Long Time Coming

Demons Inside

"I'm not sure." He leaned back in his too large chair, his white fur a sharp contrast to the black faux leather. "We are very strict about the students we accept and even more rigorous about allowing them to go on independent study."

"And we do understand that we are asking for a lot right now." Mitsuki's hands twisted and tangled around one another on her lap in an intricate dance as she glanced towards her husband - as cool and collected as always, a soft smile on his face. "However there's been a hero, a pro hero. You probably know of him actually. The Nighttime Hero, Tanuki-"

"Ah yes..." Nezu stood, his body rising only inches more above his desk "I can see why you'd want Bakugou to study under him. I've heard he's very dedicated to meditations and finding inner balance after what happened with his daughter going villain."

"Exactly," Masaru's smile faded a little, he looked over to Katsuki sitting between his parents. "Tanuki has been asking about an internship since second year but-"

"But I didn't wanna go train with some zen yard fuckface." The blond interrupted, his voice lacking the normal bite and vigor.

"Ah?" Nezu walked to the edge of his desk, leaning closer to Katsuki, "And did the incident with Kirishima have anything to do with this change of heart?"

Katsuki's head snapped, his eyes raged with defiance, "Yes. That and other things." He looked at his hands, "It's like no matter how hard I try, no matter what I do... I'm not enough on my own. And... And..." I don't want to hurt the people I love anymore.

"Get some fucking help bro."

Kirishima's words echoed and replayed constantly haunting him. Foolishly Bakugou had thought he could deal with his problems alone; it was weak to ask for help, it was weakness to accept help. He should have known, he should have learned after all these years, after everything they'd gone through. If he'd been smarter, sharper, less prideful maybe- His mother's hand descended on his shoulder, warm and supportive, breaking him out of his ever cyclical spiraling thoughts.

"Please?" Bakugou's voice broke as his eyes dropped. "I can't hurt anyone else. I don't want to be a villain. I can't be- I will be the number one hero and I can't get there as I am now."

Nezu moved back across the desk, sat. The sounds of the oddly simple tasks seemed out of place; suffocating in the heavy silence. All eyes watched with expectant anxiety as Nezu hopped back into his chair, nestled down into the seat and straightened his cufflinks.

"I do need to discuss this with your mentors. It could be a few hours-"

Katsuki growled, eyes clenching in frustration.

"- however I suggest you use the time to pack your room. I don't believe they will argue with your request."

Mitsuki's face crumbled in a mix of relief and sorrow. "Thank you for this opportunity." She learned forward grabbing the small paw and bowing over it. "I promise that we won't repeat our past mistakes."

"My deepest regret is our oversight." He shook his head as she pulled away wiping at her eyes. "Students are more than their quirks and their strengths. This has shown me a lot of our weaknesses. Moving forward I will try to implement better mental and emotional care for our children; our future heroes." He winked, lifting his cup of tea. "After all, even villains can be strong. Kindness is a hero's trait."

~*~*~

"Young Bakugou, eh?" Toshinori leaned back in his chair, arms crossing as his eyes closed.

He looked tired, more so than usual. The announcement had added years to him clearly. Wrinkles lined face shere skin sagged and hung off his skeletal frame, his sunken, haunted eyes were ringed in shadow and darkness. His body so thin and frail he looked like a walking skeleton; something sickly despite the progress he had been making with the Midoriya's around to bolster his confidence and will to live. Obviously the news of Katsuki had shaken him, sapped some of the vitality from him.