Koji fits right in. The girls are all infatuated with her style; her hair, outfit, eyes...
She's a sweetheart, and gets the chance to share at least one bit of conversation with every girl. Her heart grows to see how sweet they are, how accepting they seem to be... how excited they are to see someone new roaming around their current home-

Koji finds it almost perfect how the girl she's walked into the common area for seems to be the most excited and interested in her. She's talkative and energetic, which Koji loves and finds endearing immediately, but there's one thing she spots right away.

She seems sweet. She seems innocent. She can read it, she doesn't mean any true harm.
She knows tonight is going to be easy.

"Ash! Wanna step out with me for a bit? I wanna chat!" She chirps sweetly, "girl to girl," she chuckled happily. She's delighted to have the girl agree immediately.

She loves her presence already, same thing for Ash. Then again, their personalities are extremely compatible; they're both extremely outgoing, and they get along with anyone, easily as well.

They sit outside, against the building's wall on the porch. Koji slides into the topic smoothly but slowly, in order not to upset or startle Ash.

"Are you close with everyone in the dorms?" Koji asks sweetly.
"I'd like to say so, yeah!-- Of course, there's the quiet kids... I don't talk to Shoji or Tokoyami much... Todoroki, Mineta-- he's... not even one to talk to," she rolled her eyes at the end, there, "and... some people I don't see around, often..." she mumbled, "Natsuo, I think his name is, and... Kirishima... Bakugo," it's obvious she stopped herself from rolling her eyes once again, "I don't think I'd want to talk to Bakugo anyway. He seems way too salty, all the time."

"Oh... well, Bakugo and I are actually super close," she confesses in an easy tone, "he's like my big brother..." she chuckled, "trust my word, he's really got a reason to be the way he is... sometimes he can't really help it," she claims with a light shrug, "he's been through a lot up until now..."

Her eyes widen a bit, "oh wow--! S-Sorry if I said anything offensive--?!"
"Nooo..." she chuckled, placing a soft hand on the girl's shoulder, "you're fine, I'm just saying, it's good to give everyone a second chance... especially if you don't know their backgrounds,"

She nods understandingly. "He wouldn't like me either, though."
"Oh, why do you think so? You're a pretty 'likeable' girl," she giggled, nudging her on the shoulder. She chuckles as well, but shakes her head, and falls forward, with her elbows on her knees.

"I saw something that kind of upset me..." she mumbled in a hurt tone, "he was harsh about it, too... dunno, he seemed really rude...-"
"Can I ask what happened?" She asked softly, "if I'm not intruding,"
She sighed. "I have a crush..." she mumbled, "and... we had a holiday party about a few months back. Bakugo kissed him." She paused. She seems hurt... "I don't even know if Kirishima consented to it- like, I'd be super upset if Bakugo's hurting him-- what if it made him super uncomfortable- Bakugo's always like that around him too, he gets all rude and protective over him...-- I'd really love to get closer to Kirishima, he seems like such a sweet guy, but,- Sorry if it offends you--? But-? Bakugo's so rude..." she whined.

Koji nodded slowly.

"Would you be against it, if Kirishima liked guys?"
"N-No-! Of course not-" she sighed heavily, "it's--... what, is he gay?" She asked in a heavy tone.

Koji paused a bit. She put a hand on her shoulder again, her eyes fell sweet and patient.

"It's alright, your tone's getting a bit heavy..." she comforted, "I'm here to help if anything gets a bit dark, okay? You can trust me..."
She covered her face, seeming a bit overwhelmed, but she nodded.

"I-... I just... never talked about this, it got... pent up..." she mumbled in a hurt tone.
"I understand..." she shines a soft, encouraging smile, "I'm here now," 

There's another soft, quiet pause.

"Do you... know...? Kirishima...?" Ashido asks quietly.
"I do... I met him yesterday, he's a sweet guy, huh?"
She exhaled a weak chuckle, and lowered her chin down to her arms, on her knees. "Yeah.." she exhaled quietly.
"Bakugo introduced me to him... and, if it makes you feel a bit better, I can tell you why he's always so protective of Kirishima,"
Silence responds to her suggestion.
"Bakugo had a really... really rough past... like... I had... like our friends had..." she began quietly, "not all the same, of course... Bakugo had moments of his life that genuinely scarred him... that gave him serious... PTSD..."
"He has PTSD...?-- a-and, you-?"
"He does... my past isn't... so bad, I guess you could say it was even... normal,-" she mumbled in a more taken back, hurt tone, "I wasn't accepted... at all... while I was growing up...- and.. Bakugo was the only one who did," she confessed. Ash's eyes widened a bit again... they get a bit glossy, "Bakugo protected me... all my life, y'know...? When I say he's like my big brother... I really mean it... he's... really the only family I really have..." 

She's silenced. No responses... just a pitied, broken stare.

"So... when Bakugo met Kirishima... and Kirishima accepted Bakugo... Bakugo attached himself to him.. and Kirishima accepted that too."

A small tear gets caught in her eye.

"Kirishima is like Bakugo's safe world... Kirishima's someone who keeps him calm, and understands him..."
"O-..Oh... m-my god..." she whispered out in a pitied tone.
"We all had rough pasts, but... we're slowly finding people who accept us...- so... I'm sorry if we're a bother, or.. if we hurt you guys... we're all trying to learn how to live, still.." she exhaled an awkward, hurt chuckle. "Especially Bakugo..."
"Wh-..Why didn't they accept y-you...? Back then...?" She asks in a pitied, saddened tone.

She takes a while to respond. She grows nervous... even though she's gotten over the obstacle already.

"People... tend to hate... others who are different..." Koji responded quietly. "They tend to neglect people who are different... they tend to target... people who are different..." she claimed, "and... I was... the biggest 'different person'... I was the 'strange kid who had mental problems'..." she grumbled weakly. "Because of my... pronouns... because of my sexual orientation... because of who.. I really am..."

Silence.

"They didn't accept.. my transition... because... I wasn't born who.. I know I really am... a-and, it's me now.. Koji..."

Ash spills a tear. Before Koji notices it, she's being tugged into a tight hug by the girl... And she sinks into it, she feels.. so relieved... she feels free again, like all other times she's felt after coming out.

"I- I support you...!" Ash squeals in pity, "please-...! D-Don't cry-! I-... o-oh my god, I'm s-sorry for up-..upsetting you guys--!" she whined, "I- I didn't know--!"
"You didn't-... please don't apologize..." she sniffled quietly and chuckled weakly, "you're fine, Ash..." 

'She's a sweetheart... I know she doesn't mean to hurt anyone, it's just... her personality... that Bakugo finds to be intrusive...'

They pull away from the hug, Ash wipes her tears, and Koji's as well, smiling encouragingly even despite the tears rolling down her rosy cheeks.

"D-Don't...- Don't listen to them... O-Okay-? You-.. You're a beautiful g-girl..." she chuckled weakly, wiping her tears with a gentle hand. Koji's body weakens with relief and flatter... she shines a big, heart-stealing smile. 

They settle again... tears are dried, breaths are returned... they calm down, with the help of one another. The story continues...

"Is... Is Kirishima... gay...?" Ash asks quietly.
Koji nods, confidently, too. "Bakugo and Kirishima are in a relationship..."

She seems hurt again, but understanding, as well. She nods.

"A-And it's why.. Bakugo's so protective...?"
"Right." She responds softly. "Because of his PTSD... because of everything he's gone through, because of his.. lack of experience, in general,- he's not good with people... and, some things turn on his paranoia, y'know...?" She clarifies, "he... does know you have a crush on Kirishima. And... his mind exaggerates it," 
"I-I'm so sorr--"
"You're okay..." she comforts sweetly, "if he does end up coming off as this rude guy, now you know why..." she shrugs lightly.

She nods, "I- I feel like I have to apologize..." she whispers.
"Not... apologize..." Koji clarifies gently, "just... talk to Kirishima... and let Kirishima talk to Bakugo... approaching Bakugo can be a bit risky," she claims.
"I- I will-, if... if he'd just let go of Kirishima for a second..." she sighs, "I tried talking to Kirishima once, Bakugo lashed out..."

Koji swallows thickly. She... can't.
She can't have anyone lashing out...

"I'll talk to Bakugo... and you talk to Kiri," she claims. 
"O-Okay..."

They get up, Koji helps Ash up despite her shorter height.

But Ash takes the opportunity to tug the shorter girl into her arms again, into a safe, grateful hug.

"Thank you... so much," she exhaled with a tone of gratefulness yet overwhelm, "you're such an angel..."
"Thank you, Ash... for being so understanding..." Koji responded sweetly.

●

It's still considered early for them, and their curfew hours isn't until about one or two hours.
Koji, after Ash calmly agrees to wait outside, rushes to find Bakugo and Kirishima. She finds them in the kitchen still.

"Kat!" She chirps sweetly, bopping her head into the kitchen, "Kiri, can you c'mere for a bit?"
They exchange glances quickly and get up without question. Natsuo and Kat remain chatting calmly in the kitchen as the two approach the girl.

Bakugo already doesn't look too happy. Kirishima seems a bit nervous.

"Did you talk to her?" Kirishima asks calmly.
"I did," she nods curtly, her gaze shifting up to meet Bakugo's slightly impatient, angered gaze. "And it went well," she clarifies. "I did... tell her.. it'd be good if she chatted with Kiri for a bit--"

"No." Bakugo stepped in immediately.
"Kat...- please take my word for it-? She's a really sweet girl,- she had no idea... I cleared everything up for her, she just wants to apologi--"
"She's false, I can see it in her fucking eyes-"

"Katsuki..." Kirishima's voice, quiet and controlled, calls his attention, "calm..." he cooed softly, a hand finding its way on his waist, "nice and calm..."
He huffs out a heavy sigh and his head darts off to the side. Koji puts a calming hand on his shoulder.

"She doesn't want to cause trouble,"
"I don't want. Her. Near-"
"Do you trust me?" Koji asks.

His words are choked back.

"F'Course I fucking trust you-"
"So why're you second-guessing me when I say she's sweet? And that she doesn't want any trouble, and that she didn't have a clue?"

He growls under his breath. 

"Is she outside, still?" Kirishima asks calmly, "I can go chat with her?"
"Eijiro."
"Katsuki," his voice matches one of control, "calm."
"D-.. What're you gonna talk to her about-"

"Katsuki, you really think anything's gonna happen-- I'm not into g-"
"It's her I don't fucking trust-"
"I.. really don't think she'd do anything to me,- Katsuki, it's fine..." he sighed softly.

He plants a soft kiss on his cheek and thanks Koji, from the bottom of his heart, and walks out. Koji begins to calm Bakugo down, as he'd started to get angered... bothered...

●

"Ash," he calls out, his voice calm and happy. "Wanted to see me?"

Again, it can't be helped... her heart jumps at the sight of Kirishima. She shines him a sweet smile... as excitement couldn't be put into it, not after what she's heard from Koji...

"I did..." she responds. He approaches, his smile unchanged still, as Ash can't help but to lower her head and exhale a weak chuckle, "how are you...?"
"I'm doing alright, you?"
She chuckles again, "great.. I-... I'm doing okay..." she shrugs lightly.

She falls silent, swaying back and forth lightly as she tells her heart to calm down.
Truly, now she doesn't accept it.

"I... talked to someone just now, and... I found out I... apparently scared... you and Bakugo..." she mumbles, "I... want to say I'm sorry... from the bottom of my heart, I... really don't want to upset you, o-or him... or, interrupt.. anything..."

Kirishima stares down at her with a bit of surprise staining his eyes.

"I'm sorry for.. everything you guys went through... a-and I'm sorry if I seem like a threat to Baku--"
"W-Woah woah," his voice is soft yet concerned, "hey...- it's fine- you're not a threat, you don't-... well," he sighs, "anything can seem a bit scary when it's out of context, right...?"

She nods immediately... she's experienced it herself.

"We were all in the dark here..." he comforted, "you're okay..."
"I-... I just don't want you to hate me..- I don't want any of you to hate me-"
"I don't hate you..." he chuckled softly, "I... would... just ask you one thing...?" He asks quietly.

She nods, as she looks up at him with a newly found joy.. her eyes sparkle as she's been reassured.

'He doesn't hate me... they don't hate me...'

"You... saw... Bakugo and I kiss... back at that party..." he began quietly, "please...- d-..don't spread that around... there's people who I really.. really don't want finding ou--"
"I-.. I'd never spread that around, Kirishima-"
"Okay..." he exhales a relieved sigh, "okay... thank you... thank you so much..."
"I... support you two..." she confesses, "I just wish I would've found out.. sooner... and in a less straightforward and showoff-ish way..." she claims.
"I understand..." he nods lightly. "So... we're cool?- No more misunderstandings?"
"Yeah..." she exhales a weak chuckle, "no more misunderstandings..." 

Kirishima sighs in relief, it drags a chuckle or two from the two.

"Hug it out?" He asks.

While the two share a reassuring hug, Bakugo had walked out with Koji.
And Bakugo's mind switches again... like a button had been pushed.
Something snaps inside of him... other than his control.

Koji's heart bursts to see the two hugging, as it meant something positive had come out of it... but her heart stops once Bakugo growled loudly.

"Kat-"

"Don't touch him." He growled loudly. "You've caused enough fucking problems to me-"

Kirishima pulled away immediately. Instinctively, an arm stretches out in between Bakugo and Ash.

"Katsuki," he called out calmly, "everything's fine,"
"My fucking ass-" he growled, "I see right through her bullshit--"

"I--?! I didn't do anything-?!" She screeched, "what did I do--!?"
"Calm down...-" Kirishima called already, "raising your voice only makes it worse-"
"You think it's fucking okay to be all over someone else's guy-!?"

"Kat, step down-" Koji's now frail voice traveled through hesitantly, "please- Kat-... please-"
"Katsuki, here--... calm, everything's fine,-"

He approaches with a benign posture, he tugs Bakugo into his arms... hugging him comfortingly.
Bakugo never relaxed into his arms. His eyes are glaring at the girl relentlessly, and Ash can't help but notice;

Koji looks shaken up.

"Why are you so upset,- I just wanted to apologize to him,- AND you,- I didn't do anything, you don't have to lash ou--"
"Nooo--" Koji whispered out through Ash's words.

"You haven't seen 'lashing out' until I fucking lash out," Bakugo growled, "DON'T FUCKING THINK ABOUT GETTING--"
"I WANT NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU,- AND I REALIZED WHAT I DID ALREADY, YOU CAN STOP BEING MAD NOW-"

Koji looks terrified. Her eyes are glimmering with tears and her once sweet and confident posture is now shrunken down to one of fear and hesitancy. She's begging Bakugo and Ash to stop... Kirishima is noticing too...

"I WON'T STOP BEING FUCKING ENRAGED WHEN A STUPID LITTLE BITCH IS ALL OVER MY FUCKING BOYFRIEND-"
"I'M NOT ALL OVER YOUR BOYFRIEND, IT'S MY BAD I DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT YOU, HOW WAS I--"

"Koji, are you--?"
"Eijiro let go of me, I'm slapping that whore into next fucking week--"
"Katsuki, stop it."

He finds himself worried for Koji... and, without thinking too clearly, releases of Bakugo and approaches Koji's suddenly terrified self. 

The main door opens, and Natsuo and Kat step out, looking concerned and disturbed. Kat shuts the door so those who stayed inside wouldn't be too disturbed... as if the door helped to keep all the noise outside.

"What happened now," Natsuo began, "I knew Koji calling you two over had to mean something-"
"Koji, you're shaking..." Kirishima claims quietly, "hey,- can you look up at me? What's wrong-?"
"Loud voices..- arguments, she's terrified of people raising their voices-" Kat responds in her place.

"Now you're causing more fucking trouble, you see the fuck up you're doing?" Bakugo continued, his posture and eyes, like his tone, all reading pure poison, "don't fucking stick your nose into business you don't belong to, whor--"

"Katsuki, settle the fuck down." Natsuo snapped. "Breathe, nothing's happening, you're exaggerating for no reason-"
"'No reason'?" Bakugo repeated, sounding baffled, "you're in the fucking dark here, you don't know what happened." He growled, "you have no place to talk.-"

"You ARE exaggerating-" Ash insisted.
"What happened," Natsuo questions.

"I honestly don't know--?" She responded, shrugging in an exaggerated manner, "Kirishima and I were hugging and he came out with Koji, and he got all fed up out of nowhere-"

"BECAUSE I'VE ALREADY FUCKING SAID IT BEFORE, I DON'T WANT YOU --"

Koji yelps again, and, all due to her body's instincts, she moves away and curls up more.

"Katsuki, stop yelling--" Kat warned.
"Both of you-" Kirishima pitched in, "calm down, the both of you-"

"I'll calm down once that--"

As soon as Bakugo started charging forward, Natsuo jumped in. To which, again, spiraled down to Bakugo getting more riled up.
He begins to try and shove Natsuo away, and it turns into a toxic argument of who tries to break off who's fight between Ash, Natsuo, and Bakugo.

Kirishima quickly asks of Kat to make sure Koji is okay before rushing into the escalating fight.

He steps in between Natsuo and Bakugo, while telling Ash to move away as well.
But whilst tugging Bakugo away from Natsuo, Bakugo jerks forward to try and throw a punch against Natsuo's head.

Natsuo dodges, and Bakugo's fist comes into full contact with ths one out of the two gas lanterns that lit up the porch.
The glass of the lantern shattered and the lantern collapsed to the floor. The flame that lit up the lantern spreads a bit more on the wooden floor below it...

And Bakugo freezes. Natsuo, Ash, Kirishima and Kat all cry out from shock, Koji seemed to have snapped back from the hast sound of shattering glass on the hard wood.
Everyone aside from Ash could tell what happened. Ash is only concerned for the fire getting bigger and for Bakugo's fist, in which just shattered a glass lantern.

Bakugo shuts down immediately... PTSD washes over him as his eyes remain glued to the relatively small, but increasing, flame.

Kirishima pulls him away as Natsuo begins to try and suffocate the fire... Ash rushes back inside to get water.

And everything goes wrong... Koji is disassociated because of the shouting, and Bakugo is disassociated and breaking down because of the fire.

Kirishima, for once, seriously gets concerned... this episode is clearly far worse than all others.

He's crying, and trying to get away, but his body is frozen in place. He doesn't care about his cut-up fingers, he doesn't care that he punched glass... he doesn't even remember the argument, the fight he just got into,

He doesn't remember anything... his mind is just engulfed by that flame on the ground.
He can't feel Kirishima holding onto him, he can't hear Kirishima talking to him... he can only hear and see that flame.

What Kirishima finds bizarre is how, while trying to get Bakugo to turn away or to move away, Bakugo insists on staring at it.
And the more he stares at it, the more his crying increases.

"Katsuki- Kaaatsukiii...-! Katsuki, baby-... move away, you're gonna get hurt-..."

He had to make Bakugo walk backwards, with his bizarrely frozen, stiffened up legs and body, as he reassured him that the fire was under control.
He got him next to Koji, at last, a few safe feet out of the porch and on the grass. Koji's now relatively calm self pitches in to try and ground Bakugo again...

Nothing is working.

They get him to start talking, though... only after about four minutes of his quiet whimpers and cries...

Their hearts break when they slowly begin to decipher "wasn't my fault" through the whimpers and crying.

Kirishima tugs his trembling body in for a tight hug... Koji joins as well.

Once the fire was put out,- having left little to no damage simply on the widened porch's floor,- Ash slowly approaches with a first-aid kit. She looks horribly guilty... her eyes are glossy again.

"I-..Is he okay...?" She asks quietly. She's bracing herself for a harsh response from Kirishima, or even Koji or Kat...
But Kirishima turns as best as he could while hugging Bakugo still, and... his eyes lit up to the sight of someone who wants to help.

"He'll be okay..." he responds, his gaze dipping down to the first-aid kit.
"I-... f-for his fist, I... he punched glass...- I was just... shocked, and got this for...-"

Her words are interrupted by Bakugo's increased crying. Koji's reassurance increased in volume as well... and Kat joined.

"Thank you-... great help," Kirishima reassured, "could you do one more fav--?"
"Y-Yes-!"
"Water... he needs water, as cold as you could get, could you do that--?"

She nods and rushes off... Bakugo is given Kirishima's attention again.

●

The shock faded only late into the night. Kirishima was woken up by Bakugo's quiet crying... he hadn't realized he was shaking beside him until he hears the soft hiccups of Bakugo's crying.

He sat up slowly, a heart already stinging solely because Bakugo is upset... and grabs onto his shoulder. Bakugo's back is turned to him, like it has been ever since Bakugo laid on the bed.

"Katsuki...?"

As no responses were given, Kirishima turned on his phones flashlight and left it on the bedside drawer, he pulled himself up more and tried to turn Bakugo to face him.

"Babe...- why are you crying... look at me," he whispered softly.
Bakugo curled up more, his hands covered his face as his whines got a bit louder. It sounds so painfully genuine...

Kirishima is surprised that Bakugo hasn't jumped into his arms yet.
He's surprised that Bakugo is just... laid there, clearly hurting and crying, yet trying to deal it on his own.

His heart breaks once again... what once used to be chanted as "wasn't my fault" by Bakugo, is now "I didn't mean it".
Kirishima pulled him up anyways... Bakugo slowly curled up into his arms, crying in genuine pain as he tried to chase after that comfort against Kirishima's chest.

"Katsuki..." he whispered softly, "everything's okay..."
"Wh-wh..y... a-am.. I... l-li..k-ke... th..this..." he whimpered, "I.. d-..di..dn't... me..mean... it..."

And he stuck to those same two phrases throughout the crying... trembling so weakly in his arms as he picked himself up more by the second,-
Until he finally changed his broken record... to; "I m-..iss... m-my.. p-..aren...ts..."

And Kirishima breaks into tears as well.
What was once simple holding turned into a tight embrace, a shielding, protective embrace...

"It wasn't your fault, Katsuki..." Kirishima reassured in a heavy, tear-weighed tone, "they're... they're in a better place,-"
And a loud whimper, a long, drawn out, trembling whine is exhaled by Bakugo... his hands clutched onto Kirishima tighter than before.

It's tedious... Bakugo is so frail, any wrong words breaks him down as well. It takes hours... but eventually, Bakugo accepts the reassurance... the comfort...

He admitted to exaggerating earlier today.
And, sure, it was said to Kirishima and not towards who it should have been directed towards, but he apologized... he genuinely apologized. Kirishima understands that Bakugo won't be able to approach Natsuo and Ash to apologize himself, but still, he accepts it. At least he knows Bakugo is sorry.

Again, he knows that it can't be helped.

But surely... he goes back to bed with a heavy heart, and mind...
Bakugo's trauma is something he'll never take lightly... and it's something he'll never forget...
It's something he'll always help Bakugo with...
He'll make sure Bakugo knows that it's okay to speak out his fears.. if it's the last thing he does.

●