𝐖𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡 || ᵇ.ᵏᵃᵗˢᵘᵏᶦ

LXVI

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'Are you ready?' Aeri wrote after battling her way into a white turtleneck.

"I'm gonna fuckin' pass this time," Bakugou replied, smirking as he laced up his school shoes.

'I know you will.' She scribbled out before clipping her gold earring into place. She took the claw clip off her desk and secured her hair up neatly.

"Are you sure you're allowed to come? Your school attendance is shit as it is," Bakugou asked but Aeri just shrugged as if to say 'I don't care'. "Let's go." He said, grabbing her handbag for her as she slipped into her heels. Aeri picked up her iPad and Apple pencil and tucked them under her arm, bending down to bid Nari goodbye as the feline munched on her food.

The couple left Aeri's dorm room hand in hand, only to walk straight into Todoroki who was waiting at the end of the girl's hallway as if he didn't know if was allowed to be there or not.

"The fuck do you want, Canada?" Bakugou spat, jabbing the button to the elevator with his finger.

"Canada?" Todoroki repeated, confused. "Uh, we're going to the same place so we might as well walk to the car together." He said, his voice the same deadpan tone as usually was.

"No." Bakugou refused with a frown, giving Aeri an offended look when she lightly slapped his shoulder.

'He's already here, might as well walk with him,' she wrote and Bakugou rolled his eyes, grumbling but no longer arguing. Todoroki stepped into the elevator wordlessly and awkwardly beside them, nodding to Aeri to say thank you.

"What do you think it'll be?" Todoroki questioned to break the silence. Bakugou side-eyed him but didn't reply, instead hurrying out of the elevator as soon as it began to edge open, dragging Aeri along with him by the hand. Todoroki followed after them, catching up with ease as Bakugou stomped out of the dorm towards Aizawa's car.

"Don't walk beside me!" Bakugou growled to the boy who'd caught up to Bakugou's other side, falling into step beside him and Aeri.

"Aeri's walking beside you," Todoroki pointed out, not moving from where he was walking.

"I like Aeri. I don't fucking like you."

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"Hey, cuties!" A flirty voice called to Bakugou and Todoroki as they stalked into the waiting room wearing their hero suits. Bakugou scowled whilst Todoroki remained stone-faced. "Can I get your numbers?" She flirted and Bakugou could've shuddered in disgust.

"Sure," Todoroki replied, handing over his phone without much thought. The girl, Camie, entered her phone number and then turned to Bakugou.

"What about you? Can I have yours?"

"Go fuck yourself." Bakugou grimaced, uncomfortable.

"He has a girlfriend," Todoroki answered for him.

"Aww, she can't be prettier than me though." Camie challenged and Bakugou almost exploded. Todoroki winced as if he knew what was going to happen.

Bakugou's palms crackled with mini explosions as he spoke. "Not only is she ten times prettier than you, she's stronger, classier, she doesn't flirt with every boy she sees, and has a bearable personality, unlike you." His voice got lower and more threatening with each word and Camie's face dropped. Inasa and Todoroki remained silent, looking at each other awkwardly until they heard the telltale sign of heeled shoes clicking on the linoleum coming in their direction.

Aeri rounded the corner with a smile, completely oblivious as to what had just gone down. She paused beside Bakugou and looked between the four of them as if she could sense the tension.

'What's wrong?' She scrawled out, flashing the screen to her classmates.

"Nothin'." Bakugou said, his anger suddenly dissipating, though his frown remained. Aeri raised an eyebrow, knowing he was lying. She looked to Todoroki, knowing he'd tell her.

"Bakugou was defending your honour," Todoroki said simply and Aeri's look turned curious.

"Wait...your girlfriend is Moon Aeri?" Camie suddenly perked up again. "Oh my God! I'm Camie, huge fan! You were so cool in the Shie Hassaikai raid the other week!" The girl gushed and Aeri smiled, sticking her hand out for Camie to shake.

Camie took it and pulled her forward. "Can we take a selfie? My followers will love that, and so will I, obviously."

Aeri nodded and posed when Camie held the phone up, winking and holding up a peace sign whilst Camie pouted seductively. Camie squealed excitedly, "What's your IG handle? I'll tag you."

Aeri wrote it down on her iPad and presented it to Camie and the latter immediately got to work, typing out a caption, tagging Aeri and hitting post, following her right after. Aeri took out her phone right after and followed Camie back. The girls smiled and conversed happily whilst the boys watched them with deadpan expressions.

'I'll see you later, good luck!' Aeri wrote. She gave each of them a wave and ruffled Bakugou's hair before she walked in the opposite direction, towards the stands.

"She's so cool!" Camie gushed, staring at the photo on her phone screen, watching as the likes and comments began to flood in. "Do you think she's into girls?" She's turned to Bakugou. The latter lunged for her and Todoroki grabbed the back of his suit, doing his best to hold him back.

Camie just laughed. "I'm joking with you! Lighten up! You're like a big, angry Pomeranian!"

"Camie you're just digging yourself a deeper hole," Inasa sighed.

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Aeri grimaced when she saw Endeavour in the stands. She slid into her seat beside her dad and Present Mic as inconspicuously as she could, not wanting him to notice her since her past encounters with him weren't exactly pleasant—first was the proposal and then she'd made the authorities label her brother as the hero who took down Stain, rather than Endeavour.

She handed the two heroes the steaming cups of coffee she'd originally been sent to get and they thanked her quietly before turning their attention to the arena in front of them. She sipped on her iced latte and watched as a bunch of unruly kindergarteners skipped into the room.

Aeri almost choked and she looked to her dad who looked just as confused as her. She balanced her cup between her thighs and began to write. 'What the hell are they gonna do with a group of kids?'

Aizawa shrugged and turned back to the arena just as the heroes in training were led in. Both Aeri and her dad twitched in annoyance when Endeavour shouted Todoroki's name at a volume that could rival Present Mic himself. His son didn't even look over, dead set on acting as if his father didn't exist. Aeri huffed, amused at her classmate's ignorance and listened as the organiser announced what they were to be doing today.

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