Disclaimer: I don't own BNHA.

Notes: Pretty sure we never get the names of Bakugou's buddies/henchmen from middle school, so I took the liberty of giving them some. Ryo, the POV character, is the one who called Katsuki out for being egotistical during the classroom scene.

From the Outside

A lot of people would look at Bakugou Katsuki and think that he's a really simple guy to understand. And, for the most part, they'd be right.

But in some ways, Katsuki can be a pain in the ass to read. Which makes life difficult if you spend a lot of time around him.

Ryo isn't really sure he likes Katsuki as a person, if he's honest. Hell, nobody really likes him all that much. The dude's a giant asshole, completely full of himself, always making demands and insulting everyone around him. Half the time, he's not even sure if Katsuki remembers his name. They hang out, but he wouldn't really call them friends.

Katsuki doesn't really have friends, the way other guys do. An outsider might get the impression that he's a really popular guy from the way most people go along with his bullshit, but the truth is that they're all just too shit-scared of pissing him off.

He's man enough to admit that he sticks around Katsuki because it gives him a certain reflected badassery. And a buffer against punks looking for trouble. And most of the time, he gets where Katsuki's coming from.

But then there's Midoriya.

Midoriya, who he's known about as long as Katsuki, and isn't a bad dude at all. Sure, he's a giant fucking nerd and has some weird habits, but he's also really nice. Like, the kinda guy you'd rely on to have your back no matter what. He won't stand up for himself, which is pretty pathetic, but he's seen the guy stand up for others too many times to count. If he wasn't quirkless, Ryo could see him becoming really cool in the future. He could see them becoming friends, even.

So, if he's honest, he doesn't get why Katsuki has such a chip on his shoulder about the dude.

Oh, Katsuki's told them his reasons. More than once. That fucking nerd needs to know his place. He's holding me back! Getting in my fucking way.

Always something along those lines.

They just...don't really add up, when Ryo thinks about it. And he's spent more time thinking about it than he'd like to admit.

The thing is, he doesn't really get how Midoriya is holding Katsuki back, or getting in in his way. Maybe he would, if Midoriya were still following Katsuki around like back when they were kids. But the dude just keeps to himself these days. He doesn't talk to Katsuki unless Katsuki talks to him first, and he spends most of his time outside of class jotting shit down in his notebook.

And keeping to himself is only to be expected, since Katsuki makes a point of beating the shit out of anyone that he speaks to more than a handful of times. Ryo doesn't really get that part, either. Wouldn't Midoriya be less of a pain if he had friends to hang out with who weren't Katsuki?

Katsuki gets pissed easily, sure, but Midoriya's the only thing that Ryo's ever seen get under his skin. Like, the kinda rage that can keep him on-edge for hours, spoiling for a fight. It can sometimes get a bit dangerous; say the wrong thing when Katsuki's in a Deku Rage and you're liable to get a black eye, or have your hair singed off. He and Kousuke have a whole damage-control system in place. Usually involving going to the arcade or getting up to something reckless.

He'll never say it out loud, because he doesn't have a death wish, but he finds it all kinda weird.

He catches Katsuki staring, sometimes.

Somebody who didn't know him well probably wouldn't notice, but Ryo does. His head is straight ahead, a bored expression on his face, but his eyes eyes are following Midoriya. It happens in regular class pretty often, but is most noticeable in gym class, when Midoriya's on the move.

It's usually at those times when Katsuki will stand up abruptly and announce that he's gotta take a piss, then stomp off to the bathroom like he's off to murder someone.

Over time, he notices the trigger is usually something like Midoriya bending down, or licking his lips, or his shirt riding up. It's not the kinda thing that Ryo'd notice himself, if not for the way it made Katsuki react.

It's then when he starts to maybe kinda get it.

"It'd be kinda funny though, to see him actually try the entrance exam," says Kousuke, because he's just that kind of idiot. "I mean, just imagine the look on his face when the shit went down! He'd probably crap his pants. If anything, he'll make you look even better by comparison."

"Shut the fuck up," growls Katsuki.

"I'm just sayin', dude - it's no big deal if he doesn't listen to you. You've got nothin' to worry about from that loser."

"I SAID TO SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH!" Katsuki whirls around, storming away from them.

Ryo sighs. "You really shouldn't have said that, man. He's gonna be extra pissy tomorrow."

Kousuke rubs the back of his neck. "Ya know, I don't really get why he's even stressin' about it. No way Midoriya's getting in, even if he does take the exam. And it'd just go to show how much coolor Katsuki is."

"I think it's better not to question it," says Ryo. "It's not news that Katsuki can be weird sometimes."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

Neither of them bring it up again.