Beneath the Bleachers

8. OWN IT OR LOSE IT

(Katsuki Bakugou and [how I imagine Aizawa's daughter], art made with AI on Bing image creator, magazine cover edits made on Canva.)

chapter eight,
own it or lose it.

Katsuki Bakugou was popular. A child prodigy, some might say.

In highschool, the blond took it upon himself to successfully turn the game around during a students against teachers event. The game included his most admired pro player, Toshinori Yagi, joining in. And Katsuki Bakugou led his team to victory, scoring the last shot after stealing the ball from the professional player.

The name Katsuki Bakugou blew up overnight and by the time he got to school, everyone knew his name. All the eyes on Toshinori Yagi drifted to him that day. Despite the nonchalant look on his face and the way he bluntly said he'd beat every single one of his personal records, Katsuki felt a buzz within him— a determination to stick to his words no matter what.

And with the scouts and parents and strangers discussing him and what he could be in the future, Katsuki wanted to ensure he'd be ten times better than they thought and surpass any standard they set.

'He has potential to be a pro,' they'd mutter when he'd walk past.

And the blond's only reply was that he will be a legend. He wanted his name to hold greatness. Power. Skill. Finesse. Talent. And he'd never rest until he got to that point. Hell, he'd go even further so that no one would ever catch up to him.

By the time UA picked him for enrolment, he had decided people talking about him wasn't a big deal anymore. He had pretty much blocked out everyone's praise.

But when the tenth edition of a well-known sports magazine came through the mail the day of the practice game, his ears perked at the sound of Eijirou and Hanta announcing throughout the house.

He didn't know why. Being featured wasn't that much of a big deal to him either, it was more important for the upcoming season promotion more than his career.

And yet...

"Have you seen the interview video? They put the cover at the end." Eijirou asked Katsuki across the kitchen island. He held his phone out to his captain, fanning his face with his free hand.

Hanta walked into the kitchen, whistling while holding the newly delivered magazine in his hand. "One word. Hot. Both of you. Irritatingly hot."

Katsuki hated pictures of himself, and it wasn't because he thought he looked bad. He knew he looked good.

It was only because Denki Kaminari, one of the game commentators, blurted out randomly that some obsessed stalker could have a shrine and do unspeakable things to it.

It never left his mind. Creeped him out to the point he got annoyed when a fan would run up to him on the streets and ask for a picture.

However, if getting his pictures out there for news companies was a way to build his ever growing reputation, he could push away the thoughts of creepy old men and replace them with more workouts he could try to make sure he was in the best shape to overcome his rivals.