From Green To Gray

Part 8

"Bakugo?"
Uraraka looked on at the horror scene in front of her.
Bakugo was crying.
The fiercest individual in her class was a mess of flames and tears. He'd blown up a soda machine and was screaming. She didn't know what to do. He turned to face her, a different look in his eye. It wasn't his usual hateful scorn, but rather a forlorn and vulnerable look. She hadn't seen anyone look this upset since the All for One incident.
She slowly approached her classmate, treating him as if he were a deer in the woods--the slightest sound would scare him away.
"Bakugo, what's the matter?" She kneeled down beside him, reaching a hand out to hover on his shoulder. "What happened?"
Bakugo looked up at his classmate. He stared for a minute, realizing what was going on around him. He immediately stood up, out of Uraraka's reach.
"None of your goddamn business." He said shoving his hands in his running shorts, pretending to have pockets.
Uraraka stayed kneeling on the ground.
"Bakugo, you don't look like nothing happened." She hesitated with her next sentence. "Are you mad about what happened to Deku?"
Bakugo stiffened.
"Why is everything always about Shitty Deku? That fucking nerd can go die in a fire for all I care!" He sneered at his classmate.
"But in class!--"
"I KNOW WHAT I SAID IN CLASS!" He screamed.
Uraraka stood up. He didn't scare her anymore. He's intense, but he's still a human.
"Bakugo, I know that you feel like you're always being saved by Deku and you just happen to have a shit case of luck. But what he did, he did that for himself. Bakugo, look at me," She stood straight, squaring her shoulders, preparing for a showdown. Bakugo did a sideways glance at her.
"Izuku deeply cares for you. You guys are childhood friends--no--rivals for a reason. You two may have had some dark history, but that is not the end of this. You need to man up and support him. Be his explosion of light in the darkness the way only you can. Do you get me?"
Bakugo stared for a minute, his eyes widening slightly before turning around to walk away.
"Fuck off."
Uraraka sighed. She didn't expect anything else, but maybe just a tad more. She watched as her classmate took off running toward an unknown destination. He'll figure it out.

Midoriya was up early for training. He didn't want to bum around. He needed to hone his skills and figure out how his new equipment would hold up with One for All. Luckily, he had a nice group gathered for sparring.
Class A minus Bakugo and Uraraka had gathered to help their friend. All Might, Aizawa-sensei, and Hatsume were present as well.
"I can't wait for you to test out my babies!" Hatsune said excitedly, clapping her hands together. Midoriya smiled in the direction of her voice. He started twirling his staff around in his hands like he'd seen on action shows, getting a feel for the weapon. He was concentrating on his surroundings, getting a feel for the atmosphere. He sensed the presence of his class, his mentor and teacher, and someone approaching him.
"Izuku," Todoroki said, walking closer to Midoriya.
Midoriya messed up his fingers in the midst of twirling, the staff falling hard onto his head.
"Izuku!" Todoroki rushed over now. "Are you okay? Did I startle you?" Concern permeated Midoriya's calm energy.
"I'm fine! Don't be so anxious, Shouto. It's affects my surroundings."
Todoroki blushed, for once grateful he couldn't be seen.
"Izu, are you sure you're up to this? You don't want to wait a week or at least until we really understand your blindness?"
"Shouto, I get it. I understand your concern. I can't wait, though. I can't afford to fall behind, especially not with Shigaraki and the League of Villains still at large. I have to get stronger. I'm going to conquer this. If Mirio-senpai did it with less favorable odds, so can I." Izuku grabbed his staff and slammed the end against the ground. Todoroki was 45 degrees to his left. He turned until he was directly in front of his classmate. Midoriya looked upward, hoping to be looking Shouto in his eyes.
Todoroki stood in awe of his comrade.
"Izu,--"
"Shouto." Izuku reached out and placed his hand on Todoroki's chest. He could feel his comrade's heart racing, the pulse creating new images for Midoriya as he listened to the vibrations.
"Shouto, I'm okay now. What I need from you today is your word that you won't hold back. Do you promise?" Izuku said in a hushed tone.
Shouto closed his eyes. He opened them feeling a newfound determination. He would be Izuku's support from now until he was no longer needed.
"No holding back." He said as he pressed his forehead against Izuku's. Izuku let out his killer smile.
"Oi! It seems the stragglers showed up. It's time to get this training exercise started. Everyone gather 'round." Aizawa-sensei said as Bakugo and Uraraka walked in.
"This is a chance for everyone to improve. You'll do supervised matches against one another. This is a chance to see improvements as well as test new moves against different types of quirks. You all may know each other's weaknesses and strengths, but that shouldn't stop you from going all out. After all, as you all know, villains don't stop even when they may be outmatched. So. Let's begin. Pair up."
"Sensei, you want us to pair up? Not draw lots like usual?" Tsuyu asked.
"I did say pair up. Let's go."

Shouto was reaching out for Izuku's hand when Bakugo came running at him, yelling. Todoroki reacted by throwing up an ice wall, jumping back. He rolled his eyes.
"Don't let your guard down!" Came from his left as Midoriya was lunging at him, his staff already in motion. Todoroki's left side lit up--

"Do we stop this? Or....." All Might said, anxiety evident in his tone.
"No, the three of them have been needing this." Aizawa said, picking earwax out of his ear. "It's fine."