Chapter Text
“You’re below the rejects! You’re Quirkless! How can you even stand in the same ring as me?” Katsuki slammed his hand down onto Deku’s desk, and a small explosion let out a crackling boom. Deku leapt from his seat and fell backwards. His sneakers squeaked across the floor as he pushed himself against the classroom wall.
The damn nerd began to spew out all sorts of backtracks and excuses in an attempt to calm Katsuki down. Deku’s chattering was like background white noise to him as he fumed about what he had just learned; Deku had also applied to get into the U.A. Hero Course. The coward was ranting about not wanting to compete, but Deku was well aware of Katsuki’s dream to be the first student from their middle school to be accepted into the prestigious course.
Deku sheepishly looked up at Katsuki from his position on the floor, cowering against the wall and reminded Katsuki that he, too, had dreamed of getting into U.A. since he was a child.
“...I won’t know unless I try!” Deku concluded.
Katsuki was livid. He screamed about how useless a Quirkless person is, but the damn nerd didn’t have anything to say to stand up for himself. Pathetic... Katsuki gave it up for now. He would come to find Deku again once school was over. Midoriya would suffer for even daring to compete...
The end-of-day bell rang out and echoed through the halls of the school. Students filtered out of the classroom as they discussed their plans for the evening while Katsuki and his gang swaggered in to have a little chat with Quirkless.
Deku was holding up one of his many notebooks. The nerd never stopped writing and drawing to the point where it was almost obsessive. The sun was filtering through the window across Midoriya’s face. He seemed happy enough on his own, which Katsuki didn’t understand. No one was interested in being friends with a Quirkless fanboy who spent all of his time with his head in the clouds.
From the time they had been little kids together, Midoriya and Bakugo had lofty goals of becoming great heroes. The difference is that he doesn’t have a chance in hell at becoming a hero. I’m going to surpass even All Might and become the best hero who ever lived. Once I leave this shitty school, I can leave Deku behind and never think of him again…I won’t think about him again once I’m out of here. He’s been a pebble in my road for too long…might as well make sure he never forgets me, though…
Katsuki snatched the book from Deku’s hand and waved it in front of him tauntingly. Everyone but Deku laughed at the “Hero Plans for the Future” home-grown encyclopedia until Katsuki dramatically singed the pages between his hands. Explosion was a Quirk of many uses, but Katsuki knew it mainly as a means of destruction.
He tossed the smouldering book behind him over his shoulder out the classroom window. It plummeted, presumably to the ground below. For a split second, the exasperated look on Deku’s face stirred something in Katsuki. Pity? No. Regret? ... Once he snapped out of this distraction, Katsuki made sure to remind Deku about how heroes always have stories that are shared about their school days. As an incredibly advanced student, Bakugo would be the first and only student to attend U.A. from their school. Bakugo would be the first. The fact that Deku dared to get in the way was… Sickening…
Katsuki clapped his hand onto Deku’s shoulder, and smoke slowly billowed from under his palm. He would give his final warning about the nerd not applying to U.A. He leaned in until their noses were almost touching, and his lips curled up in a snide grin - he wanted Deku to know that he had never been more serious about something in his life. Midoriya’s eyes locked onto Katsuki’s for a brief moment. The striking green that usually showed earnestness, gentleness and concern for others seemed to dull at that moment. The feeling that had hit Katsuki earlier when he had taken Midoriya’s book had returned. This time his stomach dropped a bit, and for a brief moment, his brow furrowed. Serves him right, though…he needs to remember his place - below me. He shoved Deku back a bit as he turned to walk away.
“If you wanna be a hero that badly, there’s a quick way to do it. Believe that you will be born with a Quirk in your next life - and take a last chance dive off the roof!” The earlier dullness in Midoriya’s eyes was quickly replaced with what Katsuki almost thought could be rage. Scowling right back, Katsuki created a small but violent explosion in his palm like a warning shot.
“What?”
Deku was frozen. Didn’t think you had anything to say back to me, damn nerd. Having better things to do, Katsuki turned and walked back out of the room.
Katsuki went out prowling around with his cronies. Friends would be an extremely loose term to use for them. He didn’t really have what he would consider ‘friends’. Deku was the closest thing he had to a ‘friend’ - he shuddered at the thought. Most people found Katsuki abrasive enough that they all eventually left. He was used to a revolving door of acquaintances, and really the only constant figure other than family was Deku. Is Deku a friend or more like an enemy? He scowled as he mused back to earlier. No one wants to be friends with a Quirkless fanboy . No one sticks around me because they’re jealous. He shoved his hands in his pockets.
Katsuki’s acquaintances seemed uncomfortable about how he had spoken to Deku earlier, claiming he had gone too far this time.
“It’s his fault for messing with me! It pisses me off that he’s still so full of dreams, just like when we were kids. We aren’t little kids anymore, damnit!” He blew up a soda can that he had just chugged. Katsuki had tried to keep Deku at arm’s length for years since it seemed like the nerd was constantly chasing after him, hot on his trail. He hasn’t gotten the message for some reason… Katsuki continued to absentmindedly banter and argue with his accomplices and kicked at a large soda bottle in the alleyway.
What’s this smoke?... It isn’t mine... Katsuki sniffed and whipped around, realizing it was cigarette smoke.
“I told you to stop smoking! They’ll put it on my record if we get caught too!” Katsuki had a spotless record and exceptional grades. He already had great control of his Quirk. He would not let anything or anyone stop him from getting into U.A. and becoming a pro hero.
Terror crossed the faces of his acquaintances, and they seemed to be looking at something behind Katsuki. Before he could respond to what was happening, he was overcome with a horrible feeling of dread and became entirely immobilized. He couldn’t breathe, and he began to panic. He heard distant screaming and a stranger’s harsh voice yammering as if it was coming from within his mind.
His eyes rolled back.
Shut up…shut up….SHUT UP!