Chapter Text
“Alright, keep marching straight ahead! The Bakugou Adventure Team is nearing its destination!”
Leading the charge is none other than Katsuki, the most fearless and headstrong kid in the neighborhood. He's never shy about saying whatever what's on his mind, and that, coupled with his natural take-charge attitude, makes countless other kids gravitate towards him.
One of those kids, of course, isyou.
It hasn't been long since you’ve moved into the neighborhood, but Katsuki has such a strong presence that you found out about him and his crew almost immediately. They get up to all sorts of fun stuff, and being new to this part of the city, you have to admit that it feels nice to have made friends so quickly.
At first, Katsuki was a bit resistant to you joining his circle. He insisted that there was a strictno girlpolicy, but it didn't take very long for him to give in. Since then, you’ve gotten into the habit of hanging out with him and the rest of his friends pretty much constantly.
Right now, you are all trudging through the forest, on a very important quest to retrieve a powerful weapon.
“It’s close,” Katsuki says, grinning ear-to-ear. “I can feel that the sword is hidden somewhere nearby. But we have to be careful! There are probably enemies waiting to ambush us. I hope you’re all ready to put up a fight.”
Katsuki’s closest friend, and also his most devoted follower, is a freckled boy named Izuku, who nods vigorously in agreement.
“W-We’re ready!” Izuku insists, voice trembling a bit. “We’ve got Kacchan on our side, after all. There’s no way we can lose. You think so too... right, [Name]?”
Now it's your turn to respond with a vigorous nod.
“If anyone dares to mess with us, we’ll kick all their butts!” you proudly exclaim, punching your little fist in the air.
“That’s right,” Katsuki beams back. “Don’t do anything crazy, though. You’re not as strong as I am, so if it comes down to it, I’ll protect you.”
You can't help but blush. “Alright. Thank you, Katsuki.”
Onwards you march, clearing more and more of the forest. Most four-year-olds probably wouldn’t feel so comfortable in such a place, but Katsuki has made it clear thatnothingscares him. Even mysterious areas hidden by countless trees and bushes hardly even faze him.
True to his word, Katsuki eventually lets out a gasp. “There it is!” he cries out, pointing towards the ground ahead. “The sword is right there!”
Since you are only children, your imaginations play a big role in making this quest seem a lot more grandiose than it actually is. In truth, the “sword” is really just a massive stick, but being out here without any parental supervision has already gotten to your heads and makes you all feel as though you are brave, valiant adventurers. Thus, you have no qualms whatsoever about pretending that the stick is the most impressive sword you’ve ever laid eyes on.
“Enemies!” you exclaim, referring of course to the little birds that are pecking at the ground, right next to where the stick is. “They’re trying to keep us from getting our hands on the sword!”
Katsuki balls up his fists. “Well, they can try all they want, but they won’t stop us. Bakugou Adventure Team, it’s time! Fall into the attack formation we planned out before! Come on, let’s get them!”
There are five of you in total, and upon Katsuki’s signal, you all sprint straight at the birds while making battle cries, causing them to scatter. It only takes a few seconds to clear the area, and once Katsuki has ascertained that they're all gone, he picks up the stick and lifts it above his head with a victorious grin.
“Heh,” he chuckles. “That was easy as pie. They never stood a chance. Good job, team. Well, I obviously fought off themostenemies, but still.”
“Katsuki, you’re so cool,” you gush. “Thanks to you, we’re the strongest adventure team ever!”
His smirk seems impossible to contain. “Duh! You guys won’t ever need to worry about anything so long as I’m around. If anyone ever tries to mess with you, just let me know, and I’ll set ‘em straight.”
“Kacchan really is awesome,” Izuku can't help but marvel. His green eyes are glossy and wide, full of admiration. Well, pretty mucheveryonelooks up to Katsuki, so you definitely understand where he's coming from.
Feeling emboldened by your victory against those vicious enemies, you walk over to Katsuki, then promptly kiss him on the cheek.
“Thank you for protecting all of us,” you say shyly.
What follows is that Katsuki’s cheeks break out into the most violent shade of crimson you’ve ever seen. It even gives his deep red eyes a run for their money.
He jolts back almost immediately, letting out a strangled little yelp.
“W-What was that for?!” he stammers.
“For protecting us,” you say again, suddenly feeling quite embarrassed. “Um... I’m sorry. I just really wanted to thank you for being such an awesome leader. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. Are you mad now...?”
Katsuki gulps. “I-I’m notmad. You just surprised me, jeez.”
Two of the other neighborhood kids are alreadyoohingandawing, going on about how Katsuki had cooties now. Of course, he's quick to shut them up, but that doesn't make his blush disappear any faster. Izuku is the quietest of the bunch, mostly because he appears to be incredibly embarrassed based on what he just witnessed. He's even covering his eyes with his hands, peering out from between his fingers.
Your face feels quite hot after what you’ve just done, but as it just so happens, your embarrassment doesn't last.
Because something else catches your attention.
[Welcome, player! Congratulations on unlocking your system. You have obtained your first ability,Charm. This ability allows you to charm the most recent person you’ve kissed.]
[UseCharmon Bakugou Katsuki?]
You furrow your brows. “Hey, guys,” you say. “What’s this weird stuff that just popped up all of a sudden?”
You are met with nothing but looks of confusion.
“Um... what are you talking about?” Izuku frowns. “I don’t see anything.”
“Right there,” you insist, pointing to the screen in front of you. “There’s this screen with all kinds of writing on it.”
Everyone shakes their heads, which makes you feel incredibly self-conscious about the whole thing. Are you really just imagining it? Katsuki likes to tease you at times, but Izuku isn't the type to play pranks on others, so if evenheis saying he can't see the screen, then they're probably telling the truth.
“I don’t know what’s going on,” you mumble, casting your head downwards. “I swear I can actually see it... I’m not crazy.”
Katsuki stares at you for a few moments longer, eventually letting out a chuckle. “Oh! I get it. The screen you’re seeing must be some sort of alert for our new quest. So, go ahead, [Name]. Tell us what our next quest is.”
He thinks I’m still playing around.
While it's incredibly frustrating that no one believes you, there is still another thing you can try.
[UseCharmon Bakugou Katsuki?]
>>[YES]
Nothing really happens once you make your selection, and you're starting to think that maybe you reallyaregoing crazy.
But within a few moments, Katsuki suddenly collapses to the ground.
“Ugh,” he groans, clutching his head. “What’s going on...? I feel dizzy all of a sudden...”
Panicked, you drop to your knees beside him. “Katsuki!” you cry out worriedly. “Are you okay? Does something hurt?”
His gaze is glassy and unfocused, and his cheeks are only getting redder by the second. It looks like he’s just started burning up with a violent fever. When you wrap your arm around his back to try and help him rise to his feet, he flinches, as if your touch is electric.
“I-I’m fine,” he says, but he doesn't sound all that convincing. Then again, Katsuki is the type to never want help from anyone. He's always determined to shoulder everything on his own, because of how strong he is.
Under normal circ*mstances, he probably would’ve gotten quite annoyed that you were offering to help him, but he doesn't seem entirely like himself right now.
Guilt sets in when you realizedyouare probably to blame for it.
Is it because I used that charm ability on him? Is that why he’s not feeling well all of a sudden?
You can't fully explain it, because you still don't even understand what that weird screen you’ve seen is supposed tobe, but you doubt it's mere coincidence.
Katsuki eventually shakes you off and collects his bearings, although he still looks rather unstable on his feet. You hope that whatever this is, it'll pass soon.
Izuku leans closer to you and whispers in your ear. “Is Kacchan going to be alright? He’s not looking too good...”
You part your lips to respond, but don't quite have the chance to form the words in time.
Katsuki has already shoved Izuku onto the ground.
“Get away from her,” he grits out, and something about the look in his crimson eyes deeply unsettles you.
Small tears rise to Izuku’s eyes, and he just barely manages to wipe them away before they spill over. “I-I’m sorry,” he splutters, even though he can't seem to understand what he did wrong.
Katsuki’s lips split into a grimace. He looks incredibly angry. He’s always had quite a bit of a temper, but you can't recall him ever beingthisupset. Completely out of nowhere, too. It doesn't make any sense.
“Don’t get so close to [Name],” Katsuki hisses. He takes a few steps forward, clenching his fist as if he's ready to outright punch the freckled boy, but he doesn't make it very far before swaying unsteadily and falling over a second time.
This time, he's out cold.
“Oh my god! Katsuki just fainted!”
Panic ensues. You are only a bunch of preschoolers, and none of you know what you're supposed to do in a situation like this. You all desperately try to shake Katsuki awake, even lightly slap his face a few times to try and jolt him back to his senses, but nothing works.
You end up having to carry him back to his parents, who promptly tuck him into bed and promise that they'll keep an eye on his condition.
Izuku sniffles, unable to mask his concern. “I-I’ve never seen something like that happen to Kacchan before. I really hope he’s going to be okay.”
You don't say anything. Youcan't. After all, you have a sneaking suspicion that the only reason this happened is because of the choice you made.
It's strange, though. Even though you can't exactly understandhowyou caused Katsuki to faint, you assume that ability of yours had something to do with it. But then why did he get angry at Izuku all of a sudden? That part just doesn't make any sense.
You don't know it yet, but your Quirk has just manifested for the first time, and while most kids are thrilled to obtain their powers, yours will end up causing more harm than good.
