AN: Awesome reception! I'm always amazed by the MHA Community, we love ourselves Deku! I was going to likely do a bi-weekly schedule(to prolong my reserve chapters... heehee) But given how horridly my mid-term went today, and how many people backed this opening chapter! I was like: Screw it! Hopefully they enjoy it, after all, your enjoyment is my enjoyment! Thanks for the reviews too! I love them!

After only a few months of middle school, it was becoming quite apparent to Izuku that classes were going to be pretty easy for him. The majority of the topics have been things he already taught himself.

All of those countless trips into the library truly paid off. His ability to read and write had already reached the level of high-school students. His habit for learning things quickly, and meticulous nature also made him beyond suited for mathematics and science classes. In all actuality, after the initial nervousness of going to school, Izuku was struck with perpetual boredom. His middle-school life was rather stale.

The only real problem he had was mostly in regards to socialization. He wasn't particularly talkative. Yet despite that, he couldn't even pin his blatant lack of friends on his timid nature. In fact, if he were to blame anything, it'd have to be external influences.

Also known as Bakugo Katsuki.

For whatever reason, ever since their encounter at the school gate, Bakugo has been spending a lot of time around Izuku. At first it startled him. His friend, then turned bully (if only for a marginal amount of time) had still left him a bit jumpy.

But as the weeks passed, and Bakugo's worst offences really only extending to his vocabulary, Izuku was safe to conclude that the blond's intentions weren't what they used to be. If anything, he was rather amicable with him, in the loosest term of the definition.

However, this prickly amiability only extended to Izuku, anyone else who tried to talk to the duo would be quickly and violently told off. It left Izuku rather exasperated. His chances at making friends, slowly seeping away, one curse word at a time.

Not that the greenet would ever voice said opinion, Bakugo's company was rather encouraging. He was one of the few, if only other student Izuku knew who was serious about becoming a hero. Not to mention, he was smart enough to help Izuku with any academic problems, even if it was very seldom occurring.

Izuku was snapped from his trance as a minor explosion blew up in front of his face. He jumped in his chair, his eyes whirling at the sudden sound and light. Once they refocused, he saw Bakugo's flexed hand before him.

"Deku, quit dozing off, class ended already," the blond grunted, slinging his bag over his shoulder.

"R-right," The teen followed suit, ignoring the stares and murmurs coming from his classmates.

The two walked down the hallways, down the stairs and towards their own separate lockers. In that time, Izuku's mind was in overdrive. Just like every other time the two would head to their lockers. His mind would be running at 100 miles an hour.

Why?

Why was he being nice again? Why was he even talking to him- no, associating with him? From an objective perspective, they look like friends, if you squint. So it didn't make any sense, Izuku swore he'd stop associating with Kaac- Bakugo because he was a bad influence, a negative one. Yet, as things stood, Bakugo was anything but! He was a good foil, a good comparison for him to see how much further he needed to go.

"Deku, I said to quit dozing off!" Bakugo shouted, slamming his open palm against the greenet's locker.

The impact triggered a minor explosion, jolting Izuku away from his internal thoughts. The abrupt noise caused the greenet to fall onto his bottom.

"Ow, that was uncal-" the greenet paused, seeing the scowl present on his not-friend's face.

"...get up," He whispered, his voice icily cool.

"What?"

"I said GET UP! Why are you acting like a goddamn weakling!" Bakugo shouted, his hands subconsciously hissing as his sweat started to ignite.

"R-right, Sorry,"

"Don't fucking apologize!"

"Okay! I won't!" Izuku replied quickly. Holding his hands up in defeat.

Bakugo's scowl deepened, he didn't say anything, instead favoured yanking the greenet by one of his arms back up onto his feet. Izuku noticed a distinct change in the blond's demeanor. Something was different about him.

"Deku, come with me," Bakugo hissed.

He didn't wait for a response, instead turned, shoved his hands in his pocket and marched out the doors. Izuku was left at the lockers with a sheepish look on his face, he quickly apologized to everyone for the commotion and dashed after his sort-of-friend.

Izuku caught up to the blond with relative ease. He matched his pace, much like he did every other time the two walked home. Whether it was fortunate or not that they lived so close to each other was something Izuku would be willing to debate.

Regardless, in this instance, he knew they weren't going directly home. The deviation was clear, it seemed Bakugo had something in mind for them. It made him a bit anxious, it was odd. Bakugo didn't really bully him for long, maybe a month or two back in preschool.

The last instance was when Izuku stood up for a child, one who was at the brute end of Bakugo and his friend's tormenting. The greenet recalled fighting the three. He used Bakugo's quirk as fuel and valiantly held them off. He gave the stranger plenty of time to flee.

Bakugo realized he was fueling Izuku's quirk with his own but was so enraged by the sheer audacity he didn't stop. Eventually though, Izuku did end up losing the battle. They only hit him for a bit before ditching him on the ground.

Ever since that incident, Bakugo stopped trying to bully him. Heck, he stopped associating with Izuku altogether. At least, he did until the first day of middle school. But, like previously mentioned, the way Bakugo has started to interact with the greenet had left him in utter confusion.

"I swear to god if you don't get your head out of your ass I'll fucking kill you…" Bakugo seethed, his eyes narrowing dangerously and fingers twitching.

"Sor- I mean, okay," Izuku stammered, correcting himself mid-sentence.

"We're here," Bakugo supplied, dropping his bag by his side.

Izuku tilted his head in confusion. What did he mean by that? He scanned his surroundings, first noticing the slide and jungle gym set. To his side, a lone tree and bench. Recognition quickly dawned on him. It helped that he was just thinking of this location too.

"I remember here…" Izuku said in forced calmness.

"Drop the bag Deku, get ready," Bakugo said, his hair shadowing his eyes.

The boy in question paled. He had his suspicions the moment Bakugo dragged him here of all places. But to fight? Did he want to see who was stronger? Was that it? Whatever the case, Izuku complied with the request, carefully placing his All Might theme bag safely on top of the bench.

The two teens walked to the center, then both fell into combative stances. Silence befell the both of them. They remained on high-alert but refrained from actually committing to any actions. Izuku was mentally reeling. He said he wanted to surpass Bakugo, he just didn't figure Bakugo would take him seriously. He never did before, and if the nickname 'Deku' was anything to go by, he still didn't take him seriously now.

Why fight? Izuku simply didn't understand what was going through Bakugo's mind. He figured it may be better that way. But in the middle of the neighbourhood, at the park no less? Izuku was worried they'd draw attention, or worst, get in trouble.

"Are you sure we should be doing this here?" Izuku asked, although his guard never faltered.

Izuku would like to think he was rather perceptive, so it didn't go unnoticed by him when the blond stiffened, his muscles tensed, nose twitched, brows narrowed and fingers flexed. In fact, given how high-alert he felt, his instincts were practically screaming at him to move.

"Shut up! I'm settling this," Bakugo growled.

The next instance, the blond lunged, using his explosions to propel him forward at a blistering pace. He winded up his right arm and swung viciously towards the greenet.

Izuku, resigned to fighting his probably-not-a-friend, quickly predicted the telegraphed attack and ducked underneath it. The greenet opened his mouth, and absorbed the lingering flames from Bakugo's initial explosion.

Then, he spun on his heels, turning to face the airborne blond and unleashed a torrent of flames.

The fiery attack didn't reach its target, an explosion disrupted the flow of the flames, and another sent the blond shooting upwards.

If Izuku wasn't currently sparing with him, he'd be vastly impressed with Bakugo's aerial mastery. Instead, the aspiring hero was more focused with diving out of the way of another bomb-like attack.

He just narrowly dodged it, with heat rushing against his body in doing so. Izuku's attention was quickly diverted to the sudden shadow splashing over him, his eyes darting to the source.

Bakugo was in the air his explosions propelling him towards his downed opponent, his right hand hissed and glowed. Izuku fired a shot in response. Bakugo squinted his eyes and tilted his head to the side, weaving out of the attack's way. He brought his fist down and ignited it on contact, uprooting dirt as a result.

Dirt?

Izuku's distraction gave him just enough time to roll out of direct impact, but the force sent him tumbling more than he intended. He got to his feet and absently started dusting himself off.

"Take this serious nerd!" Bakugo vehemently shouted, and was once again launching towards Izuku.

"I am!" came the equally vehement response.

Izuku side-stepped the swinging blow and latched onto his opponent's arm. Bakugo tensed as he felt another arm hook under his armpit, he felt Izuku pivot on his heels, and suddenly, the world turned upside down.

The blond bounced painfully against the ground, wincing at the sudden impact as spittle was forcefully released from his mouth.

Bakugo, felt as if his head was spinning but still managed to fire off a retaliatory explosion. Izuku unready for the fast recovery dove back into a roll, creating distance. This gave the blond enough time to reorientate and launch himself onto his feet.

He became mildly aware of the residue flames being dragged through the air into an open mouth, he also became aware of Izuku's green eyes, they started to glow with a dull red outline. He felt tense, Izuku's next attack would be stronger, he had an instinctual feeling of that. He'd have to up his ante if he wanted to deal with whatever the green idiot threw at him.

No more punches, he was getting read too easily. Instead, he'd just overwhelm him with explosions from close range. With his plan made, Bakugo grinned viciously as he launched himself towards Izuku one more time. Instead of winding up for a punch, he brought both his hands back, smoke drifting from open palms.

Izuku felt fatigued, all the constant jumping and dodging in such a short span had him panting, his clothing stuck uncomfortably to his body. He saw the attack coming, but his reactions lagged and his legs protested against avoiding it. He'd have to exchange blows. He bent his knees and raised his arms up in a guard, parting them slightly in front of his face as to not block his path. He opened his mouth, willing his flames to bottleneck at the surface.

"Die!" Bakugo shouted, bringing both his sizzling hands forward in anticipation.

From point blank range, neither of them could dodge the other's attack. They received the full brunt of their quirks. Bakugo felt his uniform singe, and his body burn, whilst the force behind the blow sent Izuku flailing backwards, crashing into the slide set.

There was a pregnant pause, the sound of groans emanating from the playground.

After a few seconds, Izuku begrudgingly got to his feet. He winced when his hand brushed against his side. He was certain that it would bruise. He then remembered as to why it would, and snapped his attention from his side back towards his opponent.

Bakugo was gritting his teeth, and a vicious snarl was plastered on his face. He looked worse for wear, with grim and sweat sticking to his forehead, his uniform appeared unsalvageable, with singe marks and burns riddling it all over.

But easily, the most important feature was the fact that Bakugo was on one knee. Red eyes connected with green. Izuku noticed the minuscule change, he noticed how the blond's eyes widened slightly before narrowing again. Painfully, Bakugo got to his feet, and bit down on his tongue to regain some focus.

"We're not done here De-"

Fweeeet

The two teens snapped their heads to the sound, focusing first on the source. Across from them, on the other side of their impromptu arena, was a thoroughly unimpressed officer. He had a whistle sticking from his mouth, and a deadpan expression on his face.

"You two have some explaining to do," The man said as he marched over towards the teens.

"I'm so sorry for everything my idiot son did officer," Bakugo Mitsuki apologized, bowing from her seated position.

"Shut up ha-"

The Bakugo matriarch smacked up her son, promptly silencing him. The officer involuntarily gulped before clearing his throat.

"W-well, given how this is Bakugo Katuski's first offense, I suppose we could let him off with a warning, but he should strive to better himself. He has an amazing quirk," The officer paused, and faced the scowling teen.

"You wish to become a hero yes?"

"No sh-" *SMACK* "yes, I want to become a hero," The teen corrected, glaring towards his mother.

She had an innocent smile on her face, which only further infuriated him.

"Smarten up then, You and your friend have incredible quirks, but using them for combat, no matter how safe you try to be, is wrong, do I make myself clear?"

The officer waited for a response. Once it became apparent that he wasn't going to receive one, he raised a brow disapprovingly. The blond refused to meet his gaze, instead his mouth started to form a thin frown.

*SMACK*

"Could you fuc-" *SMACK* "yes! Crystal, are we done here?"

The officer paled, should he write her up instead? No he thought against it, less he attracted her ire. He coughed into his fist before nodding.

"Ahem, uh, yes. That's all, you two may leave,"

Bakugo didn't need a second invitation, he got up from his chair and all too hastily made his way to the door.

The police station he found himself in was small, and relatively quiet given the time of day. However, that's as far as Katsuki's interest went. Truth be told, he was more fixated on the fight.

He lost.

He could have denied it, he knew he could have continued to fight, he was a bit battered, but was more than capable of continuing. However, it was clear that in their last attack, when both hits collided point blank. He got up last.

Deku managed to shoulder everything Bakugo threw at him. He even managed to dish it back.

Katsuki would never openly admit fighting Deku would be a bad matchup for him. But even he couldn't deny that his quirk would only fuel and power Deku's. Not to mention the area they chose to fight in, constricted space crowded with needless obstacles and with plenty of flammables was a severe handicap for his wide affecting explosions.

The blond paused in his step and shook his head. It wouldn't matter, the kind of handicap would extend to the fire breathing idiot too.

No matter how he wished to twist and turn it, Bakugo lost. The defeat grated at his ego. But at the same time, he couldn't help but feel oddly relieved. Deku was seen as his equal by society for years.

Bakugo may have stopped associating with him, but that didn't stop the constant reminder and praise always being delivered in pair. It agitated him for nearly the entirety of elementary school. Constant reminder of his equal. Despite that, he always refused to believe it. Actions always spoke louder than words, and what he saw (whenever he had half a mind to care) always left plenty to be desired.

However, seeing Deku on their first day of middle school, something simply drew in the blond. His stance was different, his posture straighten, he carried more confidence. He carried the kind of confidence Bakugo would expect- no, demand from his perceived equal.

However, what Bakugo did at the front gate was nothing more than an impulse, a whim even he couldn't explain. Eventually he got fed up with Deku's timid personality. The idiot was embarrassing him. The blond started to question himself. Was Deku really worthy?

Seeing his societal equal act in such an pathetic state frustrated him. Bakugo simply had to see where the greenet stood in comparison to him. Deku was seen as his equal by society for years. Now, Bakugo was starting to see why.

Izuku shrunk deeper and deeper into the couch. He couldn't really meet his mother's gaze, especially her look of betrayal. It was surprisingly effective in making him feel incredibly guilty.

His mother sighed, then gently rubbed the top of his head.

"I'm going to start dinner…" His mom paused.

It prompted Izuku to meet her eyes, she looked blatantly disappointed, but there was something else, he couldn't quite make it out. Whatever it was, it made his mother hesitant. It was clear that she wanted to add something more, but, decided against it. With nothing else to say, she made her way towards the kitchen

Izuku slumped even deeper into the couch, slapping his head with an open palm.

He knew fighting Bakugo was a stupid idea! His whole career as a hero could have ended before it even started! Heck, he was only off the hook because he had 'a strong hero quirk'. Izuku swore he wouldn't fight Bakugo again, no matter what!

That being said, he wouldn't deny how incredibly liberating it felt. He managed to hold his own against Bakugo. His childhood friend, turned bully, turned stranger. Although he didn't verbally receive respect and approval from the blond. He couldn't deny that in combat, he felt the closest to being Bakugo's equal in a long time. If their fight was the last time the two interacted with each other, then Izuku could say with confidence that he didn't hold any regrets.

ding-dong

"Izuku can you get the door," His mother called.

She was back in her usual mood, but Izuku knew it was forced cheer. With a sigh, the greenet hopped up from his resting place and walked towards the entrance.

"Hello, this is the Mido-" He lost the rest of his voice as a familiar blond was standing on the other side of the now open doorway.

"Deku," The teen growled, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"...Bakugo,"

The two refrained from saying anything else and avoided eye contact. The silence stretched long enough to reach the realm of awkward. It prompted Izuku into rubbing his arm, he smiled nervously towards the blond who in turn scowled.

"Izuku who's at the- oh, Is that little Kaachan? You've grown up so much!" Inko said, drying her hands on a towel.

"Y-yep! It's Kaachan, heehee," Izuku said, laughing nervously to help ease his rising tension.

Oddly enough, he noticed Bakugo relax ever so slightly, his shoulders dropping an inch. Both their attention was drawn towards the Midoriya matriarch.

"That's very convenient, perhaps you both can explain as to why you were fighting this afternoon?" The woman asked, her smile taking up a feigned innocence.

Izuku paled, his eyes shifted towards the blond, who remained impassive at the line of questioning. His crimson eyes betrayed nothing, his clench jaw on the other hand, did. After some time, the blond lowered his gaze and sighed tiredly.

"My old hag of a mother wanted me to come here and…" He paused, clenching his jaw again.

Izuku suspected he was biting his tongue, less the blond say something to cause needless problems. The greenet tilted his head in confusion, what exactly did Mrs. Bakugo want her son here for?

The fight came to mind initially, but Izuku agreed to it. He wasn't any less responsible than Kaachan was.

"Deku,"

"Baku-"

"Listen, quit using my godda- my family name," The blond corrected, recalling he was still in the presence of Mrs. Midoryia.

"You want me to call you Kaachan?" Izuku asked incredulously.

"N- I don't care, call me whatever, I call you Deku, so it's… it's even this way,"

"Okay, Kaachan," The greenet said slowly and laced with apparent confusion, he felt like he was missing some parts of the puzzle.

"Tch, that's all I wanted to say."

Kaachan scowled, bowed his head to Izuku's mother- who remained equally as confused as her son, murmured a quiet apology and turned on his heels. He marched off, his hands buried in his pockets. The blond looked as if he was deep in thought as he rounded the corner.

It occurred to Izuku that Kaachan actually didn't really say anything oth- wait, did he say even?!

The remaining few months of his first year of middle school ended as unspectacular as they started. The only true highlight of the year was finally, finally getting Kaachan's approval, or acknowledgement at the very least.

Izuku would shamefully admit it took him longer than he'd like to realize that. The blond was very implicit about the whole situation, which led the aspiring hero into believing that it was a rather difficult thing for Kaachan to do.

Regardless, he was happy with the overall outcome. There wasn't the usual underlying tension whenever he was around Kaachan anymore. The teen was still crass, and he was still aggressive towards anyone he didn't deem worthy of his time. But at the very least, the two got along much better.

Their friendship was miraculously salvaged. Izuku wasn't entirely sure who he should be grateful to for such a fortunate turn of events. He actually had a friend again! Not that the blond would ever claim that's what they were. If anything, Bakugo continued to call him Deku. But, it didn't carry the same bite it used to have. All things considered, it was much better than being called a b-rated extra in comparison.

Another quickly rising occurrence was their constant hanging out. They frequented a diner nearby both their houses the most. The ambiance inside the restaurant was cozy and soothing, it helped when both were studying for tests. They became fast regulars, even being recognized by name.

Moreover, they two spent plenty of time at each other's respective house. Izuku considered this another sign of acknowledgement, given how he never actually went into the blond's home before. He was never given permission back in preschool.

"Okay class, pencils down," The teacher called from his desk.

A collective sigh escaped across the classroom. Some faces were relieved, others confident and the rare few in dreading horror. Izuku had finished minutes before the call out, and was working on a hero quirk analysis.

Izuku was snapped from his trance, noticing the sudden increase in movement and sound. He surveyed his surroundings and safely assumed the allocated time was up. He turned on his chair and faced the thoroughly bored looking Kaachan. He was resting his head on his palm while his other hand was absently spinning a mechanical pencil with practiced ease.

"'Bout damn timing this shit ended," The blond said once he noticed Izuku's gaze land on him.

He nodded in agreement, to the sentiment if nothing else. He didn't have anything against tests, besides maybe being painfully easy. With finals out of the way, the teens had a break from classes. With the free spare time, the two would assist one another in their training, sparring, or essentially whatever the two felt like required improvement.

If Izuku recalled, the two boys planned to increase stamina and work on precise quirk usage. Bakugo's quirk had potential for long-range application. However, he simply lacked the precision and accuracy. Izuku's quirk usage was far too one-dimensional, so the two sought out ways to increase its versatility.

The two walked home, gathered their necessary gear and supplies then met up at a location roughly between both houses. From there, they set a course straight to Mizuha's facility.

Izuku introduced the facility to Kaachan less than two months ago. Once realizing just what exactly the facility could offer the blond, he couldn't contain his maddening grin. Granted, the greenet misinterpreted it for unhinged rage, but that was a misunderstanding quickly corrected. Kaachan thoroughly enjoyed trashing targets with his quirk, and also had the decency to pay attention when one of the experts gave him suggestions.

They were eventually permitted to use the facility as long as they wished, so long as they left when the final worker did. This granted them free access to experiment and improve their control over their quirks without any hindrances.

The two teens would bounce ideas off of one another, and tended to use each other as live dummies for some of their more intricate special attacks. Their latest attempts have been fruitful, with Kaachan using his body and spinning momentum as a medium for a massive explosion.

The 'Howitzer Impact' took many, many battered bones and bloodied bruises before truly being practical in combat. The two teens were ecstatic, in their own respective manners when Kaachan finally pulled it off.

"Alright Kaachan! Try to hit m-"

"I fucking got it, just stay still and DIE!" The blond shouted.

Kaachan cupped his open palm in his other hand. His palm quickly heated up, turning an orange hue before erupting into a concentrated explosion. The smoke and force was narrowed, and ultimately travelled further than his normal wide expanding explosions.

However, it still lacked the precision necessary to truly pose a threat. Izuku purposely placed himself at the farthest end of the room. It wouldn't truly be long-range if they didn't maximize their space. In doing so, the fiery force from Kaachan's attack barely tickled as it reached him.

They continued the routine several more times with relatively similar results. Eventually Kaachan begrudgingly waved his hand, which was their signal to call it quits. The greenet walked over, already going over things the blond could improve on for their next session.

"Alright Deku, spit it out," Kaachan hissed, his focus more on clutching one of his arms.

Izuku nodded, pointedly ignoring the pain Kaachan was in. He didn't like it being addressed as it was only a drawback from over-exertion. He probably wouldn't be able to do much with his quirk tomorrow.

"I think narrowing surface area is the ideal course of action to maximize distance. It should also double as increased fire power given your explosions would be more compressed and concentrated as a result," Izuku half-murmured half-lectured.

"Right…" Katsuki said, coughing into his hand.

Katsuki quickly realized over the months that Deku was very eager when it came to quirks and their applications. Katsuki had his suspicions before, but this. This was ridiculous, the greenet got overbearing at times. Edit: all the time. However, there was merit to almost everything he said. The blond couldn't deny that Deku was his superior in terms to quirk application.

That being said, it was entirely due to the fact that Katsuki simply didn't care enough for other quirks. He was a genius in his own right, which came out in full force whenever the two teens sparred, (with supervision of course). Katsuki was a combative expert. He had an inherit natural talent for battle tactics and spur of the moment decisions. Deku hasn't won a spar since their first in the play set all those months ago.

"Well then, I'll go next," the greenet said as he stretched one of his arms.

Katsuki nodded and took a few steps back. In that moment, the floor hissed, and slowly parted before the pair. A campfire slowly raised from the ground. The sound of gears and propulsions sang in symphony until finally, the newly elevated fire and it's base were perfectly aligned with the gym floor.

"Thanks!" Izuku shouted, throwing a thumbs up towards the viewing area.

The facility in itself was high-class, efficient and crafted with the intent and purpose of having people survey and examine what was transpiring inside the large gym room. As such, the whole left side was completely full of thick window panes, giving a perfect view for any and all examiners.

A pair of people smiled and tossed a thumbs up of their own towards the greenet from the safety of the other room.

"New move or just trying your weird sucking shit?" Kaachan asked.

"Uh… the second one,"

"Then we're done here," the blond said, pausing to stretch his arms, "see you tomorrow, Deku," he finished, giving a half-wave as he exited the room.

Izuku ruefully smiled, but decided that he wanted to optimize his quirk more before tackling an ultimate move. For starters, Izuku wanted to see if he could consume flames if he only barely had his mouth open. To see how much his mouth played into the absorption process. He wanted to see if it was all a mnemonic device he created at a young age, or if now that he's older, he doesn't have to be gaping like a fish the whole time.

He also wanted to delve deeper into the science behind the 'fuel' to his fire breathing. If he could eat things like heat or light, then access to his quirk would become immensely more practical. Sensei Mizuha said it was possible with enough practice.

So practice he would.

AN: "A second author note!? Is he scum?" Well... let's not focus on that. Anyways, this chapter, yeah. I'm not 100% pleased with it. It got across what I wanted, but I don't know how much of it came off too robotic, too forced. Regardless, it'll likely remain as such until I feel it's prudent to go back and fix, if it even needs fixing. I may be overly critical about it.

Another thing, I suck at fight scenes, they're just not one of my fortes. This is easily reflected by the countless attempts it took just to be satisfied with what I have. And even then, I had to edit through this fight for 7 hours! 7! Sigh, Hopefully, I'll manage to improve my fight scenes! A guy can dream!