Deku

That night, I did as Kacchan had asked. I met him in front of the buildings we had used to train to be heroes by defeating the villain teams. But I didn't make a move. And neither did he. Which was good. Because I wasn't here to fight. I was here to try and talk to him. I took a deep breath. "Kacchan, I have some things to say, and I want-no, I need you to listen to me." He narrowed his eyes at me, but he didn't object, so I continued. "I need to know why your like...well, this. Why do you make everything a competition? Why do you care so much about losing? Why did you bully me when all I ever did was try to be your friend? I don't understand any of it. It doesn't make any sense." Bakugo scowled. He took a minute to respond. "I just...I was the first one to manifest a quirk between the two of us. I was the first to start training it, to start learning how to use it. But then yours manifested too. And you caught up to me even though I thought I had been so far ahead of you. Then you passed me up and left me in the dust. You became stronger and stronger, while I was trying to catch up. Every time I thought I had gotten ahead of you, you would always be so far ahead of me instead. You would always be stronger, better prepared. And something inside me snapped. I decided I wouldn't go through the same thing our whole lives, so I started bullying you, hoping you'd eventually leave so I wasn't forced to watch you grow stronger than me. But you stayed. And it drove me crazy. That's the reason, Deku." It became silent, and I let those words sink in, before he continued. "That's why I always make everything a competition. That's why I care so much about losing to you. That's why I bullied you. I want to beat you, Deku, I won't lie about that." I didn't know what to do now. He had given me the answers I'd been seeking for a while now, and I didn't know what to do, so the silence between us grew. As his words replayed in my head, I stared at the ground. My head almost started spinning. But I decided to speak anyway. "I stayed because I had always admired you. I always thought you were so much stronger than me, and honestly, I still do. I wanted to be as strong as you. I wanted to be as proud as you. As driven as you. But, in my mind, I never was. I would always be a step or two behind you. You would only grow. I would struggle, and try, and try, again and again, but I always said it didn't help. With you dumping all that on me, I'm shocked, surprised, and I don't know what to do." Yet again, another silence swallowed us both. The tension grew so thick, that I could cut it with a knife. "Then fight me." Bakugo replied, looking me in the eyes. He was full of pure determination and anger. "W-what?" "I said fight me you damn nerd." I shook my head. "No. I don't have anything to prove." Then, I walked to the dorms, and went into my room. I changed, lied down, and wondered why Kacchan hadn't stopped me from walking away. Did he not want to get in trouble now? Or did he just not care anymore?