Chapter Text
A burning pain shot through Katsuki's body as he lay on the floor of the hell hole he'd found himself in. Honestly, he should have known that their plan would fail. It almost always did. Katsuki rose from the floor groaning; in pain as pieces of his broken armour fell off him. He growled and looked around the desolate landscape for any sign of his allies passing.
Even in this dark and dreary place, his mind wandered back to the past as it often did these days. This wasn't the place for introspection but, he couldn't help but get distracted by his thoughts. His mind drifted and he wondered why even after all these years he could remember his past with such accuracy. Hell, he could even remember how it all started.
Bakugou sat uncomfortably in the clinics waiting room playing, with an All Might and Endeavor action figure. He huffed in annoyance. As soon as the doctor had taken an x-ray of the four-year-old's foot his mother had forced him to stay in the waiting room while she spoke with the doctor. It annoyed him greatly. It was his x-rays and his health! Surely: he was entitled to hear the results!
Honestly, it figured that the only time his mom paid attention to him was when he needed to find out when his stupid quirk would come in. His life would be so much better with it. He'd get his friends back and, it would get Izuku to stop giving him expecting looks when he thought Katsuki wasn't paying attention.
Still, the thought of what an awesome: quirk he would definitely get made for an effective balm for his bruised ego. Next to him sat a couple with a child his age. The parents were both reading magazines ignoring him completely. The father looked bored but, Bakugou had noticed the man was holding his magazine very tightly. The wife's dark brown hair obscured her face but, she brimmed with nervous energy.
The child for, his part looked deathly pale. The boy struggled to stay awake but, he still watched Katsuki curiously. His gaze was solely focused on the Endeavor action figure watching it with a twitch of envy. Bakugou rolled his eyes at that internally. He'd understand if someone wanted his All Might action figure since he was the greatest hero ever! Well to: each their own.
'Should I give him the action figure? I mean Endeavor isn't my favourite hero and, this toy isn't even limited edition but, it's mine!' After several agonizing minutes, Bakugou huffed and turned to the boy. "Here, take this." Commanded Bakugou as he thrust out the toy nearing knocking, the boy in the nose. The boy let out a small noise of surprise alerting the mother and father.
The son regained his bearing first and tentatively reached his hand out to take the action figure. He grasped it and pulled it towards himself smiling. His smile soured as he erupted into a coughing fit. Without thinking Bakugou's hand shot forward and grabbed the boys shoulder to steady him. Neither child noticed the small embers of golden Light that emanated from Bakugou's hand. All they paid attention to was the bluenette's fading cough.
The child's mother couldn't help but, stare at Bakugou in surprise. Before she could speak however a doctor opened a door and said. "Mr and Mrs Sako? We're ready for you." The mother stood up and took her son's hand and walked toward the door. She briefly turned to face Bakugou and smiled at him in thanks. Bakugou saw her expression and grunted in acknowledgement returning his attention to his toy.
The young boy turned to Bakugou and said. "Here's your action figure back. Thanks for lending it to me even, if I didn't get to use it much." Bakugou shook his head and rolled his eyes at the pale boy replying. "Keep it. I don't like Endeavor much anyway." The boy beamed with joy but, before he could rush toward Katsuki he was ushered away by his mother.
The mother smiled as she entered the doctor's examination room. She never did get the chance to thank the boy. Part of her still wondered where he ended up.
Katsuki's life hadn't gotten better since the doctor's appointment. He had been declared quirkless. All thanks to a stupid extra bone. What was bad before worsened tenfold once everyone heard that he was quirkless.
His father went from distant to nonexistent sitting, in his office all day every day. His mother was little better. She took a more hands-on approach. He gets a bad grade? He gets put into a cupboard. He gets into a fight? Locked in a cupboard. His mothers in a bad mood? Cupboard. All the while his, friends who had ignored him before returned their attention to him as enemies.
Deku was both the, best of them and the worst. Unlike the others, he hadn't turned on Katsuki instead he tried to stand beside Katsuki as his friend but, it became stifling. Deku would always try to fight Katsuki's battles for him; it was suffocating. Still, Katsuki worried for the Green Boy. Over time the telekinetic boy seemed to grow more and more bitter at the system every day.
It was something that puzzled Katsuki. Deku with his powerful quirk, likeable personality and heroic instincts would do well within the system. If he abandoned Katsuki that is. It would be no good for a future hero to mix with the undesirables as one of his teachers so eloquently put it.
"It isn't fair Kacchan! Why are you hated, and I loved for a thing neither of us can control in the slightest! If this is how the system works then someone needs to change it!" Exclaimed Deku on his fourteenth birthday. They sat on the ground bandaging Katsuki's cuts he got them from a fight he'd had with one of their former friends.
Katsuki shrugged and hissed when Deku pulled a bandage too tight. "There's not much we can do. Even if we topple the system it won't change how people think. It'll probably just make them hate quirkless people even more. The way I see it the only chance we have is to game the system and reach the top and, show these losers that quirkless people could do it."
Deku's emerald eyes had shone brightly at that. "Of course! We could be heroes! I will use my quirk to save people like All Might while you beat up the villains!" Katsuki smirked and rose to face Deku. He reached down his hand and pulled the slightly younger boy up and said. "Right! Now let's go your mom wouldn't like us being late."
Deku sighed his mother meant well but, she smothered Katsuki. She treated him like fine china. Brought out on occasion but otherwise kept locked away where it would be safe. She was the opposite extreme to Masaru. Where the man neglected Katsuki constantly and ignored his existence Inko smothered Katsuki in too much love drowning him. It was a trap Deku himself nearly fell into many times.
"We're not done here, you damn quirkless weakling!" Both boys turned to face a tall boy by the name of Nakazawa Yuudai the self-proclaimed greatest hero of their generation. His quirk allowed him to grow dragon-like features. Such as scales, fangs, a tail, and the legendary fire breath. He, fortunately, didn't have the stamina to keep all the transformation at once.
Much like the dragons of Western legend Nakazawa was greedy, cruel, and vain beyond belief. He made it a habit of taunting and attacking Katsuki for the fun of it. He knew that no matter who started the fight Katsuki would be blamed. The teachers often reasoned that Katsuki either taunted the other kids into a fight; if he was hit first or was looking for a fight to sate his inferiority complex if he struck first.
That among, other things, made bullies like Nakazawa arrogant the first time they fought. There rarely was a second time. Unless; you had a quirk like Nakazawa. Said male strode up arrogantly to the pair. He'd been invited to the Midoriya's place to give Deku a strong and honest influence to counter undesirable ones.
Nakazawa smirked before he swung his fist forward aimed at Katsuki. The male easily; knocked Deku to the side while focusing on the injured boy. Katsuki ducked under the fist and elbowed Nakazawa in the kidney before turning to face his attacker head-on. Nakamura had opted to use his quirk defensively as he grew scales on his forearms for protection.
For the second time, Nakazawa charged and, Katsuki dodged to the side luckily; for him, he turned and raised his arm to block an attack from Katsuki. Katsuki's fist landed and, Izuku swore he heard a crackling sound just before a sickening crack resounded through the air. Nakazawa let out a scream of pain as he dropped to the floor gripping, his arm. Katsuki moved first grabbing, the boy's arm to apply pressure.
Deku had set off running toward the house to get an ice pack he'd, briefly saw adults rushing towards Katsuki but, he thought nothing of it. He still heard yelling but he just assumed that Nakazawa was yelling out in pain. He wished he paid attention to what they were yelling for as soon as he arrived he was greeted with the sight of Katsuki being arrested.
The police station's interrogation room was cold. Katsuki sat there shivering lightly glancing around. As soon as the adults arrived Nakazawa had said that Bakugou had viscously attacked him and Deku. Most likely out of jealousy for their friendship. Honestly, Katsuki wasn't angry. After being blamed for the most outlandish things time and time again he had just gotten used to it.
He was more worried about this landing on his record. To the best of his knowledge, no hero school would accept anyone with a criminal record never: mind a quirkless person with one. So he was most likely fucked beyond belief. The door to the interrogation room opened through it walked a plain-looking man wearing a beige trench coat. He seemed to be in his mid-thirties.
The man smiled amicably; as he sat down in the metal chair opposite Katsuki. He seemed honest enough. So he spoke. "Hello, I am Detective Naomasa and, you must be Katsuki Bakugou correct?" Katsuki nodded at the man calmly. Naomasa smiled and continued. "Good, now I'm going to ask you a series of questions about what happened. Before that, I must ask your permission to activate my quirk. All it does is tell me whether or not you're; honest is that okay?"
Katsuki nodded he could do this. With that Naomasa, began. "So let's start with something light. Your name is Bakugou Katsuki correct?"
"It is." Truth.
"Okay, good. Now your here because you got into a scuffle with one Nakazawa Yuudai correct?"
Katsuki sighed knowing, how this would go. "Yes, I did but, I didn't attack him!" Truth.
Naomasa nodded along silently. "So you were defending yourself against him, I take it?"
"Yeah, he attacked me in the woods near Izuku's house." Truth.
"Okay, two questions then. I need you to answer them both individually. First, is this the first time he's attacked you, and second if, you were only defending yourself why, did you break his arm?"
Katsuki sighed. "To the first question, no, this is just one of many times he's attacked me." Truth. "To the second, I don't know how I broke his arm. The hit should only have bruised his arm!" Truth.
Naomasa Frowned at the final statement. The boy's files said he was quirkless as did his parents. So how did he deliver such a strong punch? 'Maybe he has some sort of latent strength quirk? It doesn't matter he; is innocent so, it would be best to release him.'
Naomasa stood up and gestured Katsuki to do the same. "Come on your parents are in the waiting room." Katsuki turned to Naomasa and looked troublingly surprised by his actions. "You're not going to punish me for anything?" This remark caused Naomasa to frown. Still, he pressed on.
"I already interrogated Nakazawa and Izuku Midoriya and their testimonies matched the series of events you laid down. Sadly Nakazawa won't get more than a slap of the wrist but, it'll be better than nothing." Katsuki frowned deeply at the leniency on Nakazawa. So he stood up and followed the detective to his parents.
This wouldn't be the last time he'd encounter the good Detective. The conflict he faced would shape him. He learned to be a scrappy fighter well. Something he would need for conflicts yet to come.
Katsuki sat in class with his feet on the table bored out of his mind. Their teacher had left to get some papers leaving him and his classmates to their own devices. Deku sat to his left-hand side showing, all the extras that sat next to him how his quirk worked. Nakazawa sat to his right. After Katsuki broke the Nakazawa's arm many of his bullies had suddenly made themselves scarce.
Katsuki wasn't complaining even if the event gave Katsuki a thuggish reputation. "So, as third-year students, it's time you start thinking seriously about your futures and what you want to do with your lives. I could pass out some career aptitude tests... but why bother? I know you all want to go to the hero track!" Said the teacher as the class erupted into cheers at the notion. Katsuki just rolled his eyes.
"Ah, Midoriya, Nakazawa! I see that you've both decided to go to UA very; impressive!" Stated the teacher as he sifted through the application forms. Once again: his classmates cheered. "If anyone can do it, you can, Mido!" "Don't forget us when you're at the top of the world Naka!" Katsuki cringed at Deku's nickname. Sure the name Deku was once intended as an insult to the green-haired boy but, Mido didn't have any soul to it.
Deku took the praise graciously, blushing lightly over the compliments and the support. Even when he supported Katsuki, Deku was still popular. His pleasant and personable personality undoubtedly ensured that. Nakazawa on, the other hand, was soaking up the praise like a sponge. Much like Katsuki Nakazawa's, reputation had taken a hit thanks to the fight two years ago. He went from feared bully to a laughing stock.
"Oh, you're going to UA as well Bakugou?" That silenced the class. Most people stared at Katsuki in utter shock some; glared at him and, Deku looked at him with pride. Kariage, a former friend of Katsuki, looked constipated. As if he wanted to say something but couldn't find the strength. Kenta, a redheaded friend of Deku, gave Katsukia a silent thumbs-up.
Nakazawa watched Katsuki before he gave the quirkless boy a cruel smile and said. "Well, everyone, why don't we cheer! this will be his last two years on this Earth! There's a reason no quirkless has ever gotten through UA's entrance exam!" Deku gave Nakazawa an absolutely venous look and, Katsuki just rolled his eyes. Even after the fight, Nakazawa wasn't smart enough to avoid Katsuki.
Class ended shortly after most of the class was huddled around either Deku or Nakazawa. Katsuki once again rolled his eyes before sending Deku a quick text telling the telekinetic that Katsuki was going to the store. His mother expected him to make dinner that day since she and his father would be coming home late. Honestly, it was a blessing. He'd be able to avoid his mother and father and get enough food for once.
Katsuki walked quickly and made his way out of the school without incident. He was only interrupted in the alley nearby the school by Kariage of all people. Katsuki eyed him suspiciously; the brunette had taken longer than most to abandon Katsuki but: in the end, he still did. At the time, it was a difficult pill to swallow but, he eventually got over the betrayal.
It'd been a particularly hot day in the middle of summer vacation. The trio had gone camping much, to Kariage's complaint. He'd never been fond of the great outdoors even with friends. This combined with the heat, ensured that tempers were frayed. Katsuki fiercely maintained that it was a good idea. Kairiage said that it was the worst possible idea. Deku had grown tired of trying to mediate and decided to watch them fight.
At long last Katsuki suggested that they go on a hike causing Kariage to scoff and say. "I suppose a quirkless would like to be in nature along with the rest of the animals." Katsuki immediately swung his fist at the brunette hitting him squarely in the nose. The blond growled in anger he quickly walked to their tents and grabbed his stuff leaving without a word.
Katuki didn't know what Deku said to Kariage but, it was obviously effective because Kariage had been avoiding him ever since constantly shooting Katsuki looks. Now, for the first time in a year, he stood before Katsuki looking very nervous. He was mumbling something under his breath constantly second-guessing what he was about to say. Katuki raised an eyebrow unimpressed.
Finally, after a couple of minutes, Katsuki's temper ran out. "Will you spit it out already! I have places to be you, know!"
Kariage sighed and made peace with whatever gods he held dear and said. "Are you sure you want to go to UA with your... disability."
Katsuki's blood boiled at the suggestion. He had half-way expected this but, to say that with such cowardice infuriated Katsuki beyond belief. "And what disability would that be Kariage?"
The brunette flinched; at the use of his name. "You know what I'm talking about!"
"I have no idea. None of my limbs are lame nor, my mind. So how could I possibly be disabled?"
Kariage was beginning to sweat and become frustrated with Katsuki. "It isn't what you have but what you lack Katsuki!"
"I have all four limbs and a genius-level intellect. I fail to see what I don't bring to the table. Perhaps you could enlighten me."
"You're quirkless okay! If you go into that exam, you will die! If you really want to be amongst hero's why don't you join the support course or general studies!"
Katsuki rolled his eyes it; was about time he stopped pussyfooting around. "Listen here, dumbass there's, no way for someone in the support course to transfer to hero. The infrastructure has never been there. And if I get into Gen Ed, there's no guarantee that the "Great" and "Mighty" teachers won't keep me there. For my own safety of, course."
Before Kariage, respond a bottle filled with green liquid fell out of the sky nearly, hitting Kariage in the head. Kariage let out a shriek as he jumped back in surprise. It was a store-brand soda bottle filled with green gunk. The bottle had been badly damaged from the drop but looked otherwise fine. Kariage approached it cautiously with, Katsuki following soon after.
But, before either could think, the bottle burst, open unleashing, a green sludge monster. The beast quickly ensnared both boys entrapping, them in the mass of the sludge. Katsuki's hand shot out to dig himself out. Kariage did the same but, his lack of training and terrible habits made him easy prey. He was quickly overwhelmed.
Katsuki wasn't in a better position as the sewage smashed into his face breaking his jaw and forcing itself into Katsuki's mouth. Katsuki felt like he was drowning as the abomination forced its way into his body. His lungs burned as the foul liquid forced its way through his epiglottis. Katsuki barely managed to turn his head toward Kariage to see he was in no better state.
Katsuki reached out struggling, against the slime as his face turned blue from suffocation trying, to help the boy by giving him a small; push. Katsuki's hand brushed against Kariage's shoulder for only an instant but, in seconds, the slime encasing Kariage seemed to burn away allowing, him to run. Kariage ran out of the alley as quickly as he could without turning his head leaving, Katsuki to die.
Fear filled Katsuki as he slowly became limp. Blackness filled the corner of his eyes as he drowned with an inferno in his lungs and cold limbs. "I may not have gotten a good quirk but, at least I have you as a flesh puppet. You're a real hero, kid!"
Katsuki awoke with a shock in a hospital room. He was greeted with the sight of a nurse checking his IV drip. Katsuki groaned as he pulled himself up to get a better look at the room. The red-headed nurse turned to face Katsuki; she smiled peacefully at the blond.
"Ah, it's good to see you awake!" She practically radiated warmth.
"How did I get here? How long was I out?" Questioned Katsuki as he forced himself up ignoring, the shots of pain that pierced his body.
"You were taken here by your friend after your fight. As for your second question, it's been two days your body took one heck of a beating and Recovery Girl's quirk pulls on stamina."
"Recovery Girl? Isn't she the UA nurse?"
The nurse nodded as she fixed the floors and made for the door. "Yup, on slow days at UA, she visits nearby hospitals and clinics to help out where she can. Honestly, that woman is a saint."
Katsuki would later learn it was Deku who had saved Katsuki. Unfortunately, the sludge villain had spooked Deku and Inko. Deku no longer stoped Inko from smothering the blond in overprotectiveness and, Deku likewise began to discourage Katsuki's dream. He pressured Katsuki to become a doctor. A hero by other means, he claimed doctors to be. His parent's apathy and disdain broke if briefly allowing him to get to UA without hindrance.
Katsuki's disdain for coddling had shone brightest then, forcing him to become even more confrontational. It ended with a fight that ended their friendship. That would also be the last year he spent at the Midoriya's during the holidays.This loss would be something Midoriya would always regret.