Dragon's Heart, Hero's Will

Chapter 4: The Aftermath

The battle is over. The villains are defeated, and Class 1-A has gathered outside the USJ, but Kirishima doesn’t feel like a victor. As his classmates check for injuries and talk about their experiences, Kirishima stands to the side, lost in his own thoughts.

The weight of his guilt is crushing, suffocating. It’s like a knot in his chest, twisting tighter with every breath. His dragon quirk—something he should have controlled, something he promised himself he’d never let loose again—had completely taken over. I lost control. Again.

His heart races, but it’s not from the adrenaline of the fight. It’s fear. Fear of what he might have done, what he almost did. I could’ve hurt Bakugou. The memory of his claws gripping Bakugou, his mind lost to primal instincts, makes his stomach churn with nausea.

His mind keeps spiraling back to one thought: I’m dangerous.

The guilt gnaws at him, eating him up from the inside. It burrows deep into his chest, where it festers alongside the depression he’s worked so hard to keep buried. He thought he’d overcome it—thought he’d become stronger. But now, with the shame of his rampage hanging over him like a dark cloud, the familiar weight of his depression presses down harder than ever.

He watches as the rest of the class begins to speak among themselves. They’re shaken, but they’re alive. They’re talking about how they faced real villains for the first time, but all Kirishima can think about is how he failed them. How he failed himself.

Mina glances at him from across the group. She doesn’t say anything, but the look in her eyes is enough. She remembers. She remembers the last time his dragon quirk had taken control. She remembers how he had hurt someone back in junior high—how his guilt had consumed him back then, too. And now, the fear in her eyes tells him she’s worried it’ll happen again.

He can feel his heart sinking even lower.

Before he can spiral further, Bakugou storms over, his voice sharp and demanding. “Oi! Kirishima!”

Kirishima’s body tenses as Bakugou approaches, and the guilt tightens its grip. Here it comes.

“What the hell was that?!” Bakugou’s voice is filled with confusion and frustration. “Why did you grab me like that, huh?! I don’t need your protection!”

Kirishima’s throat tightens, and he can feel the blush creeping up his neck. “I... I didn’t mean to...”

Bakugou’s scowl deepens, and the usual cursing starts. “You almost crushed me, you idiot! What were you thinking?!”

Kirishima winces at Bakugou’s words, each one striking him like a blow. He knows Bakugou’s right. He had grabbed him, held onto him like some kind of animal driven by instinct. He hadn’t been thinking, and now Bakugou, the one person Kirishima admires more than anyone, is furious with him.

“I... I wasn’t thinking. I’m sorry.” Kirishima’s voice is low, almost a whisper. He doesn’t know how else to explain it. How can he possibly tell Bakugou the truth? That deep inside, his dragon sees Bakugou as his omega? That his quirk—the very thing that makes him so strong—also makes him dangerous?

Bakugou scoffs, glaring at him. “You’re damn right you weren’t thinking. I don’t need anyone holding me back.”

Kirishima tries to hold himself together, but the guilt is too much. He lowers his head, his fists clenched at his sides as he struggles to keep his emotions in check. I’m a failure. No matter how hard he tries to be strong, to be manly like he always says, the truth is, he’s terrified of himself.

“I’m sorry,” he mutters again, his voice barely audible.

Bakugou stares at him for a moment, clearly frustrated, before turning away with a huff. “Whatever. Just don’t pull that crap again.”

As Bakugou walks off, Kirishima is left standing alone, the weight of his guilt pressing down harder than ever. His heart aches in his chest, and he feels like he’s sinking, drowning in the shame of what he did. I’ll never be the hero I want to be.

In the distance, Kirishima hears his classmates talking. They’re discussing the villains, the Nomu, how terrifying it all was. But no one mentions his rampage. No one talks about how he lost control, how he became more of a monster than a hero.

Except Mina.

She stands a little ways off, her eyes still on him, her expression a mix of concern and fear. She doesn’t approach, doesn’t say anything, but Kirishima knows what she’s thinking. She’s seen him like this before. She knows how deep his guilt runs, how it eats away at him, how it pulls him back into that dark place.

Kirishima takes a shaky breath, trying to push the guilt down, trying to focus on anything else. But it doesn’t work. The depression he’s fought so hard to overcome comes rushing back, wrapping around him like a heavy blanket, smothering him. I’m dangerous. I’m a failure. I’ll never be strong enough.

The world around him feels distant, and for a moment, Kirishima is completely alone with his guilt. The rest of Class 1-A might see him as a hero, but all he can see is the monster he’s become.