Katsuki was most definitely a morning person.
Perhaps, it helped that it was just how his mother raised him to be; as soon as he entered preschool the old hag made sure to wake him early in the morning even when he had afternoon classes. It soon developed into a habit which he carried as he grew up—school breaks were exceptions of course because sleep and his comfortable bed sheets were fucking precious . . . though that didn't make his mom scream at him any less, much to his dismay.
Anyway, if there was something he appreciated with the habit, it was how he could use it to his advantage considering their more independent lifestyle staying in the U.A. boarding house. There were still rules of course, and they had a curfew; while they were generally allowed to stay within the vicinity of the building at night, strictly no one was allowed to be out of the dorms past 22:00. Unless they wanted to face the wrath of a shaking, angry Aizawa, which Katsuki already witnessed from his personal experience in his first year. Not that he was scared and all, but he hated when adults lecture him, put him on house arrest, and make him clean the entire dorm. With stupid Deku no less.
Going back, waking up earlier than daylight meant having time for an early jog and exercise to maintain his form, since curfew's lifted when it's 5:00 in the morning. It also gave him enough time to freshen himself up afterwards, enough time to devour his breakfast while reviewing his notes, and plenty enough time kill the motherfucking oral plaque when brushing his damn teeth fucking sparkling clean.
He aimed to be a top hero after all, so it was important to develop a damn exemplary routine to train his mind and body in tip-top condition.
That morning was unlike his usual ones however.
He pretty much saw it coming the moment he woke up in the wee hours not in his room, but inside the kitchen area.
He actually had no intentions of staying there for long; he planned on vacating to the comforts of his room as soon as Ponytail girl returned, because fine, he actually felt fucking awful right after her dramatic exit. It didn't help when he felt the piercing, judging eyes of his nosy classmates just as he entered the dorms right after her. Contrary to the belief some ignorant shitheads, he wasn't all that heartless. To put it simply, he only had straightforward way of dealing with things to avoid unnecessary dilly-dallying. And while he may have an unconventional way of verbalizing his views, he could recognize when he would seemingly drove past the line. Well, fuck, he wasn't perfect. He blamed it on the shitty winter weather too.
The nasty feeling of guilt had continuously crept within him when he saw the countless theoretical formulas on the pieces of paper that she ever so graciously splattered on his face. When he himself attempted to come up with his own, he realized how fucking difficult it actually was, considering their basic knowledge on chemistry. They've only recently studied the subject when they entered second year, after all.
Yet it wasn't impossible.
So he continued reading, reaching topics that weren't even included in their course outline, piling the papers with notes even when the lights to the lobby had been turned off. Soon, his eyes felt tired. It was way past his usual sleeping time, yet there still was no Ponytail girl. And he was close to computing the best theoretically possible answer.
But he opted to rest his eyes.
Minutes had passed and he opened them again, ready to resume his work. As he began to stretch his back and neck, sore from being arched onto table for a long time, he noticed the sight of a red pillow which definitely wasn't there before.
He had no doubts whom it belonged to. For some reason, he felt something being lifted off from within his chest.
He completed the formula shortly and went to his room after, but not before delivering back the pillow to its owner, along with the fruit of his and her efforts.
He slept for the remaining hours of the morning, waking up a little later than usual. He went on to his usual routine though with each process done in a quickened pace.
His eyes felt heavy, groggy from lack of sleep, yet for some reason, he wasn't as miserable or cranky as he initially expected. The shower most likely helped in alerting his senses like it used to.
Rubbing his hair drenched from the shower with a towel at hand, he made his way to the dining area. On lucky days, he spent eating his breakfast alone in silence, though on some days, he'd share it with someone else. Most of the time it was with Four Eyes, possibly the only person in the building who could wake up earlier than he did and rivaled his near-perfect routine.
Bakugou already heard a series of voices coming from his destination so he knew it wasn't one of his lucky, peaceful days. The chattering stopped abruptly just as he made himself visible to them.
"Ah, Kacchan! Good morning!" came Deku's irritatingly cheery voice. He wouldn't actually say they were in good terms already, but he tried to keep in mind what All Might told them about working together to be the best heroes.
"Yo," he heard Half n' Half bastard say next, who seemed to be eating whatever it was on his bowl.
Bakugou didn't realize he actually ignored them because he stopped walking at the sight of Ponytail girl sitting with them, who much like him, froze on her spot as she looked at him back.
As if on cue, they looked away at the same time.
The feeling of discomfort returned.
Bakugou despised it.
Because suddenly, the atmosphere turned awkward.
Deku broke the silence when he pushed his chair away from the table. "Say, Todoroki-kun, uhh, want me to show you this neat trick I learned?"
Todoroki quickly caught on and gulped whatever remained on his bowl. "Sure, I suppose."
Immediately they vacated from the table. Even Ponytail girl couldn't do anything, helplessly reaching out her hand in silent protest.
Those bastards.
Bakugou chose to ignore the discomfiting lump forming on his throat and stomped towards the table, roughly pulling the chair right across from her. Even as he sat, Ponytail girl remained silent, eyes intent on her cereal bowl while scooping it with unease.
It dawned to him that it could've happened the previous night. To talk about their damn project? Yes, of course. Their grades relied on it after all, and he knew it was important for her too. To apologize for his shitty attitude? Yes, ideally, but why did it seem so damn hard now that he was actually facing her? He already had that rehearsed last night! 'Sorry for being shitty, Ponytail girl, so could you please stop being angry so we can work on this shitty project to get it over with?'
Fuck. This was why he hated dealing with people.
Just then she released of her grip on the spoon, producing a brittle clank against the bowl which effectively brought him out of his musings.
"I'm sorry," she said.
Bakugou looked at her incredulously. 'The fuck she apologizing for?
"I . . . honestly felt hurt about what you told me yesterday, but my reaction to it was really uncalled for."
He gave her a strange look.
"I felt pretty bad . . . for throwing the papers on your face. That was incredibly rude of me."
He eyed her carefully. Upon realizing she was dead serious, he scoffed, looking away. "Don't you realize that I deserved even more than that? Idiot."
She remained quiet, her brows narrowing in response. Bakugou exhaled hard, trying not to look directly at her. Well shit, so much for his rehearsed speech.
"So you are apologizing," she pointed out. It was more of a statement than a question. He didn't know whether to be pissed or not.
"Don't make me repeat myself." He snatched an empty bowl from the stack just beside the cereal box on the table, paying no heed to the feeling of warmth enveloping face.
"I see, so that's how it is," she murmured with a slow nod, tone as if she learned the meaning of life. Or whatever the fuck she discovered that she appeared to be thoroughly enlightened. "Anyway, I forgive you. Let's just do our best to get along from now on."
He gave no verbal reaction and instead poured a larger amount of cereal than what he intended. Whether or not she took offense on his response, it wasn't apparent since she was smiling.
"I'll try to be more understanding of your words from now on," she added before happily consuming her meal once more.
Bakugou raised an eyebrow as grabbed the milk carton. If there was something new he learned from the whole ordeal, it was that Ponytail girl was weird. Extremely weird.
"A-ha! Are the two of you finally okay?"
They both turned to see that Sparky idiot, followed closely by the other idiot Kirishima who emerged from one of the pillars in the building. And Deku. And Todoroki. And apparently, Four Eyes too, who appeared ashamed they got caught.
Eavesdropping bastards.
"It's none of your damn business," he responded, eating a spoonful as Kirishima tried to appease the offended idiot. Four Eyes was also yammering something about agreeing with his statements along with the importance of privacy and other shit. Across him, Ponytail girl simply giggled.
It was just the beginning of a long day.
Because after the whole predicament at the breakfast table, they headed for class. Second year was the time to apply the theoretical knowledge they learned from their first, so they had practicals more often. It made sense, since as they'd be on the field more often than not when they become heroes.
He donned his modified hero costume. It appeared pretty much like his usual one except it covered his exposed upper arms. It was also tailored to have a special, thicker fabric that generated more warmth to help utilize his quirk given the chilly weather.
As soon as he was ready, he joined his classmates in a small briefing area. He didn't bother to look how each of them looked like, though it piqued his interest to hear similar displeased sentiments that mirrored his own. Apparently he wasn't the only one who wasn't a big fan of the whole practicals-in-winter setup. Who the hell liked it anyway?
From one side of the room, Todoroki sneezed.
See, even the ice bastard was having colds or something.
When everyone was gathered already, Eraserhead and All Might ordered them to step outside. Cursing under his breath, Bakugou complied, bracing himself for the cold winds which disgracefully welcomed him with a slap the moment he exited the building. He tried to ignore it, instead preoccupying himself by searching for his name on two separate stages. Bakugou easily found his on Stage A.
"Alas, a very chilly morning to you, my students," All Might retorted, who stood beside Aizawa, cocooned in his sleeping bag. "As much as we want to keep you indoors all warm and cozy, I'm afraid that in order to train you to become full-fledged heroes, we must submerse you even in atrocious environments to test your capabilities in utilizing your wits and quirks to your survival."
"Correct. Think of this as a perfect learning opportunity," Aizawa added.
"Originally, we were supposed to pair you randomly, however . . ."
"It has come to our attention that some pairs are having a difficult time with their term projects. Be it the seemingly incompatible quirks, seemingly incompatible personalities," there was a distinct pause which Bakugou found annoying, "or whatever other reasons that may hinder you from coming up with an output."
"Therefore! We shall try to bring a solution to this problem. Being bright students, you all probably know which direction we are heading!" All Might extended each of his arms towards each stage. Bakugou already understood, meeting the gaze of Ponytail girl who stood on the other stage. Neither looked away this time. "That's right, to complete today's trial, you are expected to work with your term project partners. Now, please turn your attention to the boxes in front of you."
Bakugou complied and opened the box; inside was a blue wristband with an attached key. He placed it around his hand, and immediately it snapped shut.
"Today's test is simple. You simply need to retrieve an item inside a guarded facility and make it safely outside. The keys to retrieve them are on your hands, literally. If one should look at the setting of our exercise," Aizawa motioned his hand towards the scenery beneath the cliff the stages stood on—a metropolis, "you may notice various structures that stand out. Yes, the color of your wristband corresponds to your assigned facility. If you got the red wristband, you go to the red building, and so on. Understand? Whether you would pass or fail depends on your judgment all steps of the way. Debriefing would commence when the time limit is over."
"All right, let's not waste any more time! On my count, everyone shall be sent to the metropolis. Three . . ."
"Sent how?" Black Eyes frantically retorted from beside him. Most began moving on their spot uneasily when the stage began shaking, tilting the stage slightly as it elevated. He shifted his footing to keep balance.
". . . Two . . ."
Bakugou understood immediately. He extended his shoulders behind him, calculating the amount of nitroglycerin to release. He eyed the blue building—that's where he goes, it was their destination, after all.
Fuck, their destination. Just as he had the realization, he singled out the voice of someone calling his name amidst the cries of his classmates.
". . . One!"
At the last second, he turned to the source, several feet away from him—from the looks on Ponytail girl's face, he knew they reached the same conclusion. Reaching the destination wasn't the first priority; the pairs were separated in two, far apart stages for a reason.
And then they were sprung off from the stage like a fucking jack-in-a-box gone wrong, sending them flying in mid-air. Bakugou easily maneuvered himself in the skies, evading French guy's laser beams (fucking flashy) and Todoroki's ice path (fucking show-off).
He quickly spotted Ponytail girl suspended in the air like a frantic flying lemur, evidently struggling with her fan-like air glider as her heavy cloak fluttered violently against the winds. She was donning a pair of goggles, but he noticed the immediate brightening of her eyes the moment she sensed his presence. In no time he reached for the bar she likewise held onto, letting his other arm steer them downwards gradually via explosion.
"T-thanks," her voice clattered due to the frosty winds, yet it was filled with relief. Unsurprising, since she was clearly shaken from her previously unstable ride.
"Don't thank me yet. We still have to land safely." He eyed the blue building from the distance. The downside of having his quirk control the glider was the increased velocity it subsequently caused, therefore it was more difficult to come into a complete stop without any accidents. It wasn't impossible, yet it was a gamble nonetheless.
"B-bakugou-san," she called out, interrupting his thoughts, "on my count, you let go."
He looked at her like she was crazy. "What?"
"The building's already too close; there's a higher chance of crashing if we stay."
"No, we should stay," he lashed back firmly, readjusting his clutch on the metal bar, "I'd be able to adjust my explosions just enough to counteract against the wind's velocity."
"Now's not the time to be difficult, Bakugou-san! You know you'd risk injuring your shoulders that way!" She breathed heavily, turning her head back forward. "I have a plan, t-trust me!"
The building was almost there. Ponytail girl mentioned something about reaching for her hand when they let go. Instead of responding with affirmation whatsoever, he brought his free arm forward, releasing succeeding waves of explosions that made their flight sway from its linear path.
"Wait, what are you doing?!"'
"Shut up, I'm helping us decelerate!"
"O-okay, that's helpful I guess," she muttered with hesitance, "but please, let's follow through my plan."
He glanced at her momentarily before shifting his eyes to the building. What the fuck was her plan, even? He was aware she probably had something up her sleeves, yet he was also reaching the desired velocity for his own plan—never mind the stinging feeling of his strained shoulders and wrists.
With his conflicting thoughts he didn't immediately register her voice when she yelled her signal. She was the first to let go, and for a split second, an almost panicked look on her face surfaced when she saw him not following.
But he still did, cursing in the process, instinctively diving downwards to reach for her. He cursed again when his hand didn't reach hers, so he pushed himself further with his Quirk. It was effective, and as soon as their hands connected, she hurled herself towards his body, strapped some sort of belt on his trunk before clinging her arms tightly around his abdomen. He didn't even have time to react on what the actual fuck she was doing because a sudden strong force briefly pulled him upwards before they gradually descended. Looking up, he discovered a parachute gliding them downwards.
They were still at a considerable height when Ponytail girl's arms started slipping off him. He reacted instantly, grabbing her under the shoulders until they landed on the designated roof deck.
"What the hell was that about?!" he bellowed, yanking the parachute away from his body.
She appeared shaken by his outburst but responded anyway. "Well, we did manage to land safely. Frankly speaking your plan wasn't also the least reckless."
He glared at her, making an annoyed grunt. He thought it wasn't the most perfect either so who was he to disagree?
She stood up, removing her goggles and straightening her cloak in the process. "Anyway, I'm still glad to know we're on the same page in this. It wasn't very obvious from our teachers' explanations but regrouping is the first thing to consider if we aim to maximize time."
He began to unstrap the parachute belt around him but realized it was made out of some complicated-looking snaps. "It's easy to assume that both would aim to reach for their assigned buildings, but not everyone is capable of transporting themselves easily, especially airborne."
She smiled, seemingly not noticing his temper meters rising by the second. Fucking belt. "Somehow, I think we're off to a good start."
Several unsuccessful attempts of doffing the parachute belt for god forbid many times later (seriously he didn't know whether to be horrified or amazed by her scrutinizing ability to produce something so complex but it pissed him off nonetheless), they made their way towards the door giving access to the building. Naturally, it was locked.
She studied the doorknob but it likewise failed to budge open in her hands. "Perhaps I should be able to produce a key..."
"Move," he commanded instead, and as soon as she stepped back, he busted it open with his explosions.
"Bakugou-san!" She haphazardly fanned the smoke that materialized from his hand. "The damage control?!"
He entered the doorway without looking back, briefly scanning the small space before descending the stairs. "Do remember that we're being timed too. If this were an actual mission, that'd be considered as collateral damage."
She trailed after him shortly, judging by her footsteps from behind him. A distinct pause filled the air as if she pondered on something, but she spoke soon after. "Hmm, that's true, I guess."
They made their way downwards in silence, cautiously scanning every floor they passed. All rooms looked the same, distinctly empty with nothing notable enough until they reached the eighth floor. The room was dimly-lit like the others, yet in the middle stood a platform. It was cornered by four pillars yet the most noticeable object was the small box in the middle of it. He easily concluded it was their goal.
"But . . . It's just there," she pointed out with uncertainty, "It's too simple."
He mirrored her sentiments. He eyed the large metal boxes surrounding the corners of the room. It was highly probable that traps were within the vicinity. "I know, but we won't learn anything by just standing here."
"Yes, but what do you propose we do then?"
"No shit is actually happening yet so obviously we just have to come close to it."
She nodded. "Right. With caution." As he was about to step inside, she placed a hand on his shoulder, halting him in his tracks, "That means no unexpected explosions, Bakugou-san."
He hastily tugged her hand off. "Yeah, yeah, I know."
They didn't have to wait a long time for something to happen because the moment he stepped his foot in the room, his boot producing a firm thud against the floor in the process, the buttons on the metal boxes began to light up. Bakugou froze, waiting for something to happen, but seconds after, the illuminations died down, bringing back the room to its original dim state.
He looked back at Ponytail girl, who simply nodded, as if urging him to continue. As they approached their goal, they noticed a pattern. Every time they took a step, the lights on the boxes would turn on, but if they wouldn't make a move for about 10 seconds, they would return to their original dormant state. It increasingly became difficult as they neared the center of the room, since the machines seemed more sensitive to their movements given the distance. Nevertheless, after some careful, quiet steps they managed to reach the platform without trouble.
He examined the box enclosed in a glass case—two key holes with distinct patterns were present at each sides. He eyed the wristband with the key on his arm.
From his periphery, he noticed Ponytail girl waving her hand, mouthing the words, "The glass?"
Obviously, they had to break it, somehow. He lifted his gauntlets in suggestion but she quickly disapproved, shaking her head. She frowned, then pointing to her ears.
Well of course he knew they reacted to sound—their whole stealth parade made that pretty clear. Sighing heavily, he reached an arm forward, gesturing for her to go on with whatever she was planning. He hated to admit it, but using his Quirk was out of question. Meanwhile, she was the most equipped for the job.
He watched as she created some sort of padding that she glued on the soles of her boot, which somehow effectively lessened the noise as she ascended the platform. Huh, couldn't she have fucking done that before they entered the room? He tried not to be annoyed by that bit as she carefully made her way to the middle, producing a cutter as she studied the glass surrounding the box. To pacify his impatience, he opted to observe the surroundings, swallowing the fact that he was stuck on guard duty. He definitely hated how his Quirk was not made for covert operations like this; his body was simply itching to move.
His gaze turned to the lifeless machines surrounding the room. Looks like the pieces of metal crap weren't that much of a threat if they could snoop around the room easily. Ponytail girl then waved her arm, bringing his attention back to her—she managed to create two small, circular openings on the glass big enough for their hands to fit their keys in. As she approached him again, he noticed the faint smile on her lips, almost giddy, as if she was purposefully concealing how proud she was of what she had done. He wanted to tell her that there was nothing to get excited about since they haven't exactly gotten the item yet, but for once, he simply shook his head, finding himself snickering a bit.
Afterwards, she made another batch of boot soles with the same material for him, and after settling it on his footwear, they approached the box together. He felt his palms becoming sweaty in anticipation. It dawned to him that there was definitely something about their situation which made his nerves tingle; on one hand, there was the excitement of reaching their prize that was literally in his arm's reach, being the first pair to possibly succeed, but on the other hand, there was also the anxiety of the unknown. How were they so sure they'd get it easily? What if some trap was triggered? Everything was too easy and he realized it was pissing him off too.
After scanning the room for the last time, he turned to Ponytail girl, and as she nodded at him, they grabbed hold of the keys on their wristbands.
As soon as they inserted the keys, an earsplitting alarm resounded from the pillars, making the machines spring to life and rapidly approach them. Bakugou reacted instantly, slamming an explosive fist directly onto its metal body which effectively broke it to parts. He let out a growl, his mood shifting entirely, grinning at the robots that continued charging at him. Fucking finally.
His excitement was short-lived, however, when he noticed that the more he destroyed them, the more reinforcements appeared. Smashing was fun, he had to admit, but they still had a goal in the end. From the sides, Ponytail girl was likewise preoccupied battling, expertly maneuvering around with her metal rod, though her opponents were significantly less than his.
He continued letting off a series of explosions, intent on breaking everything around him to pave his way back to the box. But his opponents seemed endless, and he soon realized that it wasn't just because of reinforcements; the previously destroyed ones apparently were able to regenerate back to their original forms and attack again. His temper rose to dangerous levels.
"DIE, DIE, DIE, YOU FUCKERS!"
Amidst his massive display of explosions, he heard Ponytail girl's call who seemed to have retreated to another part of the room. "Bakugou-san, it's your explosions! They're responding and regenerating to its sounds!"
"That's already fucking obvious, but these are just fucking machines! I'm sure there must be some sort of damn limit! I simply have to dig my fucking way out!" The exchange of blows went on, the sounds of his explosions reverberating in the room, but soon enough the horde of machines managed to recover all at the same time and effectively cornered him.
He flexed his fingers, feeling his palms being soaked in nitroglycerin. He gazed at the robots closely which were seemingly drawn by his heavy breathing, as if processing the moment when they'd attack. He braced himself for it, but instead, he heard a sound of something being thrown to the wall adjacent to him, which subsequently rolled on the floor. He didn't even have a chance to see what it was because it exploded, causing the horde of machines to be attracted to its spot.
He looked at Ponytail girl, who had her hands on a familiar looking metal ball and a remote.
"'Digging your fu—d-digging your way out,' as you have mentioned, might've been the most effective way if you're alone, but you're not, Bakugou-san! I'm still here!" she yelled at him all the way across the room, making some of the machines to shift their attention to her. She quickly realized her mistake as she smacked her palm on her mouth.
Bakugou smirked, shaking his head. "You idiot."
As she frantically attempted to fend off some of the robots using successful prototypes of their project, he sauntered all the way to where she was, kicking some giant metal crap along the way. When he turned back to where she was, he felt his breath hitch when he saw what seemed to be her cloak dangling helplessly on one of the robot's arms. A feeling of relief immediately surged however when he saw her warily crawling her way out from the horde, clad in her usual, flimsy hero attire. He dashed to where to she was, bludgeoning some robotic ass in the process, before dragging her back to the staircase and closing the door shut. For a moment, a series of loud knocks shook the heavy door, but otherwise did not do any serious damage.
"Thanks," she said as soon as the pounding behind the door stopped, "And sorry. I should have kept my mouth shut back then. If I only hadn't shouted—"
"Forget about that," he interrupted, "You wouldn't have been able to preoccupy that number of machines for a long time anyway."
She didn't respond immediately, and he glanced at her only to watch her gaze sink to the ground. "Yeah, I probably wouldn't have been able to. Very unlike you."
He got the impression that she was looking down at herself. It ticked him off for some reason. "Quit that crap. There's simply a shit-ton of them."
She nodded hesitantly before she lifted her bare wrist. "I did manage to insert my key, though. Apparently, the wristband comes off too as soon as you turn the key in the box."
He looked at her with interest this time, impressed with how she managed to accomplish something. He tugged at the wristband on his arm that wouldn't budge open. "That answers a lot of questions, then." He placed a hand under his chin in contemplation. "Our next plan would be to perform something similar, but our roles would have to be reversed; you'd preoccupy the mass of metal crap while I insert my key and retrieve the item."
His words met with unexpected silence. A vein popped when he was seemingly ignored, as she turned and walked back steps away from him. Reacting instantly, he stomped towards her and grabbed her shoulder, not noticing that she had her hands at the inner corners of her upper leotard.
"Don't you friggin' turn away when I'm talking to you—!"
What he didn't expect was a horde of binding belt literally jumping out of her skin, directly charging at him on the face. Ponytail girl had a mixed expression of surprise, horror, and embarrassment.
"Bakugou-san!"
He held his hands over his warm face, rubbing the spot which came in contact with her creations. Not exactly because it hurt him—the objects were made of fucking soft materials.
"Warn me next time, God damnit!" he spat in a scolding tone. For that moment it was him turning his back on her.
"Sorry," she said, seemingly not bothered with how she pretty much exposed something that perverted Grape shit would pay millions to see. He felt a light tap on his shoulder, signaling him it was okay to look—seriously the signaling thing should've been fucking done way before; he at least possessed that level of social decency. "Anyway, I agree with your plan. However, my only concern is that it might not work as easily as the first round since I don't possess enough combat skills to fight them off all on my own. Therefore, Bakugou-san, I have a proposal. Instead of just me fighting by myself, would you be able to assist in my plan first before you run off to the box?"
He considered her statements for a moment. There was something about her that reminded him of Deku—perhaps it was their ability to think ahead? Their ability to blather too much when it could be summarize in a few sentences? Those parts sort of pissed him off about her, if only due to being associated with shitty Deku. But he had to admit, there was something commendable about knowing about one's current limits, and with that, his respect for her rose for a bit.
"Alright, spit it out."
"Thank you. This is actually what I had in mind."
She handed him the thing that assaulted his face seconds ago. Examining it, it looked like the carbon fiber strap weapon used by Eraserhead.
"As we've seen earlier, the cannonball prototype worked perfectly. I followed exactly what was on your formula, and I was so happy to know it worked since it's my first time to create it after studying it this morning. Plus, I'm so glad I managed to throw something so heavy with enough leverage with just my arm! It must've been the adrenaline!" She had such a happy grin which he didn't realize he was mirroring until she spoke her next words, "Ah—but let's not waste time talking about that; we have other goals at the moment!"
She continued to explain her plan. The main premise of it was to plant various prototypes on each corner of the room, and systematically setting their explosion times so the machines would go after the sources of sound. As soon as all of them were grouped together, following a single source of explosion, they'd limit the planting from four corners to two, ideally making them go back and forth a single path. To effectively trap them, they'd create a makeshift cage using the fiber straps by wrapping them around two pillars that encased them in the area. As soon as they were cornered, it was his cue to go to the middle, insert his key, and retrieve their item. It was a pretty reasonable plan, so he agreed.
As soon as all materials were prepared, they commenced with their plan. The machines, with their weakness being their predictability, fell under their trap smoothly. If anything, the trickiest part of the whole trip was how they entered the room again, considering one of the robots was blocking the door. It took a sensible amount of time to carefully open the door and have the prototype roll from under it.
Suffice it to say, they were pretty fucking successful.
That's what they initially thought, anyway, because once he got his hands on the item from the box—some shitty U.A. figurine—the lights of the room went off completely; the only source being the red illuminations from the machines. What caught him off-guard was the distinct number 10 suddenly appearing on their heads.
And it went down to 9 by the second.
Ponytail girl voiced out the thought that immediately entered his mind. "B-bombs?"
8.
He clicked his tongue, rushing towards one of the windows and blasted it without second thoughts.
7.
Were they seriously trying to fucking kill them?
6.
"W-wait, it's too high—I n-need time to make—"
5.
"SHUT IT, PONYTAIL GIRL! It's now, or be blown to pieces!"
4.
On his part, it would be no problem since he could control his landing with his Quirk. He hadn't tried it with two people, but . . .
3.
Without thinking, he grabbed her arm and flung it over his shoulder. Her face, if she was capable of saying profanities, pretty much said "ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?" but nonetheless she jumped down with him.
2.
For a second time that day, they were falling downwards, and Ponytail girl was hugging his body like an awkward giant koala. He tried to bring his arms forward to use his explosions to counteract against gravity, but she again, for the second time that day too, unexpectedly shifted her body, but instead of embracing his torso like before, she brought her arms around his neck, like they were some sort of sickening couple jumping to their deaths in those cheesy soap operas on television. What the actual fuck?
1.
However, if there was something that slightly alleviated his nerves, it was when he caught a glimpse of her face, determined, unyielding.
But he suddenly remembered they were falling to their possible deaths, and it was not the time to admire someone being bravely crazy or crazily brave, because fuck, fuck, fuck the ground, the fucking ground was almost there—! He extended his arms forward, intent on releasing his strongest explosion, but a large, red blob materialized from her back.
BOOM!
The explosion from above was heard the same time they landed on something large and soft, with an audible PLOP!
"And the third to succeed in the trial," Aizawa's distinct voice declared all over the metropolis, "Bakugou and Yaoyorozu."
Bakugou did not know which to process first—the fact that it took them that long that they only ended up third; or the fact that it wasn't dark smoke filling the atmosphere like he expected, instead, various colorful confetti were flying over their heads; or the fact that Ponytail girl was able to make a red inflatable bed at the last minute; or that fact that said Ponytail girl was embracing him like her life depended on it and was visibly shivering from underneath him.
"I-I'm s-sorry, B-bakugou-s-san," she muttered, but he heard it clearly since his face was that close to hers, "T-there's a-a r-reason why I-I don't like t-the w-winter that m-much. . ."
It took him longer than he would have liked to realize that her cloak was already discarded, and all that covered her body was that scanty costume of hers. And with her most recent stunt, it wouldn't be surprising if all that's left were fabrics that weren't even sufficient enough to make him decent shirt. He couldn't blame her choice of fashion; it was the nature of her Quirk, after all, and he'd probably do the same if he had her ability. . . unless there existed a costume that had regenerating fibers? Maybe one day he could ask Best Jeanist if such technology existed.
He pushed himself off her, refusing to look at whatever state her clothes were at out of courteousness. His ears felt surprisingly warm against the chilly winds. "That makes the two of us, then." He crossed his legs, back facing her, and reached an arm backward, producing a series of small explosions that emitted a decent amount of heat. "Go make a blanket or something."
He heard her utter her thanks. They said nothing else as the confetti continued raining on them until a van escorted them back to the briefing area. They were greeted by their two teachers, along with Recovery Girl who immediately checked their physical state.
"Only minor bruises, very impressive," the elderly medic said, "The stunts you also did were likewise impressive."
"INDEED IT WAS IMPRESSIVE." Grape shit suddenly emerged from the seats, face looking deprived of whatever he was thirsting for, "I'M SO JEALOUS, BAKUGOU, YOU KNOW WHY? BECAUSE YOUR BODY WAS SO LUCKY TO BE BLESSED BY YAOYOROZU'S IMPRESSIVE—MMMFMMFH!"
"Ehem, pardon me," Four Eyes interjected, thankfully covering the Purple balls' shitty mouth and carrying him back to his chair. Seriously, how the fuck did that Grapes even complete the trial before them? Glancing at them briefly, he caught a glimpse of Todoroki and a pair of floating gloves who waved at him. Huh, Invisible girl.
Recovery Girl proceeded to treat their wounds with antiseptic before giving them both a hot cup of herbal tea, which was absolutely appreciated because fuck the cold weather.
The two sat in silence, looking at the screens which showed footage of the other remaining pairs.
He was in the middle of sipping from his cup when he saw Ponytail girl looking at him from his periphery. He turned to her and raised an eyebrow.
"There's just something on my mind that I've been meaning to say," she began, then concealing her face with her cup.
Bakugou shrugged. "Spill."
"The thing with the parachute," she mentioned, "I wanted to say thank you for following through my plan in the end." She fiddled with the buttons on her coat, something she managed to create minutes ago. "And for not leaving me behind."
He was genuinely surprised at her words that it made him bring down his cup. He recovered quickly. "Of course I'd rescue you, what fucking hero would I be if I didn't?"
The corners of her lips went up. "That's what I'm hoping to hear."
"I still find your plan reckless as fuck though. Wouldn't it have been easier if you just wore the parachute yourself and told me prior so it's me who could latch onto you or something?"
She seemed startled with his question, using the cup again to partially hide her face. "To be honest, that's exactly my first plan, but I realized that would require me to expect you to definitely follow after me." A pause. "Let's just say . . . I wasn't confident that you'd accept my help."
He let out air through his nose. Those were words familiar to his ears. Familiar, but not so welcomed. "But then, how were you so sure that I'd reach for your hand as you fell?"
"If you didn't, then I might've had to use the parachute for myself." She scratched her cheek. "But somehow, I was kinda confident that you would, since I . . . don't know, I just felt, I hoped there was a reflexive need for you to save people. I believe that you really have it in you to be a hero, y'know."
His features softened, trying to digest her words.
Ponytail girl suddenly straightened her back, coughing. "Of course, like everybody else in class, yes. 2-A definitely has what it takes to be heroes!"
Bakugou smirked, finishing what else remained in his drink. "Anyway, that doesn't change that you're still reckless as fuck." He found himself rubbing his face, a particular memory involving fiber straps being recalled by his mind.
She nodded with vigor.
"Okay, I'll keep that in mind."
He wasn't sure if she knew he wasn't just pertaining to the parachute incident.
The conversation ended at that point. But he knew it wasn't the end of his adventures with Ponytail girl. It was simply the beginning.