Hey guys! Sorry for the delay, I couldn't find a good place to end this chapter, so I hope it doesn't feel too abrupt! I'm already working on the next one, so please leave any comments or critiques via comments!

4- Persevere

Uraraka had forgotten how early 5AM really was. She had stayed up late studying for the exam and had forgotten 5AM sharp actually meant waking up at 4:30AM and somehow being a human being. She rolled out of bed and placed her sleeping mitts on their hook. She donned her gym clothes before brushing her teeth and splashing some water on her face. She decided to pull her hair completely off her face for this session, lest she end up with singed bangs a la Bakugo.

4:45AM and the commons area was completely empty. Not surprising given the time, but there was already a pot of coffee on the warmer. She silently thanked her unsung hero and filled a cup to go before grabbing her gym bag and heading out the door.

4:59AM. She had gotten distracted by a cute squirrel and taken to a light jog to make it on time. She was already winded. Good start.

Her coffee was still scalding, but she knew she wouldn't get another chance so she decided to chug it down anyway.

5:00AM. Fanning her burnt tongue she entered the gym, finding Bakugo already running around the track.

She had already decided this was a mistake.

"I'm surprised you actually came." He said to her casually as her passed her around the track. She waited for him to continue, but realized that this was probably her invitation to join. She threw down her bag and fell in behind him.

She watched him closely as he ran with an air of complete focus, it was motivating in a way and she felt like she was moving a little faster, but that could have also been the caffeine.

After what felt like 16 years of running, he moved to the center of the arena. He beckoned her to join him.

"You wanted someone who wouldn't hold back, right?" He blew off a few tiny explosions in his hands to warm up his quirk.

To her delight, he made no hesitation in running at her full speed.

The first explosion hit hard. She was barely able to dodge as she rolled to the right. She realized immediately that his run was not to warm up his body, but to get his sweat flowing enough to best utilize his quirk in the cooler weather. Another explosion hit too close for comfort.

He was keeping his explosions high enough as to not break up the field. She assumed that this was less about concern for the floor and more to stop her from utilizing her quirk. He may be slightly insane, but Bakugo had crazy battle skills.

"I ain't given you anything to float this time, Pink Cheeks!" He aimed another explosion at her chest as she rolled herself backwards. "Or would a more accurate name be Red Face?" He laughed wildly as she found herself panting.

Stupid run. She knew this wasn't going to be easy, but she couldn't keep dodging like this or she would run out of steam too fast.

She waited for his next explosion before launching herself into the air, touching her cheeks to send her floating quickly towards the ceiling. He followed suit by using explosions to rocket towards her. She released herself just as his hands reached towards her face, she could feel the heat from the explosion inches away. On her way down she reached out and grabbed his ankles bringing them both down towards the ground. He flipped to plant an explosion to cushion their fall. As she saw the first spark, she used her hold on him to remove his gravity, sending him careening into the ceiling with explosive force.

The impact sent debris flying as dust filled the air. She floated herself slowly to the ground before staring up, not daring to let down her guard. Another explosion signaled Bakugo's descent. She released his gravity to increase his force back to the ground, realizing her mistake the second she saw his wicked smile. He aimed his explosion towards the ground with enough forced that she was thrown into the back wall. Hard. She could feel blood trickling down her neck.

Bakugo hadn't made it out unscathed either. His right arm was bruised from the effort and he was scratched up from the debris. He was running towards her before she could even register, planting an explosion with his left hand straight towards her chest, knocking her back into the wall.

No time to think, she reached her hands to her left to find a large piece of broken cement. She used her quirk to swing it easily towards Bakugo's right shoulder, releasing its gravity just in time to slam him in the side. He used his left arm to stabilize, obviously favoring his right. She used her chance to get in close and flung herself towards his front, pinning both his arms behind him. He looked her in the eyes for only a second before slamming his forehead into hers violently. She felt her neck whip back hard, but refused to let go. Infuriated, he activated his quirk anyway, sending them both into straight into the ground with Uraraka taking the brunt of the force.

She felt herself on the verge of losing consciousness for a second and before she could even register moving, Bakugo was on top of her, pinning her down. He had her hands above her head, grabbing both her wrists in his left hand leaving her unable to use her quirk. His right hand was pointed at her face, letting her know the battle was over and she had lost.

He had cuts and a bruised and bleeding arm, but he had definitely come out of this much less scathed than her. She could feel her back and neck aching, most likely bruised and bleeding. Her jacket had been incinerated, her ripped black tank top the only thing covering what she assumed to be a mild to moderate burn on her torso. She frowned, knowing he was about to berate her for being weak.

"It's been awhile since I've had such a good spar, Round Face." He lowered his right arm gently to rest on the ground. "It's been awhile since I've seen that battle hungry smile on your face. It suits you."

She blushed at the complement. Whether he had meant it or not, she felt more powerful than she had in months.

"Bakugo, what have I told you about sneaking out early and ruining the gy-"

They both turned to find a very tired and surprised Aizawa. He took a quick second to observe their surroundings and their currently position.

"Nope," he turned around and headed for the door. "Not dealing with this one. I am not paid enough for teenage sex ed."

Uraraka became suddenly more aware of how they must look, her pinned under him, faces close, and hers with a deep blush. She met red eyes that were now housed by a face of almost equal color.

She had never seen Bakugo get embarrassed before and she couldn't help but let loose a laugh. The noise was enough to bring him to his senses and he proceeded to rocket launch himself a few yards away from her, slightly singing her skin in the process.

"Hey! That hurt!" She rubbed her wrists, which had taken most of the force in his flee. "Totally uncalled for!"

"I just beat the living shit out of you and that's what your complaining about? Fuck, Uraraka." He had his back to her, obviously still embarrassed, his ears still pink.

She pulled herself up, groaning at the pain in her head and raising her hand to where it hurt worst only to meet blood. It stung badly, but she couldn't seem to stop herself from smiling. "Well, I don't think I'm bad enough off to need Recovery Girl, but I brought some bandages and burn ointment with me." He still faced away from her, but she noted his right arm was bruised, burnt, and bleeding. "Looks like you could use some too." She walked closer to inspect his wounds.

"I don't need shit, Round Fa-Oww!" His yelped when she grabbed his right arm. He scowled at her, but followed quietly over to her bag.

She could feel him watching her as she cleaned her own wounds with some normal saline and gauze. Her cuts weren't deep, so wrapping herself was sufficient for now. For her burns, she rinsed and put on some ointment, bandaging herself to the best of her ability. She blushed a bit as she remembered the tattered state of her shirt, casting it aside to wrap the larger, but milder, burns around her torso.

It wasn't like being in her sports bra was abnormal during a fight, but having him watching her made her slightly self-conscious. His eyes never left her as she finished wrapping the bandages. There was no blush or scowl or anger, just intense curiosity. It was not a face she saw on him often.

She gathered her supplies and started on his arm.

"You're really good at this." He winced slightly as she cleaned his arm, eyes never leaving her hands.

"I took some extra classes to learn." She began feeling for any tenderness before she began wrapping. "I know my quirk is really well suited for rescue missions, so it's a skill I felt I should learn. It was pretty grueling to take night classes with my internship, but I guess it worked out!"

She secured his arm in a sling before packing up her supplies. "You pushed me pretty hard today, Bakugo, I guess I have a lot more training to do before I can catch up to you." She smiled at him weakly.

"Who said we were done training today?" A wicked grin spread across his face.

"Are you crazy? Look at you!" She laughed at him and stood to look over him. "Plus, I think I would have the advantage this time."

"Is that a challenge? No quirks. Hand to hand combat. See if you can hold your own against me when I have one hand tied behind my back." He slowly stood, positioning his right arm so that it would be out of the way and made his way back to where they had just landed earlier.

Uraraka had been working hard on her hand to hand. It was obvious Bakugo was physically stronger than her, but she had to make up for a non-offensive quirk somehow, so she had practice on her side. He came at her quickly, faking a punch and landing a kick to her legs that knocked her over.

She was prepared for the next assault, letting him punch where her face had been seconds before and used his momentum to flip him over onto his back. He got up and ran at her again, only for her to duck and come up underneath him, flipping him back to his back once again.

"How does it feel to be beaten by a frail little girl, Bakugo?" She laughed and was able to land a punch before he connected his leg to her hip, sending her flying.

"There's not a frail thing about you, Pink Cheeks." He grinned wildly and charged once more.

After what felt like years, they collapsed on the arena, unable to keep going. She couldn't help but smile, she was drenched in sweat, wrapped from head to toe in gauze, and having the time of her life.

10AM. They had been training for almost the entire morning. They hobbled to their respective locker rooms, showered, and Uraraka re-dressed their wounds.

A low grumble followed by a high pitched gurgle reminded her of the time. She held her stomach tightly as she felt a blush rise to her cheeks, smiling out of embarrassment.

"Training is useless if you skip meals." He gave her his signature scowl.

"If I didn't know better, Bakugo, I'd think you were concerned about me!" She smiled brightly "plus imagine how good lunch is going to taste now!"

She would have liked to eat breakfast, but with her funds running on empty, her cabinet in the kitchen had been empty for a few days. She checked her wallet discretely, noting barely enough for some rice and milk in the cafeteria. She groaned.

"I'm not concerned, but if my sparring partner isn't eating she won't be much of a challenge." He stood up and started heading towards the door. "I'm buying lunch. Get your ass over here."

"How did you know?" She grabbed her bag and raced after him.

"You literally wear every fucking emotion and thought on your fucking sleeve like a goddamn movie." He eyed her to make sure she was following. "You really need to work on that."

"Well, thank you." She quickly switched subjects to avoid her growing embarrassment. "So how was the fight, anyway? Any pointers to throw my way?" They began walking towards the cafeteria.

"Your stance wasn't ideal when you came at me. It worked for hand-to-hand, but my quirk would have fucking destroyed you again." He lowered himself to her height to show her how he would defend against himself. "A closed stance would protect you more."

She laughed at his imitation, her mind on nothing but how determined she was to improve.

He had found class today boring, which was unusual for Izuku. He couldn't remember the last time he had thought class was boring since before entering UA. He couldn't seem to get his mind together today, and the lunch bell couldn't come fast enough. The material they were covering was pretty basic, but it was still part of the exam. The harder material was back in his dorm, and between daily classes and training with All Might, it had been stuck on his desk collecting dust. He knew he should have focused a bit more on it, but he just felt so distracted.

According to All Might the league had been moving recently. Small petty crimes here and there, but still there all the same. He had been working on some recon work, but they hadn't found any leads so far. On top of all of that, the last time he had seen Uraraka, she had looked upset by something. He had been leaving at the time and tried to track her down later, but he wasn't able to find her. That was probably for the best though, he wasn't sure he could handle that weird feeling in his stomach right now.

He and Todoroki joined Kaminari and Sero walking to lunch after morning lecture. Izuku was thankful for the break to clear his head a bit. The two boys were arguing about how to best celebrate after their Friday exam.

"We could probably grab a few bottles of Champagne! Alcohol isn't allowed in the dorms though." Sero was the last to grab his food as they headed to sit down.

"Hey man, no one has to know!" Kaminari was somehow already half way done with his meal.

"I probably wouldn't partake anyway," Sero pointed at them "The senior rankings are posting on Monday and the business students who make the list will be watching the training grounds all weekend."

Izuku quietly listened to their conversation with absent-minded nodding. He had remembered the rankings were soon, but he hadn't really thought much about it. He, Todoroki and Bakugo had been neck in neck in the business prediction of who would be in the top three since the beginning of second year.

"I say that they've been watching us already. Jiro and I found a new camera in one of the gyms when we were training last weekend"

"You sure you were training?" Mineta hopped into the open chair at their table. Kirishima and Mina followed closely behind. "Maybe if you spent more time training with Sero, and less 'training' with Jiro, I wouldn't have been able to beat you so easily."

"Man, it feels weird to be getting lunch when we don't have class." Kirishima smirked and shoved Mineta away from an incredibly red Kaminari, taking his seat. Kaminari gave him a thankful look. "I've barely seen much of anyone since Monday's exam"

"I've been studying so hard my head is fried" Mina pouted and wrapped her arms around Kirishima's neck. "Momo has been tutoring us this week and it's been hell"

Kirishima pushed her off playfully and she walked over to place her chin on Kaminari's head.

"Unfortunately, I tried to study with Denki last time though so I'm not sure if any score can make up for that"

"I already apologized for that like… 100 times! You know..." Kaminari trailed off mid sentence with his eyes fixed on the entrance.

"Well, that is not something you see on a regular basis"

Mineta's comment drug Izuku from out of his thoughts and he followed his gaze to the door. Uraraka was entering the cafeteria smiling and laughing while covered heavily in bandages. She looked happier than he had seen her in months. Beside her, scowling, was an slightly less heavily bandaged Bakugo.

No one in their group said a word as they watched the pair pick up food, for which Bakugo paid for both of them. He made a comment to her at which she shoved him playfully into the wall. Bakugo fumed for a moment, but grinned as he shoved her back.

"What the actual hell…" Kirishima almost whispered without moving. The entire group was frozen, watching the spectacle, minus Todoroki, who continued eating without seeming to notice.

"Uraraka!" Izuku yelled across the cafeteria at her. They must have been sparring for some reason, and of course Bakugo had taken it too far and hurt her. He felt anger rise up in his stomach.

She turned to the group briefly and waved with a large smile on her face before turning to sit at the same table as the explosive teen.

Izuku stood up, ignoring a raised eyebrow from Todoroki, and made his way angrily towards the pair.

"Kacchan, you need to be more careful! Uraraka, are you all right?" he smiled at her, the pit in his stomach bubbling loudly.

"Back off, fucking Nerd. She can handle herself just fine." Bakugo glared at him.

"Ahh, the famous Baku-aura, can't you be nice for once?" She laughed as Bakugo began eating angrily. "Did you need something, Deku?"

He faltered for a moment, unsure of what to say. "W-would you like to study together today at some point, Uraraka?" He could feel his ears getting red.

"Sorry, Deku, I'm exhausted right now and I promised I'd study with Tsu tonight and do review questions!" She smiled at him and placed a hand on his shoulder, it burned him to his core. "Maybe next time?"

"Yeah sure! My bad then…" He smiled and rubbed the back of his head before turning around and heading for the door, feeling more confused than ever.

"You can always study with Iida and I today if you'd like." Todoroki had matched pace behind him.

Izuku smiled at him but kept walking, "No thanks, I think I have some thinking to do."