~~~
Bakugou had scoffed at the display of lights high above, before helping himself to his own bowl of food and chooses to sulk on a nearby log where he keeps one watchful eye on the forest, like Kira should be. Kira decided to approach the girls with a quicker pace that urged desperation. If there was anyone she could confide in, it was them.
"Guys," Kira starts and her friends all turn to greet her. "I-"
Kira held her tongue - she couldn't tell them the frazzled thoughts that echoed her skull. She couldn't expect advice from her immature friends. If anything, they'd tease her for having these emotions, they wouldn't be able to keep their mouths shut, they'd laugh out loud at the ridiculousness of it all.
"You all enjoying your food?" She says instead, choosing to keep her questions locked tight inside, like that chest she discovered earlier.
They all look at their empty bowls and show them to Kira. They didn't need to respond for her to know.
"Bakugou's such a good cook," Toru comments and Kira unwillingly tenses at the name.
Kira frowns at her friend. "Hey, I helped too."
"Yeah," Mina adds. "We can tell which vegetables you sliced up, Kira."
Kira feints offence at the statement, before cracking a slight smile. "The fireworks are great, aren't they?" She says, shrugging up at them as they continue to erupt the sky.
"Yeah," Ochaco replies. "That bear didn't show up either, so I think it's safe to say you can relax."
Kira looks around at the mention of the animal, but the wildlife is still. "I'll relax when we're back in our own reality," she murmurs.
"Oh, come on, Akira!" Mina practically whines, taking her full bowl from her and passing it to Tsu. "You're supposed to be having fun! I've only seen you have fun a little bit since we've been here and I had to prank you to do it. Don't make me throw you in the water again."
Kira chuckles lightly at that. "I have been having fun, Mina," she assures her. "I just- have a lot on my mind."
The girls look at each other, with a slight knowing look, though Kira couldn't place it.
"Look," Mina says with a sigh, growing oddly serious for her. "Why don't you head back to your cabin - have a nice, long shower? Y'know, the type where you use up all the hot water."
"But-"
"Kira," Kyoka cuts in. "You're still wearing yesterday's clothes."
Kira looks down at herself, noticing the tear in her shirt where the bandage is visible. The bandage that Bakugou gave to her last night. She didn't even need it, but he offered it to her anyway.
"Right." She sighs. "Shower it is, then."
Granted, it was on her list already - she just hadn't gotten round to it yet. With a nudge from her friends, Kira trudged up to the cabin, bracing herself on the slippery slope. She wasted no time, grabbing her essentials from her room and turning on the shower. The only place missing from this location was a hot springs, one that would soothe her soul instantly, though this camp was small and basic and needed creativity for it to be fun. The hot shower baked the small bathroom, steam blocking her view within seconds, though Kira was still able to make out her body when she got undressed, that thin scar stretching across her side. Kira trailed a finger along it gingerly, as if it might split open again. This damage was done by just one of its claws - Kira hates to imagine what could have happened were the bear to have struck her fully. She may have been torn into two pieces!
Kira shakes off the chilling feeling, stepping into the shower and sighing when the heat of the water travels down her skin. She soaks her hair, feeling the ends tickle her back, when her hand hesitates on her neck, tracing the awkward outline of a handprint and she stops feeling the satisfaction from the shower. All these scars are, are constant reminders of her failures, her uselessness. She couldn't break free against the League of Villains, she couldn't stop one measly bear. What the hell has she even done these past months?
Kira washed her hair and body with the necessary products, not even feeling the slightest amount of pain in her injury anymore. She still isn't sure how she was able to heal so rapidly at that moment, but for now, Kira blames it on her adrenaline. Her thoughts had rambled on for so long, reminding her of her repeated mistakes, shrouding her mind with endless negativity that Kira had lost track of time. She isn't sure how long she was away from the others, but after she had gotten changed and left the cabin with her hair still damp in her briskness, everyone seemed to have turned in for the night. The fire was crackling lamely, the fireworks had ceased, leaving behind the still lake. The breeze was cool and Kira shivered as she waited atop the slope for signs of her chattering classmates. She hadn't seen or heard any of her own cabin mates return, so it left her mind open to possibilities. With the fire still showing some signs of life, it couldn't have been long since they'd departed - perhaps they were checking out each others cabins, seeing if anything was different about them. But, when Kira had to stay at a different cabin with Kyoka due to the lack of rooms, she noticed that they were identical.
Kira hugged herself to trap some heat from the distant breeze and trudged down the track, careful not to slip, cursing herself for not bringing a jacket to wear. The gentle lake called to her so she stepped onto the wet dock, and sat down at the very end, not caring if she soaked her clean clothes with the tepid water. Kira rolled up her bottoms and allowed her toes to dip into the water, ripples scurrying away from the sudden disruption. Kira loves fireworks - always has. The electrifying sounds that resonated in the chest, thumping against the heart and ribcage, the colours that couldn't even be described, clashing together in a ripple of light so high in the sky that it hurt to look up at them after a while. But, the quietness of this forest, of this lake stunned Kira completely. She could hear her own breathing, hear the frailness of the water splashing across her bare feet, the wind gushing a tender tone. She could listen to it endlessly.
Kira let herself fall onto her back, feeling her shirt soak up the water lying on the dock and into her freshly cleaned hair. She didn't even care, as she let her eyes close.
"What do I do, dad?" She whispers, as if the wind would offer some kind of answer.
She didn't even know what she was asking - what part of her mind she could ask. She didn't understand her abilities, she didn't understand her teacher's leniency, she didn't understand the villains and what their end goal is. Her mothers whereabouts are unknown, as Kira refuses to believe that she's held captive somewhere or potentially dead. Aizawa had no right to dump that on her and yet, she's dying to know some kind of truth. Something about her. Anything. Her father is on death's door, facing an incurable end that Kira couldn't fight without trying to improve her Quirk. Even so, there was no guarantee. Her relationship with Kirishima is broken and despite her tentative feelings, Kira doubts there's any chance for them to get back to how they were. As for Bakugou, her heart keeps clinging to him, longing for his secretive integrity, when she knows certain truths about him that she feels she can never forgive. But, she'll never forget his promise.
"Oi."
Kira nearly leaps out of her skin, jumping into a sitting position and spinning on the spot. She immediately relaxes when she notices Bakugou, feeling safe and secure in his presence.
"Don't sneak up on me like that," Kira mumbles, holding her chest. Kira looks back up at him with a sigh to calm her jumpy nerves, realising he's alone. "Where's everyone else?"
Bakugou looks across the quiet lake then back to Kira. "I don't know."
"You- you don't know?" Kira leaps to her feet. "What do you mean: you don't know?"
Bakugou groans irritably. "I bet it was that damn dunce-face's idea. He told me to get some more stuff for seconds" - he throws a lazy hand back towards the meek fire - "and when I came back down from the cabin, everyone was gone."
"Everyone?" Kira repeats.
"Yes, everyone," he says sternly. "Are you deaf or something? Do you see anyone here?"
Kira walks past Bakugou and stops midway up the dock, staring up at each cabin and into the forest. "They're okay, aren't they?"
Bakugou's silent for a few seconds and Kira wishes she didn't turn away from him so she could read his expression. "I'm sure it's just some stupid, pointless prank."
Kira turns back to Bakugou, throwing her arms out to each side in her disbelief. "They're pulling this kind of prank? Now?" She's unable to hide the worry in her tone. "After- after what just happened yesterday?"
"Shitty hair was talking about playing some games or some shit," Bakugou tells her, crossing his arms over his chest. "They're all hiding somewhere together being complete idiots."
"What?" Kira scoffs. "This is just one big game of hide-and-seek and you're it?"
"Looks like."
That calms Kira's nerves slightly, but she still doesn't like the idea of her friends running around in the dark. However, she spots a light source up at one of the cabins, the one that the girls claimed, hovering nearby to the lake like her own cabin, but on opposite sides.
"Found them." Kira shakes her head as Bakugou steps beside her to peer up the hill at the cabin. The light source seems to be coming from multiple angles, multiple different types of light being illuminated from within. "Well, if they're the ones hiding, then they're not doing a very good job."
"I'm gonna murder those bastards," he mumbles darkly, his eyes set on the glowing cabin as he storms across the dock. "They made me look like some kind of idiot and now they're gonna regret it."
"Hold on a minute, Bakugou," Kira calls after him, jogging to keep up with his march. "It was just a prank, like the girls did to me. No need to get so worked up about it. If you storm in all pissed off, then they'll know that they got you."
Bakugou stops walking so abruptly that Kira nearly passes him. He turns to her with such misdirected emotion, it looks as though he's about to take it out on her, but a stray autumn leaf on the dock saves her from such an angry lecture. Bakugou's heel twists on the leaf as it crumples under his foot on the wet, already slippery dock and in all of Bakugou's grace and skill, he slips - actually slips and falls backwards off the side of the dock. However, before he splashes into the chilly depths beneath him, Kira had instinctively latched onto his wrist, but Bakugou's much heavier than she anticipated, her own bare feet skidding on the dock. Before she too meets a wet demise, Kira tugs onto Bakugou with all her desperate might, purposely making herself fall backwards onto the dock instead of in the water. Her head smacks onto the wooden foundation and Kira wonders if her kindness was even worth it. Bakugou lands on his front next to her, winded and shocked at his own clumsiness. Kira rubs her head with a miserable grunt, feeling a tough headache already looming.
"I don't think I've ever seen you trip before," Kira mumbles, lying on the dock and looking up at the vacant sky.
Bakugou ignores her comment and instead lets out a series of nasty curses, either at himself, her, or the world, Kira isn't sure. Kira sits herself up, still rubbing the back of her head, as she stares down at the malicious lake, inches away from just gobbling someone up. She hears Bakugou mutter under his breath some more, before the air shifts beside her and Kira stops stroking her head to look up to the side.
"Here," he says quietly, offering his own hand to her.
Kira looks at it for a second, wondering why he does the things he does. If the others were around, he wouldn't even bat an eye at her. In fact, he'd probably blame her for it all and leave her to ponder on it in the dark. Kira decides to accept his hand, accept the rare kindness that came along with it, feeling the usual warmth of his skin. She reckons he's always that temperature due to his Quirk - Kira is similar in that way. He pulls her to her feet and she tries not to slip and repeat their mistakes. Who knows if they'll be able to save their fall again?
"Thanks," she says to him, her voice croaking in her shock.
"No," Bakugou replies suddenly and Kira notices his eyes are elsewhere, avoiding her. "Thank you."
He didn't explain what his gratitude was for, though he didn't need to. The fact that he was willingly offering his thanks was more than enough to make Kira blush. Kira could potentially be the first person to receive a genuine positive praise from Bakugou, one that he actually meant. No, she can't think like that, so high of herself. Come on, Bakugou's shown kindness to others before - what the hell makes her so special?
"No problem," she murmurs, turning her head away from him.
Kira looks down at a soggy part of the dock, when she notices their hands, still clasped together, despite her being back on her feet. Has he even noticed? Of course he has - Bakugou would know if something was touching his skin. And yet, he hasn't pulled away in disgust nor hatred. Kira should be the one to reject his touch, a touch so unique that she was entranced by it. Kira doesn't have the patience to get close to someone like Bakugou and she isn't even sure she should because of his past, his personality. His character is so startingly different to everyone else in her class that it both intrigues her and frightens her, though despite his temperament, Kira's conclusion should be to stay away. After all, she has other priorities in her life, including family and people she actually cares about. She keeps faffing about with this whole, annoying week, going in circles with her issues without even doing anything about them. It's becoming tiresome. He's becoming tiresome.
Kira's about to take her hand out of his grip, seconds away from confronting Bakugou about his twisted personality, when a booming sound ripples her eardrums, somewhere up near the girls cabin. Kira unwillingly squeezes Bakugou's hand in her fright, though he doesn't offer any response to the sensation and instead stares up at the cabin when one single firework spirals into the sky, a rainbow coloured one, big and looming. There's a slight pause, before more fire up above in quick succession, whistling ones that split the silence.
"Bakugou," Kira says, her voice quiet against the fireworks, but he seems to have heard her, his eyes falling from the sky and meeting her own. "I think... we need to talk."
Kira didn't want to speak the words, in case his whole demeanour changed, in case he turned on her like some rabid beast that doesn't have a simple conscience. But, he simply sighed and finally took his hand from hers, before walking back down the end of the dock. She hated that she missed his company, his presence close to her. She felt almost naked, vulnerable without him around. Kira shivered and skipped to catch up to Bakugou, careful not to slip.
Kira tentatively joins Bakugou as he gazes across the lake, the gentle wind rustling his hair, his shirt and the words that Kira wanted to say get dragged along with the breeze. She stammers, not knowing how to phrase her words - words that needed to be spoken aloud, but all the while too frightened to announce such complicated emotions to a complicated person.
"How do you know... how to do everything?" Kira asks dumbly, tearing her eyes off Bakugou to stare across the vacant lake.
Another firework crashes to the right of them as Kira feels Bakugou look down at her slightly, probably confused with the question.
"My old hag drags me around," he answers, having actually understood Kira. Seems like he always understands.
"That's how you know how to cook?" Kira scoffs, looking down at the rippling water by the edge of the dock. "And go hiking? And know medical stuff? And how you're so smart in classes? Your mother teaches you?"
Bakugou hesitates, his eyes still locked on her, but Kira can't look up at him yet. "Look," he says, a little gruffly. "I didn't-"
Kira looks up at him quickly, not wanting him to feel any guilt for having such an amazing parent. "I'm jealous," she blurts.
"Huh?" He frowns.
"You know what Light Bringer was like. What she did," Kira explains. "I wish my mother was as cool as yours."
Bakugou looks both flustered and confused by the topic of discussion, like he had no idea what to expect. Another firework goes off behind Kira, up the hill and Kira can see the reflection of it dancing in Bakugou's eyes, though it's no where near as beautiful. Another firework echoes around the lake and in her peripheral vision, Kira can see the creaminess of it and it glistens over Bakugou's face, illuminating his skin. She has to force her gaze away off his features and instead directs her eyes towards a group of small trees gathered by the lakeside.
"Wait a minute," she mumbles, frowning past Bakugou's shoulder to examine the trees in the gloomy firework lights.
Kira ignores Bakugou's confused state and walks towards the small trees, noticing the familiar indents made in the trunks.
"Was this you?" Kira asks, when she's realised Bakugou's followed her off the dock and down towards the rim of the lake. "Looks like the same trees around the dorms."
"Yeah," he replies, shrugging like it's no big deal. "You idiots are here during the day, and dunce-face keeps distracting me, so I train here at night."
Kira scoffs slightly, approaching one of the broken trees and gently stroking it's surface. "You know, you should really invest in a punching bag or something," she quips. "Don't think the trees really deserve this."
"There's more than enough around," he replies quickly, staring at the tree. "Besides, this isn't our reality, so what do I care?"
"Are you sleeping enough?" Kira wonders. "I mean, if you're with us during the day and then here - training - are you sleeping too?"
Bakugou narrows his eyes at her suspiciously. "What's it to you?"
"Nothing." Kira raises her arms in mock surrender. "Forget I asked then. Whatever."
Even with a week off to recuperate and blow off some steam, Bakugou's still chosen to keep training, keep getting stronger any way he can, even if it means sacrificing a few defenceless trees in the process. Kira looks down at her hands, suddenly realising how pathetic she is. When she last sparred with Bakugou, he nearly broke her nose. Thinking about it now, Kira doubts she could win a fight against most of her classmates now, were they to use their Quirks too. During the Sports Festival, Kira won against Mina, but she doubts she could do that again.
"Has your mother helped you with that too?" Kira says randomly as she slowly lowers her hands to look at Bakugou. "With your Quirk and your training?"
Bakugou's eerily quiet, before he answers. "No," he says. "It's just been me."
"You think..." Kira stammers, afraid of the answer. "You could teach me?"
Bakugou's completely taken back by the request, his hand freezing on the tree trunk, his eyes widening. Not once, would anyone have asked to train with him besides Kirishima and perhaps Midoriya, but Kira doubts that Bakugou would want to spar with his childhood rival.
"You knocked me down so quickly when we sparred and now I was beaten by some stupid bear," Kira adds. "How the hell am I supposed to fight the League of Villains?"
"Fine."
"We could just occasionally spar," she continues, blocking out his casual response. "It could just be once a fortnight-"
"Didn't you hear me, you idiot?" He cuts her off. "I said fine."
For some reason, that was the answer she was afraid of.
"R-really?"
He turns his head away from her. "Only because shitty hair doesn't want to spar with me as much now, thanks to you and I need someone I can use my Quirk on."
"Your- your Quirk?" Kira repeats.
"Yeah, got a problem?"
Kira shakes her head quickly. "Nope, no problem here."
"Good," he says. "Because I need someone to spar with now." He heads towards the clearing in the middle of the small trees.
"Right now?"
He pauses and turns to her slightly, a distant firework gathering behind him. "Somewhere else you need to be?"
The question was rhetorical, more of a jibe at Kira's lack of friends with her right now and shakes her head to hide a smile as she follows Bakugou into the space. The grass here was long, about half a calf length, having occasionally had lake water splash up onto it when people jump into the depths, or kept healthy with frequent heavy rainfall. The trees around this area were small, yet Kira wasn't very good at naming wildlife, so she couldn't even begin to guess what type of trees nestled here. They had all taken quite a severe beating from Bakugou though, each one sharing similar injuries in their bark.
When Kira said she needed to talk, this isn't what she had in mind. How quickly she's gotten distracted.
"Stand there," he instructs her, pointing to a space in the clearing. So she does. "Ready?"
At least he offered some sort of warning before he leapt towards her with a right hook that would have spun her around had she not instinctively dodged. His attacks were still as ferocious as ever, strong enough to cave a skull in, she's certain of it. As he continued to spar, his hits coming dangerously close to contact, Kira could spot the soreness of his knuckles where he's consistently trained everyday. She's seen him use protective equipment before, but there's only so much it can do when someone's using them everyday for hours on end. With how rapidly Bakugou's advances are, it seems impossible for Kira to ever catch up to his level of talent.
Kira uses her forearm to brace another strike, the pain rattling up her arm. Kira aims her own attack at Bakugou's diaphragm, hoping to at least wind him to give herself some breathing room. Instead, he twists his body, so her fist strikes his ribs instead, feeling her knuckles crunch under the sudden impact. Kira curses aloud, foolishly believing she had him then. He grabs her injured hand by the wrist, pulling her towards him, so her wish for further room is immediately denied and knees her in the diaphragm, causing her to whoop for much needed breath, her head feeling light and dizzy. Bakugou continues to swing her around, before throwing her into the tall grass, where she rolls on her side and eventually comes to a stop on her back, staring up at the fireworks as they continue to explode somewhere to the right.
Kira forces herself to sit up, facing the lakeside, ignoring the ache in her midsection and cradles her broken hand. Bakugou walks over before crouching beside her.
"Ow," she says sternly, as if she wanted to make him feel bad. "Think you broke my hand."
"I don't think the villains will care whether you broke your neck or you broke your toe," Bakugou comments unhelpfully.
"This is just supposed to be a sparring, Bakugou."
"You'll heal."
"It doesn't work that way," Kira barks out. "You know that."
"You're the one who asked me," he says coldly. "Don't complain about it."
Kira opens her mouth to argue, but stops herself, because he's right. She asked him to train with her and she knows what he's like.
"You're right," she whispers, before laughing it off. "If fighting tells a person's nature, then no one knows you better than me."
Kira jumps to her feet, pushing the agonising pulsing of her broken hand away and faces her opponent, her arms at the ready, her feet at the ready, her mind at the ready. Bakugou is strong and fast and relentless. He seeks out his enemy's weakness and preys on it. He feeds off of it.
Instead of letting Bakugou attack first, like he normally does, Kira decides to lunge, aiming with a brisk flying kick that will hopefully catch him off guard, though she can never tell with him - he never gives anything away in combat. Carefully, Kira pulls her leg away at the last second, so he doesn't grab it and knock her off balance. She punches one, two, knowing that they will be easily blocked. Then kicks, aiming for his side, so he can either side-step it, block it, or grab it. He does the former, so Kira jabs a left punch into his side-step and he only just sees it, his eyes flickering to her quicker movement. Bakugou's usually so well adjusted, but it seems like he's having trouble getting used to her faster assault. Kira takes advantage of this, shoving him back by his chest. He only stumbles slightly, his body larger and stronger than her own, but a small second is all she needs to send him two quick jabs, which he bats aside with his palms.
Sweat starts to bead Kira's temple in both deep concentration and determination, as she locks her eyes on Bakugou, trying to predict his movements and remember her own training. Her mother trained her in several fighting styles to keep her as versatile as possible in case she were to ever encounter a challenging opponent. Bakugou is that challenging opponent, and yet she has no idea how to defeat him. Right now, it's merely a battle of stamina as they trade blows, sweat sticking their hair to their skin, their breathing laboured. They're both too stubborn to call a forfeit, so Kira will probably collapse before she admittedly gives up.
Bakugou tries to grab Kira's arms, probably wanting to swing her off balance and she rears backwards, nearly getting her feet caught in the weeds. She needs distance and he knows that. In Bakugou's millisecond misjudgement, Kira boots him in the chest as she stumbles backwards in the grass, sending him flying back and smashing into one of the few humbled trees. Bakugou clutches his chest, temporarily stunned and Kira scrabbles up out of the grass, ready to take her opponent down for good while he's rattled.
She should have known it was a feint - Bakugou doesn't get winded.
At the last second, Bakugou bats away her arms and clocks her in the side of the neck, striking a major artery and Kira loses her breath for a few seconds, panicking when she realises she's not getting any more oxygen. If he hit that spot with any more force, he could have critically injured her. He takes this sparring so seriously.
Bakugou regains his posture and grabs Kira while she's still in her frazzled state, still struggling for air, with desperate, awkward breaths. She wildly swings her arms around in a dumb attempt to get him to release his grip, but Bakugou's hold is strong on her now, as he latches onto her forearms. Kira manages to get a heel into his shin and he winces, but doesn't let go. Kira had now just only started to find her breathing rhythm again, after a very painful minute of not being able to catch her breath at all. She's certain she was quite a sight - her face red and her eyes bulging in her panic.
Bakugou slams Kira's back against that same tree, as if getting revenge for having kicked him into it beforehand, his hands never loosening from her arms.
"Give up, yet?" He says, his brows raised as if expecting her to say yes.
Kira tries to get her knees up, but he's closed the distance, preventing her from doing so.
"You don't give up..." Kira manages to say. "Until your opponent stops moving."
Bakugou scoffs at that, reminiscing on their fight during the Sports Festival and slams her back and neck against the frail tree.
"Ow." She grits her teeth and braces for further movements like that.
Kira racks her brain for a way out, but her exhaustion is creeping up on her. This is just a simple sparring match - why would she be so determined already? It would just be so easy to give up now, to slump down to the tall, wet grass. Her strength is spent, though Bakugou looks like he could keep fighting forever. She could maybe stamp on his toes, though Kira doubted Bakugou would even notice that, let alone feel pain from it. A headbutt? With her head back against the tree and him so close, it doesn't give her a lot of room for a strong enough assault. Besides, headbutts just hurt too damn much.
Kira feels the fight in her slowly die out and she casts her eyes away from Bakugou in shame. "Yeah, I give up."
He scoffs triumphantly, though he doesn't release his grip on her arms, their breathing heavy and their hearts hammering. At some point, the fireworks had finally stopped, but Kira thought that they would go on forever. Right now, it was just the two of them, struggling to catch their breaths in the quietness of the night. Kira swallowed heavily, in desperate need of a drink, but also not wanting to move from this moment. She feels like if this moment was ruined, she'd never be able to experience it again. Though, she keeps on doing so. Little instances that usually last half a minute of just her and Bakugou entranced by the details of each others features. Down in the lake, back in the cabin when he applied her fresh bandage - moments keep cropping up, more and more often and Kira hates to say that she longs for them now.
But, something always interrupts them, like now. The tree that Kira's leaning on groans irritably. Its trunk weak from all the incessant drumming on its fragile frame. Kira did note that the tree was small, but it would still break a few bones if the whole thing fell on her, which she definitely did not want. Kira looks up as a few leaves rain down on the both of them and the tree creaks loudly before toppling towards Kira, pushing her into Bakugou who decides to leap to the left, dragging Kira with him and they both tumble down the small hillside down to the lake. Kira feels Bakugou's arms around her as they roll down the tiny slope, their legs intertwined and heads together to stop them from accidently headbutting each other in their fall.
Kira's eyes open suddenly, when she feels her bottom half get instantly soaked and that's when she realises how far they tumbled - they're both half in the lake, with Bakugou on top of Kira. His eyes are trained back up the hill, scanning for anymore falling debris that could chop their heads off. Kira had completely disregarded any threat of a bear in her sparring session with Bakugou, too entranced by his teachings to remember a silly animal.
Kira can't help but chortle at their situation. Bakugou looks down at her when she starts laughing and Kira hides her face with her arm, not even sure why she's laughing - must be the shock, the adrenaline and the pain of her bruised limbs and broken hand. She peers past her arm at Bakugou as he frowns down at her, their thighs touching still, his hands placed on either side of her head.
"What the hell's so funny?" He snaps, though he sounds more confused than mad.
Kira sighs heavily, moving her arm. "Nothing," she whispers. "Just nothing."
Out from the cover of the trees, the dim moon announces itself, glowing a meek shine on the side of Bakugou's face, though his hair protects him from most of the moon's glow. His eyes are the only thing that remain clearly noticeable: a strong, striking red in the pale moonlight. Kira feels like she'll never lose sight of him as long as she can see his eyes. They hold such a firm gaze, so determined and unwavering - his true strength of character is shown in his eyes.
Bakugou finally moves off Kira with a grunt, sitting in the grass as his feet tickle the lake. Kira slowly sits herself up beside Bakugou, her calves in the water still. Her clothes are drenched with both lake water and sweat, just after having had a shower, as well. Kira sighs to herself, basking in the fresh, quiet breeze, as it washes away her flush of having Bakugou's body so comfortably against her own.
She rests her hands behind her, when she winces, snapping up quickly and cradling one of them. She'd completely forgotten about her broken hand in the past ten seconds of enjoying the sounds of the rippling lake. It looks pretty bad, though it'll probably be healed in a few days or so. It's already swollen, with purplish bruising all along her knuckles. There are a few cuts in the skin where she punched solid bone. Kira looked back at Bakugou and wondered if her hits actually inflicted any damage.
Bakugou notices her looking back and rolls his eyes before pulling his hoodie up so she can see his ribs. They were purple too. He's bruised quickly.
"You've got a hell of a punch," he says, before pushing his clothing back down. Kira nods at that, though it didn't really make her feel much better. "Here," Bakugou adds, as he scoots over to her. He reaches out for her hand and at first she pulls away, not really sure what he's supposed to do. "Come on." He tilts his head down. "I...I feel bad, okay? I should have just let you hit me in the gut."
Kira blinks at the confession and slowly turns back to him and he takes her hand in his. She can't keep her eyes off him, as he looks down at her hand with a focused frown and starts ever so gently massaging the area around the knuckles. It hurts at first, but because it's him, she deals with it.
"Don't ever let me do anything," Kira mumbles, and he looks up at her through his lashes. "We fought fair and square, right?"
"Right."
He adds a bit more pressure to her hand and she winces, sucking in the air through her teeth.
"So," Kira starts, trying to rid herself of some of the tension that's been hovering around them all night. "I lost. Got any tips for me for next time?"
"Yeah." He looks up to her. "Try not to use your fists. Knees and elbows are stronger."
"I know that," Kira mutters under her breath. "Of course I know that."
"Then why the hell didn't you do that?"
"Because with you, everything I know just goes out the window!" Kira blurts without thinking.
His slight movement on her hand stops and he lets go, his warm skin vanishing. She has to hold herself back from grabbing for his hand again. Bakugou changes his position, so he's facing sideways from her, staring out at the lake, at nothing. Kira slowly turns from him, her knees tucked up to her chin for warmth. Having her bottom half drenched in the lake water at the dead of night is no fun. If she gets too cold, then she can just use her Quirk to warm herself if she needs to.
Kira should really leave now, have another shower and get into bed, but she's too paralysed to move. Why? Why does she want to stick by his side? She should just stand up now, tell him that she's going back to the cabin, and that will be it. So, what the hell is holding her back right now?
A sound to the left of her sounds like a rustle of clothing, but Kira keeps her eyes focused on the ground by her toes, when suddenly her vision goes dark with a warmth so comforting she feels as though she can simply drown in it. Kira plucks the clothing off from her head and realises it's Bakugou's black hoodie. He very rarely wears anything other than shirts anyway - he must be prepared for the chill of the October night. Kira looks over at him, his arms bare and covered in bruises and markings. That wasn't from her though - he's been training with someone else too. Most likely, Kirishima. He did mention that actually, that he couldn't spar with him as much anymore because of their breakup.
"I'm sorry that you can't train with Kirishima much anymore," Kira says, as she feels the soft material between her fingertips. "I know he's a great partner."
"Yeah, he is."
Kira frowns at the hoodie in her hands before looking over at Bakugou again. "Why have I got this?"
He looks at her like she's stupid. "Well, you're cold, aren't you?"
"Yeah, but-"
"You're soaked in the lake water," he states.
Kira looks down at her legs, though she can feel how soggy her clothes are. "But, the cabin is right there" - she points to it in the distance - "I think I can manage without it for a few minutes. You might need it more than me, so-"
Bakugou sighs irritably. "Will you just accept the stupid thing?" He snaps. "I just didn't want Arms to give you another one of his damn ponchos or something again."
"Shoji?" Kira frowns.
Bakugou stands up suddenly, either too flustered, or mad, or both to keep up the conversation. "Just go back to the cabin. I'm gonna go train some more."
Kira watches him walk along the lakebed, kicking up the water delicately, before looking back down at the hoodie in her arms. It was warm still, and it feels like it always will be, as if it's a constant hot water bottle. Kira hugs it to her cheek - it even smells like Bakugou too, something Kira has never really noticed about him. It's not like Bakugou is the type of person to wear a scented cologne, but Kira really just couldn't dismiss the extremely faint smell of caramel. It was barely even there, but with Kira's eyes closed and her head hidden in the hoodie, with her hair over her face, she couldn't avoid it. If Kira were to hug Bakugou, is this what it would smell like? Does he himself smell this sweet fragrance all the time? Perhaps he's grown used to it and doesn't even know it's there. If Kira were to give this hoodie to someone else, they'd probably only smell the sweat clinging to the material, the scent of trees, perhaps. Maybe the lake water too.
But, Kira could smell something entirely unique which would forever remind her of Katsuki Bakugou.
~~~