Chapter Text
They say rage burns hot like a fire in the pit of your stomach, making your blood boil and your fists clench. That you feel ready to explode like a dormant volcano finally letting go and scream until your voice goes hoarse despite your better nature, but sometimes anger is cold.
Sometimes your yelling is in your mind, and you feel an empty hollowness in your heart like ice. You're quiet and calm, emotions pushed down deep where they can never be seen, and no one really knows which kind of anger is worse. The wild, careless, boiled-over-and-seeing-red kind of madness, or the peaceful and disappointed kind of fury. Perhaps both are enough to spark fear, but the polar opposites - if ever to come together as one - would be the definition of terror.
Bakugou Katsuki was well known for his burning hot anger, well accompanied by his rather explosive tendencies that somehow suited him. It was hard to imagine a calm Bakugo; one who smiled innocently and spoke nothing but sweet words. In fact, it might just be even more horrifying than any expression of rage. And yet, the idea was intoxicatingly interesting.
Bakugou boiled with ease over minimal interferences in his daily life, but nothing enraged him more than his childhood friend - who was now something like a rival for the teen. Much to the other's displeasure, as he wasn't one for fighting. At least that was until his relationship with Bakugo took a turn for the worse.
Classifying the two as "friends" was like characterizing a cat and mouse relationship under the pretense of kindness regardless of the brutal murder it entailed. Midoriya was something more along the lines of prey; a simple victim to the system of survival of the fittest, but he managed to hold his own when it really counted.
Although, their number of fights slowly decreased once they reached eleventh grade, too busy with their own lives and keeping up with their studies to be bothered by the other's presence in their lives. In some sense of the word, it was better for them this way, rarely at each other's throats and hurling insults.
There was quiet between them; like an unspoken truce that filled them with a sense of peace as they devoted themselves to their studies, fighting to pass. Standards were held high, and Midoriya was elected to the student council almost religiously since their freshman year. Bakugou, however, expressed no interest in devoting his time to benefiting the school as he raced to the top of his class.
Bakugou was aware that getting to the top - and staying there - was no easy feat, but he braved the struggle until he was number one like he always said he'd be. He was almost asked to join the council, but his rather violent personality would set a poor example and the suggestion was quickly shot down.
Freshman year was easier than he expected it to be, as most of it was repeating eighth grade with a little extra sprinkled in to make it interesting. The students, on the other hand, were harder to deal with. Despite his lack of desire to make friends, people flocked to his side, desperate to get on good terms with him.
The other students knew perfectly well what Bakugou was capable of; especially those he went to middle school with. Some came to him for protection, but most came to escape his wrath. Considering the extent of his harsh treatment towards Midoriya, it was a surprise he hadn't already been expelled for his behavior, but good grades and a place on the school's sports team as the best player made him rather indispensable. Despite his success, Bakugo was rather impartial to sports, and some part of him still felt unsatisfied.
Sophomore year wasn't much different, as his "friends" began to drift, only coming back when it suited them. Not that Bakugo was bothered by it - frankly he didn't care either way - but people with double standards tended to irritate him.
The schoolwork wasn't too much of a hassle, and he managed to hold his place at the top of not only the grade, but the school as well, his tests coming back screaming praises at his abilities and knowledge, but the fiery male felt not satisfaction from his continuous successes.
Placing first in school slowly began to lose its appeal, and Bakugou started skipping classes in search of something that would make high school less boring. It wasn't long before he turned to the upperclassmen, not seeking a fight or guidance, but information like a lifeline for survival. He ended up quitting the baseball team simply out of boredom as it failed to entertain him, and the drama was far too much for him to want to deal with.
Junior year was when Bakugo's grades dipped and he very nearly became a consistent party-goer. It was also the year she transferred to the school. She was the first person to ever catch his eye and intrigue him.
The first day he saw her - which happened to be nearly the last day of school - was one he'd remember. Not because of anything special occurring, but, she stood out among the crowd like a sore thumb, wearing sky-blue overalls with a large "k" patch on the chest pocket. Her shirt consisted of rainbow horizontal stripes. Her socks were white, her shoes the same sky blue as her outfit, and a small, black, leather backpack was slung over her right shoulder as she stood almost cowardly before the large crowd of students corralling into the school building, music blasting loudly through the headphones she wore to block out the world around her.
She was hesitant to make her move, but determination glistened in her bright eyes and Bakugou couldn't help but stare. It wasn't often the school received new students, let alone ones with such personality put on display; and although his school wasn't awful, they were a little too lenient with rules. So much so that Bakugo couldn't imagine why anyone would want to go there to do actual work if not having grown up in the town.
She sucked in a breath of air and braved her way through the crowd which very nearly parted for her had they cared a little more for a newbie's safety. Unfortunately for her, teens had certain tendencies to not care about other teens unless they were romantically involved in some way. Even friends would push and shove each other out of the way if they were walking a little too slow or taking up most of the hallway.
Bakugou was sat conveniently on a bench outside the school, simply watching the sea of students chat, laugh, and walk. The red-orange headphones he wore played some booming remix of "Metamorphosis" by Blue Stalhi. One of the upperclassmen he happened to talk to approached him from behind and placed a hand on his shoulder, opting for him to push the headphones down to his shoulders long enough to hear them utter just the familiar words, "we're having a party. Invite some new people."
Bakugou had been through this more times than he could count as one of the more popular teens in the group. Being well known meant being the recruiter for parties, and was asked almost every time. He heaved out a sigh and grabbed his bag, slinging it over his shoulders as he made his way into the school, music still playing through the headphones around his neck for when he'd finally be able to put them back on and shut out the world again.
The first person Bakugo approached was the school gossip; spilling the secrets of a party in hopes it would quickly circulate the school and his job would be done. He wasn't against telling people himself, but to go around and talk to the school one person at a time was a pain, and if he could avoid it, he would.
"We're holding a party," he stated plainly, not too interested in engaging in conversation any further than what he needed to say to get the news across. "Don't tell anyone," he added, to make the idea of spreading the word seem more intriguing. He knew the desire to gossip was greater than their desire to be loyal, and that by tonight, the whole school would likely be present at the upperclassmen's home.
He slowly trailed his eyes around the school hallway, turning away from the person who "promised not to share the news" as his attention was snagged by something - or rather, someone - more important than their meaningless words. His eyes landed on the new girl, who was standing at what he suspected was her locker as she tried multiple times to unlock it without giving up. The lock was probably stuck, he deducted, watching her input her numbers and tug multiple times, the lock refusing to unhinge and give way.
Bakugou very nearly laughed at her struggle, questioning why she was even trying so hard considering school lockers were practically a dead concept in high school. Almost no one used them if not for storing a blanket to use when the opportunity to sleep through study halls arose. Had Bakugo cared more for the well-being of others, he would've gone over to assist her, but instead watched as his "friend", Midoriya, approached the girl from behind, startling her as he offered her a helping hand, which she looked incredibly grateful for.
He watched as Midoriya took the paper with her lock code from her hands, glancing at it as he put the numbers in one by one before giving the lock a swift tug. When it popped open, she turned to the taller boy and smiled so sweetly, even Bakugou was a little taken aback. He couldn't say he was surprised when his childhood friend's face flushed the brightest shade of red he'd ever seen, considering he, himself, felt the faintest feeling of butterflies crowding in his stomach.
He grit back the excited feeling in his mind as he watched what would inevitably end up being another person head over heels in love with Midoriya after a simple interaction, quietly watching as she thanked him once more before the other male left her to herself. She carefully placed her books in her locker like she was more worried about ruining them than finding the best way to make use of her limited locker space.
He watched her just a moment longer before an upperclassman walking by joked that he had fallen for her, to which he replied with a fierce, "fuck you" under his breath. Despite mellowing out some over the years, Bakugo still had a sharp bite to his words and could hurl a comeback or insult that would sting for years to come in just moments. However, he rarely used such a talent.
However, the senior paid no mind to the venom dripping from his tongue and simply laughed at the annoyed reaction he received in response to his teasing. The upperclassmen tended to stray from being bothered or frightened by Bakugo's violent instincts, and the only reasonable explanation Bakugou could find was their lack of intimidation steamed from the superiority they held over him. Bakugou wasn't bothered by how he now held less power, due to how it led to more genuine-like friends. Although, at the end of the day, Bakugou was the least concerned about genuine friends; opting for a more independent lifestyle that suited him and his desires better.
Bakugou lost himself in his thoughts just a moment longer as he watched the girl across the hallway, feeling his stomach coil into knots, curiosity plaguing his mind like a ghost but something akin to fear nesting in his heart. He couldn't explain how he was feeling at the sight of her - like if he tried to speak the words would catch in his throat as if scooped up by a net, and the idea of her saying his name had his knees feeling weak and his chest feeling tight.
He took a second to bury his thoughts and feelings before walking off to his class with the only thing on his mind being the text he was to complete for his math class, reviewing the equations in his head, doing his best to forget the new girl that seemed to stick in his thoughts. Despite his best efforts, thoughts of her remained, swirling aimlessly around him throughout the rest of the school day like an intoxicating smog.
Math class was the most troubling for Bakugou, considering the new girl that wouldn't leave his brain happened to be seated before him with little to no concern for the trouble she was putting him through. She sat silently at her desk, an elbow propped up on the little table in front of her with her chin resting in her palm. Her eyes stayed fixated on something just outside the window of the classroom.
Bakugou stared at the back of her head, scowling as he tried to concentrate on the paper placed at his own desk. He ran his hands through his hair with a low growl of something akin to annoyance, doing his best to guide his thoughts to something else of greater importance, but nothing mattered enough to Bakugo to distract him.
He was thankful in some sense of the word when the bell rang to alert the students of the end of the day, picking up his bag as he slung it over one shoulder and made his way to the door. He spared a quick glance back into the classroom to catch the new girl shoving some sort of book with no words on the cover into her bag before he made his way out of the building.
He pushed through the swarms of people just standing aimlessly in front of the doors, subtly shoving people who refused to move despite their obviously faulty location so he could make his way to his car. More than anything, he was ready to be done with the day and head home to rest or surf the internet.
His car was a vibrant red 1970 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible that he received from his parents after getting his license. It was some form of flashy, and while Bakugo would rather not have a car that stood out enough to possibly be stolen, it suited him, and deep inside, part of him liked that it did. But if someone asked him, he'd say the bright red color was inconvenient and drew too much attention; not unlike the male who drove it.
Bakugou nearly jumped into his car, impatience running hot and thick like adrenaline through his veins as he raced to get home. He dug around in his back pocket for his keys, absentmindedly watching the crowd of teens chat with each other about their days in smaller groups limited to just friends, but nearly froze when his gaze landed on the new girl once again.
She stood alone, glancing down at her phone as she seemed to send off another text to who Bakugou could only assume was either her family or Midoriya while she waited for the bus. He wanted to say he didn't care about who she was texting, but as he stared, completely mesmerized by the faint hints of a smile she wore, he knew he cared a little. Only a little.
He spared her one last look before he started his car, listening to the engine turn over as the vehicle hummed to life with a purr. He carefully pulled out of the school parking lot a moment later, and drove himself home.
At around nine thirty, Bakugou arrived at his friend's house for the party where nearly the whole school managed to come together in one massive, drunken group of teens looking for a good time. It was just as he expected it to be.
He almost laughed at one kid who leaned over the porch railing; a nauseous mess attempting to hold his liquor. Bakugou casually walked past the teen he assumed must've been a sophomore thanks to almost "fresh meat" vibes he seemed to give off. It was likely his first party, all things considered.
He made his way into the kitchen, moving between juniors and seniors nearly falling over as they swayed to the sound of the music drifting in from the living room. He grabbed a red solo cup off the counter and poured himself a cocktail of alcoholic beverages he couldn't remember the names of.
The flashing party lights were almost dizzying as they filtered through the colors of the rainbow, and the speakers in the living room were blaring some music Bakugo had never heard before in his life, and frankly, it was a really awful song. He seemed to be the only one sober enough to care, so he just hoped it would end soon.
He took a sip of his mixed drink and tried to forget about the slight sting it inflicted on his throat. His eyes scanned the mass of his classmates, trying to find faces he recognized among the crowd. He wasn't concerned about who showed and who chickened out, but he was curious as to whether or not a certain person in particular decided to come.
His gaze jumped from person to person as he took another swig of his drink, searching when he finally found who he was looking for. The new girl. Dressed in a slightly over-sized, red knitted crop sweater and a pair of black leggings. Her red stud earrings to match glittered under the faint glow of the flashing lights.
From what he could see from where he stood, she was talking to someone just out of his view, and they were making her laugh. He wanted to feel anything other than the jealousy starting to intoxicate his brain, but the feeling was short-lived when she gestured to the kitchen in hopes of refilling her drink before she separated from the group.
She made her way to the kitchen, and that's when Bakugou couldn't help but grin like a mastermind who's plan finally came together. This was his chance, and he wasn't going to let it slip away.
"Hey."