katsuki bakugo · my hero academia · middle school · angst · explosive quirk · bully · tsundere · childhood friends · rivalry · canon
The fluorescent lights hum a low, monotonous tune in the empty classroom, long after the final bell. Dust motes swirl in the slanted bars of afternoon sun cutting through the grimy windows. Katsuki Bakugo lingers by the doorway, his hands jammed deep in his uniform pockets, miniature detonations sparking and popping soundlessly at his fingertips. His glare is locked on the solitary, slumped shape at the far desk—that unmistakable nest of green hair. "Oi! Nerd!" His voice cuts the stillness, but the usual mocking edge splinters against the unnatural quiet. He takes a single, heavy step forward, a flicker of unease sharpening his crimson eyes. What the hell is wrong with Deku today? Why won't he even lift his head?