Chapter Text
victory.
Katsuki Bakugo wondered how it happened.
All his life, he’d prioritized victory. Winning was the mark of a true hero to him. Anything that prevented him from achieving it was considered an obstacle. Gotta crush any extras that come my way, he’d often thought growing up.
Everything changed when Bakugo was accepted into U.A. Most of the girls in class A were different from the ones he’d known in middle school. Racoon Eyes— he thought he heard someone say her name was Mina Ashido— was bubbly and loud, so he’d instantly marked her as a source of annoyance. He sat with his arms crossed, feet resting on the edge of his desk. Deku was busy trying to talk to Round Face, who he thought was named Uraraka. The nerd’s failure to talk to the girl without any success made him snort. Finding most of the conversation swarming the room to be dull, he got up, ignoring the musings of the girl with the earphone jacks. He sneered right back at her. Jirou flipped him off and he’d just about been ready to snap at her.
At least until he noticed the girl with the green hair studying Round Face. Frog Girl had a long finger pressed to her chin as she chatted with Deku and Round Face. The sight of her paralyzed him, his breaths coming out in short puffs. Quirks like hers were rare sights nowadays. He sneered, reminding himself of what he was going to do. Deku’s green eyes slid from Round Face to him, throat bobbing as he lifted a hand meekly.
“Ah, Kacchan,” Deku said. “I didn’t know you were, uh...in this class too.”
“Of course I am, you stupid nerd! Why the hell wouldn’t I be? You looking down on me?”
Round Face eyed him. “Is this the guy you were telling me about? He seems...loud. Hi, I’m Ochako Uraraka. It’s nice to meet you. I bet your quirk is real explosive! Just like your hair and...demeanor.”
“Uraraka,” Frog Girl said. “Don’t goad him.”
“Sorry, Asui. I just figured I’d poke fun at him.”
“Call me Tsu, Uraraka. And really, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
Round Face frowned soon after, eyeing Deku for a moment before looking thoughtful. She seemed to figure out something he hadn’t. Bakugo sneered.
“What the hell’s your problem, Round Face?” he shouted. “First you make assumptions about my quirk, now you’re acting all smug and shit. It’s fucking annoying! What’s with all you extras acting all high and mighty? I’m the one who will surpass All Might.”
“Kacchan…” Deku said. “I...I think it’s good that we’re in the same class. I...I’m gonna show you I have what it takes to be a good hero, too.”
A spark ignited above his palm, puffing out in the form of a small explosion. Deku squeaked, growing pale almost instantly. He felt the eyes of Frog Girl on him.
“You’re afraid of him,” she guessed. “You don’t want to look inferior.”
Frog Girl croaked, lowering her finger. Bakugou turned to face her, hand trembling. What did this girl just say? He had half a mind to yell at her, but the door opened and a man wrapped in a yellow sleeping bag bounced into the room, joined by Tenya Iida, who looked right at him with a frown. Bakugou returned the look, anger bubbling within his chest. He huffed, glaring at Asui before stomping across the room to take his seat, kicking Earphone Jack’s chair when she had the audacity to whisper a snarky remark to Raccoon Eyes and Invisible Girl.
“Fuck off,” he snapped.
“Jirou,” Raccoon Eyes said. “Ignore him.”
“Wow,” Blonde Boy said. “First day of class, and this dude’s already showing us his awful personality.”
“Kaminari,” Mineta said. “That dude’s scary. But I bet he scores all the chicks.”
“Think so? Hmm, he may be competition. This class is full of hot chicks, after all.”
Jirou turned to face Kaminari, lips upturned into a smirk. “Pretty classy, Jammingwhey, talking about us when we’re in the exact same room.”
"Ah, Jirou! I..."
“Enough,” the man in the sleeping bag said. “I am Shouta Aizawa. I will be your teacher. Welcome to class A. We’ll jump right into it. Get changed and meet me outside. It’s time to test your quirks. I’ll fail you if you don’t show promise.”
Bakugo perked up at that. At least he would get to show off and look better than shitty Deku in the process.
He stole a glance at Asui, who was busy chatting with Uraraka about shit he couldn’t hear from where he was.
Tsu, huh… tch.
~~~~~~~~
“Hey, man,” Red Hair said. “Your quirk’s so dang manly! I’m Kirishima. My quirk’s pretty plain compared to yours. Say, I heard there’s a sports festival later in the year. We should totally be partners. I’m Kirishima. I already know who you are. Nice to meet you.”
Bakugo swung his backpack over his shoulder, glaring at Kirishima. The sun was orange-red scar amidst the sky, bleeding its light into the classroom. Many of their classmates had left to head home already, save for himself and Kirishima.
“Your quirk’s not bad. You just have to train it.”
Kirishima gave a bawdy laugh. “Man, if it was that easy, wouldn’t we all be pro heroes already? I’ll never be able to compete with a flashy quirk like yours or Midoriya’s or Todoroki’s.”
“Half and half isn’t that impressive. I could beat him.”
“Hey, man. It’s not a competition. Anyway, I’m headin’ on home. Wanna walk to the train station together?”
Bakugo considered it. “Will you annoy me the entire way there?”
Kirishima snorted. “Not unless you want me to. Man, all our classmates are super tough! Todoroki’s able to shoot ice and fire. Yaoyorozu is real smart. Midoriya was pretty impressive too. He—”
“That was just a fluke,” Bakugo snapped.
“Whatever you say, man.”
Kirishima shrugged a shoulder, holding the door for him. They left the classroom behind, entering a long hallway devoid of any students. Kirishima prattled on about things he barely paid attention to. All he could think about was Asui. She had stood up to him with extreme calmness, not an ounce of fear present in her tone or expression. For some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to want to smash her face in. The humiliation he’d faced at the hands of Asui had not served as something he wanted to hold against her. From what he gathered in the quirk test, Asui was blunt, calm, and always remained composed.
Breaking her composure was something he could get behind. He wondered what would happen if he pushed her to her breaking point. Would he win her over?
Heroes always win.
Bakugo swallowed.
His chest felt tight, and his cheeks were flushed with an unbearable heat. It was different from what he usually experienced, something he was not accustomed to.
Did he want Tsuyu Asui?