Word Count: 4463
(A/N: Just before the chapter, I want to show you some art @PowderB1ue made for the story!
Thank you so much for it!! I hope this helps people imagine Y/N's costume better! And as you can tell, it was practically based off of Ed Elric's costume from FMA, I love FMA, I'm sorry )
"Alright, that's it for class today." Mr Aizawa says, making the file of papers in his hand neat as he lifted his arms off of the pedestal, "There's only one week left before your Final Exams begin. I'm sure you're all studying constantly, right?"
He glances up at us with a knowing expression. As if he was warning us. "Make sure you keep training. The written exam is only one element. There's also the practical proportion to worry about." He reminds us, walking to the door, "Good luck."
As soon as he slides the door shut behind him, Kaminari and Mina shoot up from their seats and yell out in different tones, "I'VE BARELY EVEN TAKEN NOTES THIS SEMESTER!"
I widen my eyes at their contrasting reactions.
Mina has a relaxed smile on her face, whilst Kaminari looks the most petrified I've ever seen. I understand why he's like that, at 21st place, but Mina looks a little too laid back for someone in 20th place.
As Mina's laugh drowns the noise in the class, Kaminari holds his head in his hands and groans, "And with the Sports Festival and Internship, I didn't have time to read the textbook!"
Since Internships were completed, our next task to focus on was obviously final exams. But Mr Aizawa had warned us that we should really be striving for the top, as those who fail will not be able to go to the training camp after exams.
Apparently it would be one whole week out in the wilderness. I was excited about the idea, because if we were allowed to go all out with our quirks, then I could really test the limits of my transmutation.
I lift myself from my desk, packing up my belongings and looking over to Kirishima who stood beside me. He looked pretty relaxed about the final exams.
"How did you do on the Midterms anyway, Eijiro? I didn't get the chance to ask you before." I question, following him as he walks towards Bakugou, who was still at his desk.
Kirishima rubs the back of his head with a sheepish grin. "Uh... I placed 16th, actually..." He tells me, tilting his head to the side, "What about you, Y/N? What did you place?"
I twirl my thumbs around and look away, mumbling out, "Um, I placed 10th. Barely made it to the top, hehe..."
"Well, we can at least improve a lot on the practical, right?" Kirishima says, lightening the mood as he presses his fists together at the knuckles
I do the same with my own fists, puffing out my chest like Kirishima and giggling back, "Yeah! We'll do great on the practicals!"
As we drop our hands, we overhear Yaoyorozu saying she would tutor a group of students, asking them of their favourite tea and such. Ojiro, Sero, Mina, Kaminari and Jirou all looked star-struck, dazed looks in their eyes as they listened to her talk.
Kirishima puts his hands in his pockets and turns to Bakugou. "Sounds like we should be studying with her." He jokes, raising a brow at the blonde who placed 3rd out of all 21 of us in 1-A.
"You think I don't know enough?" He scowls loudly to us, glaring at his desk with a deadly aura coming off of him, "Maybe I should beat the lessons into your skull."
Kirishima chuckles back, closing his eyes with a wide smile as he takes Bakugou's threat just a friendly gesture, "I'm counting on it."
I roll my eyes and point to the exit of the classroom. "I'm heading to the cafeteria with the rest of the group, you two coming?" I ask, switching my gaze between the both of them.
Kirishima nods his head, already walking with me towards the exit. I look over my shoulder and see Bakugou already walking with us, soon catching up and taking a pace beside me.
We got our food first, which didn't take that long because we were a bit earlier than the rest of people, and then met with Mina, Jirou, Kaminari and Sero at the table. They saved two seats beside Sero and on the other side, one seat left next to Jirou, Kaminari and Mina.
Kirishima and I set ourselves down in the two seats, Bakugou begrudgingly groaning loudly and sitting next to Jirou.
"Okay, so now that everybody is here." Mina calls as Kirishima, Bakugou and I say our thanks for the food we were given, "I want to ask if you guys want to train with each other for the practical."
As I bite into my food and listen to the conversation, Sero furrows his brows a little and questions Mina, "Training? When would we have the time? We're studying with Yaoyorozu, remember?"
"Yeah, but maybe we could spare some time!" Mina chimes happily, clapping her hands together, "I mean, we can't just focus on the written exams when the practical will be just as hard!"
I nod my head and agree, "Yeah, that sounds good. I've only fought against Mina and Bakugou anyway." I glance at the two of them.
Kirishima next me nudges my shoulder with a grin. He chuckles, "You wanna' verse? Your transmutation against my hardening?"
I give a smirk back and challenge, "Sure thing. I kinda' want to see hoe many times I have to use my quirk to wear you down."
There's a friendly competition between us before another voice rises.
"I want a rematch, cheerleader." Bakugou states, talking for the first time at the table.
I raise my brows a bit and feel my jaw slack a bit. "Huh? What happened to fighting after the exams?" I ask, putting my chopsticks down on top of my bowl.
"I never agreed to that." Bakugou states, focusing on his noodles he was collecting on his chopsticks, "That was your idea, not mine. What, not ready for a rematch?"
I squint my eyes at him.
"What? I've only made a bit of progress with fighting up close. That's what I pale in comparison to you, right?" I say cautiously, leaning back in my chair, "But I want to work on using my quirk better. Even if you didn't train that hard during the internship, you're still a great fighter."
Bakugou raises a brow at me, lazily might I add. "So?"
I pick up my chopsticks and my bowl again. "So, I want to get better at close combat. Not just to beat you." I inform Bakugou, watching him squint back at me, "Like you said, I'm never going go become a Pro Hero with my lack of skills."
His faces twitches a bit, as if he remembered how he spoke those words to me during out match at the Sports Festival.
"Whatever."
I look around the table. "Eijiro, you're good at close combat, aren't you?"
"Hm?" He looks back at me, cheeks puffed out before he finishes the food in his mouth, "Yeah, I guess. I got a scratch on Bakugou and kept him on his toes."
I beam at him. "Nice! As soon as I get the upperhand on Eijiro, then I'll try and beat you!" I state, pointing at Bakugou, "Be ready for it!"
And he's focusing more on his food.
Why?
"Uh—Bakugou?" I mumble, a bit irked by him. The least he could do was pretend he was listening to us, "Hey, bomb-shell?"
"He looks a bit angry." Sero says out loud, leaning over the table to get a better look at the spiky-haired blonde. Bakugou stares down at his food still.
Kirishima taps my shoulder once again. "Try another name. I think you can make him break." He tells me in a quiet whisper
I chuckle back, resting my hands on my lap, "What, is this a game?"
Sero gasps, holding up a fist high and mighty, "Yes! Let's see how long this guy lasts!"
It was kind of fun having a friendly competition between Kirishima, Sero and I. The both of them were fun and friendly. Literally kings.
Times like this remind me that the world is more than just its quirks.
Kirishima finishes his food on his plate and points out to md, "He did say you annoyed him the most yesterday." Sero gives a little laugh and looks at me.
I deadpan towards Kirishima. "Thanks. I guess we'll have to prove it." I say, glancing away from them.
Sero goes first. "Boom Boom Baby?" He whispers to Bakugou, making Kirishima and I cover our mouths to hide the giggles.
I have never ever heard anybody call Bakugou that in my entire life. And thank God that Sero was the one to do it.
However, blonde looks unfazed, putting some rice into his mouth as he pretends to not have heard us. Sero groans, waving his hand for Kirishima to go on his turn.
"Baka-gou?" Kirishima mutters, lifting his chin patiently as he waited for Bakugou's response.
The blonde closes his eyes with furrowed brows. He lets out a little grunt. He was starting to get aggravated. I could see it easily.
"'Baka'?" I say a little higher in a laugh, smiling at Kirishima as he crosses his arms proudly. So far, the only one who's gotten a reaction from the angry gremlin. I muster out and lean my chin in my palm, "Damn, he has a pretty short fuse, doesn't he?"
Sero and Kirishima let out a long breath, sweating a bit as they close their eyes, "You have no idea..."
Sero leans forward, raising a brow in my direction. "It's your turn, L/N. What's your play?" He states.
I take a breath in, thinking it over. I've called him a bunch of names before. Doll, Pretty Boy that one time during hero basics training, I've even called him an angry gremlin before. But not to his face. Maybe I should try that.
I watch as Bakugou opens his drink and brings it to his lips. He looks off to the side, avoiding my direction as he drinks his beverage.
Ah. I got it.
I eye the soda he was drinking.
Giving him a sweet smile and a tilt of my head, I say the words as innocently as I can.
"So, what flavour is that, Katsuki?"
Next thing I know is that he's choking. On his orange-flavoured soda. He's choking on his orange-flavoured soda.
Jirou, Mina and Kaminari turn around and gasp at Bakugou's coughing form. He was hunched over the table a bit, one hand over his mouth and the other squeezing the can tightly enough fo crease it.
Jirou cautiously patting his back and asking, "Hey, what happened—?"
Bakugou vigorously waves his hands at Jirou, pushing her hand away as his cheeks being flare red. How much was he coughing?
I stand up as he does, hand reaching out to him. "O—Oh crap, I didn't mean for that to happen." I mumble, taking the squished can out of his hand and putting it on the table, "Hold on, let me get a—Hey, Eijiro, can I use that tissue?"
Kirishima hands me the napkin, saying I could use it. I thank him, putting the tissue in Bakugou's opened hand. He uses it to cover his mouth, eyes glaring at me with furrowed brows.
I hesitantly put my hand on his upper back. "Sorry..." I say, patting his back like my dad does whenever I get into a coughing fit. He doesn't push my away, an atmosphere of hatred looming off of him.
Bakugou squints at me again, making shivers roll down my spine. "You dumbass..." He says, words being muffled by the tissue he was coughing in to.
I lift my shoulders a little and grunt back, patting his back a little harder, "I didn't think calling you 'Katsuki' would do so much damage."
He widens his eyes at me and scrunches the tissue against his mouth, cheeks still bright red. Bakugou turns his head away from me, his other hand on my shoulder and pushing me away. As I step back, Bakugou takes his hand off of me and grabs his tray, stomping away from us.
I watch as he puts his trash away, not sparing a glance back as he throws out the tissue and marches out of the cafeteria.
"Huh." Kirishima suddenly says out loud to grab my attention, "You won, Y/N. I guess you do annoy him the most."
I smile at him menacingly. "Wow, Eijiro, I couldn't tell." I say, sounding forced.
Jirou hums, twirling her earphone-jack in between her fingers as she gazes at me, "That's the first time I've ever seen Bakugou ever act that way."
Mina nods her head with her. "I know, it was kind of awkward. He didn't even try to blow up Y/N either." She then gasps, covering her mouth, "Maybe he's getting some character development!"
Kaminari laughs at the joke.
"Should we check on him?" I ask, looking down to Kirishima.
He scratches his cheek a bit and says, "Uh, I don't know exactly. Maybe we should just let him calm down a bit."
Later . . .
Class had ended with a chill up my spine the whole entire period. Bakugou was still in his seat, glaring at the wall. He glanced at me for a moment before squinting and shooting his gaze away from me.
Kirishima looked over my shoulder and patted my head from his seat beside me. "It's been a few hours, he should be fine... right?" He mumbled, nervous smile.
I shrug my shoulders before taking a deep breath in. I stand up and make my way towards Bakugou, I clench my fists at my sides to try and ease my nerves. When I'm standing beside him, I slam my hand down against his desk.
The loud smack makes his sigh.
Bakugou turns his eyes to me. "The Hell was that?" He questions, softer voice than I expected.
I'm taken aback, lifting my palm from his desk. "Uh—I... I was gonna' try and make fun of you first before apologising, but I guess..." I hold my hands behind my back, clutching onto my shirt, "Never mind. I'll just say 'sorry' and that I didn't mean to make you feel... that way."
Bakugou raises a brow at me, crossed arms as he leans back in his chair. He then scoffs, "Whatever, dumbass. I don't care what you call me."
I drop my jaw a bit and let go of my shirt. "You... You don't?" I mutter, tilting my head.
I didn't expect him to be so easy about allowing someone to call him 'Katsuki'.
"I said that, didn't I?" He growls, seemingly more heated than before, "Call me what you want, that doesn't change the fact that I'm better than you."
A smile dawns on my face. When I realise I am indeed smiling, I cover my mouth with my hand. Why was I smiling? It was just a name.
"Call me 'Y/N' then." I say, voice calm and non-shaky.
"Shut up. No." He deadpans.
"What? Why?" I mumbled, hands on his desk and moving so I was in his line of sight, "It seems only right. That's how Eijiro and I do it, anyway."
He glares at me. "Are you comparing me to Shitty Hair?" Bakugou growls in the deep tone he uses, chin up.
I stand up straight, head leaning to the right as I sigh out, "Fine, call me one of your lame nicknames. I'll just do that and call you 'Katsuki'."
At the sound of his name, his glare softens. It was as if he wasn't used to anybody calling him by his first name. Anyone other than his parents, I assume.
But it washes away as quickly as it came.
Bakugou turns his heated gaze to the wall, ignoring me after ordering me to go away. I roll my eyes, starting to pack up my bag as I hear a loud cheer of 'all right'.
"This'll be super easy if it's just robots!" Kaminari states, cute smile to match Mina's.
The pink-haired girl chimes, "Such awesome news!"
When I ask Kirishima what was going on, he answers, "Apparently the practical part of the exam will be us fighting against the same mock villains as the entrance exam. Should be easy, right?"
I hold my chin in my palm and hum back, "Really? I don't know, maybe they'll add in some more challenges than just fighting those robots again, considering how far we all made it in the entrance exam."
Kirishima nodded his head.
As we stand up, Bakugou calls out all of a sudden, "It shouldn't matter if it's robots or actual people. Why are you morons so excited?"
Kaminari points at him accusingly as Mina makes an irritated face. The blonde shouts back, "Hey, who are you calling a 'moron'?"
"Shut up!" Bakugou yells back, making Kaminari and Mina stop talking back, "You need to learn how to control your quirk! Got it?"
Kirishima and I give a tired sigh, standing by our chairs as we wait for the three of them. We just wanted to go home.
It takes Bakugou only a few minutes to call Midoriya out for the way he was using his quirk, to say he'll come out on top and to also challenge Todoroki too.
Then he leaves by sliding the door shut loudly.
"It's been a while since I've seen him that worked up." Kirishima states, scratching the back of his head as he slides on his red bag.
Tokoyami crosses his arms as he leans back in his chair. "Think it's impatience? Or hatred?" He questions.
I shake my head as Kaminari and Mina grab their bags. "Well anyway, we should get going." I state, walking to the door, "He's probably gonna' force the train to leave earlier, so we gotta' go."
As we say our 'goodbye's to our classmates, Mina, Kaminari, Kirishima and I continue to talk about the final exams. I question, "Are you two gonna' train with Eijiro, Katsuki and I?"
Mina gasps, pointing at me with a shocked expression, "Did you just say 'Katsuki'?"
I lift my shoulders as we step outside. "Um, yeah. He said he didn't care what I called him." I claim, holding onto my satchel, "Plus, his name is really pretty, so..."
I'm smiling at the floor when I realise that I said that out loud. Then I immediately cover my mouth and shale my head.
"WAIT, NO! I DIDN'T SAY THAT!"
"You totally have a thing for Bakugou!" Kaminari chimes, shaking my arm frantically, "I can't believe you fell for that ticking time bomb!"
I push his hands away and tell him to quiet down, or else people might hear him. "Denki! Shut it, I don't have a crush on Katsuki!" I tell him, waving my hands in her direction.
As Kirishima tries to calm down Kaminari and Mina, I hear another voice rise from the chaos.
"Really? A crush on Bakugou?" A certain relaxed voice calls.
I look to my left to see Hitoshi. He has a confused look on his face and his hands in his pockets, bag on his arm as he stares at me.
I jump in my spot, facing him and shaking both my hands and head as fast as I could. "HITOSHI, NO! DON'T BELIEVE WHAT HE SAYS, I DON'T HAVE A CRUSH ON KATSU—BAKUGOU!" I call, making the three behind me giggles like little kids.
"Whatever you say, Kitten." Hitoshi tells me, tilting his head down, "So, how've you been?"
I look over my shoulder and tell Kirishima, Mina and Kaminari to go ahead without me. I would be fine, especially since there was still 20 minutes before the train got here. They go off, saying that they'll save me a seat beside Bakugou.
Looking up at Hitoshi, I bite my lip and say, "I've been good. With final exams coming up, I've been studying like crazy. Dad's helped with his usual 'study snacks', y'know."
Hitoshi chuckles back, turning to the floor for a moment, "God, you're dad's pretty funny."
I shrug my shoulders. "I guess he is." I mumble, walking beside Hitoshi to the gates, "You can still come over whenever you want. I know that you get distracted by your cat pretty easily, so..."
As we turn the corner towards the train, Hitoshi leans his head up and stares at the sky. "Hm, maybe. Or you could come over to mine, I know that Chobi misses you." He informs me, making me think of the light gray cat, "When I come home, he sits at the door and waits for you to come in right after me."
I pout, imagining it for myself. I place my palms on my cheeks and whine, "Aw, I miss Chobi! He's so cute! I'll ask Dad if I can come over after the exams, since it's been a quick second."
He furrows his brows at me before asking, "Huh? Don't you usually ask your mother?"
I widen my eyes before letting out a breath, "I know, but it's been kind of distant between us."
Hitoshi leans his shoulders back a bit, lifting his chin but still gazing at me. "Did you two get into a fight?" He inquires.
I shrug my shoulders again and slouched my back, still gripping my bag strap. "I—I wouldn't exactly call it a fight, more of a... debate? I don't know." I groan out, letting my hair fall in front of my face, "We were talking about Uncle."
He inhales sharply. I can tell he's on edge about it as well.
Hitoshi bumps my shoulder with his. "Hey, it's okay. You know whatever happened with him is concerning enough for them to do this." He reminds me.
I straighten my back and focus on the train station up ahead.
"Of course... I know that." I sigh.
When we get to the train platform, the doors are about to shut. I see Mina, Kirishima, Kaminari and Bakugou on their phones, not paying attention. I go to call out to them, but instead Hitoshi grabs onto my hand and rushes towards the currently closing doors.
We barely make it through the doors when we hear it slide shut. I have to hold onto Hitoshi's blazer to steady myself, his other hand on my shoulder as he chuckles, "And you say I'm always late."
I roll my eyes and look towards the group, dragging Hitoshi towards them. "Hey!" I call out.
Kirishima grins at us. "Oh, you guys made it. We were wondering what was taking you so long." He claims, holding his bag on his lap as he sat next to Bakugou.
Mina and Kaminari were on their own chairs to the side of us, sitting on the paired seats. Kirishima gestures to the spare two seats beside Bakugou.
"I was guessing Shinso would be coming, so I made sure to save him a seat too." He states, cheery and bright smile on his face.
I thank him, making sure to take the spot beside Bakugou. I know that he and Hitoshi don't have the best relationship. But Hitoshi's made friends with Mina, Kaminari, Kirishima and Sero over the weeks. It's been a fee since the Spprts Festival, and he's been forgiven for what he's done. They quite like him too.
Hitoshi pulls out his phone and his earphones. "Wanna' listen?" He asks me, handing me the ear-bud.
I nod my head, slipping it into my ear. A few seconds later and a familiar band is playing into my ear. I tap my fingers on my lap, humming along to the song softly.
"Hey, dumbass."
I look to my right.
"What was the homework for English?" He questions, crossed arms over his chest.
I raise my brow at Bakugou. "Why are you asking me?" I mutter out, crossing my leg over my knee and smoothing out my skirt.
He clicks his tongue. "'Cause Shitty Hair is an idiot and those two aren't any better." He claims, shaking his head, "You aren't a moron, are you?"
I pout at him. "Hey, if you wanna' call me smart, you can just say it, Katsuki." I tell him, feeling Hitoshi lean in my direction, "You don't have to be such a meanie..."
Bakugou growls, heated glare on me, "Don't flatter yourself, you dumbass. Just answer the question."
"We just have to translate the text we got in class today and write a response in the same language." I remind Bakugou, closing my eyes and leaning back in my seat, "Simple enough, you can do it, Katsuki."
He clicks his tongue again, not responding to me.
I notice that Hitoshi is leaning his head against my shoulder. I take his phone from his hand and skip the next song. Why does he have the songs he doesn't listen to anymore?
He's slightly snoozing away, hair brushing against my cheek. I feel myself yawn after I finish choosing a soft, lofi-like song from Hitoshi's 'sleep playlist'.
"Hey, Bakugou." Kirishima says, stopping their one-sided conversation to point to me, "I think Y/N is tired. You should let her sleep."
I see the look in his eyes. Mischief.
"What? You want her to lean against me again?" Bakugou scoffs, shaking his head, "Whatever, I don't care."
"Wait, really?" I mumbled out, still confused by his attitude today.
Bakugou rolls his eyes at me and groans, "I hope that if I ignore the little shit you are, then maybe you won't be so annoying."
I chuckle at him along with Kirishima. As the spiky red-haired boy returns to chatting of Bakugou's ear, I rest my head against the blonde's shoulder.
It's somewhat different this time. Like, that fact he chose to let me sleep on his shoulder makes it different. It just feels like that.
I'm in that state where I'm so close to slipping into my slumber. Hitoshi's hair tickles my neck, making me move my head a bit. Then, Bakugou's hand lands on the top of my head.
"Stop fucking moving." He orders me, making me grunt back.
I hear Kirishima start to talk about getting their hero licenses when a very familiar tickle on my forehead occurs.
Bakugou's spiky hair brushes against the top of my brow.