Another horrible angsty headcanon:
Bakugou refused compete in the dorm competition- not because he was tired. And not because he thought it was dumb, either.
It was because his room was too empty without his All Might collection.
**
When Pinky had first suggested it- Bakugou should have leapt at the chance. He should have been reeling at the opportunity- he should have been itching for the moment he'd crush the rest of the class into the ground. Because- let's face it- two parents in the fashion industry? He was amazing at this.
When it came to design- Bakugou was as much as a prodigy in that as he was with anything else. Like- when it came to submitting their ideas for hero costumes- Bakugou didn't just send the "designers" a brief. He sent them a pattern he designed himself, the materials required and where to buy them, fabric dye brands and colours, specifications on the stitching size- and measurements right down to the fucking T.
He also included a note reminding them politely not to fuck with the design. Because he was good at this. And it showed pretty damn well- when the other losers showed up in lame ass excuses for costumes they themselves probably had barely even thought through. Even if the fuckass designer had put two dots on his costume against his WILL- Bakugou's outfit was still 10x better and more practical than anyone else who had set foot in UA.
Nah. When it came to design, Bakugou was easily the best. And he would never do something as fucking pathetic as half assing his own goddamn room.
Every item, every bit of furniture, every nicknack he owned fitted together into kickass perfection. Colour theory, placement: it matched- or it complimented- it was practical- it looked fucking awesome. He kept it clean cause he wasn't a fucking heathen, and he refused to buy anything for his room that wouldn't fit in with the rest.
...And no one even fucking knew it.
Not many people saw Bakugou's room, anymore. His middle school friends started fucking smoking when they turned twelve, and llike hell was he letting that stink near his room. And Deku hadn't been in there for... some time now.
So no one knew. No one had even the slightest inkling that Bakugou Katsuki would easily have the best room in the class. It wasn't even a fair fight.
So he should have been jumping at the chance to show them. Like he always did, when challenged. He should have been feeling the thunder of impending victory in his chest, kicking open his own door, and watching as everyone looked at his room in pure awe- and Bakugou was rightfully recognised as the 1A room King.
So he should have been excited. Right?
... Yet here he was. Standing, in the centre of his room- looking at two, cardboard boxes. Still packed. The contents, hidden away inside.
He could hear the muffled sounds of 1A chatter, coming from somewhere below. Gathering before the dorm competition began.
...Bakugou had snapped at Kirishima, when the red head offered to help him unpack these boxes. As if the dumbass hadn't already been helping Bakugou with all the other boxes- without a even a hint of complaint from his explosive friend.
Kirishima had apologized, good naturedly, like he always did. Before leaving the room. (And leaving Bakugou with an unfamiliar feeling curling in his chest.)
Bakugou stared at the boxes. They stared back.
He'd packed these a while ago. A day or so before they were told about the dorm system, actually. It had felt too weird going to sleep with this... stuff in his room. Looking at him.
It's your fault.
So, he'd packed it away. Scooping it all off shelves, and putting it into two cardboard boxes he had lying around. It just about fit.
He hadn't been quite sure what he wanted to do with them. Putting them in the attic was too permanent. And like hell was he throwing this away. Some of it was even limited edition. So- the boxes had stayed, on the floor of his bedroom, for about a week. His bedroom at home.
He hadn't... He hadn't wanted to take them with him. He'd tried to say he wanted to leave them behind- but the hag said they were taking up to much space. That he either took them to the dorms... Or they got thrown away.
So he took them.
... When Kirishima had left the room, ten minutes ago, he'd been wearing that little hopeful expression of his. The one he got sometimes- like the time he asked Bakugou to come swimming. One he struggled to say no to.
This time: the expression had appeared after telling Bakugou about the dorm competition. Asking him if he was up for the "super manly" challenge.
"Fucking maybe. I don't give a shit. Bet your rooms all suck ass, anyway." Bakugou had told him.
...Alone in his room- Bakugou moved forward to the partially opened box. The one Kirishima had gotten part way through ripping into- before Bakugou had realised- and told him to fuck off, Shitty Hair!
With his right hand, he peeled the box open. Peering, as if with fucking apprehension, at the items he knew were inside. As the cardboard moved, his eyes came to land on-
Knock-knock-knock!- "Bakugou!"
Katsuki startled. Whipping around towards the door.
"The fuck do you want- Shitty hair?!" He yelled back. Perhaps pummelling a little more aggression into his tone than he should have. He looked back to the item in the box.
"The competitions starting, bro!" Kirishima laughed back. Not seeming to notice. "Thought you'd wanna come see everyone's rooms before we get to your floor."
Bakugou paused.
"Come on man, you're gonna wanna see these!" The red head continued. Before he paused. In a way that Bakugou knew meant a devious smirk was blooming across the red head's face. "... Hey," he spoke. "...Did you know Midoryia has a crazy All Might collection?"
Bakugou stilled. Still transfixed the object in the box. (It's your turn.)
"No seriously bro, it's like an otakus room!" Kirishima spoke again, when Bakugou didn't answer. "You know... I wonder if anyone can beat him..." Hw trailed off. The challenge in his tone clear, but playful. Joking- if Bakugou was being pragmatic about it.
Bakugou didn't answer. He was still staring at the object. At the others, too. All the ones in the cardboard box. Each one, matching the other. In terms of colour. Size. Each complimenting every single other thing he possessed, in one way or another. He'd never realised how much he-
"Hey Bakubro?" Kirishima's voice interrupted. Bakugou cursed internally, as he recognised the tone of uncertainty in his voice.
"Haah?!" He responded. On instinct.
"...You coming?" Kirishima asked. That hopeful tone- on the frays of his voice, once more. Katsuki paused.
"Nah." He replied. Voice even, as he looked back at an All Might figurine. Sitting, in a box, with countless other nicknacks like him.
"Nah" He repeated. Sitting in a nearly barren dorm room. With two cardboard boxes, unpacked. "It sounds fucking dumb." He said, loudly. As All Might stared back at him.
"You sure?"
A figurine of the hero in his prime. Of the man, long before he'd met Katsuki. Before he'd even been born, probably.
Your fault.
"Yeah." Bakugou swallowed. "Don't give a shit, and I'm fucking tired. I'm going to bed."
"Oh!" Kirishima made a sound of suprise. "Oh- well... Okay man! hahaa," he laughed nervously through the door. Bakugou felt the curling feeling in his chest again. "Well, I'll uh, catch you later man. Sleep well!" The red head called through the door. Overly cheerfully.
"Fucking obviously. I do everything well, moron." Bakugou retorted. Keeping his voice gruff. Looking at the All Might trinkets in the box. How messily he'd packed them.
"haha, I know man," Kirishima's voice responded warmly. Through a door with no posters on it. Because those were all in the other box. "I'll see you tomorrow. Gnight!" He called. Voice becoming fainter- as footsteps began to walk away, down the corridor.
"...Night." Bakugou said back. Not loud enough to be heard, from where Kirishima had gotten to. His voice still seeming to bounce off the bare walls of the dorm room. A room that was startlingly empty, when it wasn't filled to brim with all things All Might.
Your fault.
...And soon enough, the footsteps were gone. To late on, be replaced with chatter, of 1A. Oggling at each and ever room, with gasps and whoops- and snarky comments. Each reaction more excited than the last. Hours later, the particularly indignant sounds coming from what sounded like the common room, indicated that the winner must have been announced. The 1A Room King.
...Bakugou didn't find out who it was. He didn't find out what the different rooms even looked like. He could only hear. As he hid the cardboard boxes under his bed. And didn't go to sleep.
