Note: this takes place during a class trip over the summer after the field training arc.

Tick tock tick tock.

Bakugou was fixated on the noise from that clock on the wall, as well as the light snoring and occasional murmur coming from the others nearby. It was pitch black inside this room aside from faint moonlight shining through the small window on the other side. As far as he could tell, everyone else had long since fallen asleep.

All the guys in Class 1-A had to share a room in the inn for this summer class trip, but it was pretty spacious – enough so that he was able to drag his own futon out of the group and have a whole corner of the room all to himself. Jackpot! None of the others thought to do that before he staked his claim on the territory. Too slow, assholes!

They didn't really try and fight him for it, though. There were a few jeers and taunts to try and provoke him (not that he paid attention to them anymore), but Kirishima was the only one that made any attempt to get his futon close to his area. He was booted out of it before the bedding could even hit the ground.

But then, fucking Deku had to start running his mouth about how 'strange' he was acting and how he had never done that before, while wearing that pitying expression Bakugou despised. That managed to set him off with a "Hey you shitty runt, the fuck do you know about how I sleep?!" and made him grab his toiletries and storm off to the bathroom. They hadn't slept in the same room since they were little kids. How could he know anything?!

The worst part was that on top of the irritation came that gnawing pain in his chest that usually only crept in when it was lights out and time to sleep. It felt more like an itch than something wrong with his body itself, so he never bothered to go ask the school nurse or anyone about it. He ate spicy stuff all the time too, so it was probably just heartburn catching up to him (though 15 was really early to get it even in that case). It didn't help that antacids were useless. And the aftermath of hectic situations (like the sports festival or the villain invasion) only made it worse.

Well, whatever. As long as he didn't get it while he was fighting, what did it matter?

And when it was finally time to fall asleep, he should have been fine. He had his gloves on – laced with enough fire retardant that he couldn't start burning shit when he was asleep. It was a given that didn't wanna blow up other people's stuff. When he was a kid, he had a little bit of a problem with it when he was still adjusting to his quirk. But it came back with all its shitty vengeance around the same time the heartburn appeared for some reason. Fucking annoying that it always ruined his blankets and pillows when he forgot to wear them.

He wasn't tired when he came back to the bedroom, but there wasn't anything else to do right now. And it wasn't like he could sleep until noon like he did at home. Yes, it was pretty much a vacation, but this was U.A. There was going to be training here. Especially here. There was going to be a day for just sight-seeing, but the rest of it was going to be spent at a nearby school's training facility. Even he needed to rest for it. He pulled the futon bed cover over himself and squeezed his eyes shut.

It took an hour of tossing and turning for him to finally conk out.

It was mid-afternoon. He was hanging out on a side path in his hometown. His two lackeys were trailing him, smoking. He kicked a bottle some dumbass had left in the middle of the road out of the way. He he turned and yelled at his lackies to cut that shit out.

"Get caught, and it'll go on my record too..."

Something was wrong. His lackies looked ready to shit themselves. They were looking his direction, but not at him. There was something behind him. One of them raised a finger.

"H-Hey!"

He heard a disturbingly scratchy voice.

"A body... with a good quirk."

Green sludge enveloped his head. It forced itself into his mouth. It was fucking disgusting. He couldn't breathe. He clawed at his own face. The mud slipped out of his grip as he tried to grab it. His lackeys booked it somewhere safe. They couldn't do jack shit and they knew it. Fucking weaklings.

"Now now. You only have about 45 seconds before I finish taking over your body. It'll all be over then."

Say what now? This thing couldn't sound more like fodder if it tried. He should be able to take this asshole out without being used like some shitty meat puppet. He didn't like using explosions on his own body, but he had no choice. He lifted his hands up a few centimeters and blew that shit the fuck up!

The mud under his palms dried out and cracked, but more quickly took its place. It pushed down his throat. Disgusting. He wanted to puke. He tried to heave it out. His gag reflex was being pushed into overdrive. His body convulsed. It did nothing to help.

"I suppose I should thank that bastard All Might. The OTHER kid didn't have a quirk to speak of!"

Mud wrapped around his hands and wrenched them away from his face. Explosions he didn't make flew from freshly conjured palms into the surrounding area. Shops and signs caught on fire. A car exploded. The debris hit a man nearby, knocking him out (at the very least). Bakugou's legs were still free. He could still get free. He would still get free.

As if he'd let that mudman take his body for itself.

"Argh!"

He jerked his arms, slammed them into the ground. He'd gotten some damage in. Some damage that got a real reaction out of this freak show. There were heroes in the area now. A crowd of bystanders had shown up. Bakugou wasn't stupid. If this villain was a big-enough deal for that many of them to show up, it wasn't just some random fodder. It wasn't something going to go down without someone on the outside helping.

He couldn't do this on its own.

But the bystanders only watched. The heroes only watched. No one did anything. Why the fuck weren't they doing anything?! This boss was chicken shit. He had an excuse. He was a kid in middle school. He hadn't ever fought a true villain in his life. But these guys fought real villains on a regular basis. They should know how to handle this.

The mud wormed it's way under his skin. Into his body. His lungs were about to burst. There was a familiar face in the crowd. His head throbbed. His vision blurred. He couldn't tell who it was. He didn't care. He locked eyes with the kid. There was only one thing on his mind.

DO SOMETHING.

The boy dashed forward.

"It's that kid."

His appearance became clearer. There was a tuft of green hair. Then freckles. Then an expression that couldn't choose between frantic and determined.

Wait- Deku?

"You're dead."

"Hiyah!" The dumb asshole completely ignored the mudman's warning and threw his bag. Why would he do that. The mud left Bakugou's mouth. He could breathe. The pain left his chest almost entirely, leaving only a dull soreness. An unexpected sense of relief swelled within him.

The monster growled.

"KACCHAN!"

"You! Why?!" Forget Bakugou, that quirkless guppy was going to get himself killed. The runt frantically grabbed for the sludge at Bakugou's mouth and flung small handfuls away as fast as his scrawny arms were able to. As if that action would really make a difference.

"My legs just started moving! Why? I dunno!" The fuck kind of answer is that?! But it wasn't unlike him. Bakugou had seen firsthand how the runt would always jump in to try and save and save the other kids being bullied. But this was real. The danger was real. He could get himself killed.

Bakugou staggered back. Deku stopped in his tracks. There were... tears welling up in his eyes?

"You... looked like you needed saving."

In that pause, the mud came back full force. The pain in his chest came back with a vengeance and increased ten-fold. His eyes nearly rolled back into his head. He was ready to keel over. The mudman itself was the only thing still holding him up. It was pissed.

"Stop... It!" The mud pulsed, irritated.

"Just a bit longer. So stop getting in my way!" It had definitely been longer than the initial 45 seconds since the mudman had latched onto him for. Each break reset the clock, didn't it. He had more time. When the ever-loving fuck was an actual hero going to step in?! Were they waiting for him to die or something?!

A large sludge hand formed. It began to reach forward.

All Might kicked that mudman's slimy ass before, hadn't he? People had shouted about it earlier – how he had defeated this guy, so where was he now? He should be rushing in with that dumbass catchphrase of his, ready to take out this monster with a single punch. People were going to die without him here. He had to come.

But he didn't.

Deku dashed, and managed to grab Bakugou's sleeve after plunging his arm into the muck. He clung to it for dear life. The mud hand wrapped around Deku's body. It lifted him off the ground. The fabric ripped. The runt looked even tinier enveloped in that sludge.

"You're a real pest, brat. You should have learned your lesson the first time." The mudman threw Deku back. He rolled rolled and skidded to a stop on the asphalt. But rather than lay there curled up in pain, he got on his stomach. Dammit, why couldn't he just play dead?! It'd be so much easier than to just keep trying in vain!

The runt picked himself up off the ground anyway. He stumbled at first, but ran back at Bakugou, rather than in the opposite direction like anyone sensible would. His arm was outstretched. He really thought he could do this, didn't he. The only thing in his eyes was determination. Like the possibility of failure didn't even occur to him.

"KACCHAN! GRAB MY HAND!"

"DAMN IT, DEKU! GET OUTTA HERE!" Bakugou knew full-well what he had done to Deku for all those years. Someone who had been bullied that much should be happy this his happening to him, right? He was getting 'karma' or whatever people wanted to call that bullshit, so why wasn't he booking back to the rest of the spectators? He should hate him. He should want this.

He should save himself.

"I'M NOT LEAVING WITHOUT YOU." Did he not see the situation he was in? Neither of them were going to make it out at this rate. Why the hell couldn't he just think about himself for once? He wasn't a hero. He was a weak scrawny nerd with no quirk who'd never won a fight in his life. It was a miracle he'd gotten this far at all. Why wouldn't he stop pressing his luck?! Why wasn't he running away like a normal human being?!

"YOU'RE GOING TO DIE!" Bakugou's voice cracked. He didn't care. More mud wrapped around his mouth. He couldn't say anything else. Time crawled in slow motion. He couldn't scream at Deku to get away from the pair of mud hands reaching towards him from behind. But if Deku had noticed them anyway, he ignored them. Instead, he plunged his arms into the muck again. His palms wrapped around one of Bakugou's own and pulled, and Bakugou couldn't even wrench back.

"I HAVE TO SAVE YOU."

One of the mud hands grabbed Deku. It ripped him away. It flung him up in the air like a small sack of flour. The other hand charged an explosion as he fell. The pit in Bakugou's stomach dropped almost in sync. Deku screamed something. Bakugou couldn't make out words anymore. He wrenched forward. He had to do something. Anything. The mud kept his feet firmly planted on the ground. It wrapped around his legs He couldn't get closer. But he had to. Otherwise Deku would die. There had to be something he could do. Something. Or else-

The other hand landed a hit square on Deku's chest.

The blast sent the runt flying. A lamppost broke his momentum. Probably his back too. Gravity pulled him down to the concrete below in a broken crumpled heap. He hit the ground with a sickening crack even Bakugou could hear. Blood seeped out and pooled underneath him. Nasty 3rd degree burns were carved into his chest. He wasn't moving. He wasn't breathing. There wasn't any writhing, or screaming, or even twitching. There wasn't anything.

A hero rushed to his side, got on his knees, and began to check his pulse. Where the fuck was this guy before?! Why hadn't he done something while there was still a chance to stop Deku from slamming into the lamppost – or even the ground. Another came running. She hadn't done anything either. The first hero looked at the second and shook his head. The second hero glanced at Bakugou with tears in her eyes.

No. Please no. No. He couldn't be dead. No. He couldn't be. It wasn't possible. This wasn't how it supposed to go. Bakugou should've been able to force himself our of this muck. To defeat this bastard. To save the day and be the hero or some shit since apparently all these heroes were fucking useless.

But Bakugou couldn't save one scrawny nerd that risked his neck to save him. He couldn't prevent this. He was the reason it happened in the first place. He couldn't even crawl over to check for a pulse. He was weak. He was useless. He's the one who couldn't get himself out of the grip of some second-rate villain and stop it himself.

And because of that, Deku was dead.

The last of the muck wrenched itself down his throat.

His vision went black.

Bakugou's body wasn't under his control.

The arm stretched out in front of him was the same color as the mud from before, though the blasts that came from it looked normal. The room he was in was large and the walls a pristine white. The floors were tiled. A door stood at the opposite end. His classmates were in there too.

A few of them were screaming at him. Trying to tell him something. Probably trying to plead with him. He couldn't hear it. The sound of sloshing muck rocked back and forth inside his head. He wanted to respond. He himself wanted to scream at them to get out while they still could. But he couldn't move his own mouth anymore. His eyes couldn't even blink. He got in a battle stance. That was enough of a response for them to come charging, even though they looked battle-worn and tired. There were some scuffs and scratches on his arms, but that was all he could see. He couldn't tell how much damage he took, if anything notable at all.

Round Face sent sent a flurry of rocks. He repelled them. She had used the last of her energy. She was about to collapse. He charged forward. His right hand wrapped around her neck. She tried to pry it off. It didn't work. She wasn't strong enough. The sweat on his palm ignited. Her eyes widened. She was thrown to the ground. Her throat was gone. She didn't move again.

Soy Sauce Face tried to wrap him in tape. It soon burned back to its root. His elbows cracked. He couldn't fight anymore. He tried to run. Probably to get a teacher. Maybe just to save his own skin. Bakugou didn't know, but it didn't matter. He was useless without his quirk. Bakugou didn't even need an explosion to snap the guy's neck.

Raccoon Eyes spat acid. It was flammable. It burned well and for a short while. She wasn't fireproof. It was tricky getting in close, but she could only send out that spit in short bursts. He sent small explosions in return. The acid burned on the floor. An explosion caught the girl's leg. He took the opportunity to grab her hair and slam her face in the flaming puddles. She struggled. He sat on her back. She was durable. It took a few explosions to the back of her head before she stopped moving.

That half-n'-half bastard sent ice. Bakugou blasted it away. That idiot still wouldn't use fire. What kind of FUCKING MORON lets people die over his goddamn daddy issues?! Useless assholes like him were the reason innocent people couldn't make it out alive. He was the only one who had a chance of defeating Bakugou and he let it slip away. Bakugou was under the control of that fucking mudman, but he was still as human as the rest of them. He wasn't fireproof. He could burn. If that idiot could pull his head out of his ass for two seconds and use that goddamn fire already, he might be able to make it out alive.

But he didn't.

So a hand over that scar on his face and a single explosion later, he was dead.

They were all dead.

The other members of Class 1-A were strewn along the floor. They weren't moving. The blood smeared and pooled beneath them spread far enough to connect with that of those lying close to them. They had gruesome injuries, so much so that even that shitty old bag of a nurse at U.A. couldn't save them. Some had their limbs practically blown off. Others had their guts spilling out. The scent of cooked meat and entrails permeated the air. He wanted to puke. He wanted to claw out his eyes. He wanted to turn those explosions on himself and stop this from happening again.

But he couldn't even cry.

Katsuki Bakugou was not afraid.

He didn't wake up in a cold sweat, clinging to his pillow for dear life. He wasn't clenching his teeth so hard the following headache might as well have split skull in two. He wasn't shaking like a little kid. A few tears didn't manage to leak out of his eyes. Nausea didn't flip his stomach. His heart wasn't ready to burst out his chest. He wasn't grateful for managing to hold back sobs from getting anywhere past his throat since they definitely weren't there in the first place.

The "highlights" of that dream didn't threaten to play through his mind another time or five. He didn't use the pillow to cover his ears in a futile attempt to block out the sloshing sound of that mud. He didn't take off the pillow to make sure the clock wasn't the only noise inside the room. He wasn't desperately trying to forget the feel of killing someone with his bare hands. He wasn't praying that he'd never have to verify that that was what burning human flesh smelled like.

He didn't have any kind of problem. This wasn't a problem.

And when he finally opened his eyes, he sure as hell didn't glance around the room to make sure all the other futons had someone in them. To make sure that fucking runt was okay. To make sure they were all okay.

(They were.)

Tick tock tick tock.

The clock read around 1:45. The others were still sound asleep.

It wasn't the first time he had had that dream, and it probably wouldn't be the last. It didn't show up every night, but it was definitely the most common out of all the ones that reoccurred. It always diverged from that one point in his memory from that incident where All Might saved him, for some reason, but what happened after All Might didn't show up would vary. That fucking nerd would die in some way or another, but if there was a part 2, he couldn't predict who would be there (though lately his classmates appeared more and more often). Fucking annoying was what it was. Why couldn't he just have an awesome dream where he defeated that half-n'-half bastard fair and square, or one where he pummeled Deku into the ground and the runt acknowledge he was the better of the two?!

He peeled off the futon blanket. Ugh. Gross. He was all sweaty again. And he felt like shit. Probably looked like it too. There was no way he'd be able to fall asleep for awhile. He couldn't exactly go get something to eat either. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. He should've brought snacks or something. What a pain in the ass.

He got up and quietly slipped out of the bedroom. He slid the door shut behind him. The tatami room looked normal, though the light was on for some reason. The balcony was closed to keep out the bugs. The exit to the hallway where the other suites were, including the one for the girls in his class and the one for the teachers, was also shut. No one was getting in-

A figure he hadn't noticed lying on the other side of the table sat up. Shit. He went into a battle stance. Instinct almost took over. He was ready to fight. The fodder was waiting for one of them to come out. There was another villain invasion. Right now. He had to stop it. The room looked normal so no one would notice until it was too late. No one was going to die. He had to strike first. There couldn't be only one guy. It-

He focused his eyes and finally recognized his almost new-found enemy.

It was... that one guy from his class. The one with the weird-ass bird head that spoke like an old fart. He remembered that the guy had made it to the final tournament back at the sports festival, and that he himself had kicked his ass (before getting pitted against that half-n'-half bastard, the outcome of which he was still pissed about).

"Can you not sleep?"

Bakugou just stared at him. "The fuck are you doing out here?"

"Keeping watch," he yawned. What the fuck does someone need to keep watch in an inn for? It was a shitty lie if he ever heard one. There was literally no reason to do that on a school trip. Well, unless he thought there was gonna be another villain invasion. But that obviously wasn't the case. The guy rubbed his eyes. He even yawned again. "Though I suppose I could ask you the same thing."

"Eh, you guessed it." He wasn't wrong. It wasn't something to argue about. He didn't feel like trying to start some kind of banter. He hadn't in general for awhile now. It wasn't as fun as it used be. Probably because they were weren't total scrubs like everyone back at middle school. Not to mention they would go out of their way to start it.

Birdbrain didn't reply after that (choosing instead to stare at him like a fucking weirdo, like he was trying to analyze him or something) so the conversation ended as quickly as it had started. They sat in silence. He sat down to get a bit more comfortable. The light above the table buzzed. A few minutes passed.

This guy wasn't one to talk. As far as Bakugou was concerned, all he did was give people weird useless cryptic advice when they didn't ask for it. Like one of those old hermit NPCs who never left their cave – those guys at least dispensed it items.

And why was he still staring at him? Couldn't he just go back to the bedroom like everyone else? Or at least go away and loaf around somewhere else. Fucking weirdo. You know what? Screw it. He literally decided two seconds ago to not to argue, but whatever. That guy's face pissed him off.

"Hey, don't you have to go, like, take a shit or something?"

"I'm quite fine, thank you."

"I don't wanna see your ugly mug." He wasn't gonna beat around the bush. He wanted to be alone. If he got that fucking pit in his stomach, having other people around only made it worse. Obviously he couldn't just up and leave every time it happened, but this wasn't one of those times. He could just tell the other parties to get out of his face. That's just how it went.

"You're free to leave if you don't like it."

"Hell no. You go." He hadn't heard any other door sliding since about twenty minutes after the lights went out. How long had that guy been out here? More than long enough. Bakugou wanted his own turn, asshole.

"I'd rather not, thank you."

"Well I'm not leaving either."

"I can only assume it's because misery loves company. And I'm quite alright with having another presence here."

Bakugou snorted. More silence. Something was weird here, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Here was this guy out here. All alone. Bakugou could've sworn that everyone was back in the other room. It didn't look like anyone was missing, and yet here he was. But if this guy was a villain in disguise, he definitely would've attacked him right now, so he had to be the real deal. But what else was off...

It clicked.

"Wait, why don't you have a futon?" He pointed his thumb at the sliding door behind him. Everyone else had one. And when the door had slid before, it did it an even number of times. There was no way he could have been in the room at all.

"So nice to see that you're concerned for me." Bakugou didn't even know that beak could smile. Fucking smug asshole bird.

"That's not what I fucking meant."

There was another pause. The guy was trying to decide on something. It was written all over his face. He wasn't thinking of trying and start a fight now. He couldn't be. But what if he was? Bakugou had beaten him in the tournament. Did he want revenge? Maybe, but why now of all times? Was he part of that villain alliance or whatever? But if that was the case, he could've gone to town on the others already. Fuck, what was he supposed to-

Birdbrain sighed. "Well, if you must know, I'm unable to sleep without any lights on."

That's all it was? Lame.

"What, are you scared of the dark?" If that was the case, it would be the ultimate irony. His whole character screamed 'ETERNAL DARKNESS', especially when compared to the rest of the class.

"No." Birdbrain sighed and shook his head. "Tell me: How much attention have you paid to everyone's quirks?"

"The fuck does that have to do with anything?." He had gotten better at actually remembering people since the end of the sports festival. He had a vague idea of most of their quirks, but the only ones he had a semi-solid grasp on were the people he fought in the tournament and Deku's.

"Calm down."

"I am fucking calm, you seagull shit-for-brains!" It took a good amount of effort to keep his volume down to a dull roar. Yes he was a fucking asshole or whatever, but he had the basic common courtesy not to shout in the middle of the night when other people were trying to sleep.

Birdbrain snapped his fingers half-heartedly. "There it is." The look that accompanied it would be one Bakugou would peg as minor offense for the nickname, if Bakugou actually gave a shit in the first place.

"Just get on with it already." He didn't have all night! Well- he did (until he could actually fall asleep again, that is), but that wasn't the point. This wasn't a goddamn TV show or comedy night. He didn't need buildup for something he wasn't going to be impressed by in the first place.

"See this?" A vaguely-bird-shaped purple-tinted black thing rose out of his shadow and bowed. The fuck was it being polite for? Gross. "It's my quirk."

"Yeah. You used it during the tournament. So what?"

"If I sleep with no lights on, it could get loose and kill all of you." Well, that was blunt and surprisingly non-cryptic. But really, that's all it was? No mumbo jumbo about a sad past and how his daddy was the darkest villain in the negaverse and left him with a quirk that could end the world as they knew it?

"It's a fucking bird. I kicked it's ass and yours, and I can do it again." Bakugou punched his own palm to prove a point. It hadn't even been a month since the sports festival. He didn't know what the other guy did during his internship, but he couldn't have gotten that much stronger during it. "What can that weak shit even do?"

"Would you like to find out?" Gee, that sounded vaguely like a warning.

"Fucking try me."

"Alright. Suit yourself." He nodded to that bird monster... thing. Itslid up the wall to the light switch. If he didn't know better, he could've sworn he heard it ask if this was really a good idea before flicking it off.

The room was dark. It was silent. Nothing happened.

Until something wrapped itself around his arm. It felt like some kind of snake, but had a warm, not scaly texture. He grabbed it. By pure instinct, he tried to blast it off. There weren't any explosions. He couldn't pull the snake off. The thing jerked his arm, almost like some kind of puppet string. He jerked back. It was stronger. Another grabbed his leg. He stomped it flat. It wriggled. It could still move. He couldn't stop it.

The one on his arm flattened out. It began to branch off and spread. It wrapped around his hand. It stretched up to his shoulder. The parts joined together. It felt like a sleeve. The same happened with his leg. His muscles twitched. Those limbs didn't move. They were out of his control. The leg took a step forward. He almost lost his balance. The arm reached towards him. The snake reached forward. It wrapped around his neck. He tried to pry it off with his other hand. It didn't work. His stomach lurched. His heart pounded. It was like he suddenly became more aware of everything around him. The shadow began to constrict.

He couldn't breathe.

No. No. No no no no no no nononononononono-

The light flipped back on. The monster slipped back so fast he could barely see it. Birdbrain had gotten out of his spot and gone to the switch himself. It looked like he stumbled on the way there. His eyes were wide open for once. Concern was written all over his face.

"Are you alright?"

"Do I look like Deku to you?! No shit I'm fine." He slowed his breathing. He wasn't panting. That monster didn't phase him at all. He crossed his arms, like his hands being at his neck didn't mean anything. They didn't. That guy's quirk was chicken shit.

"Your pallor suggests otherwise."

"Fuck off."

"Eloquent as always." Birdbrain rolled his eyes, and sat back down before continuing.

"Anyway, my Dark Shadow becomes more powerful when there is less light." He paused. "Well- it'd be more apt to say it gets weaker when there is more, as you figured out during out match."

"Yeah, when I kicked your ass."

Birdbrain was visibly annoyed, but didn't take the bait. "It normally has a bird-like appearance. But the stronger it is, the more flexible it becomes. It can easily take complex forms when there is no light but from that of the moon and stars."

"Like that dumb-ass snake thing."

"Yes. Like that 'dumb-ass snake thing'. What you felt was only one part of it – it has a tendency to become what you might call an 'eldritch abomination.'"

"'Oh." Well. That explained it. "You can't control it?" How the fuck did this guy get into U.A. again?

"I won't deny that it becomes more difficult, but the only time it would ever leave my control is if I lost consciousness in a dark room." Well, that explained why he couldn't sleep with everyone else. It still didn't explain the futon, but he didn't get the chance to ask about that either. Not that he was was actually wondering about it.

"Now that I've answered your questions, I have one of my own."

"...Fine." Second wind had hit him. He was awake. He really wanted to do some kind of training or exercise. Sparring was a no-go since they were in an inn and he didn't wanna have to be the one to explain the damaged property. Also it was the middle of the night. He considered asking what that 'watch' was all about, but it was just a lie. Nothing else to it.

"I'll get right to the point: You're having nightmares, aren't you." Wait- What?

"...What?"

"Your mannerisms aren't those of someone who can sleep soundly, to put it simply." What was that supposed to mean? Bakugou could sleep just fine! Well, as long as could actually fall asleep. And as long as that fucking dream didn't show up again.

"I get heartburn or some shit. That doesn't mean I'm a fucking weakling." It didn't stop him from fighting. It wasn't going to stop him from being the best. It was just some annoying shit that came to a lot of people and it didn't affect them. So it wasn't going to affect him. How's that for simple.

"I never said it did. But heartburn won't make you willingly isolate yourself from your comrades-"

"That's not what I was doing. And what the fuck were you watching me for?"

"I may not be sleeping in the bedroom with everyone else, but I was there when you were all setting up. I would be surprised if anyone didn't notice." What, now other people were watching him too? Seriously, if they wanted to find a weakness in him, they should just pick a fight with him. He could always use more sparring experience and more fodder to run into the ground.

"And what, I can't want my own space?" Seriously, that's all he wanted. The others would've wanted it too if they could rub two brain cells together and realize it was an option before he called it.

"It's certainly odd when you put on an air of being afraid to hurt someone at the same time. Especially when you were scolding Midoriya."

"I'm not scared of anything. And fucking Deku doesn't have anything to do with this." Deku Deku Deku. It felt like the runt got mentioned every fucking time Bakugou got into a conversation with someone. Why was he supposed to care? Yes, they were friends when they little kids. No, he didn't give a shit. He didn't even want that nerd coming to U.A. with him in the first place. Why would he want to talk about him?!

"Everyone is scared of something."

"Well you're looking at someone who isn't."

Again with the staring. Bakugou was beginning to think that Birdbrain here was just using that time to think.

"That does bring me back to my original question."

"What about it?" His eyes narrowed.

"You never said no."

Fucking- Why was he trying to trip him up? He was right. The guy just wanted some kind of weakness to get him if they ever fought again. Well too bad. He wasn't going to fall for it.

"You know what? I'm not doing this shit. I'm out."

"Where are you going?"

"To get some fresh air!" Maybe clear his head. Maybe blow up some bugs and shit. Like moths to a flame – or an explosion as it would be in Bakugou's case.

"The balcony's that way." Birdbrain lazily pointed at it with his surprisingly human-looking hands. Sure enough he had been heading towards the exit instead. He hadn't even been paying attention. Well, either way would take him outside eventually.

"What's it to you?" If anything, Birdbrain should be happy Bakugou was getting out of his hair (well- feathers; did he even have hair?).

"We're not allowed outside this area after curfew, remember?" Right. Something about keeping the boys and the girls separate when there weren't any teachers watching. Fucking stupid if you asked him. Not that he had any need to talk to them in the first place at this time of night.

"Tch." He turned around, and leaned against the door instead.

"You're staying up to avoid them, aren't you." Again with the goddamn nightmares. Why was he so obsessed with them? Did he wanna be a shrink or something? Birdbrain should just learn to keep his beak shut and stay out of other people's business.

"No. I already fell asleep once. I just woke up and couldn't get back to it."

"I thought you said you couldn't fall asleep in the first place."

Shit.

"Shut up already! why do you keep asking me about some fucking nightmares I don't even have?!" He tensed. No. He wasn't lying. He didn't have nightmares – only bullshit dreams about something he'd rather forget. That didn't make it a nightmare. Just an annoyance. Only dumbass little kids and cowards let it get to them.

Birdbrain's gaze shifted down. Oh. His gloves. Bakugou didn't take them off when he woke up. That explained his inability to use his quirk earlier. There wasn't anything wrong with him. He was fine. It was nothing. There wasn't any danger, so he wouldn't need to take them off until morning. Well, maybe he should anyway. It wasn't like the sweat was going anywhere. A few condensed droplets would leak out and run down his arm when the gloves tilted too high. Gross.

"A drowning man will clutch at a straw." And there he went with the bullshit old fart sayings. How did he fucking know.

"That's not what it is!"

"You may think you have to deal with this alone, but you don't."

"Screw you." He snarled. "I can deal with it just fine."

Birdbrain shut his mouth. He raised an eyebrow. Like he was waiting for something. He crossed his arms. A finger tapped a patient beat on his upper arms.

Hold up-

Shit. No. That wasn't what he meant at all. He tensed up. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end. He'd take another step forward if the door wasn't in his way. Now the other guy was gonna have the wrong idea for sure. Think that he had some kind of weakness he didn't.

"You can confide in me. It's alright. I won't tell anyone." Those sickeningly gentle words only had the opposite effect. 'Confide'?! He barely knew the guy. He didn't talk feelings with people. That's not something he did. If it really was a problem he could deal with it himself. He snarled.

"There's nothing to confide at all. I'm not a fucking coward and I don't get scared of shit that goes bump in the night!"

"You know what I'm talking about. Everyone holds fear. If you keep it bottled up-"

"I JUST TOLD YOU! I'M NOT SOME FUCKING WEAK-ASS COWARD." Bakugou slammed his fist against the door. "I'LL FUCKING FIGHT YOU."

He stepped forward. He got in a fighting stance. This bastard was gonna be a bucket of chicken wings when he was done with him. Him and his shitty-ass bird-snake-monster-thing too. He didn't even need to take off his gloves. He was gonna do this with his bare hands. That guy was going to regret trying to mess with him.

"Are you sure you don't want to talk?" The purple thing rose out of his shadow. Both it and its master stood cautious. Too late for that, fuckers. Birdbrain should've thought it through before he started trying to play shrink.

"Yeah." Bakugou's smile stretched reeeeeal wide. "I'm mad fucking sure."

"Shut uuuuup."

A small bundle of voices emanated from the bedroom. It promptly broke the tension. Birdbrain's arms fell to his side. Bakugou's fell in turn. The monster retreated to the shadow. What was he even doing now. They were on vacation. This guy wasn't worth the fight. Thoughts like that swam through his head.

"You know what? Fuck it." Bakugou took a few steps back towards the sliding door. He was going to go back to his corner, go back to his futon, and go back to sleep. Hopefully this time he'd manage to sleep until morning. Birdbrain wasn't going to follow them. He already looked like he felt bad about disturbing the others.

"Are you going back?" Speak of the devil. His voice had gotten softer. When was that guy going to fucking stop with that concerned look already?

Bakugou didn't care.

"Piss off."

"Well then, good night to you as well." Bakugou heard a few cracks. Probably Birdbrain stretching. He was probably gonna go back to sleep too after this. On the floor with no futon or anything. Like a weirdo. What, was goddamn bedding too much darkness for him? Weakling.

"And Bakugou?"

"What," he snarled. He didn't turn around. He kept walking. He slid open the door. The room was as dark as before. Good. He wasn't going to argue anymore tonight. But in spite of that, eyes filled with nothing but pity drilled into his back.

"Just remember: no man is an island."

A/N: I know Tokoyami usually drops his Sage Advice to no one in particular, but I like to think he'd be a bit more direct when actually talking one-on-one with someone.

And I hope I did Bakugou's voice justice. It's really hard to write someone as feeling vulnerable and afraid when they're a stubborn asshole who won't acknowledge they feel vulnerable and afraid.

Some other headcanons that came to play in here are that Tokoyami's Dark Shadow can become more like an eldritch abomination when it's dark out and that Bakugou will actually acknowledge when he's seriously outmatched. They're just headcanons, though.