Chapter 5

Academically wise, the first week of school was pathetic. It was all introductions to the teachers and the subjects themselves. One frustrating aspect was Art History, taught by the sexualized teacher Midnight. She wore a rather inappropriate outfit, and while her attitude was fine (although at times a bit disgusting) there were always a few boys, and girls drooling over her during class.

Katsuki preferred a better learning environment than one of lust.

The rest of the classes seemed to be a tad challenging, but he knew that he would enjoy it nonetheless, and of course prove his number one spot.

The week overall hadn't gone well for Katsuki. He was swallowed by the glaring looks sent his way and how Deku's disappointment rung over and over again in his head, giving ammunition to hit his already broken confidence and ego. Deku wasn't one to keep grudges, but Katsuki was, which gave him no benefit. He sat alone at lunch, not that he minded. Deku liked to talk his ears off about anything, and Katsuki would begrudgingly listen.

During the second week things started to grow worse.

Katsuki had walked into class, on the first day of the week, both haggard and tired. He couldn't sleep, and when he did manage to, he drifted into a nightmare. Plagued by it, he woke up in a sweat and had trouble sleeping again.

He had ignored his parents, wishing him a good day, and the usual jeers from other students. He promptly sat in his seat and spaced out.

"Hello." Cementoss said after he walked into the room with quiet students for homeroom. "It has been decided that for homeroom today there will be some bonding activities."

The class broke out in whispers about what the bonding moments could be, but Katsuki just grimaced.

"Go around the room, and say what your quirk is and one fun fact about yourself."

Katsuki knew he was fucked.

"Kacchan, will you be alright?" Deku was worried, and Katsuki hated the pity.

"I'm not weak" Katsuki signed "I don't want the pity"

"I'm not trying to pity you, I'm worried"

"Tch."

"It'll be fine"

"I know"

Deku smiled at Katsuki to show his support.

As each student went around the room they said their quirk, and a fun fact about themselves. None of them were particularly unique at all, and their interests we're all very shallow.

"M-my quirk is Brainwashing"

The class grew silent. One student, with purple hair spiking up and dark bags under his eyes had spoken, and the class wasn't ready for his response.

"And I like cats"

Katsuki had to crack a half smile at that. With the class's reaction, it became clear what their thoughts were. Thoughts Cementoss picked up on.

"Quirk discrimination in my classroom, or any classroom will not be tolerated, so I suggest you stop that now" Katsuki could see the boy's face grow into a small smile. Katsuki knew bullies, after all he was one, and he could tell this kid was a target. Knowing that made him feel full of dread and regret.

Before he knew it, it was his turn. He knew of he didn't say his quirk people would assume the worst and look down on him, but it was too painful to say it and see the reactions on the faces of his classmates.

"Kacchan! I know! Just say you sweat nitroglycerin, it's not the full truth, but it's not a lie" Deku whispered to Katsuki. Huh. Not a bad idea.

"...I like hiking" Katsuki grunted, it took his mind off of things. "And I can sweat nitroglycerin."

Cementoss seemed to frown a bit at his answer, but the class looked at him oddly before a few kids straight up laughed.

"What's that?" One kids asked.

"Nitroglycerin is a chemical, it's highly flammable" Cementoss answered, looking at Katsuki with newfound curiosity.

"So he's a walking bomb?" Another kid snorted as if he were making fun of Katsuki.

"Yeah." Katsuki murmured. It was a little too close to the truth, but not that far off.

"Isn't that super dangerous?"

"He's a walking bomb!"

"Can't he explode any moment?"

"I can't believe it!"

"What a pathetic quirk."

"He's a danger to everyone."

Katsuki knew all the students' words were true, but that didn't make them hurt any less.

"Enough." Cementoss quieted the whispers "Here at U.A we don't discriminate against quirks, at all. You can trust us to take the proper security measures for each students."

Katsuki frowned. The students had stopped their whispers, but the impact already hit Katsuki.

The one kid not insulting him, or saying anything was the weird purple haired kid. Probably had something to do with his past experiences in bullying.

"Kacchan, don't listen to them. You're amazing and you've grown so much."

Katsuki gave a slight nod to Deku, who was trying to cheer him up, as per usual. It made him feel guilty, although there was nothing he could do.

The 'bonding' exercise finished, and Katsuki went through all the rest of the classes before lunch almost in a trance. He was thinking and criticizing himself too hard, as he tended to do.

By lunch time, Katsuki felt exhausted, and after getting his food, which he brought from home, he went to sit at his usual table, but Deku had other plans.

"Why don't you sit with Shinsou?"

"Who?"

"The guy with purple hair."

"Oh. Well, I don't know him."

"He seemed to be nice, and didn't insult you."

"Doesn't mean he'd like my company.'

"Would you like his?"

"No?"

"C'mon, Kacchan!"

"..."

"You'll make friends and feel less lonely."

"I have you."

"We both know that won't replace friends. You can't even really talk to me!"

"Tch."

"Please, Kacchan."

"No."

"If you don't like him, then I'll let it go, but you should at least try."

"..."

"Please!"

"Fine."

"Thank you!"

"Whatever."

Katsuki spotted the purple haired kid with eye bags sitting at a table by himself. He started to walk over to him, sighing as he frowned. Of course the shitty need would force him into a situation like this.

Katsuki sat down at the table across from the students.

The purple haired kid only raised his eyebrows at Katsuki's entrance.

They sat in silence for a bit, with Katsuki wincing, knowing this was a terrible idea.

"Hiking, huh?"

Katsuki whipped his head up to see the kid looking at him expectantly.

"Tch. Why do you ask?"

"Just trying to make conversation..."

Katsuki winced again, of course his personality would make this all fail.

"Do you have any cats?" Katsuki asked, trying to repair his mistake.

"Oh! Yeah! I have two." The kid seemed to perk up at the question.

"What kind are they?"

"I'm not too sure, they were rescue, but one looks like a calico."

"Huh."

"Got any pets?" The kid asked.

"No."

There were a few seconds of awkward silence, where the purple haired boy had no idea what to say.

"That speech you gave sucked" Katsuki knew that was coming.

"I don't give a flying fuck what you thought. It was true."

"Aren't you a little bastard?"

"Asshole."

"Insulting me gets you nowhere."

Katsuki rolled his eyes, and could see Deku watching the conversation with amusement.

"Oh, fuck off, Eyebags."

"Eyebags? That's new."

Katsuki flipped off the purple haired student, now dubbed 'Eyebags.'

They sat in more silence for a bit, but in that time a bell went off, signalling the end of lunch.

"That's how you make conversation."

Katsuki gave Eyebags a slight nod and then they both walked off. Not before Katsuki caught an eye roll aimed at him, but he just smirked in return

"I'm so proud Kacchan! I'm glad you made a friend."

"Tch. I wouldn't call him that."

Deku just gave Katsuki a big smile, he seemed almost giddy.

At homeroom the next day, Cementoss had an important announcement.

"We must choose a class president, and vice president. You will vote for who you think will be best, and there is no voting for yourself."

Katsuki knew there was no way he would be able to be class president. He decided to vote for Eyebags, he hadn't made insulted Katsuki when everyone else in the class did. He also didn't know any other student to vote for.

At the end, Cementoss counted up the votes. Two extras, who Katsuki couldn't care enough to remember the names of, became the president and vice president. Unsurprisingly, Katsuki got no votes. Eyebags seemed to surprised when he saw he had received a vote, so good for him.

"Aww, you didn't get a vote." Deku said sadly, "but, you'll always be a winner to me!" Katsuki snorted, the nerd could be dramatic but he had a way of cheering Katsuki up a little. Although Katsuki knew he didn't deserve Deku's kindness or compassion. Katsuki should not be a winner in Deku's eyes.

The rest of the classes went by normally with Katsuki taking his usual excellent notes. One time, when they were younger Deku caught the cold and Katsuki had to teach him what he missed in class, but his notes were really what had caught Deku back up to speed.

At lunchtime, Katsuki sat at his own table. He felt that sitting at Eyebags' table would be awkward and that he wasn't particularly wanted there.

He started to eat his food, and he saw Eyebags approach his table and then sit down across from him.

Katsuki felt his eyes widen before giving Eyebags a slight nod. They sat in silence for a bit, this time it wasn't as awkward as it had been the previous day.

"Do you bring your own lunches?"

"Mmm."

"Nice of your mom to make lunch for you."

"She doesn't" Katsuki snorts before rolling his eyes.

"Your dad?"

"I make them, dumbass" Katsuki crossed his arms.

"Really? That's cool... You can cook?"

"Mmhmm."

"Where did you-"

A siren started to go off, and all the students in the lunch hall started to panic like crazy. They were knocking other students down. Katsuki was very confused.

"There's been a breach in security!" Katsuki heard a student tell their friend, and he understood why all the panicking took place. Eyebags and him started to get up, but as they got swept up in the chaos, a student from Katsuki's class screamed out.

Everyone stopped after hearing the scream.

"MOVE!" he screamed and cut through the crowd towards Katsuki. He started pushing kids away from Katsuki until he was in a little bubble of emptiness in the crowd.

"He could blow up!" The student explained.

"Fucking shut up! I know my quirk better than your puny brain knows yours." Katsuki roared at the student who thought Katsuki was going to blow up because of a student accidentally causing a spark or something.

"STUDENTS." another voice cried out from the top of the door, which students were trying to escape from, the holder of the voice was clinging to the exit sign. "IT IS ONLY THE PRESS THERE IS NO NEED FOR PANIC." the students started to murmur at this message, before on the intercom a similar message was given.

"There is no need to panic, please go back to your tables calmly and continue in your lunch. We are investigating this, however there is no need for panic." the students started to whisper among themselves before throwing Katsuki an odd look and walking back to their tables to continue lunch.

Katsuki and Eyebags sat in silence after that, both thinking over things. Deku's frown hadn't gone unnoticed by Katsuki, however, but he decided not to press.

For the rest of the day everyone seemed to be on edge and a bit jumpy. The teachers decided not to subject their students to anything too harsh, seeing as all of them were a bit out of it. The students also seemed wary of Katsuki. During the security breach, it seemed as though he was going to explode, like he was a bomb placed in the school. When, in reality, Katsuki had way more control over his quirk. After all, he had been training it from Kindergarten to Junior High School. He knew he wasn't a bomb. That wasn't how it worked, he might be hurt, yes, but he wouldn't damage anything too much except himself. Not that he'd care to ever use his quirk or find out. Explosions even frightened him now.

Deku was awfully quiet the rest of the day, and he had his thinking face on. Once Katsuki got home, and got ready for bed he considered asking Deku about it, but decided to give him time to think it through because he didn't have a place in solving Deku's problems, when he was the cause of so many.

Katsuki didn't sleep too well that night, but what he didn't notice was that Deku wasn't in his room as per usual. Deku was gone.

The next morning after Katsuki had woken up, he saw Deku looking right at him with a crinkled brow and a very serious demeanor. Katsuki felt tired and drowsy, but what Deku said made him perk up immediately, and he no longer felt tired.

"There's going to be an attack on Class 1-A by a group of villains. We need to warn them"

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