When the video crashed, so did he.

Without any other physical reaction, tears welled up and pouring over Bakugo’s eyes, falling onto the keyboard in front of him. For a moment, he stared blankly as the droplets.

Then the pain started.

He groaned and leaned back, tilting the chair as he gripped his headphones tight against his head. A sob escaped his throat as he sniffed. The sound he made was ugly and distorted through his ears ringing. Thank god he was alone… thank god .

He threw his head back and let out a scream, barely able to breathe. The tears rolled back down his cheekbones and touched the tips of his ears. They were cool on his now-burning face. It was relief… and he hated it.

He stood up so quickly, the chair toppled over behind him. He pulled the headphones off and hurled them at the wall, plastic shattering everywhere.

“Deku!” he yelled. “You stupid bastard!” More tears fell, and he wiped at them with the back of his arm. “You DUMBASS!” he roared. He heaved in and out for air, groaning in frustration. He breathed in deeply, trying to regain some semblance of control.

Eventually, his breathing slowed almost to normal. He walked over to his bed and slumped down into the mattress, face-down. His face melted into the pillow, and he let the sobs continue to wrack his body.

“Deku…” he muttered, sobbing between words, “We were supposed to compete…. One of us… was going to be... the next Number One Hero…” He gasped once more for air. “You died . You gave everything... I don’t want it this way.” His voice broke.

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