Katsuki Bakugo's sneakers crunched against the gravel just outside of the large school building as he made a beeline from one of the side doors toward the waiting bus. The boy kept his head down and his gaze low, feeling utterly furious. All day long, all eyes in all rooms had been upon him. Endless questions had peppered him from every side, raising his blood pressure and urge to throttle his new classmates to get them to just shut up.

"What's your name?"

"What's your Quirk?"

"Where are you from?"

"You know you can't wear your uniform like that, right?"

"Why transfer so close to the end of the year?"

"What, you think you're cool with that stupid, spiky hair?"

The questions had continued from before the first bell right up until the last one, at which point Katsuki had made a hasty retreat for the nearest door to the outside world. He may have inadvertently shoved aside another middle schooler with his shoulder as he rushed through the halls, but Katsuki couldn't have cared less. His only thoughts were centered around making it to the bus and getting home on time to start on his litany of chores.

"Shake him down. Fatass probably has some cash on him."

"Stop it! Leave Itachi alone!"

Katsuki looked up with a start, only to see what appeared to be a mugging in progress. A group of four much taller boys that clearly weren't from the middle school had a rather chubby male pushed up against the brick wall of the school building. The one responsible for pinning the middle schooler was a short boy with an odd, bubbling foam seeping from between his fingers that began to harden around his captive prey. Another even smaller green-haired student had his fists clenched as he stared angrily at the group of aggressors. A protruding wing of the school building blocked the view from the bus line to the bullying, leaving the two victims well out of sight of any teachers.

"What're ya gonna do about it? Grab him, too," the leader of the pack ordered. He was a tall, lanky redhead with hair down to his lower back in a loose ponytail. One of his grunts, a muscular boy with raised lumps along the skin of his arms nodded and moved to grab the green-haired boy, only for him to take a threatening swing. The hook missed entirely, and the teenager laughed heartily at the frantic effort.

"Pff! Look at this kid. You gonna take on all three of us while your friend gets robbed?" the high schooler with lumpy arms asked.

"I-if I have to!" the green-haired middle schooler said in a shaky voice. "I won't just let you get away with this! You're hurting him!"

"Gonna hurt you a lot worse, kid," the bully threatened as he took a step forward.

"Hey, shitheads!" Katsuki yelled as he dropped his backpack down into the grass and approached the scene. "Back off. Now."

All eyes turned to Katsuki once again, but for the first time that day, he found that he liked it that way.

"Ohoho, we've got ourselves a little savior," the leader cooed as he slipped his hands into his pockets. "You think you can take all of us? These two twerps aren't gonna be much help."

Katsuki spat into the grass, before cracking his knuckles. He then interlaced his fingers and extended his arms before himself to crack them backwards, resulting in a small, yet surprisingly loud explosion. All four of the bullies jumped in surprise, and the three behind the leader looked between themselves in uncertainty.

"Hell yes I can. Only weak people pull stunts like this. One of me is worth ten underhanded scum like you."

"…oh, I'm actually gonna enjoy stomping you into the ground," the leader threatened. "You think you're a hero, or something? Or are you stalling until one just drops out of the sky to save you three little kids? That's not how it works, blondy."

Katsuki's eyes shifted to the boy held captive up against the wall by the solidifying foam.

"…nice Quirk you've got there. But by using yours first, I've got all the clearance I need to use mine."

"That's cute. How powerful could a middle schooler possib-"

The sound of a series of quick, fairly loud explosions echoed all throughout the area as Katsuki threw his arms behind himself and used a few quick blasts to propel himself toward the leader. Just as Katsuki closed the distance, he fired another tactical blast down into the grass and soared over the older boy's head. One more explosion for propulsion pushed him back inward toward the bully's back, and with a single powerful midair haymaker to the back of the head, the redhead was face down in the grass, unconscious.

"Holy shit!"

Katsuki quickly turned toward the remaining aggressors, his smile wide and palms smoking as he looked between the three high schoolers. The green-haired middle schooler had apparently engaged the lumpy-armed bully, and Katsuki watched as the small boy took a hard kick to the stomach. The stumbling, freckled middle school student tried for another swing, only for the stocky bully to duck beneath it and land an uppercut into the little boy's jaw. Katsuki flew in with another explosion and pressed his palm to the attacker's back before he engaged his Quirk and blew him away in a smoking heap.

"What the hell are you doing!?" Katsuki asked the boy who was staring up at him in admiration. A trail of blood ran from his nose down his lip, but the smaller boy was smiling all the same. "Stop being useless and get outta here! Leave these two assholes to me!"

"You're… awesome!" the unfamiliar middle schooler praised. "Who are you? My name's Izuku Mido-"

"I don't care!" Katsuki snapped. "Shut up and stay out of my way!"

Katsuki whirled as he eyed up the two remaining bullies. Foam seeped from between the fingers of the one who had captured the initial victim, while the other boy was airborne on a pair of leathery wings. Dark hair hung down to cover his eyes, and his oddly pointed teeth flashed briefly as he spoke.

"Not bad, for a little runt… but you can't take both of us at once, and Moji's getting up. Prepare to get stomped."

Katsuki briefly looked over his shoulder, only to see the leader named Moji slowly rising from the grass. Far beyond him were two adults running toward the scene, yelling and waving their arms as they approached to break up the fight. Katsuki simply laughed as he turned back toward the bat-winged boy and raised a hand with his palm toward the sky before letting off a few small, threatening pops.

"Looks like I've only got about thirty more seconds to play with you idiots before the teachers get here. I bet I can knock out at least two of you in that time."

With another round of backward explosions, Katsuki flew upward to meet the winged boy in midair. The bully tried to say something as Katsuki's palm rocketed toward his face, and then all he saw was flickering, bright colors as his hearing was overtaken by a deafening explosion.

"…so Izuku really wasn't embellishing anything after all," Inko mused before taking a sip of her tea. "I'm not really a fan of violence, but… thank you for saving him, all the same. He still really looks up to you."

Katsuki shifted uncomfortably upon the couch across from Inko's, his expression conflicted.

"…yeah. It's what any decent hero would do. I wasn't gonna just let him and Itachi get pounded. Though, looking back, maybe I should've just left Itachi wrapped up in foam."

"You're not friends anymore?" Inko asked with a raised brow as she set her teacup down.

"…no. Apparently, it's too much effort to keep contact while being at different schools. Even when we did hear from him, at first, he was a total… he just kept wanting to start problems. I cut him off," Katuski explained with a scowl.

"Even so… I don't think you would've left him there, even if you'd known," Inko replied.

Katsuki gave the woman an annoyed look, before letting out a defeated sigh.

"…yeah. I wouldn't have…"

"Perhaps it's all for the best for things to work out as they did, though," Inko admitted. "You're going to lose friends as time goes on. Just make sure you keep the good ones close. I'll do what I can to make sure Izuku does so for you."

Katuski looked up to meet Inko's eyes for only a moment before he looked away and stood from the couch.

"…what makes you so sure I'm one of the good ones?"

"Many things," Inko began as she moved to follow Katsuki, her cup in hand. "You're not about to start cleaning again, are you?"

"It's gotta get done," Katsuki answered without looking at his host. "And I'll handle dinner tonight, Mrs. Midoriya."

"Katsuki, please," Inko said with an exhausted tone. "You've been so helpful these past few weeks, but I don't want you to burn yourself out. School's almost over, final exams are coming up…"

"I've been studying. So has Izuku. I'll head upstairs to get back to it with him soon," Katsuki said simply as he began to take out cleaning supplies from under the sink.

"Still… don't you ever just… rest? You're a guest in our house."

Katsuki finally turned around to look at Inko once again as he hoisted the plastic basket of cleaning supplies up onto the kitchen island. Her pleading expression immediately brought about feelings of annoyance, and he made a frustrated noise.

"…'guest' status ended after week one, Mrs. Midoriya. I'm earning my keep."

Inko rolled her eyes with a defeated sigh, her mouth pulling into a thin line.

"…and yet, you were doing all of this during week one, as well."

"…it's how I was raised. Can we just leave it at that?" Katsuki asked flatly.

"If you insist," Inko resolved as she placed her teacup into the dishwasher.

The sound of the doorbell echoed throughout the house just as Katsuki picked a spray bottle up out of the plastic carrier. He set it back down immediately and moved for the door, grateful for the sudden interruption.

"I've got it."

Within seconds, Katsuki arrived at the door and pulled it open, only to see a man large enough to take up the entirely of the frame.

"I am… young Bakugo…?"

"…All Might?" Katsuki questioned with a certain reverence in his voice. He stepped to the side without another word to allow the massive man into the home.

"All Might!?" Inko echoed, wide-eyed. "Hold on just a moment! I'll put on tea! I c-"

"Please, please, there is no need," All Might reassured with a defensive gesture as he ducked his way into the living room. "I won't be staying too long, so there's no need for hospitality. I'm both surprised and a little relieved to see you still here," the professional hero added as he looked down at Katsuki.

"He's been wonderful," Inko praised as she moved to stand beside Katsuki and folded her arms in front of herself.

"Glad to hear it!" All Might boomed with his usual wide smile. "And I hear you've been accepted to audition for U.A., in only a few short months! There's no doubt in my mind that you'll make it in, young man, if what I've heard about your Quirk and academics is true. I can't wait to see you in action, myself."

"You will soon," Katsuki answered confidently. "And I won't disappoint you. I'll put on a show that's better than whatever you've heard."

All Might laughed loudly and put his hands upon his hips, before pausing awkwardly. For the first time since he had entered, the room was silent, and Katsuki raised a questioning brow.

"…I'm certain that you will!" All Might said with a hint of unease.

Suddenly, the sound of thundering footsteps echoed throughout the home from the upper floor, and then began to make their way down the staircase. Seconds later, Izuku appeared within the hall and stopped just before the entrance to the living room.

"All Might? I thought I heard your voice, but I wasn't sure if… you're here!?"

"I am!" All Might answered with a nod. "In fact, I'm here for you."

For the second time that day, the room descended into uncomfortable silence.

"…me?" Izuku asked as he pointed a finger into his chest. "You… want to talk to me? Not Kacchan…?"

A feeling of dread washed over Katsuki. Though he knew from All Might's reaction to seeing him that the visit had nothing to do with him, the revelation that he wanted something to do with Izuku made him incredibly uneasy.

"…not everything's about me," Katsuki said quickly while looking away. The admission only caused his feelings to intensify, and an ugly sort of anger bubbled up through his unease. "Don't act so surprised. All Might's here to talk to you, so don't waste any more time. Talk to him."

Quite suddenly, All Might's ever-present smile faltered as he gave Katsuki an uncertain look.

"Uh… right," All Might agreed. "Though, I would like to speak to you another time, Bakugo. Truly!"

"Yeah," Katsuki deflected with a shrug. "I'll be in the kitchen if you need me."

Inko watched Katsuki move into the kitchen with a dejected look before turning her attention up to All Might.

"Well… what is this all about?"

All Might's face began to shine with sweat as he forced his smile enough to visibly strain his neck muscles.

"Well… actually, Mrs. Midoriya, if you don't mind… I'd like to speak to Izuku privately. Elsewhere. I'd like to bring him to the Nighteye Detective Agency for the afternoon. There's something we need to discuss with him."

At that, Katsuki turned around and gave All Might an incredulous look. It didn't go unnoticed by the professional hero as he quickly averted his eyes.

"I… of course I'll go!" Izuku said enthusiastically as he rushed toward All Might. "I mean, if that's alright?"

Inko looked down at her soon, clearly confused.

"I don't see why not," Inko considered as she turned her attention to All Might. "He's… he isn't in trouble, is he?"

"Oh, no!" All Might reassured with an awkwardly enthusiastic laugh. "No, of course not! Very much the opposite… but we need to make haste. It's going to take quite a while to get you up to speed, young man…"

"Then I'm ready!" Izuku replied. "Kacchan, I'll catch you up once we get back. Promise."

All Might sucked in a breath as he watched Izuku head out the door and onto the lawn. He briefly spared Katsuki an apologetic look before giving him and Inko a quick wave.

"…we'll… return before nightfall! No need to worry!"

"Of course not," Inko agreed. "See you soon!"

As the door closed, Inko turned to Katsuki with a quizzical look.

"…any ideas…?"

"None," Katsuki spat as he kept his eyes on the door. "But I don't like it at all…"

Author's Note:

It's way too much fun to riff off of All Might's "I am here!"

So. Close. To UA. Two more big events to go, and then auditions begin…

-RD