Hey friends! Thank you for your patience and kind words! I'm all settled into my dorm, it's now my second full day on campus and I've been taking advantage of this spacious library to update you guys with another chapter, I hope you enjoy <3
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Word Count ; 7040
Monday morning approached faster than expected, the forecast bright and sunny in Musutafa, Japan. The end of Spring was fast approaching, the sun casting intense rays of heat onto the pavement that Costa's school shoes clicked against as she walked briskly to class.
She'd ditched her school jacket, clad in her short-sleeved, white uniform button-up, her tie loosely wrapped around her collar. She'd popped open the top two buttons of her blouse, revealing a sliver of the inner part of her collarbones as she quickly pulled her hair back, yanking it to the side to tie her lion's mane of hair into a tight braid.
Ochaco and Yaoyorozu talked about the upcoming festivities that UA was to host these next couple of months. First, the sports festival, then the finalization of who would be representative in the National Women's Hero Championship, not to mention the rumor of a spring dance occurring the same night as the competition.
Costa half-listened as she usually did in the mornings she went without coffee. She found it difficult to function without caffeine these days, especially when she trained herself to the bone every day. She'd gotten back into her routine of running twice a day, early in the mornings and late at night. She'd even run a few miles that very morning, slinking into the girl's showers as the alarm clocks began to go off throughout the dorms.
She savored the early morning hot water, steam wafting through the showers as she hummed to herself, scrubbing off the grime and sweat with lavender-scented soap. She passed Bakugou on her way up to her room, hair soaking wet as she threw a towel over her shoulders, already changed into her uniform.
He looked just as tired as she felt, slinking toward the kitchen from his brief morning workout outside Heights Alliance. She'd apparently missed him when jogging back into the building, most likely too caught up in the music she was listening to and the adrenaline pumping through her veins.
He'd noticed her though, in her short, tight Nike spandex and matching sports bra, mocha skin glistening with sweat. He knew she never skipped leg day from the thick, defined muscles of her thighs as she pushed herself up those front steps. Her braids swung behind her, slapping her shoulders repetitively. She had that focused concentration on her face, that same expression from whenever they sparred.
He paused his weight lifting for a second, eyes following her figure as she pulled her beats headphones down onto her shoulders, chest rising and falling rapidly. She slipped through the doors quickly, leaving him out there to finish his workout, stuck in his own thoughts, now consisting of her. He grit his teeth, slightly bothered that she didn't stop her return to insult him or something as he picked his weight back up, hoisting it up to his shoulders. In fact, he was pretty sure she didn't even notice him.
Then he had the fortune of seeing her again that morning, after putting his workout equipment away and making his way into the commons area. Costa had just showered, waltzing out of the girl's showers using that white towel around her shoulders to scrunch up her wet curls. She had her eyebrows slightly furrowed, lips parted as she finally flicked her gaze up at him. He swallowed as she slightly smirked, "Oh damn, it's just you."
"What's that supposed to even mean."
"That I'm disappointed to see you, my day did just start after all," she shrugged, that teasing smile playing on her plush lips, "And I wouldn't want it to be soiled so early."
"Oh shut your face, is there someone else you'd prefer?" he scoffed, making his way into the kitchen and swinging the fridge door open, raiding it for something to drink. He looked across the shelves before grabbing a carton of orange juice. Costa smiled, quirking an eyebrow as she sidled up to the counter beside him, "Perhaps that nice red-and-white haired boy, probably better suited for me."
She slyly quoted his mother with a goofy smirk.
He shut the door, turning to see her leaning against the side of the fridge with a playful, mischievous smile as she peered up at him with those eyes full of wonder. That gold color sucked him in like the fierce eye of a hurricane, hell-bent on destroying his precious life. He gulped, as she kept peering at him with that expression, perfectly soft lips curving into that lion's grin.
Her eyes would light up, flash even, in times like this, as if she was nudging him and saying 'come on, play with me, you bastard.'
He felt the corners of his lips twitching upward as he looked at her, clearing his throat and tearing his gaze away from hers. He swung a cabinet door open, grabbing a glass from the top shelf, "Whatever, that hag didn't know what she was talking about."
"Oh so you don't agree then?" she said, quirking one of her eyebrows at him in question as she leaned over the kitchen island. He rolled his eyes, pouring himself a glass of juice and turning around, "I don't give a shit what you do, but I still don't see it."
In fact, the thought of Costa becoming... romantic with icy-hot, made his blood boil. He didn't like how casual and familiar they were with each other to begin with. He was completely different from icy-hot in every way and yet he and Costa had become... whatever they were.
If she ended up finding that monotone, rich kid attractive, he couldn't imagine how unappealing he'd seem to her, with his loud personality and raging insults. And yet, she still looked at him as if he was the most interesting thing in the world. No one ever looked at him that way, unless he was winning a fight. But he didn't even have to win, he didn't even have to try when it came to her. With Costa, it just came easy.
"You don't 'see' it? Or you hate the idea of it?" she asked, eyes narrowing skeptically as she leaned against her propped fist, "Which one is it, explosion boy? Cause those are two very different things."
"You sure like to run your mouth a lot in the morning."
"What else do you suppose I do? Stand here and stare at you as you go on about being the number one hero and complain about Deku?" she blinked at him as he took a swig of his orange juice, "Someone has to keep things interesting around here."
He immediately rolled his eyes as she smiled at her own comment. She was such an idiot, she thought herself hilarious the majority of the time. Truth was, everyone else seemed to agree with her. Even Bakugou couldn't help but fight off a smile whenever she'd spew something ridiculous or just plain rude.
She was one of the rare women that you'd find in such a career that was overrun by men, so effortlessly herself, and the world simply adored her for it. It was what made her such an entertaining character to be around.
Costa bit her lip, making her way around the counter, her finger tracing a line against the marble. He eyed that finger before trailing his gaze up to her face as she approached him. Her eyes locked onto his as she smirked, stopping directly beside him. His eyes widened, mid-sip, when she reached behind him to grab the orange juice, mere centimeters of space lessening between them.
Her eyes flickered down at the hand that grabbed the carton before slowly glancing up at him through her eyelashes. Gold with amber flecks grasped him by the throat. He froze, half of his mouth filled with orange juice as she stepped away and grabbed a glass from the cabinet. He didn't take his eyes off of her as she stretched up on her tippy toes to grab a glass, fingers grasping for it as she struggled.
Her skirt lifted to show the indent of her thigh muscles and he forced himself to look away, shutting his eyes closed tightly as he swallowed. He let her do it herself, not bothering to offer his help. Not only was that out of character for him but she'd simply snap at him that she was perfectly capable of doing it herself anyway. She eventually grabbed onto a glass and set it down on the counter to pour her juice into.
"You know what's funny,"
His heart thundered, eyes flicking back and forth in her direction. Her wet curls draped over the side of her face as she picked up her glass. She tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear before tilting her head back to take a sip. He watched how she extended her jawline, eyes fluttering closed briefly. She didn't have an ounce of makeup on, leaving her skin dewy and clear from her recent shower.
He gulped his orange juice until the glass was empty as she turned toward him.
"You never told me why you hate small fry so much."
"Who?" he shot her a confused furrow of his brows.
"You know, little broccoli boy," she gestured fluffy hair, "With the muttering and the hero complex and the mickey mouse voice."
"Deku?! Why are you asking me about Deku??" he snapped and Costa's eyebrows shot up immediately. That one reaction already told her loads about how he felt towards the boy. Although these days, he mostly ignored him. However, she often heard him grumbling about him from behind her desk.
"Yeah, him," she said, sipping on her juice, "And I'm not asking about him, I'm asking about you dumbass." He glanced over at her as she sent him an incredulous look, placing her palm on the island to lean against it, "What's the deal with you regarding him?"
Bakugou kept his lips closed for a minute, looking down at the bottom of his empty glass. She waited patiently, finishing off the rest of her juice before swiping his glass out of his hand and sticking both in the sink. He clenched his jaw, gaze darkening as he thought on the topic.
"He followed me around when we were kids and when we both ended up here," he gestured to the building, to UA. Costa listened intently as he continued, "I thought he'd been lying to me about something our whole lives and then suddenly became All Might's favorite and I just-"
He paused, grinding his molars together. Costa took up a spot right across from him, slipping into one of the stools silently. She nodded at him to go on, giving him her full attention. He hesitated before her golden eyes softened into his. Those eyes, those damn eyes fucked him over again and again.
"I always knew I could beat him but then, then things started to change and-" he suddenly found forming words to be difficult, "Then something happened last year and I found out something really... insane about him and I can't stop thinking, what if..." He swallowed, taking a second to look at the ground as his thoughts swam freely. Why was he even telling her this in the first place? How did she even get him to talk about it at all? He clenched his fists, neck straining as he looked away from her, "He's just a stupid weakling, that's all."
She sat on that stool for a moment, looking at him with a neutral expression. She'd just watched him like that the whole time he spoke, more emotion showing on his face than he'd ever let her see, willingly at least. The time in Ashoka didn't count since he was suffering from the effects of that guy's quirk. But now, he was ranting to her about Deku.
He shook his head as if trying to brush off the entire encounter, opening his mouth to tell her to forget about it when she spoke first.
"I think," she pursed her lips, flicking her gaze down to her hands, "I think we tend to see ourselves in other people. Whether that be through persona, power, skill, or even intelligence. I think people like you and me-"
She gestured her hand between them and his eyebrows furrowed, "We're not easy people and when we see people that carry our traits and ambitions so easily, it's difficult. You and I, we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to succeed and pinpointing our emotions on one person who has everything we want and wears it so... effortlessly, it hurts."
He froze, eyes unblinking as she interlaced her fingers, eyes focused in deep thought as if she was telling herself all of this as well as him. "And Deku..." she let out a breath, "He's so... positive and friendly all the time while also taking on the pressure of becoming a great hero like All Might but... that passion of his- it doesn't stem from the same source you and I's does."
His mouth ran dry as she looked up at him through her eyelashes, golden eyes full of unchecked emotion as she swallowed, "We fuel ourselves from our own pain. We see a better future for ourselves and we do everything in our power to achieve it. I think that's what real power stems from, trying to wash away our harmful pasts by replacing it with something we love, something that will prevent others from feeling the pain that we do."
"Don't compare yourself to Deku, because he will never be like you and you will never be like him," her eyes burned as she stared into his, "He doesn't know what it's like to really suffer, not like we do. I think that makes us better heroes, with the ability to understand others and change their lives while also bettering our own. It also gives us a will that's simply... unshakeable."
He let the silence hang around them once the last syllable fell off her lips. He didn't know what to say, not after she'd just verbally pointed out every unspoken truth between him and Midoriya. She was right, the only suffering Midoriya might have faced would've been by his hand during those days in their childhood. But even then, he only resented the boy because of his own issues and insecurities.
His fist clenched as Costa continued to watch him, her eyes gentle and understanding. He flinched. How could she read him like that? How does she get his feelings and thoughts? How does she understand where all his reasoning came from? How could she...
She said we. She'd said we, that's why. The jealously, the anger issues, the anxiety attacks, the inferiority complex, she didn't falter or cower from those things like everyone else did. Everyone ran away from him for it. She'd been the first to stand up to him, to hold her ground with unflinching resolve. It wasn't because he'd coincidentally encountered a hot-headed, stubborn girl for the first time. But it was because whatever their souls were made out of... theirs were one and the same.
Those golden orbs melted into him like honey, warm and familiar. It was like putting on a warm, wool coat after a day out in the freezing snow. Like stepping into a fire-warmed cottage during a snowstorm. But at the same time, it was taking a sip of ice-cold water after laying out in the sun for hours. It was that feeling that clanged through your whole body, that left you feeling warm and fuzzy but bright and refreshed at the exact same time.
She had such a way of making him look at things differently. A way of making you close your eyes and see with your heart. He'd never had a companion that made him feel like that before, and because of that, he didn't even know what the fuck he was feeling.
He simply leaned against the counter, staring at her with that fierce look in his eyes, the same one that mirrored hers. How did he not see that until now? How the fire in her eyes was a reflection of his?
"Well, on that note," she said, pushing herself off the stool and shaking out her wet curls, "I should finish getting ready. Aizawa says we have a guest instructor coming in to teach us swordplay."
He nodded, clearing his throat and pushing himself off his position leaning against the counter. She smiled at him with those pretty, pink lips that had so gently grazed his once. He tried not to think about it as she sent him a playful salute, giggling to herself, "See you in class! Don't fret about Deku!"
"I DON'T FRET!"
"Yeah, yeah. Okay, sure."
"I DO NOT! GET BACK HERE!"
"Go take a shower before you're late!" she raced up the stairs, "You're stinky!"
"HEY!" he went to chase her, her laugh flitting through the air between them as she took the steps two at a time. He halted right at the second step, hand falling from the railing. She disappeared out of view as he slunk down to sit on the bottom step, head in his hands.
"What the hell am I doing?" he groaned, running his fingers through his hair as her laugh played on repeat in his mind. That smile, those eyes, that laugh.
Since when did some girl become something that made him... feel things. He pressed his thumbs into the corners of his eyes, gritting his teeth as he tried to clear his mind, just for a minute. For a minute, he wanted to easily not think of her at all.
He breathed through his nose, his mind clearing of any stray thoughts, erasing Costa. He breathed out.
He accidentally pictured a sultry grin on a perfectly sculpted, tanned face. Shiny, brown skin darkened from the skies of Spain. Long platinum curls. Eyes the color of the sun. A laugh like melodic strums of a harp string.
"GODDAMMIT!" he let out a loud frustrated noise, gripping his roots aggressively.
Then that look, the way her eyes would gleam at him when she listened. She actually listened to what he had to say. Well, Kirishima would too, he was a good friend with a good ear. But somehow, it was different. It wasn't like his words were just going through one ear and out the other but they were being interpreted, thought of, understood. She took the time to try and understand his complex thought processes and unreasonable emotional outbursts.
He couldn't even register how he felt when she'd looked at him while he was speaking, like the whole world melted away and it was only them. It made him feel less alone, like somehow, he wasn't something to figure out for once. He wasn't just some troubled teenage boy to stay clear of.
But she was... Costa. She was incredibly irritating, a rival, an enemy, the girl who made him angrier than anyone ever had before. But now...
I wonder if we ever think of each other at the same time...
He slapped himself right in the forehead, "Stop it."
Holy fuck, I think about you a lot.
He pursed his lips, staring wide-eyed at the ground. Meanwhile, Costa was probably humming to herself while doing her hair, in a long platinum braid down her back, like always. Then she'd pull out those cute little white curls that framed her face. He closed his eyes, this was dangerous. It was so incredibly dangerous to be thinking like this.
"Nope, nope," he spat out, abruptly standing, "Not happening. I don't even like her."
He could feel the lie laced through the letters of his words. He shook his head again, refusing to accept that feeling that unfurled in his chest or the deadly thoughts swimming in his head. He was Katsuki Bakugou, he didn't really have friends, much less girl... friends.
He grumbled to himself, storming toward the showers to take a long, thoughtful, hot shower before class.
+
Right at the start of class, All Might lead them out to the PE grounds, where they'd competed in that competition at the beginning of the school year. All decked out in their tracksuits, they waited in the bright sun for a few minutes while All Might explained their plans for the day.
They were bringing in a guest-hero to help them with their combat skills. His name was 'Firearm' and he was a master-skilled weapon-user who also happened to be the only quirkless hero to make it big in Musutafu. Everyone murmured their surprise at the new piece of information about the hero.
He walked out with Aizawa, who looked as bored as ever with his hands stuffed in his pockets, scarves covering the lower half of his face. Firearm wore a black bodysuit with accents of grey, much like Costa's own costume, minus the golden visors, cuffs, and gloves.
He wore a black belt filled with different kinds of knives and daggers, a staff strapped to his back and a long sword hanging from his hip. He wore a mask over the bottom half of his face, sleek and black. His muddy brown hair was unruly and curled, eyes as black as night, peering out of his mask.
The two grown men stopped next to All Might, the class watching them expectantly. Costa took a step back from her position in between Jiro and Yaoyorozu, sidling in the middle of Kirishima and Bakugou. Bakugou slid his vermillion eyes over to her as she sideglanced at him, her lips curving into a smile as she whispered, "Hey."
He rolled his eyes at her and she snickered, crossing her arms over her chest as Firearm began speaking.
"Hello, Class 2A! As many of you know, I am the quirkless hero, Firearm!"
"Never heard of him," Bakugou snorted, causing Costa to suppress her grin. He quickly glanced over at her, noticing the smile creeping up her lips. The corners of his own lips twitched a bit as he brought his attention back to the lame hero in front of them.
I almost made her laugh, he thought.
"I work at Firebird's agency in Xeno, Japan along with a team of great sidekicks!" he explained, his gestures big and animated as he spoke. His big, black eyes widened and narrowed, the rest of his expressions hidden behind his mask. Costa snickered, "Who the hell is Firebird?"
"Prolly another irrelevant hero we've never heard of," Bakugou retorted back.
"Why can't they bring in interesting heroes?" Costa grumbled quietly as Firearm went on about his background in weaponry and how he's made up for his lack of a quirk with skill. She rolled her eyes when he started explaining a tragic backstory of being discriminated against for being quirkless, "Boring."
"Lame, where are the real pros?" Bakugou snickered, both of them going back and forth with insulting comments as the hero went on. Bakugou furrowed his eyebrows for a second, a tad confused by their rude banter. She'd always remained respectful when superiors were involved and yet here she was, making fun of their instructor with him.
But why? Was it because of him? Or did she just feel less polite than she usually did? He shook it off, going along with it despite the slight breach of character.
Kirishima, who was on the other side of Costa nudged Mina.
"What?" Mina whispered. He nodded his head over to the duo beside him, making comments and snickering at each other. Mina's jaw dropped as Costa nudged Bakugou in the side, earning a nudge back before they let out quiet chuckles.
"Since when..?" she gaped and Kirishima flashed his shark teeth as he grinned, "They've been getting along a lot recently, ever since their last case studies program."
"Holy shit," she continued gawking at them as Bakugou actually leaned down to mutter something incredibly inappropriate as Costa slapped a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud. His red eyes lit up in mischief at her reaction. Mina smiled, "I never thought I'd say this, but they're kinda perfect for each other."
"I know," Kirishima said, looking over at his friends, finally getting along with one another, even if they were quietly bullying a full-grown man together. Bakugou really had met his match, it appeared. It made Kirishima's heart swell with pride, for his best friend had never looked so comfortably himself with someone else before. Not just his angry, grumpy self but the real Bakugou. The one that only a small amount of people ever really got to see, and even then, it was only on occasion.
"Now, today I will be instructing you all in swordplay," Firearm pulled his sword from its case at his hip. The long, dark, shiny blade gleamed in the sunlight, "Although since you are all beginners, we will not be fighting each other with swords."
"Lame," Costa rolled her eyes.
"Instead," he put the sword back in his belt and reached for the tall, black duffel bag to his right. He unzipped the bag and pulled out a skinny, fencing sword with a circular silver handle. The class let out a collective noise of enthusiasm while Costa and Bakugou sent each other a look that said, 'really? baby weapons?'
"Now," Firearm flipped the fencing sword in his hands, looking over the crowd of students, "Would anyone like to volunteer to spar with me for example purposes?"
Hands shot up. Costa's and Bakugou's didn't.
"Oh come on," Costa groaned, "If we're gonna fence, we should at least have a more professional instructor, not some quirkless, wannabe, hero."
Firearm's eyes immediately narrowed on Costa, who was not paying attention, instead talking crap to her fellow classmate. His black, beady eyes narrowed in irritation before he pointed his fencing sword in her direction, "You."
She picked at her nails, not paying him any heed. Aizawa groaned in frustration at his problem student's lack of respect for their guest instructor. Kirishima cleared his throat, elbowing Costa in the side as everyone turned their attention toward her. Bakugou's eyes widened when he realized.
"Ow! What was that for?" she narrowed her eyes at Kirishima before following his pointed finger to Firearm. Then her eyes shifted down to the sword pointed at her, "Me??"
"Yes, you."
"But I didn't volunteer?" she said with a quirk of her eyebrow, attitude laced in her tone. Bakugou smirked as she crossed her arms over her chest, sizing up the guy as she did with every person she'd sparred with. Firearm chuckled, "Well, since you found your conversation much more interesting than my instructing, I thought I'd volunteer you myself."
She heard Kaminari and Sero snicker from the crowd, causing her to find them with her death glare. Bakugou simply coughed, turning his head away as she went to glare at him as well. With a huff, she strutted toward the front, "Fine."
The class whooped and hollered for her and she rolled her eyes, a smile tugging on her lips.
"WOO! LET'S GO MIRI!" Mina cupped her hands over her mouth as she cheered for her best friend. Kirishima clapped his hands together for her as she sent them a small smile. Aizawa glared at her friends, eyes glowing red, "Quiet." Firearm passed her a fencing sword. She caught it swiftly before whipping it around in the air a couple of times.
"What's your name?" he asked her, picking up his own sword as she played with hers a bit, golden eyes flicking up to his with a challenging glare, "Miriara."
"Well, Miriara," he said, passing her a bag full of padding to put over her clothes. She shimmied into the padding, throwing the torso piece over her shoulders as he placed his helmet over his face, "What do you know about swordplay?"
A lot, she wanted to say. But instead, she hid her smirk and looked up at him, "A little bit."
"Well, the first thing I want to demonstrate is stances," he explained, placing his feet in the correct position, "Plant your front foot straight forward, toward your opponent, while placing your back foot at a 90-degree angle to it. Your feet should be about 3 feet apart."
She shook her head as she tucked it into the helmet, him gesturing at her to copy his position. She rolled her eyes under the mask, perfectly positioning her feet into the correct stance. He nodded, "Very well."
She was tempted to flick him off just for Bakugou's amusement.
She could feel him watching her, even through the thick padding of her fencing gear. She slightly bent her knees just as he began to explain, "Both legs should be bent, like this. This enables you to move quickly and swiftly."
He glanced down to see Costa already in that position. She wished he could see her smug smile through her helmet. He cleared his throat before raising his fencing arm, Costa mirroring him as he did so, "The sword arm should be bent at a 45-degree angle in front of you, keeping your free arm tucked behind your back."
"When moving forward in fencing, always move your front foot first. When moving backward, the back foot goes first," he explained, doing a little example of shuffling forward and backward. Costa rolled her eyes.
Can we get on with it? She knew Bakugou was probably thinking the same thing. But the guy kept talking, explaining the different moves you could make in fencing. The three basic moves, that Costa was already familiar with; Lunge, Parry, Riposte.
Lunging, exactly what it sounded like, a fully extended sword arm, the back leg remaining in place while the front foot lunges forward. Parry, a defensive action blocking an opponent's lunge, only moving the blade while keeping the sword arm straight. Then, Riposte, a counterattack after an opponent parries.
Firearm repeated the moves, Costa grumbling to herself as he made her do the same. Then he began explaining the more complex moves, demonstrating them with his body. High outside, Low outside, High inside, and Low inside.
High Outside, moving outside of the opponent's blade to land a hit between their weapon and shoulder. He demonstrated, striking just below Costa's collarbone. Low outside, basically the same thing but near the waist. He struck to the right of her stomach and she grit her teeth in annoyance. High Inside, a hit going inside of the opponent's blade, striking in between the opponent's chest and shoulder. Another strike. Low inside, the same move as high inside except lower on the body. Again.
He repeated the moves a couple of times before letting Costa try them out on him. He didn't block, letting her mark her points. She easily struck his shoulder, then his waist outside of his blade before switching to the inside strikes with perfect precision. He smiled when she fell back, "Very nicely done, Miriara."
She nodded before stretching her neck side to side. He turned toward their class, "Now we'll practice these moves with blocking."
He faced Costa, taking up a fencing stance to which she followed. Then he nodded toward her, "I will attack and I want you to block with your sword."
"Okay."
"Remember to keep your arm strai-"
"Yup, got it," she said, annoyance lacing her tone. She heard a scoff from the crowd and instantly knew it was Bakugou, causing a smirk to spread across her lips.
I know you're watching, she thought, smirking wider. It was time to be a show-off.
"En-garde."
He lunged for her and she was quick, keeping her arm steady and strong as she twisted her wrist to tap his sword out of the way. Their blades clashed with a 'clink' noise, her successfully knocking his blade out of its direct course toward her shoulder. He nodded, "Well done."
Then he immediately counterattacked with a Riposte but she'd predicted it. She maneuvered her wrist, flicking it so that her blade met his once again. Kaminari let out an 'ooo' noise as their blades once again clinked. She didn't suppress her smug smile from under her helmet as he let out an embarrassed chuckle.
"You got me again," he cleared his throat before stepping back, "How about I block and you try attacking?"
"Sounds perfect," she smiled her Chesire smile before going into a starting position. He sighed through his nose, tilting his neck to the side before copying her stance.
"En-garde!"
She was fast as lighting, as she always was. She faked a high-inside hit toward his chest, expecting him to block quickly. He did and she smirked. She immediately rotated her wrist, her sword swiveling around to knock his out of the way as she struck.
She was so close to hitting his shoulder when he shuffled backward, quickly maneuvering his blade to block hers. She growled in frustration, flicking her wrist to land a strike to his lower stomach. He parried and she grit her teeth, shuffling backward as he began to lunge for her.
He'll block, her ass. He was now going on the offense, unlike what he'd said.
She blocked his lunge for her hip, arm unyielding as she parried. He shuffled backward and their swords clanged in between them. The class watched with bated breaths as they struck and blocked. Costa swallowed, allowing herself to fall back into the defensive, a trick she'd used even in hand-to-hand combat.
Bakugou recognized it, familiar with her moves as she let him overwhelm her with his strikes, defending with the 'clink' of her blade. Then, right when he thought he had her, she charged like a battering ram. Quick as lighting, she struck, countering his parry with a high-inside-riposte. The point of her blade met with the center of his chest.
Kaminari and Sero went wild with their cheers, earning a very intense glare from Aizawa as Costa stepped back. She peeled her helmet off, exposing her bright, triumphant grin as well as a sweaty forehead. Firearm removed his as well, his cheeks dusted pink as he bowed, "You are a natural, Miss.Miriara and a very worthy opponent."
She laughed, bowing back at him, "Nah, I was taught swordplay when I was like six. I lied to you"
His eyes widened in surprise before a wolfish grin spread across his face, "You sneaky kid, you let me underestimate you and then overwhelmed me."
"Guilty," she said with a smirk and he shook his head and laughed.
"That's a smart tactic to use against your opponents," he reached a gloved hand out toward her. She gladly took it, shaking it firmly as he said, "Good match."
"Indeed," she nodded at him and stepped back, tucking her helmet under her arm. He shook his head, still chuckling to himself at the defeat before turning back toward their group. Costa's eyes scanned the crowd before locking onto a pair of bright red orbs.
Bakugou was already looking at her, that playful scowl on his face as the corners of his lips threatened to upturn. She sent him a toothy grin and a thumbs up to which he rolled his eyes at, muttering to himself, "Dumbass..."
"Alright, now I'll have you all pair up and grab some gear," Firearm gestured to the equipment behind him, "Go find a space of your own to spar for a bit, I'll be going around and checking your forms."
The class immediately dispersed after he finished speaking, wandering around to find a partner to fence with. Costa wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand, silently wondering who she would end up partnering up with.
Maybe, she hoped, it'd be Bak-
"Miriara."
She whipped her head around toward the familiar voice, her braid flying behind her. There, stood Todoroki with his hands tucked into his gym pants pockets. His face held no expression as he stood in front of her. She smirked as she turned toward him, placing her hands on her hips, "Hey Fire-and-Ice."
"Would you like to partner up with me today?" he asked her, taking a step forward, "I see you're already familiar with this type of thing."
"Yeah, I guess," she said, rubbing the back of her neck, "Are you?"
"No, not really," he narrowed his eyes at the helmet tucked under her arm, "My father only wanted me to improve my quirk, we never bothered with such things."
"Well, then today's your lucky day," she said, picking up a sword and tossing it in his direction. He caught it, a slightly startled expression on his face as he did, causing her to chuckle. Then she nodded in the direction of a large tree, creating a patch of shade underneath, "Cause I'm going to make you a master swordsman."
He mustered a small smile before nodding, following as Miriara led him over to the tree. Meanwhile, Bakugou stared and stared at them.
"Come on man, let's grab our equipment and find a spot," Kirishima said, slinging an arm around his friend's shoulder. Bakugou's eyes burned as Costa smiled, actually smiled at the icy-hot boy. He felt his chest recoil into a ball of fury as they walked off together, side-by-side.
Kirishima followed his gaze toward the duo, getting into a starting stance under the large tree. Costa tucked her sword under her arm as she approached him, fingers wrapping around his wrist to fix the position of his sword arm. He let her lead him into the right position, saying something to her that they couldn't hear. Then she laughed and every muscle in Bakugou's body locked up.
Kirishima slowly looked back at his friend, noting the anger and jealously in his gaze as he stood there, watching them.
"Dude, if you wanted to partner up with her, you should've asked her first," Kirishima patted his shoulder, to which he aggressively brushed him off, storming off in the direction of the equipment. Kirishima sighed as he followed him. His breathing became heavy as he grabbed a sword and threw the padding over his shoulder, nostrils flared.
"Fuck this," he seethed out, once again looking back at the two of them beginning to spar, her instructing him.
Stop talking to him, he couldn't help but want to yell at her. She had her helmet on, he couldn't even see her face, and yet the thought of her even smiling in his direction had his blood boiling. Why did she have to choose Todoroki out of all people? Why couldn't it be one of her dumb girlfriends or even one of the two idiots they ate lunch with? Or him, why couldn't she have just chosen him? They always sparred together, and yet she went and partnered up with him.
"Dude, calm down," Kirishima said as he stormed over to their own spot on the field, "You're getting way too worked up over this."
"She could've partnered up with anyone else," he seethed, "Everyone knows Todoroki likes her because of her quirk."
"Okay and?" Kirishima asked, pulling his padding over his shoulders, "They're just partnering up for fencing. What's the big deal?"
"The big deal is that-" he began to spat out before his words died out.
What was the big deal? Why was he so mad? He shouldn't even care, he didn't even care. She was just his work studies partner, the person he trained with, nobody else. Sure, they spent time together from time-to-time but why did he feel so... angry to see them talking and smiling together.
Costa, she could do whatever she wanted. She was her own person, she wasn't... she wasn't his. He cringed just at the thought of it, of him thinking Costa belonged to him. She would kill him if she knew a small part of him started thinking that.
Maybe it was because he never really had someone to call his own. It was always just... him. He liked it that way, in fact, he wanted it that way. He did not need Costa and she did not need him, that fact was clear as day. But despite that...
He was jealous again. Not jealous of power, or status, or position. For once, he was jealous that Costa Miriara's attention wasn't fully on him. Instead, it was on another guy, on one of his rivals, in fact.
And it infuriated him.
"You're jealous because you wanted her to choose you and she didn't," Kirishima bluntly pointed out, his eyes softening in understanding, "Dude, if you wanted her to partner up with you, you should've said something first."
"Shut up," he snapped, jaw clenching hard enough to start hurting.
"Don't be mad cause she chose someone who was more eager," he said with a shrug, "If you don't take the initiative, someone else will."
If you don't take the initiative, someone else will.
The words repeated in his head as he pulled his padding onto his body, stuffing his head into the helmet that came with it. Kirishima was right, he was completely right, and that was what sucked. Because, the truth of the matter was that, his stomach dropped when he thought of Todoroki or anyone else having her.
Because when he realized that she, the girl who picked fights with him on purpose and challenged him to be his better self, understood him and accepted him for who he was, who wanted to walk this path with him...
He was scared, utterly terrified. For he hadn't realized he was already attached, already intertwined with her in ways he couldn't comprehend. And he was scared that someone else would realize too, just how truly amazing she was. For someone else to steal a breathless, unforgettable kiss from her lips. For someone else to take his place, to share banter with her in homeroom class in the mornings, or take shortcuts through the woods to train with her, or to share the dark secrets of her past with. Someone else she'd tease and look at with that expression in her stunning, golden eyes.
For someone else to... to have her heart, in the way he couldn't. Not yet. Maybe not ever.
He froze as he realized what was going through his head, the feeling in his chest that he couldn't ignore anymore, "Oh fuck."
Kirishima furrowed his brows at his friend in confusion, "What?"
He knew right then and there as her laugh flitted through the air, as butterflies appeared in his chest, that he was completely and utterly screwed. For he, who had never had romantic feelings for anyone in his life-
I caught feelings, like a damn amateur.
"I'm a total idiot."