When Heroes Collide - Bakugou X Reader Slow Burn

Chapter 55: Depression

(This chapter is super angsty sorry😭)

The days turned into weeks, and a heavy cloud seemed to hang over Bakugou Katsuki, leaving a haunting impression of a once-fiery soul now in turmoil. His sharp, crimson eyes had lost their usual passionate fire, replaced by a vacant and numb expression that seemed to peer into a void.

The classroom, once a stage for his fiery outbursts and fierce determination, now felt incomplete without him. His desk sat untouched, an embodiment of his absence. His classes went on, but he was nowhere to be found.

Meanwhile in the kitchen, his friends gathered around tables, but Bakugou's seat remained persistently empty. They extended invitations, urging him to join their company, but his response was always the same. A mumbled refusal, an excuse of not being hungry, and a silent retreat back to the depths of his bedroom.

"We're having Chicken Katsu Curry tonight if you wanna join us!" Kirishima suggested with a smile.

"I'm not hungry." Bakugou replied with his now, usual air of despair.

"You gotta eat Kaachan..."

Even Midoriya's words weren't enough to trigger any kind of reaction.

"I'm just not hungry Deku." He added, his gaze directed at him.

But it didn't feel as though he was really looking at him, more like he was staring straight through him. The passion that always blazed in his eyes had now faded, leaving them dull. It seemed as if the person he used to be had vanished entirely. Bakugou continued his routine walk through the dorms and down the corridor to his bedroom, maintaining his habit of speaking to people as sparingly as possible.

In the dimly lit solitude of his bedroom, Bakugou would sit there for hours, his head buried in his trembling hands. The room bore witness to his descent into melancholy, the somber notes of sad music filling the air, a heart-wrenching soundtrack to his inner torment.

DEKU'S POV

The classmates watched in solemn silence as Bakugou disappeared down the corridor, the weight of his unspoken troubles hung heavily in the air. They exchanged glances, realizing that there were depths to Bakugou's struggles they may never fully understand.

"Did anyone notice that Bakugou wasn't in Physical Training class today?" Sero spoke up, breaking the awkward tension that always came between everyone after Bakugou's interactions.

Deku's gaze remained fixed on the floor, a mix of understanding and reluctance in his eyes. He knew the reason why Bakugou was absent, but it didn't feel like his place to divulge Bakugou's personal business. Although, Deku was the first to notice his childhood friend's recent change in personality. After being tormented by him for years, Midoriya's interactions with Bakugou now felt completely abnormal.

Not a single yell or raised voice escaped his lips, not a glare or a scowl on his face, no threats or insult... Just silence, a cold, worrying silence. His interactions with friends became scarce, his eyes bore a deep well of sadness, his presence seeming empty and emotionless. Every word he spoke was tinged with a monotonous tone of depression. Missing classes had even become a regular occurrence, and his absence from Physical Training today clearly did not go unnoticed. Concern began to grow among his peers.

Midoriya thought back to earlier that day. After Physical Training, he was on his way to All Might's office, as he had mentioned earlier that they needed to have an important conversation. But on his way there Deku witnessed a site that shook him to his core, something he felt he wasn't supposed to see.

He spotted Kaachan... coming out of the school counsellor's office. Their gazes locked, Midoriya's heart dropped, if Kaachan saw him in a moment like this surely he would lose it, get in his face, yell at him to not tell a goddamn single soul about it, and threaten to kill him. Midoriya braced himself, preparing for the expected violent outburst, a storm of anger and insults. But Bakugou's eyes fell to the floor as he softly brushed past Midoriya, his steps heavy and silent, his expression unchanged.