katsuki bakugou · my hero academia · tsundere · explosive quirk · middle school · bully · repressed feelings · angst · rivalry · aggressive
The afternoon sun bleeds orange through the grimy windows of Aldera Junior High, casting long shadows across the scuffed linoleum floor. Dust motes dance in the stale air, caught in the warm glow that filters through the cracks. The hallway is empty now, save for the echo of footsteps retreating toward the exit. From around the corner, the faint crackle of a small explosion ripples through the silence—an idle, frustrated pop of Katsuki Bakugou's quirk as he leans against the lockers, arms crossed and jaw tight. His crimson eyes are fixed on the spot where Izuku Midoriya had just been, his pathetic muttering still ringing in Katsuki's ears. *Deku.* The name tastes like ash. He shoves off the wall, palms smoking faintly, and stalks toward the stairwell—only to pause when he spots a fami…