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street-smarts00 · 3 years

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I Hear a Symphony

Midoriya x fem!reader

Summary: Midoryia couldn’t tell the difference between romantic and platonic feelings. It took 4 conversations for him to realize how much you meant to him and how he had fallen completely and utterly in love with you.

⚠️ language

WC: 4,500

Eri was spending the day with class 1-a. You, Izuku and Eri were relaxing in the living room watching Disney movies. This time Eri wanted to watch her favorite, Frozen 2. The three of you were snuggled up on the couch together; you were seated to the right of Deku and Eri was to his left. He had both of his arms wrapped around the two of you.

“Hey izuku, what time is it?” you asked.

He picked up his phone, “4:25”

“Shit, I’m studying with Yaomomo and Tsu in five minutes,” you promptly stood up and grabbed your phone. “I gotta go, see ya later guys” you waved as you jogged to the elevator.

Eri and Deku stayed in the living room watching the movie. He was really glad that Eri took a liking to you. At first when Eri started to visit the 1-a dorm she was shy and mostly stayed with Deku, and sometimes Uraraka, Tsu, and Kirishima because they were familiar to her after the overhaul mission. But after a short while she started to open up and talk to his other classmates; especially you.

“Hey deku, what is a girlfriend?” Midoriya’s eyebrows raised, “Huh? What got you thinking about that?”

“Someone in lemillion’s class said they had a girlfriend.” Oh well that made a lot more sense.

“Well um a girlfriend, a girlfriend is,” he wasn’t sure how to explain it, he’s never had a girlfriend before. He also didn't want to explain it in a way that she would be confused or misinterpret what he said. He glanced up at the tv . . . Wait, that's it!

“I know, it’s like Anna and Kristoff. So you know how they fall in love and get married at the end of the movie?” He asked.

“Yea”

“Well before they get married they’re dating, and when a girl and a boy are dating they are boyfriend and girlfriend.”

“Oh ok, I think it get it,” she responded as she smiled. “So it’s like you and y/n?”

WHAT? Where would she get that idea? One minute ago she didn't even know what a girlfriend was. Midoryia’s cheeks turned a shade of pink and his voice cracked when he spoke. “Um not really, we aren’t boyfriend and girlfriend,” He replied as he shifted his weight in his seat.

“But you always kiss her, and Anna and Kristoff kiss,” She added as she pointed to the characters on the tv screen.

“I uh, well they kiss on the lips, y/n and I kiss on the forehead and cheek, and sometimes friends kiss each other on the forehead and cheek.”

“Ooooh, ok!” She turned her attention back to the screen and leaned into him as she grabbed onto the blanket.

FEW, he was beyond thankful that she seemed to drop that topic. Although, it did stick with him; was it normal for him and you to kiss each other? It’s not like you guys made out or anything, but fairly often you guys did greet each other with a kiss on the forehead or cheek. But you guys definitely kissed in a not romantic way though. Yea definitely not in a romantic way. Yea, definitely.

“Hey deku, is y/n a princess? You call her princess a lot.” Eri questioned.

Midoryias heartbeat sped up. “No she’s not a princess.” He replied calmly even though his brain and heart were going a mile a minute. But then again what did he have to be worried about, you two were just really close friends that happen to be very affectionate and call each other cute nicknames. He called you princess, and you called him pretty boy. It was just a fun game between friends. His pulse slowed as his train of thoughts centered around you. He’s called you by that nickname for a while. He doesn’t remember when or how he started to call you princess, but he sure as hell knew why. “But she’s a princess to me,” he added.

Eri turned to him, eyes widened with excitement, “Am I like a princess?”

“Yes Eri. You are like a princess.” Eri smiled with one of the brightest smiles he had ever seen.

A few days later Deku was meeting with All Might in their usual teacher lounge room. Although originally they were talking about one for all, the topic of conversation shifted to you.

“And it’s not so much that her quirk itself is super cool and powerful, but it’s how she uses it. She’s always so creative and has brilliant strategies.” Deku beamed.

“You sure do talk about her a lot.” All Might chuckled. He watched as Midoryia’s bond with you grew rapidly as school went on. He also noticed that his successor would bring her up a lot and would bubble with excitement at any chance to talk about her.

“She’s amazing! She’s super nice and always looks out for others. And I love how passionate she is about the things she loves like music, she absolutely loves music. OH and she’s an amazing fighter. She does this thing when she’s fighting like she always raises her left eyebrow, never the right one because she can’t. AND she . . .” Midoryia realized that he had been talking a lot. He pulled at the collar of his shirt. “I’m sorry, I’m rambling,”

“Don’t worry it’s ok, it’s cute listening to you talk about your girlfriend,”

What? Not this again. “Uh, y/n and I aren’t dating,” he squeaked. He coughed and cleared his throat so that hopefully his voice would go back to normal. Why was his heartbeat speeding up? He was so calm a second ago, why does it feel like his heart is about to fly out of his chest or like he’s going to pass out.

All Might could see the boy tense and his nervousness still lingering. “Oh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t know,” He apologized frantically, waving his hands in surrender.

The boy seemed to calm down a bit but was still visibly tense and nervous “It’s ok, but um why would you think that?” Damn his voice was still squeaky, he cleared his throat again.

“Because the two of you are so close and during class you’re always together. Also because of the way you talk about her. Like, I don’t know you have this smile on your face that I only see when you look at her or talk about her.”

“Oh but I don’t think I treat her any differently than my other friends,” Midoryia added. He really didn't think he gave you any special attention. He was close with all of his friends and is just a super affectionate person. Whether it was hugs with Tsu or linking arms with Iida. But then again he didn’t kiss them on the forehead and cheek.

“It seems to me that she’s more than just a friend,” All Might implied. He saw the boy's face turn a dark shade of red. “Sorry, if I made you uncomfortable.”

“Huh? oh it’s ok don’t worry about it,” Midoriya stammered. He played with the fabric of his jacket sleeves. “But ya know you’re not the first person to think that we’re dating.”

“Really?” All Might tried to sound as surprised as he could.

“Yea the other day Eri asked me if y/n and I were boyfriend and girlfriend, like in the Disney movie we were watching.” Midoriya felt like he was experiencing 30 emotions all at once. He didn’t know what he was feeling or how he was supposed to feel.

The school bell rang and zoned him out of his thoughts that we’re running wild. He quickly said goodbye to All Might and ran to class. He couldn’t stop his mind from racing. Did he like you? Like in a crush type of way? He’s never liked anyone before so he isn’t sure.

Once he reached the class room he passed by your desk on the way to his.

“Hey pretty boy!” You beamed. When you saw his expression you were filled with concern. His face was red, eyes were wide and his eyes were darting all over the place but refused to land on you. “Hey are you ok? You look stressed.”

He finally placed his eyes on yours and took a deep breath. “Yea I’m good I’ve just got a lot on my mind and I’m trying to figure something out.” He stuttered.

You stood up from your seat, “ok, well if you need some help or maybe a hug, i'll always be here.” You leaned forward and pecked him on the cheek like it was normal, because it was. He couldn’t believe it, that this was his normal. The fact that the two of you casually kiss each other and so much apparently that when you do it in front of your classmates they don’t even bat an eye.

“Thanks,” he replied as he awkwardly walked over to his desk and sat down. He placed his arms on his desk and rested his head on his arms. Bakugou turned around and gazed at the kid that he’s known for most of his life. “You look like shit.”

Midoryia raised his one arm and gave a thumbs up, “Thanks Kachan, I really appreciate it,” he quipped. Bakugou grumbled and turned back to face the front of the room.

He was stuck. Figuratively and literally. Literally, he was stuck in his bed because he was unable to move. Figuratively, he was stuck with how he felt about you and what this means. Right after school ended he stayed in his room analyzing how he felt about you. He wasn’t 100% sure if he actually had feelings for you and at this point he’s worried that he is over thinking things. Which he probably is.

During all of his freaking out he received a text from you. Great 🙃. He unlocked his phone and opened your text.

Princess: hey, this song reminded me of you

He opened the song, I Hear a Symphony by Cody Fry. He’d never heard it before but he always loved your music recommendations. He pressed play and listened to the lyrics.

I used to hear a simple song

That was until you came along

Now in its place is something new

I hear it when I think of you

Huh, so now that he is in her life he changed her, but in a good way (or at least he’s hopping). He loved the melody and the way the song started off with piano. It was very calming to him.

As the song went on he continued to listen to the lyrics carefully. There weren’t that many lyrics so he was relaxing listening to the beautiful build up to the chorus. He felt like he was entering a fantasy listening to this song. It was graceful and peaceful, but also powerful and full of emotion.

I used to hear a simple song

That was until you came along

You took my broken melody

And now I have a symphony

He was frozen as the song finished. That remind you of him? He knew that you always pay attention to the lyrics and the meanings of songs, so this wasn’t just any old song. Did he really make that much of an impact on you? Listening to this song knowing that you thought of him made his heart ache. His stomachs filled with butterflies and his pulse slowed down from its former fast tempo.

Not long after, Uraraka and Todoroki stopped by his room. “Hey deku. Can we come in? I’m with todoroki.” Uraraka chimed.

He got up from his bed and fixed his hair after lying down for the past hour. He opened the door with a genuine smile, “Hey guys! Yea sure come in, what’s up?”

Uraraka sat down in his desk chair, “We wanted to check up on you to make sure you were ok. You were really quiet in class today and you’ve stayed up here all afternoon.” He really appreciated his friends and how much they cared about him.

“Yeah, I’m ok. I was just kinda um freaking out about something earlier and had to think things through. But now I’m not freaking out anymore, well maybe, it's just a lot to process.” Midoryia rambled.

“What's the problem?” Todoroki asked.

Midoryia scratched the back of his neck. “Umm can you guys promise not to tell anybody?”

“Of course”

“Promise”

Midoryia anxiously placed his hands in his pockets. He needed someone’s advice. “I think I might have feelings for y/n.” He babbled.

The two friends in his room had very little reactions, if any at all. This’d made no sense, he just confessed that he might have romantic feelings for their friend and they don’t react?

Todoroki was the first to speak, “I thought you knew that.”

“Todoroki!” Uraraka chimed in a scolding tone.

“What? What do you mean? I just figured this out today!” Midoryia stammered. He was beyond confused. “So wait a second, you guys knew that I like her and didn't say anything?”

“Not to be as blunt as Todoroki but, we thought you knew you liked her. It was kind of obvious. You guys practically act like a couple already.” Uraraka answered.

“Do you mean like the nicknames, and kissing?”

“It’s not just that, you guys always slip in physical contact when you’re together, you both are very flirty from time to time, and any chance you get you start rambling about how great she is.” She replied. Well then that makes sense why he was going on a whole tangent about her with All Might earlier.

Uraraka’s features softened, “You really didn’t know?” Midoryia grabbed a fistful of his curls in frustration. “NO! I didn’t, not at all! I thought that was all normal friends stuff ya know!” He explained anxiously.

“We’re friends and you’ve never kissed me,” Shoto added. Uraraka giggled in response.

Midoriya sat down on his bed and played with the material of his hoodie. “So what do I do now?” He asked.

Uraraka walked over to his bed and sat down beside him. “I’m not sure, but if you really like her, then I think you should tell her. I know this is all new to you so don’t freak out about confessing right now. But I’d say give it some thought.”

Midoriya sighed and gazed at the floor. He had so much to process right now. “Thanks you guys,” he said.

It had been about a week since Deku had his mind blowing chat with his two friends. He was lying on the couch in the common area. But it was completely empty because it was 1:30 in the morning. At first he stayed up late studying, but then around an hour ago he tried to go to bed but could only stare up at the ceiling.

He figured maybe he needed a drink or snack or SOMETHING. He grabbed his blanket and wrapped it around his body. He knew it was going to be cold downstairs since it was snowing outside and the heater turned down at his hour. He made his way downstairs, but when the elevator opened he was too tired to head to the kitchen and make tea so instead he just plopped down on the couch.

He stayed there for a little while thinking about you. His thoughts recently always traveled back to you. Ever since people kept asking if you guys were dating, he hasn’t stopped thinking about doing romantic things with you. He smiled at the idea of holding hands with you and rubbing your hand with his thumb. Or cuddling with you in one of your dorms and saying sweet nothings in your ear. Or going on cute dates with you, like ice skating in the park. Or putting his hand on the small of your back and pulling you into a kiss.

Midoriya was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard the elevator open. He couldn’t see who it was from his view on the couch. The steps grew louder and stopped when they reached the lounge area. “Why the hell are you down here?” He heard from a deep voice.

He sat up and looked over at Katsuki. He was rubbing his eyes and his voice was groggy, he must have just worked up. “You’re down here too ya know,” Midoriya replied.

“Tch, yea but I just woke up, you probably haven’t slept at all have you? Ya damn insomniac.”

“I’m not in the mood Kachan.”

Bakugou grew suspicious of Midoriya’s response and tone. Usually he would respond with a snarky reply or a rambly explanation. He also sounded physically and mentally exhausted. Bakugou walked closer to the boy wrapped in a blanket and poked him. “What’s wrong with you?” He asked in a calmer but still rough tone.

The green haired boy shrugged his shoulders in response. “Nothing.”

“Yea sure, you’re alone in the dark in the middle of the night, and I can tell something’s bothering you.” Bakugou poked him again, “Now talk.”

Midoriya sighed, “I told you it’s nothing.”

Bakugou shoved his hands in his pockets,

“Fine don’t tell me.” He started to walk in the direction of the kitchen; But he stopped in his tracks after what he heard next.

“I’m in love with y/n,” Midoriya Mumbled.

Bakugou turned to face his childhood friend, “huh?” Midoriya pulled at the fabric of his blanket. “I said I’m in love with y/n. And I don’t know what to do,” he replied louder.

Bakugou made his way back to the couch. “Tch what the hell do you mean you don’t know what to do, if you like her so much then just ask her out.” Midoriya covered his face with his hands and sighed. Kachan was the last person he would expect to have this conversation with.

“I would, but I don’t want to make things awkward if she doesn’t like me back. I’m worried it will ruin our friendship,” Deku confessed.

Rolling his eyes, Bakugou sat on the couch adjacent to the one deku was sitting on. “Listen ya damn nerd, you’ve gotta be an idiot to think she doesn’t like you back. She follows you around like a damn puppy, it’s gross.” He cringed at that last statement.

“It’s not gross, it’s sweet. She cares about others a lot,” Midoriya corrected.

“She sure cares a whole lot about you for some reason.” Bakugou stood up again and slowly made his way to the kitchen to retrieve a water bottle he had been meaning to get. Midoriya was silent, Bakugou took note of this. The nerd was probably lost in his own train of thoughts at this point.

“Deku.” Midoriya turned to him, his blanket falling off of his shoulders. “Just suck it up and tell her how you feel. And don’t act like an idiot and say she won’t like you back. You may act like an idiot almost of the time but your not stupid. You know that girl would do anything for you.”

A small smile grew on Midoriya’s face. Bakugou saw and retorted, “If you tell anyone I said all that I’ll blow your ass up, got it?”

“Sure Kachan,” Deku laughed.

Midoriya couldn’t see it, but after Bakugou turned his back to him, there was a small grin on his face after hearing his “friends” normal tone again.

Not long after his chat with Kachan, Midoriya felt a lot better. He wasn’t stuck, not any more. He knew how he felt and he knew what to do.

You didn’t intend on staying up late. Originally you were going to watch a little Netflix, maybe go on your phone, and then go to bed around 11:30 or midnight. But then you found a new show to watch and 8 episodes later, it was 1:30 in the morning.

Around the middle of the 8th episode you heard a knock at your door. Crap. Just your luck. Every so often Aizawa would walk around the dorms if he didn’t go to sleep or woke up. He would check on the students to make sure they were asleep and in their own dorms.

About twice you and Midoriya got in trouble because one of you was in the other's dorm after curfew. Thankfully he didn’t catch you guys the other times you snuck into the other dorms.

It was actually a pretty common occurrence. Whether one of you couldn’t sleep and just wanted to talk, or if one of you woke up and needed help going back to sleep. Oh wait yea the knock at the door.

You paused your show and didn’t move. You waited for Aizawa to say something like open the door, or go to sleep, or Midoriya go back to your own room. But, you didn’t hear anything.

There was a second knock on the door, much weaker than the first. I guess it’s not Aizawa, you thought to yourself. You slowly got out of bed and tiptoed to the door. After opening it you didn’t see anyone. Huh?

You peaked your head out and looked around the hallway. “Hey,” You whispered. You saw Izuku slowly walking away from your room. He turned around and faced you looking frazzled. “Hi,” he replied with a small wave.

“What’s up? Can’t sleep?”

“Something like that. I didn’t think you were awake and I didn’t want to bother you.”

You opened your door wider, “Come here, get in.”

A small smile grew on his lips. He made his way into your room and sat down on your bed, you followed suit. “So what’s . .”

“I need to tell you something,” he interrupted. A small blush danced on his checks as he spoke. “Yea sure what is it?” You asked, voice filled with concern.

Midoriya was frozen, he wanted to speak but no words came out. This was a lot harder than he expected. He even went through what he was going to say beforehand in his dorm. Crap. His heart rate was picking up and his breathing quickened.

You could tell he was anxious and placed one of your hands in his. “Hey it’s ok, you can tell me anything.” You comforted him. “I’ll always be here for you.”

His features softened, “That’s what makes this so much harder,” he replied. He took a deep breath and tried to slow his rapid heart beat. He looked at the floor, too scared to look you in the eyes.

“I’m in love with you,” he confessed. He did it, he finally did it.

“You make me feel safe and happy. Your smile is beautiful and your laughter is contagious. I’ve never met someone like you. It’s like that song you sent me last week. My life was pretty boring and a little sad, but then I met you. You turned my broken melody into a symphony y/n.”

He couldn’t see your reaction but he felt your hand tighten its grip on his.

Now you were the one that was frozen. The two of you sat there for a minute in silence. He started to get worried. “Look, I get it if you don’t like me back, just, promise it won’t mess up what we have. Your friendship means too much to me to lose it.” He muttered.

You placed your hand on his chin and pulled his head to face you. Your faces were inches apart. You made sure to not take a pause in between what you were about to say, in fear that the first statement would give him a stroke. “I don’t like you, I love you.”

He didn’t know what came over him. Maybe it was the look of joy in your eyes. Maybe it was his blood filling with adrenaline. He didn’t know. He leaned forward and pecked you on the lips. The blush on his face only grew as he watched your eyes widen and cheeks turn red.

Only a few seconds after the first kiss, you leaned forward and matched his lips with yours. This kiss was nothing like the first one. The first one was an electric spark that filled you with happiness. The second kiss was more passionate and gentle. Although, it was a bit awkward at first and it took you guys a second to figure it out. But, pretty soon you both were in sync. You placed your hands on his neck and he reciprocated by placing his hands on your waist.

It felt like the world stopped spinning and it was only you two. You’ve waited for this moment for so long, since the culture festival to be exact. A moment where you were kissing the boy that you had fallen in love with and there wasn’t a care in the world.

The two of you pulled apart gasping for air. Your head was spinning. “I’ve wanted to do that for a long time,” you sighed with a smile. Izuku giggled in response.

The two of you stayed in your room and went to sleep in each other's embrace not long after. You felt so safe in his arms, like you belonged there.

The next morning you woke up the blaring sound of your alarm. You turned around and shoved izuku’s shoulder. “Yo, pretty boy wake up,” you mumbled, voice groggy from just waking up.

Eyes still closed he wrapped his arms around your middle and pulled you towards his chest. “Nooo, I don’t wanna wake up. I stayed up super late confessing my love to the most beautiful girl in the world.” He whispered in response.

Before last night you two flirted or responded with wiry remarks like it was normal Tuesday. But now, it felt different. It wasn’t coming from your best friend, it came from a boy who had stolen your heart, and you stole his.

“I mean it. If I have to wake up you have to wake up,” You returned. He smiled and opened his eyes, “Good morning princess.”

You chucked and leaned forward to peck him on the corner of his lips before getting out of bed. “If I were you I’d head back to your room so you don’t have to sit through detention and have to explain why you were late.”

“Yeah you’re right,” he walked towards the door. “See ya later y/n.”

“See ya.”

#izuku midoria x reader #midoriya izuku #mha oneshot #mha x reader #mha headcanons #mha #my hero academia #fluff #mha fluff

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sugarmaplewings-fics · 4 years

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Partners

Pairing: Bakugou x reader

Warnings: None

A/N:

Okay, so this one has a lot behind it. Technically, this is the first request I ever received (I’d say I got this one around late July?). It was 100% my intent to do all three characters, and it still is, but I got caught up in Bakugou’s and kind of konked on the other two. Also I realized how fricking long this was and thought it would be weird to have as a headcanon-y format.

I spent way too much time strategizing this (I remember literally laying in bed from like 2-4 AM rewatching episodes to get Bakugou’s fighting technique down and taking notes while also thinking about my new OC, who debuts here), but I honestly had the most fun writing this??? Like, I was high key using my brain for this and it was fun. Anyway, I hope it didn’t come out too cringey. If you want to talk to me about my OC, please please please come in my inbox, I am so happy to see you there!

I will finish this request! Sometime! When motivation re-strikes me! I’m about half-way done with Kirishima’s and I have a solid idea for Amajiki’s (different quirks).

I really hope you like this! This was new and experimental for me, and I’m pretty happy with how it turned out!

-Sugar

The class of 1-A stood in a small grouping, facing their teacher, All Might. They were preparing to begin their hero training for the day, anticipating for when the instructor would receive the go-ahead to begin class. Finally, All Might tapped a finger to the piece in his ear, a person on the other end offering confirmation that the grounds were ready.

"All right, young boys and girls," he said. "Today, we're doing some sparring practice in pairs. You will be graded on your tactic and skill."

He began to go over the general rules, which were the same as always; quirks are completely allowed, nothing dirty, he would interfere if he thought necessary. The objective was much like the sports festival where you needed to either immobilize your partner or push them out of bounds, yadda dadda da.

When he finally began listing off teams, you eagerly listened for your own last name to be read off his sheet.

"—Tokoyami and Shouji, (L/N) and Bakugou, Midoriya and—"

There it was! Your name! And a certain someone else's . . . .

Your eyes flicked around your assembled class, easily locating the blond spikes haphazardly sprouting from his head.

If it wasn't your sweet rival, Bakugou Katsuki.

The two of you were at the top of the class, constantly bumping heads on everything from test scores to hero training.

Oh, this is going to be good . . . .

You'd never fought one on one with quirks with each other before, and you already anticipated getting to know how your respective powers might clash. It wasn't as though the thought hadn't crossed your mind before—quite the opposite, in fact.

You felt considerably prepared for your mini battle with how much you'd watched him over the past months; learning his moves, how he thought, anything from what drove him forward to things that made him tick. You'd caught glimpses of Midoriya's hero notebook where he had information on all his classmates, and a part of you cockily doubted that you would even need something like that when it came to how well you knew your rival by now.

Nevertheless, you began to plot out strategies and stretch while you waited your turn, scenarios playing out in your head as you attempted to plan for any move he could try to pull against you.

Your quirk was called Panic. You could affect the fear response in someone's brain with high frequencies. Your signature attacks came from long, loud screams to make someone wet their pants, but you were also perfectly capable of making odd squeaky noises for a tasty sense of looming uneasiness in your opponent. You had learned some combat techniques, but for the most part you did better at long range; trying to immobilize the enemy enough to swoop in unexpected and secure them.

No one was wearing their hero costume, only in their gym uniforms. This would provide a slight disadvantage to you because you didn't have your directional speaker, but it wasn't the most necessary support item. You could function well enough without it.

Every now and then, you'd be knocked out of your meticulous scheming to watch some of your fellow classmates spar. There were a few pairs going at one time, but you were placed in one of the last sets, so you had the advantage of time to strategize. Eventually, however, you were called into one of the training rings, straightening and confidently adjusting your blue and white jacket.

You met Bakugou's fiery red eyes from across the way, teasingly waving at him and smirking. His gaze darted away from yours, stubbornly deciding to glue itself to the floor.

He wouldn't go easy on you. In fact, quite the contrary. You knew he'd give you everything he had and more, and you were more than prepared to do the same for him.

In a matter of minutes, your feet were planted in the loosely packed dirt of the training ring, several meters away from where Bakugou stood across from you, stretching out his arms. Your heart pounded in your chest as you waited for the signal to go, scraping the most important points you'd worked out earlier to the front of your brain.

After what felt like forever, the siren blared in your ears, causing you to tense, ready to begin your round with your explosive rival.

You shot towards him, wanting to get as close as possible. You expected he might try to stay away, keeping a distance so your quirk wouldn't affect him so much. Instead, he stood his ground, holding out his palms to you as you approached. Internally, you faltered, wondering what he was planning to do.

Nevertheless, you kept running forward, getting as close as you dared before drawing in a breath to scream and release your power. You noticed Bakugou flinch as sound began to leak from your throat, but he quickly fired off an explosion in your direction, drowning out the sound.

Of course! You internally smacked yourself. You relied on him being able to hear your screams in order for your quirk to affect him. He would have to use his explosions to drown out the sound.

Your mind began to spin, trying to formulate a new plan, when he began making an advance on you. Loud, crackling explosions danced off his hands, not horribly powerful, but boy, were they loud. You cringed at them, resisting the urge to cover your own ears to protect yourself from the noise. He kept coming closer, heat and smoke flickering over your face, causing you to take a step back, then another.

So that's his plan, you thought, taking another step in the direction of the boundary lines. He knows he can't really fight hand-to-hand, and there's no way either of us are going to admit defeat, so he's trying to push me out.

Your objective was to either knock him unconscious or chase him out of bounds, but this could be used to your favor if you timed it correctly.

Quirks are physical abilities too, you remembered hearing Midoriya say. Even Kacchan has his limits.

Push him to his limits. That's what you had to do.

You let him fire off blast after blast, keeping as far out of his reach as you could while leading him around the arena. He didn't have much choice but to keep going. If he stopped, you would be able to use your quirk on him, and you had a good chance of winning with one as powerful as yours. He simply had to keep a clear head and try to push you further towards the white boundary lines. Every now and then, he would lunge forward, trying to grab at you, and you would shriek at him, smirking as a moment of panic flashed across his face when the piercing noise slipped into his ears. This also served to make him all the angrier, lips curling into a snarl at your dominion over his emotions.

You made sure to keep your distance. You weren't wearing your hero costume, which would have helped in the sense that he wouldn't have been able to grab your mouth from under the directional speaker you wore over your mask, but you were grateful you didn't have to deal with his gauntlets.

You didn't like that he kept moving, and a small part of you was almost certain your fear and anxiety-inducing quirk would make his palms sweat even more, but there wasn't more you could pull against him. You just had to keep going until one of you exhausted yourself.

The smoke wasn't helping you. It scratched at your throat and stung your eyes. The scent of burning sugar filled the air, and you wondered how much more the both of you could take.

There it was, a wince from behind one of the black clouds, a falter in one of the fiery blasts. He was growing tired, but you knew from his expression of blank determination he wouldn't stop no matter what toll it took on his body. Anything for him to win, but you were the same way. Though he'd been focusing on the sound levels of his quirk rather than the force of each blow, it had still been taxing, and you knew that now was your chance.

The whole time, you'd been on the defensive, trying to save your voice and keep out of the way until this very moment, but now was the time of offense. You began to work the two of you over to the boundary lines, hoping to lull Bakugou into a false sense of security that he was getting you where he wanted.

Without warning, you leapt forward, going in to knock his feet from under him. If you got him on the ground, it would be easier for you to secure his hands and grab his head, which would ensure the win for you.

He snarled and leapt back. His reflexes were phenomenal, but in his moment of defense, he dropped from using his quirk. Bingo.

A deafening sliver of silence followed his motion, which you quickly filled with a piercing scream, one of the loudest you could muster.

His eyes widened and he stumbled, another explosion firing off as a flash of fear coursed through his body. You went for his feet again, and this time you wouldn't let up, pulsing high-pitched shriek after shriek to keep him on edge. He tried to keep on his toes, swinging at you almost blindly as you darted forward and dodged.

You'd learned that if you didn't do it enough, the fear and adrenaline of your enemy could work against you, heightening their senses and reflexes, and if you did it too much, your opponent might get used to your effect. Now, however, you knew to work quickly, forcing your influence into his head until he would struggle to think clearly, landing a good blow to his knees.

He crumpled forward, and you straddled yourself on top of him easily, taking his hands in one of yours behind his back and using the other to clutch at the base of his neck. You could feel his heart pounding underneath you, see his eyes rolling in his skull. The thought crossed your mind to pity him.

You loved your quirk, occasionally delighting in how easy it was to assert a certain amount of control over people. But you weren't a monster, and the idea of needlessly terrifying your classmates brought a curl to your lip in distaste. But this was your rival, Bakugou Katsuki. Maybe he deserved to be put in his place. Just a little.

You leaned forward and put your lips to his ear, letting out a final, high-frequency hum directly into his canal. You felt him seize up beneath you, hearing how his breathing changed as he tried to suck in breaths to calm himself. You wouldn't let up, however, and before long, you felt him go limp under your belly.

You stood after making sure he had slipped from consciousness, pride filling your chest. You'd done it. You'd won out over your rival.

You looked around and made eye contact with Cementoss, who had been monitoring your half of the fighting rings. He nodded at you approvingly and advanced to take Bakugou out of the ring.

You flounced back to the room where your classmates had been watching the sparring matches, allowing yourself to relish in the way everyone's eyes turned towards you.

"(L/N) shojo," All Might said. "Excellent job."

The silence of the class was cleared and everyone who was still in the room surged forward to congratulate you.

"You beat Bakugou!"

"That was amazing!"

"You really did it!"

Once everyone had settled, you excused yourself to go to the locker rooms.

On your way, you ran into Bakugou, who had since woken up from the little nap you'd forced him into.

"Oi, Bakugou," you said, the sound of your voice causing his blond head to whip around. You approached him and stuck out a hand. "Good match."

He glared at your hand and smacked it away. Why did his reaction kind of . . . hurt?

"Shut up!" he yelled. "Next time, you won't—you won't beat me so easily, mouse." He nearly choked when he had to admit that you had won against him.

"Still calling me a mouse?" you asked, tilting your head and smirking.

"You still squeak like one," he grumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Don't think I'm done with you. You might have won today, but don't get used to it."

"Oh, I think I just might," you said cockily, breezing past him to slip into the girls' locker room door.

Bakugou growled at your disappearing back. What the hell was wrong with you? More importantly, what the hell was wrong with him?

He gripped at the back of his neck where you'd grabbed him, shivering at the memory of the sensation of your lips to his ear.

He had to snap out of it. You were his enemy. The only place you should have in his mind were in thoughts of how to overcome you, how to pound you into the ground until he came out on top above you.

And yet you wouldn't leave his head, and he found his eyes chasing your form nearly every day he saw you.

Bakugou snarled to himself, snapping him out of these thoughts and pushing himself from the locker room entrances. He would find a way to beat you. He wouldn't stop until he figured out a way to do it.

He wouldn't rest until he sorted out these feelings too, whatever they were.

Bakugou's black boots clicked on the floor as he exited the building. This was only the beginning of your saga together, and the two of you refused to enter passively.

*✲ﾟ*｡⋆♡⁎*✲ﾟ*｡⋆♡

Taglist: @basicaegyo @iiminibattlehero @katsugay @nabo39 @pyrofanatic @sendhelpimstupid @sokkasangel @xoxopam4

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sukiglycerin · 3 years

Text

call it fate (or a christmas miracle) || katsuki bakugou.

* pairing: bodyguard!katsuki bakugou x earthbending quirk!reader (gender neutral!)

* genre: bodyguard!au, fluff, some angst, fake dating, aNd thEre wAs OnE bEd

* words: 10.3k (help)

* warnings: swearing bc bakugou, too much backstory, idk what bodyguards even do, there’s a fight scene (in a similar lieu to the sports festival arc), hunter x hunter? no this is tsundere x tsundere, i want to hug bakugou, yes i imagine mr. tanaka to be the tanaka from kuroshitsuji, christmas is a very minor aspect of the story (but the title was too good to resist)

* original request from @apexqueenie: Hnnnnnnnnnnnngh can I get a Bodygaurd Bakuboi x bratty reader who don’t like to be watched like a hawk cuz she wants to do fun things pretty please? // and from anonymous: if it's ok, can I request Bakugou with a reader who has a quirk like earth bending please? // and from @killkurzyackerman: ÒWÓ UR REQS ARE OPEN can u do a bakubabe with like lil sassy bad bitch vibe reader bc ive seen a lot of fics that sorta like softie or angel type and no offense theyre great but ya know sumthn diff this time please

* a/n: this is a very long fic, to say the least. i combined these three requests! though reader’s quirk doesn’t appear often, it conveys my thoughts on how bakugou would go about with that quirk. moreover, i hope this reader is badass? i realize that that characterization is quite hard for me. so, i hope you don’t see reader as super soft! i made them fight back against bakugou (literally, too) and kinda bratty hehe. i got to explore a lot of new things with this fic, so i hope they reach you well. this is a repost because it originally did not show up in the tags!

* synopsis: things had gotten boring with bakugou as your bodyguard. it was only until an interesting proposal by the man that things would change. well, maybe a little too much would change...

you, to be quite simple and honest, were getting tired of katsuki bakugou. he'd been your bodyguard for years (years! much longer than any other you'd hired!) and he was getting boring. dull. plain. any synonymous word would fit. he was boring like a 24 hour session of watching paint dry, monotone like a professor’s droning that never failed to put you to sleep. (perhaps he was even more spiritless than professor sato at the academy. he caught you sleeping no less than thirteen times in his class. the number didn’t even account for the times he didn’t catch you.)

to the untrained eye, katsuki bakugou is vibrant. he's aggressive, unruly, and ruggedly charming (somehow). he's a wonder in a suit-and-tie and the epitome of an oxymoron with his harsh words, rough hands, and crisp suit. it was that very reason you’d hired him; his personality excited you. it seemed unpredictable and it was a challenge.

like all other challenges, bakugou was not impossible. once the challenge was overcome, time flow was stagnant; you watched the ticking of a clock as the day passed by you. you’d gotten used to him and he’d gotten used to you. these days, he watched you like a hawk. you could never slip past those sharp eyes anymore, no matter what you did. he was not fazed by any of your antics (ticked off mildly, sure, but he could live with it).

“leave me alooooone,” you whined for the fourth time in an hour as you exited a mall. bakugou's hands were full of shopping bags filled with everything from clothing to the latest technological invention. you weren’t sure how he was supposed to protect you in that condition. though, to be candid - in the first place, you didn’t need protection. you attended a private institution designed to maximize the use of your quirk as a child and graduated with absolutely flying colors. on top, you’d taken various martial arts outside of school. you didn’t know why your parents were still concerned about your wellbeing. you handled it fine. around 99.9% of the time, you could easily beat your bodyguard in a fair fight. it was a regular practice for you; so common that there was a reward if a bodyguard could last longer than six months working for you. not that any of them liked to be called bodyguards.

“sweetheart, i would if i could,” bakugou gritted through his teeth. “pay’s too good to- goddamn, what did you even buy?” he’d stopped behind you to adjust his grip on one of the bags.

you hummed pleasantly, continuing at your same, leisurely pace. his question was a rhetoric; he watched you buy everything with your black credit card. you watched as a car pulled up in front of you.

“there’s our ride,” you said, brushing bakugou’s shoulder as you stepped into the car. he grunted in response, loading the car with your purchases.

“fight me with your quirk when we get home,” you said during the ride. “you have, what, a boom boom quirk?”

he made a noise in his throat, voice hard. “my quirk’s explosions. nitroglycerin.”

“dangerous,” you said through a smile. he’d never used his quirk around you, but you were already starting to see possibilities of strategies you could use.

“so says the master earthbender,” he retorted sarcastically.

you clicked your tongue. “we’ll see who wins in the fight, explodo-boy.”

“finally brave enough to challenge me, eh?"

“i was always this brave.”

“oh, give it up already, bakugou!” you directed another wall of rocky terrain toward bakugou, who blew up the land and sent rocks flying. his stance was hunched slightly, forehead matted with sweat. the sleeves of his white shirt were rolled up to his elbows, coat long abandoned on the rugged terrain.

“tired already?” he snarled. he put his hands together, preparing for a bigger explosion. you didn’t let him have this opportunity, slinging a large rock to absorb the impact of the explosion. he dodged swiftly, to your disappointment, but his attack seemed to be subdued.

you used his delayed reaction time to try to trap him with terrain under his feet, but he was somehow a step ahead of you. you heard a popping noise; bakugou was propelled through the air, your rocks blasted already and a cloud of dust forming. you cussed under your breath, already moving yourself away from his estimated landing spot that was too close to you.

he sent crackling explosions to the bottoms of your feet, but you easily dodged them. you created a temporary platform of elevated ground to protect yourself from the small explosions, jumping off it and rolling away. he was already aiming a larger blast toward you, presumably expecting your escape route. you figured it’d be a directed blast to pierce through a wall. you knew that the explosion would be unavoidable. to counter, you created a line of walls resembling dominos. they acted as stairsteps; you quickly ran up to the highest you could conjure in the short time you had before bakugou hit them. you grabbed the closest piece of rock that you could and leapt as bakugou’s blast made contact with your steps, chucking the rock at him and aiming to kick him when you landed. you knew he had no power to counter, being unable to react quickly due to the powerful nature of the blast he’d conjured.

you were about to win when the door to the training facility opened. you froze, literally, in midair and frowned, turning to look at the intruder.

“fighting, young-?” one of the butlers, tanaka, said. he was an elderly man with a gentle voice, but his eyes always seemed to glint with a clandestine humour in it.

“you can call me by my first name. please put me down, tanaka,” you said, no malice in your voice. he nodded, and you softly landed on your feet next to bakugou. you’d known tanaka for far too long for him to use honorifics with you. he’d practically raised you as a child.

“you haven’t fought in a while,” tanaka commented. he conjured a water bottle (you never knew how he had the right things for the right occasions) and walked toward you.

you made a noise of acknowledgement. “and it seems i was just about to win.”

he smiled tenderly. “i’m sure.” he handed you the water bottle, which upon further inspection, you saw was ice cold.

“thank you,” you said, gingerly accepting the beverage. the water flowed soothingly down your throat, easing the aching that had formed due to all the dust you’d kicked up in the fight.

“mr. bakugou?” tanaka asked, offering another water bottle (seriously, where did he get that?).

“thanks,” bakugou took the bottle. he drank feverishly, quickly finishing the bottle in what must’ve been two seconds flat. so undignified.

“y/n, you have an appointment in 15 minutes with-” tanaka said as you capped your water bottle.

“oh, yeah,” you said, waving off the matter. “i got it.”

you brushed off the dust on your clothes and started toward the exit. bakugou was quick to follow you, nodding politely to tanaka.

bakugou stood outside the door during the meeting you had with your father. you were not a minute too late or too early when you stepped into your father’s office, freshened up and dressed in clean attire, the dusty clothing from your fight with bakugou long discarded. the smell of leather and mint enveloped you, reminding you of the days you’d play in your father’s office in your youth. the room was always dim, the light on your father’s desk being the brightest object in the vicinity when the curtains were pulled down. when you were younger, you liked to pretend the room was made of chocolate, as the color was so dominant on the interior. your father was not pleased to find five-year-old you trying to bite the corner of his desk, to say the least.

the sight of his office was ever-so familiar to you, and once held a feeling of endearment in your heart. that was then; now, you only ever entered the room for a business-related matter. your face was blank, lips held in a thin line - you anticipated the topic of the meeting since your father first scheduled it a week ago. it, quite frankly, was inevitable; you could be neither opposed nor favorably disposed to it.

“i’ve found a compatible match for you, y/n.” your father sat at his desk, eyes intensely trained on you. “they’re from a well-off family with a strong quirk.”

compatible. it didn’t mean they got along with you or would be a good partner; no, it meant that they matched the superficial criteria set by your family.

“yes, father,” you said indifferently. he nodded, as if already expecting the answer.

“you’ll meet them soon. we’re arranging the date,” he folded his hands on the desk. “tanaka will alert you of it when it’s finalized. that is all.”

you nodded, taking your cue to leave. giving the room one last glance, you started to push the door open, then paused. door halfway open, allowing outside light to stream into the dark room, you looked back at your father. it was now or never to ask, you guessed.

“father… we wouldn’t happen to be having a family gathering anytime soon, would we? for new years or anything...” you hadn’t had any in the recent years, but you’d figured you’d ask. the scent of homemade food and the comforting chatter of the gatherings always made your heart swell.

he grunted, not looking up from the papers he shuffled around in his hands. “no.”

“ah. okay,” you said, sighing quietly. you knew better than to get your hopes up for such things. you turned back to the light, where bakugou was awaiting you, and shut the door behind you with a thud.

you walked in silence.

“so, no plans for the holidays?” bakugou asked bluntly.

“eavesdropping, i see,” you deadpanned.

“shouldn’t’ve had the conversation in front of the whole damn world.”

you rolled your eyes. “what about it?” you asked. “my lack of plans, i mean.”

“well-” he coughed awkwardly into his sleeve, averting his eyes. “that old hag- my, uh, mom, somehow got under the impression that i’m no longer… single. probably because of my profession - she thinks it’s ridden with scandals like a damn drama - but, uh… she’s expecting me to bring… company home for our christmas dinner…. and i can’t ask any of my friends, ‘cause she knows them… i wouldn’t damn ask you if i had no other option…”

“thanks,” you interjected. you held your tongue from making a comment about how little friends he probably had. “anyway, why don’t you tell her no?”

he slouched. “have you met her?” he grumbled. “the hag won’t listen to me. trust me, i would’ve, but… you can’t refuse her, once her mind is set on something… she’s too stubborn for her damn good.”

“like you,” you remarked, earning a small shove from the man.

“pl-” he choked, “pl - ah, fuck - please can you go to the dinner with me? it’s just for a night and morning, i need you to fake being my date. i can tell her we broke up later or whatever, i just really need…”

your lip curled. a desperate bakugou was a rare sight, and you wanted to relish in it for as long as you could. you feigned further consideration.

“but there’s so much i would rather be doing…” you whined. it was a lie. all you wanted was some variation in your life; a dinner didn't sound too bad. perhaps there was a dark secret within the bakugou family you could exploit.

“like what, wasting money?” bakugou muttered bitterly under his breath. you shot him a dirty look.

“fine, please?” he asked again. “there’ll be some damn good food… and, uh…” you tapped your foot with false impatience.

he cussed under his breath. “i’ll do whatever you want, damnit, just go with me! please!”

you cocked an eyebrow. “whatever i want?”

“yes, for a day,” he groused. “only a day.”

“alright!” you pumped your fist up. your father’s business training came in handy sometimes. “when’s the dinner?”

“this weekend,” bakugou said. “we also need to, uh, figure out how to act more… coupley.”

“...right,” you said. business class had not prepared you for that. “how the fuck do we do that?”

as it turned out, you two were not the best pair to fake a relationship. neither of you had actually been in a relationship prior to this. you didn’t really have time to date on top of your studies and such; you didn’t need to, anyway, because all of the people who were romantically interested in you bored you. their personality traits either consisted of rich or doormat. as for bakugou - well, he was bakugou. you couldn’t see anyone wanting to date that brute.

“i’ll pay,” you said upon entering a cafe. it was a big cafe, nestled in the midst of an even bigger mall. your tone was firm; there’d be no way bakugou would be paying. you looked up at the menu and said to him, “the usual?”

he was silent for a moment, and you almost thought he hadn’t heard you. he cleared his throat. “uh, yeah, sure. the usual.” weird.

you ordered yourself a drink and bakugou his usual order, a decaf iced caramel macchiato with light ice. he looked at you with a strange emotion on his face when you handed him his drink.you practically shoved it in his hands while he was too starstruck about god-knows-what.

the two of you settled at a booth (“table,” bakugou had argued. you eventually won the debate).

“so… trivia about each other, right?” you asked. “i guess we’ve got to get to know each other more.” he nodded. “well, first, you need to stop being so quiet. right now, you’re not my bodyguard or anything. we’re, uh…. dating. we’re partners. datemates. lovers.”

he choked on his drink at the word “lovers.” he sputtered, then gained composure. “yeah.”

“okay, i need to you to be more casual.”

“tch, who said i’m not casual right now?!” there it was; this was the bakugou you’d known when you first met him. he was awkward and amateur-ish, stumbling on his words and failing miserably at being polite. it was a fond memory. overtime, he’d obviously polished himself up (but only in the presence of you and your family).

“that’s more like it,” you said.

“tch.” he sipped his coffee, unrelenting to admit that you’d won.

“well, let’s cover basic facts. your birthday is april 20 and you like spicy food.”

he coughed again, setting his drink down. “yeah.”

“are you okay? d’you need water, or something? are the lights in here too bright?”

he shook his head, eyes still dazed with a certain unclarity. “‘m fine, idiot.”

you weren’t convinced. “...whatever you say.”

he took another sip, closing his eyes then continuing as normal. normal, in the standards of bakugou, of course. “i-i think i know damn well enough about you. don’t need to prove shit,” he grumbled the last bit.

“a little bit too well,” you muttered saltily. “well, this is a learning experience for me, take it or leave it. we need to get along at the dinner, don’t we?” you drummed your fingers on the table, eyes darting around at the cafe. the decor was pretty.

he made a grievance under his breath, but nodded. “there’s my dad and my mom - the old hag - and me. i’m an only child.” figures. he continued, “they both work in fashion… yeah… my dad’s more quiet than my mom, she’s loud… apparently we’re a lot alike - don’t comment - but yeah, she’s my mom. they live in shizuoka, and it’ll be just them at the dinner. you’ll need to stay overnight...”

“seems… intimate,” you commented offhandedly.

he whistled. “you think?”

the gears in your head turned as you stared into the space over bakugou's shoulder at a large poster of some featured drink. it was all small talk to you, but you saw this meeting for what it was. an opportunity. it was your break from the uniform days plaguing you for the past week's - he wouldn’t need to watch over you, now your fake lover. lovers were equal.

love - what was love? you didn’t know, but it didn’t matter. feigned or not, it was different. couples were moody, from what you could gather. one day they’d be hanging off each other’s limbs, and the next, they were bickering their heads off. it sounded fun, to be a couple with bakugou rather than his employer. you could say goodbye to normalcy and tedium.

you felt your lips turn into a smile as a plan developed in your mind, tapping the table at an increasingly faster tempo. who cared about the dinner? you were a fake couple! you could break away from the norm and find the things that made bakugou tick. you could gain a one-up over him. you could pick his personality apart piece by piece until it broke the monotony of daily life. you watched bakugou’s expression grow puzzled and frustrated. you pretended to be deep in thought, aware that bakugou was opening his mouth to make a snarky comment presumably about how the smile on your face was getting unnerving to him.

you didn’t let him speak, instead cupping your face in your hands and leaning in towards him. “how do you think we should become more intimate, kat-su-ki?”

you think you got soft over the years. when you first met bakugou, he was a rough little thing. being the same age as you, he was far less qualified compared to the other candidates to be your bodyguard. he looked out of place in his suit identical to everyone else. call it fate, or what you will, beckoning you towards him. when you first met him, you could’ve never imagined how far into the future you’d be stuck with the boy. all of the bodyguards you’d hired prior to bakugou’s appearance in your life didn’t last long. it wasn’t their fault; no, no, they were very competent. extremely competent - to the point it was boring, scrutinized under their meticulous gaze. you could do absolutely nothing under their watch, and where was the fun in that?

so, long story short, you hired bakugou for his incompetence. you’d low expectations for how long he’d last. you were surprised he could even put on a tie properly. from the way his hair spiked in every which way (“undignified!” your father had complained to you) and how his feet shuffled against the nice, newly polished cherry wood floors (“the scuff marks…”), bakugou was far from the epitome of a bodyguard. he couldn’t sit still and constantly made weird crackling noises (which you later learned were small explosions, not the concerningly incessant crack of his knuckles). the cherry on top to the disaster pie called bakugou, however, was his speech. he was polite, at face value, but also incredibly rough at face value. if you transcribed his words down, they’d be all standard formalities. it was the quirky way in which he presented his words; gritted out like somehow had forced him into this job. actually, scratch that, it was like this job was the be-all or end-all of his life. he was like an extremely tsundere shounen protagonist. he needed to win (“win what?” your father had laughed in disbelief) and be the very best. you'd… appreciate the sentiment more if you were his mentor in becoming a pokemon trainer.

of all the things bakugou was at the time, he was not a stoic old man nor a cold, indifferent boy who looked down on you snottily; he got the job. much to your father’s chagrin, of course. you’re pretty sure he had a backup bodyguard during the first month or so of bakugou’s employment, in case bakugou dropped out mysteriously for any reason.

surprisingly, bakugou was competent, but not infuriatingly so. he had snark, and under any other employer he would’ve been fired in the first week. he did his job, and that was all. it was fun to tick him off, too, and so easy. it was - dare you say it? - cute. you wanted to watch him fall apart and leave, as so many others had. you waited for the day he’d get used to you or vice versa, when you’d wake up with nothing to look forward to. in the end, no one ever stayed with you. you could usually figure that out within the first week of a bodyguard’s services.

these days, you started feeling that way. bakugou was just becoming everyone else you’d ever hired. he was becoming everyone else. for some reason, though, you still clasped onto the thread of hope that maybe he was different, and that led you down a series of events trying to convince yourself he was different.

at the same time, you told yourself he was like everyone else. did you want him to stay or not? you didn’t know anymore. maybe fate would spin something good out of this, or maybe he would. you didn’t want it in your hands anymore.

being flirty was definitely not the best route of plan, but man, it was efficient. what better way to fake being a couple than organically develop that relationship? that was your bullshit reasoning to the logical part of yourself (when it was obviously far from the truth).

yeah, it was definitely not the best plan. you bored of it quite quickly, but couldn’t shake off the lasting feeling of fluttering in your stomach. you supposed it was because it was the most reaction you’d gotten from bakugou in months. you’d never seen him so disgruntled.

he was very, very blushy. you didn’t know how you hadn’t learned of it earlier. his cheeks were dusted strawberry red, matching the hue on the tips of his ears. ah, tsundere bakugou had returned for a short period of time. you wished you could've taken a picture of him.

you tapped the tip of his nose and he hissed at you, cheeks darkening a shade.

“a boop?” he scoffed indignantly in disbelief. “who calls it that? a five year old?” but you could tell that he really enjoyed it on the inside.

“what- what are you playing at, dumbass?” he swatted your hand when you tried to boop him again.

“c’mon, couples need to do coupley things, katsuki,” you cooed. “like overly affectionate pda~”

you didn’t know someone could get so red.

“since when did you call me by my first name?” he grumbled, unable to form any other type of response.

“since we started ‘dating,’” you teased back, realizing that watching bakugou become more and more uncomposed was more fun than you’d expected. he'd never become so open around you; after all, you'd had a strictly professional relationship prior, so bakugou never expressed any hint of a personality other than his behavior when he was first hired. it was a good change, in your eyes.

then, as you did of most things, you bored of it. sure, flustering bakugou was fun because he was so outwardly tsundere, but your attention span was short. he was already starting to recollect himself in record time, face cooling from a startling scarlet to pink and remarks becoming increasingly cohesive.

you're not even sure if he was aware of your gaze resting upon him as you half-assed responses and watched the gears in his head furiously turn. when he got real worked up, he pouted when speaking and occasionally slurred words together. his eyes tended to veer away when he thought of a response and he always got fidgety.

eventually, you stopped teasing him. by this time, the ice in his drink had already melted and you were dangerously close to kissing him on the cheek (it was an impulse thing! you were not catching feelings!).

if there was one thing you learned, it was this: bakugou was truly a sight in his emotional state, though you could argue his unassuming state was equally, if not more breathtaking.

you noticed it as morning light illuminated him through the window of your room, hitting the silky fabric of your bedsheets around him. he was reading some book, dressed in comfortable attire that felt oddly domestic. maybe it'd be the most casual you'd ever see bakugou.

the thought struck a chord in you, making you wonder what'd happen after the dinner. it'd be awkward, for sure. it dawned on you that these moments with katsuki would vanish and things would go back to normal. they'd disappear into thin air, like nothing had ever happened. you weren't well educated in horology, but you were pretty sure that the time you'd spent with him would vanish as well, not to be spoken of or referenced ever again. time would keep trudging forward and you'd only be able to stare back as it disappeared on the horizon line.

you wanted to grasp the time that flooded your hands, encase the moment in glass and hold it in your palm forever.

"oi, idiot, what are you staring at?" and maybe it was the first time you truly heard bakugou's voice. it was rough on the edges with a soft core, you realized. maybe, after these couple of days, bakugou had started to care for you.

"nothing, stupid," you mumbled, returning your attention to your phone, but you couldn't shake off the newfound feeling that holed up in your heart. bakugou didn't care about you, you told yourself. you had a strictly professional relationship with him, and that was only broken for the time being because he needed a favour.

right. this was all for a favor.

nights spent testing each other on the most miniscule of facts and afternoons spent telling each other stories about each other - it was all nothing. it wasn't a big deal, you repeated to yourself.

still, you couldn't help but to look back up at bakugou and let your imagination run. he wore a black shirt and sweatpants, a complete 180 turn from the typical three piece suit he normally wore. maybe this is what he'd look like in the mornings if you were a proper couple, not client and bodyguard - maybe in another universe. you could imagine his bedhead, hair all messy and eyes still worn with sleep, vastly different from the professional persona he had around you. you'd wake up inhaling the scent of caramel and feeling his warmth surround you, feeling secure merely in his embrace. it'd be him and you in your own little bubble, unperturbed by the entire world.

wait, caramel? you wondered. where did that come from?

"you're staring again, dumbass," bakugou grunted, not looking up from his book.

"zoned out on the blandest thing i saw, sorry," you replied.

you sat in silence like that for a while. you weren't not exactly sure how it was bonding time for the dinner (were you sharing telepathic waves?), but it was comfortable like a fluffy comforter on a frigid winter day. it felt secure, like a home you never had in your own bedroom. every now and then there was the sound of a page turning from bakugou and a tap on your phone from you, and things never felt so normal. it was too short an eternity for you; before you knew it, you had some event to attend to for your father, solely there for the image of his company.

you didn't see the bittersweet look on bakugou's face as he watched you leave, or how he hadn't even finished a chapter of his book during the hours he'd sat with you. as his eyes followed your disappearing silhouette, bakugou wondered if he'd ever be able to see you like that again.

a foreign giddy feeling filled your chest as you got ready for the dinner with bakugou’s parents. you’d brought a bag for light travel packed with essentials (pyjamas, toothbrushes, and things like that), having planned ahead. you were typically indifferent to gatherings of any kind, having attended so many for your father. besides, this was a favor for bakugou. you weren’t sure why you were being so indecisive choosing an outfit for the dinner, or why your heart felt light as a feather, fluttering about in your rib cage boundless. this was no big deal, you told yourself. it’d only be bakugou and his parents; you’d spoken at gatherings of far more people with less nerves. you penned it down to only being excited for the food which was so coveted by bakugou. his mother, mitsuki, was apparently an outstanding cook (bakugou was apparently good as well), and you had to admit, you missed the heartening scent of homemade dishes. her specialty was spicy curry - your mouth watered at the thought.

yes, you reassured yourself as you walked out of the door and met the fresh, winter air outside, you were only in it for the food. you had an abnormally fast heart rate and a spring to your step (as noted by bakugou) solely for the food.

shizuoka prefecture was two hours away from your hometown, tokyo, and you forced bakugou to drive. the trip didn’t really feel like two hours, anyway, in your opinion. according to bakugou, that was only because you were sleeping the majority of the time and he was stuck with the dull task of driving and only the low hum of the radio to entertain him.

“well, this is it,” you said to bakugou, approaching his parents’ home, bag in hand. it looked quite elegant on the outside, snow thinly blanketing the well-kept greenery in the front. you turned to look at him. his suit looked nicer than usual, on full display because he refused to wear a coat despite the frigid air biting at any bit of bare skin unsheathed on your body. (“just the perks of having a great quirk like mine,” he’d said. you punched his shoulder.) you huddled closer into the warm padding of your coat, watching your white breath dissipate in the air.

“it is,” he belatedly said. his face was atypically solemn, eyes downcast and seemingly lost in thought. you didn’t comment on it. something about the nippy winter air numbed the atmosphere, as if all warmth had subsided only to your coat.

“do i look alright?” you asked him, trying to wipe away any last bits of drool you might’ve had on the corner of your mouth.

“yeah. you look… really nice,” he commented quietly. you didn’t mention that your bulky coat was covering the entirety of your attire. a heavy silence fell over the two of you.

anyway, the mood was quickly relieved by the presence of mitsuki bakugou, who greeted the pair of you at the door with her husband, masaru. bakugou really was a spitting image of his mother, sharing the same spiked blond hair and annoyingly clear skin with her. they also had similarly loud personalities, you observed later on. they’d often bicker with no real malicious intent. they were both much different compared to bakugou’s father, masaru, who was a gentle, soft-spoken man with brown hair and glasses.

mitsuki met you with enthusiasm, eagerly asking you questions about yourself and your relationship with bakugou. it was strange to see bakugou so quiet; though, at some points in the conversation, he looked like he was going to be sick. you didn’t have time to ask him about it, occupied by his mother’s unending but well-meaning questions. you’d expected to fib for most of them, but the truth easily slipped from your tongue. even compliments about him were half-truths.

"when we first met, he was like a fish out of water!" you recounted to mitsuki. "he stumbled on his words and my father didn't approve of him as my bodyguard. but, i pushed through, and here we are! right, katsuki?"

"r-right," he coughed, unable to look you in the eye and fidgeting nervously.

"it amazed me, too," mitsuki admitted. "i'd never seen our katsuki looking so polished before - it used to be a trouble getting him to even wake up at a decent time." she smiled at you. "you've brought a blessing on him."

bakugou cleared his throat. "don't talk about me like i'm not here," he grumbled.

"oh, katsuki," mitsuki cooed, pinching bakugou's cheek. "masaru, let's prepare dinner." she looked at you and bakugou. "the two of you don't need to worry about a thing - oh, you still have your bags! i’ll put them in katsuki’s room."

upon the absence of bakugou’s parents, the two of you sat beside each other without a word.

“are you… feeling alright?” you asked suddenly, breaking the silence. “you don’t look so well.”

“fine,” he grunted. “i’m fine.”

“are you sure?” you teased in an attempt to lighten the mood. “not nervous meeting the parents?”

he cracked a small smile, but his fingers still nudged each other in his lap. you touched his shoulder, first in an attempt to comfort him, but soon realized that he was very toasty. you scooted towards him; he stared at you with an surprised, indecipherable expression. you linked his arm with yours and leaned into him, inhaling his cologne and bathing in his warmth.

“what?” you mumbled. “you’re warm.” you intertwined his fingers with yours. “warm,” you happily cooed, eyes slipping shut.

“jesus christ,” bakugou hissed. “you’re freezing. is it humanly possible for your hands to be this cold?” his other hand enveloped your hand (still being held by his), rubbing his thumb soothingly on the heel of your palm. a bubble of warmth fizzed inside you, heart effervescing like a carbonated beverage. he held you long after your hand had passed room temperature, and you sensed that maybe the fuzzy feeling jittering about you wasn’t his quirk. it was like some sort of low fire, crackling deep within you. you hadn’t much time to dwell on the thought when your eyes jolted open, smelling really, really good food wafting from somewhere near.

“look at the lovebugs,” you heard mitsuki murmur, standing in the doorway connecting the kitchen to the living room leaning on her husband. “dinner’s ready,” she softly said upon noticing your eyes on her.

your eyes widened, looking down at the hand entwined in yours, and you look at the man next to you. bakugou was sound asleep, tranquil slumber having sheathed itself around him. his head leaned against the top of the couch, mouth slightly agape and chest falling rhythmically.

“hey,” you whispered. reluctant to let go of his hand, you used your opposite hand to tap his shoulder lightly. “hey, sleepyhead.”

bakugou groaned, eyes still closed and body unmoving. “five… more… minutes…”

“sure,” you said easier than you expected. you immediately let go of the man’s hand (he reached out toward you blindly at this) and stood up. “i’ll just eat all of that food you've been looking forward to by myself…” mitsuki and masaru looked at you fondly.

“nice try, dumbass,” he said gruffly, standing up and putting a hand on your shoulder. his eyes were lidded with torpor and his voice was an octave deeper. it sent shivers down your spine - you hadn’t ever heard his voice like that - and a part of you wanted to hear it again. sadly, the effects of sleep passed him quite quickly; by the time he’d said “let’s eat, dumbass,” and made his way to the dining room, his voice was back to normal.

dinner consisted of scrumptious-looking (and tasting!) chicken katsu, curry, and even more conversation. your mouth watered as you spooned yourself the perfect ratio of rice, curry, and chicken in one bite. you politely raved to bakugou’s mother about her heavenly cooking, and bakugou never looked so proud or embarrassed in his life. masaru discussed fashion with you, mitsuki occasionally chiming in and offering to show you pictures of young bakugou modelling. you courteously declined for the fear of bakugou’s face getting any redder than it was already.

“y’know, katsuki really wanted to be a pro-hero when he was younger,” mitsuki reminisced. “he even was accepted at that really prestigious hero school, ua.”

you looked at bakugou with questioning eyes, and he shook his head dismissively, hesitant to the topic. you wondered what he was doing here, as your bodyguard, rather than the hero he aspired to be. it wasn’t like he’d be unable to become a sidekick once out of ua, so what happened…?

at the end, you seemed to have gotten the approval of mitsuki and masaru. your heart twisted in pain realizing who you were and why you were here; this was asked of you, nothing real. you pushed the thought away, returning to the dining room after washing your hands.

“oh, my!” mitsuki exclaimed as you entered the dining room. “it’s getting late.” she turned to you. “we don’t have a guest bedroom, so you’ll have to share a room with katsuki, if that’s alright?”

you looked to bakugou, who seemed lost in his own thoughts. “sure, i don’t mind,” you replied.

“i’m sure you’d love to see bakugou’s childhood room.” this brought bakugou abruptly to his senses; his eyes rounded, face looking like a deer caught in headlights.

a smile tweaked your lips. “i’d love to.”

you didn’t know what you were expecting when mitsuki opened the door to bakugou’s room. certainly, though, you were not expecting this. his room was decorated from head to toe with all might merchandise, carefully collected through the years. it could’ve been worse, you admitted to yourself, but bakugou’s interest in all might surprised you. the level of admiration bakugou had for the former symbol of peace was clear, plastered on the wall posters and figurines which dotted his bookshelves.

“of course,” misuki said, “this is all really from his middle school days. he had to move to a dormitory system in high school, and i’m afraid he didn’t take much along with him…”

you tilted your head at bakugou, who’d taken particular interest in the ground with his hand sheepishly on the back of his neck.

“it’s cute,” you reassured him gently.

“though katsuki’s bed is pretty big, we could pull out a futon if you’d like…”

“it’s alright.” shit. why did you say that? noting the bewilderment on bakugou’s face, you added, “we are dating and all…” you mentally smacked yourself for assuming bakugou would be comfortable sleeping in the same bed as you. “yeah,” bakugou said, much to your shock.

“that settles it!” mitsuki smiled. she winked. “don’t stay up too late.”

after mitsuki and masaru bade you goodnight and closed the door behind them, you were left alone with bakugou.

“hey, is that a picture of you?” after looking around the room, your eyes fell on a framed photo sitting on bakugou’s dresser. you reached for it, recognizing a familiar spiky haired blonde boy proudly holding a trophy.

“wait-” the frame was already held in your hands.

“aw, you were such a cute kid.” you teased, “can’t say the same about now.”

he huffed, ears reddening. “there’s a photo album on the bookshelf,” he mumbled, pointing to a thick looking book on his bookshelf. you eagerly plucked it from the shelf, holding it like a precious treasure in your two hands. he shoved his hands into his pockets and rested his chin on your shoulder, watching you open the photo album.

the first photo was a baby photo, of course, and you could feel that it was taking every part of bakugou not to rip the book from your hands and scorch it all out of embarrassment. the first few pages were those of baby bakugou, eating food with his hands or playing with his parents. as the book progressed, you watched him develop a quirk (blowing up a vase) and become interested in pro-heroes (clutching an all might doll to his chest with a big smile on his face). the photos became more scarce as bakugou grew, but he seemed to grow happier. paging through photos of him in high school, the man’s gaze seemed to grow softer and fonder. his high school pictures consisted of him either standing in front of the famous ua or making an indifferent face with a group of his friends, who looked vaguely familiar from somewhere. upon further inspection, it dawned on you. you could recognize them all - they were young versions of the pro-heroes red riot, pinky, chargebolt, and cellophane. they regularly appeared on your newsfeed for one heroic deed or another, so it came no surprise to you that they attended the famed ua high.

as for bakugou, though? you couldn’t understand what he was doing there, or rather, here. if he graduated ua, he’d be right on track to become a pro-hero, not a bodyguard.

bakugou already sensed your revelation, shutting the book and putting it down. sitting on the bed, he squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“i know what you’re thinking,” he stated. he took a shaky breath. “i’m- i’m not ready to talk about it.”

“okay,” you replied. “i think… we should get some sleep. you have to drive back tomorrow.”

he snorted. “me?”

you nodded like it was a given.

the night was long, dragging in the same manner that you’d trudge through deep snow with weights on your ankles. it wasn’t that bakugou’s old bed was uncomfortable; it was surprisingly plush. you laid awake, though, as the clock ticked by and the house went silent. you felt as stiff as a wooden board, staring at the dark ceiling and thinking about everything and nothing.

your thoughts first strayed to bakugou’s childhood, and how he’d seemed the poster child for an aspiring pro-hero. how could he have given that up? he had friends, dreams, and a path open to his aspirations. yet somehow his life had deviated into this, pretending to date you for his parents’ sake.

it felt strange to lay in his bed in his parents’ house and not to really call him yours. not that you wanted to call him yours outside of this scenario. definitely not. it was just the guilt gnawing at you that impaired your proper judgement - your conscience felt pity. you pulled off a large lie to bakugou’s parents that you were dating when in reality, you’d never even gone on a proper date with the man; for all you knew, he could be a terrible person. he could have terrible dating manners and leave to the bathroom when the check comes in an attempt to force his date to pay. it was hard to imagine, but hey, you reasoned to yourself, it was a possibility.

“can’t sleep either?” bakugou’s deep voice startled you. you thought he’d fallen asleep hours ago.

“yeah,” you snorted. “and here i thought you were in the habit of always sleeping early,” you referenced his mother’s stories of him in middle and high school. you turned on your side to face the man.

“kinda hard with five different all mights staring at me,” he joked, gesturing to his plethora of all might-themed decorations.

you imitated all might’s larger than life voice. “i am here! … to watch you sleep!”

bakugou first snickered, which then transitioned into a full-blown, unrestrained (yet somewhat hushed) laugh. you couldn’t help but laugh too, watching his features crinkle and gummy smile widen. your heart felt peculiar in your chest, but you couldn’t figure out the feeling. in the years you’d known him, you’d never seen him so relaxed or open. you knew you’d miss moments like this in the morning, when you’d drive back and the deal would be over. it sent a bittersweet pang to your heart - why couldn’t moments like these last forever?

you woke up to find bakugou gone, leaving you alone in the bed with only a warm indentation next to you letting you know he’d just left. you rubbed your eyes groggily, sitting up and pushing the covers aside. you swung your legs over the edge of the bedside, standing up and making the bed once again. you padded out of the all might-furnished room to the kitchen, where you could hear quiet footsteps and the sizzling of a frying pan.

“someone’s finally awake,” bakugou’s husky voice remarked. he was standing at the stovetop, wearing an apron over his nightwear and frying eggs. sleep had worn his voice deeper; you swooned at the domestic sight before you. no, it wasn’t swooning, you told yourself. just… appreciation. you really wanted to make a comment on his muscles, bulging from his short-sleeved shirt.

“that looks really yummy,” you said, in no way whatsoever referencing his biceps and definitely referring to the egg in the pan.

“i’d like to pretend that was an innocent comment, but the direction your eyes are looking at beg to differ,” bakugou deadpanned. you looked away, flushed.

“so, whatcha making?” you said, plopping yourself on a chair.

“eggs, rice, natto, miso,” he said. “but nothing for you until you change and brush your teeth.”

you stuck your tongue out at him. “who are you, my mom?” you continued, “i used to hate natto when i was younger.”

“it’s good for you,” bakugou said, moving the egg onto a plate of steaming rice.

“you sound a lot like my mom,” you replied. “but i like natto now, just not too much of it.”

“i liked natto when i was younger,” bakugou said.

“really? all of my friends hated it. they complained about the smell.” you reminisced about your childhood days, when your biggest worry was whether you had homework or not.

“speaking of smell? your breath. go brush your teeth.”

“wh- i’m so far from you, there’s no way-”

“no hygiene, no food.”

“who even says that?” but you were already out of your chair and heading towards the bathroom.

“oh, by the way,” bakugou said as you were halfway through emptying your plate with rice in your mouth, “what do you want?”

“wha?” you said, chewing the egg-natto-rice mixture in your mouth. “what?”

“the deal,” he said. “before my parents wake up.”

“the deal-?” you racked your mind for any deal you’d made in the recent days, as you weren’t much a gambler, then it hit you. the deal. in an attempt to convince you to pretend to be his date, he’d said he’d do whatever you wanted for a day in exchange. you hadn’t thought about it at all.

“um,” you said intelligently. what did you want? you wanted to spend more time with him, but there would be no way…

“take me ice skating.” he choked on his rice.

“what?”

“i really want to ice skate…” you lied. “i’ve never been.” another lie.

“you want to go ice skating with me?”

“pay for me.” you could’ve paid for yourself. “and, you have terrible dating skills. how are you supposed to get a real partner? consider this beneficial for yourself.”

he blinked, taken aback. “...okay,” he agreed, dumbfounded. you hoped he couldn’t see through you. “when?”

“today, duh.”

by the time you finished your plate, bakugou’s parents had woken up to bid the two of you farewell. hours later, you found yourself at an outdoor ice skating rink in tokyo.

the rink was decorated festively; surrounding trees had been wrapped in golden lights and there was something in the atmosphere which bustled with cheer. those skating were either children or couples, laughing and skating together. you told yourself not to pay too much attention to them, but there was something about the way they looked so happy that made you yearn for the same.

you clumsily clomped toward the entrance of the rink itself, clad in four layers of warm clothing and worn rental skates. cold air nipped at your cheeks and your breath was a snowy white before your eyes. patting your cheeks in an attempt to half hype yourself up and half warm yourself up, you tensely stepped onto the frozen water. clunk. clunk.

“you look like an idiot,” bakugou said as you made your way onto the ice with slow clunks. he was surprisingly cocky about his skating prowess once he’d gotten his skates on, despite his lack of experience on the ice. he was unaffected by the chilly weather, wearing a thin jacket and denim jeans despite the vast majority of other skaters wearing winter coats.

“it’s cold,” you responded. slippery ice beneath your feet, you suddenly felt a great deal less confident in your ice skating abilities. it might as well have been your first time skating, in the eyes of bakugou. you took baby steps on the ice, both hands gripping the side rails while bakugou glided breezily past you.

“c’mon, idiot, loosen up~”

easy for him to say. “i’m- trying,” you gritted out, attempting to copy his fluid motions.

“hey, dumbass, take my hands.” bakugou stopped in front of you, both hands outstretched for you to hold. you looked at him warily, then accepted the offer, his hands replacing the railings.

“don’t hold them that hard,” bakugou said. “i’m not going to drop you. relax.”

you nodded, gulping as you released your death grip on his hands. starting to skate backwards (an incredible feat in your eyes), he slowly guided you along the edge of the rink. you spent most of the time staring at your own feet, trying to keep your balance and rhythm in time with bakugou’s. once you seemed to get the hang of it, he sped up ever so slightly, loosening his grip on your hands.

“just like that,” and his voice was much gentler than you’d ever heard it. you looked up to meet his soft gaze. your heart leapt and he quickly averted his eyes. “um,” he coughed awkwardly. “i think you’ve gotten the hang of it.”

“okay.” you started to let go of his hands, testing your balance skating without anything to hold onto. in small amounts at first, you start to let go, allowing your strides to become longer and longer. bakugou matched your pace beside you and eventually, the two of you fell into conversation. you’d both forgotten your own words about how this was for him to gain dating experience; it felt too real to be practice.

“the truth is, i was really, really close to becoming a pro-hero,” he confessed, “but i was injured in my third year. i had to take a break for a year or so, but by that time, i was too rusty for the job.”

“but-” you said, almost stumbling on the ice at the revelation, “didn’t you do all that training-?”

he shrugged. “it’s the reality of it,” he said dismissively, a momentary shadow crossing his face. he recomposed. “i’m over it now.”

you had the slight suspicion that his words didn’t ring quite true, but let go of it. still, you couldn’t help but think about all of his all might decor - he must have idolized the man, only to fail at his dream. his room was like a memento to everything he wanted yet couldn’t reach. “you wouldn’t have met me if you hadn’t become a bodyguard,” you said cheerily in an attempt to distract both him and yourself.

“true,” he smiled. then, almost to himself, he added, “i don’t regret that.”

the two of you skated a couple more laps around the rink. conversation faded and your feet became more and more sore after skating for so long. a chill had settled itself onto your bones as the sky tinted in anticipation of the evening to come.

“we should get going now,” bakugou said. “before it gets too cold.”

“yeah-” your phone buzzed in your pocket. “hang on, give me a second.”

it was tanaka, telling you that you had a date scheduled by your father in two hours. it took you a moment, it really did, to remember who you were and what your priorities truly lay.

you made it a point not to tell bakugou what the call was about on the way back. you told him it was about a business deal, and he pretended to buy it. the car ride was desolate, lacking all warmth despite the heater blasting. you felt guilty; why had you lied to bakugou? you and he both knew you were lying about the business deal. was it pity? why had you felt the need to protect him?

you could only amount it to the fact that maybe bakugou was becoming a friend. maybe bakugou was becoming someone you never wanted to hurt. your thoughts were the only thing you could hear over the buzz of the car’s heater. you looked to the sky with imploring eyes as if some cloud on the lavender-tinged atmosphere listened and could provide you an answer.

you weren’t sure if it was the clouds’ doing or some star hiding behind the sun’s light that washed a sense of solemness by the time you returned to meet tanaka at the gates. it was almost enough to make you forget the sad feeling you held whilst looking at bakugou one last time before stepping out of the car to greet your old butler. the feeling was unfathomable to you; in your daze on the ride back, there’d seemingly been no reason for such a feeling to linger in your heart. why had you felt so much guilt, so much sadness for this man you were supposed to be strictly on business relations with?

not that you’d done this, anyway. your business relationship with bakugou ended the minute you agreed to that favour he’d proposed, and was further broken when you ice skated together. you wondered if he felt the same as you, or if things would return to the way they had been after this date tonight. somewhere deep in you hoped it wouldn’t - hoped he wouldn’t forget it all. (“stay here,” you’d told him when you stepped out of the car. his stare was vacant; would he? you weren’t sure why you even asked.)

“tanaka,” you said stiffly. the air was frigid around you (when had the temperature dropped so suddenly?) and a breeze wrapped itself around your legs. an impulse told you to turn back, look at bakugou, and tell him the things you left unsaid - but you didn’t.

“y/n,” he nodded. it was like a wake-up call. this was who you were, truly. your father’s pawn, his company’s pawn. you were a face used for business and nothing more. you traded your feelings for your father’s wealth - that’s who you were.

yet it was the past two days that made you feel more like yourself than ever before. the time spent with bakugou, of all people, made you feel genuinely happy. he made your name feel more like yours than your father’s. it seemed it was he who could only coax this feeling out of you. you, certainly, couldn’t imagine it being anyone else. there was something unlike anything you’d experienced before which bakugou gave you. but you couldn’t let your father down, could you?

“y/n, we must go now,” tanaka urged.

you didn’t look back.

bakugou watched you leave with an inscrutable expression. as soon as you vanished from his sight, he let out a deep sigh and bashed his head on the steering wheel, then rubbed the spot of contact. that would leave a mark.

he wished he could pretend he didn’t know what your sudden meeting was about. he couldn’t. what kind of bodyguard was unaware of his client’s schedule? you were going on a date, on account of your father’s absolutely superb matchmaking skills. he wanted to strangle the bastard.

god, he was an idiot to have gotten his hopes up about you. just like countless other things in his life, you were unattainable. he was constantly in pursuit of the impossible, it felt, yet none of his endeavours’ ends had quite felt like this. it started when he was a child with a newly developed quirk. constant words of praise fluttered around his ears, all applauding his strong quirk and natural intelligence. it continued when he entered school, winning academic and athletic awards for what everyone called his talents. (he remembered looking up the definition of “talent” in a dictionary in his elementary school’s library and being sorely disappointed. no one had seen the hours he’d dedicated to practicing and studying after school - all of that couldn’t amount to what everyone else had called natural talent.)

in doing so - winning all those competitions - he’d somehow earned the approval of all those around him. it was never something he’d wanted or aimed for, but it soon started to fit him like a custom-tailored outfit. somewhere along the way, he started to seek out the approval of others, flaunting his accomplishments to do so. however, as years went by, one thing became apparent: the tactics used on his peers and teachers would never gain his parents’ approval. he so yearned for a tad of his parents’ praise or satisfaction; even an “i’m proud of you, katsuki,” from them would’ve sent katsuki to the stars and back. he never was quite sure, as a youth, how to gain this prize, so to speak. and so, for the sake of his parents, he became stronger and stronger and thus began his journey to attain the first impossibility in his life.

high school, at once, came knocking on his door in the midst of this endless journey. with it came izuku midoriya, the boy katsuki had bullied in middle school. this time, though, it was izuku who was stronger; katsuki had so wanted to atone for all that he’d done to the boy, but it proved something impossible. on the physical level, izuku had already forgiven him and moved on. it wasn’t enough for katsuki, who’d really done nothing to deserve izuku’s kindness. so katsuki set off, trying to truly deserve the boy’s forgiveness and make up for everything he’d done. in katsuki’s mind, there would be nothing he could do that would balance out the weight of his actions to izuku. hence unraveled the second impossibility katsuki set up for himself.

the third impossibility found itself in katsuki’s third year at ua academy. he was working for his parents’ approval and atonement for izuku; this impossibility, though, would send everything crumbling down. impossibles, unlike any math equations covered during his schooling, could not be cancelled out the more brought into the equation. it was perhaps katsuki’s only salvation and lifeline, his passion to become a hero. fate snatched this very possibility from katsuki’s hand, snapping the lifeline and dangling it just out of his reach. all of it was cruel - the sympathetic words spoken from recovery girl’s lips and the weeks katsuki had to sit out of hero training. even worse was how katsuki watch his grade drop from one of the top in the class to only passable in general studies, no longer sharp enough to qualify for a pro-hero. by the time he healed, he was rendered unable to rejoin the hero course. his goal was thrown away easily, becoming another impossibility.

katsuki trained himself physically for a new job. an acquaintance had introduced him to being a bodyguard, and katsuki figured that was close enough to being a hero. not that he particularly enjoyed the notion of waiting on someone’s every beck and call. but through and through his countless impossibilities and misfortunes, he had to move forward. he was tired, so tired - hearing his parents’ disappointed voices on the phone and looking up to see a billboard of the newest top pro-hero, deku. when he foolishly and naively got his hopes up about you, the logical part in him knew it was doomed. he knew that as he stared at you, illuminated by a golden light in your bedroom, it was ill-fated. you were a miracle opening up a new life to him - but miracles weren’t real.

of all the impossibilities in his life, you were the most painful. why was he cursed in such a way? where had the happiness in his life gone, if not with you as you walked away from him? he stared at his suit cuff, suffocated in the stupid attire. he should never have taken this job.

a knock. another knock. three more rapid knocks, and he finally looked up to see your eager face looking at him from the passenger side window. he hastily unlocked the car door with a click.

“finally,” your exasperated voice said to him, tinged in a happy hue that he’s confused by.

“wh-where’s tanaka?” katsuki stuttered. “your date-”

“i did it, bakugou.” you beamed at him. “i refused. i said no.”

“wha-what? you refused what?”

“the date, duh!” you laughed. you grew quiet. “i realized something. i realized that all i want is you, and it’s… it’s about time i start taking control of my life.”

katsuki cracked a smile. a real one, not painful like so many others he’d faked before. “you’re a dumbass, you know that?” and it was endearment, bringing you close to his heart.

maybe fate had decided to bless him. maybe it was all the impossibilities in his life that had cancelled each other out to give him you.

“oh, and by the way,” you said, changing the topic. “i’ve been thinking a lot about it recently. we need to have a rematch for that sorry excuse of a fight we had the other day. i will have an undisputed victory over you.”

“you’re on, moron.”

it was definitely fate that brought katsuki to you.

#bakugou x reader #bnha x reader #bnha fluff #bakugou fluff #bakugou angst

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the-phoenix-heart · 4 years

Text

Sorting Hat Chats - BNHA

For those of you who don’t know, @sortinghatchats has a system for sorting people based off of primary houses, and secondary houses. You can find a run down of that here. Today I’m gonna be sorting eight My Hero Academia characters! Probably gonna be a sequel or two to this post. This one got super long...

(Manga spoilers and like two minor movie spoilers which are marked by “in the movie” so if you wanna skip those you can)

(Also get used to Lions because Hero Society tends to reward Lions with places in hero courses)

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that IZUKU MIDORIYA is a true Lion. It also doesn’t take a genius to see that the guy who wants to do the All Might thing of saving people with a smile on his face seems to be very Badger-y. Izuku could be read as a Badger primary but I think that’s a model he took from All Might. Izuku has punched Bakugou in the face despite the fact that they were supposed to be working together because it felt like the right thing to do, he punched All Might later in that same episode because Bakugou’s inspiring words-well inspired him so much (Lion primaries are such suckers for passion filled words[Bakugou is the same way]), he is willing to break the law and fight a villain without permission or license to save Iida, he’s willing to break his fingers just so he can help Todoroki confront his issues with his father, even after he’s beaten down to the point of not being able to use his arms he can’t take a break he has to protect Bakugou in the Training campe, he’s willing to risk expulsion to save Bakugou after his kidnapping, etcetera etcetera.

He does however share All Might’s roaring Lion secondary. The first thing we see him doing in the series is standing up for a little kid who got beat up. He is also however modeling Bird, after his Lion Secondary was burned both literally and figuratively by Bakugou. When his trust in his instinctive charging head first into situations left he fell back on something that’ll help him, notebooking, studying, and absorbing as much information as he can. He’s good at it and uses it to bolster his Lion, but then you put Bakugou in danger and suddenly “My body just moved.” I think a lot about the Mid Term Exam Deku had with Bakugou. At the end he decides not to keep running despite how risky it is and punch his mentor and idol to save Bakugou. Also, I named numerous times he kept charging in and breaking his body in the previous section. All Might has said it before and he’ll probably say it again, when someone (usually Bakugou) is in trouble nothing can stop him from saving them.

FINE FINE FINE! I GIVE IN! I GAVE UP! I TRIED TO MAKE BAKUGOU LOOK LIKE A BIRDLION BUT HE’S NOT HE’S JUST NOT! BAKUGOU KATSUKI is a fucking Lion primary. A true Lion. I give up.

Y’know he sorta had the shape of a Bird primary, he sorta takes in information and makes conclusions out of it. Everyone is saying I have an awesome powerful quirk, therefore I’m just better than everyone else. Deku is quirkless, there for he is useless. And he followed these beliefs so hard that when they were proven wrong he was heartbroken, literally having a panic attack, he falls before he picks himself back up at the end of the day. That’s very Bird, and also very Ravendor. And we even see later that Bakugou still takes in information like that. He remembers Todoroki’s backstory when Todoroki says there are other ways to get through to kids and he let’s him take the lead.

(I might end up talking myself back into Bird primary)

But...It pains me to say it, I was wrong.

Bakugou’s whole thing is that he isn’t in heroism for saving people or making the world a better place, he wants to be a hero to prove he’s the best and strongest there is (in fact I argue that that is the only reason he wants to be a hero, if this world had professional Quirkastics where you show off your strength and quirk Bakugou wouldn’t want to be a hero). He goes after Deku in the first training session because he couldn’t think of doing anything else. He didn’t decide that, he felt it so strongly he had to act on it. He destroys part of the building in that exam because he’s feeling everything at like a thousand percent and he can’t think despite the fact that it’s a bad idea especially for him as the villain. He has to be talked into calming down and not going after the villains because they were after him and going after them would make him more of a target. The idea that in the Sports Festival his win wasn’t an actual win crushes him. He’s willing to lose the whole damn midterm because he doesn’t want to have to rely on Deku all based off feelings. Bakugou sometimes tries to act before he thinks and figure things out, but he usually doesn’t. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the boy feels everything at 1,000,000% and tends to have some serious tunnel vision. And then there’s the movie, where he listens to Deku, not because he’s doing the Bird thing of taking in information, but because Deku’s words are so passionate and he’s so caught up in what Deku is saying.

And on why Bakugou is not a Snake primary. When you look at where primaries overlap, Bakugou’s primary is very intuitive, which means Lion or Badger (and he’s definitely not Badger), but it’s also very internal because he does not give a fuuuck about what people think, so Lion or Snake. But he’s not a Snake because throw fanon and out tell me, who is Bakugou actually loyal to? Deku? A lot of that seems to be because of One for All and not actually liking Deku. Kirishima? Maybe, but we don’t ever see him choose Kirishima over something else. Kirishima is his friend, but any house can have friends. All Might? Yeah he’s loyal to him, but he loves All Might, not Yagi Toshinori. He’s loyal to the symbol he saw as a child, a very Lion thing. Is he loyal to himself? He’d rather lose a tournament or a midterm than win any other way than what he wants.

I could go on about his primary. About how he doesn’t think critically about the situation when they’re ‘Saving the World With Love’ and just assumes that they’re all bad guys and need to be thrown in jail. But I won’t because this is long enough and I still have to talk about his damn secondary. Except I’m just gonna copy paste what I originally had written.

I got confused when I was looking at his secondary because he’s really smart and really good at strategy. He thinks at 10 million miles a minute. In Deku vs Kacchan 2 he literally does a double bluff, he knows that Deku will see him swinging with his right arm and think it’s a feint so he does a double bluff and just hits him. Stuff like that, him wearing down Kirishima and Tokoyami in to figure out their weaknesses he can exploit in the sports festival arc, finding out everything he can on Todoroki before his matches in the sports festival so he can get him to use his fire, amassing an array of special moves, and amassing more gadgets taking into account his own weaknesses to make himself stronger (and if we include the art from the fifth popularity poll where he is dressed head to toe in guns and looks more tank than man then that means even more weapons and gadgets). Even going as far back as the first episode/chapter he says that he took and aced the mock exams before the actual exam. That is shockingly prepared for someone who’s main trait at the beginning of the story is thinking he’s hot shit.

This evidence was enough to convince me that he was Bird Secondary who was modeling All Might’s Lion Secondary. I think it’s far more likely however, that he saw a Bird Secondary, maybe even Deku’s specific one. He does say in Deku v Kacchan 2 that he can absorb information to, and said “I can do that but better.” His real secondary is Lion however.

His first instinct when he finds out that Deku has a quirk now is to charge at him and demand he tell him what’s going on, he blasts off all the time literally into battles, he flat out refuses to lie even to save his ass, when he finds out that the villains are looking to kidnap him he just keeps fighting and fighting, he yells and lets you know exactly what he thinks about everything, and you can get him to do anything by saying he can’t do something. In terms of what is debatably canon, he sees Deku in the first movie and immediately blasts over to him to yell at him and question him, he doesn’t even question the fact that there are villains in the tower and jumps immediately into attacking them like it’s the most natural thing ever, in the second movie he jumps at the opportunity to attack something and is uninterested with everything else. My favorite example is the “Save the World With Love” special episode where Bakugou has the chance to not immediately charge and pull a more strategic move and straight up gets bored with it and bursts in to find a dead fake villain and doesn’t care about finding out who killed him because the villain is dead. The boy has a good Bird model but like hell he’s gonna let you forget that he is a Lion secondary first and foremost. He’ll straight up throw it away if that gets to boring for him.

(I think I’m gonna make a separate post for how Bakugou and Deku house sharing affects their relationship, also because this post is so long and tangenty already)

ALL MIGHT said he wanted to be the symbol of peace because the people needed one. All Might shoulders the burden and is willing to destroy himself so that the people can have peace of mind. His heartfelt loyal Badger primary mixed with his charging bursting Lion causes him to sacrifice himself time after time.

And he’s a Lion secondary, but that was obvious. United States of Smash.

TODOROKI SHOUTO is a healing ex-petrified Snake primary. His primary was burned at a very young age so he could possibly be an extremely burnt Badger primary but I doubt that. He does things because his friends are in trouble and he always goes off on his own to do things for himself. He’s the one who let’s a petty grudge get the better of him, and Deku has to yell at him to fucking get his head out of his ass (ah, Lion communication, don’t you love it?[oh yeah and Deku already told him to get his head out of his ass in the sports festival arc, because Todoroki still needs a lot of help]). After Deku’s speech to him he begins his healing process and it’s clear that he’s building himself a Snake community. As of now he’s got Deku, Bakugou, Iida, Momo, his mom, Fuyumi, Natsuo, and (possibly) Endeavor (ugh) in his community which seems like more than it is.

Todoroki is a Lion secondary, and a powerful one as well which means he can totally get away with charging into battle with boring attacks. Todoroki has met very few problems that he couldn’t just throw a wall of ice or fire at and call it a day. And even then the plan ends up being, I’m gonna stick my hand down this dudes throat and flash freeze/absolute zero him to the point where there’s six feet of ice shooting out of his mouth and HOW IS HE NOT DEAD?!

URARAKA OCHAKO is a Badger primary, who makes friends like it’s no trouble. I thought about putting her as a Snake primary because of her love for her parents and wanting to provide for them, but honestly I think that was too much of a reach. She’s a Badger, she does hero work because she wants to provide for her parents, but also because she wants to see people happy afterwards.

We have our first Badger and not Lion secondary with her as well. She almost always uses teams to win, combo moves on the fly are her bread (her first special move was a combo) and butter. When she’s alone she turns to using hardwork and pushing herself to her limits. Although during her fight with Bakugou she does show some Lion charging, which I think is a sign of the hero society enforcing its ideals on people (and also her copying Deku). “I’ll win and be just like Deku!” (Which I hate, way to take her battle away from herself) Still, she’s a Badger secondary first.

IIDA TENYA is feral, the boy is good at playing a Bird primary (it’s his model), but the boy is a strong Lion primary. Either that or he is a very stubborn Bird and vigilantism was totally justified in his truth, but I’m sticking with my guns on the Lion primary. His brother died and he feels that justice is deserved, so he goes to enact some vigilante justice, but then he gets schooled and also in trouble for doing the vigilante justice and he tells himself he can’t do that anymore. His Bird model was probably built to help him reign in his slightly unhinged Lion primary, and I suspect he might’ve gotten it from Tensei who seems to be Bird primary from what little we’ve seen of him. Tenya later also struggles with his Bird model when the gang wants to save Bakugou and he eventually goes with his gut.

(I suppose Iida could be read as Snake primary, but he seems like too much of an idealist to be a Snake)

Iida’s secondary is obviously Bird. He studies, he analyzes what he’s done wrong, he learns skills to help himself as a hero, he’s really good at it to. When planning his revenge on Stain he researches him and singles out his patterns, he finds the skills for heroism in the smallest things like learning how to cook, and he finds out Uraraka’s quirk and how it works so he can prepare against her. Boy is a strong Bird primary.

(The only time I would say maybe he’s not is that scene where he immediately punches Deku, but I think that’s just frustration, and if you wanna talk about the times he kicks at stuff-that’s hero society forcing people to preform Lion)

KIRISHIMA EIJIROU’S got a Lion primary almost as strong as Deku’s. He wants to rescue Bakugou no matter what during the kidnapping arc, when a Badger primary would probably be more content to let the pros handle it. When he was a kid he tried jumping in to fight a villain because he felt it was the right thing to do, he just didn’t because he was scared (he knew he should jump it because he felt that was the thing to do, but he was to scared to). He does things based on feelings, and saving Bakugou is the biggest example.

He’s also sporting a Lion secondary to boot which I don’t feel I really need to explain. He doesn’t plan, he mostly just attacks and takes hits, and he almost always jumps to help or save people (and if he doesn’t it’s because it’s in the past).

AIZAWA SHOUTA is a lovely double Bird and is the only character in this series that I’ve seen thus far without a hint of Lion. Aizawa decides whats right based on logic and as such his ideas are usually really outlandish, especially considering hero society. Who knew that things that are logical could be so out there. He only keeps the kids in class after the kidnapping incident only because All Might retired and he acknowledges they need more good heroes. Most of his other students he expelled he re-enrolled, as he logicked out that it would help them grow as heroes and give them a wake up call. It would also weed out the students who weren’t willing to put anymore work in after the setback of expulsion. Even as a kid we see he was much more cautious and didn’t just do things based off feelings. Now does that mean his logic is always sound? Well let’s just say that the most recent arc is not fun for me.

“It was a logical ruse~” I wouldn’t say this is a Snake manipulation but a Bird deciding yes that makes sense. Either way he collected skills in fighting and knowledge because of his quirk and it works well. I’d definitely say the becoming an underground hero is also another notch in his Bird secondary belt. He’s got a knife, caltrops apparently, a scarf he can control and grab people with, and cool ass goggles with eye drops in his pocket. He’s smart. I love him.

In Conclusion:

Izuku Midoriya - Lion primary who models All Might’s Badger primary/Lion secondary who models a Bird secondary to bolster his actual secondary

Katsuki Bakugou - Lion primary who feels everything at 1,000,000%/Lion secondary who models a Bird secondary to bolster his actual secondary

All Might - Badger primary/Lion secondary

Shouto Todoroki - previously petrified but healing Snake primary/Lion secondary

Ochako Uraraka - Badger primary/Badger secondary who models Deku’s specific Lion secondary

Tenya Iida - Lion primary who models a Bird primary/Bird secondary with slight Lion preformance

Eijirou Kirishima - Lion primary/Lion secondary

Shouta Aizawa - Bird primary/Bird secondary

(me throwing this out into the world, except I’m way less confident)

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liliesoftherain · 4 years

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My Hero Academia Main 3 Boys x Reader

Ch.8 Giddy Up Horses, the Cavalry has Arrived!

Ch.1 Ch.2 Ch.3 Ch.4 Ch.5 Ch.6 Ch.7

Yay the cavalry battle! Just wanted to say from here on out we will be seeing a lot more from the boys’ pov as well as y/n’s. Just wanted to let you guys know since the first chapters weren’t like that! Also, thanks to all those who wanted to be put on the tag list, let me know if anyone else wants to be! Enjoy!

TAGLIST: @rizamendoza808 !(: @iris-suoh !(: @quicksilverfangirl !(: @shortperson202 !(: @noodlenerd101 !(: @matchamidoriya !(:

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"That's right, it's the chance for those at the bottom to overthrow the top! Let's get started!" Midnight continued, pointing her weapon in Izuku's direction.

"Izuku Midoriya placed first in the first round, he'll be worth 10 million!"

You looked at your fourth place score and saw you were only worth 195, which wasn't terrible, but you'd either need to steal a bunch of smaller points, or somehow get Izuku's points.

As much as you'd love to team up with him to start off with those points, it'd be difficult since everyone would be chasing after you. It probably wasn't worth it, most likely ever other student wanted to stay far away from him as possible knowing the risks of being a target. If he was able to find team members with balancing quirks who weren't afraid, you knew he'd be a force of nature. Joining him wouldn't be so bad, but there was a lot of cons to being on his team

"Okay first years! These are the rules! The entire game will only last for 15 minutes, and everyone's individual points will be added together give you your teams total. You'll know how much you're team is worth thanks to a headband with your combined scores."

"To raise your teams score you need to swipe as many headbands as you can get, but all headbands must be worn from the neck up, so the more you steal, the harder it will be to manage them! Oh another thing! Even if your headband is stolen or your team falls, you're allowed to continue until times up!"

"It's anyone's game then." You heard Momo from a few students over, Sato replying.

"Yea, and since there are 42 contestants, there will be 10-12 teams fighting on the field the entire time."

"So if you lose your headband at the beginning you'll have more time to make up a plan?"

"I don't know Mina," You spoke out, "Planning or not if you lose your headband you're down for the count. Even if you have the time to make it up, depending on what teams are formed you may not be so lucky."

"Yea we should probably wait for teams before we start strategizing." Tsu agreed.

"This is going to be a difficult challenge but no worries, again you'll be able to use your quirks as much as you'd like. However! There are still rules, make a team fall on purpose and you'll get disqualified. and the one you're carrying is not allowed to touch the ground. Now, you've got 15 minutes to build your team! Get started!"

As soon as the buzzer went off you found yourself with no time to think or act before a flash of curly green hair entered your line of sight.

“(y/n) I would like you to be on my team! I've created a plan and you were the first person to come to mind when I did! So please, if it’s not too much to ask, join me!” He bowed roughly and you sweat dropped at his antics, but you couldn’t help the smile that crossed your face at the thought of him first thinking of you.

“That’s really sweet Izuku, and I would love to say yes but..” You trailed off, locking eyes with him. You felt your heart grow heavy as you saw the sadness and disappointment in them.

“I understand, everyone will be after me, and you don’t want to have that kind of target on your back.” Izuku felt his shoulders fall, he was upset.

He knew that most people wouldn’t want to team up with him because of his points, so why was this hurting him more than it should have?

“Not at all!” You countered, “I don’t mind that all too much, while yea it’s not something I’d look forward too I could still handle it. It’s just, I feel like I have to beat you.”

“Beat me?” His eyes widened.

“Yes beat you, because you’re always doing things that end up surprising others. You won first out of nowhere earlier! You literally flew over my head! I feel that if I team with you, I’ll be overlooked-”

“No way!” He cut you off, his heart thumping crazily in his chest as he took a deep breath, “You’re amazing! You’re probably one of the strongest students in the class and I’m being honest! I don’t know what you and Todoroki were talking about in the locker rooms and I won't pry, but just know that whoever your father doesn't matter because I don’t think you’re amazing because of him! You’re extraordinary and strong and one of the kindest people I’ve ever met, and that’s because you're you!”

Your face was on fire, and so was his. It must’ve just clicked to him all the compliments he gave you because steam was starting to pour out of his ears, and he began muttering to himself about how dumb and embarrassing he was. You put your hands on his shoulders and grinned at him.

“Thank you Izuku, you’re giving me even more courage than I'd thought possible. And I’m going to use this courage to make sure I kick your butt, got it?” He nodded sheepishly back feeling really giddy for a moment, then sighed.

“Still wont join my team?” You laughed at him.

“Sorry not sorry. I’m going to win, Deku!” You pinched his cheek before walking away, shouting a ‘good luck’ over your shoulder.

Izuku’s breath left him at the sight of you walking away, and felt in a daze. Your hand was so warm on his face, and the way you called him Deku had no malicious intent. You said it in such a cute and endearing voice, it made him grin a dopey smile before Uraraka came and interrupted his thoughts.

You tried to look for anyone else that would make a great team, and to your disappointment saw most people have already broken off into groups. However, you saw Kirishima go over to Bakugou and you knew then and there if you really wanted to go against Izuku, Bakugou would of course be the best candidate

You made your way over to them just as they were sharing a creepy grin, Bakugou agreein to let Kirishima on his team.

“Got any room for me?” You questioned, both boys looking at you.

“Hell yea (y/n) you’re choosing to team up with the manliest team! This’ll be awesome!”

“Who the fuck said I was going to let her on my team shitty hair?” Bakugou grumbled out, crossing his arms and ignoring everyone's shouts behind him to pick them was starting to annoy him.

He saw you smile and was able to ignore the extras behind him.

“Why what’s the problem Bakugou, scared you’ll have to fight me in the tournament when we win this?” A teasing smile graced your lips.

His face turned red and you thought you were going to make him explode on you until he tsk’d and looked away.

“I’m not fucking scared of you glitter bomb. Whatever you can be on my team.” He felt angry, because he was supposed to be focusing on kicking Deku’s ass, he was supposed to be focused on his anger and he wasn't really angry around you, it was revolting.

“Awh you like meee.”

“Don’t say stupid shit like that! I just picked you because you said you knew I was going to win, so I guess I can let you tag along because you already know how fucking great I am, I don't have to beat it into you.” He knew he had to push out any thoughts besides winning, now wasn’t the time to lose his head. He needed to give this match his all.

You shared a look with Eijiro and you both laughed at the hot head. After gaining your last member, Sero, you were talking strategy.

“So we’re going to go after Deku with all we have.”

“Of course we are.” Kirishima muttered sarcastically, but a small smile still on his lips showing you guys he didn’t mean what he said.

“Shut it shitty hair before I kick you off the team!”

“You wouldn’t kick your best friend off the team!”

Laughing, you pushed Bakugou away while he was trying to strangle Kirishima.

“Calm down boys, even if we’re just going after Deku we need to devise a plan.”

“While I agree Hakamata, you’re starting to sound like Bakugou. What’s up with calling Midoriya, Deku?”

You blinked at Sero’s words, you didn’t even realize you called him that. Thinking about it, you teasingly called him Deku when you walked away from him a couple of minutes prior. So you just shrugged and giggled, unsure of what to say.

“Maybe Bakugou’s anger is a disease and it’s infecting me?”

“Sounds about right.” Eijiro agreed, while Bakugou rolled his eyes at you. He thought it was pretty funny when you called him that loser Deku, but he wouldn’t say that out loud.

“So we obviously know the rider is going to princess here,” A tick mark appeared on his temple from your teasing. You kept talking to the other boys while ignoring Bakugou as he fumed, “so we have to decide where we should be in his support.”

“I have a pretty good defense against others and Bakugou’s quirk, so I think it’d be best If I was the front support.” Kirishima told you, you and Sero both agreeing.

“That sounds like a plan, and if it isn’t too much trouble Sero, “ You smiled shyly, “could I support his right side? My own right shoulder is still pretty sore from when I dislocated it.”

“Yeah of course! Does it still hurt pretty bad?” Sero’s face turned down in worry as he looked at your shoulder. You waved him off along with Kirishima who was also trying to question you.

“I’m fine really! Todoroki popped it in for me and it’s just a bit tender.”

“Tch, you’re always getting fucking hurt one way or another.”

You frowned, mood dampening, knowing he was right. There wasn’t an activity that had passed where you haven’t gotten injured somehow, you were too careless.

“Oi Bakugou don’t be mean, she may have hurt herself but she’s strong enough to keep fighting, plus she placed fourth in the race! That’s pretty manly don’t you agree?” Kirishima spoke, he didn't like seeing the dejected look on your face.

He thought a smile suited your face much better than a frown, and he wanted it to go away.

“It’s okay Eijiro, he’s right, I’m always getting hurt. I have to get stronger so that doesn’t happen anymore.” You raised your hand and squeezed it into a fist, a steely look in your (e/c) eyes. “So let’s go kick some ass and get those 10 million points!.”

The three boys shared a smirk with you, reading themselves for what was going to come.

“Hey mummy man look alive! The 15 minutes for our students to get situated is finally up and we’re ready to start the battle now that our 12 teams are picked and ready to go head to head!”

“I see some pretty unexpected student combinations.”

“YEAH, RAISE THOSE HANDS HIGHER FOLKS AND GET READY TO WATCH A BLOOD PUMPING U.A. BATTLE ROYAL! LET ME HEAR YOUR CHEERS!”

“We all set?” You huffed as Bakugou’s full weight rested on the makeshift seat of your guys’ arms before standing from your squatted position. You and Sero held onto Kirishima’s shoulder with one hand each, leaving the other, that was facing away from the triangle you three created, open for any attacks.

“Hell yeah, let’s do this!” Kirishima whooped, trying not to jostle Bakugou too much with his excited movements.

“Okay first years, you better like your teams because it’s too late to change them! LET’S GET THIS PARTY STARTED WITH A COUNTDOWN! 3..”

“Let’s crush them.” Bakugou cracked his knuckles, an undaunting aura radiating off of him.

“2..”

“Yeah!” A chorus answered back, you all steeling your nerves.

“1!”

“BEGIN!” Midnight finished.

You all moved surprisingly in perfect sync as you made your way over to Izuku, and you felt happy he had managed to form a decent team after all. You tried to make sure you steered clear from everyone else, knowing it was better to let them focus on Izuku and not on anyone else like you guys, that way you stayed safe for as long as possible.

“Deku’s running away like a coward!" Bakugou huffed as Izuku shot off into the air with his team, dodging all the other teams while doing so. He landed a bit of a ways away, becoming bombarded once more as soon as his feet touched the ground.

“It’s one big game of cat and mouse!” Sero observed.

“Well we can’t afford to become another mouse, we have 730 points altogether and other teams may grow desperate the more time goes on, we need to keep our guard up.” The others grunted in agreement.

“It’s only been two minuets and it’s already a frenzy down there! Watch those headbands kiddos, you don’t have to go for the biggest fish in the sea when there are plenty of others!”

Izuku took off once again, and you felt heat start to form around you guys.

“Dammit this is getting us nowhere, you can’t run away so easily Deku!”

“Bakugou wait!”

Your shouts fell on deaf ears as he used his quirk to launch off into the air after Izuku. You had to close your eyes at the force of the heat, grunting slightly. You saw that he technically wasn’t on the ground, this couldn't make your team disqualified could it?

His movements were graceful as he soared in the air, your team halting to watch him fly up higher and higher. Sero was about to release his tape to pull him back but you stopped him right before he could. Sero gave you a questioning look along with Kirishima.

“Hakamata what are you..?”

“Midnight hasn’t called him out yet on a disqualification yet right? So I assumed this is okay for now, let’s see if he can reach them! You can grab him if his first attempt doesn’t work out, we can’t have him too careless now.”

You all agreed and looked back up to watch Bakugou lunged for Izuku, arm outstretched to use his quirk and grab the points. You were all ready to run, knowing you’d be the next target everyone would be after if you managed to succeed. He let out a large explosion and reached towards the head band as you felt your heart skip a beat, a loud ringing in your ears that dulled the screaming of the crowd. He missed. His attacked and point of entry was blocked by Tokoyami and his quirk, Dark Shadow. This was the first time seeing it in action, and you had to admit it was really cool.

“Shit pull him back new Sero!” Kirishima yelled.

“Right!” Sero agreed, launching his tape high in the air to get a good hold of Bakugou.

“WOAHH! As cool as that was, Bakugou had been separated from his team, is that allowed?”

“He never touched the ground so I say it’s okay!” Midnight announced in response.

Bakugou luckily put up no fight as Sero dragged him back and he quickly fell straight for the group. Mutual grunts sounded between you guys as you braced your bodies while he landed harshly on outstretched arms. Your right hand came up to his chest to help with balance while his right arm was slung around your shoulders, his hand clutching your hurt shoulder which made you wince in pain.

He heard your quick intake of breath and looked over at you before he could situate himself, seeing that you turned your head towards him at the same time and your noses softly brushed together and foreheads touching. You stayed that way for a few seconds, the both of you not moving apart due to the shock of being so close. Bakugou then felt annoyed at the way his heart fluttered and chose to pull away quickly.

You felt you face heat up at the close proximity you two just shared and couldn’t help but look away as well. You heard some whooping from the crowd and to add to your embarrassment, the whole thing was shown on the big screen.

“Well would you look at that folks! Seems like getting those 10 million points isn’t all that matters to these two 1-A lovebirds! The touching moment we witnessed between them proves that!”

“WE AREN’T A COUPLE!” You both shouted in sync, faces red.

“C’mon guys quit making out and focus!” Sero laughed.

You watched as Bakugou smacked his head while sitting up, choosing not to look at anyone.

“Shut up and let’s get a move on.”

You felt someone brush by you guys, and before you had time to react, pale grey eyes locked on your own.

“Moving on, as we reach the 7 minuet mark, let’s see how the others are faring in this challenge!.. Hold on here, this is sure an unexpected turn of events.”

A hand shot up over your head, reaching for the headband Bakugou wore, your eyes widened as you tried to shoot a beam of light but the guy dodged, managing to swipe it off.

“Beside’s Midoriya’s team, the rest of class 1-A isn’t doing so hot! Even Bakugou is losing! But we should’ve all seen that one coming with the goo goo eyes he was making at little miss Hakamata!”

Bakugou twisted in shock, a snarl leaving his lips as he tried to lunge for it back, only to miss again.

“You’re fault for letting yourself get distracted in the heat of battle, couldn’t you woo your girlfriend somewhere else?”

“What’d you say!? Get back here!!” Bakugou huffed, glaring at the blonde kid who was smirking at him.

“I said you’re dumb, you along with you classmates. You didn’t realize how they laid out the first course, and showed off your strengths, and your weaknesses-” He looked at you before looking back towards the fuming blonde you were holding up, “to everyone before the real battles began. Us in 1-B figured it out and played it safe, but you all? Well, only a fool would obsess over the preliminary rounds, don’t you agree, Bakugou?”

“Unlike you I don’t have any weaknesses-”

“Oh no weaknesses huh?" He cut Bakugou off, "Seems like you were pretty weak when that sludge monster had you captive, you’re pretty famous aren’t you? You’ll have to tell me another time, how it feels to always be in the role of the victim.” The kids eyes sharpened and his smirk grew wider.

Bakugou was shaking in anger, hands clenched tightly into fists as he looked at the boy with the most intense glare, it was about as harsh as the ones he gave Izuku.

“Guys… we have a change of plans, before we take down Deku, we’re going to destroy these B-list idiots.”

“We’ve reached the halfway point but it’s still anybody's game! Class 1-B has made an unexpected showing, but can they keep it? And who will win the 10 million points in the end!?”

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

If you guys can’t tell I am a sucker for for angry boys but I swear more interactions with the other two are coming up soon.

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pitviperofdoom · 5 years

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Fundraiser Commission #8

Thank you for donating $20!

Prompt: “For the commission, I would like PitViperOfDoom to write a followup to their one shot Helping Hands. After Bakugo is expelled some members of Class 1-A (probably the Bakusquad) decide to talk to the boy whose abuse led to his expulsion. Only, it doesn't turn out to be just them helping him. He seems to have incredible insights into how they can improve how they use their quirks.”

This one gave me some trouble, but I’m happy with how it came out!

---

Lunch Rush’s katsudon is the only katsudon that Izuku can honestly, though not without some guilt, describe as better than Mom’s. Of course, unlike Lunch Rush, Mom’s quirk doesn’t help her cook beyond bringing the ingredients within reach. In Izuku’s wholly unbiased opinion, that concession puts his mother’s cooking back up on top.

Fortune smiles on him when the school cook puts out a fresh lunch tray out just in time for him to claim it. It makes up for how his day has been going so far. No one’s been mean, of course, but the rumors about yesterday have already started spreading, and there’s only so much of his classmates’ whispering that he can stand before he starts screaming from the stress.

Izuku turns away, debating whether to sit with his classmates or hide in the classroom to eat, only to find himself flanked on both sides by hero students.

Very familiar hero students, at that.

“Come sit with us, Midoriya!” Ashido Mina chirps near his ear.

“Unless you got somewhere else to be.” Kirishima is on his other side, holding a tray loaded with pretty much every meat available in the cafeteria. “It’s cool if you’ve got somewhere else to be, but we’d love for you to join us.”

Izuku’s head swivels back and forth, gaping at both of them in turn. “Um…” On instinct he shoots a glance at the table where a lot of his 1-C classmates usually sit. Shinsou and Ichioka stare back at him incredulously. Mochizuku grins and gives him a thumbs-up.

“Okay,” he says. “If you’re sure… lead the way.”

Ashido whoops and takes the lead, while Kirishima and a boy whose name Izuku doesn’t know hang back to walk with him.

“Hi, Midoriya!” the unknown boy says. “I just realized neither of them said that yet.”

“Hi,” Izuku says nervously. “Um, sorry, I don’t think we’ve been introduced?” His memory supplies him with the image of the boy slapping a length of tape over Kacchan’s mouth.

“I’m Sero Hanta!” The three of them reach the table where Ashido is sitting, along with two other girls and a boy with bright yellow hair. They introduce themselves as Uraraka, Asui (“Call me Tsuyu-chan!”), and Kaminari, and Izuku mumbles something incoherent as he slides into the seat by Kirishima. They’re all friendly enough, but out of all of them, Kirishima makes him the least nervous.

For a moment, Izuku sits frozen and speechless among students he doesn’t know. What is he supposed to say? The last time any of them saw him, he was crying after getting beaten up in front of them; what do they expect out of him?

“Oh!” he blurts out, then winces when Kaminari drops his chopsticks. “Thank you.”

In an instant, everyone is staring at him. He’s made a terrible mistake.

“Sheesh, Midoriya, you scared me there,” Kaminari laughed.

“Sorry,” Izuku says sheepishly. “But I mean it. Thank you, for yesterday. You didn’t have to do that.”

“Of course we did!” Ashido says, shocked.

“You’re in hero school, buddy,” Sero adds. “If there was ever a place where we ‘have’ to do that kind of stuff, it’s here.”

Izuku blushes. “Not everybody would have.”

“Yeah, well, not everybody is in UA’s hero course,” Kirishima points out.

“Including Bakugou,” Asui says dryly. Uraraka snorts beside her, then sobers.

“I probably shouldn’t laugh,” she says, wrinkling her nose to keep from doing so. “But I mean… Aizawa-sensei told us on the first day that he’d have us kicked out if he didn’t think we could make the cut. He literally told us that, and booted Mineta on day one, and Bakugou still pulled that. I mean, what did he think was going to happen? He’s lucky he just got transferred to Gen Ed!”

In spite of himself, Izuku gives a snort of his own. “Kacchan’s used to the rules not applying to him,” he mutters.

Kaminari barks out a laugh. “Sorry, I just… Kacchan? Seriously? How’s a guy like that end up with a cutesy nickname like Kacchan?”

Izuku shrugs, suddenly self-conscious. It’s a weird feeling, seeing people laugh at Kacchan instead of him. “Our moms were in the same pregnant yoga class. Technically our first playdates happened before we were born. We were really close when we were four. I don’t remember us not being friends.” He hesitates, poking at the egg in his katsudon. “Then his quirk came in, and mine didn’t, and… everything was different after that.”

Worried that he’s brought down the mood, he glances around at the others to gauge their reactions. Kaminari’s face is scrunched up like he smells something bad. Uraraka and Sero look indignant, Asui looks grave, and Kirishima looks like he’s about to cry.

“Sounds like a lousy friend,” Ashido says blithely.

“Ashido!” Sero elbows her, which, considering his elbows, must pack a punch.

“What? He is!”

“No, you’re right,” Izuku says. It’s taken a while to admit it, but he’s had some help with it. Kacchan was a bad friend. He acted the way he did because he chose to, not because Izuku deserved it. “He’s always been… competitive. Even when we were in daycare together, he was obsessed with being better than everyone. Every time I talked about the things I liked or the things I was good at, he’d remind me that he was better at them than I was.”

“That’s gotta be exhausting,” Kirishima says.

Izuku shrugs. “He was my first friend. I didn’t know being friends wasn’t supposed to be like that. I know better now, of course!” he adds quickly. “But back then, I thought it was normal.”

“What kind of stuff do you like to do?” Uraraka asks. “I mean, you already know we’re all on the hero track, but what about you?”

Izuku fidgets, suddenly nervous. “Oh! Um… well, I still really like heroics. Learning about… about heroes, and their statistics and stuff.”

“Like… business course stuff?” Kaminari asks.

“No, not really.” Izuku shakes his head. “Not the, um, marketing. I’m no good at that. I mean more like… the mechanics of their quirks and equipment, and their battle strategies and combat techniques. That kind of thing. See—” He falters for a moment. “When I was little, I wanted to be a hero. And even after I found out I was quirkless, I still looked for ways that I could become one. So… I watched them, and studied how they work. I still do. I know it probably sounds strange, but…”

“Lots of people make hero analysis a career,” Asui says, tapping her lips. “I’ve heard the Public Safety Commission have people for that.”

“Hey, yeah,” Sero says. “Even if you can’t be a hero, you can still work in heroics.”

“Yeah, I know…” Izuku says. It’s a good consolation prize. He thinks he could even be happy doing it.

“Nah,” Kirishima says.

Izuku turns to him, startled. “What?”

“Nah,” Kirishima repeats. “I think you could still do it. Become a hero.”

Izuku gapes at him.

“Dude, you grew up with an ultra-competitive jerk who tried to make you feel bad about yourself, you found out you didn’t have a quirk, and you still didn’t give up! You kept looking for ways to make it happen! You got that… that determination, y’know? That manly spirit. I think as long as you have that, quirks don’t matter. You could totally be a hero.”

For a moment, Izuku can only stare. “Well…” he stammers out when he finds his voice again. “You’ll be the first kid my age who thinks that.”

Ashido’s hand shoots up. “Second!”

“Third!” Uraraka and Kaminari say in unison.

“It only makes sense,” Asui says serenely, smiling at Izuku’s shocked face. “Just look at Aizawa-sensei. His quirk levels the playing field, but other than that, he fights without any special power.”

Izuku blushes fiercely under all the encouragement. “There’s never been a quirkless hero before,” he mumbles. “It’s unheard of.”

“Well, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible!” Ashido says. “It just means nobody’s done it yet.”

It’s a wonderful moment, which Izuku swiftly ruins by bursting into tears.

---

“Well, Midoriya,” Shinsou says dryly, clapping him on the shoulder so hard it almost hurts. “Don’t forget about us now that you’re famous enough to hang with the hero kids.”

“It’s not like that!

Mochizuku slaps his other shoulder. “Don’t get too comfortable!” she chirps cheerfully. “That open spot in Class 1-A is mine.”

“There are two,” Izuku points out.

“And three of us,” she says cheerily. “Watch your backs, boys!”

---

Ashido Mina

Quirk: Acid. Allows user to secrete corrosive liquid through her skin. Acid can be generated in high quantities from any area of skin. Can be manipulated by user?

Kirishima Eijirou

Quirk: Hardening. Allows user to harden any part of his body. Protects from physical threats by absorbing blunt force and preventing cutting damage.

Asui Tsuyu

Quirk: Frog form. Gives user features and abilities of a frog, including leg strength, wall climbing, extending tongue (more? Ask her?)

“Whatcha doin’?” Kaminari asks, almost dropping his tray on Izuku’s lunch table. With a yelp, Izuku shuts his notebook and shoves it in his bag with practiced speed.

“Nothing! Just notes for class!”

“Okay, man, chill,” Kaminari says. Around them, the others are taking seats as well. “You do you. Good for you for getting in on brains and stuff.”

“Man, seriously!” Ashido agrees. “I’m no good at that stuff. I’ve had on-off tutoring since I started middle school. People who can just sit down and study and get A’s on their own are incredible.”

“There’s nothing wrong with needing help sometimes!” Kirishima points out.

“Oh yeah, I know!” Ashido grins and fist-pumps. “Besides, I got in with my awesome skills! I can figure out everything else as I go!”

Izuku tries not to stare as she swings between complimenting him and complimenting herself. Ashido Mina is one of the most incredible people that he has ever met. It’s not just her wild coloring, either; nonstandard skin and hair colors are fairly common in the world of quirks. Even Izuku’s colors would have been improbable at best, if not impossible before quirks came into being.

But no, what stands out in Midoriya’s eyes is how smoothly Ashido’s effortless confidence meshes with her kindness. She thinks highly of herself, for good reason. She’s pretty, she’s athletic, and she has a fantastic quirk and a magnetic personality. But unlike the other good-looking, athletic, charismatic people with fantastic quirks that Izuku has met before, she doesn’t seem to feel the need to prove it to anyone. She just is, and that’s enough for her.

Bashfully, Izuku tells her as much, stumbling over his words as he struggles to make himself understood without offending her by accident. She listens, frowning thoughtfully as he manages to articulate his thoughts.

“That’s a weird thing to think about,” she remarks when he finishes babbling.

“Sorry,” Izuku mumbles.

“No no, I don’t mean it like that!” Ashido assures him. “It’s just… if somebody’s really confident but feels like they have to prove how good they are all the time… then they can’t really be that confident, can they?”

Izuku stares, openmouthed, before his jaw slowly shuts again. He hadn’t thought of it that way.

“Maybe that was Bakugou’s problem,” Kaminari muses. “You know? ‘Cause I’ve never met anybody as desperate as he was to prove how great they were.”

“Kacchan’s the most confident person I know,” Izuku points out. “That was his whole problem. Everybody praised his quirk, and how strong and smart he is, and that’s…” That’s why he got away with everything.

“Yeah, but he has a garbage personality,” Kaminari says bluntly. Ashido barks out a laugh, Uraraka and Sero snicker, and Kirishima purses his lips like he’s trying not to follow suit. “What? He does! Maybe that’s why he’s so obsessed with being better than everybody, so he can make up for the fact that nobody’s gonna like him otherwise.”

Izuku shoves in a mouthful of rice so he won’t have to answer, reddening when he catches Asui’s attention.

Rather than calling him on it, she turns to Ashido. “Ashido-chan, you pulled some cool moves in class yesterday. You’re really good at aiming your acid.”

“Thanks! I work super hard on that!”

“How do you train with your quirk without destroying stuff?” Sero asks, latching on to the new topic.

“My quirk’s not that bad,” Ashido says, huffing a little. “I mean, it used to be, but that was just when I was a little kid. You know, before quirk counseling.”

Izuku listens carefully. He’s always been interested in quirk counseling; it was something he was left out of, obviously, and there was only so much that he could observe from afar before his teacher told him to go back to his word searches.

“It till melts through concrete,” Asui points out. “How do you practice with it?”

“I can change how strong the acid is,” Ashido explains. “If I’m really pulling punches I can get it to the same level as like, lemon juice. So it’d suck to get it in your eyes or in a paper cut, but I’m not gonna melt any walls. It’s good for target practice! Which is still really hard, because it’s liquid.”

“Can you change anything else about your acid?” Izuku asks, now leaning forward with interest.

“Yep! I can change the, uh, what’s the word.” Ashido gestures vaguely. “I can make it thicker instead of just liquid.”

“You can control the viscosity?”

“That’s the one!” Ashido points to him. “My favorite trick is to make it super weak and, uh, viscous, so I can slide around on it! I asked for a good boot design that would help me keep control, too.”

“Could you make it solid?” Izuku asks. “Like gelatin? That might make precision easier, with less of a risk of sending out droplets when you throw it.”

Ashido’s dark eyes widen. Her lips part in surprise, before a wide, delighted grin spreads over her face. “Jelly bombs,” she whispers. “Midoriya, you’re a genius!”

Izuku flushes deeply. For the first time, he thinks that maybe his new… friends? Are they friends? They’re certainly treating him like one, he thinks.

Well. Maybe, for once…

“Hey, uh, guys?” he says, voice cracking with leftover nervousness. Before he can chicken out, he reaches down to retrieve his notebook. “Want to see something I’ve been working on?”

It’s the most fun he’s ever had in the lunchroom before.

#my hero academia #commission #fanfiction #tales from the pit

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echodrops · 5 years

Text

Fanon vs. Canon Shigaraki

Belatedly:

This post gained a lot more traction than expected, so quick edit: the “canon” discussed below is only my personal interpretation of canon, and this post is definitely not intended to be a guide for characterizing Shigaraki in every fanfic! Please don’t use this meta to criticize anyone else’s writing, as that was not my intention. Everyone should feel free to create what they enjoy!

Look y’all, I ain’t one to judge, but I love canon-based fics and sometimes the massive gap between Shigaraki in fanon and Shigaraki in BNHA’s canon just has me going whaaa???

I mean, like...

Fanon Shigaraki: Abhors all human contact. Lurks in his bedroom 24/7. Never speaks to others except to bitch them out. A vampire who will combust upon setting foot outside his lair.

Canon Shigaraki: Seen alone in his bedroom a grand total of one (1) time in the series; the only other time his room is shown, the rest of the entire League is squeezed in there too. Never out of contact with his followers except Dabi who is the real antisocial bitch here. Longest he’s ever been drawn spending time by himself without another major character to keep him company? Two pages. Gets mad... GOES TO THE MALL.

Fanon Shigaraki: Vocabulary consists of 80% “I’ll kill you” and 20% “Fuck off.” 1000% RAGE ALL DAY ERRYDAY. Has no concept of a good mood. Wouldn’t know how to smile if he tried. Either one step from a temper tantrum or one step from murder, there is NO IN BETWEEN BUT THERE IS FREQUENT OVERLAP.

Canon Shigaraki: Demonstrates the development of remarkable restraint, even when Bakugou damages precious “Father”...

Constantly comments on other people’s bad manners all right, this one might be a little hypocritical, but at least we know he knows what proper manners are... Is referred to on multiple occasions as being pleased with the League members’ work, implying they’ve seen him actively happy... Compliments people (even heroes) when they impress him... The second most likely villain to say “Thanks” (behind only Toga)...

Master of both the goofy grin:

And the soft smile:

Fanon Shigaraki: Can’t insult his comrades often enough. Say something nice about another human being? Hard pass. Friends? Quote: “I would rather die.” Only suffers the League because he’s forced to have allies to defeat the heroes; zero emotional attachment to his comrades unless he’s written as sleeping with Dabi and even then half the time this is still true. Would not give a fuck if half of them died except for how it would inconvenience him.

Canon Shigaraki: Is he still manipulating the League members to use their strength to further his own agenda? Oh for sure. BUT AT LEAST HE’S DOING IT POLITELY.

Since the formation of the core “League,” he frequently talks positively about his comrades, even when they’re not around to hear it:

Knows his allies well enough that he can send them out without instructions and still trust that they will act in exactly the League’s best interests:

Expresses concern for the other members’ well-being:

And has zero hesitation about throwing himself into potentially deadly situations to protect the rest of the League:

Fanon Shigaraki: An innocent, traumatized angel who had no choice but to become evil; he definitely wouldn’t be this way if he knew better! Sometimes written as a weakling who needs to be defended from anyone, everyone, the world, and especially All For One. Feeble waif, constantly on the edge of wasting away. Might cry himself to sleep at night. Never Been Touched/Don’t-Touch-Me-I-am-the-NIGHT™.

Canon Shigaraki: Craves violence like candy...

Close combat quirk means he’s always up in other people’s business... Personal space bubbles are for the weak.

Easily capable of controlling the bickering and assuaging the concerns of his team members...

An unmitigated badass who carries on whole conversations while bleeding out from bullet wounds to every limb...

And jumps from speeding vehicles without a moment’s pause. There was literally no reason for him to be on the roof of the truck EXCEPT for it looking badass. This boy is just Extra AF and I won’t hear any arguments to the contrary.

EDIT to add one more because this is also bugging me:

Fanon Shigaraki: Absolutely the worst at adapting to new scenarios. Violently rejects any form of change. Has a comfort zone the size of a wasabi pea and only ever comes out of that comfort zone kicking and screaming, dragged by another major character. Every ounce of character growth will take twelve chapters and a dramatic mental breakdown to overcome.

Canon Shigaraki: (Deliberately) Tied with Midoriya for being the most adaptive character in the series.

Never tries the same strategy twice...

Learns from, consumes, and grows by flexibly incorporating the plans and attitudes of other villains...

Actively and intentionally changes entire facets of his own behavior to further his agenda...

And to motivate his allies... From:

To:

What MAKES Shigaraki so terrifying and effective as a villain is that he is so flexible and capable of change. He demonstrates the ability to admit and learn from his mistakes, to build new plans on the fly, to gain deeper understanding of how other people work (and can be manipulated) and to quickly and easily put everything he learns into action to forward his goals. He’s fascinating in his ability to simply pick up or discard new attitudes to suit his own ends, and his actions continuously call into question what aspects of Shigaraki’s personality/behavior are genuine and which are merely a construct he’s built up deliberately to further his own and All For One’s dreams.

Shigaraki Tomura is incredible at adapting to challenges, can blend in exactly when, where, and as much as he needs to, and is significantly more open to change than virtually any other villain we’ve seen so far in the series.

But I feel like it’s rare to see this side of him in fandom portrayals?

Sure, Shigaraki is still violent, unhinged, quick-tempered, and definitely keeping things secret from the rest of the League to use them to his benefit... But uhhhh...

He’s also become a ferocious defender to his men. His actively antisocial behavior (always exaggerated) has become increasingly reduced in the story--Tomura is virtually always seen in the company of others (contrast Twice and Spinner, who we’re deliberately shown spending time alone, and Dabi, who appears to frequently work without the rest of the League). Shigaraki exhibits a reasonable gamut of emotions, including many of which are not “Go die,” and he shows a positive and grateful attitude towards his comrades (might be fake, but still at least he’s bothering to fake it, unlike Chisaki). He’s also been shown to be a great actor, both in serious scenes and in silly ones, such as his doofy reaction to Uraraka...

In terms of leadership, Tomura has advanced to the point that he’s the one promoting group solidarity, allows and wants others to think of the League as close-knit, and knows his comrades well enough to rely on them in meaningful situations. We’re led to believe he was earnest in his attempts to recruit Bakugou, that Toga has seen him happy on at least a few occasions, and that he’s okay with bringing the rest of the League into what likely qualifies as his home (something none of the other League members have ever done, at least that we’ve seen).

Furthermore, every confrontation he’s been in in the manga can only lead readers to the conclusion that Shigaraki is an absolute beast on the battlefield, easily the League’s strongest and most dangerous player, and more likely to be protecting the other League members than being protected...

So like, I ain’t out here about to criticize anyone else’s portrayals of Shigaraki in their own works, and this isn’t intended to be a guide on how to write or not write Shigaraki in fics, but I do find myself wishing his characterization in fanworks showed the same evolution as his character in the actual story.

Why write level 1 Tomura behavior when my boy is out here grinding his way to 99???

Send me your Shigaraki fic recs fam, I’m dying...

#shigaraki tomura #league of villains #canon vs fanon #boku no hero academia #bnha spoilers #I guess #I PROCRASTINATED GRADING MY SECOND TO LAST SET OF FINALS TO POST THIS #because I have a mighty craving #and I can't find a single fic that really seems to scratch it DDDD;#I love one (1) crusty prince #but I don't love the woobified or overly hateful versions of him that seem to keep cropping up #I KNOW EVERYONE IS ENTITLED TO THEIR OPINION #DON'T @ ME #and actually I've joked about a lot of OOC Tomura protrayals in my own posts #so it's not like I don't see the appeal #but sometimes I get tired of 90% of Tomura's dialogue being how much he hates everyone else

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ganglylimbs · 4 years

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Ok, because I want to gush about it here are the warnings!

Hero Risings Spoilers under read more! I’m literally talking about the entire movie so avoid it if you don’t want to see anything you don’t like

Ok, first of all, the fact that the movie is so heavy Class 1-A focused as a whole is amazing. Seriously, this is all I ever wanted, the class working together to stop the villains

The beginning where they all go out to help the village and are doing their thing to help and I love them all so much

A small thing but my queer heart was so happy to see Mina going “Oh she sounded so dreamy”. I don’t care what the reason was, that small little tidbit made my smile so wide

Although, I’m glad it still centers on Bakugou and Midoriya

When people talk about how Mahoro and Katsuma are Bkdk’s children, I will admit, I thought that people were exaggerating. That they thought of them that way because there were children the two interacted with. But no, they deliberately made the two that way. Like Katsuma has Midoriya’s shy personality but Bakugou’s outlook on how you should be a hero while Mahoro has Bakugou’s outgoing personality while having Midoriya’s need to protect.

Which is fucking great when you consider the scene of Midoriya talking to Katsuma while Bakogou eavesdrops. Like, he’s literally talking to Bakugou about how a hero also needs to help people but doing it in a way where Bakugou actually considers it instead of resisting (even if Midoriya doesn’t know that). And then! Because of that talk, Bakugou was actually going to go out and help people! He put on his hero suit and everything! It speaks to how far their relationship has come

The fight scenes were great! I fucking love them

In the fight with Mummy, the fact that the others were so excited that Bakugou came to help them because they know that Bakugou would give his all to defeat the villain and that they can count on him.

And then! He sacrifices his gauntlet to escape from Mummy’s Quirk because the boy will not be restrained and will not allow himself to be used against his friends (and of course he gets restrained. Again. Because Hori has a fetish I swear)

Also a quick note, I love love love the Bakugou, Kirishima, Kaminari team-up. I think they would make a great superhero team.

And then the Bakugou-Midoriya team up against Nine. I wonder if they practiced that move where Bakugou throws Midoryia or if that was just made up on the spot. It was funny though, the guy behind me went “oh that’s so awesome” and I agree

My absolute favorite thing is watching Bakugou fight. He is so expressive, so powerful and his moves are so calculated

And then we have class 1-A being their delightful selves. Even though they’re all hurt, here they are, pushing themselves to help the villagers. Like, both Momo and Kaminari are draining themselves to provide for them.

And then we get to the big fight scene. And yes, yes, yes. Them using strategy to help them fight is what I want. Them working together to bring the villains down! That’s what I want more of!

Aoyama using his naval to distract them as Momo literally blasts them with canons? I love it.

And then Sero and Uraraka! They fucking knocked it out of the park when they threw the rocks at Nine. Like, they are the best holy shit. And that finishing move? When Uraraka lifted the logs? Best girl hands down. I can’t believe she wants to go into rescuing when she’s perfect as a powerhouse fighter

Ok, now I’m going to talk about the fight in three sperate parts. First up, the fight against Knives. I wish we saw more of it, but I get that the other two were more interesting. Still, that Mina-Todoroki team up was great. Tokoyami going “The darkness is my domain” and putting on those claws was so badass. And Knives little “Cheeky boy” oh boy, I’m in love. And then Mina burns her hair off before flipping her way out of Knives’ attack was so amazing. And then Dark Shadow! Being angry that Mina got hurt! And coming out. That’s one of my favorite tropes, where someone’s power rises to dangerous levels because their friend is in danger. And I hope Tokoyami continues to do it throughout the series

Onto the Chimera fight. Again, their tactical minds come out. They have a pretty good plan to keep him contained until help comes. He’s just too powerful. Tsyu is so damn powerful too, she has poison mucus??? But then he super powers up and Idia, Tsyu, Kirishima and Todoroki have to use the last of their strength to fight him. The fact that Kirishima can take a full blast that leveled the forest is so freaking amazing. And then Todoroki shows him up by literally freezing Chimera from the inside out! Anyways, they’re all so good and I’m so proud of them.

And then the main fight against Nine. Honestly, I can’t write how amazing it was. You just need to go see it. So I’m going to get the main part. The OFA transfer. I think they make it pretty clear how big of a deal it is for Midoriay, literally giving his Quirk and one chance at being a Hero away. So I’ll talk about how damn hard that must have been for Bakugou. Not just because we know Bakugou has trouble accepting help from others. But also because he hates “cheating” with stuff like that. He wants to surpass Midoriya on his own, he wants to beat Midoriya, which can’t happen if Midoriya isn’t even a Hero anymore. So to take Midoriya’s hand, to take the Quirk, was a big deal for both of them. And then the music that played. It wasn’t anything hard and badass. It was soft and inspirational and gave me goosebumps. And then the fight! Just please, watch it

Also, I love the emphasis they place on how the kids learn throughout the fight and the villains don’t. Like, they say several times “I saw you do that before”, which takes the villain by surprise. And it comes back to bite Nine in the ass in a big way when he tries to use the Lightning and they use Kaminari as a lightening pole

As for the ending, first off, I think (???), what they were going for is that because Midoriya was so selfless when he gave the quirk up, the ancestors of OFA gave the quirk back to Midoriya. The explanation they also pose is that Bakugou passed out before the quirk can be fully transferred.My theory? I truly think that Bakugou gave the quirk back. I can’t explain how or why, but if it’s possible, I absolutely think that Bakugou would give the quirk back. He doesn’t want the power, not that way, so of course, he wouldn't want to keep it.

And then the Heros come. Hawks is so soft when picking up Tokoyami, I love him

Anyways, go watch the movie, it’s so great

Ok, so here is my two complaints: 1.) I don’t know why they made Bakugou lose his memory of the OFA transfer? There doesn’t seem to be a point to have him lose that character development. So, my personal opinion is that Bakugou just said that because like hell is going to fucking admit to doing anything like that, are you kidding? Admitting to being vulnerable and showing emotions? and then 2.) I wish they had showed Bakugou helping the villagers at the end. His whole mini character arc in this movie was going from not wanting to help them to admitting that’s what he has to do in order to be a good hero. So it would have been a nice conclusion.

#my hero academia #bakugou katsuki #midoriya izuku #that's what this kind of focuses on #but it's also all of class 1-a #super power kids #super hero kids

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makeste · 5 years

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BnHA Chapter 209: Proud Dads, Determined Rivals, and a Prison Interlude

Previously on BnHA: Team BakuJirouSatouSero scored a flawless 4-0 victory against Team TokaBondoAwaKama. Here’s how it went down: (1) Bakugou protected Jirou and everyone watching was like “holy shit did Bakugou just protect Jirou??” and his classmates were like “YES THAT JUST HAPPENED”; (2) Awase welded Bakugou to some columns with his quirk; (3) Satou used his own quirk to smash Bakugou free; (4) Jirou stunned Awase with her quirk and Sero tied him up; (5) Bakugou blasted Bondo and Satou restrained him afterward; (6) everyone watching was like “SO BAKUGOU DOES TEAMWORK NOW?!” and again his classmates were like “YES”; (7) Bakugou flung Kamakiri into a wall, which looked like it hurt, sorry Kamakiri; (8) we learned that Bakugou had given some extra grenades to his teammates and they’d used them to blow up a bunch of Tokage’s amputated body parts, forcing her to regenerate and use up her stamina; and finally, (9) the depleted Tokage flew right into Bakugou and he took her out with a (Point-Blank) Stun Grenade attack. Basically it was just Bakugou is Awesome: The Chapter. If I didn’t know any better I’d think I had fantasized this whole fucking thing you guys. THAT’S MY BOYYYY.

Today on BnHA: Aizawa gives his team a thumbs up and Kaminari is all “WOW KACCHAN YOU REALLY CAN BE NOT-A-JERK IF YOU TRY HUH” and All Might is all “chills, Young Bakugou. LITERAL CHILLS” and that last bit makes Bakugou get all shy and embarrassed and it’s super fucking cute. Then he bumps into Deku and Deku is all “wow that was awesome” and Bakugou is all “you can’t beat me” and Deku is all “nah I can” and it goes on like this for a page and then Bakugou leaves and then All Might is all “I ship it.” Over on class B’s side, Monoma and his team begin to strategize for their upcoming battle. Everyone agrees that their first priority should be to take out Deku because You Just Don’t Fuck With Deku. The 5th set begins, and it’s honestly too many names to squish together, I’m gonna be real with y’all, but anyway so Deku’s side also has Mina, Ochako, and Mineta though. And their plan is to have Deku be a decoy and draw out Team B’s most troublesome members (i.e. Shinsou). As things get started, All Might gets a call from Gran Torino. We then cut to Tartarus of all places, where Prisoner #1541, better known as All for One, is squirming around and making the guards nervous. Turns out AFO is excited because apparently he can “hear his little brother’s voice.” Um. Okay.

(As always, all comments not marked with an ETA are my mostly-unspoiled reactions from my first readthrough of this chapter. I’m caught up with the manga now at chapter 224, so any ETAs will reflect that.)

haHA!

THAT’S HOW WE DOOOOOOOOOO

oh man. that was such a rush. how could anyone possibly not enjoy that. I think even Aizawa was probably pumping his fist a couple of times and then trying to play it off like he didn’t care lol

poor Vlad King

I wonder how this will change people’s strategies going up against Bakugou in the future. the kid whose own classmates once worried that he wouldn’t accept being rescued even when his life was literally on the line just pulled off some of the smoothest fucking teamwork I’ve ever seen. I mean that shit was seamless. and “cooperation” was this kid’s one and only weak stat before; moving forward it’s getting harder and harder to imagine how anyone could possibly beat him

and lest I not give the others the credit they deserve, they were outstanding as well. Satou with the clutch save and then later helping to apprehend Bondo! Sero who made expert use of his quirk to get the others in position and to capture Awase! and then being the one to figure out Tokage’s weakness and exploit it! and last but most definitely not least my girl Jirou, who kept the others advised of class B’s movements throughout and was the one to actually KO Awase before Sero tied him up!

basically they all did so gooood. even Aizawa can’t possibly find anything to chew them out for can he? lol I’m so proud of my babies

HAHA!!

HE GAVE THEM A THUMBS UP! HE’S ALMOST SMILING! OH MY GOD THAT MEANS THEY DID AMAZING. AND HE EVEN FOUND A WAY TO WORK IN SOME EXTRA COMPLIMENTS FOR PROBLEM CHILD #2 OVER THERE. AWW

meanwhile poor Vlad can’t find much to say either because let’s be real there’s no way his kids were ever gonna win that one

“based on past data” wow you guys I wonder if I’m ever going to stop being over the moon about this lol

but I mean, that’s exactly why I’m so psyched! it’s that slow burn character development! this was done so, so painstakingly, and little by little all the groundwork was put in until we finally reached the payoff. and that’s why it’s so satisfying. it’s because this is the side of Bakugou that I’ve been waiting for from the very start. this is him finally achieving the potential he has always had. it took so much patience and it was so, so worth it. so yeah. fuck it. I’m gonna keep being giddy about it

poor Tokage is apologizing to her teammates and she looks really worn out and I feel bad :( poor girl

but Awase is all “if someone with moves like his turns into a ‘goody two-shoes’, they have no holes to exploit” and oh my god lol. that’s what I’m saying, though. lol everyone is so fucked now :DDDD “well fuck us, if Bakugou’s not even going to be an asshole anymore then we might as well roll over and die now”

OH MY GOD

NEW FAVORITE PANEL ALERT

LET’S ANALYZE EVERYTHING!!! LET’S FUCKING DO IT!!

“KACCHAN” IS ALIVE AND WELL, I SEE!

BUT RIGHT AWAY HE COMPLIMENTS JIROU AS WELL BECAUSE KAMINARI IS HERE DOING HIS PART IN THIS THE YEAR TWENTY BI-TEEN

WELL DUH, SHE’S A HERO KAMINARI!!!

“A DELINQUENT PICKING UP A BUNCH OF STRAY CATS” SDFLAKSDFKJL WHAT AN AMAZING SIMILE. SERO YOU CAN COME SIT BY ME

and last but not least, there isn’t so much as a blink in regards to the “Kacchan.” this seriously is going to be his new hero name. this has gone from “I sure would love it if...” to “I’m actually starting to become increasingly sure of this” to “I would put solid money on it and would be amazed at this point if it doesn’t end up happening.” honestly I just want it to happen already lol

(ETA: yeah I might lose that bet lol. I still would love this because Parallels, but those Ground Zero feels from 223 have me rethinking my entire life ngl. btw that turned out to be “ground zero” spelled out in katakana though, not 爆心地/bakushinchi, so who knows. still kinda up in the air here.)

-- oh my fucking god you guys!!

ahhhhhhhhhhhhh ;______;

let’s analyze everything again omgggggg

look at Kacchan’s face. look at how he’s ignoring the others behind him entirely. his focus is entirely on All Might here. just waiting for his response. trying his best not to show how important it actually is to him

and All Might’s exceedingly proud face, and that praise. “CHILLS, YOUNG BAKUGOU. YOU GAVE ME FUCKING CHILLS” lmaoooo

AND THEN KACCHAN’S ULTIMATE TSUNDERE RESPONSE!!!

HE HAD TO TURN AWAY IMMEDIATELY SO THAT ALL MIGHT WOULDN’T SEE IF HE BLEW IT AND FUCKING BLUSHED OR SOMETHING

THE LEFT HAND MOVING UP TO HIS EAR! you’re telling me this kid, Bakugou fucking Katsuki, THE COCKIEST BOY WHO EVER LIVED, actually felt self-conscious to the point where he had to turn away and was all “whatever it’s not a big deal” and rubbing at his ear and avoiding eye contact with fucking everyone because he was so fucking happy that he made All Might proud, and no one can ever know!!!! QUICK, SAY SOMETHING COOL! “...YOU PROBABLY JUST CAUGHT A COLD OR SOMETHING.” NAILED IT!! SO SMOOTH KACCHAN

oh my god you guys this moment is seriously everything to me though. I’m so fucking happy for him. and he is so fucking cute jesus christ I want to pinch his adorable embarrassed cheeks ffff

OH HELLO

“REFLEX” I LOVE THAT THEY HAD TO CLARIFY IT. BECAUSE HE’S NOT THAT MEAN ANYMORE AND WE JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE KNOW

but he was so wrapped up in the praise he just got from his hero that when Deku startled him he got so flustered and he just automatically slipped back into what he knows. “nuuu leave me aloneeee.” HE’S NOT EVEN IN YOUR WAY THOUGH

SDFLKASHLDKFJ

PEOPLE OF THE WORLD, BNHA FUCKING DARES YOU NOT TO SHIP THESE IDIOTS. YEAH GO ON. JUST TRY IT

DSKAFDSHLFKHAWOIFHWOKFHSLK

lol unlike with All Might, Kacchan knows exactly how to respond to Deku’s praise by this point

but they’ve seriously come such a long way as well. look at how Katsuki’s response acknowledges Deku’s strength even as he keeps the rivalry alive and well. “you’ll never be able to catch up.” acknowledging Deku as the threat he is, the one who pushes him to keep improving

and then Deku’s confident response, slipping right into a rapport with him. no stammering or hesitation. just his own cocky little grin. he’s fucking living for this. being rivals with Kacchan! don’t mind him it’s just everything he ever wanted that’s all

lol so now Katsuki’s telling him to shut up and that he’ll never be able to surpass him!

and Deku’s all

I stan two (2) idiot rivalboys who are just starting to heal their relationship after so long and let me tell you guys it is an absolute and utter pleasure to see it go down and I am here for it and will be here for it as it continues to progress and as Katsuki continues to learn how to be Less Of A Jerk and make amends for his Past Bullshit and the two of them continue to establish this rivalry and then start to take their next steps toward the final stage, the endgame if you will, which is being partners who actually trust one another. oh my god. and I can’t fucking believe we’re finally within sight of that now though and oh my fucking god you guys

what are you thinking All Miiiiiiiight. I just explained to you all of my ten zillion thoughts on this so now you give me one of yours!

asldfkjalsfdjoi

OH SO YOU WERE SHIPPING THEM TOO HUH

ffffffff I’m telling you, every time he looks at the two of them together he sees their future selves, working together and trusting one another and relying on one another and together being the greatest heroes the world has ever known. All Might is the original BakuDeku shipper. he loves them so much and he’s so proud of them

and look at the word he uses there. friend. once again seeing through all of their fronting and other nonsense to the core of what they really are. and “friend” is not a word you could use to describe what Katsuki is to Izuku until very recently, but he’s absolutely right. we saw that earlier today when Katsuki saw them talking and came over and asked if anything had happened with OFA and then listened and reassured Izuku. that wasn’t rivalry, there -- that was care and concern (very brusquely offered but still). we are officially entering a whole new stage of this thing you guys, and fucking bring it on

also Deku’s face though. like, he was trying to keep that Rival Smirk in place, but look at the Actual Grin fighting to work its way out and him being so excited because it’s Kacchan and it’s what he’s wanted for so long ffff

ANYWAY. so we’re finally going to move on from the BakuDeku part of this chapter now though so say farewell

(ETA: oh my god this one section of this recap analyzing three fucking pages was longer than some of my other recaps in their entirety. sorry, guys; I see a pair of rivals and I lose all self control.)

All Might is adding “other than that potty mouth of his” which is Classic All Might, and meanwhile Shinsou is watching the two of them (All Might and Deku) with an indecipherable expression, oh my

anyway so now we turn to our other resident cocky blond

“not half bad” from Monoma in reference to Katsuki is like a fucking Michelin star holy shit

now Tokage is coming up to him dejected and apologizing and saying that it’s mathematically impossible for class B to win now

well that is true but they can still tie though. honestly I have no idea how this last fight will go now

wow Monoma

that accelerated from insightful to pompous so quickly I don’t think anyone even had time to strap themselves in

“everyone is a supporting character in someone else’s life, and the main character in their own” fucking what lmao

I mean, he’s not wrong though. unless you’re Deku. then you’re just The Main Character. surprise! a good way to tell if you’re actually the main character in everyone’s lives and not just your own is if you get attacked by villains in every single arc btw

so Kakashi Girl is asking what is Monoma’s plan anyway

did they not come up with one yet?? they had all that time! the most time out of anyone!

Shouda says they should adapt a strategy similar to Tokage’s team

sure, if you also want to get beat 4-0 in a record five minutes

so he says they should stick together and keep themselves concealed and that there are no merits in challenging the other team to hand-to-hand combat

whatever you say. I only know two of you guys’ quirks here. I personally would be looking to take advantage of the Monoma-borrows-Shinsou’s-quirk strategy to take them by surprise, which is only going to work once but damned if it won’t be really fun to watch though

absolutely. he’s the Bakugou of their team, for sure. but if you thought Kacchan’s team had good teamwork, you ain’t seen nothing yet though

and also don’t forget that my girl Uraraka “gon’ fuck your shit UP” Ochako is also on this team! anyone wants to underestimate her, it’s at their own risk

apparently class B has been doing their research and keeping up with the times, because they’re aware that Deku’s style has come a long long way from the days of the sports festival. they even know about his new long-distance attacks! wow

also they describe him as “Bakugou’s equal or maybe even greater” in terms of both mobility and power, which is excellent. this series keeps giving me what I want

so Shinsou agrees that they need to take out Deku first “no matter the cost.” but he’s bringing up the fact that Deku is able to escape from his brainwashing

oooooh

ehhhh but I kinda feel like that’s a waste of the potential that Monoma-with-Shinsou’s-quirk has, and I don’t get how doubling down would do anything other than just make things more complicated. and also, won’t Deku’s team be on the lookout for Shinsou’s quirk now? idk just seems like a lot of things that could go wrong here. this fight is going to be so interesting

Monoma looks thoughtful and says that it’s possible “things won’t go as planned for me either”

but he says that either way they need to stop Deku from roaming free or they have no chance. “I’m counting on you, Shinsou”

so now the teachers are gathered and saying that this is the last round, which we already know. “I wonder how Shinsou will fare?”

I know Aizawa is actually way more invested in this than he’s letting on, so I’m officially rooting for class B here despite my best boy and best girl Izuku and Ochako being on the class A team. sorry guys. but I just want your new brother to do well so he can be accepted into your class and get to be your brother full time!

I highly doubt that they will! so now we’ll see whether or not he can adapt!

oh shit I forgot Mineta was on this team. hey team B I’m giving you guys a freebie. you can just come pick him up now

anyway so on their side they are of course worried the most about Shinsou. though Ochako’s reminding them that they should be worried about everyone!

lol that started out as what seemed to be a pep talk, but then turned into more of a “there’s actually way more ways we could lose than just that!” type of thing lmao

and what is this now

did you guys spend all your time practicing this instead of coming up with some actual strategies. we fucking know what you can do you boobs

lmaoooooo

what are you talking about!? honestly you could probably combine your quirks and still pull out a win even without Deku if you tried. Mina what happened to all that creativity you were overflowing with during the Band AU arc??

(ETA: thankfully she’s still got it! lol watch your back Mineta)

and anyway, since you do have Deku though, this team is basically Bakugou’s Team 2.0. the possibilities are endless! you guys are so fucking versatile! stop getting down on yourselves! where is the leadership?? the last group only just showed everyone how much of a difference that shit makes. Deku where are you

oh there you are

would that really work? I know if it was me on team B and I saw Deku off on his own I’d be like “okay great, let’s stay as far the fuck away from him as possible and go after the others while they’re undefended”

oh apparently he told them all about his weird quirk mishap earlier because Mina’s asking him how he’s doing now

but he says he’s feeling fine, same as always

and he thinks that after watching the 4th set, they’ll be on their guard against him though. yeah exactly

Mineta’s asking if he’s going to be all right because they’re relying on him

oh y’all know I’m living for this calm heroic confidence

this right here. is exactly the type of hero I want Deku to be. oh my god I’m so fucking proud of my boys in this arc, though

SHUT UP MINETA

STEADFAST DEKU IS THE BEST DEKU. GO GET YOURSELF CAPTURED BY SHINSOU ALREADY IF YOU’RE GONNA BE LIKE THAT

so now Deku’s flexing his hand and he says nothing feels off

sdlfkhalsdkflj

“after he lit a fire under me like that” oh my god. and this is why their rivalry is my favorite fucking part of the series. just look at how they push each other. Kacchan just gave the performance of a lifetime after reluctantly learning the true meaning of Christmas from the boy he formerly thought of as a pebble in his shoe. and now Deku is here calmly telling everyone they’re definitely going to win, and thinking determined thoughts after getting all fired up after that talk with his best friend. CAN I CALL THEM THAT YET? NO? I’M BEING TOLD I JUMPED THE GUN EXTREMELY BY A WHOLE LOT? ARE YOU SURE? OKAY SORRY I JUST GOT EXCITED MY BAD. BUT GIVE IT A LITTLE MORE TIME THOUGH?

anyways so Vlad is all “BEGIN!” and there are two big panels of the teams getting all set to go!

oh shit and now All Might’s phone is ringing unexpectedly

lol @ Midnight telling him to shut that thing off. All Might that’s so rude

oh shit it’s Gran! that was fast. oh my god now they can talk about Deku’s weird quirk bullshit yessssssssss

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH

ISN’T THIS TARTARUS?!?!

ASDFKLHLKJL

jesus christ. if you have upwards of 1500 extremely dangerous high security prisoners, then maybe just maybe you might want to go ahead and refer to them by their fucking names just for simplicity’s sake. “which one is 1541 again?” like is it good or bad that he moved? these are circumstances where even a split second of having to go through your mental filing system to recall who’s who might end up being disastrous if things go wrong

anyways don’t mind me, just nitpicking really stupid things instead of getting on with the story. okay so who is that. is it AFO??

so the guard is mumbling that it would be nice if they could hurry up with “the decision and execution” of 1541’s sentence. “at this rate we won’t be able to last”

wow. so it must be AFO, right? if they’re just letting him move around all the time, they really are screwed. what, were those gun turrets just for show? he’ll be out of there in a blink of an eye once he finally feels like it

and now we’re cutting to the cells and I’m preeeeetty sure this is AFO talking with Stain here

Chaplin sounds like some redpill prick if you ask me

also I’m not quite sure but did they just confirm that Chaplin is Gigantomachia’s true identity?

I just went and checked JBox’s translation and they made it seem like Giganto is Chaplin’s subordinate. which can’t be right because we know he’s AFO’s. serves me right for trying to verify something with JBox. I’ll just check Caleb Cook’s twitter after this and see what his thoughts are

-- wait hold up. now it looks like the guards talking. maybe JBox was right after all

(ETA: okay I wasn’t able to check Viz’s version to verify, but I think this is actually the guards talking and the correct translation should be “he’s his direct subordinate,” with him being All for One. the original Japanese line was “直系の部下だ” which basically means “he is [their] direct subordinate” without actually clarifying whose subordinate they are, so it’s a bit confusing when you don’t know who’s talking. anyways!!)

anyway so they’re saying that AFO has tons of other followers still in hiding and that it’s not just the league. and that they have to be careful not to provoke them

eh, I’d say it’s worth the risk. these other villains ain’t shit compared to AFO and we all know it. but if you leave him alive, and he gets out and regains his strength and retakes his place at the head of them all, then we’re talking about an all-out war potentially

which is actually where I’m thinking the series might be headed though. at least for the final arc. so I guess we’ll see

um whoa

seriously?? you too?? oh shit what the hell is even going on

anyways so that’s the end. oh my god. the series is getting so good again. it’s actually been really good since the Endeavorhawks arc honestly. like we’re almost back at full steam again. big things are coming, we’re heading toward another huge arc, I can feel it, and I can’t wait