Sparks Before the Boom - Ch 2
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First day jitters would get anyone.
Especially when everyone already knows your loud, annoying twin with terrible anger issues.
Because apparently after the war, everyone knows Katsuki Bakugo.
Or at least thinks they do.
Hero rankings weren’t a thing for students yet, but attention? Yeah. That came free.
Just earlier, I watched a group of first-year girls practically trip over themselves chasing Kats and Todoroki through the hallway.
Kats looked one inconvenience away from murder.
Todoroki looked like he genuinely didn’t notice.
Honestly? He’s way denser than he looks.
I adjust my bag higher on my shoulder and exhale.
I for sure got this, and somehow…I’ll get through this.
The hallways buzz around me with voices, shoes against tile, nerves wrapped in fake confidence.
“Tch. Why’re you standing there like an idiot?”
He eyes my expression, “You look nervous.”
“You’re picking at your sleeve.”
I immediately stop, “…Mind your business.”
“Everything’s my business.”
“Boom Boy, respectfully? Shut up.”
His eye twitches. Before he can insult me back, “CHERRY?”
I barely get a second before someone crashes into me.
“Mins!” Too much energy before first period.
Mina practically squeezes the life out of me.
“You made it!” she gasps dramatically. “I thought maybe Bakugo buried you alive.”
“Needs to try harder than that.”
Kiri appears behind her, grinning, “Yo! Morning, Cherry.”
“Morning, dude,” Denki pops up next, “hey kiki.”
“Hey Bakugo 2.0!” I roll my eyes at that.
Sero walks over, red bull in hand, “Morning, Tapey,” I say.
“You literally tape people.”
“That’s so not the point.”
Katsuki already looks irritated, “You extras done yet?”
“No,” Mina says instantly.
Then I hear the sounds of hurried footsteps, they sound familiar but before i could turn around, “Blossom!”
I turn before I even think, and suddenly there’s green hair, freckles, notebook half falling out of his bag, wide eyes, “ZUKU!”
The hug happens automatically. Like breathing. Like muscle memory. Like ten years disappeared.
“Blossom,” Izuku says, sounding halfway relieved and halfway emotional.
He’s still real, and despite my hands never wanting to let go, I finally pull away.
“You look awful,” I say immediately.
“You literally just got here!”
“You still insult people when you’re emotional!”
He laughs. Actually laughs, and something in my chest settles.
The hallway goes silent, not completely. Just around us. I slowly notice it. The staring.
Denki blinking, Mina blinking harder, Kiri looking confused, Sero squinting like he’s solving a math problem. Even Todoroki somehow looks mildly interested from a distance.
Katsuki sighs, long… tired. Like this exact moment was inevitable.
“…There it is,” he mutters.
“You’re hugging MIDORIYA.”
“Like voluntarily,” Mina adds.
Kiri gestures between us, “You guys know each other?”
I stare. Then stare harder, “…We literally grew up together.”
“WAIT.” Denki turns slowly toward Bakugo, “YOU AND MIDORIYA GREW UP TOGETHER?”
“Buncha dumbasses if i’ve known the nerd since i was a kid so has she.”
“And YOU GUYS ARE FRIENDS?”
Izuku rubs the back of his neck awkwardly, “Well.”
“We’re close,” I interrupt.
Like finishing-each-other’s-sentences close. Like stealing-food-without-asking close. Like I-can-tell-you’re-upset-from-how-you-breathe close.
“Blossom still overpacks snacks,” Izuku says casually.
“You still forget lunch.”
“She still steals hoodies.”
“Because yours are comfortable.”
“You cry during hero movies.”
“OKAY.” Izuku goes bright red.
The room goes dead silent. Mina whispers, “…What.”
Denki looks scandalized, “This is weird.”
“SUPER weird,” Sero agrees.
Kiri looks genuinely distressed, “Wait, how close are y’all?”
I blink, “…Normal close?”
“No,” Katsuki says immediately.
“NOT normal,” Denki agrees.
“Disturbingly domestic,” Mina mutters.
Todorki finally speaks,“…You two act married.”
Both me and Izuku freeze, “…WHAT?” we say at the exact same time.
“THAT!” Mina points aggressively.
“You even reacted together!”
Izuku looks horrified, I look offended.
“We are not weird,” I say.
“You call her Blossom,” Denki says.
“You call him Zuku,” Mina says.
“You remembered what foods he hates,” Sero adds.
“You hugged him like he came back from war,” Kiri says.
I pause, “…Okay maybe a little weird.”
Katsuki pinches the bridge of his nose, “You idiots done?” Then without looking, he reaches over and flicks my forehead, “Quit blocking the hallway, Cherry.”
I glare immediately, “OW?”
“You were standing there forever.”
Izuku narrows his eyes, “Hey”
“Don’t start,” Katsuki says instantly.
Somehow, somehow, the class collectively notices something worse, because Izuku steps closer. Protective. I step closer to Katsuki, annoyed, and Katsuki, doesn’t move away.
Mina slowly points between all three of us, “…Oh my god.”
Denki gasps,“THEY’RE A PACKAGE DEAL.”
“WEIRD,” Sero says immediately.
“Very weird,” Sho agrees quietly.
Katsuki clicks his tongue, “Shut up before I blow somethin’ up.”
“See?” Izuku says quietly to the class. “He says things like that when he’s overwhelmed.”
Katsuki freezes, “…Izuku.”
“You psychoanalyzed Boom Boy,” Denki says.
The explosion of yelling starts immediately.
The noise doesn’t even finish dying down before,
The bell cuts through the hallway like a slap.
“Language,” I mutter automatically.
“No time for morals, Cherry,” Mina says, already grabbing my arm.
We all start moving at once. Somehow I end up shoved between Mina and Izuku for exactly three seconds before everyone collides at the door. Katsuki walks in first like he owns oxygen.
Everyone moves. Todoroki follows behind him like he’s being dragged by the concept of effort.
“I swear they’re not normal,” I whisper.
Izuku nods immediately. “They’re not.”
“I’m including him too,” he adds quickly.
The classroom is already loud when we enter. Desks. Screaming. Paper flying. Someone (Mineta, unfortunately) already being a problem.
Then, the door slides open again. Silence hits instantly. Aizawa walks in like he hasn’t slept since the concept of time began.
“You’re loud,” he says immediately.
No greeting. Just judgment. Everyone shuts up, “Sit down.”
He scans the room once, then exhales like we’re all his personal inconveniences, “…We have two new students.”
Aizawa taps his board, “Class, Im once again your homeroom teacher for the year,in addition I’ve got some news for you, Aoyama is not returning.” A few people react. I don’t. “And we have two new additions.”
He gestures slightly. The door opens again, Shinsou.
Murmurs start immediately. My stomach does that annoying thing. I feel it before I even step forward. Eyes again, great.
Beside me, another presence moves, Shinsou. I glance sideways, purple hair, tired eyes, expression like he’s already over all of us. He looks like he belongs here more than I do. We step forward together.
“Ohhh, that guy from the entrance exam…”
“He made it into Class A??”
Denki whispers loudly, “Nice to see you again man”
“Quiet,” I say automatically.
Aizawa gestures lazily. “Introduce yourselves.”
I roll my shoulders once. Then step up,“Y/n Bakugo,” I say, then shrug slightly, “or Cherry.”
“BAKUGO??” someone yells.
Whispers explodes,“Wait like this Bakugo?”
I raise a hand. “Yes way. Unfortunately.”
Aizawa already looks like he regrets this.
“Quirk?” i hear someone asks.
I smile, “Secret,” bringing my finger to my lip.
I tilt my head. “Also a secret.”
Mineta raises his hand immediately. “YO YOU’RE HOT—”
Bakugo’s fist connects with his head so fast it’s almost poetic, “SHUT UP, GRAPE.”
I lean slightly to the side. “Eugh. You must be Mineta.”
He groans on the floor,“Correct,” Mina whispers.
Aizawa sighs harder. “Next.”
I think for a second. Then grin.
“Hobbies?” Denki leans forward immediately.
This is where I lose them.
“Basketball,” I continue.
Then I look sideways at Bakugo.
“And my favorite hobby is annoying Katsuki.”
Bakugo snaps his head toward me. “You’re dead.”
Aizawa pinches his bridge of his nose. “Sit down.”
I bow slightly. “Y/n Bakugo. Cherry. Nice to meet you all.”
I step back. Shinsou steps forward. He doesn’t bow. Doesn’t smile.
Just speaks, “Hitoshi Shinsou.”
Aizawa nods once. “Good enough. Sit.”
Half the class is still staring.
I ignore them and drop into my seat.
Shinsou sits beside me, “…You’re loud,” he mutters.
Aizawa starts assigning seating, I zone out halfway through until,“Denki, Sero.”
I feel Shinsou behind me shift as he sits.
The rest goes fast, too fast. Names blur.
Then, Aizawa finishes writing,“Sit down. We start training after lunch.”
He turns to leave, then pauses, “…Try not to destroy anything.”
Silence breaks instantly.
“CHERRY IS IN CLASS WITH US??” Mina yells.
“This is AMAZING,” she continues.
Bakugo clicks his tongue. “Shut up.”
Denki is already turned around in his seat, “So,” he says.
He points at me like he’s discovered something important,“You really just said your hobby is bullying Bakugo.”
I shrug. “It’s efficient.”
Bakugo throws a pen at my head.
I dodge it without looking, “See?” I say.
Lunch can’t come fast enough,but somehow it does,and somehow I already know this year is going to be loud. Worse than before. Because now? I’m not just in the middle of Katsuki and Izuku anymore. I’m in the middle of all of them, and something tells me…
That’s going to hurt a lot more than I’m ready for.
