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Bakugou was in middle school when his world started to explode. Not in the literal sense, although it did. That came much later when he manifested his quirk, Explosion. But the concept of a world beyond the playground started to develop. He wasn't sure he wanted to be a part of it.

When he turned seven, Izuku Midoriya transferred to his school. The boy had no quirk and he was weak. The worst kind of weak; the kind that didn't fight back. Bakugou didn't need to think twice before tormenting him. After all, Midoriya was beneath him; a waste of space.

At age ten, Bakugou manifested his quirk. A beautiful explosion of power that had him screaming in delight. At age eleven, his parents realized how far things had gone between Bakugou and Izuku and they weren't having it. His mother's anger was a thing of wonder. He was told to apologize to Izuku and it was like his world was imploding around him. What would happen to all his anger if he stopped tormenting Izuku? But then Midoriya spoke up and offered him something.

"You can still be the number one hero. I might not have powers, but I can learn too."

It wasn't enough. Bakugou could never be best friends with a weakling like Midoriya, but maybe if they worked together they'd both be better for it.

So, Bakugou learned to pretend. He learned to smile and play nice and act like he cared, but at least Midoriya was willing to put in the work. He didn't really understand quirkless people, but he understood how much Izuku wanted it. Bakugou thought maybe he could understand being a villain too, if he didn't want to be a hero so badly. But he did, so he started working with Midoriya.

When they entered middle school, things were changing fast. Their world was getting bigger and the concept of "quirk" became less of a playground game and more of an actual possibility. They entered the next stage of their lives, but they weren't alone.

A boy with frost fire had entered their world. Not literally; that came much later when the boy appeared in their classroom. But in the beginning, it was more of a subtle presence, an influence that Bakugou wouldn't realize until much later. The first time it happened, Bakugou dismissed it as his own thoughts.

"I can't be a hero."

"Of course you can."

Midoriya was too optimistic, but he was right. Bakugou *could* be a hero. He'd spent the last two years learning everything he could and honing his quirk and studying under the U.A. course. Bakugou was going to be the number one hero and nothing could stop him. Nothing except himself.

It was on the third day of class that the frost fire boy appeared. The teacher had announced him as a transfer student, and Bakugou immediately dismissed him as irrelevant. He watched as the new student, Ren Matsumoto, was greeted by their classmates. A few kids offered him a welcoming smile and Midoriya waved at him with a grin, but Bakugou turned his head away. He wasn't interested in making friends with someone who didn't care about quirk development.

When the teacher handed out their textbooks and workbooks, Bakugou's boredom peaked. It was too easy. There was nothing to it. The only thing he had to look forward to was the start of hero courses next week, but he had a feeling that even those classes would be a disappointment.

"Hey, Bakugou."

His head whipped around to see a hand waving in front of his face. Bakugou blinked and took in the sight of Ren Matsumoto smiling at him. He blinked again.

"Did you even hear what I was saying?" Matsumoto's voice was amused, but Bakugou barely noticed. Instead, he stared at the boy's eyes.

His left eye was blue, like frost, and his right eye was red, like fire. Bakugou looked at his hair, which was blue at the roots and orange at the tips.

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