Passion on Display [KiriBaku]

Time to Face the Music

"Bakugo Katsuki, I hope you know why this meeting had to be called."

Aizawa's voice was calm and cold as he shuffled through the pile of papers in front of him.

Bakugo nodded, his eyes darting over the many faces staring at him in the office. Sitting across from him at the table was his mother and father, Aizawa, All Might, and Principal Nezu. And in the corner, with his arms still in bandages and large square shaped bandaids over his face, sat Kirishima Eijiro.

Bakugo swallowed heavily, willing himself to remain calm as Principal Nezu began to speak. "As the leading school for heroes in Japan, it is impossible to overlook student misconduct." Nezu leaned forwards to pick up a miniature pencil, it fitting perfectly into his tiny paws. "Mr Bakugo Katsuki, we understand that you got into a fight with two general studies students. This sort of conduct is entirely unacceptable. I have been informed that while both boys suffered serious injury, they should be recovering relatively well."

Nezu turned to face All Might and Aizawa, pointing his small pencil in their direction. "Your teachers and I have discussed appropriate punishment for you. Our initial thought was expulsion, as we have a low tolerance policy for violence towards students. If I'm reading these reports correctly, you already have a strike on your record from attacking a student by the name of Izuku Midoria out of the classroom."

Expulsion?

Bakugo felt numb, his mind reeling backwards as he processed what he was being told.

Expulsion... I won't get to be a pro hero if I get expelled. My hero career will be over before it even started. Fuck.

Bakugo felt tears burning in the back of his eyes, but he willed them not to fall. He took another shallow breath, but felt anger trying to push a scream from him.

Calm down, Katsuki.

Principal Nezu continued to speak, but it was all blurred and jumbled in his mind.

I won't be a hero, and I won't be with Kirishima. I won't get to see him, or those other idiots ever again. They'll forget about me. I'll fall to nothing, a failure. Kirishima will find someone else. I'll be alone. Shit. Shit!

He took another steadying breath, trying to tear his attention from his own mind to what was being said at the moment.

"No! Sir!"

His head whipped to the corner, his mind breaking from the trance he had been stuck in. His eyes landed immediately on the red headed boy that he had fallen so deeply for.

"I'm sorry to interrupt Sir, but Bakugo was only protecting me! I was attacked by those general studies students and Bakugo saved me! Please, expelling him is the worst possible option! If you're going to punish someone, punish those boys, but not Bakugo! He's a true hero."

Kirishima's voice came out strong, his hand clenched over his heart and a passionate look in his eyes.

Bakugo felt something squeezing and warming his chest, an unfamiliar feeling that he was unaccustomed to. His eyes met with the burning red of Kirishima's from across the room. and it was as if everything else fell away. He was standing up for him, like he always had. But this time felt so different. Kirishima's eyes we filled not only with a passionate protective glare, but also a new kind of light that Bakugo could only describe as one thing. Love. He wondered if anyone else could see it.

"Calm down there young Kirishima." All Might's voice broke through the two's momentary staring contest and they both turned to look at the now retired number one hero.

"What Principal Nezu means is that we were considering expulsion, but given the circumstances we decided against it. We were able to watch everything that happened on the security cameras."

Bakugo felt the crushing weight of anxiety wash off of him, and he took a deep breath, as though bursting through the heavy water of distress that had been drowning him.

I'm not going to be expelled. I can stay here. I'm going to be a hero. I'll be with Kirishima.

Bakugo's face must have betrayed his intense relief, as after a beat of silence, All Might continued, "We are still here to discuss the punishment for you however, young Bakugo. As while the steps you took were understandable, they were definitely against the school's code of conduct."

Aizawa looked up at him from across the table, his eyes dull and tired as he spoke next.

"Yes, we will not be expelling you Bakugo, but only because recovery girl deemed that if you had not taken action to free Kirishima of the bonds in time, he would have suffocated."

Bakugo's eyes widened at this, turning his gaze back again to his boyfriend. Kirishima face was open in clear shock, but his shoulders sagged back in relief as he relaxed back into his chair.

"Your punishment is not for saving your friend, young Bakugo. We are all quite proud of you for that. Your punishment is for..." All Might turned to read the paper in front of him,  "Inappropriate quirk usage resulting in damage to school property and endangerment to students." 

"All of which are expulsion worthy offenses" Aizawa muttered softly, taking a sip from his apple juice pouch before turning to look at Kirishima. "However Kirishima is right, how could we call ourselves a school for heroes, if we punish you that severely for protecting your friend. I see a great future for you, Bakugo. Try not to get into any more trouble or there will be a much more serious outcome next time." Aizawa finished, leaning back into his chair.

He watched his mother and father from across the table as they whispered into each other's ears for a moment.

"So what is the punishment for our son then?" His father's voice came quietly.

Principal Nezu straightened before sliding a small orange piece of paper across the table towards his father.

"Mostly in-school community service, to make back what he damaged in the boy's locker room. He will also have a strict no tolerance policy for physical attacks out of the classroom. One more strike and he really will be expelled."

There was a shared look between Nezu and the two teachers before All Might broke the silence. "That will be all, thank you for your cooperation."

~~~

Bakugo had just said goodbye to his parents, and endured the last of his mother's scolding, when Kirishima approached him. They were alone in the hallway now, and Kirishima slipped his arms around him in a loose embrace, pressing his face into his shoulder and causing that warm feeling to reappear in Bakugo's chest.

"Bakugo, I've been meaning to ask this, but I haven't figured out how."

Bakugo grunted, running his hands up over the other boy's shoulders. "What is it, Ei?"

His voice was soft again, perhaps so that nobody could hear him using that name, or so that nobody thought he was soft. But even Bakugo himself  wasn't sure.

Maybe because Kirishima is the only one I want to hear that voice.

The voice that was so soft, gentle, and emotional. The total opposite of his normal abrasive demeanor. What he so easily his beneath his shell of anger, was a Bakugo Katsuki that only Kirishima seemed to see. Maybe he was the only one that Bakugo wanted to see.

Kirishima held him tighter, his arms and chest obviously still in pain, as he made a soft noise next to him.

"What are we going to do about the video?"

Bakugo felt himself freeze. That had been what he had come down to the lockers to discuss in the first place. The video. It had exploded over the Internet, posted by an anonymous user that Bakugo was sure was one of his many enemies. He felt a surge of guilt rush over him as he knew once again that this pain to Kirishima was all his fault.

How are we getting rid of the video?

Bakugo pondered this for a moment, rubbing his hands slowly over Kirishima's back before opening his mouth.

" 'm not sure." He mumbled, "But I know where to start."

Hey there guys! I hope you enjoyed this update! I'm on vacation at the beach right now so I'm finding a lot of time to write! See you all next chapter! ~TAK!