~another point of view~

"I just wanna say...I'm gonna win."

There was a beat of silence across the Sport's festival stadium. Bakugo stood, alone atop the speech podium as a crowd of onlookers gawked at him. Class 1-A cringed at the fresh targets he'd just painted on them.

The arena floor erupted into a chorus of jeers and threats. Bakugo didn't flinch. He looked down into his class and found the two pair of eyes he knew wouldn't be moved.

Todoroki and Midoriya.

Endeavor's son looked up at him, watching him descend from the steps. Bakugo's declaration had been in major part, directed at him. The prodigy boy had made a scene in their class's waiting room before they entered the arena. He called out Midoriya in front of them all as if useless Deku was a threat to him.

As if beating him would prove something.

Bakugo had sat in his seat disgusted. Deku was nothing, but everyone always found a way to treat him like he was special, like he had something over them. They gave him attention he didn't deserve.

Bakugo had spent his life preparing. For years, he'd made sure he was the best, only to suddenly share that spotlight with that useless green curly-haired shit. To make matters even worse, the reality that there were students just as powerful as him, if not more, in his very class had weighed on his shoulders since their first field test. He'd lost to Deku that day. And Todoroki had won his battle in less than a minute. It'd put things into perspective. He wasn't going to just stand out amongst weaklings like usual. He'd have to prove he was the best. Prove he deserved to be at the top.

That made Shoto an added target. Apparently the feeling wasn't reciprocated.

Katsuki had everything over Deku; he was the biggest threat to Todoroki, but the idiot had pledged to beat Deku instead.

"You have Almight in your corner" Shoto explained in the waiting room. That was his reasoning for challenging him. It'd sunk a sickening feeling into katsuki's gut, hearing his suspicions reaffirmed. He'd noticed too. Plenty had.

Deku had Almight's attention. The favor of the worlds No.1 hero, that had inspired Katsuki his entire life, belonged to Midoriya.

To add salt to the wound, Midoriya was now prioritized as 'the one to beat' because of that favor and the sudden quirk he'd pulled out of his ass. If Shoto was a result of training under the no.2 hero, then that only logically made Deku the extension of the no.1.

Todoroki and Almight had chosen him. Bakugo was getting washed away into just another one of other students reaching for the top. He should have expected it. U-A was the best of the best. Everyone there was talented.

It didn't matter. He was better. He just had to make everyone else see.

He wasn't an extra.

Katsuki ignored the jeers of the UA students around him. Usually quick to fire off at nuisances, he stayed quiet and focused. He entered back into the crowd, bumping past Deku. The cowering boy from his memory didn't flinch. Instead, he looked at him the same way he'd looked, responding to Todoroki.

He could feel the answer without looking at the boy. I accept your challenge.

Katsuki was going to kill him.

He would show everyone who they should be focused on. Everyone would acknowledge him as the real opponent for the top.

Or so he thought.

Despite making it to the final title match, despite working his ass off and fighting for 1st…

Todoroki threw his final match with Katsuki. He didn't honor their battle. He didn't even acknowledge it.

After giving his all to beat Deku.

The explosive boy felt sick.

Todoroki had never used his fire before… but for some fucking reason, he had with Deku.

Had he rejected Bakugo then? He didn't take their fight seriously or he just didn't care?

Katsuki seethed.

He wasn't a worthy opponent? Whatever Shoto's goals had been for the festival, he wasn't even a factor? Because he wasn't worthy of Almights favor? He wasn't worthy of 1st place?

Unworthy.

If he really tried to think back to the moments after the final fight, Bakugo would find there were gaps in his memory. He'd blacked out in rage and had to be restrained. Muzzled even. He couldn't remember them putting it on him, but he did remember being wheeled out onto the ceremony pedestals. Todoroki didn't even look up to him from 2nd place and Katsuki blacked out again.

WHY DID DEKU HAVE HIS ATTENTION?! He didn't revert back to only in my fight with him...Todoroki hadn't fought at all.

He'd won the Sport's festival. Deku hadn't even placed, but somehow some fucking way, Katsuki still had to feel inferior.

His ego was screaming. He wanted to cry. Instead, he erupted.

"WHERE THE FUCK IS HE!?" He stormed through the waiting rooms in the arena, shoving past anyone who didn't move out of his way fast enough until he'd found his target.

Todoroki sat, looking dejected, alone in his changing room. Katsuki teleported.

"YOU!"

In honesty that was the only thing he remembered saying to the colorful boy before he was frozen solid to the floor beneath him. Frostbite cracked at Todoroki's skin as he released an uncontrolled thrust of ice throughout the room. Cold hit Katsuki hard but he couldn't react to it. He didn't get the chance to.

Todoroki kissed him.

Of all the things to do!

Why?

That was the last result he'd expected from confronting him.

Shoto's lips were dry and frigid from using so much of his ice quirk and being dehydrated. His hands dug hard into katsuki's arms.

Bakugo didn't breathe as he stared wide eyed at the boy kissing him. Only a fraction of his mind chose to function. It was just enough to notice that something about what he was doing felt desperate, and the boy kissing him radiated that same affliction.

Shoto kissed him hard, eyes shut tight, before pulling away with a heavy breath. He didn't look at Bakugo, instead resting against him and speaking.

Katsuki hadn't listened so hard in his life

"Just wait." The frostbitten boy whispered the promise of a rematch against him before leaving.

Katsuki stood frozen in the cold dark with his heart hammering. Shock sent trivial and simple ithoughts through his head.

He kissed me.

I've never been kissed before.

That was my first kiss.

I didn't think it'd be with a boy.

Does he like me?

Is this why he didn't fight me?

Why did he look so sad? For coming in 2nd?

He didn't try. I should be who's upset…

That thought seemed to fire some fuel back through his cognitive muscle. A crush wasn't a good fucking reason to throw their fight! Katsuki attempted to turn, and suddenly remembered he was frozen to the floor. Cold gripped at his skin and clothes, only combated by the flare of embarrassed anger that suddenly rushed through him.

In the hall...

Kirishima followed his friend's voice up the stairs of the arena hall. Bakugo had stormed off a while ago and he was sure to have found Todoroki by now.

Upon that thought, Todoroki appeared at the top of the stairs and walked down past him. "Oh! Yo! Where's Katsuki?"

Shoto didn't answer and something about his demeanor seemed deflated. Kirishima frowned in confusion at the 2nd place holder. "Hey, are you ok-"

A sudden explosion cut him off. "Never mind!" He called as he hopped up the steps, running toward katsuki's obvious handiwork.

"Dude! What are you—woah. What happened in here?"

Katsuki stood, red- faced in the center of a dark changing room that looked more like a freezer. The chairs were in disarray and Bakugo had a single foot frozen to the floor. Steam lifted from his open palms.

"What the heck?" Kirishima approached the heavy breathing blonde and kicked a hardened foot against his frozen one. The ice cracked and gave way, but Bakugo stood as if he hadn't even noticed. "You and Todoroki duke it out right in the changing room?"

Katsuki rose a hand to cover his mouth and stood there. The red in his face seemed to grow darker as he scowled. He looked unsettled. It was an expression, not seen before.

"Hey, relax man. You won the tourney, there's no need to get so worked up on the small details." Kirishima reassured, assuming his friend was upset over his last fight. He had only expected him to be angry; he was always angry.

Bakugo shut his eyes and then opened them looking past his friend. "We're having a rematch." He balled his fist and left the room, much quieter than Kirishima had expected him to be.

The red headed boy looked around the frozen room again, wondering what exactly had happened that brought Katsuki down from his rage in such a way. Whatever happened, he'd looked genuinely unnervered.

Kirishima followed him curiously.

The next day...

Katsuki stared at his list of sponsors with a blank expression. The stack of papers stared back at him, but only the name at the top held his attention.

No.2 Rank: Endeavor

The famous Pro had surprisingly offered to sponsor him after winning the sports festival and beating his son. He should be bragging to the hoard of weaklings around him, but…

"You'll of course notice that the higher you placed at the festival, the more potential sponsors are willing to take you under their wing." Eraser head explained, leaning against his podium at the front of the class. "Naturally most students pick the highest ranked sponsor on their lists. It's strategically the fastest way to get your name out there. There are special cases however where it'd be wiser to pick a sponsor based upon their location and terrain specialties or familial ties."

Family ties.

There was no doubt that Todoroki would also be completing his sponsored training under his father. If Bakugo also chose him as a sponsor, they'd be together for the next three weeks…

Katsuki had never been one to run or feel uneasy, but the very thought of facing Shoto Todoroki face to face made him frown. He looked across the classroom at the white and red haired boy who sat attentively in his seat. He hadn't spoken to him or showed him any unordinary attention since the festival. There was no talk of anything outside of the highlighted moments of the festival and who's sponsoring who. No one had mentioned a kiss...so Todoroki hadn't talked to anyone.

Not that he ever talked to anyone about much of anything.

Either way, it had happened and Bakugo still hadn't been able to wrap his head around why. Usually his confusion would've exploded into a rage by now, but every time he thought about it he felt putoff. Confused and unable to focus.

He couldn't rematch the boy like this. Damn sure couldn't spend 3 weeks with him.

He needed to get his head on straight. Take some time and get priorities realigned. He'd done it before when he was too unnerved to focus...after losing to Deku.

He clenched his fist. He didn't need this fucking distraction.

Who was next on the sponsor list?

The No.4 Jeanist hero? Still higher in rank than what anyone elses top sponsor.

"WOAH! U got an offer from Endeavour?" Kirishima leaned over his shoulder, looking at the thick list of offers.

Bakugo flinched and turned to glare at the red head. His teacher was no longer speaking at the front. When had the lunch bell rung? "Mind your damn business" He shoveled his papers into his bag and flung it over his shoulder.

Kirishima followed him to the door with a comfortable smile. Bakugo's harsh demeanor rarely broke through his tough skin. "I'm surprised you're not rubbing it in everyone's face! Sponsored by the number 2 hero? Man, you're really something." He laughed. "I didn't do too shabby myself though, so I'm not complaining"

Bakugo scoffed. Kirishima had a nack for making things seem simpler than they were. If Bakugo had gotten the same results from the sports festival he'd probably have gone into shock. The idiot hadn't even placed top 3. "You didn't even win your fight."

"I didn't lose it either!" The red head retorted. "A double k.o is legitimately the manliest way to tie!"

Bakugo laughed aloud rejecting the notion that anything below winning was even remotely acceptable. He reached for the door to the hall, but it opened before he could reach it. Todoroki stood on the other side.

His eyes widened slightly, not expecting anyone to be standing suddenly so close to him.

Bakugo's reaction wasn't nearly as calm. He reflexively stepped backwards, going frigid as he stepped out of the way.

Kirishima quirked a brow at the uncharacteristic reaction. It was quick, but he'd spent enough time with the blonde to recognize something out of the ordinary.

"Sorry, excuse me." Todoroki quietly apologized as he entered the classroom to retrieve some forgotten thing. Bakugo didn't linger a spare second, and walked at a quick pace toward the cafeteria.

"Hey wait up!" Kirishima complained, struggling to keep pace after a moment. "What's gotten into you, man? You've been hella weird lately! You can talk to me about whatever it is, yknow?"

Bakugo stopped outside the cafeteria and rounded on the inquisitive boy who chose to follow him throughout the school. He was ready to tell him to fuck off, but stopped.

"... Get your lunch. We're eating outside."

Outside the cafeteria, substantially less students sat to eat their meals. Kirishima and Bakugo sat at a secluded table near the edge of the extravagant courtyard.

"If you talk to anyone about this I'll fucking kill you, understand? I don't care if you use your quirk; I'll turn you into gravel." Katsuki warned.

Kirishima laughed nervously. "Jeeze. You must be about to tell me something really embarrassing."

"Have you ever kissed someone?" Bakugo asked with a serious face.

Kirishima didn't answer, blinking at the blonde across from him. Had he misheard?...no, couldn't have. "Woah this actually is gonna be a really embarrassing talk."

Bakugo ticked. "Just answer the damn question or get lost shithair!"

"Okay! Okay." His friend put his hands up placatingly. "Yeah I've been kissed a couple of times."

"On your mouth?"

"Yes? Isn't that what you meant?"

"You've been kissed more than once?"

"Yes."

"I don't believe you." Bakugo scoffed looking away. Asking Eijiro was a stupid decision. The guy couldn't even take himself seriously.

"What!? I have! I had a girlfriend in middle school! I've even kissed someone here at UA!" Kirishima fumed. His cheeks reddened as he spoke.

"Oh yeah? Who?"

"I-I shouldn't say."

"Right. Bullshitter."

"I'm not lying!"

"Did you kiss them or did they kiss you?"

"She...she kissed me. She just ran up to me and kissed me."

Bakugo turned back to his friend with a serious expression. "You didn't expect it?"

"Well, no. It kinda caught me off guard." Kirishima reddened further, rubbing the back of his head and looking sheepishly at the ground. His discomfort swayed Bakugo to believing him.

"Why'd she do it?" Bakugo asked sternly.

"Why?" Kirishima repeated the odd question. "Because she likes me...I guess."

Bakugo pulled his brows together, letting his eyes fall to his food. That's what he had assumed was the case with his dual-colored classmate. Did Todoroki...feel like that? He could have just been fucking with him right? But that just felt like a stretch. He didn't come off as the psychotic type. Just stoic a fucking frustrating.

"Does this have something to do with Todoroki?" Kirishima guessed, thinking back to the weird way his friend had been acting around their fellow classmate.

Bakugo froze up.

"I figured it did." Kirishima sighed and rose from his seat to walked over to his friend's seat to sit beside him. He placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I can probably guess what happened, and I can tell you, it was only a matter of time."

The blonde boy paled. Had he been to obvious? Was Kirishima secretly that observant? "Only a matter of time?" He questioned.

"Yeah. You like some girl and you saw her kiss Todoroki, didn't you?" He patted katsuki's shoulder. "There's nothing that can be done about it dude. He doesn't even try. The man is just a natural born chick-magnet."

Bakugo felt like he wanted to fall out of his chair, instead, he opted to pick up his lunch tray and detonate it into his idiot friend's face.