Kirishima engages Deku in idle talk under the sun's glaring heat – both saddled with the task of setting up the volleyball net. The rest of them couldn't be counted on to help, complaining that it was Kirishima's idea in the first place as they run off to play in the water – which was cool,really, until Bakugou opened his mouth.
"Volleyball is for fucking sissies. Are we really going to waste time playing that stupid game?" Bakugou complains as he sits on a rock, turning a pebble in his palm.
As he was about to swing his arm, in a stance vaguely familiar to Izuku, Mina excitedly gushes about how she used to skip stones as a child.
Deku's face brightens, recalling a few things from their childhood. "Doesn't your mom play volleyball? You used to love it when we were young, Kacchan."
A snort could be heard, not far off from where Kirishima and Deku are setting up the net. "Bet he didn't do very well with a team." Todoroki says nonchalantly – doesn't even humor Bakugo with a look – as though what he said was common knowledge.
"And decided it was lame. Yeah, most likely." Kaminari finishes, grinning at the sight of Bakugou whipping his face to their direction.
"You sorry little fucks would be eating sand later. I'll crush all of you during our first match." He says with unwavering confidence, swinging his arm and throwing the pebble across the water. It doesn't get very far, considering the constant pull and push of the tides, but it's still pretty impressive.
Kirishima whistles, giving a thumbs up to both Todoroki and Kaminari for goading Bakugou into playing.
Shouto shrugs, "I've never played, but it sounds simple enough. Bakugou is terrible with a team. I'm not thrilled to play with or against him."
Cracking his knuckles, Bakugou grins. "Let's have a friendly wager then. The team who loses will drink a litre of sea-water. Each of you noobish fucks will drink it in one go."
"Isn't that too much for a friendly wager?!" Iida exclaims in a panic. "You should consider the well-being of your – "
Bakugou laughs and pats him on the shoulder, "Don't ruin this for me. If they don't die from choking , they can go suffer from kidney failure for all I care. A bet is a bet."
"YOU ARE TAKING THIS TOO FAR – "
"Iida, drop it. Making a big fuss means you do not trust in our ability to win. Give us more credit." Todoroki says, watching Shouji make a giant water wave with his enlarged limb.
"That is not the issue! Whoever loses would have to drink saltwater and there's no conceivable way both teams can win unless it's a draw! You can't just go off deciding what the stakes are when there are people who could get dragged into doing the penalty! People who never gave their consent!"
Deku sighs, "Iida is right. Can we all just make this a friendly game?" He tightens the crank on the net. "Besides, you guys should know better than to provoke Kaachan like that. He is actually very good at playing volleyball, so I wouldn't underestimate him if I were you."
Todoroki doesn't show any sign of acknowledging what they said, biting into a pear as he stares at a random spot off the distance.
So much for hoping to have a great time. Kirishima thinks to himself, noticing how strained the mood has gotten.
"Can one of you lend me a hand here?" a cheerful voice called, from atop one of the palm trees.
Deku's eyes bulged out in surprise, "Uraraka?!"
"What's she doing up there?"
"Who knows."
"Heeeey, be careful!"
Uraraka laughs, then drops an oval-shaped fruit. "Catch!"
Deku skitters forward to catch it, only to find out a second later that the fruit weighs heavier than it looks. Still nothing to fret about though, it's way lighter than most of the things he lifts on a daily basis.
"It's a coconut." Momo says, walking over to them. "If you want, I can get one of the staff to collect them for you. It's in season."
Uraraka grins, "Not necessary, Yao-momo! Besides, I saw Tsuyu doing the same thing earlier. It seemed fun so I gave it a try."
Tooru lets out a giggle, "You'd think boys would be the first ones to think of climbing trees! You're so cute, Uraraka-chan!"
Deku smiles, and without thinking, he says "Winning team gets to celebrate by having as much coconut as they want."
Kirishima laughs, "Does that sound good to any of you?"
They unanimously agree with a series of yells and unnecessary jibes. Bakugou scowls, "Losers will eat the penalty."
Izuku sweatdrops, way to go Kaachan.
Eijirou ruffles Bakugou's hair, the blonde locks sticking up more so than usual, "As long as you re-think the penalty. Nothing life-threatening, okay dude?"
Bakugou grunts, but doesn't push the offending hand away. "Tch. Fucking fine ."
Turns out, there's no such thing as a fair game if people can sneak in a dirty play here and there. Rules can be bent, and some are in possession of a stealthy or useful quirk. Not that the game would have been fair to begin with. Some of them have better physical aptitude than the others, and one of them has four hands.
Still, it's fun. Even with the penalty weighing over their heads and the prospect of winning some celebratory coconut. It's all in good spirit, Kaminari making an idiot of himself, Jirou teasing him for it, and Uraraka making the balls float when the team takes a time-out.
"As expected, Bakugou is a force to be reckoned with. Although he does give his teammates a hard time, especially when one of them fails to get a spike in." Jirou says before chugging on a bottle of water.
"Am I the only one who thinks it's funny that he and Todoroki end up playing on the same team?" Sero asks, craning his neck left to right, popping some bones in the process.
"Can't be helped. Members are decided by drawing lots. Quite fortunate for us. Their lack of cooperation is dragging their team down. They do have a 2-point lead though, but I think Midoriya is ready to be included in the game again." Jirou looks to Izuku's direction, earning a grin from the boy.
"I'm good to go. I want to get back at Kaachan for hitting me in the face." Izuku says with a smile.
"He needs to let off some steam, ya know. You just happen to be his favorite target. No hard feelings – ow ." Sero clutches his arm, looking at Izuku accusingly.
"Your arms are stiff, Sero. Ya sure you should be playing?" Izuku jokes, running away just in time before the guy gives him a noogie.
Uraraka watches them with a fond smile, her hands touching the sand. She accidentally activates her quirk, the small particles floating around her as she watches them absently.
Jirou chuckles and sits beside her. "Take a picture. It will last longer."
"W-what? I don't know what you are talking about! " Uraraka says, heat spreading from her neck all the way to her cheeks.
"Sure." Jirou says, a wistful look on her face "Must be nice. It's been a while since I've liked someone without feeling jealous."
The sand particles fall to the ground as Uraraka looks at her, "What do you mean, Jirou?"
Kyouka shakes her head then gives her a wry smile. "It's nothing."
Uraraka notes the way Jirou's gaze shift to Momo for a few moments before she chugs on the bottle of water again.
Oh.
That was unexpected. How long has she liked... Momo? And, is that why Jirou and Todoroki's friendship is rather strained?
Uraraka tries to clear her head. It's none of her business, but her heart goes out to Jirou. She too, at some point, had been jealous. It was distracting, and made her question a lot of things. Not long after, she sealed her feelings away, determined to set her priorities straight. It was difficult, but she was able to cull it before it got out of hand.
For Jirou though...
"Round up. Everyone, return to your positions."
Catastrophic doesn't even begin to describe how the game ended. At its final moments, when everyone is trying to keep the ball in play, Bakugou got carried away and went full Bakugo on them. Lots of explosions, ice and electric shocks later, both teams start fighting over who actually won. About who did the first foul, and that the results don't matter because someone decided to just fuck the rules.
"I was trying to do damage control." Shouto explained, unamused.
Bakugou snarled, "Maybe I wouldn't have used my quirk if you weren't so fucking incompetent with playing this stupid game!"
"Oh please. Don't try to pin this on me. Everyone knows that it was you who messed that up." Shouto sits beside a worn-out Deku, and offers to chill his bottle of water.
"FUCKER, WHO ASKED YOU TO BE ON MY TEAM!?"
Kaminari is walking around the area with his thumbs sticking up, saying the same word over and over again. It does not help with Kirishima's head ache.
"Okay okay, please don't shout. No one gets to eat the penalty. Everyone can have their share of coconut. Sounds okay?" Kirishima says, trying to placate them.
" Fuck – you know what? It doesn't fucking matter. The bastard I wanted to suffer most from that penalty is on the same fucking team." Bakugou proceeds to take a handful of sand, "DON'T YOU FUCKING LAUGH, YOU PLAIN-FACED LOSER!"
Shouji arrives, carrying multiple coconuts with him. Momo is right beside him; a cute straw-hat atop her head, as she talks to him and one other staff member.
" Oooooh~ REFRESHMENTS! I spy two juicy mounds of fruit!" Mineta drools, pointedly staring at Momo's snug breasts which fill out her skimpy swimsuit rather nicely.
He happens to be sitting next to Todoroki, who is now giving him a scornful stare.
Is it just him or does it feel rather icy around here?
"If it wasn't downright cruel to crush you like the filthy bunch of grapes you are, coconuts wouldn't be the only fruit to be served on a platter this afternoon."
Todoroki delivers in a smooth, cold voice – just above a whisper. Mineta froze up, shivers racking up his small form.
"Huh? Todoroki-kun, you were saying something?" Deku's voice chimed, curious.
"It's nothing, just remembered how much I hate vile people."
"Whoa. Whatever it is, you should know that this is a retreat. Endeavor won't be here to force you into anything." Deku says reassuringly.
"Thanks, Midoriya. If only he was the sole root of my problems." Todoroki sighs, completely ignoring the way Mineta is snivelling in fear beside him.
"Mineta, what the hell happened to you? Ya okay, dude?" Kirishima asks, holding a coconut with a straw inserted in the bottle-cap sized hole; located on the topmost part of the fruit.
"Just peachy." Mineta answers, not really convincing anyone.
"If you say so." Kirishima says, shrugging. He walks on and heads straight to Bakugou, who is currently resting under the shade of a coconut tree –away from the festivities.
Bakugou spares him a look before directing his gaze elsewhere. "Get a move on, leave me the fuck alone."
Eijirou offers a shy smile, handing over the coconut, "You played well today, here. Have some coconut."
Bakugou snarls at him, "Don't fucking patronize me. I know damn well you're upset with how it turned out."
"Not as much as you, apparently." Eijirou counters, leaving Bakugou silent for a while.
Disgruntled, Bakugou snatches the fruit from his hands, eyeing him disdainfully.
"What? I fucking accepted the damn fruit. Why are you still standing there?" Bakugou complains before aggressively sucking on the straw to quench his thirst.
Kirishima notices the moment Bakugou's eyes light up, unable to suppress his laughter. "You like it?"
"Shut the fuck up and bring me five more of these. I fucking deserve it after carrying that stupid game by myself."
"Sure. But after you stop sulking. Join the rest of us on that table, would ya? Catch ya later!" Kirishima full out grins as he sprints towards the table where Mina is currently cleaving a coconut in half.
"Fucking."
Comments are appreciated :)