"Roll over, Baku... there's more room on that side."
"Gross, no way... Todoroki's rank-ass breath is over there."
"I... I brushed my teeth earlier?"
"Oi, just 'cause... just 'cause you look like a goddamn peppermint doesn't mean you smell like one."
"Ugh, you both need to shut up. M'tired..."
"Yeah, well, me too. Be quiet."
"Excuse you, I said shut up first! Don't tell me what to do, Kacchan."
"Oh my god, I how many times do I have to—"
"What on earth are you all doing down there?"
At the sudden shuffle of footsteps above them, Katsuki looked up with a strained, tired tilt of his head to see Yaoyorozu standing over them, completely and utterly baffled as to why the three of them had collapsed on the common room floor. Truth be told, he was quite comfortable with his face smashed into the carpet and limbs splayed out in careless direction, but maybe okay, yeah, maybe it would look a little weird to people walking in.
"Well, I'm here because—" Camie started, shifting over to stare at Katsuki. "I came in, saw Baku lying down here, and figured 'hey, that looks nice', so I joined him."
"Look, I was up past like, midnight studying for the written exam." He groaned, head dropping back onto the carpet. "Came back from the exam, and, didn't feel like going upstairs, so... floor."
There was a snicker of more like past eight beside him, but before he had the chance to elbow Camie, their other companion opened his mouth.
"I'm just here because they were." Todoroki chimed in unhelpfully. "It's not bad, though. A little rough on the back, but not bad."
"Princess."
"Says the one who was too lazy to walk upstairs to nap."
"I said I was tired. Not lazy." Katsuki grumbled. "Be quiet and let me sleep."
"...I suppose I understand why, then, but... no less weird." Yaoyorozu sighed. "Well, I wanted to ask if you all got the news they just sent out regarding the practical portion of the final?"
"Ugh, I don't even wanna think about school right now." Camie complained. "C'mon, can't a girl catch a break?"
"This is finals week. We've been over this." Yaoyorozu repeated for what had to have been the tenth time in the past few days. "Come on, off the floor. If you really wanna go relax, we can do it in my room, Camie."
"No, babe, come join us...!" Camie yawned, and patted the ground next to her, which also happened to double as Katsuki's ass. "Oh, huh... not as flat as I thought."
A weak fuck off was all he could manage, and for as mentally exhausted as he was from the strain of the written exams, the practical portion was going to be a beatdown.
I'll make it through, though... after tomorrow, we're done with the year. A couple weeks for break, and then we're going into the first semester of third year in April.
It still hadn't hit him yet.
Next year is gonna be my last year of high school.
Just the thought that he'd nearly made it through two blew his mind.
And it's almost been a year since me 'n Deku first kissed.
Almost more ridiculous than every other school related thing, though, was that.
It's been great talking to him again... actually being able to call, text, say good morning and goodnight and I love—
"So what was that thing about the practical exam you were asking about?" Todoroki interrupted, bringing his thoughts back to what was admittedly the more important topic at hand. His phone still had unread messages from Deku that he wanted to check, but even that had been bested by his exhaustion for the moment.
A little longer won't hurt. Gotta focus on this stuff first.
"Aizawa sent out a message that mentioned we'd have some pro heroes joining us for our final. Nothing more, nothing less." She said, and finally sat down on the floor with the rest of them. "I'm... not quite sure what that will mean for the exam. What situation we're going to be in. Or even who it is that will be here."
"Wait, wait." Katsuki said, suddenly much more awake. "You serious about this?"
"Oh, big surprise. You hear someone say Pro Heroes and all at once, you're alive." Camie drawled, and flicked him on the forehead. "Did Deku let you in on anything about this? Is your boy toy gonna be joining the party?"
"Quit calling him Deku. That's my name." He hissed, well aware that he was playing right into Camie's hands. "I haven't heard a thing. S'not like Deku's been here much anyways in the few times we've had heroes come and help out."
I miss seeing him at practice, but... I dunno. Maybe the distance has been good for us. Maybe the fact that he hasn't been watching me get beat up at practice is for the better.
"Well, why would he?" Todoroki commented. "He and everyone else should stay out on the field. With the massive spikes of crime we've been getting, how can we really afford to have a group of heroes come help out in a contained environment like U.A.?"
Yaoyorozu shrugged. "I mean, I'm sure they're going to arrange this with care. And even so, it is only for one day, and this is the only notice we and probably most other people have gotten. In all honesty, I don't believe that will be much of an issue."
"I'm with Momo." Katsuki concurred. "I'm just wondering what they're gonna have us do. Are we gonna be fighting heroes? I mean, it could work, but we'd probably have to do it in teams or something."
"Unless the hero was handicapped in some way." Yaoyorozu added. "But I almost feel like that would be too bland of a challenge for this exam, because it's our final... hm. I'm not sure what's going to happen, but I wouldn't be all that surprised if it wound up being more of a group than an individual thing."
"Guess we'll find out tomorrow. No use worrying about it until we know the details." Katsuki said, letting his eyes fall closed just as his phone buzzed in his pocket again.
Probably Deku.
"I'm gonna go upstairs. Nap for a bit." He decided instead, the urge to talk to his boyfriend stronger than the temptation to pass out on the floor. "Knock if you really need me, fuck off if you don't."
"Gonna go get off over the phone with your boyfriend?"
"For the last goddamn time, we have not had phone sex!"
"Not yet."
"Keep it down if you do." Todoroki muttered. "I want to sleep tonight."
"You're all unbelievable." Katsuki's face burned. "You know, maybe I just wanna talk to someone who doesn't spew this garbage to my face every second of the day."
There was some sort of hoot and holler from Camie as he stormed off, but his phone was in his hand before he even reached the stairs. His friends were the most wonderful assholes, yeah, but an asshole was still an asshole.
That wasn't to say that seeing Deku's name in bright and shiny new-notification letters didn't put a smile on his face, though.
[Deku] hi kacchan!!!
[Deku] they let me off duty early today so im going home and making food for the week
[Deku] how did your exam go? you said it was the last written one, right?
At this point, Katsuki had become a master of texting and stair-climbing.
[Katsuki] i better have gotten the best grade in the class on it. I'm tired as shit
[Katsuki] this week has beaten the hell outta me but
[Katsuki] not much longer left. Just tomorrow's practical and I'm done with this year
But in the middle of climbing up the last flight, on the third-to-top step, something– or someone– bumped into his shoulder and knocked his phone from his hands before he even realized what was going on. Down, down the phone fell, clattering to the landing below with a dull thud and a sharp curse from Katsuki. He didn't look to see who the culprit was– didn't care to bother with them other than to toss a growled watch your step in their direction, really, but wasn't so dense as to claim he wasn't to blame, either. Before he could turn to grab his phone, though, the other person darted past and beat him to it. However, the familiar, dark-haired figure only managed to draw a groan from him as Katsuki realized that shitty Shindou had been the one to cause him trouble.
Fucking hell. Not in the mood.
"Sorry about that, Katsuki!" Shindou apologized in that too-high, too-fake voice of his. "I didn't mean to get in your way."
Not like I gave you permission to use my first name, either. Fucker.
He grabbed Katsuki's phone from the landing (the screen was still intact, at least) but didn't hand it back before stealing a not-so-subtle glance at the open messages screen.
"Aw, Valiant's so sweet." Shindou smiled, almost warm enough to be real. "He says he's wishing you luck on the practical tomorrow!"
"Holy shit, I can read my own damn texts." Katsuki hissed, and snatched his phone away before Shindou could do anything else. "And why the hell are you here? You're in 2-B, and last I checked, these were the 2-A dorms."
"Oh! I just left some stuff in Shouto's dorm last night." He answered. "I told him I'd be swinging by, don't worry."
Katsuki made some gesture of disgust, only throwing a Todoroki's downstairs in his direction before turning and trudging back up the stairs, phone safe and secure in his hand. He was trying his best to tolerate Shindou, really, but something about the very nature of his personality irked him to no end. Todoroki wasn't dating him, but friends-with-benefits would be a long shot, too. We-both-want-to-fuck-and-you-were-available would probably be the best way to label whatever their relationship was at this point, and for all he'd subjected his friend to, Katsuki didn't feel he had a right to complain about the occasional bout or two of noise next door.
He's not... bad. Just annoying. Like a mosquito or something, always buzzing around and getting in your face when you don't want it to.
But Todoroki hadn't been bothering him to do things like train or hang out as much, and while Katsuki was glad that the time he was spending with Deku wasn't interfering with their friendship, a part of him missed being able to hang out so frequently.
Wonder if he's been doing all this shit with Shindou 'cause I haven't been around as much?
Even if that was the case, the situation wasn't a problem. Just an annoyance.
And Todoroki can do whatever the hell he wants. I don't care who he sticks his dick into.
After the rest of the short trip to his dorm, Katsuki went to check his phone again. He'd half-expected Shindou to have sent something to Deku, but to his relief, his message history looked untouched.
[Deku] ahhh thats so awesome!!! Good luck bby!!!
[Deku] youre gonna do great i know it
[Deku] just get some sleep, eat a good breakfast, and ill see you tomorrow!!
[Deku] jsfkdl oh shit sorry ignore that last part i meant uh
[Deku] the day after!!
[Deku] aha yeah thats. yeah
[Deku] well gnight!!!! ily!!!!!!!!<3
Katsuki didn't need to be a genius to know that Deku had just spilled some information he shouldn't have, and as much as his boyfriend attempted to disguise his nerves through text, his success rates hovered around next to none.
Guess he's one of the people who's gonna be at the final, then. Interesting.
He sent over a last love you too text before dropping on his bed for a nap, finding himself looking forward to the next day's practical exam a little bit more than before.
You're right, Deku. I'm gonna do great. I know it.
———————
"Your practical final exam will be taken in groups of three."
Only a slight breeze drifted in through the courtyard as Aizawa spoke.
"We'll be putting game-like elements into this year's final." He continued, every eye on him. "Each student will start in one corner of our triangular-shaped field, and that starting point will also double as your home base. In addition, every one of you will be required– yes, required– to wear one of these flags on a belt around your waist. Nowhere else." With that, Aizawa held up the flag, which really was more of a colored strip of sturdy cloth than a standard flag.
Flags, huh?
Katsuki was genuinely curious about the exam, but he could hardly contain the nerves rushing through his veins.
Deku said he was gonna be here. Or at least, basically said he was gonna be here.
"...goal will be to take flags from the other contenders on the field, and bring them back to your home ba..."
He was well aware of his foot tap-tap-tapping against the pavement, but with the tension and anticipation in the atmosphere, could anyone really blame him?
"I'm going to assume you all received and read the notification I sent out about a few pro heroes coming to join us." Aizawa drawled, scanning the group of students. "That ties into the rest of this exam– each one of you will be randomly paired up with a hero who will also have a flag, and after a short five-minute period to strategize and plan together, the match will begin."
"Um, question!" One of the students in the front perked up, hand shooting to the sky. "Doesn't that mean you could just have the hero do all the work? How is this supposed to be our exam!?"
Aizawa looked more than a little tired upon hearing that question, and Katsuki could only assume he was about to hit that point. "It'll work like this– while the heroes will be on a team with you, they'll be handicapped to an extent, and will also not be allowed to do anything aside from defend without clear instruction from you, the student."
...oh?
"The expectation is that you, the student, will take on the role of a hero in a modified hero-sidekick relationship. You all have been interning over the course of this year. In order to gauge how well you've learned to work alongside someone, as well as the skills you've learned from observation of how a professional does things, we decided to arrange the exam like this."
...be the hero. Take on the role of a real, legitimate hero.
"The goal of the exam is to bring at least two flags back to your home base within a fifteen-minute time limit. One from another hero, and one from another student. Now of course, there are other criteria we will be looking at as well in regards to the execution of your actions, but—"
At... at least two?
Katsuki's hand went up this time, and with a sudden spark of resolve, realized something.
"Does that mean we can take more than two?" He asked, a sliver of determination seeping into his voice. "If there's four available flags on the field, can't we take all of them?"
The crowd went silent, still, as if Katsuki's words were less of a question and more of a threat.
Let me show them. Let me prove I can do this. I won't just win, I'll—
"...yes." Aizawa dipped his head, and Katsuki's blood pressure rose in time. "Though I can't guarantee it will help your score, you won't be stopped from taking more if you'd like."
I'll decimate the competition. No one's gonna be left standing.
Katsuki grinned.
Let's go.
"Well, if no one else has any more questions, I'll begin pairing you up." Aizawa announced, and gestured at the school building. "Once you're assigned, you're assigned. No switching partners or slots. You'll be paired up against the other students based on your order of assignment as well."
Footsteps and the clank of familiar gear drew his attention in a instant, and though he'd known it was happening– thought about it all night, really– Deku's presence in the small group still sent his heart into a mad frenzy.
What if I have to fight him? I could, I know I could, I learned as much in our training sessions, but...
Katsuki wasn't sure if he'd ever be able to forget the feeling of their first fight, how overwhelmingly mind-numbing each and every sensation had been. But it'd been nearly two years since that fight– he'd improved, their relationship had grown in an exponential way, and deep down he knew that there was no instance in which he'd let himself be stuck in that sort of situation again.
I'm going to do good. Better. I'll be the best there is, dammit!
Second year had been a mess of ups and downs, but he wasn't about to let it end on a low note.
We're going big or going home. No chance I'm gonna lose. If I gotta fight him, I will, and I'll do—
"...and lastly, Bakugou will be rounding out group one alongside Pro Hero Valiant."
Wait, Deku!?
Katsuki's mouth fell open, but it was only seconds later that he realized those words had not just been said in his head, but also out loud. He could feel half the heads in the group turn towards him, but even stronger than that, could feel the surge of blood gushing towards his head and racing to his heart.
Oh god. Oh god. Oh... oh my god.
He wasn't sure where Deku was looking, didn't care, really, because every bit of Katsuki's efforts had shifted to keeping himself calm and composed. For whatever reason, the chance that Deku would be fighting on his side hadn't crossed his mind, not even for a moment.
This is either gonna go great or horribly, no in-between.
"Wait, what...? Did Valiant just say something? It sounded kinda like—"
"Like, uh, Kacchan? I heard it too, is something going on?"
He didn't even have time to think about who around him was whispering about his sudden burst of Deku, and didn't care. Fact of the matter was, Deku would be fighting alongside him– not against.
I don't know if that's better or worse. Not when I still don't really know if he trusts me enough to obey my instructions on the field. He said he would, time and time again, but we haven't really had a chance to put it into practice...
"Students and heroes, go pair up and head to the door labeled with the number in which you were chosen. That means Chargebolt and Red Riot at gate one, Creati and Earphone Jack at gate two, and Bakugou and Valiant at gate three." He concluded. "Preparation time will begin as soon as you all have entered. Everyone else, follow me to the observation building."
Deku was walking towards him, towards him, and Katsuki could hardly even register the other names that had been called. The rest of the group dispersed quickly enough, and as soon as the stragglers ran off to the observation room, his boyfriend appeared in front of him.
"Um, h-hi, Kacchan. I... shit, I." Deku started, the hint of a laugh on his lips. "O-Oh god, I was not prepared for this."
They started making their way towards the exam grounds, the both of them in relative silence as if still trying to process what was happening.
"Me neither." Katsuki mumbled, cursing the heat over his cheeks. "I... I thought, if anything, I was gonna be—"
"—fighting against you." Deku finished, echoing his thoughts. "Not that I'm, um, complaining! N-Not at all! I just didn't expect that you'd be the first one I was paired with, Kacchan, a-and, aha, well..."
"We haven't really fought together before. Just sparred." Katsuki mumbled, trying to make sense of the scrambled, cluttered thoughts in his head. "You– you are gonna listen to me out there, right?"
"I mean, yeah? It's kinda, uh, my only job!" Deku mumbled, voice pitching up. "It'll– we're gonna do great! We're gonna win, and you're gonna pass, and, aha... I guess this is our first time really fighting as partners! That's pretty cool, right?"
But there was no missing the taut, high-strung nerves in his voice, nor the way each sentence seemed slightly more stilted than the last.
Why are we both so freaked out? He's right, it's his job to listen. He'd obey anyone else he was paired with, so...
"It's cool. Yeah." He forced out, slowly regaining his composure. "We're gonna plan some shit, alright? I know you've gotta be familiar with the other heroes' stuff, so that might give us a leg up from the start."
"And the fact that we're both so used to each other's quirks... honestly, we could probably snag this victory fairly easily. You just let me know where to run, and I'll do it, yeah?"
"It ain't about to be that simple." Nor would I want it to, really. "Momo– Creati– she's strong as fuck. And for as much of a dumbass as he is, Chargebolt ain't a pushover either."
"Creati's the one who made you the dildo, right?"
"Holy shit, now is not the time to talk about the damn dildo!"
"A-Aha, sorry, sorry!" Deku apologized. "My, um, my bad."
God, we're both nervous.
But Katsuki stopped outside the gate to the arena, clenched his fists, and stared up at his boyfriend. "You, more than anyone else, should know how damn important this exam is." He said, deathly serious. "I know we're working as a team. I– trust me, I know that. But you've gotta promise me that you're not going to hesitate on my calls, and that you're not going to argue back with my decisions today. This is my exam, and you—" A gloved finger jabbed itself against Deku's chest. "You are only here to follow directions, not worry about my safety. Got it?"
We've talked about this in the past. Kinda. But we haven't had a chance to prove it, so—
"I know." Deku said, face shifting to something entirely different. "This is your time, not mine. I'm your support, so... use me as you see fit."
While the situation was serious, absolutely, one-hundred percent serious, Katsuki couldn't help his snort upon the other context use me as you see fit would work in. That said, everything Deku had promised seemed sincere, and if he wasn't, well...
This is definitely a test, in more ways than one.
A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips, and though the nerves were still racing, racing, racing through his body, everything felt a little more controlled than before.
"I will."
And with that, they stepped inside.
Their base wasn't anything special, really. A curved fence with a retractable door locked them into the gray-walled space, but Katsuki assumed they'd open as soon as the match began. Just as soon as he was about to start a conversation with Deku, though, Aizawa's familiar voice rang out over the loudspeaker.
"You have five minutes to strategize and plan. Be sure to put in the earpieces provided, as well. They will serve as your main method of communication with your partner." He announced. "And with that, your planning time starts... now."
"Alright. So, De—" Katsuki clasped his hands together, but before saying anything else, remembered that calling Deku Deku, when everything was likely being transmitted to at least Aizawa, would be less than ideal. "...Valiant. Let's start with quirks."
God, that feels weird to say.
He quickly ran through Yaoyorozu and Kaminari's quirks, basic moves he'd seen them pick up, as well as what he knew of their fighting styles and usual behaviors. At the very least, he had more than enough practice sparring with Yaoyorozu, but that practice had also let him in on just how dangerous she was. Kaminari was an interesting opponent for sure, but his abilities would make close-combat far more dangerous for them, and in turn, make getting in close enough to grab his flag a challenge.
We'll have to use our limited ranged skills more, I guess.
Deku went over Earphone Jack's abilities fast enough, and Katsuki had to consider himself thankful that he was so intimately familiar with everyone's quirks and their ins and outs, the overly detailed analysis his boyfriend had written out in his head coming in more than a little handy. When he went on to talk about Red Riot's skills next, though...
Something feels off.
"He's, um... he can be basically impenetrable if he wants to be, when he goes into his unbreakable mode. I, uh, think he's gotten it up to a few minutes of time at any given moment that he can hold it, and he's improved a lot with adjusting his level of hardness at will. And, ah... w-well, fighting him is like, um..."
Knowing what happened between them helps make sense of all this, but it still... it still hurts to listen to.
His boyfriend fell quiet, but with the clock ticking down, Katsuki knew they didn't have time to contemplate the past.
"If I need you to fight him, you'll fight him." He reminded him, and Deku could only nod.
"I... I will." A pause, a gulp. "I'm not gonna let our, um, history get in the way."
Even those words sounded more like a way of attempting to convince himself that everything would be okay, though.
He'll be okay. I have to believe he'll be okay fighting him.
They spent the last couple minutes brainstorming simple strategies, basic techniques of theirs that could be combined together, and the general role each person would hold. Katsuki would stand on the offensive, but Deku would be in charge of surveillance and holding off attacks when need be. With the heroes not being able to take flags themselves, Katsuki would have to be the front-and-center of every skirmish if he wanted to win.
Thirty seconds remained on the clock.
"One last thing." He started, grabbing the headset from the small shelf on the wall.
Fifteen seconds.
"We're not just gonna do the minimum."
Ten seconds.
The earpiece was put on, safe and secure.
"I'm getting all four of those flags." A sharp, dangerous smile grew over Katsuki's face. "That's a promise."
Five.
The world went silent, silent, silent for a moment.
This is the calm before the storm.
"I know it is." Deku echoed, battle-hungry light in his eyes.
One.
"Fifteen minutes on the clock." Came the announcement. Aizawa's voice rang clear, and his boyfriend fixed him with a confident, supportive look.
"Your time starts now."
Katsuki clenched his fists.
"Let's go."
The gate opened, and they ran free.
So we're starting in a woodsy area. Alright, alright.
Thick trees surrounded them like bars on a jail cell, and Katsuki cursed the fact that he could barely see ten feet in front of him with the foliage encroaching so close, so close. Navigating through the woods was hard enough, but with the addition of his probably too-large gauntlets?
This is ridiculous.
"De– Valiant." He started, and with a small bit of annoyance, realized he'd be correcting himself throughout the whole fight. "Go on ahead, stick to the shadows, and report back to me what kind of terrain is past this. Only engage if someone moves to attack you first."
"On it, Bakugou!"
And with that, Izuku dashed ahead with a thumbs up and a flash of green in his wake. Some surge of pride rushed through his veins with just that one simple command, and finally, Katsuki started to gain back some of the confidence he'd lost.
I gotta figure what I'm gonna do next. Where to go.
If the map was shaped like a triangle, then chances were there would be three different types of terrain. While the forest wasn't super suitable for himself or Deku, it'd be a paradise for someone like Earphone Jack, and Yaoyorozu could easily mold herself to work within it.
We gotta engage them outside of this area. Hopefully there's some sort of—
"Bakugou!" His headset crackled to life, Deku's familiar voice comforting even now. "Looks like there's a city-type area to our left. I'm climbing one of the buildings along the border between it and the forest to get a better look at the last area as well, and... okay." He paused, probably taking in the scenery. "Last area is flat, not much cover, kinda desert-like. Lots of rock piles, only a few trees, and I think— oh, shit. Okay. I think I see, uh, Chargebolt and Red Riot over there."
"That means Earphone Jack and Creati are in the city." He mused, relieved as light began pouring through the edge of the forest. "Let's head towards the city first and deal with them. With any luck, Chargebolt will stick himself with a cactus and put himself out of the fight for us."
"Should I stay here?"
"No, um..." Katsuki finally burst through the edge of the forest, and caught sight of what his boyfriend had been talking about. "Can you run along the top of the buildings for surveillance? Out of everyone here, you've got the upper hand in movement."
"Over, Bakugou."
I hate it when he says my last name. God, it's weird. It'd be better if I had a hero name, but...
A part of him was tempted to say fuck it and just tell Deku to call him Kacchan, but logically, he knew that'd be a shitty idea.
Focus on the fight. Focus on the now. We don't have much time, so we gotta make the most of what we can...!
He ran towards the cityscape and managed to blast himself up on one of the lower roofs, ducking and hiding along the short wall bordering it. Right now, the key would be to stay out of sight as much as he could.
Momo can't hit a target she can't see, and her range of movement is pretty limited when compared to mine, at least. So what to do, what to do...
Katsuki jumped from roof to roof, trying to stay as quiet as he could. Even if Yaoyorozu was listening in, he needed to make sure she couldn't hear his movements. Quietly, he reminded Deku of the same. Stay silent, stay hidden, stay down. That'd work, right? If they managed to get the jump on their team, then—
Suddenly, he stopped. Something low, no louder than a soft hum and no more physical than a slight tremble rattled through his legs, chest, and up through his arms.
What– wait, what was—
Instead of spending his time waiting around for something to happen, though, Katsuki decided to do the smart thing and ask Deku what the hell was going on.
"Are you feeling this?" He hissed, hands shaking more than they should've.
"It's Earphone Jack's quirk." Deku answered, voice perfectly level. "She's probably surveying the area too."
I need his information. "Can she only sense me if I'm on a surface?"
"It's easier for her to. The skies are definitely gonna be safer." He replied, yet with the sudden pounding footsteps on the other end, Katsuki could tell he was running. "Hold up, I see them. Where exactly are you?"
Katsuki rattled off his location as fast as he could, trying to calm his racing heart. Deku took a split second to acknowledge it before responding, yet even just that short break was enough to fray his nerves again, again.
"They're to the right of you, standing about a block away in the middle of the street. It doesn't appear that they have any interest in coming up here to engage. Creati is standing guard, and I believe Earphone Jack is feeding her information." Deku murmured, his analysis fast and clear. "I could jump down there and knock both of them out in fifteen seconds flat."
...knock both of them out?
Truth be told, it was still strange to hear the person he'd grown so used to seeing in a softer light talk with such blunt aggression.
This is the same person who dislocated both of my arms with hardly a word, he reminded himself. He's at home here. He knows how to take the competition out swiftly and easily.
But while that would be the easy answer, a way that would certainly guarantee Katsuki victory, that wasn't what he was here to do.
"I want you to get to the ground." He commanded. "Retreat back about half a block or so. Stay away from me for now."
"Ka– wait, Bakugou, are you serious!?" Deku protested, as if he'd never been refuted before. "I just said I could take them out, so why the hell do you want me to—"
"Your job isn't to ask questions." Katsuki hissed, stomping out his words. "I said retreat. I'll give you orders once I get closer to the target. For now, stay back and keep alert for any sign of Red Riot and Chargebolt."
"I—" Deku faltered, but didn't push it further. "...over, Bakugou."
Thank god.
Even with his boyfriend's reluctant acceptance of his orders, though, Katsuki couldn't help the anxieties rushing back.
If he's acting like this when combat hasn't even been initiated, how the hell is he gonna handle a fight?
There wasn't time to dwell on that, though. Not when his targets were close by and available.
Go through with my plan, and use Deku like the tool he is. Right now, that's all I have to do.
I can do this.
With any luck, grabbing a flag or two would calm his jitters a little bit. Katsuki jumped from the roof of his smaller building, careful to descend at a pace that'd allow him to land with ease. A part of him couldn't help but mentally flip through some strategies involving Deku's quirk– now that he thought about it, a gust of wind or two to knock his competition off balance could be useful– but he had to assert himself. He had to make Deku trust him, if nothing else.
No backing down now. I'm gonna win.
Katsuki landed with a soft thud, and straightened. The subtle tremors were still present on the concrete, and even stronger than up on the building, if he were to guess.
Means I can't stay in one place for too long. I gotta get close in on them, and do this quick. Don't know what Momo's gonna have up her sleeve.
He stuck to the shadows and ran closer, closer, closer to the center of the tremors. If nothing else, it proved to be some sort of gauge as to how close he was to them– the further he went, the stronger they got. And yeah, maybe he'd told Deku to stay away, but...
If I need him, he's not far. Half a block ain't much, and with his stupid speed, he'll be here in no time. I probably should talk to him again, though.
"Valiant." He started, quiet as could be. "I'm closing in on the target. Where are you?"
"I went in the direction of the forest, but I'm hiding out next to one of the shorter buildings on the outskirts of the city area." His boyfriend said, thankfully non-combative. "Need me to do something?"
Well, if Earphones can sense people's locations through the ground with her quirk, then...
"Yeah. I want you to start running around the targets." Katsuki said, letting out a short sigh of relief upon Deku's silence. "Stay about a quarter block away, and try not to let them see you that much. I want you to be my distraction."
"...oh! You got it." Deku agreed, and Katsuki couldn't help the small bit of pride he felt towards that positive acknowledgement. "You just want me to run circles around them? How fast?"
"That's up to your discretion." He decided. "Go the speed that's gonna throw them off guard. I don't want them to know exactly who's running."
"Sounds good. Over and out, Bakugou."
Even if the name is weird, he's... kinda cute. When he does that.
But Katsuki shook his head upon that thought and reminded himself that now was very much not the time to think of how good Deku must look in the heat of live battle, natural beauty accented by the skintight suit that hugged each and every curve of his body.
That's for later. Later. Very, very much later.
He took off towards the targets, ready to close in and go for the prize.
"I'm gonna aim to grab Earphone Jack's first. If she's put off a little bit, then she might not—!"
But he was cut off by something loud, horrible, and absolutely deafening ringing out in his eardrums, followed up only by his blood curdling screams. He nearly tripped, slammed himself into the side of a building, and shoved his hands to his ears in an attempt to just lower the volume of the noise.
"Ka– Bakugou, are you okay!?"
Okay sounded pretty laughable right now. Ear-dead was more like it.
It's a fucking wonder I can even hear him right now...!
"Find Earphones! I– shit, can you blast some wind and interrupt her or something!?" He begged, trying to pretend like his head wasn't about to explode. "She must've– m-must've found me. Be a distraction, and get this damn sound turned away from me!"
"I—" Deku said, and as Katsuki was about ready to shout at him for taking too damn long, continued. "Over, Bakugou. I'm on it."
All he had to do, then, was endure. Katsuki tried to run, and managed to duck behind a building in an attempt at lowing the volume a little bit, but didn't manage much more than light relief. Even so, though, it was something.
I can't run through that. It feels like my ears are about to bleed, and I can't afford to make it worse. Earphone Jack's professionally trained so I'm sure she knows her limit, but still...!
Katsuki cursed, kept his palms firmly over his ears, and waited, waited, waited for the all-clear. They couldn't take too long– didn't have long enough, really– but sure enough, only ten or so seconds later found the noise falling silent and the ringing in his head to starting to fade away.
"You got it, Valiant?" He asked, but not before running back out towards the targets. "Do you have their attention?"
"Yeah, she's on me, but I'm moving about as fast as they can adjust the direction of the sound!" Deku yelped. "Now's your chance! There's some big speaker-thing in the center. Dunno where it came from, but if you can destroy it I think it'll make this bearable!"
"Big speaker. Got it." He paused, and– "Thanks."
"Thank me later! Just carry out your plan, you got this!"
Right. I got this.
He broke into an explosion-powered sprint, blasted himself down the side street as fast as he could, and all at once, broke into the clearing. Yaoyorozu had fashioned some sort of shield and an eight-foot metal pole for personal defense, and by the looks of it, had created the giant, turntable speaker in the center of the field. Earphone Jack had centered herself just behind the speaker, turning it in what was presumably Deku's direction in an attempt to stop him in his tracks.
They're gonna see me, gonna see me, but I gotta get out of here with at least one flag...!
Yaoyorozu was clearly the most vulnerable of the two, yes, and while Katsuki could engage her, he'd rather get in, destroy the speaker and grab Earphone Jack's flag, and get out.
I'll deal with Momo later. Taking care of this is top priority!
So, he did just that.
"Bakugou's here!" Yaoyorozu shouted, turning towards him with her pole armed and ready. "Hey, get the speakers turned towards him!"
"If I do that, Valiant's gonna come rushing in!" Earphone Jack protested, and in that brief moment of weakness, Katsuki saw an opportunity. "Are you sure!?"
"No, nevermind I– I can take Bakugou!"
He almost snorted.
That's what you think.
"Take me, hah?" He laughed, blasting up and out, away, away from Yaoyorozu's reach. "Funny!"
"Oh, knock it off." Katsuki could see her eye roll from his vantage point, and yet also noticed her tracing every twitch and every move he made. "Do you really think all this time I've been practicing with you has just been for show?"
Don't listen, go around her, grab Earphone's flag and get out...!
Right now, Deku was in a good position, keeping the big guns aimed on him while he took care of the stuff behind the front lines. Yaoyorozu kept jabbing up at him– one, twice, three times– but he rolled, dodged, twisted his body around her all-out assault.
"Don't you remember how great I've gotten with air maneuvers?" He gloated, and finally landed a small blast near her shoulder. "If you think you're getting this flag, think again!"
"I know you well enough to know you've gotta come down eventually." She said, still watching him dance in the sky. "So what's it going to be? Exhaustion or my attacks?"
Oi, you– "It doesn't matter, because—" He jerked towards the speaker, finally blasted the top chunk in, and darted away and towards the ground for a brief moment to avoid the resulting electric shower. "I'm coming down on my own terms!"
Earphone Jack stepped away from the malfunctioning speaker, and it was all Katsuki could do to narrow in on the flag dangling from her belt. All he had to do was get in, grab, pull, and get the hell out.
It'd be nice to get Momo's too, but I don't know if I can manage it right now...!
"Bakugou, remember!" Deku's voice broke through, jolting him back to the moment. "Earphone Jack can blast her quirk through her boots too!"
Right, right...!
Earphone Jack was recovering from the speaker blast, getting back to her feet, and Yaoyorozu was charging in.
What else can I do? I can't play around much longer, so—!
Katsuki swallowed, leaned forward, and let himself fall into the wave of his explosions before shooting himself like a speeding bullet towards the two, one hand tearing out to yank at Earphone Jack's flag as he barrelled between them and narrowly avoided a sharp jab from Yaoyorozu's pole on the way.
Fast, but not as fast as me!
"I got one!" He exclaimed, and stumbled into the sidewalk on the other side of the street. "Get back over towards the forest! Think we need to regroup real quick and then head towards the others!"
He started running as Deku started talking, listening in as he raced down the streets. "There's been no sign of the other team, so I guess they're still in their area, but... you sure you don't wanna just go for Creati's flag right now? It'd fill the requirement for this exam, so you don't need to worry about—"
"Getting away's gonna be the easiest option for now." He breathed, high on adrenaline. "I think I've got an idea, and I need Creati to chase down Chargebolt to get it to work."
"O-Oh? Um, okay... I'll meet up with you back at the forest perimeter, then."
It'd probably take too long to head back to base with only one flag... I should try and get at least two– no, three– before I go back.
No backing down from his promises. Go big or go home.
Escaping back to the forest wound up being easy enough. Deku caught up to him fairly quickly, too, landing with a grace that Katsuki could only hope to one day achieve.
"So, what next?" He asked, as they ducked in deeper in the foliage. "Did you want to charge in on the other team, or—"
"Creati's gonna be playing a bit more aggressive now, I think." He interrupted, trying to process his thoughts as fast as they were occuring. "And she'll go after Chargebolt 'cause we've convinced her we won't be easy targets. And while Chargebolt's a dumbass, he can throw up these electric barriers, yeah? Makes it hard as shit to get in close."
"Oh... okay, okay, I see."
"And I'd expect that he'll have Red Riot standing a little further out. They were probably waiting for us to come to them, 'cause they're more suited to defense than offense." He kept going, kept thinking. "I've seen it happen like this before. Creati can make shockproof stuff like blankets and all that, so my hope would be that she makes something that we can steal and use instead to get in close on Chargebolt, and then grab her flag on the way."
If I-could-kiss-you-right-now had a face, Deku's was it. He tugged off his earpiece, if only for a moment, and leaned in.
"That's... that sounds really solid, Kacchan." He whispered, a proud smile tugging at his lips. "I'm sorry for doubting you earlier. I know you've got this."
His boyfriend put his earpiece back in place, and took a long, deep breath. "Alright. I trust you. Lead the way, sir."
Oh, that should not sound so sexy right now.
"R-Right, uh, right on it." He sputtered, trying very hard not to think about how well the lush greenery brought out Deku's gorgeous eyes. "Let's go."
Deku patted his shoulder, the furthest they could probably go without someone being suspicious of them, and took off.
"Red Riot's gonna be an issue, too." Katsuki commented, ducking betweeh branches and too-large leaves. "If what you say is true, there's no goddamn way I'm gonna be able to get a hit in on him. My explosions won't leave a scratch."
"Ah, yeah. That's probably the case..."
"So if the other team hasn't worn him out by the time we get there, you're going after him."
"...right, right. Okay. Just, uh, just punching?"
"Whatever it takes to weaken him enough for me to get a hit in." Katsuki huffed. "You didn't give a shit about saying you'd run in and take out the other team, so I don't wanna hear a damn bit of hesitation from you just 'cause it's him."
"You're right, you're right. Sorry." Deku apologized yet again. "Like I said before, it won't be an issue."
Better not be.
But for as much as Katsuki was wary of Deku's ability to stay true to those words, they both had to trust each other right now.
We don't have time for second chances. We've got one shot to get this right.
Katsuki patted the second flag on his belt for good luck, jumped out into the rocky clearing, and kept himself wide-eyed and alert as best as possible.
Where are they, where are they, where are they...
The time it took to find them, though, wasn't as long as they'd expected. For as congested as the city area was, the rocky desert spot was wide open, only a few sparse clumps of rocks and trees in the way.
Means we've got no defense. We've got the shortest range here, so of course we'll be outclassed in that department.
Katsuki sucked in a long, deep breath, took one more look around the area, and turned towards his partner.
"Follow the noise, stick to the edges while you can, and when you see Red Riot, engage him." He murmured, getting a slight grunt of acknowledgement in response. "I imagine you know his limits pretty well. Your job is gonna be to wear him down enough so he can't harden fully against my explosions."
"Sounds good." Deku nodded, and stood up just before breaking into a sprint. "I'm here if you need me."
"I know you are."
And then, they were off again. Katsuki would've been starting to get tired had he not been high on the thrill of the fight, but Deku had appeared as bubbly as ever.
I wonder how long his days have been? How much crime he's been fighting with the rates spiking? I know what he says at the end of the days, but...
He stole a glance at Deku's vanishing form, the deep green-blue of his suit striking against the browns and oranges of the desert-like terrain.
There's always more to those texts. More that I'll never know.
Because for as exciting as this exam was, this kind of thing was his boyfriend's every day.
Except the villains out there don't vanish after a fifteen-minute time limit.
He shook his head, forced those musings away for now, and took off. While Deku had Red Riot to take care of, Katsuki had a few other people to follow.
The shouting, at least, made them easy to find. Kaminari was far from the quiet type, and even from a distance, Katsuki could hear his laughter, his yelling, and see the very faint outlines of his electric sphere. He'd begun to think it was Red Riot he was seeing off to his far side, and the green streak that had to be Deku only confirmed it. That meant that Kaminari's hero partner was occupied, Yaoyorozu and Earphone Jack would be targeting him, and Katsuki could swoop in and steal the win from under their noses.
Fighting hand-to-hand is more my style, but... ah, well. I guess this is its own form of victory, too.
Because for as controlled as the environment was, there was some kernel of truth in it.
He found a rock outcropping to hide behind, for now. Earphone Jack didn't appear to be surveying, instead sticking next to Yaoyorozu as she crafted– as expected– a large, sturdy, completely shock-proof blanket.
Predictable.
And just like he'd expected, she seemed a bit tired, movements far more sluggish than usual. Making that large speaker had to have taken a lot out of her, and for as good of an idea as it might've been, Katsuki suspected she'd been a bit excited in the process of making it and therefore, taken on a bit more than she could handle.
Good for me, at least.
Katsuki watched, watched as Yaoyorozu ran in and watched as Earphone Jack followed close behind. A part of him almost couldn't believe that she'd done nearly exactly as he'd expected, but the other part of him knew that knowing someone for two years and training overtime with them would certainly give him a leg up on inference.
Maybe she was hoping to play the waiting game too, and just got her plans ruined because of that?
Whatever the reason may be, she was in Kaminari's sights now, and just as he'd expected, had had all the attention turned towards her.
Who knows how Kaminari decided to use Red Riot, anyways. Chances are, he made some stupid choice and just told him to go defend their zone. You're supposed to give more controlled directions than that...!
But the important thing was that Yaoyorozu and Earphone jack were approaching, approaching, and with Deku occupying Red Riot's attention in its entirety, Katsuki had his opportunity right in front of him.
No point in waiting around. I've got some flags and a blanket to steal.
Putting all of them on his waist could be an issue, but it was the only way they were allowed to carry them if not by hand. He'd only noticed later, but each flag had their names written on it– like Creati, Earphone Jack, and...
Well, mine only has... Bakugou. 'Cause I still haven't settled on a hero name.
That was another question that had been plaguing him for the longest time, but either his names had been rejected or nothing had felt right. He'd planned to ask Deku at some point how he came up with his, but the question had slipped his mind time and time again.
I guess 'Bakugou' is pretty on the nose, but... I dunno. Kinda lame for a hero name.
At the very least, he wasn't Todoroki and hadn't named himself Celsius. Talk about lame-and-a-half.
I'll come up with something. Later. Now's the time for fighting, and winning!
Katsuki jumped out from behind his rock, ran towards the moving team as fast as he could, and put the last of his trust in Deku to keep Red Riot distracted.
We'll get this. We've done good so far.
Being out on open terrain, though, was more than a little gut-wrenching. He hated the feeling of being exposed, of something coming at him from behind, of invisible enemies knocking him to the ground and of brass knuckles piercing his chest.
That's a little too specific, maybe?
As much as he hated to admit it, even the thought of being pinned down and restrained like that again was enough to scare the shit out of him.
That's not gonna be today, though. That was before. I've gotten better since then.
He cracked a smile, glanced at Deku, and ducked behind another small rock formation.
We've both gotten better since then.
Kaminari was starting to fight back against Yaoyorozu, sending bolt after bolt of electricity after her as she tried her best to deflect his attacks. Even with how well she was doing, though, it was fairly clear this was a quickly thrown together part of her plan– in her position on the street, she'd been pretty well equipped, and likely could've taken Kaminari out and stilled Red Riot enough to take their flags fairly easily had they approached first. She'd been forced into this position because of Katsuki's actions, though, made to move even when she likely hadn't wanted to.
Sucks to suck! Should've prepared better, but your rebound ain't bad.
That said, Katsuki's only question now was when to strike.
I need to get in close enough to grab Momo's flag, then head towards Kaminari and get his. I'll run up towards Deku after I'm done with that shit, grab Red Riot's, then get the hell away and get back to my base before the time runs out.
Should be easy, right?
Maybe.
Earphone Jack had been tasked with blasting her quirk towards Kaminari's defensive bubble of sorts, the sound waves colliding with the forcefield in a visible ripple. If he could wait till that bubble popped, though—
That'll be my chance.
Katsuki readied himself, set to watch, and waited.
Just a minute more, and we're in the home stretch. Not much longer now.
Electricity crackled and popped as the team drew closer in to Kaminari, and all at once—
Snap!
He stared on as the field collapsed in a shower of sparks, lighting up the area in an almost-gorgeous performance. No time to stand in awe, though. For as obvious as it might've been that Katsuki had been there, Yaoyorozu paid him no mind, choosing to instead rush towards Kaminari's frantic blasts of lightning bolts and static.
My turn.
Katsuki gave up the subtlety act, shot up and over the rocks, and launched himself towards Yaoyorozu's running form. Her flag hung in plain sight– they hadn't been allowed to hide it, but right now it was so close he could taste it.
Just a few more steps, grab it, then steal the blanket and shove it on Kaminari!
So close, so close, and yet somehow he'd forgotten about—
Earphones.
Katsuki was blasted with a wave of sound, unpreparedness sending him stumbling off course and lurching towards the desert sand, trying and failing not to fall. One of his arms smacked into a rock jutting out of the sand, though, and if not for his gauntlet, he would've been injured far worse. Instead, though, he wound up with a sharp crack from his gauntlet, and with a curse, realized it'd broke on impact.
Fuck...!
It was one thing to recover, but it was a whole nother to shake off the shattered gear and steady himself with now unbalanced weight. He had to be fast, though– couldn't take his time or the other students would come after him, couldn't tell Deku to leave Red Riot or he'd come after him, and—
No second chances.
Somewhere, in the haze of ideas, Katsuki remembered.
I can still stick to the plan. Look, Kaminari's attention is on me now. Look, Momo isn't holding on very tight to the blanket. Look, I already have Earphone's flag, and she's focused on Kaminari again now. Probably thinks I'm out of the fight 'cause of my broken gauntlet.
So, it'd be a one-two move. In and out.
A single shot is all I need.
Katsuki got to his feet, leapt backwards into the air as Yaoyorozu reached for the flag at his waist, then redirected mid-flight and kicked out towards her back and watched as she fell, fell, hitting the sand just as he managed to snag the blanket from her now-iron grip with one hand and pull her flag with the other.
Yes...!
There was no time to lose, no time to celebrate, not when Yaoyorozu was already producing some sort of spiked object from from her back and in turn, shooing him away in the most effective manner possible.
Doesn't matter, I've got the shit I need!
Earphone Jack had turned, tried to attack him with her quirk again, but in some manner of pure luck the blanket he'd grabbed blocked the worst of the waves. From there, it was only a matter of rushing towards Kaminari, pulling off his flag, and getting the hell outta there.
I can do it, I can do it...!
And of course, he did.
All he'd needed was a few precious seconds, a few beautiful moments of time to jump in, grab the flag, and jump out. By the brief look he got at Kaminari's face, he hadn't known what hit him.
Fucking perfect.
And though he was sure he hadn't seen, Katsuki had hoped– really, really, really hoped– that Deku would be proud of him, too.
Gotta finish off this exam, now. I'm so close to the end...!
Katsuki launched himself up and over his opponents again, hoped Kaminari would be too stunned to move for a solid few seconds, hoped Earphone Jack wouldn't hit him as he went flying, and hoped as he tumbled to the ground near the last bit of action that he hadn't broken a rib on impact. But he managed to hook the flags to his belt in the flurry of movement– right now, he only had one more to get.
And Red Riot is right... right—!
"Bakugou!" His mentor called out, and a cold, chilling shadow found itself cast over Katsuki's thrill-riddled frame. "Good to see you here! Sorry, though. I'm gonna have to go a little hard on you this time."
Panicked eyes turned upwards, caught sight of the fist coming towards him, and froze.
Wait, wait– what are you—
The fist wasn't stopping, and Katsuki couldn't move.
Red– holy fuck, Red Riot is—
"Ka– shit, get away from him!" Deku screamed, thundering footsteps howling in Katsuki's ringing ears. "Kirishima, get back he—!"
"No can do! Chargebolt just told me to target Bakugou, not you." He chuckled. "Don't worry, don't worry. All's fair, yeah?"
Target...
It'd stopped for a brief moment after Deku's interruption, but now Red Riot's fist was coming down, down, and every nerve of Katsuki's brain had short-circuited.
Not on top of me. Not like this. No no no, I—
"Kacchan!"
It clicked.
Deku...!
One palm on the ground, the other turned up.
I'm not trapped. Not trapped.
Sparks flared from panicked, extra-sweaty palms, and in an instant, exploded. Katsuki hardly moved, but Red Riot was served a blast to the face and actually recoiled on contact.
Deku must've done his job, then.
He got to his feet, not about to let himself get in that horrible trapped mindset any more, and stole Red Riot's flag before he could get his bearings back.
"Deku!" He cried out, and ran towards his boyfriend in an attempt at finding safety. "We– w-we just gotta get back to the base, I-I've got all the flags, and—"
"Let's– we should probably go. Fast." Deku panted, voice trembling. "Can you run?"
Arm hurts like fuck, but... "Yeah. I can run. And you—" He glanced up at his boyfriend, and tried not to stare too hard at the obvious. "Follow me."
Katsuki didn't look at the welts on Izuku's face, didn't look at his torn costume and bleeding cuts, only watched him nod, nod, and leave.
We'll get healed up after this. After I win...!
The race back to the base was a blur. Katsuki hardly knew what was going on– hardly realized that he was still being aimed at, that there were ropes and sparks and shouts flying his way, but all they could do was run, run, run.
Safety. We gotta get to safety.
But when they reached the edge of the forest, they hesitated. Katsuki's vision was blurring, his ears were still ringing, and just the thought of navigating back through that god-awful maze of brambles and vines sounded like a death sentence right now. He knew the other teams were hot on their tail, knew that they had no other choice but to run through, but Katsuki had to grab onto Deku's wounded arm for a moment and regain a bit of steadiness.
"I'm okay." He assured him, all while swallowing back metallic blood in his throat. "I-I'm– yeah. Okay."
"Little further now. Not much further." Deku reminded him. "They're coming fast, though. Just, um... be aware. Of that."
"You're going first." Katsuki coughed, and yeah, he'd probably broken a rib or two when he'd crashed. "You've still got your flag, so you've gotta go in front. Get back to the base before I do."
"No, I gotta—!" His boyfriend started, but grit his teeth and wiped a hand over his face. "Fine. Fine, alright. I..."
It was more than a little clear that Deku was still struggling to follow those hard-hitting directions, but at the same time, Katsuki could see where his hesitations were coming from a bit more now.
I want him to go first so he doesn't have to fight anymore. So he doesn't gotta bleed any more. Red Riot really got him good...
"I'll go on ahead." Deku's voice broke and he reached for Katsuki like it was reflex, grabbing his hand for a split second before dropping it. "I'll... I'll be waiting for you. Bakugou. You've done great so far, and I know– I know you'll get this victory."
And somehow, that changed everything.
He trusts me. He trusts me, and I... I trust him.
Smiling was a little easier, now.
I've got this.
Deku turned, ran, and Katsuki followed in his wake.
A part of him was glad he'd lost the gauntlet. For as useful as they usually were, there was no denying the slight inconvenience in transportation, made more than evident by the relative ease in which Katsuki was able to navigate the branches now. But with them both as beat up as they were, and slowed by the thick trees, the sound of voices only got closer, closer, closer with every step.
Shit. Am I gonna have to fight again?
His heart was beating with a fervor, the only upside to the situation being that Deku was safe and out of sight. Katsuki was sure that they couldn't be far from their base now– no, not when the trees were growing denser and the sun was slowly being shut out of view. But with the dimming lights came the growing voices, and Katsuki couldn't help the sinking sensation in his chest that he'd have to do something to fend them off.
I'm moving too slow for this, so what can I... what can I...?
Katsuki's palms were sweatier than usual.
...oh.
He stopped.
He stood.
He waited.
Deku was gone, Deku was safe. He'd have no part in the final act of this fight– his fight.
Katsuki's fingers popped with tiny, tiny bursts of explosions, and he went the only direction he could.
Up.
Voices crowded below him, all of them, shouting, screaming, practically begging him to come down.
Down, huh?
He didn't have much time– his chest was killing him, his arms were shaking, trembling, weak– but just for now, just for the moment—
I've got one gauntlet left, and enough adrenaline to get by.
Twenty feet off the ground and turned towards the singular open-air spot the canopy had allowed him, Katsuki stopped thinking and pulled the pin.
One. Two. Three.
Silence, then—
BOOM
The trees erupted in a bonfire of whites and golds, and Katsuki fell, fell, and barely managed to land himself in the center of the explosion. He might've laughed, might've cried, might've screamed– who cared, really, when all of his competition had been blown far enough back to let him run home free. A part of it was beautiful– hints of smoke rose like dancers to the sky, speckled bits of dust and debris made an audience for the now-cleared stage, and charred wood melded together to form the backdrop for him, the actor, to perform on.
I... I did this.
Katsuki could hardly move for a moment, opting to just stand and stare, stare as the opponents– students and heroes alike– began to recover from the enormous impact of the blast and get to their feet. A part of him couldn't help the wave of relief flooding over him at the fact that he'd been lucky enough to not seriously hurt anyone, but before he could let anyone else have an encore to his finale, he turned, ran, and made it back to his tiny base before a surprise attack had the chance to claim his well-earned victory.
"Kacchan! Holy– o-oh my god, that was—"
Deku.
"You saw me?" He grinned, and pulled his boyfriend into a hug, hardly caring about the fact that the cameras might be watching. "What'd you think?"
"Amazing." Was all he got. "Kacchan, you– you were outstanding. That last move was brilliant, and I—"
A part of him could've sworn Deku was crying, crying, but they were the good kind of tears.
"When you were standing out there, when you landed back at on the ground, a-at your ground zero, I just thought– shit, you looked majestic."
Wait... back at my ground... zero....?
Something swelled in his chest, and yet again, something clicked.
"Ground Zero." He murmured, and took a small step back from his boyfriend before meeting his eyes. "I– yeah. That'd make a lot sense...!"
It's like... new beginnings, right?
"Wait, what are you—"
"My hero name." Katsuki said, firmer this time. "Ground Zero. That's– that's it!"
Deku looked taken aback for a moment, but only for a moment before a huge smile exploded on his face.
"It's perfect. Shit, I'd rather call you that than Bakugou on the field." Deku chuckled, but there was no hiding the pride swelled up in his voice. "A nice bonus to your victory, right?"
"Right." He reached down, grabbed all five of the flags hanging off of his belt– his own included– and pulled them up for Deku to see. "We– we did it."
"All I did was what you said to do." His boyfriend reminded him. "This is your victory. And you– you should be proud, because like I said, it was amazing. And shit, I..."
Yeah, Deku was definitely crying now.
"I'm so happy that one day, I'm honestly gonna get to call you my partner." He paused. "Both off, and... on the field."
Katsuki was about ready to break down and cry, too, and would've tried to find words had the loudspeakers not come on and announced his win.
"I-I might, uh... get some points off for a bit of property damage." He mumbled, only for Deku to up and elbow him. "And, uh, for not being as safe as I could with the attack against everyone else. And—"
"Oh, shut up. Enjoy your win." Deku rolled his eyes. "Maybe I will go through and do the thing I thought about for your birthday as a little reward for this after all, then."
...birthday reward? Oh, huh... yeah, that day ain't too far off now.
"Guess I'll stay excited, then." He laughed, and despite broken costumes and broken skin, they hugged one last time. "I'm looking forward to working with you again, Valiant."
"Right back at you, Ground Zero." Deku promised him, a light in his face that shone with only the truth. "And so– so much more than you know."