Yaoyorozu had an uncanny habit of overthinking things. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing because it was exactly what she needed for her Creation Quirk. To put it in simplest terms, it was important know all the parts needed for the object she wanted to create, followed by perfectly selecting the suitable materials for each of them. Afterwards, she had to assemble them, and finally, think of the suitable coatings to produce her final product. Systematic overthinking, that's what she'd like to call it, and without it, she couldn't imagine what abominations would literally come out of her skin.
The downside of it was that this certain way of thinking affected even the most menial tasks of her everyday life.
Sometimes she just had the tendency to meticulously arrange her things to the point of forgetting what she really had to do. One time, she was going through her various volumes of encyclopedia when she noticed a slightly wrinkled page, likely caused by her haphazard browsing during one late night of studying. The next thing she knew, she was already checking her other books to make sure the pages were wrinkle-free. She smacked her head when she realized it and had been training herself not to be too fussy next time.
That was just the "systematic" part, however.
The worse one was the "overthinking," definitely.
Yaoyorozu believed it was best if one would always come prepared in any occasion. Not that she could help it, but it certainly made her feel better if she had a plan at hand compared to having none at all. Of course, she was also aware that things may go wrong any minute, and the absolute, bad thing about it was that she had a knack for inadvertently blowing things out of proportion. When something would not go the way she intended, it'd only take a matter of time before her head would be occupied with too much preemptive thoughts that soon enough, she would just shut down and all things she prepared would crumble one-by-one, leaving her like a big pile of mess. The perfect example was probably her humiliating defeat against Tokoyami during their first year Sports Fest. She knew his Quirk was strong and anticipated his long-range attacks, but she did not expect it to be that strong.
That incident was probably one of the lowest, most embarrassing points in her teenage life. It left a massive impact on her self-image that since then, she began doubting her abilities whenever she had planned something. Even when it already happened a year ago, even when Aizawa and Todoroki helped her back to her feet during the End of Term practicals, even when she had already received her provisional hero license, the prickling feeling of anxiety and self-doubt would somehow make itself present the moment she felt something was amiss.
For that reason, she had mixed feelings about anything unexpected. On one hand, the sense of excitement existed especially towards discovering mysteries; after all, she was also someone who appreciated all the new information the world has to offer. On the other hand, the thought of the unknown also frightened her in a way, especially since she had a hard time adjusting to unforeseen changes.
She had been training herself to keep a cool head no matter what situation she was in, nevertheless. Being a hero warranted quick thinking and action, especially when lives were at stake.
Speaking of mysteries, Bakugou was another yet to be solved. At first, she was pretty certain he was a predictable sort of guy. Heck, probably everyone in 2-A knew how he possessed a short fuse which was bound to explode even at the simplest things, appropriate for someone who possessed such a Quirk. However, the more she interacted with him, the more she realized that there was more to him than just his volatile brashness. After the Metropolis Trial where they have proven the effectiveness of their prototype, she was expecting him to basically tell her to turn over their project, however. . .
"Let's come up with an even better shit." Those were his exact words when they met after class. It was an understatement to say that she was surprised with his revelation. After all, she was under the assumption that he wanted the project to end as soon as possible.
Yaoyorozu placed a hand under her chin. Thinking about it, with his expected explosions came the elusive, gray smoke that shrouded the air, which was also something that would perfectly describe him, so her analogies weren't really inaccurate. She did wonder whether she'd be able to pass through the smoke, to see what was hidden beneath it, because she had a great hunch there was more to Bakugou than meets the eye.
She checked the inner pockets of her coat and pulled out a rectangular card with a large "SUPPORT FAIR" printed in block letters. She eyed the passersby on the streets, but no Bakugou was in sight. It's probably not because he wasn't punctual; she just came 20 minutes earlier than their meeting time, which she also did on purpose. It was her first time to visit this certain part of the city, and she allocated extra time just in case she got lost. Which was for the best, since she'd rather not face Bakugou's wrath if she arrived beyond their meeting time. She let out a sigh, letting her breath out against the cold air of that Saturday afternoon.
"Bakugou-san, if I may ask," she said as they made their way towards the Support Dept. buildings the previous day, "Why do you propose we come up with a better, um, project? Did you find something wrong with our first output?"
"No," he answered back with conviction, "I say it'd already give us an above average grade basing from the criteria Eraserhead gave us."
She gave a slow nod, recalling the grading sheet their teacher gave them after the debriefing of their Metropolis trial. "But… Above average isn't that bad, right?" Especially considering that making support items wasn't exactly their area of expertise.
"That's the damn problem. It's just above average."
Taken aback by his response, she said nothing.
"The Sports Festival this year didn't take place during the first term like it used to. They didn't disclose why, but I'm pretty damn sure it's due to the increase of villain activities lately."
She recalled the Kamino incident. She had heard speculations that the reason why the Villain Alliance targeted Bakugou was due to his explosive display of unconventional heroics in the festival last year, which was broadcasted nationwide. She couldn't quite decipher whether he was still affected by the incident since he was walking ahead of her, but if he still was, he was doing a great job at concealing it with the nonchalance in his rough voice.
"Remember what Aizawa told us? This is the first time they involved the courses that ain't Support Dept."
She made a sound of affirmation. Their teacher revealed that every U.A. student—be it Heroics, Support, Gen Ed or Management—was required to participate in the gadget-making end-of-term project, and they were going to have a university-wide program showcasing all of them by the following month. She finally understood what he was going for. "So are you saying that this project . . ."
". . .is U.A.'s way of having something like a festival, in a more discreet way," he finished for her, "In a way, this is still like the Sports Fest but caters more to the Support Dept. students."
A crooked smile made its way to Yaoyorozu's face. "As expected of you, Bakugou-san. As competitive as ever."
"Damn right. Besides, we won't get any additional points for submitting early anyway, so it's best to just make most of our time to pull out the best shit we can. Don't you agree?"
He stopped in his tracks to face her, which caught her off-guard.
"O-of course."
"Good."
They entered the building without talking any further. Besides the warmth of the indoors, they were welcomed by the stares and whispers of the Support students as they walked on the rather unfamiliar grounds. She smiled awkwardly whenever she met anyone's eyes, but she stayed quiet for the whole trip. Bakugou didn't speak a word as well, but she was pretty sure he was close to bursting judging by his obviously tense hands. Thankfully they endured it until they reached the laboratories.
"HO HO HO! If it isn't my colleagues from the esteemed class 2-A!"
"Hatsume-san, good afternoon," Yaoyorozu regarded the high-strung Support student with far less energy expenditure, "We are here to—"
"It's always a pleasure to see you, Yaoyorozu-kun!" Hatsume interrupted as she jumped towards them and grabbed her hands with vigor, pulling them to hers. Her face was too close for comfort that she could literally see the sparkle in her eyes. "Have I ever mentioned how your Quirk is the ultimate dream of an Inventor?!"
"Y-yes, you've also mentioned that to me the last time I visited." She made a feeble attempt to break free from her grip. "You see—"
She was interrupted for the second time with the sound of an impatient explosion that originated just beside the two of them. She turned to see Bakugou who was demonstrating the face of someone obviously pissed off.
"Oho, hello to you too, Bakugou-kun! Don't think I was ignoring you—"
Yaoyorozu planted her palm to her face. She was pretty sure Hatsume unintentionally made him even angrier.
"Listen 'ere, Noodle hair, we're not here for some casual chitchat—"
"Of course you aren't," she affirmed instantaneously, which effectively softened Bakugou's features by a millimeter. "You're here to check out my precious babies for ideas for your project, correct?"
Yaoyorozu's eyes brightened, "Why, yes—"
A pole appeared right behind Hatsume's back which briskly lifted her towards the high ceiling. She showed a bizarre pose before saying, "My apologies but no can do!"
"WHAT?!" Bakugou exclaimed the same time his hands emitted a large volume of smoke, which caused the fire alarms of the lab to go off.
Hatsume simply pressed a button on her vest to shut down the alarms. "It's a direct order from the upper office, sorry. While our department will be judged separately from yours and other non-Support courses, we were asked to refrain from showing our creations to make the competition fair."
"Damn it," she heard Bakugou say. Yaoyorozu bit her lip. Looks like they were on their own—
"HOWEVER!" Hatsume declared as she descended without warning, startling Yaoyorozu out of her skin, "There is one way for you to have a glimpse of my magnificent babies without breaking the rules! Lady Luck is on your side since I still have two remaining complementary tickets for the National Support Company Showcase at Inagi!" She smiled widely as she energetically handed over two cards using a contraption strapped on her arm. "The higher ups only mentioned that we couldn't show you guys directly, but if you do happen to just come across it, it wouldn't count as helping, right?"
A laugh escaped from Yaoyorozu's lips at the memory. That was how they ended up being guests to an exhibit over the weekend. They were lucky that Hatsume was very willing to share her complementary passes, although she later processed that it actually came with a price. Apparently the exhibit was actually a competition among all Support courses all over the country.
"I expect great support for my babies, okay?! Votes from the Hero course have great value in judging!"
Hatsume instructed them to extend the reminders to Midoriya and Iida, who apparently approached her too in the hopes of helping them. She shook her head. It was actually a win-win situation to all of them so they didn't have anything to lose. Trust Hatsume to take advantage of the situation.
A chilly gust of wind passed by the streets, sending shivers on her exposed neck. Yaoyorozu regretted forgetting to grab a scarf before leaving her house. It was a good thing her Quirk allowed her to make one on the spot. She let her hair down to temporarily guard her skin against the breeze while she pulled her sleeve up and closed her eyes, thinking of the materials needed to create the garment.
Her thinking process was put to a stop when she felt someone's presence in front of her. She flickered her eyes open to see someone she had never seen in her life.
"Hey, you," he grinned, towering over her and casting a shadow over her entire body, "Don't think I see you around in these parts often."
Taking a quick glance, she saw three other male teenagers surrounding her. They seemed to be around her age.
"A gorgeous one such as yourself shouldn't be left all alone."
"I agree! Would you care for a tour around these parts?" The stout one on her left held out his hand.
She pursed her eyebrows together, ignoring the discomfiting lump forming in her throat. "No, thank you."
They laughed in chorus, much to her discomfort. She noticed how they tried to discreetly take a step closer to her. She shifted stiffly.
"She's such an ice queen, ain't she? But still a real beauty!"
Her first instinct was to let her metal rod materialize from her skin to fend them off, but they weren't really doing anything so was it the right choice? Perhaps, ignoring would work? If she just stopped minding them, maybe they'd cease bothering her?
"Have you already been to the amusement park in this area? It's one of our well-known attractions here!"
"I think you should definitely go with us; you won't regret it!"
With her mind going in circles, she didn't register that something cold had already clasped around her wrist. To her horror, something similar to a chain was wrapped around it. She quickly discovered that it was the doing of a Quirk user among them.
"You don't need to worry, miss, you have nothing to fear. We're actually Heroics students! You agree that Heroes could be trusted, right?"
The tall guy walked in front of her and winked. "And rest assured we'll bring you back here in no time!"
The revelation didn't help in making her at ease because the chain around her hand secured its grip even tighter. This made the warning bells in her head to tell her to break free, but her legs had already began to move with the group. Processing that she had most likely fallen to a villain group's modus operandi, she quickly let a giant ring materialize out of her skin where the chain had her captive. The sudden action surprised the group and she seized the opportunity to bring out a metal rod out of her other arm. She paid no attention to the hole it subsequently caused and swung the rod around them. They backed away by reflex and she took the chance to escape, entering an alley and holding out her weapon defensively in front of her.
Fear seemed to be painted in their features but she wasn't so sure herself. Even if they were dressed like ordinary civilians, there was no evidence that they were just in disguise. What if they were still acting? She recalled the news how rampant villain activities were.
One of them laughed hoarsely. "Still playing hard-to-get, eh?"
The tall guy stepped in front, attempting to block the Quirk user with chains. "Kusari, dude. . ."
Kusari guy pushed away his companion, swinging his chain arms. "Quit being a weak wimp, Ato." He stomped towards her and attempted to trap her again, but she successfully evaded. "What's the deal with you, eh? Come with us!"
Her heart was rapidly beating against her chest. Her hands were shaking but she kept her grasp on her weapon. She knew there was a dead end behind her so there was no easy way of escaping. "D-didn't you hear what I said? I said I didn't want to go."
"We already showered you with compliments so the least you could do is come along with us!"
She frowned at their twisted logic. "If you keep this up, I-I will definitely report you to the authorities!"
"W-wait, we don't mean any—"
"Go, Barun!"
The one named Ato wasn't able to finish since the stout guy came running towards her, and she was able to sprint away towards the wall just in time. What she didn't notice, however, was the long piece of rope planted on the ground, which caused her to stumble to the floor. Although her head was spinning with the impact, she felt something was binding her body. She knew there was a chance of escaping by letting out something from her body, but was it the right choice? What could she produce? Would she be able to outrun them?
Before she could decide, Ato sat in front of her and winked for the second time. Immediately she felt losing conscious control of her legs. "Sorry, miss, we're really, really just desperate, you see. . ."
"Let me go," she spat.
"Oh no, not when you haven't listened to what we have to say." The panic in his voice perplexed her. Perhaps, they were amateur thugs . . . ?
Her whole body felt numb. Ato was waving a piece of paper in front of her and was saying something..
Her father's voice began echoing on her head.
We'd prefer if you wouldn't take Heroics.
Her vision was hazy. She couldn't make out the words on the paper. She glanced at the others behind him and saw the other three men standing around her.
"Our dear Momo has a useful Quirk, doesn't she? Don't you think she'd be a great hero one day?"
"Yes, but. . ."
. . .
"Mother, why can't I play with my friends? And. . . how come our big bodyguards have to accompany me every time we go outside?"
"The world outside is dangerous, my dear, which is why they have to be with you. Besides, you could have all the toys you want here at home, right? Maybe you could just invite your little friends over here!"
. . .
"Time flies so fast. . . You'll be a high school student soon."
"I compiled a list of the best schools offering Support courses, which is perfect for your Quirk, darling!"
"Imagine all the gadgets you can make that would help heroes!"
She smiled.
But the smile transformed into grin the following week as she waved a letter in front of her parents.
"Mother, Father! I received a mail from U.A., the best Heroics school in Japan! I received a recommendation for their program, and I am qualified to take a special entrance exam!"
Her parents smiled and looked at her, but not with the pride she was expecting them to have.
"Honey. . . That's great, but there's something you must know. . ."
"We'd prefer if you wouldn't take Heroics."
An abrupt, eruptive noise effectively snapped her out of her daze.
"Oi, aren't you shitty fuckers aware that using your Quirks in public is illegal?"
From the end of the alley stood an ominous-looking figure whose hands were releasing smoke. She swore she heard a shameful squeak coming out from one of them.
"And didn't you hear what she just said? You all fuckin' deaf or what?"
When nobody made a move, he charged at them with no warning, grabbing Ato and throwing him towards his companions. Blinking the tears away, she met the gaze of Bakugou who looked far from being amused.
"Wh-wh-what the hell's with this guy?"
"Wait, isn't he that crazy dude from U.A.?"
"Shit, shit! We screwed up big time! This is your fault, Kusari!"
After recovering from being stacked like a pile of meat, the four of them started to scurry away. Bakugou began to run after them, but before he did, he faced her again.
"What the hell are you sitting there for? Fuckin' go after them!"
It was as if she had been splashed with cold water. She nodded briskly, creating blades from her abdomen which ripped a portion of her clothes and the bindings trapping her. Realizing the control of her lower extremities returned, she trailed after Bakugou who was already ten steps ahead of her. In no time, Bakugou managed to reach them, and with her help restrained them with bindings as they waited for the authorities to arrive.
Bakugou stood looming over them intimidatingly. "You say you're Heroics students from what school again?"
"Y-Yano Institute."
"Huh, never fuckin' heard of that." Bakugou grabbed Ato by the front of his shirt. "Are you fuckin' lying to my face, you shitty giraffe?"
"N-no, but we're really students from that school!"
"It's because their Heroics course have yet to be accredited by the government," Yaoyorozu pointed out as she scanned the paper she was previously shown, "Or so this letter says."
"I-it's true. . ." the stout guy, Barun, exclaimed, who had already given up in trying to escape, "We thought one way of being accredited fast is by helping other people in our own way."
"And one way we thought was to tour visitors around!"
Bakugou started hitting them on their heads. In other circumstances she might have stopped him, but she found satisfaction in watching him do so. "You. Are. All. Such. Dumb. Pathetic. Fuckers! You really fucking think forcing people to do as you please would actually help your school? Fucking listen to your damn stupid words coming out of your idiotic mouths!"
"But don't they say that it's also a heroes' job to stick their noses in where they aren't supposed to be?" Ato said, trying to justify what they did. It earned him another strike from Bakugou. "W-we thought she was just shy or something!" The fourth guy in their team, the one responsible for making the ropes, simply nodded, but his head met Bakugou's angry fist as well.
Kusari just pouted, avoiding eye contact. "It's not fair though. You preach about using not using Quirks in public but you yourself used it. Even she did!"
Bakugou rolled his eyes, taking out something from his pocket. "That's because we have provisional licenses, you rusty idiot."
Yaoyorozu nodded, taking out hers from her ruined coat. Thankfully it was spared when she created her blades.
The group was obviously surprised with her revelation.
"What? She has a license too?!"
She knitted her eyebrows together, frowning. "Of course I do."
Bakugou surprisingly was quiet, but she felt his gaze lingering at her. She didn't have it in her to look back. Instead, she looked at her watch, making her recall something.
"Bakugou-san, I think we have them properly secured. The policemen should arrive any minute. Don't you think we should go?"
He gave her a disbelieving look. "'The fuck do you mean? We have to make sure these pathetic losers learn their damn lesson."
"That I agree with, but what I meant to say was. . ."
"Sorry, sorry, but your complementary passes allow entry for a specific time, which is between 13:00-14:00 only," the Support Fair employee said, bowing repeatedly by the time they arrived at the venue, "Beyond that time you are not allowed to enter anymore, our apologies! Our apologies!"
"WHAT?! But it's just 14:02! We just missed it by two minutes!"
She placed a finger on her lips, cringing at her classmate. "Lower your voice, Bakugou-san."
"And that's it, you missed it by two minutes! Two minutes!" the employee said with a wide grin, unfazed by Bakugou's antics, "Our apologies, our apologies! We are rather strict with the entrance but you could go back at the same time tomorrow, tomorrow!"
"You heard what he said, Bakugou-san!" She pulled him away the entrance before he managed to scream another fit of profanities, "We could go back tomorrow!"
He brushed her arm off, standing on his own feet stubbornly. "Well, what do we do now? Should we go to the damn city library or something?"
An idea clicked in her head. There was a place she knew that had a wide array of books. "I have an even better idea!"
He raised an eyebrow at her suggestion, but nonetheless agreed, much to her delight.
They had spoken no words en route to Tokyo station. Across from her, Bakugou had his arms crossed, looking outside through the window as if in deep thought. The silence allowed her time to reflect on what had occurred a few hours ago.
She took out her license from a newly-produced coat. She stared at the hero name written on it.
CREATI.
"We'd prefer if you wouldn't take Heroics," her father said with a sad smile, "Honey, I think it's time for you to know. . ."
He handed her various letters.
Blackmail. Various attempts of kidnapping. . .
She was the subject of the exchanges.
"It's the reason why we prefer that you stay indoors, or go out with bodyguards."
"We know your Quirk is . . . special, dear."
"That's why we would honestly appreciate if you kept a low profile, Momo. We wouldn't want the bad guys to trail after you. . .
Her Quirk allowed her to make any non-living things, which included weapons and money.
"We wouldn't want them to exploit you or your abilities."
It was a lot for her to digest that time. She remembered her parents' embrace after the revelation; they really wanted her to disregard U.A.'s recommendation. She thought she would, too. She loved her parents that much.
But no matter how many times she went through the list of all the Support course schools, she'd always go back to U.A.'s letter.
She recalled trying to absorb whatever new things she could see from whatever box she was enclosed in. Through their car, she remembered passing by several festivals with colorful decorations and food stalls. She expressed desires of going, but her mother would always refuse. She'd just tell her their house chefs were the best in terms of cooking so there was no need to try out food from the outside. At home, she only had the television to tell her what's happening in the outside world. It was through it that she learned the reality that no matter what the day was, accidents, raids, murders and other bad events still happen. It was just unavoidable.
However, there had always been a sliver of hope amidst the chaos.
The heroes.
All Might. Crimson Riot. Copper Man. Wonder Girl and the others.
She had always admired them, and dreamed of the day where she could just be like them.
She had read U.A.'s letter again.
She soon learned that the more she was deprived of her freedom to choose, the more she realized how much she wanted it.
So for the first time in her 14 years of living, she defied her parents' wishes by telling them she intended to try out U.A.'s special entrance exam.
"Dearest Momo, are you sure. . .?" her father asked. Beside him, her mother was on the verge of tears.
"Yes, and I will prove to you that I have what it takes to be a hero by passing it. You said my Quirk may be exploited right? So I would make sure that it would always fall into the good hands. I will hone my skills so it would help other people." This time it was her who initiated the embrace. Her mother started to cry. "Besides, they wouldn't recommend me if they thought I didn't have the ability, right?"
A tear escaped from her eye, dropping down onto her license. She quickly turned away, wiping it against her sleeve and hoping nobody noticed.
"What? She has a license too?!"
Their words hurt her more than she realized it. It might have not been their intention, but the insinuation that she did not appear like someone worthy of having a Hero license was there. She hated herself even more at the thought that she wasn't able to handle four ignorant teenagers who had no idea what they were doing. What could have happened to her if actual villains captured her?
Her breath hitched and she attempted to conceal it, looking the opposite direction. She closed her eyes, inadvertently clenching her license tighter in an attempt to calm herself.
She didn't notice that Bakugou had been watching her the whole time.
She felt better by the time they disembarked the train. She managed to create a scarf along the way so her hair was also back to its usual state.
She looked at Bakugou who was walking beside her. It was an unusual sight, since she honestly wasn't used to it. He always preferred walking ahead of her, but since her house was the destination, it could not be helped.
He growled beside her. "Is your house still far away? We've been walking for quite a damn long time. How annoying!"
She clasped her palms together and bowed slightly. She gestured towards high fences on the left side of the road. "Sorry! It's right here, actually! The main gate's still a bit far so we're going to the side entrance."
A genuine look of confusion washed over Bakugou's face. "Huh? 'The hell do you mean? Ain't this the Western Embassy or something?"
Her cheeks flushed. "That's a . . . common misconception." By the time they reached the gate, she held a key card which opened it. "But yes, this is our house."
He trailed after her with a flabbergasted expression. She tried to stifle her laughter as they passed by the gardens.
"This isn't . . . just a house. It's a damn freakin' palace!"
She let out a sheepish laugh in response. They soon entered the house and was greeted by Uchimura, their family butler.
"Welcome home, Young Lady Momo," he said, bowing in respect, "Bakugou-sama, welcome."
Thankfully Bakugou seemed to have recovered from his shock, and grunted back in greeting. He didn't talk for the rest of their trip towards her personal library, and by the time they were alone, he spoke up. "Fancy place you got."
She smiled. "Thank you. My parents work hard. If you'd like, I would give you a tour later on."
He only mumbled in response and didn't press the issue further. They went through the bookshelves separately, searching for relevant references. Each of them grabbed books which they thought were helpful, and soon, sat across each other.
"I think our first prototype was good in terms of the Ingenuity, Thoroughness, and Clarity," she started, going through the criteria, "However, in terms of Integration, Application and Usefulness for both Quirks and the Users. . ."
He ran through the book lazily, not looking at her once. "Yeah, yeah, I already know that. . . Although it could actually help you too, the damn cannonball was made more for me. Unless you train your shitty upper arm strength it'd be much beneficial for you to just create a cannon for firepower."
There was a distinct pause in the air that the buzzing sound of the heater was the only thing heard in the room. It didn't seem to bother Bakugou who continued reading on.
"I . . . really have to work on my battle skills, don't I?"
The words already escaped her mouth by the time she realized it. He was still flipping the pages of the book, yet she knew his gaze shifted towards her. It urged her to continue.
"With the term coming to an end, I'm sure there would be another surprise practical exam." She brought down her head, staring blankly at the pages in front of her. "Compared to you, Bakugou-san, to Todoroki-san and the others, I'm just . . . nothing."
She knew she had his attention because he stopped browsing altogether.
"In all the major practical exams, the only reason I was able to pass was because I was with someone. All alone, I'm pretty much hopeless."
"Then just get stronger, you idiot."
". . . but even at this rate, if it weren't for your help earlier, I could've been—"
He slammed an explosive fist on the table. "Fucking hell, this is going nowhere! I'm sick of you being such a fuckin' downer!"
She stared at the spot his fists came in contact with. Good thing it was made of high-grade Mahogany. "I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up."
He spoke nothing for a moment before shutting the book in front of him. She watched as he exhaled hard before standing up abruptly, creating a coarse sound with the heavy chair being pushed away. "You have someplace here that's spacious enough?"
She raised an eyebrow at his sudden question. Was he implying in Bakugou-speak that he wanted to have a tour around the house so they could forget about this awkward encounter? "Well, there's . . . our backyard."
"Good. Let's go there," He stomped towards the door and opened it. "Getting fuckin' stuffy in here, anyway."
They walked towards the back side of their house. Along the way she encountered Uchiwara and instructed him to bring their snacks at the yard instead.
The temperature outside was a lot cooler than before. She observed Bakugou, who descended the stairway casually with hands in his pockets. He was glancing around the open space which was bordered by some plants and trees.
"You said 'backyard," he muttered looking up the high fences enclosing the whole estate, "You sure you didn't actually mean the freakin' Yoyogi Park?"
She looked at him disbelievingly. She couldn't really tell whether he was saying it out of spite or was just actually joking. Thinking about it, was he actually capable of the latter? She shrugged the thought off, walking away to give him space. She did make him angry, didn't she . . . ?
When she turned to him again, she was beyond horrified when he suddenly lunged at her with an explosive fist; instinctively she let a shield materialize out of her arm, effectively blocking his attack, but she lost her footing and tripped over her feet to the ground.
Okay, she probably did make him a bit angry, but not to that extent?! She tried to dig up all her memories with him on the spot. What exactly had prompted this madness to occur?!
He simply gazed back, looking far from being apologetic as he slowly approached her.
It was that exact moment when Yaoyorozu pondered whether Bakugou really had a few screws loose on his head or just possessed an extraordinarily crazy way of dealing with things, because who else would be able to charge at her with explosives after being invited to her house, without any warning whatsoever, without seemingly finding anything wrong with the whole equation!
"Bakugou-san, wha-what is the meaning of this?" She watched as he knelt down beside her. She couldn't see his eyes since they were hidden behind the shadows of his hair. He didn't respond and instead grabbed her wrist.
"Those losers at the alley." His voice came out low that almost made it similar to a growl. "Why did you hesitate?"
Her confusion was replaced with disgrace as shameful memories came surging back. She did want to fight back, didn't she?
"If I had not come, what would you have done? Would you just let them fucking take you away?"
In front of her was Bakugou who actually had to endure being abducted by actual villains. Villains who, without a doubt, had ill intentions and high likeliness of ending her life without a second thought.
Despite that, she witnessed how strong he was, how unyielding his spirit no matter what odds. In comparison, she was pathetic. Simply pathetic. . .
When she didn't answer, he squeezed her wrist even more to the point of discomfort.
"They were this damn close, right?" He pulled her arm towards him. When she tried to pull away, his grip didn't even budge. "What would you have done?"
What would she had done?
The memories at the alley resurfaced again. Her frustrations about all the should have's and could have's lit up a fire in her soul and before she knew it, she created a giant bolster from her chest which could've pushed Bakugou a short distance away if he had not released her hand and leapt away.
"One, I would have created some space between the two of us." Pulling up her sleeves she allowed her metal stick to rematerialize from her arm. She held it in front of her in defense. "And two, I would brace myself for any of their movement, just like what I did in the first place." She took a deep breath and reverted back to a more relaxed position. "That. That's what I would've done."
Her demonstration did not seem to satisfy him one bit. Across from her, he stood up unfazed. "Then why didn't you?"
Fear. Self-doubt. Vulnerability.
She knew those were the answers.
"These feelings. . ." She looked down the ground bitterly, ignoring the dropping temperatures of the outdoor winds that seeped against her exposed skin. "I don't think someone like you would understand."
The creases between his eyebrows increased, and he angrily trudged towards her. "What the hell kind of bullcrap are you spouting, huh?!"
She tightened the grip around her metal stick as she found herself stepping backwards, trying to maintain a distance away from him. It was futile however when her back came in contact with the high fences of their house. "Someone like you, Bakugou-san, who had always been strong from the start, would not understand what it means to be inferior to somebody!"
It was too late when she realized that she hit a nerve, because Bakugou's expression changed completely; from detached frustration it escalated into straight-up fury as he raced towards her with exploding fists. He was already too close for her to come up with any sort of defense items, so she simply braced herself, ducking behind her arms in reflex, but the attack never came. Instead, it landed on the spot just beside her head.
"SHUT UP!" he growled, punching the spot on the fence, now black with burnt marks. "Shut up. . . You don't fucking know a single thing. . ."
She lowered her arms to see the seething anger in his eyes.
"I don't want to hear that from the bitch who was one of the few recommended for my dream school, who scrutinized my shitty performance against shitty Deku in that practical test, who toppled over me every single damn time in academics, who ranked highest in the Provisionals which I didn't even pass in my first try! SO SHUT THE FUCK UP!"
The bitter resentment was clear in the words which he declared right at her face. She realized that in front of her was also the same person who failed his license exam the first time he took it. That time, she was only focused on Todoroki who likewise failed. Thinking about it, nobody really seemed to ask how he must've felt that time. She knew it affected him, for someone as prideful as he was.
His fist that had been hitting the fence behind her had already stopped. It remained in contact with the wall, slightly above and barely touching her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Bakugou-san. . . That time, I guess I was just scared."
"And you think I wasn't back then?" he lashed back, and she instantly connected that he meant the Kamino incident. "But you know what, I refused to show those shithead villains a single hair of vulnerability, because if I did, that's when they'd strike!"
"And. . . that's what I was talking about. By yourself, you are strong, unlike me, who couldn't even—"
"Idiot!" His hands started hovering right at her face as if wanting to strangle her. "And you thought I don't need help too? Weren't you the one responsible for making that damn tracker and finding out where the hell I was in the first place?!"
Yaoyorozu remembered likening Bakugou to the physical manifestations of his Quirk. At that moment, she felt that slowly, the smoke was clearing.
"You put people on a high pedestal and you don't even realize you're standing fucking right beside them. You're the only one pushing yourself down!" It was when he began to step away from her did she realize how close they had been for the past few moments. "That's the problem with you; you keep on comparing yourself to others. If you won't get your shit straight it wouldn't be damn surprising if you'd actually get stuck at that crap level!"
She began to nod, grasping his words to her head.
"I don't give a shit on what caused those feelings. What matters is if you wanna keep up with me, if you still want to prove you deserve that damn license, you better focus on making yourself stronger instead. So are you up for the challenge?"
This time, she didn't stutter. "Of course."
A feral grin appeared on his face before he charged at her again. "Then show me what you've got, Ponytail girl!"
They exchanged hits for the following minutes until she collapsed on the ground, panting heavily. Soon enough he also sat down and rested his back against the ground, mumbling something about his aching arms. She knew the only reason she survived was because his explosions became weaker the more the sun descended down the horizon. If they had done the impromptu sparring in summer, she had no doubts she'd be roasted at her present level.
She began to shut her eyes, realizing what a long day they've had. If there was one thing that prevented her from falling asleep altogether, it was Bakugou's voice.
"Hmph. Whaddaya know," She saw him wiping his hand against his face. "You actually managed to put a scratch on me."
She gave a weak smile. "Just a scratch though."
"That's a start, especially for someone with shitty battle reflexes and skills like you."
The smoke somehow cleared, and for the first time, Yaoyorozu thought she was beginning to see the real him underneath.
His teaching methods were entirely unconventional, but she actually understood the message. Indeed, Kaminari was right; Bakugou did very poorly in terms of verbal communication. If there was one thing certain she learned, it was that he was a man of actions instead.
She slightly turned her head, glancing at him. It took the remaining amount of her strength to nudge her hand to his side, gently touching his wrist.
It definitely caught him off-guard, judging from his widened eyes and the awkward twitch from his hand, but he didn't make any motion to pull it away.
Perhaps he was more fatigued than what he actually liked to show?
"Bakugou-san, thank you."
"Tch. Was only trying to get that shit inside your damn head."
In Bakugou-speak, she knew what it meant. She tried to suppress a giggle. "It won't hurt to say 'you're welcome,' you know."
"Whatever, Yaoyorozu."
In class, she had heard Kaminari and Sero joking that once Bakugou called you by your actual name, you'd actually transcended a border. A comforting warmth enveloped her cheeks. "Although… your rescuing skills really need some work. Please word your phrases better towards the victim the next time you rescue someone in an alley or any place."
"Tch!"
Snow began to fall from the sky. At the same moment, Uchiwara approached them, with an umbrella at hand. "Young Lady Momo, Bakugou-sama, your drinks are ready."
The next day, they met at an entirely different place, yet still close to the Support Fair venue. She arrived earlier again, and for some reason, she learned she was a magnet for troublesome men.
"Hey girl, wanna have a good time?"
But unlike the previous day, she knew what to do.
"No, thank you," she dismissed immediately.
"Come on, miss! Just for a few moments—"
She let the metal stick materialize and held it intimidatingly.
"I'm sorry sir," she said firmly this time, "but didn't you hear what I just said?"
The sudden action surprised them and left them walking away. She exhaled hard when they were out of her sight. Good thing it worked. Why do they keep coming after her, anyway? She began to reflect on her wardrobe; was it the reason why they just kept coming after her? But hadn't she already resorted to wearing ordinary clothes instead of her designer ones? She sighed.
"Oi, Ponytail girl."
She tried not to be bothered that he was back to his silly nicknames again. She glanced at her watch. "Bakugou-san, you're late again."
She expected him to scowl like he usually did, but to her surprise, he simply smirked.
"You're just early."
She did not notice two things: one, that he had been watching her the whole time, and two, the proud smile that he was able to hide the moment he faced her.
"Come on, let's get going to that damn exhibit," he said, not even waiting for her as he started moving towards the venue. She kept up with his tracks and walked beside him.