The Flap of a Butterfly's Wings

A Jump in Time

Katsuki notices how everyone around him -including himself- is changing. His mom and dad are different. Or maybe it's how he perceives them that has changed. They are no longer people that can do anything and everything. They are no longer perfect (Katsuki would never admit out loud that he once thought his parents were perfect, and there will always be a small part of him that still believes it). No one is. Katsuki is still struggling with this because he wants to be perfect. He wants to be the best at everything, and is still striving to achieve this unattainable goal (Katsuki wonders if it's a form of distraction. A way to pass the time by).

His parents are different, and so are the kids at school. He's in junior high now, and it's near impossible not to notice the shift. People have migrated into their own groups, and therefore developing classes of each other. Who is better? Who would they rather be? Who makes them happy that they aren't them? Katsuki doesn't know what group he's in, but everyone seems to love him. He doesn't complain. He loves the attention, but no matter how much he receives, it's never enough. It never amounts to the attention he was given from Deku.

Katsuki has grown taller. He's losing all of the baby fat, and now looks older. His quirk continues to grow as he does. Katsuki loves his quirk. He loves the colors and the warmth and the stinging that comes with the beauty. He has trouble controlling it when he gets angry (which has been happening more and more recently). Small, threatening, sparks erupt from his hands as he feels the anger bubbling up, but Katsuki reminds himself that these small sparks are better than something bigger and uncontrollable. Besides, it helps calm him down. It's like all of his frustrations and pent up feelings are coming out of the small explosions. His quirk fills him with a satisfying relief. Everyone says that he needs a better way to control his rage, but he doesn't care. This helps. This comforts. If his explosive quirk provides him with calm, then isn't that as good of a way as any other?

He's at the mall (he doesn't want to be here) with some kids from school. Katsuki doesn't know why he's here. Only that his mom wanted him to get out more. He has been getting out. He goes on walks and still visits that one martial arts gym that he and Izuku used to go to. Katsuki graduated about a year ago, but he still likes to visit. Sometimes he offers to help the younger children with some of the more simpler techniques.

So he's in the mall with people he barely talks to but who cling to his every word. He gazes at the merch stores, but can't bring himself to go in. Katsuki only enters these stores in the beginning of July in search for Izuku's birthday present. This time he got him a case of fountain pens and a variety of ink colors. Katsuki finds it pathetic that he calls himself Izuku's best friend but has only celebrated not even a handful of his birthdays. When they're united again, Katsuki swears to himself that he is going to throw the nerd the biggest party he's ever been to.

"What do you think, Bakugou?" one of the extra's asked. What they're asking, Katsuki has no idea. He wasn't paying attention because nothing they say is hardly worth anything to him.

"What?" He gruffs out. His voice still sounds childish to his ears, and he can hardly wait until he's older and his voice is deeper- more respectable.

The extras, long nails and big mouth (he hates them. They bullied Izuku. Why is he hanging out with them? He'd rather be in hell) look at him oddly for a second, but quickly turn their gazes when Katsuki glares at them.

Long Nails speaks, "That girl in our class. Hina-san. Everyone but you knows that she has a big crush on you. Are you going to ask her out?"

Katsuki throws up a little bit in his mouth.

"Who?" He says, but doesn't necessarily ask. The two boys sigh and continue to talk about something that Katsuki is not interested in.

He looks at all the shops around him, and then catches a glimpse of green. He hurriedly snaps his gaze back to the direction where he saw it, and sees green, fluffy hair.