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{Trouble-maker}
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Word Count: 5034
"Miriara's quirk is literally light!"
"Huh? Really?"
"Yeah, she's like a light-bender or something."
The Bakusquad huddled around Bakugou's locker, reviewing the events of the day and Costa Miriara's name was in everybody's mouth. Bakugou tensed, hearing her last name for the hundredth time that day. He thought he was going to go crazy if someone brought her up one more time.
Sure, she was pretty and new and had a cool ass quirk but the way everyone was worshipping the ground she walked on was getting on his last nerve.
"She reached her hand up like this", Sero mirrored her movements from the obstacle course, "...and this bright string of light wrapped around her wrist and then she shot it out like POW and it wrapped around the top of the beam and..."
Bakugou snarled, tuning out Sero as best as he could as he switched out his school shoes for his street shoes. He didn't want a reminder of what happened earlier, he'd already seen exactly what happened with his own eyes. A recap was unnecessary and not desired.
He slipped his shoes on as Sero continued with his story, the others in his friend group listening intently with intrigued looks on their faces.
Bakugou slammed his locker shut, walking away from the cluster without a second glance. Sero paused his story, looking after the blonde boy with confusion. Kirishima eyed his friend with a sigh.
"What was that?", Mina asked.
"He's just mad that everyone's obsessing over the new girl", Kirishima said with a shrug, instantly interpreting his best friend's actions. Kaminari and Sero shared a look before chuckling, "Sooo he's jealous?"
"Well, yeah. Everyone kind of avoids him like the plague and she just walks in and everyone wants everything to do with her", Kirishima cringed, thinking of how everyone reacted to Bakugou at the beginning of their first year.
Bakugou had grown a lot in one year, his friends could especially tell. But a person like Bakugou wasn't one to do a complete 180 within a year, his changes were subtle. He didn't treat Midoriya as badly, only the occasional insult. He'd learned how to cooperate with others more, even though he was still incredibly difficult to work with. He didn't blow his fuse as easily anymore. He'd finally come into his own but he still had some anger issues he needed to work on.
"Oh please, Bakugou doesn't care about what other people think", Kaminari waved his red-haired friend off, turning to Sero, "...but it's freakin hilarious that he's jealous of a girl!"
"Maybe he wants to be pretty like her", Sero cackled.
"Or maybe he's just mad cause he knows he could never pull her."
He was the one member of class 2a that everyone else in school tended to avoid, even if he'd changed. He always talked about how he could care less about what people thought of him, but being his best friend, Kirishima could tell it hurt his feelings a bit.
Especially when Kaminari and Sero would joke about how he was never going to get a girlfriend because of the way he acted.
It made him feel... unlovable.
Kaminari and Sero joked back and forth about Bakugou being jealous of the new girl while Kirishima watched his friend storm off with a frown on his face. He wished Bakugou would let him comfort him and be there to listen to his feelings but he'd never been good with expressing his feelings. He was also never good with words and Kirishima knew that. But the redheaded boy could see those emotions without needing any explanations.
"Stop!", Mina slapped Kaminari on the shoulder, a glare on her face, "Don't make fun of him, he's our friend."
"Chill Mina, we're just joking around."
"Well don't", she sent him a cold glare before wrapping her arm around Kiri's bicep and looking up at him through her eyelashes, "You okay?"
Kirishima snapped out of his daze, looking down at Mina with a reassuring smile, "Yeah, just a little worried about him- that's all."
Mina nodded in understanding, analyzing the distressed look on her crush's face. His brows were drawn, a small frown playing on his lips. He looked so... out of it. She only wished she could somehow wipe the look off of his face and gaze into his adorable, sharp-toothed smile.
"C'mon, let's head back to the dorms."
~
"Thanks again, Aizawa", Costa sent her new homeroom teacher a goofy salute before slipping out of the classroom doorway.
He'd asked her to stay back after hero-training class so that he could go over the paperwork she was supposed to complete and make sure she didn't have any other unanswered questions.
Aizawa rolled his eyes at the gesture, letting out a deep long sigh at his new realization.
She was going to be a lot of trouble, he could sense it.
He had allowed Costa Miriara into his homeroom class for a number of reasons. The first being that they were at an uneven number since Hagekure left. But that was the least important reason in a list of significant ones.
He'd read Costa Miriara's letter of recommendation from the principal of Shiketsu numerous amount of times before deciding to let her in. The letter had explained that she was the best in her first-year class and was one of the most hard-working students that had ever walked the halls of Shiketsu. She'd won her school's first-year sports festival and interned with Ryukyu, who had also given her a superior recommendation. The principal described her as "brilliant", a "raw talent", a "rarity" and "quite the trouble maker".
She had tons of potential, he could tell simply from the recommendations. But what really convinced him was watching a recording of the sports festival. He'd retrieved a copy so that he could see the teenage girl in action himself. He watched the entire thing in one night, analyzing each one of Costa's moves in each of her fights. The principal and Ryukyu were right.
She had so much raw potential.
First of all, her quirk was fascinating. But that wasn't what made her so special. If you really paid attention, all of her skills didn't come from her quirk but rather her naturally sharp combat skills. She was fast and nimble, easily dodging attacks left and right as if she'd predicted them. She used her quirk to enhance her physical abilities rather than using her physical abilities to enhance her quirk. It was unlike anything he'd seen in any of his students.
She was skilled in numerous different martial arts styles, throwing kicks and hits like it was her second nature. She danced around the arena with such grace and confidence, one-upping her opponents without hesitation. She'd found many different ways to combat her quirk, mostly in the form of weaponry.
She seemed to master molding her quirk into a series of different weapons, ranging from a lightsaber to tiny knives of pure, solidified light that she could shoot out at an alarming speed. She could send light beams, create whips that she used much like he used his scarves, and she could even surround herself in a sheen of light that hardened like armor.
It was fascinating.
Her confidence seemed unwavering, sending each attack with precision and determination. He had only seen that expression on a few of the boys in his class. Not one of the girls looked that confident and reassured in their fights and he was eager to change that, as a sensei and a mentor. He thought Costa Miriara could help light that fire in them.
So he accepted her right away.
He could tell she was reckless and had the attitude of an angsty teenage girl that just wanted to do as she pleased. He knew she was going to be quite the handful but the risk seemed worth it. If she could not only learn how to further manage her potential but bring out the passion of fighting in his other students, he would take the risk.
Aizawa rubbed his temples, looking down at the seating chart where she was seated right in front of his problem child student.
"Oh boy, this is going to be a trainwreck of a year", he groaned, thinking of how bad of an idea it was to put those two so close to each other. With their strong personalities, they were bound to clash.
'I can only hope that in the future, they deal with their problems in a healthy way'
~
Costa closed her shoe locker, her eyes flickering over to the group crowded over in the corner. She heard her last name come out of the black-haired boy's mouth.
"Good God", she rolled her eyes in annoyance, very aware of how much everyone was talking about her. She rarely found the attention flattering after years of being the constant center of it. She knew she was good-looking and good at a lot of things but she never understood what the big deal was. A lot of people were good-looking and good at things.
What was so special about her?
She threw her school shoes into her locker with a huff, turning on her heels to get out of the building. She could feel more eyes on her, making her skin crawl with discomfort.
She fast-walked out of the main building, shooting everyone who looked her way a death glare.
'Maybe they'll stop staring at me if I scream at them', Costa thought with a snort.
She resisted the urge to yell, figuring it would probably just make matters work. Her nails dug into the straps of her book bag as she turned the corner.
She came right smack into something hard, causing her to stumble back. Her features morphed into an irritated expression as her head snapped up to see who had bumped into her. Scarlet red eyes locked onto hers in a glare that was just as intense as hers.
"Watch where you're fucking going", his voice came out low and scratchy.
She resisted the shocked expression that wanted to form on her face. Instead, she narrowed her eyes at him- golden orbs lighting up like they did during the obstacle course. Bakugou felt taken aback for a second, thinking she was using her quirk on him but when nothing happened, his gaze hardened again.
"Watch where I'm going??", she scoffed, attitude laced in her fiery tone, "...get off your high horse, sweetheart because you bumped into me."
He didn't expect that response at all.
Usually, when someone crossed his path and he lashed out, per usual, they would get scared and run off as fast as possible. Then he would be left standing there as everyone around him shared nervous glances, whispering about how they would avoid him at all costs. It made his blood boil, knowing people thought of him as some kind of... monster.
"Um hello? Are you dense or something??", Costa spat, looking up at him with the same intense scowl on her face. He didn't realize he'd been staring at her in surprise for the past 10 seconds. His cheeks heated up in embarrassment, causing him to tear his gaze away from the girl.
"Get the fuck out of my way, extra", he growled, pushing past her roughly. His shoulder knocked into hers, tipping her over the edge. Her eyes glowed viciously, catching everyone's attention as she whipped around.
"Who are you calling extra, extra?", she said with such confidence, getting in Bakugou's way. There was an excited gleam in her eyes that no one seemed to notice as Bakugou's head snapped back at her, scarlet eyes filled with rage.
"What? Can't handle getting called out by a girl? Is your poor toxic masculinity okay?", Costa mocked, crossing her arms over her chest. A wide smirk spread across her lips, feeling her excitement bubble up at his increasing anger.
If there was anything Costa loved to do, it was to provoke difficult people. Especially teenage boys with anger issues that thought they were the shit. She found it way too much fun.
"Who the hell even are you??", he was fuming now, his palms sparking up from activating his quirk. Her eyes flickered down to his hands before she chuckled.
"You're really gonna blast me in the middle of the hallway? That's not very heroic of you-"
"Shut up, you stupid fucking-"
"Ouch, that's the 3rd time you've used the word 'fuck' in the last 30 seconds. Might want to brush up on your vocabulary", Costa shook her head in disapproval, acting completely unbothered.
He was speechless. No one talked to him this way, no one. He swallowed hard, an unexpected fire rising in his chest at her harsh words.
"Wha- who...", his eyes were wide and filled with shock. She tilted her head in amusement.
"Wha- who- uh- you good there, buddy?", she mocked his speechlessness, an evil smile spreading across her pretty face. Her eyes were still glowing with amusement, her pearly white teeth on full display that showed off her million-dollar smile.
He stared back at her.
'Why is my heart beating so fast? Why aren't I saying anything??', he questioned in utter confusion and astonishment. No one had ever left him so dumbfounded.
"Just-", he spat out, his cheeks heating up immensely, "..don't fucking talk to me."
He stormed off, leaving Costa standing there with a Chesire cat-like grin. She watched him walk off before cupping her hands over her mouth and yelling down the hallway, "That was the fourth time! I expect creative insults next time, hotshot!"
He tensed up, looking back at her as if she was a crazy person for yelling across the long hallway at him. Now every single person was staring back and forth between them. She looked careless, her arms dropping to her sides lazily. Her eyes returned to their natural color but she was still smiling.
He grumbled under his breath, quickening his pace to get the hell out of that hallway.
Costa bit her lip, giggling to herself in amusement. Then she realized that every single person in the hallway was staring at her.
"What? Mind your own business", she snapped at them with a hard glare. They looked taken aback before nervously going back to their conversations. Costa rolled her eyes in annoyance before continuing her trek out of the building.
As she stepped out into the crisp April air, a new feeling filled her empty chest.
'That was the most exciting encounter I've had in a long time', she thought to herself as she began her walk home.
~
Costa slammed her front door, kicking off her school shoes. With a loud yawn, she made her way into her aunt's dead silent apartment. She scanned the place, pulling her hair-band out of her ponytail, letting her long curls cascade down the back of her school uniform.
"Hana?", she called out, not expecting an answer.
When she was met with silence, she scoffed, "Of course she's not here."
She slipped off her bookbag, tossing it on the couch with a long, exaggerated sigh. Costa ran her fingers over the back of the couch, making her way over to her room. She'd hoped Hana would be home in time to hear about her first day at a new school. But that was naive of her to hope for.
Costa froze at her bedroom door, tearing off the yellow sticky note that had neat writing sketched across it.
"Hey Costa, I'm going to be home late tonight...again. I know, I know, you're probably pissed. I'm sorry but I'll bring you home a warm, pancake dinner <3
PS. you better wait up for me, I want to hear all about your first day :)
Costa rolled her eyes, her lips twitching upward in a small smile as she crumpled up the note. She pushed open her bedroom door, tossing the note in her wastebasket before stripping off her uniform. She tossed the clothes into her hamper before getting ready for a shower.
Stepping into the shower, she let the hot water spill over her blonde head of hair. She stood there for a minute, letting the warm liquid cascade over her bare body, easing some of the tension left in her muscles from a long day. Her thoughts clouded her head, causing her to lean her forehead on the shower wall. She stared down at her feet with a numb look on her face.
She was grateful for a fresh start after everything that had happened in her first year at Shiketsu. Moving across the country wasn't usually an easy decision for most but it was almost too easy for her. She couldn't stand staying at Shiketsu for another semester. She didn't miss it, how could she?
The pitiful stares. The whispers. The memories of panic attacks in bathroom stalls. The image of her principal walking into her classroom, looking at her with dread etched across his face.
She clenched her jaw, her fingernails scratching against the tile wall.
'I'm sorry for your loss'
She swallowed the lump in her throat.
'She's in a better place now'
Her eyes stung, so she closed them shut. Tears blended with the running water.
'How are you holding up, Miriara?'
A sob escaped her lips as she fought back the memories of Shiketsu and the long third semester she'd had to endure. She'd never felt so alone and so out of place. So angry. And a fresh start at a new school, surrounded by people who had no idea what happened... it was exactly what she needed, what she craved.
With a sharp inhale, the sob subsided and Costa stood there feeling... numb. She refused to cry. She couldn't let it out, it hurt too much. So she pushed that stinging feeling deep down inside of her, rejecting it with every fiber of her being. She pushed herself off the wall and grabbed the shampoo so that she could finish her shower.
After cleaning and drying herself off, she threw on her bathrobe and walked back to the living room. She plopped down onto the couch, grabbing the remote and turning on the news. Her stomach growled but she didn't pay it any attention. The stinging feeling in her chest distracted her from her hunger for a bit.
She sat crisscrossed on the couch, watching different clips of heroes completing their hero work. Her eyes lit up when Mirko showed up, stopping a bank robber all on her own without breaking a sweat. Her long white locks flowed behind her as she looked into the camera with a heroic grin.
Costa gazed into her piercing red eyes through the screen, smiling.
"Look at her go.. the Number 5 hero", she shook her head in disbelief.
Costa had an obsession with female pro heroes. Sure, guy heroes were great- especially the hot ones or in other words, Hawks. But Costa had looked up to female heroes ever since she was a kid. They were what inspired her to become a hero after a life of people telling her she could never be anything more than a pretty face. Mirko was one of many heroes that had inspired Costa to go to hero school.
Mirko was an inspiration to young girls across the country. She was one of the two only female pros in the top 10 of Japan. She was THE best female hero in Japan. She was not only a feminist icon but a driving force for young girls around the nation. It was hard to become a successful pro hero when you were well...a girl. It was like a battle to be invited into the 'boys club'.
Those who had succeeded, Costa basically worshipped. She knew they had to have worked twice as hard to be where they are and she'd developed an immense amount of respect for them. Working with Ryukyu was unreal for Costa, who had already been following and idolizing her for years.
"I'm going to be up there someday", Costa whispered to herself, envisioning herself being in the top 10. It was a goal of hers to make it as far as the top 3.
It was nearly impossible to make it to #1 as a girl, she knew Japan wasn't ready for that yet. So just making it to the top 3 would be some type of progress for the female hero community. But she had every intention to make it as far as she possibly could and become that inspiration for young girls all across Japan and even internationally.
She wanted little girls to look at her the way she looked at Mirko and Ryukyu. Costa laid down against one of the couch pillows, her eyes growing heavy. She tried to keep them open so that she could watch more of Mirko's hero news but the fatigue from her long first day was getting to her.
Her eyelids slowly shut and she began dozing off, floating off into a memory she hadn't revisited in a very long time...
"Costa! Dinner is ready, it's time to come inside!", a lady that couldn't be older than 30 with long blonde curls and piercing golden eyes shouted from her back porch.
A young, 5-year-old girl who looked identical to the older woman looked over her shoulder with a toothless grin. She had a sharp canine tooth poking out over her bottom lip.
"5 more minutes!", she shouted back, her eyes glowing. She held a sphere of glowing light in one of her palms, tossing it up and catching it. Her mother shook her head, hands placed on her hips. She opened her mouth to argue with her daughter but decided against it.
With a small smile, she approached the little girl who was sitting comfortably in the grass. She peered up at her mother with curiosity as she plopped right down next to her.
"Watcha got there?", the older woman asked, extending her palm out. Costa giggled, tossing the ball over to her mother. She caught it with ease, bringing it up to her face for close inspection. She tossed it up a couple of times, knocking on it with one of her knuckles.
"What are you doing, mama?", Costa let out a childish laugh, trying to grab the sphere from her mother. She held it out so that her daughter couldn't grab it, "Hey! I'm looking at it!"
"But I made it and I want it back!", her tone wasn't demanding but rather sweet. Costa's laugh was filled with a playful, light-hearted tune that warmed her mother's heart. She narrowed her eyes at her daughter playfully before rolling her eyes and handing her the sphere.
"Thank you, mama!", Costa chirped, going back to tossing the ball up in the air.
"You're getting very good at controlling your quirk, sweetie", Her mother softly nudged her. Costa smiled, squishing the sphere between her chubby fingers, causing it to disappear into nothingness. She gasped, a sad look replacing her excited expression, "Oh no!"
Her mother chuckled, her eyes glowing bright yellow as a new sphere emerged in her own palm. It was bigger and brighter than her daughters. Costa huffed, crossing her arms in a pouty manner. Her mother rolled her eyes with a smile, "I made you a new one."
"I don't want it", Costa looked away, attitude laced in her tone.
"Oh so that's how it's gonna be?", her mother said in amusement, "...well I didn't want to touch your light spheres anyway."
She mocked fake offense, causing Costa's eyes to grow wide as she climbed into her mother's lap, "Noooo, you have to! I want you to see how far I've come with our quirk!"
Her mother's heart warmed at the words 'our quirk'.
"Okay, how about you take this...", she puts the sphere in Costa's hand, "...and try to form a rod with it."
Costa's nose scrunched up in confusion, "What's a rod?"
Her mother threw her head back in a laugh, wrapping her arms around her daughter to support her back. Costa held the sphere in her two hands, peering down at it with curiosity and excitement. The light reflected on her tanned facial features which accentuated her light platnium hair.
"It's like... a stick", her mother tried to explain it in the simplest way possible for her five-year-old child. Costa hummed in acknowledgment, muttering the word 'stick' to herself.
"Do you think you can do that, sweets?", her mother leaned forward, touching Costa's forehead with her own as she stared down at the sphere. Costa twisted her lips to the side, brows furrowed in concentration.
The older woman watched as her daughter held her breath in concentration. The sphere wavered a bit but did not change shape. After a few seconds of trying, Costa let out a loud breath, "I-I can't."
"Yes, you can", her mother cooed, running a hand through her daughter's hair, "...with patience and practice- you can do anything, my love."
Costa continued to pout, her mother whispering loving words of encouragement into her ear. After a minute or so, they both stood up and walked back inside their house, hand and hand.
Costa looked up at her mother's figure, peering down at her with such a loving smile.
"Costa, wake up."
Her mother's face vanished from her vision. Fear and panic set in.
"I have pancakes~", a sing-song voice whispered in her ear. Costa jolted awake, knocking foreheads with the person hovering above her.
"OUCH- what the hell!"
Her golden eyes focused, landing on her aunt who was hovering over her with a paper bag in hand. Her straight, blonde hair was pulled back into a messy braid and she still wore her nurse uniform. She was holding her forehead, an irritated expression on her features.
Costa sat up quickly, "Don't wake me up like that- geez..."
Hana rolled her eyes, "You are like the heaviest sleeper I know, how else am I supposed to wake you up?"
Costa ignored her comment, looking around curiously, "What time is it?"
"Like eleven. Sorry I got home so late...", Hana plopped down beside her, propping her feet up onto her niece's lap. Costa glared at her but she didn't pay her any mind as she opened the brown paper bag, "But I brought home panca-"
"Gimme that", Costa grabbed the bag from her hands, digging into it eagerly. She could now feel the aching hunger in her stomach.
Hana's golden brown eyes widened as Costa ripped into the bag like a beastly carnivore would to its prey, "Wow, thank you Hana! You're the best, Hana!"
Costa glared up at her aunt, shoving a fluffy pancake into her mouth.
Hana let out a loud chuckle, throwing her head back on the couch cushion. Costa slumped in her seat, chomping down on the delicious cake. They were already so sweet and moist, they didn't need syrup, a delicacy she'd grown accustomed to when she lived in Spain as a kid.
Hana threw an arm over her eyes, sighing dramatically, "They're working me so hard, I think my feet might fall off", she peeked at Costa, "Wanna do me a fav-"
"Om nah masshaging your nashty ash feet", Costa said quickly with a mouthful of food in her mouth. Hana stuck her tongue out at her niece.
After Costa finished eating, she threw away the take out bag while Hana took a shower and changed out of her nurse uniform. Costa continued to watch some more hero news before her young aunt walked back in the room, also wearing a bathrobe. Her hair was wet and starting to curl up like it naturally does. The curly hair gene dominated their bloodline.
"Soooo", Hana started, plopping back down on the couch across from Costa. She turned her entire body to face the teenage girl, eyes light with curiosity, "How was your first day, squirt?"
Costa thought for a second before grinning, "Well, I yelled at a boy in my class today."
Hana snorted, "Of course you did. What else?"
"Well, my principal is a teddy bear, my homeroom teacher is some kind of crazy, scary insomniac slash homeless man, everyone in school was looking at me like fresh bait, annnnddd we had an obstacle relay race thing in hero training class...", she paused, "...oh and the girls in my class ate lunch with me."
"Is he like a cute homeless man or the kind that's not my type?"
"...so cute homeless men are your type?"
"..."
"You have issues."
"Anywaysss", Hana interrupted, "So do we like these girls?"
"Yes we do. They were really nice to me", Costa said, a small smile playing on her lips. Hana's eyes lit up with excitement and she did a little happy dance. Costa looked at her with an eyebrow raised.
"Yessss, now we can have sleepover nights!", Hana clapped her hands.
"You mean I can have sleepover nights."
"Yes and I can crash them. Teenage girls love me", Hana said, flipping her hair over her shoulder. Costa snorted, "I'm the only teenage girl you actually talk to."
"Well duh, you're my favorite niece."
"I'm your only niece..."
"Which automatically makes you my favorite, funny how that works right?"
"Okay creep", Costa patted her aunt's knee, "I'm gonna get some sleep. Thanks for the pancakes."
"Anytime, sweets", her carefree aunt sent her finger guns as she walked out of the room. Costa chuckled as Hana yelled at the top of her lungs, "GOOD NIGHT! DON'T LET THE BED BUGS BITE!"
Costa flinched, looking over at her shoulder at her cackling aunt, "Hana, stop doing that! We're gonna get another noise complaint!"
"Aww but it's so funny watching you get all annoyed like that", Hana pointed at Costa with a loud, ugly snort.
"You don't have to do it every single night..."
"Yes, I do."
"I can't with you right now. I'm going to bed..."
~
Okay hey XD
So we've learned a lot this chapter. First of all, Bakugou and Costa had their first conversation yay! It went... well. LMAO.
We also learned about Aizawa's POV when letting her into UA and some history regarding Costa's time at Shiketsu. I even gave ya a little flashback/dream sequence with her mom who you will learn more about later in the story.
Also, I introduced my favorite character, aka Aunt Hana. We love her.
How are you liking this story so far? ( if anyone is even reading this :( )
What are your predictions/assumptions about the plot so far?
Thank you for reading! Here's your virtual kiss on the cheek...
SMOOCH <3