Chapter Text
The catalyst that started it all was his Quirk.
Katsuki knew that he should've noticed that something was wrong.
When his Quirk finally manifested, he'd been at preschool with the other kids.
If there was one thing Katsuki hated more than being left behind when his mom went to her modelling gigs, it was being forced to remain in a room with loud, ignorant and, most of the time, crying kids. The same kids who couldn't seem to think for themselves and blindly repeated what their birth givers had spoon-fed them about Katsuki's mom.
That day had not been different when someone made fun of him about it.
He remembered the prickling annoyance, not bothered by the actual words but the audacity of the brat to lord it over him.
So Deku's surprised, "K-Kacchan, your hands!" didn't really register until he felt the heat and saw the terrified look of the brat who'd been bothering him a second ago.
His stare shifting down, his eyes widened at the shine of blue sparks.
His palms glistened with sweat while blue light danced across it and ignited in a cluster of what sounded like tiny blasts. He remembered going to last year's summer festival with his mom and if Katsuki had to describe what he was seeing, it was like holding a miniature mass of fireworks similar to what he saw back then.
The moment the whole class had caught on to what was going on, they dissolved into murmurs of surprise and awe. It wasn't until one of their teachers remarked that he had a flashy Quirk that would make a great hero that it finally sunk in what he was dealing with.
He'd closely guarded that joy close to his chest as he walked back home, allowing Deku's chattering beside him.
The first thing he did upon entering the house, obviously, was to tell and show his mom.
Katsuki had been anticipating for her to feel the same rush of excitement he did because she had always known that he wanted to be a hero.
However, when her eyes landed on the sparks, the flashing blue flickers across his palm, the blood seemed to drain from her face as the plate she'd been drying fell from her trembling hands. Katsuki flinched as the plate shattered upon impact on the floor.
"Mom?" He recalled how hesitant he'd been, enthusiasm dulled and replaced with dread.
"We're going to a doctor," Mitsuki had avoided his gaze as she bustled around, leaving the shards on the floor. "I'm going to get my coat–"
When Katsuki had been asked to demonstrate his Quirk to the doctor, he staggered back when the blue sparks became bigger, actual explosions.
His mom had surged to her feet and cursed up a storm beside him in shock while Dr. Kitagiri waved off the staff that had rushed to the doorway in alarm.
The doctor had taken a sample of the glistening sweat from his hands, his vitals, and he'd been asked pointed questions that made him second guess his Quirk.
Initially, he'd just chucked it off to simple explosions. However, he was informed that he was basically sweating nitroglycerin, a sensitive explosive liquid, and his skin was thicker, possibly heat-resistant, to accommodate the explosions and the build-up sweat.
"Due to the nitroglycerin in his system, his blood pressure is dangerously lower than average for a kid his age. We'll have to check further how his body is adjusting to this so this Quirk won't accidentally kill him." Dr. Kitagiri spoke slowly, eyes fixated on her clipboard. "Another trait attributed to it is his body's temperature which is higher than I'm comfortable with but I can guess it's due to the other aspect of this Quirk."
"Other aspect? What the hell does that mean? Are you saying my son has two Quirks?" His mom's leg was bouncing which was the only sign that gave away her agitation.
"Not quite," The doctor was quick to answer. "In order to set off the explosions, Katsuki-kun could, if my initial analysis is correct, heat the nitroglycerin to set it off while his high body temperature ensures the production of sweat. Bakugou-san, is his father's Quirk related to fire production somehow?"
Katsuki felt himself step closer to his mom as the question struck them both.
Curious but knowing better than to bring it up to his mom himself.
"…yes–" His mom took a quick steadying breath. "Yes, it is."
"I see," Dr. Kitagiri merely said, writing on her clipboard.
oOo
Before, it had always been Katsuki and his mom. The only times that he remembered seeing his father back then could be counted on one hand. Even then, his mom didn't outright tell him that the towering giant of a man who only showed himself twice a year at most was his father.
Katsuki had a lot of questions. The only thing that stopped him was–
His mom didn't like this man, often quiet and guarded with an unreadable emotion. There was always some kind of tension that seeped into their small home whenever the man came.
Often times, it was just the man asking him questions.
About his mom, about their neighborhood, about Katsuki. Never sharing about why he was there or anything about himself. Not even his name.
It always made him uneasy because it always felt like his worth was being judged. The way those adults and kids at the neighborhood did.
He wasn't deaf by any means, especially to the gossip surrounding his mom and how he was supposedly conceived.
"Who is he anyway?" He remembered grouching.
"Huh," His mom had then looked amused and proceeded to stonewall all his badgering.
Katsuki hated it.
The obvious course of action to him was to get rid of the bastard once and for all but it had, predictably, devolved into a shouting match between mother and son. He couldn't even recall what the fight had evolved into. All he could remember was extreme confusion and flinging all the accusations because his mom was being an unreasonable old hag by repetitively responding that it wasn't his business.
"I'll tell you soon, kid." Mitsuki finally sighed in exasperation, having grown tired of the argument.
oOo
"Katsuki, go to your room." His mom's tone made it clear that she wouldn't tolerate any backtalk from him.
He frowned at the oddity of the situation, still seated on the floor in front of the television. Mitsuki had never sent him away whenever that man appeared in their house. He didn't understand what changed. In fact, this was his home, right? This man didn't belong here, just kept showing up like one of those stray dogs lingering in the park.
So, why was it that he was the one being forced out of his own place?
The thought made the annoyance and confusion surge back with a vengeance.
With that, he felt a scowl forming on his face as he stared up at the man defiantly which was met by a darkening gaze.
"Boy–"
"Katsuki!" He jerked when she slammed her hand on the table. "I said go to your fucking room!"
He bit his tongue to keep himself from arguing with her. He could always tell when he could and could not push it. This was one of those situations.
He could feel the sweat gathering in his palms as he tried to force down his irritation. Not wanting to be told for a third time, he slowly stood up and tried to walk around the man to the staircase. His eyes strayed to his mom whose nails were digging onto the wooden table, her stare firmly set on the other adult in the house.
Focused as he was on Mitsuki, Katsuki failed to notice when the man stared after him contemplatively.
It wasn't until he felt a hand roughly grasping his shoulder that Katsuki felt the sweat in his palms ignite with his sour mood.
By then, when the explosion of blue heat clouded his sight for a nerve-wracking second, it was already too late. His eyes connected with the man's through the leftover blue wisps of dissipating embers as the smell of burnt sugar filled the living room. His ears were still ringing from the small blast and he belatedly realized that he still had his hands outstretched which were sparking to match his agitation.
He suddenly felt that familiar flash of anxiety in the pit of his stomach, the same one he felt two weeks ago that evening back at Musutafu General Ward.
His Quirk was still so new, often powered by his temperamental state, and he'd already gotten berated by his mom hundreds of times in those two weeks for blowing up dishes, the bathroom sink, Deku's All Might action figure–
Still, he was already bracing for the anger from the unknown bastard, already gearing up to fight back–
"You really are my son." The man slowly smiled.
Katsuki's entire world abruptly shifted.
oOo
Endeavor. Pro-Hero. Number Two. He still didn't know what to think, so he stuffed that knowledge far back into his mind.
oOo
When the bastard came back the following week after that and the week after, Katsuki didn't exactly know how to deal with the sudden change in routine.
At first, he grudgingly allowed it only for the sole reason that the man had started actively teaching what he could about controlling Katsuki's Quirk.
He taught him how to hone his awareness for changes in temperature, how to gauge the power of his explosions and how to brace his stance when he set off the nitroglycerin. It made his mom upset for some reason, he could tell. Though, he wanted to snap that it wasn't like he really had a choice since no one was going to teach him these things.
While he had that going for him, he came to identify the effects of his Quirk on his daily life and there had been a lot of adjustments.
For one thing, he now couldn't just casually touch other people or stuff because nitroglycerin was not only sensitive, it could also be toxic if not careful. It also meant that he had to be more attentive over his things now. Not to mention, he had been reminded again and again to be mindful of his Quirk so he wouldn't accidentally set it off and hurt someone.
But applying it to things that mattered to Katsuki? This was where the old man came in.
After all, he was the Number Two hero. That had to count for something, right?
In fact, the man was always pleased when Katsuki expressed his dream of being a hero in the future.
He slowly warmed up to the idea of "father" even when all his earliest memories were just about Mitsuki and Katsuki. With all the years that Katsuki had zealously guarded that little sphere between him and his mom against every little criticism and misplaced sympathy, it had been hard to welcome the figure he'd dubbed as "absent" for the longest time.
But he tried.
Though, Endeavor seemed more like a glorified observer and part-time teacher on most days than anything else. Moreover, no one knew about this man's relation to them, his visits, or that he was associated to them at all.
No one would explain why he couldn't tell anyone about him.
One time, he hadn't done as instructed and merely opted to spy by the top of the stairway.
"–now that he's got that damn Quirk, you're suddenly very interested in his fucking life!" His mom was shouting, voice deep in rage that made Katsuki wince.
"It's not just his Quirk and you know it." was the rumbled reply, like a storm brewing. "You've witnessed how he speaks. Or how he acts for a four year old. He's surprisingly mature for his age, with a keen insight that's rarely seen on someone that young. Not to mention how he soaks up new knowledge like a sponge and his near-perfect affinity with that Quirk. It seems that you don't know what exactly you're dealing with–"
What's wrong with me?
There was a laugh that sounded livid even to Katsuki.
He ignored the urge to cover his ears.
"Don't you fucking dare lecture me about my son!" She screeched and there was the sound of something being smashed. "I don't care about whatever bullshit you've gotten in your head but you don't get the fucking right to speak to me as if you know more about him than I do. He's just a kid!"
"Just because you're his mother doesn't mean you can hinder his–!"
Katsuki finally fled to his room to escape the screaming match.
After that ordeal though, his mom hadn't put as much of a fuss whenever the man came to train him.
She also had a shelf built in his room for the new compilation of science books she'd bought for him to help with his Quirk and all of his All Might collectibles that he requested last year for his birthday.
Sometimes, whenever he would explain to her about the system that he was learning behind his Quirk, or did chores without being asked to, or when he presented all his quizzes with consistent perfect scores, she would have this look on her face that Katsuki couldn't put a name to.
For a while, he'd gotten used to it.
He still couldn't help but start to entertain the idea that maybe it wasn't all that bad.
Like all things in life, good things didn't come in a linear narrative.
oOo
On most days, Katsuki was just tempted to consult the home computer located strategically at the makeshift office that his mom had set up, she had always been vigilant like that.
But that felt a little too much like Deku who'd hoarded hero facts and statistics like the fanboy he totally was.
The impulse sat snuggly in his brain. Like a broken record that would rear unexpectedly after the man left through their door without a word of when he would return and Katsuki had no choice but to wait. And when he showed up again, it helped soothe the dread that was boiling underneath his skin.
The thing was that Katsuki knew of Endeavor, of all the heroes he could learn from.
But that only applied to Quirks, fighting styles and tactics, to well-known villain takedowns, number of arrests and rescues under their names, and their rankings. But behind that? He had no clue whatsoever. Katsuki was certain that a lot of the media, especially the fans, had a lot of background to offer.
It was just that the thought itself left him with such intense feeling of disconnect.
Thus, the search history remained clean of Endeavor's name.
oOo
The divide that started it all happened when the bastard finally showed his true colors.
It never occurred to Katsuki that for every visit and lesson that transpired, his mom would always be present watching them like a hawk.
Katsuki had been in the middle of finishing his math sheets on the first day of summer when the man arrived.
Mitsuki had gone out to get groceries that morning and hurriedly left after Katsuki had made her promise a hundred times to bring back some watermelon for the warm weather, much to her exasperation. His mom was wary what the season would mean for him and his Quirk, especially when faced with the risky properties of his sweat.
When Endeavor had appeared, Katsuki couldn't even pretend that he hadn't been looking forward to it.
The man had then picked up the stack that the blonde had been working on and his icy gaze glinted.
Slowly, ever so slowly, orange flames came to life around him. His face, his shoulders, his feet. Without burning anything. The first time he did so that made him finally recognizable to Katsuki of his Pro-Hero profession and his identity. He couldn't tell what had prompted this as the man stared down at him consideringly.
However, those blue orbs landed on the All Might Silver Era Universe comic book that he'd been reading earlier before starting on the worksheets.
"Why do you have this?" had been the rather unassuming question then.
"It's All Might, he's the Number One–" Katsuki cut himself off, eyes widened as something just occurred to him. "Wait, if you're the Number Two, that means you've met him!"
He was freaking out. Why hadn't he put it together sooner? Then he could shove it into those annoying little–
Endeavor simply plucked the thin book from the low table and incinerated it.
"Hey! That was a limited-edition–" He pounced on the man's arm, trying to salvage what little was left because that was a gift from his mom and he had no right–
The other simply threw him off roughly onto the floor and Katsuki blinked, disoriented for a moment and tried to puzzle out what had just happened.
While Endeavor had been far from the gentlest presence he'd known, he was–controlled, that one time his mom had described him. Putting it into words, this time felt like the man had wanted it to hurt. Katsuki would know because sometimes his mom could be rough but it had always been more of a knee-jerk reaction for her.
The man crouched in front of him, holding onto the burnt remains of one of his prized possessions.
"If you want to be a real hero then things like this–" His voice had taken on a derisive edge, the same tone those neighborhood moms took when talking about his non-existent dad. "–have no place in your life. All you need to be is stronger than everyone else." Endeavor then threw those remains right in Katsuki's face.
If someone would've asked Mitsuki what trait she regretted the most that Katsuki had picked up from her, one would assume that it was the swearing.
However, she would simply answer and say that her son had gotten her spite in droves.
And maybe that was why Katsuki committed his mistake that day.
"Why should I take your word for it? You're just the Number Two hero–"
He didn't even see it coming.
A hard slap. "You think–" A powerful smack. "–that you're superior–" Blood flooding his mouth as he accidentally bit his tongue from another hit. "–just because you have–" Sweat gathered in his palms, still unable to fight back with every blow. "–a powerful Quirk?"
There was a moment of intense heat before Katsuki felt a large hand hauling him by the arm and literally dragging him across the floor.
"If you have time to disrespect your betters, then it's about time you prove your worth."
His brain felt hazy, unable to catch up as the shock hindered his thought process.
Katsuki couldn't feel his face.
Seized by a fear that he'd never felt before, the sweat in his hands exploded.
oOo
Katsuki had been confined in the hospital for weeks.
When he'd woken up, it was to see his mom's exhausted face. She hadn't asked him what had happened. Katsuki was torn between the relief that he wouldn't be forced to relive it again and hurt that this was supposedly there was all to it. Instead, he soaked up the comfort she gave when she sat down on the hospital bed and cradled his stinging face and body into her arms.
Even then, the question came unbidden–
"I-Is he gone?" He croaked out. Forever? He didn't dare give voice to.
Instead of the pit of anxiety, it felt like pins and needles under his skin and ice in his veins.
He decided then and there that it was an emotion he never wanted to feel ever again.
"What did he tell you?" Mitsuki's voice was still brusque but achingly quiet in a way that Katsuki hadn't heard from her before.
His pulse sped up as he wound his aching arms around her middle. She let him. Something she didn't easily let occur these days unless they were both certain that his sweat wouldn't adversely dampen her shirt or skin. There hadn't been that many acts of affection between them even before his Quirk but it was still jarring that it wasn't as effortlessly accessible to him now when he sought it.
"Katsuki," His mom's voice was insistent. "What did that bastard tell you?"
"I'm not the only one." was all he said, feeling his throat closed up. Hating the feeling.
She didn't push. He almost wished she did.
oOo
Deku was the only one who knew that Katsuki was at the hospital at one point during summer.
The boy, thankfully, kept his mouth shut.
Katsuki was just tired of being the center of the nosy chattering of other people.
The stupid brat seemed reluctant to approach Katsuki at first which simultaneously confused and relieved him. It wasn't long before he knew why. By the third day, however, he was back to pattering after Katsuki like a damn puppy.
To be honest, he didn't know what to make of it.
It wasn't like the other kids suddenly stopped bothering Deku if he was with Katsuki because while he never said anything insulting like the others, he never defended him either.
All of it culminated to the day when the green haired boy came crying to him after school.
"D-Do you still think I can be a hero?" was the sniffled question. It sounded like one of his mom's loaded questions.
Katsuki felt his entire body go still.
Feeling the twinge of every past bruise and the way his face, especially the area around his left eye, had ached back then with every remembered hit accompanied by loud screaming. He felt the gathered sweat in his palms start to go off in tiny sparks as his fingers throbbed in phantom pain. His heart felt like it was going to pound its way out of his chest with the way it suddenly seemed to burn with every beat.
"Why do you even need to ask me?" He avoided the hopeful glimmer in those eyes, frustrated. "It's either you want to be or you don't."
oOo
The first few months After mainly consisted of his mom being too busy that Katsuki had given up on waiting for her during dinner.
At first, he'd chalked it up to work. She had always been harried whenever there was a big project that had landed on her lap and he was already used to the days when she always got home late. It hadn't been until he saw a mail from Moritaka Legal Corporation that he had suspicions because she'd gotten weird when she caught him looking at that particular mail.
He'd searched up the– law firm on the home computer and read that they mostly specialized in convicting specific people of suspected illegal activity and impropriety.
Katsuki didn't get to ask and she never brought it up with him, even if she certainly saw the search history.
A few months later, though, he caught her crying late one night and he had to sneak around behind her back to see the correspondence from that same law firm stating that whatever petition that she had raised with them had been denied.
It would be years later before Katsuki would understand the implications of this.
oOo
He hunched his shoulders as soon as they got in the car just five months after Katsuki had started his first year in elementary.
Glowering darkly, he felt the sparks coming to life within his fists and opened his palms up to let off his agitation.
Mitsuki didn't bat an eye at his Quirk and gave him a pointed glance.
"I know that you're not normally like this so make this make sense to me."
"I just told him that he doesn't suck at math, how am I supposed to know he'd take offense and shit?" He reluctantly mumbled, lips curling down as he told her.
Big Ears, having been paired up with Katsuki for an activity in math class, had been hesitating in answering the problems he knew how to solve and had merely gawked at the blonde because he didn't believe in himself or something. So, he'd yelled at him to swallow some confidence so he could see he was actually doing something right.
To be fair, his words then had been more colorful, he didn't really care to remember.
Then he'd been berated about terrorizing a classmate which only served to make Katsuki angrier since Big Ears hadn't denied it.
It just grated on him the wrong way that someone wouldn't give it their all for something they could do. Anything less than the maximum had never been an option for him. He had made sure that his efforts in being the best reflected in everything he did.
Because otherwise would mean proving that man right.
When he was finished, his mom was taking those weird measured breaths that she always did when she found something that annoyed her but actively wanted to avoid fighting with Katsuki. It was something she now did After.
Katsuki learned to hate that cautiousness but he knew that it made her feel better about herself so he stayed silent on the matter.
"Hate to break it to you, brat, the world doesn't stop for every little shit you take personally." She rubbed the back of her neck with a scowl that looked more awkward than angry. "So, either you adjust and learn to adapt or be left behind in the dust. And I ain't raising a weak dumbass because you can't afford to be that."
He frowned. "Even if I don't like it?"
"Especially if you don't like it." She grinned. Katsuki knew that look. "Open the glove compartment." His mom instructed, muttering about how she knew this would eventually happen.
His brows furrowed as he browsed through the pamphlets.
This was, in her own way, an apology but at the same time, it reeked of some sort of motive.
"You're already taking self-defense classes but that's only during the weekends." Mitsuki started rambling as she finally started the car. "Now, you have a lot of options. Those are some afterschool activities that a colleague suggested taken by their brats. Take your pick and I'll arrange the registration and sign you up. This way, it will keep you busy enough that you won't easily get bored with school." And I won't have to worry about you causing trouble was what he really heard.
Katsuki, if nothing else, was an ambitious child as his mother often claimed.
Scowling, he turned to her.
"Then sign me up to all of them."
Instead of being surprised, Mitsuki laughed.
oOo
He huffed out a breath.
All his fifth-grade classmates chattered with excitement as he burned off the nitroglycerin from his palms in a shower of blue sparks before standing up by the end of the lined-up training mats and proceeded to do his flips again, adding a roll mid-air to the final somersault by the end before landing lightly on his feet.
Katsuki fought the grimace from showing as their PE teacher clapped his hands at the demonstration.
That wasn't even one of the tougher maneuvers that he'd done but that seemed to appease everyone else. He didn't know how it got out that he'd been participating in the afterschool gymnastics class but he didn't appreciate being put on the spot like this.
The only reason he agreed to it was because he hated the possibility of any doubt about his ability.
"That's Bakugou for you!" Blue Hair exclaimed, oddly proud for something he had no hand in.
"It's nothing new," A voice groused, catching Katsuki's attention. "Remember that viral video of that vigilante, Mecurio, with the signature roundhouse kick? Saw it once and then doing that same move on one of the annoying senpais right after?"
"Of course! I don't think Maeda was the same ever since." Mud Skin laughed next to them. "Oh man, the look on his face. How about that day the Karate club went to demonstrate? I kinda felt bad for them." He was snickering into his hand despite his words.
"It was their fault for calling on Bakugou as a volunteer. They were the only ones surprised when he showed them up."
"It's kind of unfair, though. Especially with that Quirk. Sometimes, I don't think he's human–"
Focused as he was on those extras' ramblings, Katsuki still had his awareness as his hand snapped to the side of his face and caught the water bottle thrown at his head.
"What the hell?!" he snarled, rounding on the offender as he blew said bottle in his hand, silencing the noise around him.
"Wow, you didn't even see that! Your reaction time is as crazy as ever," said offender whistled, sounding impressed, before seeming to come back to himself. "Ah, s-sorry, it was an accident." was the frightened admission as he elbowed another of their classmate beside him who'd clammed up and offered no support to this statement despite evidence from their obvious roughhousing.
"Next time you think about playing around, make damn sure that you're not bothering anyone!" Katsuki gritted out, irritated.
At that, all of his classmates collectively shut up.
Their PE teacher immediately clapped his hands to call on them, successfully diverting their attention.
Though, as he stared at his smoking palm, Katsuki couldn't help but mull over the words of that annoying brat.
Back then, Katsuki had acquired the frustrating habit of flinching when hands or any objects suddenly came close to his face.
It became a bigger problem when kids back in preschool wouldn't stop pestering him about his Quirk and it wasn't until that first time someone had lobbed a crumpled piece of paper to his face that he'd startled and accidentally set off the nitroglycerin in his palms.
Obviously, it hadn't stopped there.
It became some demented game of who could cause the most explosions with Katsuki.
No matter how much he'd expressed his fury or barely hid the vestiges of his discomfort, the others had merely expressed their awe of his Quirk and did not stop. None of the adults there had thought to end it, claiming that it was just kids being kids, and merely praised him about the flashiness of his Quirk as if he had been showing off to begin with.
Deku had tried telling Mitsuki once but Katsuki, filled with too much ire at the nerd's nerve to butt his way into his business, had told him to stay out of his way.
When he first got his Quirk, he was already conscious of anything or anyone getting close due to the properties of his sweat.
After this, Katsuki had become acutely aware of anything that came within the range of his personal space until it became a habit.
Then Deku, ever the blabbermouth, had excitedly answered for Katsuki when their classmates in elementary had questioned him about his Quirk.
However, Katsuki had learned his lesson and was quick to show them the dangerous capability of his explosions and why they shouldn't mess with him, refusing to be known by that incident any longer.
"K-Kacchan?" An uncertain voice called out to him.
Snapping out of his musings, Katsuki scowled before shouldering past the other boy towards the rest of their class.
oOo
"Hey! Hey! Bakugou!" One of the extras in class, Long Nails, called out to Katsuki during study period. "Who's your favorite hero?"
The blonde could feel the nerd vibrating with the need to answer somewhere behind him. Before, dreams of being heroes and admiration for them were things that he could grudgingly agree that he'd sort of bonded over with Deku. So, exasperatedly, he knew that the other boy would know the answer.
"Edgeshot? He got into a heated debate about him with Yamamoto last week."
"It's gotta be All Might! He has a keychain and everything!"
"That's true but he's so obsessed about surpassing him…"
In all honesty, Katsuki had no intention of contributing to the subject at all.
If these idiots knew what was good for them, then they should've dedicated the remaining time during this period to study for their upcoming history exam. They would certainly need it especially when he'd overheard them despairing their lackluster scores last week.
However, these extras just continued with their self-imposed quest of wasting his time with this nonsense. He didn't even know why they were so invested. It wasn't like he ever indulged in inconsequential discussions with anyone from the class. Most of the time, they were too intimidated by him. Then there were these rare instances, like now, when their curiosity outweighed the wariness.
"Wait, what about Endeavor?" One of them piped up, making Katsuki go utterly still. "It makes sense, doesn't it? Bakugou's Quirk is all about fire power and even if All Might's the best, won't he choose someone closer to his specialty?"
"Wow, you're right!" Blue Hair clapped his hands, turning to him. "Is that it? Is Endea–"
They all flinched and fell into petrified silence when Katsuki kicked out his desk, propelling it forward and toppling another three with the force of it, garnering the attention of the whole class. His hands were already bursting with blue sparks and despite the boiling anger expanding within his chest with every breath he took, only an abnormal sort of calm broke through the surface. He was so furious he felt like choking on the emotion.
"I'm going to be Number One and all of that won't matter." He declared evenly.
Then before he could do something stupid, like seriously inflict bodily harm, Katsuki stalked out of the classroom.
oOo
His last year of elementary school would mark one of the shittiest incidents of his life.
That year, they had gotten a new homeroom teacher who liked to get a little too involved in her students' lives than Katsuki was comfortable with. In fact, she had called him out several times because of his mom's suspicious lack of attendance every year's Parent's Day or most of the parent-teacher sessions that had come to her attention.
He seriously didn't understand what she wanted from him when he'd already explained that Mitsuki was just busy with work, being a single parent.
It was a system that worked for both of them so he didn't see what the problem was.
However, his teacher had merely pursed her lips at this.
"It's fine, I can be fucking trusted to be left alone in the damn house." He insisted impatiently, ignoring the way her brows crinkled at his crude language.
And it was true.
Katsuki knew how to work the washing machine and dryers. His mom made sure that their pantry and refrigerator were always well-stocked on the days that she was around and he had been preparing most of his meals since second grade. He also had a chore list that he diligently accomplished early after his morning runs and when he got home.
Besides, he was busy most of the time outside with all the afterschool activities that he'd gladly signed up for so it hadn't been like he was around much either.
"Bakugou-kun, you're still only twelve–"
"What are you trying to say?" Katsuki bristled at the implication. "I can take care of myself. If you really want to fucking help anyone then get on that shitty nerd's case." He bared his teeth to match his blistering annoyance, careful not to set off a spark or an explosion.
He couldn't even begin to understand why the hell he was being singled out.
In any case, he had made damn sure that he wasn't actively causing trouble at school. His mom could be such an old hag if any scent of trouble came from his direction and she had already harassed him plenty of times about being friendlier with Deku.
After that fateful day when his relationship with the nerd had finally fallen apart some time after his quirkless status became known, Katsuki had tried to ignore him.
When Deku got too close, Katsuki would most definitely blow up at him, literally and figuratively. When he felt particularly vindictive and Deku made it hard to ignore him, Katsuki would go along with the other extras who had it out for the nerd for being quirkless, just to make a point that the blonde wanted no part of his company.
The thing was, however, reckless, stubborn Deku didn't get it.
Always getting into his business and shit.
"I see." His homeroom teacher eventually allowed. "Then please send in Midoriya-kun."
He thought that that was the end of it.
So, after making his displeasure of the discussion loud and clear, Katsuki went back to class.
oOo
Only, it clearly hadn't been the end.
The first indication had been when his instructors for self-defense and martial arts class had questioned him separately on different days about how his mom was doing. That week, she had been at home for a day, even cooking his favorite spicy donburi, before a project for a bigshot brand had landed on her hands and she would be gone for three days. Then, on the third day she was at work, Midoriya Inko had shown up at their doorstep to check on him.
Though, he'd gotten a call from Mitsuki that someone had fucked up at the set and she would be gone for another two days. She even sent him a photo of the backdrop that had met its end at the hands of a clumsy staff and he'd simply replied that she was clearly losing her touch.
Then there were the other teachers who kept praising his work more than usual, emphasizing how proud his mom must be–
"Kacchan!"
A voice called out to him after school as Katsuki was on his way back home because the gym was closed.
Per usual, he ignored the call and the footsteps shadowing his own.
To be honest, resentment was something that Katsuki was becoming rapidly familiar with.
At the beginning, the nerd's question had gotten on the blonde's nerves. The hell did he need confirmation from Katsuki? If he chose to be a hero or not, it wasn't like he could fucking stop him, whatever the consequences.
The worse part was that the other seemed to be under the impression that having a Quirk would solve all his woes about becoming a hero. His unnerving interest in Katsuki's Quirk only added fuel to the fire.
"I-Is Aunt Mitsuki home?" Deku nervously asked, fidgeting as he stood within Katsuki's peripheral. "If you like, mom said that you can come have dinner with–"
"No fucking thanks." He growled without having to second guess his answer.
"B-But–"
"I said fuck off!" He let off a warning explosion in his palm.
For a moment, it seemed like the shitty nerd was gearing up for something to say before clamming up and slowing down to stray behind him.
Katsuki hadn't realized that he had been holding his breath until he saw for himself that the other had backed off.
When it came to Katsuki, whether it was for simple things like this or when the blonde went out of his way to push him or others around, it was like the boy suddenly grew a spine from out of seemingly nowhere but when it came to other people pushing him around, he was meek and docile.
It reminded him of that day just a week before the start of elementary.
When he had been practicing balancing on the rails, a kid had tried to startle an explosion out of him so Katsuki had lost his balance and fell on the creek below with a splash. The other extras who witnessed it had laughed but stupid Deku ignored them, hastily clambering down to approach him with a worried face and a reaching hand.
At that moment, what flashed through his mind were all the times that the others had pushed Deku to the ground where he stayed down, crying, and not even once standing up for himself.
That was initially what he had detested about the green haired boy.
Then there was now Deku, fucking helpless Deku, trying to help Katsuki when he chose not to do so for himself.
As if he'd decided that Katsuki had needed help more than he did.
It was frustrating. It felt mortifying.
Even now six years later from that day, as Deku always tried to get close, it felt like a reiteration of that day over and over again and Katsuki would always be left with this urge to just push him down so he wouldn't ever entertain the thought of extending a hand towards him ever again.
Useless, he thought scathingly as he stalked ahead and left the nerd behind.
oOo
It all came to a head when he'd been called once again to the staff room. Instead of just the homeroom teacher, there were two additional people with her that he was certain he'd never seen on school grounds before. That alone was enough for him to proceed with caution, heeding the alarm blaring in his head.
"Ah, Bakugou-kun." Kiyama (or was it Kimata?) called as she gestured to the seat across the three of them, one that was clearly a position to be interrogated. He hated it on principle.
"What the fuck do you want?" Katsuki demanded, cutting right to the chase as he gracelessly sprawled on the chair.
His teacher winced at his blunt approach.
"Let me take it from here." The man cut in with what he must've thought a pleasant smile but only served to make him look constipated. "I'm Detective Miura and this is Sakamoto-san from, ah, a civil branch that deals with the legalities of your case–"
"My case?" He cut in sharply as his eyes snapped to the grim woman beside said detective. "I don't fucking remember being involved in any illegal activities and I already got permission to use my Quirk as long as I don't actively harm anyone since the nitroglycerin needs to be burned off on a regular basis."
That was the first thing his mom had clarified with the school.
The last bit had been the reason why there hadn't been any reports from anyone about burns and shit because Katsuki had learned to be careful, no matter the numerous times he blew things up, or at people, to make a point or intimidate someone. Besides, there were other ways to make an extra's day miserable without using his Quirk.
He also made sure to read the fine print regarding Quirk usage outside of owning any type of license or any approved facility provided in the existing regulations seeing as he needed to train his Quirk, burn off sweat so he wouldn't accidentally level anything within a kilometer radius, and be able to defend himself if necessary.
To be honest, it was a lot of bullshit compressed into words but he would be damned if he got arrested for being ignorant.
In fact, there were a lot of limitations that applied more to people with Quirk than to quirkless people and Katsuki still couldn't understand why Deku wasn't trying to take advantage of it in any way, shape or form. He just figured that the stupid, useless piece of shit would be too fixated on Quirks to care.
"It's not that kind of case, Bakugou-kun." Sakamoto was quick to reassure, exchanging bewildered glances with the detective. "I understand that this can be delicate seeing as you're… surprisingly well-adapted and remarkably independent for your age. But the fact that you had to be, this young, is a cause for concern that has been brought to our attention." She spoke calmly regardless of her obvious apprehension.
Despite her assurance, Katsuki was quick to catch on to the fact that he was in some kind of trouble.
"What's your mom's job?" Miura questioned him.
"What's that got to do with this?" He glared at the man, trying to find their angle in all of this.
"Just answer Miura-san's questions, Bakugou-kun, and we'll explain the rest after." His teacher cut in, her eyes basically pleading with him to go along with their bullshit.
Not wanting to prolong this, he answered grudgingly with, "She used to be a model. But after she gave birth to me, aside from a few contracts, she now mainly works in the Design Management." He raised an eyebrow at them in challenge as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"What about your residence? I believe that you've had a change of address around seven years ago–"
"That is none of your fucking business." Katsuki hissed, eyes narrowing. "What the hell is with these personal questions?" He directed the demand back to his teacher.
Then, as if a bomb that had finally been detonated in his head, his mind flashed back to their last discussion in this very same room that took place weeks ago. The way she had been acting overly concerned and getting on his business like that stupid nerd.
For a moment, the breath seemed to be trapped in his chest before he released it next explosively.
"I already fucking told you that everything is fine!" He found himself screaming, not even remembering when he'd surged to his feet as he glared at their alarmed and troubled faces. "I can take care of myself! I don't need you to get on my shit–" He was so frustrated that the words wouldn't come and had to make the conscious effort to condense the impending explosion into a shower of blue sparks in his hands.
"We're not accusing you of anything, Bakugou-kun." Sakamoto had rushed to stand and meet his gaze unflinchingly. What? "And I know that it may seem like nothing is amiss but your situation falls under the Child Abuse Protection Act–"
"Wha–" Katsuki gaped before promptly glowering. "You think my mom's abusing me? She never– not even– Fuck you, bitch!"
"Neglect is a form of abuse." She continued talking over him. "If what Kawata-sensei had uncovered is true, then this has been occurring for years. Surely, you've realized that it's odd for a mother to leave her child on his own for prolonged periods of time, either from a week to a month can be quite damaging in the long run." She seemed so determined about what she was saying that Katsuki failed to register anything for a while.
Where the hell was this even coming from? Sure, his mom wasn't around much but she'd made certain that he got all he needed before work whisked her away. The only reason why he hadn't been left with a friend of hers, like Midoriya Inko, was because Katsuki had reacted negatively around adults ever since that.
They clearly didn't know what they were talking about, making all these assumptions–
"What did you say about my shitty teacher uncovering things?"
At this, life seemed to seep back into her.
"I've asked some of your classmates but Midoriya-kun has also expressed some concerns before–"
"Deku?"
oOo
Katsuki didn't even have to hesitate or second guess his action.
The moment he'd torn himself out of that shithouse they called a staff room, he stormed back to the classroom just as the students were leaving after the last bell. It didn't take long before his eyes landed on the fucker he was searching for. Without preamble, he stalked forward and shouldered his way through the other extras who hastily tried to scramble out of his way, quite likely terrified of the wrath he didn't bother suppressing at all.
Upon seeing his face, all the blood seemed to drain from Deku's face.
A crackling hand grabbed the idiot by the front of his shirt and roughly pulled him out of his seat.
"You motherfucker," He snarled right in front of his face, nearly vibrating out of his skin with so much rage. "Do you realize what you've fucking done?" His voice was hardly recognizable even to his own ears, ragged and raw.
"I-I was just trying to help–" The piece of shit hadn't even tried to deny it.
The fabric within his grasp started smoking.
"I told you to stop getting involved in my fucking business." Katsuki simply reminded.
"But I was worried!" was the weak protest but the determination in his eyes told the blonde that the nerd had truly believed that he was doing the right thing.
Feeling that he was actually contemplating genuine murder the longer he looked at Deku, he settled for punching him and sent him sailing into a cluster of desks. Not knowing how to better channel out his anger without sending the idiot to the hospital or permanently injuring him at best, Katsuki grabbed the nearest chair and proceeded to hurl it at the center of the classroom, ignoring shrieks of alarms from the other extras.
"Damn it!" He shouted as he felt the explosion in his hands go off.
"Kacchan," Deku called miserably, standing and holding onto his bruised cheek.
"No, don't fuck with me!" He slammed his hand on the corkboard by the wall, letting the explosion sear along the wall. "I've tried ignoring your shit. Well, guess what? I'm done. And I'm going to make your quirkless life a living hell."
oOo
To his alarm, his mom hadn't made it back home after the day she was supposed to after her project.
Reaching out to her office, they told him that something came up and she was unreachable at the moment. He refused to worry because, no matter the days or weeks it took, she always checked in and came back. She was the only person in the world who could walk out the door and Katsuki wouldn't have to lose sleep over her return. The only thing that hadn't quietened the uneasiness bubbling under his skin was, aside from the reprimand for damage of school property, the discussion about his home life was not brought up again.
His homeroom teacher too, oddly, had been replaced in the middle of a school year.
All of it only seemed to make sense when he arrived home from school one day and saw a face that he hadn't seen in over seven years.
"Katsuki." Endeavor greeted him the moment the blonde had entered the house.
TBC