Energy (D.P./M.H.A.)

. 4 7 .

"Because I didn't want you to die, dammit!"

It was a weird lie, Bakugou thought. It felt...extreme, somehow. Like the act of him dying was going to happen in the near future. It was just crazy. Maybe some other idiot in the class would've believed it, but not him. He was smarter than that. He knew he was perfectly capable of handling everything the people in the plaza would throw at him right now. They underestimated them already, having sent only a few villains to take out both him and Fenton.

Bakugou trusted Fenton at first, like any sensible person would. Being the new kids came with some standardised weirdness. But then things weren't adding up as much as they should. It only took a few weeks for Bakugou actually admit it to himself, right where they were five minutes ago, at the top of the staircase at the USJ.

And now he was almost certain he was not to be trusted.

The attack on the school, the training with the Damn Nerd, the secrecy, the teachers seeming to know more than they let on. There was this constant edge of wariness whenever Fenton spoke, always careful with his words, and how he said them. The air of mystery that hung around him and his friends was more than just being from another part of the world. They weren't telling everything. Bakugou could just tell.

He was not great with people he didn't know and he was aware of that. Everyone else seemed to get along just fine with them, no questions asked, inconsistencies ignored. The whole act they were trying to put on...it just wasn't landing with him. Brushing it off on his poor people-skills at first, Bakugou just accepted the distance. But that didn't last. There was more to it and he needed to know it. Everything.

The thing that broke the whole facade was Fenton's quirk. Energy, like seriously? Such an abstract thing was possible nowadays, with all the quirk mixing and evolving, but it sounded so dystopian and main-character like. No one had something called that. Unless they were trying to cover something up.

Like more powers.

Observing had been his strategy, even unconsciously. Going to school early to see the trainings he did, watching him fight in all the assignments from Hero Studies, everything. The way he fought was not based off knowledge but experience. Hands-on training was the only thing Bakugou could think of. He'd been trained. There was too much control over a too wide variety of moves to be considered talent.

And then there was the secrecy between the three of them. Always together, huddled in corners of the cafetaria, talking like they were planning something. Scribbles on papers they quickly shoved in their bags when the class would end, and 'inside jokes' that just sounded...off.

He just didn't trust it.

But what if he was wrong?

Fenton actually seemed to be shaking where he was on his knees, hands clenched on the floor with a little light coming from within his fists. It was a great act, Bakugou had to admit. Would've fooled him, even, if this shit had happened a few weeks ago.

Bakugou hated the fact that he was even thinking it. Fenton, Manson, and Foley weren't telling everything, that was a fact. The one in front of him was the worst of them all. Sweet talking everything, wanting to be friends with literally everybody. Hair-For-Brains and Alien Eyes were fooled within minutes. Show a little bit of power and compassion and suddenly everyone was at his feet, looking up at him like he was the answer to all their problems. Even Deku, suspicious doom-thinker 'what-if' Deku was hanging on his every word.

But then there was the other side of his brain. Maybe the pragmatic side, maybe the stupid side.

Actually seeming sincere when helping people out. Knowing what he was doing during exercises. Making mistakes and acting like an actual adult as he handled them. The childlike innocence and giddiness when Deku got that lighting upgrade from his Quirk (which Bakugou was still investigating).

Fenton was still shaking, and Bakugou could see an actual tear fall on the glove he was wearing, sizzling out immediately. He was actually emotionally unstable right now, unable to control his Quirk. Idiot.

Or he was just that good at faking it.

Bakugou hated not knowing what to think. It used to be so much easier. There were bad guys, and there were good guys, like All Might. And everyone knew who the bad guys and who the good guys were, and everyone knew the good guys always ended up winning with a big smile and a single fist raised in the air.

Bakugou's hand landed on Fenton's shoulder.

The shoulders stilled under his palm and Bakugou froze. What was he even trying to do? He'd just associated the words and his arm had moved without him thinking. What now? He couldn't just leave without saying something.

But what did you say to someone that was either an ally or someone trying to betray you?

"You wouldn't kill anyone. You're too much of a dumbass."

Fenton breathed out a laugh.

Ah, there was that genuineness again. It seemed to hang around him like a cloud would. You wouldn't see the center, the truth behind the actions, but there was a righteousness and will to do right by everyone in there. Somewhere. Maybe he wasn't doing the right things, but doing them to get to something good. He believed that what he was doing was right not because the actions themselves were right, but because they were the only way to get the right result.

And that being no one dying.

Maybe Bakugou could just...

"I'm serious. You just don't kill anyone and you wouldn't lie about those kinds of things. You're too...puppy-like. I know you wanna seem all mysterious and powerful to everyone here, especially to Deku, but you're not some big wolf that's lurking in the trees being all creepy. You're a tiny rabid dog that just wants to make friends."

"Thanks," Fenton said, then paused. "I guess."

Hook, line, and sinker like the trusting moron he was.

And yes, maybe Bakugou wasn't lying when he said it, but who was to tell.