with your shit', I believe you said," Momo suggested, looking uncomfortable with the wording. "What would you have done if I hadn't intervened? How would you be conducting yourself if Eijiro was here instead? Are you really handling anything at all, or just keeping it in until you hit your limit? What's it going to look like when you pass it?"

"I don't… need a lecture," Katsuki said, some of his fire fading as Momo held her ground. While he was still quite angry, being so precisely targeted filled him with some other, heavy sensation that he absolutely hated. "If you're just going to suggest that I can't handle this and need to just shut up a-"

"That is the opposite of what I'm telling you!" Momo yelled, taking Katsuki by surprise. "No one can handle everything alone, Bakugo, and especially not something like this! Not you, not Midoriya, and not me. We all need to work at this problem together, and you two clearly need each other… but that bond also clearly isn't enough. So… let me help you. Please."

Katsuki initially felt nothing but revulsion and panic as Momo reached out and seized his hand. He tried to pull back, but she was faster, clasping it between both of her own as she raised his arm between them and gave him a look of desperation.

"Please."

Despite her firm grip, Momo's hands slowly started to feel weirdly comforting to Katsuki. There was a pleasant warmth having his palm clasped against hers, and the sensation spread slowly through him in a way that made him shiver. It was a kind of insistent, caring touch that he was unfamiliar with, much like the feeling of Kyoka against his chest. That alone was enough to make him hesitate, and Momo seized the opportunity to keep speaking as she lowered her voice.

"I sincerely doubt that Midoriya possessing One for All is something you can change… but those other problems can all be addressed, one way or another. You seem the type to value pragmatism and working toward solutions rather than getting lost in musings and emotions… and I feel much the same way. You're not accomplishing anything by lashing out, Bakugo. Let's work through this, and anything else on your mind, together. You've been kind and accommodating to me, and I want to return the favor. Besides… I could use some help with all of this, too. Keeping a secret of this importance and learning to support Midoriya with a Quirk that I don't fully understand is far beyond what I signed up for. Can we pivot toward being productive, rather than stewing in anger?"

Katsuki found himself feeling disappointed as Momo removed her hands from his own- disappointed that the sensation was so fleeting, and disappointed in himself that it had caused him to soften so easily in the first place. Even so… if there was a socially acceptable way to rekindle the contact, he would have done it. That thought was one he worked to banish as quickly as possible, closing his eyes as he did so to try to pass off the idea that he was trying to calm down.

In a way, he was.

"…yeah. I'm just… used to dealing with stress on my own. The people around me at home, in high school, and wherever else just always made things worse. They escalated whatever situation and made it harder to deal with. I've gotten good at just keeping it to myself and fighting through it. Some things don't have a solution, Yaoyorozu. Some things, you just have to live with and learn resilience against."

"I know," Momo acknowledged, causing Katsuki to fix her with a confused look. "I know that this will likely sound hollow to you, but I have my share of constant problems as well. I've been looking forward to coming to U.A. to be rid of some of them… but thus far, I've found more new problems than highlights. You've been one of the few bright spots thus far. I don't like seeing you upset."

"…we've hung out once," Katsuki said, not quite believing Momo's words. "Are you really that easy to please?"

"I'm that lonely," Momo corrected as she folded her arms across her chest and looked off to the side. "Your kindness the other night when it came to switching dorms was both unexpected and the nicest thing someone has ever done for me that didn't involve family simply trying to buy my affection. Think of that what you will, but it's the truth. I feel like… I see a loneliness in you, as well."

"…I am surrounded by idiots all hours of every day," Katsuki said, beginning to feel almost nauseous.

"Being alone and being lonely are two entirely separate things," Momo offered with a sigh. "And I think you know that."

All Katsuki could do was stare, feeling like his head was about to explode rather than his hands. He had worked himself into a throbbing headache, and his stomach was in knots. Everything that had been said worsened his condition while simultaneously helping dull his anger… and he wanted no part in the discussion at hand any longer.

"…I'm going down to the gym," Katsuki declared, all fire absent from his voice. "I… we can work together on this whole One for All situation, but not right now. I'm not gonna be able to sleep. I don't want to talk about it anymore. I'm just going to go lay into a heavy bag until I collapse and stop feeling like shit."

"…as you wish," Momo said, sounding almost disappointed. "I'll be here when you return. I hope that working out helps you feel better, Bakugo."

"Yeah," Katsuki agreed as he opened the door to the dormitory and stepped out into the hall. "We'll see."

Momo jumped slightly as the door was slammed. With a sigh, she sank back down onto Eijiro's bed and opened her laptop. There was work to be done… but she had no desire to start on any of it. All she could think about was how badly she still wanted to talk to someone.

Author's Note:

Now kiss.

-RD