And I will swallow my pride
You're the one that I love
And I'm saying goodbye - Say Something by A Great Big World ft. C. Aguilera

November - 2nd Year

Ochaco

I snuggled into my coat as I watched Aizawa demonstrate the art of moving the eye, not the head. Inwardly, I thought the lesson was unfair, mostly since even if Aizawa turned his head, behind his slatted goggles, no one could tell who he was looking at until someone else complained. My head turned to look over my shoulder. Zero was standing tall and proud in his warm weather gear. This was my chance. He was my partner today.

Aizawa pushed his goggles up, "Villains, as you know, are never going to play fair with you. There's a trick to most things in life, and learning how to see beyond the surface is just one more in your arsenal. You've already drawn your partners. Set one," He turned to look at me and raising his eyes to Ground Zero, "to the starting line. Everyone else can watch in the booth."

"Take him down," Deku clapped my back and I gave him a grin.

"Just watch, Deku." I held up my hand for a fist bump and he obliged, "Next time, I'll take you down, too."

"You wish, Round Face!" Zero gave me an honest smile, "Though you're welcome to try."

I raised my brow and gave him a nod, "Scream out if you see me. Actually, I'll make sure you do."

He laughed and moved toward his end of the arena. I cracked my knuckles and went to stand where I'd planned to start. As soon as I was settled on the lee side of a jagged concrete form, the gun-shot went off. I tested the wind, kicking a bit of debris into the atmosphere. Today was a hideous day for being outside, but for wind assisted attacks, it was going to do fine.

I deactivated most of my gravity, keeping just enough of my suit heavy to throw myself in a specific direction. I wished for the hundredth time that Ground Zero's quirk made noise before he decided to use it. I needn't have bothered.

"It's cold! End it!" In my mind's eye, I could practically see his molars, the shout had undoubtedly been accompanied by a large scowl.

Screw that, I thought with an equally hard sneer in my mind. Though with the shout, I realized that he'd run around the pitch, and was now in the north, looking to blow me out of the sky. I concentrated, and linked my fingers to release just my right boot, abruptly changing my trajectory.

I scanned the rocky ground, looking for a flash of orange and the smudge of black. There he was! I released my body weight, and angled my legs to slash down at him. He saw me, too, and I slapped one hand to the other, shooting back upward as he blew off a series of loud explosions with a manic grin.

I pressed my fingers again, adding weight to the suit as I gained enough height to be away from him for the moment. I banked my body to the side, drifting close to another peak. A gust blew shoulder-length brown hair back along with the scent of burning nitroglycerin. I could feel my mouth stretch into a wolfish grin. He was trying to fly in this?

With another fingertip press, I dropped like a stone onto one of the ledges that dotted the peaks on this pitch. I turned my head, looking around and hearing the twinned explosions nearing my position. I waited until he could see me plainly, and jumped right off the ledge.

His eyes widened as he changed course, only to have the wind whip around mercilessly. He faltered, but I simply took off all my gravity again, shooting away in the same gale that had ruined his flight.

"Give up!" I shouted, a laugh ripping out in the gale that was sending me straight into the teeth of another peak. I adjusted my feet so that my spring loaded heels would take the brunt of my momentum, and shoot me off in a new direction.

Zero had dropped back to the ground, his eyes narrow in his mask, shouting something, though the wind was carrying it away. I shot him a glance, I knew I was in full concentration mode. I hope he was scared, at least a little. The boots hit just right, sending me toward his position head first.

It was a stupid move at first glance. If Zero were to stand there and just wait like a good punching bag, I'd collide head first into him. Not smart. And he wouldn't wait, I knew that, too. So, with another calculated finger press, I reactivated the gravity in a boot and wristlet, swinging both with a snap that whipped me around like a top.

Suddenly, my boots were pointed the direction my head had been, and full gravity had been restored to my body. I was wrong about just one thing. Zero didn't run, he didn't even raise his gauntleted hands. I'd shocked him! Unfortunately, his mistake was going to hurt. When my boot hit his clavicle, I felt and heard it snap. He went down under a torrent of pain, his right arm hanging loose at his side.

When I landed, I ran to him, skidding on the rock studded concrete to his side. He was unconscious, and I whistled up a med droid. "Aizawa-sensei, I think I won this one."

His voice came over the loudspeaker, "Set two?"

I took that as my cue to either join the class or leave. With this horrible, cold, windy weather, I followed the droids back inside UA. I walked beside them though the hallways all the way to Recovery Girl's office.

The droids lifted him to the bed as the nurse smiled at me, "Dearie, you don't want to be here for this part do you?"

"I caused it, Recovery Girl." I nodded, "I think I need to be here for him, now."

"This boy has a temper, but if you think he won't hurt himself, you may stay."

If there was one thing I knew outside the fact that I'd just TKOed Ground Zero, it was that Bakugo has a temper. I put on my brave face and watched the other woman palpate his shoulder and down his collarbone. She whistled lowly when she came to the break. I frowned in unhappy accomplishment.

"One small kiss will do it." She gave me a wide grin, "But you must let him rest afterwards, for it will still pain him. But he can go back to the dorms with you when he wakes." She leaned forward, her bun wobbling as she kissed Bakugo's cheek. I pinked. How many daydreams have I had of kissing Bakugo?

Eyes red as cherries blinked open, and locked on me. I hoped he'd mistake my blushes for anything else. "I'm healed?"

Recovery girl shook her head, "I'm going to get you a candy bar, young man."

"I don't like candy," he grumped sourly, raising his eyes to mine, "You deserved that win."

"Thanks. Sorry about your clavicle. Recovery Girl..." I looked away in shame, "Recovery Girl says it'll hurt for awhile, but you can go back to the dorms if you can stay awake."

"Hey!" his voice was overly loud and startled me, "What the hell? You think you can KO me and that's the end?" He rubbed his shoulder, "I've been thinking. With your quirk and mine, we could be a killer team."

"Huh?" He couldn't be saying... we're good together?

"You heard me short stuff." That put the lights right out of me, "I think we should team up. Maybe think of some kind of cool name. Work out some moves."

"You want to team up with me?" Bakugo and I had had a tenuous sort of friendship since the Sports Festival in first year. I'd had a crush on him since the last one. "Why now?"

"Why the hell not?" He showed me teeth, and I sat back, "If you don't want to, just.."

"I do!" I interrupted him, "I will." That had been my decision. To either win his heart or to win his friendship. This seemed a good a way as any.

AN/ I wrote these as part of a larger project, but I don't want to do the larger project. Anyhow, these stories are dedicated to a friend, Tasia (Mmm-Hmm, you asked for these quite some time ago). Thank you to my beta, mr mosevic. I believe in you. Always.

If you're reading this, and you want to know why I wrote them, please read 'Delicate Situation' also by me... I'd love to have comments, so please feel free to chat me up!