To Stand by Your Side (DekuBaku)

Chapter 18: Boredoroki

I gotta be quick. Fast. Light on my feet and throwing the strong punches where they count.

Actively focusing in the next few rounds on the stuff that mattered made all the difference, really. By the end of the session, he'd wound up on the floor three more times- only once more than Yaoyorozu had.

But now, Uravity seemed to take note of it.

"Mm, 'kay. Looks like you two really might be starting to get the hang of this, huh?" She grinned, as if their accomplishment was a win for her too. "That keeps us on track, then. Would you guys be ready to start patrolling next week?"

Patrolling? "For real? Hitting the streets with you?"

A thin smile twisted itself over her lips. "Yep. Good practice for you, and..." She faltered, a soft, low chuckle escaping her. "Well, we could use some help out there."

If the exhaustion in her words wasn't apparent before, it was now.

It's been nearly a month, and from what the news is saying, it'll be a lot longer than they expected to repair the most urgent damages. The heroes back here are nearing their wits end, and Deku...

Katsuki had gotten better at calming down after beating the message into his head time and time again.

Deku's probably not coming back soon.

"The practice will be better in more urgent situations though, won't it?" Yaoyorozu brought up. "This might be the perfect time to step into that next level of training. We're not incompetent."

"No, not incompetent." Uravity agreed. "But it's a different world out there. I'm glad your class has managed to stay safe at school so far, but you've also been living in a secure, structured environment. Even these few sessions we've had so far have been in the comfort of my agency headquarters."

"Yeah, well. We gotta start somewhere." Katsuki crossed his arms over his chest. "I can handle stuff, and Yaoyorozu ain't half-bad herself. This is the kind of stuff I came here to do."

"Oh, trust me. You'll get more than enough of it." She paused. "You've got a life of heroing to look forward to. Enjoy school while it lasts, okay?"

Enjoy school... enjoy the safety while I can?

She didn't let that thought linger for long before stretching out and directing them to get their stuff together. He and Yaoyorozu planned to head back together, but just before they left, Uravity stopped him at the door.

"Bakugou- before you two get going, can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Huh?" He turned around, confused and slightly concerned he'd done something wrong. "Yeah, sure."

Yaoyorozu waved it off. "I'll wait if it won't be too long. We've got time."

Uravity forced a small smile. "Don't worry, it shouldn't be long."

And once Yaoyorozu stepped outside, the two of them were left alone. Not that it was any less nerve-wracking than before.

"My office is this way." She started, pointing vaguely to the left. "I got something yesterday that I thought you might wanna see."

He followed her, still confused but less concerned. "What's this about?"

"Take a guess." Uravity answered, like she knew him inside out.

Katsuki hesitated. "...Valiant?"

"Bingo." Uravity pushed open the small door to her office, the inside filled with nothing more than a desk, scattered papers, and a lone, bright orange flower sitting in the small window.