**A Dose of Honesty**

"I don't think so," I pronounce the words very carefully; my three-year-old tongue still has troubles sometimes. "If he wants to be a hero, he should reassure people as he saves them. And being strong does not justify being mean. I think at the moment he is-" Midoriya looks over my shoulder and pales, and I can guess what he just saw, but it's too late to stop the words rolling out from my mouth. "- a mean, rude and very unlikable boy." I hear the loudest snarl from behind me, and turn, blinking innocently. "Oh," I immediately bow, "Hello, Bakugou-chan." "Don't 'hello' me!" He shrieks. "You were just badmouthing me behind my back!" "I wouldn't put it like this," I ponder. "You were the one behind me, so instead you could say, for example, that I was badmouthing you in front of your chest. Clarity is very important Bakugou-chan-" He screams his characteristic: "DIE!", and lunges at me again. My eyes widen in surprise, but I stand my ground, even as my heart starts racing. I've had enough of Bakugou's outbursts, and I'm not going to back down. I throw my fists up, and we collide in a flurry of punches and kicks. As we fight, I find myself laughing uncontrollably. There's just something about Bakugou's expression, his snarl and his fury, that's so comical. He throws himself at me with such abandon, and I'm overwhelmed by the hilarity of the situation. Bakugou seems to sense my distraction, and he takes advantage of it. He lands a solid punch to my stomach, and I double over, gasping for breath. I try to defend myself, but he's too strong, too fast. He pins me to the ground, his knee pressed into my chest. As I struggle to catch my breath, I notice a big scratch on my knee, and my arms ache from the punches. I look up at Bakugou, who's still snarling at me, his face red with rage. I smile up at him, still chuckling. "You know, Bakugou-chan, you're really not very good at this whole 'intimidation' thing." He glares at me, his eyes flashing with anger. For a moment, I think he's going to hit me again, but then he seems to think better of it. He scrambles to his feet, and storms off, leaving me to pick myself up. Midoriya rushes over to me, concern etched on his face. "Are you okay? That was quite a fight!" I grin up at him, still feeling a bit dazed. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit...scratched up." Midoriya helps me to my feet, and we walk back to my house, the tension between us palpable. I glance over at him, and see that he's still looking worried. "Hey, Midoriya?" I say, as we walk. "Yeah?" "Do you really think it's worth it? Being friends with someone like Bakugou?" Midoriya looks at me, his eyes searching. "I...I don't know," he says finally. "But I think he's not all bad. He's just...complicated." I nod, understanding. Maybe Midoriya's right. Maybe Bakugou is complicated, and maybe he's not all bad. But as I look back at the spot where we fought, I know that I'm not going to let him push me around again. Not without a fight.