Chapter Text
It was the muscle pains that should have tipped Katsuki off that something was seriously wrong.
Sure, he may have been a little bit of a try-hard when it came to sparring with the other kids in his Jujitsu class, but they were all just weak losers who couldn't keep up with his strikes. When he felt the soreness in his arms like shockwaves, he just figured it was from a hard day of pummeling dorks into the mats.
But that night as he lay in bed, he felt odd. He'd have to have at least three whiteboards and half an hour of someone's time to explain the uneasiness that was settled in his gut. He felt his heart thump a little more violently than it should, his throat a little tighter than normal, his being a little more anxious than usual. But the thing that tipped him off the most was the sweat.
He was sweating a lot. He didn't feel overheated, he didn't feel tired, exhausted, anything. But his hands felt unnaturally clammy and his shirt smelled like a candied apple shop for some ungodly reason.
He stared up at the ceiling in the darkness. He could barely see the ridges that scattered the top from the moonlight that barely made its way in his room.
Maybe if that damn fly didn't scare him so much, he'd be fine.
A buzzing made him almost jump out of his skin. He instinctively clapped his hands in the area to kill the pest. What he expected was to just wipe the fly guts on the side of his shorts afterward.
What he didn't expect was a small explosion to ring in his ear.
He gasped and slammed his head on the ground below as he fell off the bed. As his head ached, he held his breath, searching desperately for an explanation.
The only confirmation that he had heard an explosion of some sort was the small ringing in his right ear and the faint smell of smoke. The wildcard of the sickly sweet smell that radiated around him only set him farther into confusion.
Katsuki took a couple of deep breaths, trying to figure out exactly what the hell was happening. Luckily, as a teenage boy in his last year of junior high, he wasn't completely in the dark when it came to explosions. He had gone through a demolition phase, all he needed to do was think.
An explosion had just gone off next to his ear right when he smacked a fly. There was no way his hands were hot enough to create that explosion, right? Also, what would even ignite? He looked down at his hands. All good experiments must be able to be repeated.
He hesitantly held his hands in front of him, thinking hard about the explosion. He held his breath as he brought his hands apart, only to slam them back together. His hands flung apart a little from the bright combustion that erupted from between them, making Katsuki's heart stop completely. That one was most definitely bigger than the last.
Was it because he was focused? Stronger? Aware? All he knew was the smokey smell was more prevalent in his small room. He stared down at his hands, the last of the smoke fading away into the air.
He didn't go anywhere with sweets or sugar. He didn't start smelling this since a couple of hours ago. Now, he was creating explosions every time his hands clapped together. In his destructive teenage mind, not much was making sense. But it seemed like the more he got panicked and worked up, the more he sweat. That would seem pretty normal in Katsuki's eyes if the sugary scent didn't increase with the amount he sweat. Not to mention the explosion only seemed to get bigger now that he was sweating more.
He was running out of options. And the ones he was left with were the ones that scared him the most. Because there were only so many explosive compounds that smelled like caramel.
He was dreaming. That had to be it. There was no fucking way he was sweating out nitroglycerin and somehow igniting it. No way. Impossible.
He held out a hand in front of him. He watched as tiny little explosions burst and popped from his hand. Like a mini firework display all for him.
His show was short-lived as the door busted open. A larger explosion went off as he shoved his hands in his pockets. His mother stood in the doorway, pissed, and looking for a fight.
"Katsuki," she growled. "Are you setting off firecrackers at this goddamn hour?!"
"No," Katsuki pathetically snapped back. Mitsuki walked in and turned on the lights, looking around.
"Why the hell does it smell like smoke and sugar in here?!" She yelled while looking for anything to confirm her theory.
"I don't know!" Katsuki yelled in return. Mitsuki forced Katsuki's hands out of his pockets.
"Flip our your damn pockets!" She demanded. He did so, revealing no firecrackers, no lighters, no soot. Finding nothing, she growled.
"Whatever you're doing, fucking stop," she demanded. "It's midnight and I don't wanna hear that shit!"
"Fine! Just get out!" Katsuki yelled back. She slammed the door in a huff, leaving Katsuki to stand alone in his room, confused and maybe a little scared.
Nitroglycerin. That was the only thing that made even the tiniest bit of sense. The scent, the ability to combust, everything. How it was combusting he has no idea, or even how he was sweating it out. But he knew that whatever was going on, he may be royally fucked if it didn't stop.
He watched Izuku sit there with his journal in class, being all stupid. He wanted to get up and punch him just for looking annoying. But Katsuki knew in the back of his mind he was only extra focused on Izuku because he didn't want to even think about what happened last night.
He didn't want to think about how he still smelled like caramel. He didn't want to think about how his heart was pounding out of his chest at the thought that he could potentially just combust at any given moment. He didn't want to think about how something was seriously wrong.
"Hey Bakugou, you good?" Tsubasa asked. Katsuki's heart nearly leaped out of his chest. He could've sworn he hears a small 'pop' from his hand, but nobody said a word. "You kinda spaced out there for a second."
"Yeah? This class is fucking boring, of course I'm not paying attention," Katsuki spat in return. Tsubasa laughed a little as Katsuki rolled his eyes. The sweat on his palms seemed to only grow by the second. He subtly wiped his palms on his uniform as Tsubasa and the other chumps who hung around him laughed together.
"Hey, what's that smell?" Tsubasa asked.
"Eh?"
"That smell. Bakugou, you smell like a girl's perfume. Are you getting with a girl and not telling us?" One of them asked.
"The fuck?" Katsuki asked. "No, I don't have fucking time for that shit."
"Than why do you smell sweet?" One of them teased.
"Why are you fucking smelling me?!" Katsuki snapped. "Take another step closer and I'll beat your ass!"
The other guys laughed at Katsuki's sudden defensive nature. He had half a mind to flat out pummel one of them right then, but he just wanted to drop it before something irreversible occurred. He clenched his fist as the bell dismissed them. Without a word, he stood up and began walking to lunch.
"Oi Bakugou, you didn't answer our question!" One of them called out. "Which girl is getting their perfume all over your uniform, huh?"
"Fuck. Off. There's no fucking girl and there's no fucking perfume," Katsuki snapped. His knuckles were turning white and shaking with anticipation. His jaw was wired shut as it ached from all the pressure he was pressing into it. The corners of his vision were going black from fury or fear, Katsuki honestly couldn't tell which. His heart was slamming against his rib cage and he hoped they'd stop.
"No girl, huh? I didn't know you were into bo—"
Katsuki whipped around to shove whichever one of those extras dared to push him over the edge. His palms slammed onto their shoulders to give a hard shove, only for a 'boom' and two explosions the size of firecrackers to propel him into a desk. Katsuki's eyes went wide as his head slammed against the corner and he went out cold.
Everyone remaining went dead silent as they gawked at Katsuki. The smoke hissed from his palms as he breathed rather heavily, looking at what he had done.
"What the fuck was that?!"
"Bakugou do you have firecrackers?!"
"How the hell did you do that?!"
"Holy shit, he's bleeding!"
"Someone get the nurse!"
"What's wrong with you?!"
Katsuki stood dead still as he looked down at his palms in terror. He opened his mouth to say something, anything. But he couldn't make a single sound.
"Kacchan," Katsuki heard. He turned to see Izuku staring at him, dumbfounded. "Why would you do that? What did you do?"
Katsuki stared at that stupid fucking nerd for God knows how long. Nothing was able to escape his lips. What the hell was he supposed to say? That he suddenly sweated nitroglycerin and could ignite it on command except it really wasn't on command because sometimes it just blows up when it felt like it? Katsuki would rather be the nerd's personal assistant than admit this freakish ability he somehow acquired.
"Shut the fuck up, Deku," Katsuki growled. He couldn't stand the sight of everyone staring at his any longer. Katsuki headed for the door. He didn't get too far before something hit the back of his head.
"Oi Bakugou!" Tsubasa shouted. "What the hell dude? What kind of pussy just does something like that and walks away? He needs help! Or at least face the consequences, coward."
"Shut the fuck up," Katsuki growled. "You don't know shit."
"Oh, so you're just a freak?"
"I said shut up!" Katsuki yelled. He slammed his fist on the table, exploding most of the top clean off. Everyone stared at him with their jaws open. They must have seen the look on Katsuki's face because suddenly they were just as horrified as he was.
Either that or they saw the face of the principal and the nurse behind him.
"Bakugou, you need to come with me immediately," the principal said. The nurse walked right past them and tended to the kid who was just regaining consciousness. Katsuki shook his head.
"No... you don't understand," Katsuki said. "I... I don't know what's happening."
"Snap bangs and any other explosive is strictly prohibited," the principal said, reaching for Katsuki's wrist.
"Sir, the explosions are coming from his hand," Tsubasa said in disbelief.
"Very funny. Bakugou, come with me," the principal repeated. He gripped Katsuki's wrist, sending off a wave of adrenaline Katsuki didn't even know that he had.
"Let me go, dammit!" Katsuki yelled. A small explosion loosened the principal's grip, making it easy for Katsuki to yank his arm away. The small explosions popped and crackled in his open palms. His breathing was heavy as his entire being went haywire with panic. The principal looked horrified as he stared at Katsuki's exploding palms.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" The principal whispered. He pulled out his phone, dialing a three-digit number. Katsuki's stomach dropped as he put the phone to his ear. "This is the principal of Aldera Junior High. We have a student who is creating explosions from his palms. It's some ungodly power, not fireworks. Please come quick."
The second Katsuki saw an opening, he shoved past the principal. He heard yelling as he moved past. The few kids that hadn't made it to lunch stared as Katsuki sprinted through the halls. Not long after, the PA system came on, revealing Katsuki's dirty hands.
'Students and staff, we are going into an informal lockdown. We are looking for Bakugou Katsuki. If you see him, report to a staff member immediately and do not engage.'
A criminal. Katsuki was being treated like a criminal. He slammed into the boy's bathroom and locked himself in a stall. He began catching his breath as he listened avidly for anyone else. Nobody else could be heard. He was alone. He was trapped. He hesitantly unlocked the stall and looked at the window. A three-story drop, not exactly ideal. Walking back into the halls was a prison sentence.
He paced back and forth, thinking. He couldn't go to prison. He didn't do anything wrong! He was just... fucked up right now for some reason. He didn't mean to hurt that kid. How the hell was he supposed to know he'd explode him and send him headfirst into a desk?!
The door opened softly and Katsuki booked it to a stall. After a couple of seconds, the soft squeak of sneakers filled the bathroom. "Kacchan?" A soft voice asked. Katsuki couldn't suppress his growl in time. "Please come out. What's happening?"
Katsuki stormed out of the stall and grabbed Izuku by the shirt. "What the fuck are you doing here?!" Katsuki screamed. "Didn't ya hear the announcement?! Or are you too fucking stupid to hear what they said?!"
"I don't know what's happening, but I thought maybe I could help," Izuku defended with a shaky voice. The grip on his uniform shirt tightened as smoke rose from his hands.
"Do you think I need your fucking help, Deku?!" Katsuki yelled. This was good. Katsuki was in control again. He wasn't falling victim to some freaky phenomenon. He was in control. He was in control. He was in control. Izuku was cowering under him and he was in control. Maybe if he told himself that enough times it would be fucking true. Izuku opened his mouth to say something, only for the door to slam open, multiple guns pointed at Katsuki.
All the officers yelled at Katsuki as he tried his hardest to appear calm. After a lot of yelling, Katsuki let go of Izuku's shirt and held his hands behind his head. The police officers shoved him to the ground and slammed his head against the cold tile floor of the bathroom. Cold metal hugged his wrists as they dragged him up with force.
Katsuki felt the buzz of the explosion on his palms as he was dragged out school building. All eyes were on him as he was lugged out by about six bastards in uniform. One wrong step and he was hit in the head.
They didn't listen to his desperate cries to just be listened to. They all had a death grip on him as he felt sweat rolling down his forehead. He could hear a couple of words thrown out here and there through his panicked mindset.
'Dangerous'
'Feral'
'Power'
'Insane'
'Psycho'
'Mutant'
'Freak'