The brilliant summer sun remained a blinding white against the blue, cloudless sky. No shade existed for miles and the heat rising from the baked earth was brutal, scalding the feet of those unfortunate enough to step onto the pavement barefoot. The loud chirping of cicadas was a prevalent background noise, mixed in with the yells and laughter of playing children.

Four six-year-old boys chased each other down a street while they passed a worn-out soccer ball to each other. The ball was currently been handled by a young (h/c)-haired boy while the others tried to convince him to pass it to them.

"Oi, (B/n)!" A boy with ram horns hollered while he waved his arms in the air. "Pass the ball to me!"

"No way!" another boy with dragon scales roughly shoved him aside. Ignoring his protests, he pointed himself. "Pass it to me! Pass it to me!"

"(B/n)!" a blonde boy glared at said boy while he struggled to keep up with him. "Stop hogging!"

(B/n) stuck out his tongue at him before side-kicking the ball to the dragon boy.

The blonde groaned, his glare on (B/n) sharpening. "Why did you pass it to Yocchan?!"

(B/n) shrugged, feigning innocence, and earned a scowl from the blonde. Letting out a cheerful whoop, Yocchan chested the ball as he slowed down to bring the ball to a dribble. The other boys followed suit as they watched him play with it, awaiting their turn.

The blonde left (B/n) alone and took a few steps forward. He held up his hand. "Yocchan! Pass it here!"

The humanoid dragon glanced at him and nodded. He then kicked the ball hard towards the blonde, who leaped up to catch it midair. Unfortunately, the ball was kicked too high for his height and it flew over his head and past him. The boys' eyes simultaneously followed the rogue ball before they broke out in a run to race each other for it.

The ball soared through the air before coming to a sudden stop when it hit an innocent passerby on the back of their head. The person jerked forward with a low grunt, their eyes widening in surprise from the unexpected blow and they froze in their tracks.

The boys' footsteps faded against the pavement as they slowed down to a stop. Recognition, shortly followed up by shock and fear transformed their young faces while they gaped at the back of the ball's unlucky target. They backed away in quick, jerky steps, their small forms beginning to tremble as they mentally recalled the horrors they've heard about them from the other neighborhood kids.

"Oh no," voice lowering to a whisper, the boy with the ram horns clutched at the hem of his red shirt and shrunk behind the others, "it's...it's Katsuki-senpai!"

The blonde nudged the dragon boy with his elbow, similarly whispering. "You've done it now, Yocchan."

Yocchan whipped his head towards him with a dirty look. "You're the one who told me to kick it to-"

"Oi, brats."

The four flinched at the gravelly voice, their fear and dread doubling when Katsuki turned around and bent down to pick up the ball that had landed in front of his feet.

"Didn't your parents teach you not to play on the fucking sidewalk?"

He straightened up with a disgruntled scowl and looked up from the ball in his hands to set his stony glare on the boys. As if he didn't already have enough on his fucking plate. His Sunday afternoon stroll just had to be foiled by a couple of annoying kids, ruining the only time he could salvage some fucking peace of mind. For two infuriating months, his mind had been filled with nothing but nagging thoughts about some stupid girl who had dared confess to him.

The same girl who had the fucking nerve to ignore him and act like she'd never met him in her life ever since that day. Why and how he had started thinking about her was a mystery to him, together with why her aloof behavior towards him bothered him so much. Why did he even care if she didn't acknowledge his existence? And why did thinking about her make him want to maim someone?

He didn't need more reasons to want to burn the whole neighborhood down because of his already terrible mood, much less four brats who looked like they were about to shit their pants.

Yocchan tugged at (B/n)'s shirt sleeve. "He-he's got your ball, (B/n). T-Take it back."

"You're the one who hit him!" (B/n) whisper-shrieked and yanked his sleeve from his grasp. "You go get it!"

"But he's your neighbor," the blonde grabbed his arm, his golden eyes still on Katsuki, "tell him to give it back."

"What? Why-" the (e/c)-eyed boy cut himself off with a gasp when he felt two additional pairs of hands grab his shoulders and other arm.

He didn't get a chance to protest or fight back as the others were already pushing him forward to bargain for his ball back by his lonesome. Once they had offered their friend up to Katsuki, the three boys stepped back to watch from a safe distance.

(B/n) craned his neck up to lock eyes with the taller boy, who in return looked down at him as if he was a sacrificial lamb, ready to be eviscerated without a single thought if he stepped a single toe out of line.

"U-uh..." wringing his hands, (B/n) cast a scared look over his shoulder. His friends nodded, egging him on. Gulping, he looked back at Katsuki.

"K-K-Katsuki-senpai," he stammered, his voice small and wobbly, "th-that's my ball...we're sorry we, um, hit you," he held up his dirty little hands, his head ducking to his chin to avoid Katsuki's piercing stare. "C-Can I have it back, p-please?"

Inwardly scoffing at his pathetic whimpering, Katsuki's eyes narrowed as he took in his features. He wasn't good with faces, that he was aware of, but there was just something about the kid's face that rang a bell.

"Hey, kid," he said.

(B/n) hesitantly lifted his head, his hands lowering. Katsuki's eyebrow twitched. Those eyes of his, there was no mistake. It was a hunch but now he was so sure he'd seen his face around. A lot of times. It's even been in his fucking house. And his class.

"You're..." he began. "(Y/n)'s little brother, aren't ya?"

"Um," the boy unsurely glanced to the side. "...y-yes?"

Baring his gritted teeth, Katsuki's pupils shrank as his fingers tightened around the ball.

Up to this day, he didn't know what had set him off. Was it the sound of her given name coming out of his mouth for the first time? Was it the confirmation that it was indeed her brother standing in front of him? Or was it the fact that her brother was so much of a dead ringer for her and that staring at him had only caused the frustrations piled up due to his strange feelings to boil over?

He had no idea. Because by the time he was trying to make sense of why the fuck he always reacted like that whenever that dumb bitch was involved, his palms were already heating up and set off an explosion that blew the ball in his hands to smithereens.

The loud blast caused (B/n)'s friends to scream and take off in the opposite direction with tears in their eyes, leaving (B/n) to the mercy of the well-known bully. Meanwhile, (B/n), whose jaw had dropped at the sight of his favorite ball getting blown up, stared at the scorched remains on the ground with a horrified look on his face.

"Tch," Katsuki lip curled in derision at the retreating boys as he dusted off the front of his shirt. "Fucking pussies."

Sliding his hands into his pockets, he went to turn around to continue on his way back home when the sound of sniffling caught his attention. He spared a look at the boy, his brows furrowing further when he met his teary gaze.

"What," he baited with a dangerous growl. He figured asking him that would maybe make him fuck off like the rest of his wimpy friends but the little twerp didn't move a single muscle and continued staring at him with that defiant yet scared look of his.

"(Y-Y/n) bought me tha-that ball," he sniffed and wiped his running nose with the back of his hand, "she told me not t-to lose it."

At the mention of (Y/n), Katsuki ground down on his jaw and his fists balled up in his pockets. Tears continued gushing down (B/n)'s splotchy cheeks while he tried to wipe them away every few seconds. Katsuki grimaced as he listened to the sobs, hiccups, and constant sniffling that seemed to get louder with every passing second.

Fuck, he hated kids. They were all annoying, loud, manipulating little snot-nosed brats. And the one in front of him was no different. Didn't matter who he was related to, he was just like the rest of them. Perhaps it was a good thing they were out in public, otherwise he would've muzzled the little shit.

Either way, he needed to shut him up quick. Some nosy-ass passersby were already starting to stare at him with their shifty, judgmental eyes. He had managed to get away with so much shit over the years, there's no way he was going to let some kid cry his way into giving him a bad rep.

Dragging a course hand down his face, he cursed under his breath, already hating himself for what he was about to do.

He returned his hand into his pocket and scowled down at (B/n). "Oi, brat."

(B/n) didn't hear him, his sobs ringing louder than Katsuki's mutter.

A vein throbbed on the ash-blonde's temple as a strangled sound emitted from his throat. For some unfortunate reason, the brat just didn't seem to understand that while his head was thick like his sister's, Katsuki's patience, however, was not.

"Will you fucking stop crying?!" he snapped. "I'll get you another one so shut up!"

Hiccupping, (B/n)'s raised his chin to send him a skeptical look.

"B-But," he said between sobs as he pointed to the pieces on the ground, "tha-that one was-"

"Haah?" Katsuki felt as deeply offended as his twisted features portrayed. He tilted his head. "Oi, brat! You sayin' mine's not cooler than that filler character's?! Is that it?!"

(B/n) flinched, momentarily falling silent. Katsuki's raging features relaxed a tad bit when he went silent but was immediately replaced with a look of pure dread when (B/n)'s chin began quivering as a fresh batch of tears welled up in his eyes.

"Wait no-"

Loud wails filled the street.

Katsuki groaned and threaded his hands through his spiky hair. He whipped his head from side to side, desperately trying to locate if there was someone else other than him that would try and calm down the goddamn child. Unfortunately for him and oddly enough, there was none. Though he could've sworn he saw someone peeking out from behind their curtains then quickly hiding before they were spotted.

He turned back to (B/n).

"Look-Just-" he sputtered as he crouched down to his level, "Dammit! Kid! Stop crying! You're being so fucking loud!"

No response. More crying.

Body trembling, Katsuki's head slowly lowered and he glared down bitterly at the brick ground, his teeth gnashed. Amazing how two siblings, in such a short span, had both managed to land a high position in his list of people he wanted to kill. Right after Deku, of course...that fucking snail.

Come to think of it, he always got Deku to shut up once he threatened him. Maybe it would work on a kid too?

Mind made up and ready to test his theory out, Katsuki raised his head and placed his hands on (B/n)'s shoulders. The boy jolted, his sobs trailing off as he looked at him in confusion and terror.

"Hey, brat," he growled, his narrowed eyes cutting through the boy and making him feel like dirt. "You like walking, right?"

"Uh..." the boy sniffled as he nodded.

"Then," Katsuki's fingers squeezed around his small shoulders, a tight smile on his lips. "Do you want me to rip out your fucking legs?"

(B/n) gasped and he frantically shook his head. Seeing Katsuki angry was scary but seeing him smile...it was a nightmare and that's when someone would know they were in big trouble. Or at least that's what the other kids who had seen him fight had told them.

"Good," Katsuki's smile dropped, a scowl taking over as he shot the boy a warning glare. "Cry again and I'll make sure I also rip out your spine and play it like a fucking accordion."

(B/n) swallowed thickly. He wanted to cry but if he did, then Katsuki would cut his legs off. He didn't know what a spine was but it sounded painful. He also didn't want it gone.

"O-okay," he mumbled, his head hung while he played with his fingers.

Rolling his eyes at how easy it was to get him to shut up, Katsuki released the boy and straightened up. He pocketed his hands, all while watching (B/n) as he wiped his eyes and cheeks with the end of his shirt. It was a fucking waste of time and all he wanted to do was leave him behind. But then again he had also promised the little brat a new ball. Well, not exactly promised but still, Katsuki never backed down from his word, no matter how irritating it was.

"Hey, dumbass."

(B/n) looked up at him, his face now dry, though his damp eyes were red and he kept hiccupping now and then.

Katsuki inclined his head backward, indicating the direction of their home. "Follow me."

(B/n) hesitated as he looked over his shoulder. "But what about-"

"They left you behind, didn't they?" Katsuki clicked his tongue and sent one last glare towards the opposite direction before turning. "They're just a bunch of pussies, you don't need them as your friends."

The young boy turned back to him and broke into a short jog to try and catch up with him. He sent Katsuki a puzzled look. "Pussies? They're cats?"

Katsuki's expression withered. Childhood innocence his ass.

"Scaredy-cats, dumbass," he glared down at him. "Look, do you want a new ball or not?"

(B/n) nodded. "I-I do," he twiddled his thumbs. "I'm just scared that-um-what if (Y/n) gets angry?"

The ash-blonde tsked, his lip pulling up in a silent snarl. Every time that idiot's name was mentioned, it did something he didn't like to his gut. Why?

"If she does, just tell her it was from me. That'll shut her big-ass mouth up. Besides, what's scarier than me? Sure as hell not your stupid-looking sister."

(B/n) peered up at him with childlike awe swimming in his eyes. Never before had he thought that he'd be walking next to Katsuki without getting beat up. All those stories he had heard about him from the older kids, about how he hits anyone who made him angry or how he would use his explosions to blow up people, they had all scared him. Because of that, he didn't like going to Auntie Mitsuki's house because he was afraid that Katsuki would get angry at him and blow him up.

But after talking to him and walking with him, maybe he wasn't as bad as the older kids said. As long as he didn't cry then Katsuki wouldn't beat him up.

"You know, Katsuki-senpai," a small giggle escaped from (B/n)'s lips as he skipped a step, "you're not really scary."

"Hah?" Katsuki rose a curious brow at him. "What made you think that?"

He flashed him a smile, exposing two missing front teeth. "You're giving me a new ball! Scary people don't do that."

A frown tugged at the ash-blonde lips as he stared blankly at the silly kid.

"Hey, brat," Katsuki's eyes darted down towards the pavement. "Look. On the ground there. Says you're a gullible little shit."

(B/n) followed his line of sight and frowned when he saw nothing. He looked up at him. "There's noth-"

Katsuki smacked his back, causing him to stumble forward with a yelp.

"You just don't follow anyone home and think they're fucking nice because they promised you something," he sent him a scolding glare. "Didn't ya parents ever teach you anything about strangers?"

"B-But you're not a stranger!" (B/n) chided once he had regained his balance. "You live next door and your mom bakes us delicious cookies!"

Katsuki scoffed. Even though he was annoying as fuck, he was still a kid and sadly, oblivious to the evils of the world.

"Here's the thing, kid," he began. "I may not be a stranger but sometimes real-life monsters are usually the people you trust the most. You just never know it because they hide their motives behind fake smiles and empty promises."

(B/n)'s forehead creased as he slowly nodded. He glanced down at his shoes before looking back up at him. "But you're not a monster. You look scary but scary people don't give out gifts."

Katsuki's face went flat. Nevermind, the kid's born with the dumb. A straight-up clown from the circus.

"You know," (B/n) started, a goofy smile plastered on his lips. "(Y/n) doesn't like you. She says you're mean and she calls you stupid head," he giggled. "But she's wrong!"

Growling, Katsuki ground his teeth together. They should've just thrown the whole kid away when they had the fucking chance.

***

Katsuki roughly kicked the door to his bedroom open, causing it to slam against the wall with a harsh bang. He took advantage of the fact that his mother wasn't home, otherwise she would've started nagging him about his noise levels...through shouting.

Walking into his room with (B/n) trailing behind, he headed straight for his closet and bent down to drag out an old cardboard box full of his forgotten childhood things.

While Katsuki was busy rummaging through the box and complaining about the dust, (B/n) occupied himself by taking in the interior design of Katsuki's room. He stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, his lips parted and eyes widened in wonder as they roamed over the surprisingly neat and normal room. When they had arrived in his house, he had imagined Katsuki's room to be more of an evil lair; with dark, scary colors, a throne made from the skulls of his enemies, a tank full of big sharks, creepy music playing in the background, a butler with an eyepatch and a cat waiting for its master's return.

But instead, Katsuki's room was more...even (Y/n)'s room had so much more stuff than his. Except for the All Might figurines on his reading desk and the large 'I AM HERE' poster over it. (Y/n) didn't have those.

"Hey."

(B/n) snapped out of his daze with a flinch and turned to Katsuki to see a ball flying towards him. He caught it, but not without fumbling for it first.

He regarded the dusty, worn-out orange ball for a few seconds. He then bounced it against the floorboards to test it out but after years of unuse, it had slightly deflated, therefore it did not bounce as high as would a new one. He frowned. The ball (Y/n) had bought him had gotten old, but he did not expect to be given another old one in exchange for it.

Katsuki, who had finished returning the box into his closet, turned to (B/n) while he dusted off his palms. He sized the boy up, scowling at his unsatisfied expression.

"What?" his eyes narrowed. "Ball's not good enough for your picky ass?"

"Huh?" (B/n)'s head snapped up and he shook his head. "N-No! I-I like it!" he bowed down. "Thank you, Katsuki-senpai!"

Fucking liar. Katsuki stared at the boy as he straightened up to send an unconvincing smile at him. His nose crinkled in indignation. Dammit, even his smile is just like hers. If he had all his teeth.

Already agitated by his face, he looked away from him to his bed. He then stole a glance at his window, an action that he had found himself doing more often than he was comfortable with for the past month and a half. His tapered eyes focused outside, zeroing in on (Y/n)'s bedroom window, which conveniently happened to face his.

Her windows were open and the curtains were pulled back. She rarely had her windows open (not that he had come to notice that overtime) but since the summer temperatures had reached sweltering limits, it couldn't be helped. From where he was standing, he could see inside her room and after days of catching glimpses of her out and about inside, he had guessed that her bed was against her window, her bathroom was on the other side, she had some sort of vision board next to her bed and when he looked straight ahead, he had a clear view of her bedroom door, which had a poster on it.

After confirming that she wasn't in her room, he looked back at (B/n). The boy was currently getting acquainted with his new ball as he tried to dribble it. Katsuki snickered at his miserable attempts as he recalled how he was easily able to do that by the age of four. He couldn't help the fact that he was amazing at everything he did.

The corner of his mouth tugged up in a mocking smirk when (B/n) missed and the ball bounced twice on the floor before rolling towards Katsuki's bed. Muttering something about a ball-eating villain that resided under the bed, he scrambled to catch it before it could roll under.

He quickly caught it and resumed his dribble session.

Katsuki observed how the boy was comfortable in his presence, even going as far as to play without a care in the world. A part of him wondered...just what more could he get out of him if he let him stick around. (Y/n)'s attention on him?

"Oi, pipsqueak," he pocketed his hands, "is your sister home?"

"Yeah," (B/n) immediately answered, sounding breathless from his activity. "She's...with her friend Satori."

Katsuki's eyes slid back to the window. On cue, her bedroom door opened and in walked a laughing (Y/n), followed by the wench she always hanged around with in and out of school. Or Hanabitch as he liked to call her because of her being all up in his face since the confession.

Upper lip curling up in disdain, he turned away from them and back at (B/n). Usually, guys used dogs for that sort of bullshit but younger siblings? Now's that one untapped golden opportunity. And a heckin' one. Why the fuck would he stoop that low and waste his time hanging around some dumb kid just for some useless, insignificant girl?

Midplay, the boy noticed that Katsuki had been glaring at him for quite some time and he caught his ball to send him a puzzled look.

"What?" he asked.

Katsuki blinked, realizing that he had zoned out for a hot minute there. He cast a glance to the side. Having a kid that looked so much like her around him must've been messing with his mind. He needed to kick him out immediately.

"Nothing," he muttered. He jerked his head towards the door. "Now scram. Go home before she gets worried or some shit. And close the front door behind you or I'll kill you."

"Oh. Okay," (B/n) nodded and began making his way out. Katsuki followed behind and grabbed the door, closing it. Before he could close it all the way, (B/n) looked over his shoulder and grinned at Katsuki, who glowered back.

"Thanks for the ball, Katsuki-senpai."

"Fuck off already."

He slammed the door in (B/n)'s face.

***

While coming down the flight of stairs to head into the kitchen, (Y/n) finished sucking out the contents from her juice box and shook the box to listen to any sloshing coming from the inside. A couple of workbooks were tucked under her arm and a pen was placed behind her ear, a rather studious look for someone who was home for the weekend.

A small body zoomed past her from the kitchen unannounced and she jumped aside to avoid bumping into it. A line formed between her brows as she watched her brother run for the front door. The boy grabbed the doorknob and was about to pull it open when (Y/n) spoke.

"Where are you going to in such a hurry?"

"Huh?" (B/n) turned to her, letting go of the knob. "I'm going to big brother Katsuki's house. He's teaching me how to play video games today."

She arched an eyebrow. Big brother-Since when are they close? "Video games?"

"Isn't it wonderful?"

The two turned towards the voice of their mother, who was coming out of the kitchen and leaned her shoulder against the doorway.

"My baby boy is finally getting along with Katsuki," smiling, she cupped a hand on her cheek. "To think that not too long ago he was scared to death of him."

(Y/n) sent an inquisitive look towards (B/n) and pointed at him, the empty juice box still in her hand. "Didn't you used to say that he's mean and scary-looking?"

(B/n) glared back. "No, he's not! He's a nice person! He buys me ice cream and toys! And he also gave me his ball to play with!" he grinned and balled up his tiny fists. "And his Quirk is so cool! Have you seen it, (Y/n)?! He wants to be the number one hero someday! Just like All Might!"

"Oh, is that so," she deadpanned, her face blank. "How admirable of him."

"See, (Y/n)?" her mother held up a palm. "What did I tell you? Deep down," she paused, her brows furrowing for a split second, "well, way...way deep down, Katsuki's a sweet boy. I know that he's a little difficult to deal with at times and that he sounds like he swallowed a cup of sand but he's just..." she shrugged, "going through a phase right now."

"Mom, life is a phase," she jerked a thumb towards the door, indirectly pointing towards Katsuki's house. "That boy got issues. He's been a jerk through and through. Do you-Okay, do you remember when we were five? He and his friends used to ditch me all alone in a forest," (Y/n) gave her a pointed look. "A forest, mother."

"Oh, don't be so dramatic," (M/n) waved her off dismissively. "He was only a child. Children do stupid things all the time. I mean," she threw a suggestive hand towards (B/n), "look at your brother. He's a prime example."

"Mom," (B/n) called out to her, his hand around the doorknob again, "can I go now?"

"Sure, honey. We don't want to keep Katsuki dearest waiting," she said as he opened the door and stepped out. "Oh, and say hi to him for-" she was cut off by the door slamming behind him.

"Can't even say bye..." she finished with a disappointed shake of her head.

"Gee, I wonder where he got that habit from," (Y/n) said, sarcasm dripping from her voice. "Would you like to know, mother?"

The older woman shot her a tired look while she pushed off from the doorway to walk back into the kitchen.

"Don't start now, (Y/n)," she pressed her fingers to her temple. "Mommy doesn't need this on her day off."

"I'm not starting anything, mom. You're the one who's missing the point here," (Y/n) preached while she followed her into the kitchen. "He's not good company for (B/n). He's violent, doesn't have any respect for anyone other than himself and he curses all the time," she dropped the empty juice box and books onto the kitchen island before taking up one of the chairs. "Have you heard the words coming out of his mouth on a daily? A literal dumpster is cleaner than that cakehole, that's for sure."

With her back turned to her daughter, (M/n) dramatically rolled her eyes as she opened a cupboard to take out a wine glass. Sometimes she wondered how her mother was able to raise her and her two sisters all by herself. One was already a handful, she couldn't imagine raising two more.

She sighed. Was this karma for making her mother's life a living hell when she was a teenager by complaining about every little thing and not listening to her?

"But (B/n) seems to say otherwise," turning around, she carefully placed the glass on the island. "Plus, he's only been but good to him. He even let's (B/n) call him big brother Katsuki."

"Big brother Katsuki," (Y/n) parroted blandly.

"I know right? I was surprised too when I heard it the first time," chuckling, her mother opened the fridge and took out a bottle of rosé wine before closing it, "Isn't it adorable?"

"What?" (Y/n) scrunched up her face. "No! It sounds like the start of a shotacon fanfic."

(M/n) blinked, her fingers pausing around the bottle's lid. "I'm sorry. A shota-what?"

Heaving out a long, drawn-out sigh, (Y/n) shook her head and started spreading out her books across the cool, marble surface. (M/n) pressed her lips together and exhaled. While she twisted the cap back on, she watched as her daughter opened up her books and took out the pen behind her ear.

She set the bottle on the island and walked around it to where (Y/n) was.

"You know, I really don't get you," she said and propped her elbows on the island. "A few months ago, you used to act so differently towards him. You would even tell his parents to say hi to him whenever you had the chance to," her eyebrows furrowed. "...What happened between you two?"

(Y/n) lowered her sullen gaze to her workbook and bit the inside of her cheek. Her eyes sightlessly trailed over the highlighted sentences while her mind was temporarily stuck on replay of the painful event that had occurred six months before.

A warm hand encompassing her smaller hand brought her out of her reverie and she met her mother's sympathy-filled eyes.

"Honey," she slowly began, her voice soft as her hand gently squeezed (Y/n)'s. "Did he...break your heart?"

***

Don't let that question distract you from the fact that bungee gum has the properties of both rubber and gum.