A/N: I don't own My Hero Academia. That honor goes to Kohei Horikoshi. Enjoy this 8900+ chapter, which is now the longest single chapter I've ever written across 3 fandoms, or wasn't for academic purposes. I hope everyone is still enjoying this. Have a happy holiday weekend if you're in the U.S.A and I hope everyone else has a great week.

...

"Here, this is for you," Mr. Aizawa tossed a package down on the table in front of Kaylee as she took her seat on the sofa for their weekly meeting, which Kaylee privately thought of as "Tea Time with Mr. Aizawa." After the rough start at the beginning, she found she really enjoyed talking with the gruff teacher/pro-hero. He was firm, but always had an air of kindness about him, which Kaylee thought he did his best to hide. In some ways, he reminded her of Bakugou.

She opened the package as he poured them both some tea. "A phone! I was going to ask you about getting one. Thank you so much!" Kaylee couldn't wait to open the package, but knew she should wait until after the meeting was over.

"Someone," Mr. Aizawa said with a small grin, "May have mentioned to me the other day that you needed one if the expectation of blending in as a normal teenager was going to continue."

Kaylee chuckled to herself, laying the phone aside to look at later. Bakugou must have said something to Mr. Aizawa since he was fussing about it a few days ago. She'd ask him to help her set it up later on.

"What are your plans for today?" Mr. Aizawa handed her the tea, taking a sip from his own cup.

"Bakugou said he'd take me swimming," Kaylee answered. She was more than a little nervous about going to the pool, but Bakugou seemed so excited when he told her earlier that morning that she couldn't disappoint him. Apparently the UA pool was popular in the summer and getting a full afternoon booked was quite a feat.

"That's a good idea," Mr. Aizawa approved. "I'm sure you'll have fun."

Kaylee smiled in response, hoping that would be the case.

"I'm guessing you must have finally told Bakugou the full story," Mr. Aizawa began. "Seeing as he mentioned getting you the most expensive phone possible and billing it to the CIA." Kaylee nearly choked on her tea as Mr. Aizawa grinned. "How did that go?"

"Um, he was angry."

Mr. Aizawa raised a brow. "Angry? At you?"

"Oh no!" Kaylee replied, shaking her head. "He was angry at everyone else. My captors, the government agents…" She frowned, a thought suddenly occurring to her. "Are they watching me here?"

He considered her question for a moment, adjusting his thin scarf around his neck. "I think they wanted to put you under additional surveillance, but Principal Nezu convinced them that it wasn't needed." He paused, then glanced at her new phone. "It might be wise to use an alias when you activate that phone."

Kaylee nodded. "When it's time for me to go, do you think they'll let me say goodbye? Have any contact with anyone afterwards?" Ever since Bakugou mentioned it the other day, the question kept on popping in her head at odd times. She was doing what the agents wanted, she was fitting in, not using the diamond quirk, trying not to think about what her other one could be. Couldn't she just be left alone? Kaylee knew she didn't have what it took to be a pro-hero, and quite honestly, from what she'd seen and overheard from her classmates, she didn't think it was something she'd like to do. If her time here had taught her anything, it was that Kaylee wanted a life for herself. A chance to figure out who she was, what she wanted.

Mr. Aizawa gave a deep sigh, setting down his teacup on the table with a solid thunk. "I don't honestly know, Kaylee. I can't say for certain for the American side, but I've worked with the PSIA enough in the past to know that they move slowly." He paused for a few minutes, studying her. "You've been here for almost three months and you've never asked that question before. Why now?"

"I like it here. I'm happy. I have a routine. I like going to classes. Learning here is different from when I had those tutors in Hong Kong." She shrugged. "Apparently, it's easier to learn when your teacher doesn't have a proverbial gun to their head."

Mr. Aizawa snorted.

"I love cooking," she continued. "Until I got here, I'd never stepped foot in a kitchen before. I discovered that I don't like mushrooms. Or green peas. I'm not fond of spicy foods either but Bakugou said he's going to work on that." Both of them chuckled. "Everyday I learn something new about myself; like I didn't know I should have a favorite color, or movie, or song."

"Do you have one now?" Mr. Aizawa asked. His voice sounded odd for a moment. Kaylee thought he might have wiped his eyes with the end of his scarf, but he did it so fast, she couldn't be sure. She had heard that his quirk made his eyes really dry at times.

"I like yellow," she answered. "Like the color of butterfly wings in summer."

"Your favorite movie?"

Kaylee laughed. "I'm working on that tonight. With everyone going off for their work-studies on summer break tomorrow, there's a movie night party planned. I haven't had any time here to watch any movies yet, so I'm really excited."

"What's the movie?"

"I don't know," she responded. "The whole class put their favorite movie in a jar, and I get to draw one from it." She grinned. "They're also going to give me lists of films to watch over the break."

"What about your favorite song?"

"I'm still working on that. So far, I'm giving everything a try. I like The Beatles, Beyonce, and BTS. I'm going through Spotify alphabetically."

"The point is," Kaylee got back to the original subject. "I want to have a life after this is all over. One that I get to choose."

Mr. Aizawa leaned forward in his chair. "I'm going to do my best to make sure you have one, Kaylee."

Before Kaylee could reply, the door burst open. "Kaylee!" Kaylee barely had time to put down her teacup before Eri launched herself on the sofa, arms open in a huge hug.

"Eri! How are you?" Once Eri had figured out that Kaylee was having regular meetings with Mr. Aizawa, she made it a point to visit her as often as she could, which thrilled Kaylee. They often ran into each other during their afternoon therapy sessions, but never had much time to talk.

"I missed you!" Kaylee grunted as Eri gave her another tight hug. "Where have you been? I haven't seen you in weeks! Are you going to spend some time with us while everyone is on their work-studies? Sensei said he's going to do something fun!" Eri was literally bouncing in her excitement and Kaylee held on to her to keep her still while she tried to process the rapid-fire questions.

"Eri," scolded Mr. Aizawa. "You know what I've told you about interrupting our meetings." He frowned at her, but Kaylee could tell he wasn't really angry. Eri opened her mouth to respond, but he held up a finger to stop her. "And I was just going to ask what her plans are for the break."

Eri just beamed at Mr. Aizawa and Kaylee had to hide her own grin. It was so adorable how that small child had the stern teacher wrapped around her little finger. "Can you come, Kaylee? Sensei is going to let us in the USJ, which Present Mic-" she lowered her voice conspiratorially, "-calls the Ultra-Secret Make out Joint. But, I'm not supposed to know that."

Mr. Aizawa let out an audible groan. Kaylee couldn't contain her laughter.

"Anyway," Mr. Aizawa said as he shot them both a glare, "Since the pair of you aren't able to leave the campus, and all the students are either on their work-studies or on vacation, I thought you'd both like to spend some time together. The USJ has a beach."

"We can make sandcastles!" Eri shouted, bouncing up and down. "I'm really good at them, have you ever made one?"

"No, I've never been to the beach. You'll have to show me how to make one."

"Ok!" Eri squealed in delight.

"It's time for class, both of you," Mr. Aizawa told them. "Eri, I'll see you later on tonight."

Eri gave Kaylee and Mr. Aizawa each a hug and dashed out.

"Here," Bakugou handed Kaylee her cellphone as they went to the next class. Once she'd finished her weekly meeting with Mr. Aizawa, she caught up to Bakugou before homeroom and handed it to him, asking him to help set it up for her. She'd tried doing it herself, but was too confused at some of the questions it asked her. He seemed oddly excited about it, and Kaylee found the devilish grin he shot her just a tiny bit concerning. "Registered under Hanako Yamada, with the password you gave me." He gave her a curious look. "Which was kinda weird for a password. What does it mean?"

Kaylee grinned. "You didn't recognize it? I'm surprised, I thought you'd know it right off the bat."

He flushed slightly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Tch. I know what it is, I was just seeing if you knew..." She grinned. He nudged her shoulder as they walked through the doorway to Present Mic's classroom. "So, what is it?"

"It's the chemical formula to trinitroxypropane, also known as glyceryl trinitrate." At the confused expression on his face, Kaylee took pity on him. "You would know it as nitroglycerin." He rolled his eyes at her, but Kaylee noticed his pleased expression as they both took their seats in class.

Something changed once they returned from Ground Omega a few days ago. Kaylee didn't fully understand it, but it was like Bakugou had flipped some sort of switch. Before descending the rock formation he'd cupped her cheeks and tenderly pressed his forehead to hers. He held her hand the entire walk back to Alliance Heights, only releasing her when they walked up the front stairs. The next day was much the same, he'd reach for her hand as they walked to and from the track in the mornings, hesitantly at first, then more firmly when he'd see her smile shyly, her cheeks a rosy pink. It was always when they were alone, or when they couldn't be seen, as though Bakugou sensed Kaylee might be uncomfortable. All it did was make her heart pound, and she found herself counting the minutes until he'd do it again.

"You like your new phone, Kaylee?" Kaminari strolled up to her as she was getting to her seat, flanked on either side by Jiro.

Kaylee was puzzled. "I just got it this morning, how did you know about it?"

"Oh come on, you sent a text to the entire class!" Kaminari held his phone so Kaylee could see the message.

Sure enough, it was her new number. However, Kaylee did not send that message.

This is Kaylee's phone you fucking pieces of shit! Add it!

She burst into giggles. "I didn't send that."

"I told you, moron!" Jiro playfully punched Kaminari in the shoulder.

"Well, I figured she hangs around Bakugou enough, she probably picked up his speech. And his foul mouth." Kaminari rubbed his shoulder. Kaylee flushed at the comment, but before she could reply, more students came in.

"Kaylee!" Uraraka exclaimed as she got to her seat. "You got a phone, that's so great!"

Tsuyu joined them. "Something tells me you let Bakugou set it up though."

Kaminari paled. "Oh shit, is that true? Did you let Bakugou put in the contacts?"

"I guess so," Kaylee shrugged, not understanding the concern on the blond boy's face. "I'm sure he probably did."

"Can I see?" Jiro asked. Kaylee handed over her phone.

"Goddamn it, Bakugou!" Jiro yelled across the room as she scrolled through Kaylee's contacts. "You added me to Kaylee's phone as Lobes!"

"And I'm PIKACHU!?" squeaked Kaminari. "Oh, hell no! She doesn't know all the weird names you make up for us. How's she going to know who's texting her?"

"She knows the ones that are important!" Bakugou shouted back from where he was talking with Kirishima and Sero. "The rest are just extras anyway."

Uraraka quickly grabbed the phone. "Oh, he's in there as DynaMight. Meanwhile, I'm Round Face!" Kaylee bit her lip in order to keep from laughing at the horrified look Uraraka wore.

"Like I said, Round Face," Bakugou enunciated the nickname, "she knows the ones that are important!"

"What, was Lord God Almighty DynaMight too long to fit?" Jiro shot a scowl at Bakugou, who glared back.

"It's Great Explosion Murder God DynaMight," Kaylee told Jiro plainly, straightening up in her seat. At once, she had nearly half a dozen pairs of eyes staring at her in utter shock. "Well, it's true," she said defensively, feeling her cheeks heat as she caught Bakugou's gaze. He winked.

Jiro and Kaminari exchanged a look.

"We'll fix your phone during lunch, Kaylee," said Tsuyu, grinning as she took the phone. "Because I know you're not going to know who Shitty Hair and Ponytail are."

Kaylee laughed. "I wouldn't even want to guess who Shitty Hair could be. That sounds like a trap."

"Class, it's time to get started," Iida marched in along with the few remaining students. "Everyone, get to your seats." Kaylee finally got her phone back, and chairs scraped as students took their seats. "Kaylee," Kaylee's head shot up as Iida addressed her directly. "I'm surprised and disappointed at the text you sent."

"She didn't send it Four-Eyes, I did!" snapped Bakugou.

"Well, then I'm just disappointed, but not surprised," retorted Iida. "My apologies Kaylee, for thinking you'd picked up some of Bakugou's nasty habits." Kaylee nodded in return, but frowned at the "nasty habit" remark.

Uraraka turned to Kaylee. "Now you know who Four-Eyes is," she whispered as they both snickered.

….

Bakugou glared harshly as he watched his quarry walk down the hallway. He had another thirty minutes before it was time, and he was running out of options. Bakugou's quirk wasn't suited for what he needed, his sweat was soluble in water, and while he'd heard of a first year that might be useful, all the first years were scared shitless of him. Maybe he should have been nicer during UA's opening speech, but was it his fault that the faculty kept asking him to give opening remarks? The morons had three years to figure that out.

He checked his phone. Now it was twenty seven minutes. The asshole was by himself at the moment, so it would be a perfect time to approach him. It was now or never. Bakugou sighed heavily as he marched towards the Icy-Hot bastard.

"Hey," he said, grabbing his arm and pulling him. "Come with me for a moment, Icy-Hot."

"Why? What do you want?" Damn, that cool voice of his really pissed Bakugou off, but he kept his calm. This wasn't about him. Surprisingly, the idiot let Bakugou pull him out the door before shrugging him off. He still followed him though. "Where are you taking me?"

"To the pool."

"The pool is fully booked for today. A faculty had it reserved before the slots opened up."

Bakugou grinned. "I know. Who do you think has it booked?" During the summer, the school pool was open in the afternoons to UA students. With the unusually cool summer weather, it opened later than normal and the entire school fought to register for a time slot. Faculty could always get first dibs on it, especially if they needed it for training purposes.

Bakugou scanned his ID card as they entered the building. The pool was just an ordinary standard pool, which always puzzled Bakugou considering the size and scope of the other buildings on campus. However, it suited his purposes perfectly. It was fully enclosed on all four sides, surrounded by trees and cement. No one could get access to it unless they'd filled out the proper paperwork. No gawkers to annoy him and make Kaylee nervous.

"How did you get access? Do you have it for all four hours?"

"Tch," Bakugou grunted. He wasn't going to give the asshole any more information until he got the job done.

"Wait, Bakugou! Not going any further until you explain what's going on." Fuck, the bastard was stubborn.

"Yes, I have it for the full four hours. I have access because once I started training Kaylee, I got full access to all UA facilities. Now, I answered your questions so get that half-and-half ass of yours in here!" Bakugou snatched open the door and walked out on the patio.

"What do you want me to do?"

"With the cool weather we've had, the water hasn't had a chance to heat up like it usually does. I'd use my quirk, but I'd end up blasting it all to hell. You, however, "Bakugou pointed a finger at Icy-Hot, "don't have that problem. Now, heat up the water!"

The fucker gave a smug grin that made Bakugou itch to blast to hell. "Didn't know you were so sensitive to cold, Bakugou."

"It's for Kaylee, dumb ass. I'm teaching her to swim today and she'll fucking freeze in this. Are you going to do it or not?" A quick check of the time showed only twenty minutes left.

"What's in it for me?"

Mother fucking piece of shit was going to bargain? "What do you want?"

"I want the last two hours here."

"Fuck no!"

"Then find someone else," the bastard turned and began walking away. "I heard there's a first year with a fire quirk. Go find them." He paused. "Oh, wait, you can't because they're all scared of you."

Bakugou gnashed his teeth. He did not have time for this shit. "You can have the last hour!"

"Yeah, good luck with that."

"Wait," Bakugou called out. "I'll give you the last hour this time, and the remainder when I book the pool again."

Icy-Hot thought about that for a second. "An hour each time you book the pool. The weather isn't going to get much warmer."

Bakugou paused, considering that. If he could get special permission from Aizawa, he could basically use the pool all year with that deal. He'd have the world's largest hot tub at his disposal year round.

"You got it," Bakugou stuck his hand out.

"Deal." Icy-Hot stuck his left hand in the water, and it immediately started boiling.

"Hold on, moron! She's not a fucking lobster!" Bakugou stuck his hand in to test the water. Surprisingly, it wasn't much hotter than a bathtub.

"It'll cool down fast, don't worry, I won't boil Kaylee. I like her." He turned to face Bakugou. "For what it's worth, I think you're good for her. And she's been great for you. You're much less of a prick when she's around. It was smart of Aizawa to have you train her."

"It's not like he had much choice, since I'm the best student here," Bakugou replied, looking away for a moment.

"Yeah, yeah," the smug bastard replied. "The water should stay like that for at least three hours. See you at 6." He rose and started towards the exit. "You'll be back just in time for movie night," he sneered over his shoulder.

Bakugou glared. "Fuck you." He paused, letting out a huge sigh. "Thanks for helping."

Icy-Hot actually smiled. "No problem. Enjoy your evening."

Bakugou rolled his eyes. Fuck, he forgot about movie night until this morning at breakfast when Kaylee mentioned it. She was so damned excited, asking him dozens of questions about how they selected the films-a drawing-and how often they had them-not as often as they used to, but at least once a term, or right before breaks or during holidays. She chatted non-stop about it all through their morning run, wondering what movies everyone liked, trying to guess which type she'd like the most-he said she's a rom-com and fantasy girl. She said she'd never seen a movie herself, but her captors sometimes turned the TV up in the other room and she could listen. Once again, rage welled up as Bakugou thought about what all she'd lost-what the fucking captors took from her. She'd never seen a movie before, never got a chance to sit and just hang out with friends.

As he changed into his swim trunks, he thought about what she'd told him in Ground Omega a few days ago. The government agents, fighting over her like two dogs with a bone, could take her away at any second. She'd be gone in a flash. The fact that Kaylee just casually mentioned it, because to her, it was just yet another thing in her life she had no control, no choice. It was at that moment, Bakugou realized that he had feelings for Kaylee, and fuck, she could get snatched from him at any time, without any advance notice.

That same evening, once he was back in his room, he searched everything he could on trauma victims, especially those that had been held captive for extended periods. It turned his stomach to think how often it happened, that there would be literally thousands of books and websites on the subject. Most of the victims were female, and nearly all of them were sexual assault survivors. The few times Kaylee spoke of those fuckers that took her, she never mentioned they were interested in her sexually, but is that something she'd even tell him? How would he even approach her about it?

On top of that, the whole class would be leaving for the work-studies that they all had during summer break. Bakugou would be at Endeavor's agency along with Deku and Todoroki for the next two weeks. Two weeks without Kaylee. And she'd be stuck at UA by herself. It was why he'd marched in Aizawa's office and demanded he get her a phone.

"Bakugou?" Her raspy voice called out from the hallway, making his heart pound. "Are you here? I'm ready."

….

Kaylee waited on Bakugou, nervously shuffling her weight from one foot to the other, trying not to put too much thought into what she was going to do. She'd come a long way since she first arrived here, so maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Plus, Bakugou was so excited when he managed to book the pool for all four hours that she couldn't bear to disappoint him. She could do this. It's just water.

Bakugou exited the locker room, beaming, and Kaylee couldn't help but return the smile. Warmth rushed to her cheeks as she got a good look at him, wearing the standard school issued swim shorts. While she'd become acquainted with how well-built he was, especially as she was pressed up against him the other day, seeing those muscles without cloth impeding the view was something else entirely. God, he was incredible. And those swim shorts should be illegal. While Bakugou normally preferred muscle shirts that were tight fitting, his trousers were pretty baggy, even his hero suit.

"Hey, you ready? Got your towel?" She nodded and blushed even more as she realized he was looking her over just as much as she had done to him. Until she'd been exposed to other girls her age, she had little concept of body types, and she knew she was lacking compared to the other girls in her class. In the tight fitting school swim suit, she felt more exposed than ever before, and she'd spent most of her life with just the bare minimum of clothing. Her captors had realized if they could keep her as naked as possible, she'd be less inclined to escape. "Let's go, the water's waiting!" Bakugou held his hand out to her, and instinctively, like it was natural, she placed her own into his, shivering slightly as the warm, roughened fingers enclosed hers.

The pool was massive! Sunlight glinted off the blue water, and Kaylee had to shade her eyes with her other hand to see. She wasn't sure what she had in mind, most of the pools she'd seen in pictures and videos online were surrounded by cabanas and palm trees, with lounge chairs and women in bikinis sipping on drinks garnished with little pink umbrellas. UA's pool was just a large rectangle with blue and yellow ropes marking off individual lanes with platforms at one end. The area was enclosed on three sides by a high chain-link fence and massive trees, and one was a large concrete wall. Relief shot through her as she realized they would be totally alone. No one would gape or laugh at her if she made a fool of herself. She swallowed nervously as she glanced back at the pool. She should be ok, it wouldn't be like last time. Pools were totally different from bathtubs. Totally different.

"Now, the pool is the same two meter depth all around, but there's a small ledge running the perimeter," Bakugou said as he let go of her hand. "There's a ladder at each end if you need it," he pointed to one of the metal ladders at the end. "I'm going to start with the basics, which is teaching you how to breathe, float, kick and tread water." Without warning, he leaped in, splashing water everywhere. He surfaced quickly, shaking his head, sending water droplets everywhere. "Man, this feels great! Come on, jump in!" He held out both arms for her.

Kaylee froze, suddenly feeling light headed, heart pounding, her chest tight. She backed up a step as Bakugou's voice faded.

"Hey! What's wrong? Shit! Kaylee?" She heard a loud splash, then nothing.

Kaylee woke to harsh slaps on her face. Wincing, she opened her eyes to meet Bakugou's terrified crimson gaze.

"Holy shit! What the hell was that? You scared the fuck out of me!" Kaylee winced again as he shouted the rapid fire questions, pulling her to him in a crushing embrace. She was sure they could hear him all the way to the dorms.

"Goddamn it, Kaylee! If I hadn't caught you when I did, you could have died!" He was clutching her so tightly, she could barely get a breath. He, however, was panting like he couldn't get enough oxygen. His chest rose and fell so violently Kaylee thought she might be seasick.

"S – sorry!" She stuttered breathlessly, pulling away to get a good look at him. Small rivulets of water still ran down his face, which was screwed up in a mixture of anger and fear. "I didn't mean to – I'm sorry, I thought I'd be ok, since you were with me, you know? I didn't want to say anything because I thought I could get through it, and you were so excited-"

He cut her off, pressing her back to his chest, flattening her nose against his warm skin. "Son of a bitch, Kaylee! You can't keep doing this." His voice broke. "You've got to start talking to me more. I know I said I'd wait until you were ready, but fuck that. You need to tell me what's going on! I can't keep going through this when you have some sort of flashback, or whatever the fuck just happened! That's twice this week you've freaked out on me and I can't help you if I don't know what's going on." He paused, his arms tightening around her. She let out a small squeak, and he loosened them immediately. She shivered from the loss of heat.

"Talk to me," he pleaded, his hand on her cheek to make sure he had her attention. His normal tan features were pale, and his eyes and cheeks were still moist. She followed a drop of water as it ran from the corner of his eye...wait, was that a tear?

"Ok," she whispered. She took a deep breath…

….

Hong Kong, 3 years ago….

Kaylee glanced around the lavishly decorated bedroom, her prison for the past few months or so. The windows had been replaced with shatterproof glass, sealed shut, painted over, with heavy black floor-to-ceiling drapes pulled tightly closed over them. No light ever got through, and Kaylee had spent her first few days testing them out, looking for weaknesses. All it did was get her punished and they banned her from the private courtyard.

Tonight however, things might work in her favor. Loud music blared down the hallway, the heavy bass thumping through the walls, almost drowning out the clinking of glasses. Feminine moans followed by masculine grunts sounded in the room next door, accompanied by a steady thump of something hitting the wall. Pressing her ear up to the wall, she could hear what sounded like Rusty with one of the women they occasionally brought to the apartment. Rusty was the one she was most afraid of, the one with the worst temper, the quickest to deal out punishment for the slightest transgression, so Kaylee nearly cheered when she realized he was otherwise occupied. Florian had already left for the evening, Kaylee heard him call out to the others that he was going to meet a contact in Kowloon, one of the red light districts. So, that just left Steve.

Kaylee glanced down at her clothing, wondering if she could somehow rifle through one of their bedrooms to get something more substantial than the thin cotton t-shirt and underwear they kept her in. She'd need shoes too, since they stopped providing her with those years ago, unless they were moving her somewhere. No, better not chance it, there may not be enough time. Getting out of the apartment was one thing, but she had to figure out how to exit a building she'd never seen before on top of that. They had kept her covered and blindfolded, locked inside a trunk when they first moved in, so other than the sparse information they'd given her – they were in a fashionable part of Hong Kong, she had no clue where she was.

Grabbing the two paper clips she'd carefully stashed between the mattresses, she deftly picked the lock. One of the tutors they'd hired here left her some books to read, and thankfully, her captors didn't bother censoring her reading materials. Inside one of the items was perfectly detailed instructions on how to pick a lock along with two paper clips. Kaylee silently thanked the nameless tutor, wondering if his actions were intentional or not.

A tiny sliver of light peeked through as she opened the door as silently as she could. Music was still blaring and it sounded like Rusty was still occupied. Where was Steve? She stuck her head out into the hallway, listening….waiting. Nothing. Maybe Steve had gone out with Florian. Still clutching the paper clips, she tiptoed down the hallway, towards the large living room. The door to the apartment was there somewhere, she was so close….there! Kaylee tried to keep her breathing under control as she dashed towards the exit. Just as her hands grazed the cool metal of the knob, it twisted from the outside.

Fuck.

Kaylee scrambled, trying to dash behind something, anything, but it was too late. Both Steve and Florian stood in the doorway, quickly accessing the situation.

"You stupid, useless bitch!" Pain lashed through her skull as she crashed into a nearby table, knocking over a vase and shattering it into thousands of pieces. A few shards embedded themselves into her skin, but the blinding pain in her head eclipsed any other. Her cheek was on fire. Footsteps thundered from the hallway.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Rusty roared as he quickly accessed the situation. "I thought I told you to keep an eye on her!"

"You were the one on guard tonight, mon ami!" Florian snapped. "But you couldn't keep your dick in your pants long enough to know she'd made it to the front door!"

Kaylee lay stunned on the floor as they shouted at each other. She'd been so close!

"Get to the bathroom, turn the water on," ordered Rusty.

"What are you going to give her a bath?"

"What about your whore?"

"She's passed out drunk, the stupid slut won't hear a thing," Rusty sneered.

Kaylee screamed in terror as Rusty snatched her by the hair, fisting it so hard she was sure he'd pulled some of her scalp off. She thought she may have blacked out for a minute, but she quickly came too as she was thrust into the freezing tub.

"I saw this on some American movie," the muffled voice of Rusty boasted to the others. "Let's see if this will teach the bitch a lesson."

Kaylee thought her lungs might burst, but Rusty was strong, and he kept her head underwater until she passed out again. She lost count of the times he forced her in and out of the tub, but thankfully, either from the lack of oxygen or her previous injuries, Kaylee lost consciousness.

"I thought I could get over my fear of water," Kaylee told Bakugou. At some point during her story, he'd grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her. "But I saw you jump in the pool, and all I could think about was how much it was like an enormous bathtub and I panicked."

Bakugou had been silent the entire time she started talking, and Kaylee finally got up enough nerve to meet his gaze. He was angry, but this time, Kaylee knew his rage wasn't aimed at her.

"I wish I could dig those fuckers up so I could blast them straight to hell," he said furiously. "Every time you tell me about what you endured, I end up thinking that slitting their throats and stabbing them was just too easy. I would have made them suffer, to pray for death."

Kaylee blinked, having no clue how to respond to that.

"Do you trust me?" Bakugou suddenly stood, holding out his hand to her.

Shrugging off the towel, Kaylee immediately took it. "Of course, I do."

"Let's try this again, ok? Let me help you through this. Walk to the edge of the pool. I'll be right beside you."

A shudder went through her, but she nodded. "Ok." He squeezed her fingers in response.

"I'm ready when you are."

Taking a deep breath, Kaylee walked over to the pool, this time trying to keep her thoughts focused. The harsh concrete patio, hot from the sun, against her bare feet. A slight breeze wafting through, rustling the leaves on the trees. Bakugou's warm hand. Her pounding heart.

"Do you want me to go in first?" he asked as Kaylee paused right at the edge.

She shook her head. "Together?" She held up their joined hands.

He gave her the sweetest smile. "Of course. One, two…"

Kaylee jumped.

….

Bakugou wondered if Kaylee noticed how he was still slightly shaking, even in the warm water. Fuck, he'd never moved that fast in his life once he saw her falling backwards, catching her just before her head hit the concrete. Shit, he still couldn't get the image out of his mind, of her suddenly stiffening as though every muscle in her body locked down, then her eyes rolling back in her head as she blacked out.

"How are you doing?" he asked her, making sure she was standing on the small ledge.

She wiped a hand over her face, pushing her hair back, offering him a tentative smile. "I'm ok, but is the water always this warm?"

"Nah, it's just been a cooler summer than normal. I made sure it was warm enough," he replied, not feeling even the tiniest bit of guilt for leaving out a key detail, but it's not like the Icy-Hot bastard would have done it on his own. It was Bakugou's idea, therefore, he should get the credit.

"It's perfect, thank you."

He nodded wordlessly, turning to make a quick lap to get out some of the pent-up energy he had. Fuck, he was furious, and while most of it was aimed at the dead mother fucking bastards that took her, some of that anger was for her, since he'd really thought she was beginning to trust him, especially after the other day. It hurt.

"You're mad at me," Kaylee said as he swam by her on a second lap. It wasn't a question. He paused, treading water. "Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you before, but I honestly thought I could get past it," she continued. "My therapist said that I've buried a lot of this shit because I didn't know how to deal with it then, but now that I've had time away, my brain is starting to process. I'm just getting tired of everyone seeing me as a weak, fragile doll, especially as I've been working so hard. I was trying to handle it on my own."

"I – I-" Fuck, when did he start stammering? He sighed, swimming up closer to her. "I just thought you were really starting to trust me."

"I trust you more than anyone!"

"Then talk to me," he pleaded. "I can't handle it when you relive every time you were tortured by those bastards because you're triggered by something I did, or maybe even said. Look," he cupped her cheek, making sure he had her attention. "From now on, just let me know if something bothers you, ok?"

"I will. But, sometimes I don't know that something is triggering me until it happens. Like the other day, when you grabbed my neck – I didn't know I would react like that."

"Just watch the elbows next time, ok? If you were any shorter, I'd be sounding like Hagakure right now."

She snickered, flushing. Fuck, did she have freckles? She did! How did he not notice them before? They were tiny little dots covering her nose, and a few were starting to appear on her forehead. There was one at the corner of her mouth, and Bakugou had the irresistible urge to kiss it. He leaned in…

"Are you going to teach me to swim?" Moment broken. Fuck. Bakugou coughed, trying to pretend like he wasn't about to kiss her. Fuck.

"You ready?"

"Yes." Kaylee bit her bottom lip, pulling his eyes back to her mouth. Goddamn it, did she just not realize? Was she that oblivious?

"Ok, we'll start with floating. Watch me." He pushed away from the wall, feet up, back straight. "It's harder than it looks. You've got to keep your back straight."

He heard a small splash, then a sputter. "Wait, idiot! Let me help you. I'm going to put my hands on your back to steady you." She tried again. "Keep your legs straight, and your head needs to be flat like you're on a mattress.

"Water gets in my ears. I don't like it. It feels weird."

"You'll get used to it. Arch your back some. Arms above your head. Spread your legs apart further." He removed his hands from her back. She gasped at the loss, then managed to recover. "Good girl. You're floating."

"This isn't so bad," she said somewhat unsteadily. He noticed her face and chest were getting red. Fuck, he bet she didn't think to put on sunblock. He'd make a note to bring some next time.

She turned her head, smiling. "What's next?"

….

Two and a half hours later, Bakugou stood waiting outside the locker room for her to finish showering and change. He could hear her happily humming an indistinct tune, the sound echoing off the tiled walls. He couldn't help but smile. Despite the rough start to the afternoon, the rest of it was fun. She was still unsteady in the water, but managed well enough. She didn't like getting too far from the edge or from him, and Bakugou wished that didn't please him as much as it did.

"Hey! You done? We're going to miss the stupid movie!"

"Sorry, no hair dryers in there and I didn't think to bring one," she called back, the sound coming closer. She was still squeezing a towel around her hair, the t-shirt she wore damp around the collar. She definitely had a light sunburn on her face and neck, the usually pale skin now a deep rose. Now that she was eating regular meals, her cheeks had lost that sallow look to them, the harsh angles of her cheekbones now softened.

"Your hair defies gravity, doesn't it?" she asked, coming up close to him, reaching out to touch a strand of his hair. "I noticed it in the water, when you were swimming. Is it waterproof? It's so soft!" She giggled, the sound sending little shivers up and down his spine.

"Tch. It just does that." He shrugged her hand off, before he really did something stupid, like try to kiss her again. "Let's go."

She grabbed his hand, threading her fingers through it. "I'm ready."

Just as they were half-way to Alliance Heights, they ran into Todoroki and Yaoyorozu. Bakugou loosened his grip on her hand, but Kaylee tightened hers instead.

"You missing movie night?" Kaylee asked them as they got closer Bakugou did not want to stop and chat, and most certainly not with those two.

"I'm not much on movies. Thought we'd take a swim instead," Icy-Hot responded, deftly catching Bakugou's ID card as he tossed it to him, not even bothering to pause.

"Did you enjoy the pool?" Yaoyorozu asked, smiling knowingly as she took in their joined hands.

"Yes! The water was perfect. It should still be warm."

"I'm sure it will be fine," Pony-Tail nudged Icy-Hot. "If not, I'm sure it can be heated back up."

Bakugou rubbed the back of his neck, pulling Kaylee along. "Come on, we're going to be late."

"Enjoy movie night, Bakugou!" Bakugou gritted his teeth, flashing the middle finger behind his back. A short laugh followed them.

….

"There you are!" Ashido squealed as they strode into the common room, the smell of popcorn nearly overpowering. "We are about to start!" Most of the class was gathered in the main common area where the TV was located. Sofas, chairs, and even the floor was filled. The table was packed with various snacks and drinks. Koda's bunny hopped between the students.

"Who the fuck made popcorn? They almost burned it!" Bakugou's nose itched with the slightly acrid aroma.

"Sorry, Kacchan!" Deku laughed, sitting on the floor next to Uraraka. "I can never figure out the microwave here."

Bakugou grunted, following Kaylee as she grabbed a seat on the sofa. He noticed she always liked the corner spot. Koda scooted over, making room for her, then sighed and scooted over more as Bakugou glared at him. He sat next to Kaylee, who had curled her long legs underneath her and grabbed a pillow, adjusting it behind her back. "You comfortable?" She nodded. "Here, try this. It's pineapple." He passed her a flavored soft-drink. "Popcorn?" He grabbed one of the bags, making sure it had the least amount of scorch marks on it.

"Oh, I like this," she said as she chewed on a piece.

"Mine's better," he grunted, washing down the slightly burned taste with a drink. "I don't use the microwave, like pathetic loser nerds do." Deku shot him a bird over Uraraka's head.

"Now that we're all here," Ashido began, grabbing the large fish-bowl they used for various purposes, including contests. "This is Kaylee's first movie night, and our first movie night of the school year!" Everyone began clapping, and Ashido paused for effect. "Everyone has put their favorite movie in this jar, and Kaylee-" she held out the bowl-"is going to choose at random our first feature!"

Kaylee reached in and pulled out a slip of paper. "Fifty Shades of Grey?"

"You little perverted freak!" Bakugou shouted at Mineta.

"I didn't pick that! It wasn't me, you guys have to believe me!" His protests fell on deaf ears as they threw popcorn and other objects at him. Out of the corner of his eye, Bakugou noticed Jiro, sitting on the floor next to Kaminari, blushing and quickly taking a sip of her drink. Interesting.

"Try again, Kaylee!" Ashido said once they'd calmed down.

Reaching in again, she pulled out another. "Titanic?"

Uraraka, Ashido, Hagakure, let out ear splitting squeals, drowning out some groans from the others. "And we can probably guess there's more than one 'Titanic' in the bowl," Kirishima said.

"The ship? Is this like a documentary?" Kaylee asked, turning to Bakugou as she grabbed a handful of popcorn from the bag.

"Fuck no. It's three hours of abject misery," Kaminari frowned. "Do we have to?"

"Shut up! It's the best and most romantic movie ever made!" Ashido sighed as she took her place next to Kirishima.

"It really is," Uraraka added. "You'll love it!"

"The Titanic sank in 1912 killing over 1500 people out of the 2,224 on board making it the deadliest maritime disaster in history." Kaylee told Uraraka plainly. "How's that romantic?"

Silence fell over the room as everyone stared at Kaylee. "Well, it's true," she mumbled, shoving another piece of popcorn in her mouth. Bakugou laughed, finding her adorable.

"Oh, just watch and see!" Hagakure said. "Lights, please!"

Someone dimmed the lights as the film started. Kaylee shifted in her seat, her entire right side nearly flush up against him. Her head rested on the pillow behind him.

Rose had barely even met Jack when Bakugou noticed Kaylee's breathing had changed to soft, even breaths that ruffled the hair on his neck. She was sound asleep. He shuffled in his seat, making sure his body blocked hers from view, since he knew there would be hell to pay if Pinky and the others saw her sleeping on their favorite film. Stealing a glance at her, he saw she'd twisted her body so it was practically curled just behind his, her chest pressing against his back and arm. He could feel the soft mounds of her breasts. He shifted again, getting just a little bit of distance between them. She unconsciously moved closer. Bakugou blew out a breath. Her hand somehow made its way to his thigh. His brow furrowed as he studied the long, thin fingers, and he placed his hand next to hers, studying the differences. Until she arrived at UA, she'd never experienced much sunlight, so he expected it to be pale, but with the way the TV light shone, it made her hand seem as though it was glowing from within.

He tucked his head turning it so he could see her face, which was mostly hidden by his broad shoulder. It too, appeared as though it was glowing, her smooth skin illuminated a soft, warm, almost yellow light. Bakugou snapped back to the TV. There was nothing in the current scene to suggest any sort of yellow light could have been reflected on her.

That glow was coming directly from Kaylee.

Bakugou shifted back, just in case any of the extras noticed, but all eyes were glued to the TV. He covered her hand on his thigh with his own, tucking it between their bodies and threading his fingers through hers to keep her still. He'd have to figure this out later.

He gave her a slight nudge when the movie was almost over. Rose was on the wooden raft, Jack freezing in the water. "Hey, wake up," he whispered, keeping an eye out just in case anyone noticed them. Most everyone was riveted to the TV screen, minus a few who had either gone to finish packing for their work-studies, or fallen asleep themselves.

Kaylee slowly stretched. "Mmmm….is it over yet?" She'd leaned closer to Bakugou, and thankfully, she wasn't glowing like before, although her skin did have a warmth that it was lacking earlier. "Good God, that piece of wood is the size of this sofa!"

"Shhhh!" Kirishima glared at them both, wiping his eyes.

"Fuck you!" Bakugou mouthed.

When the lights finally came up, and Celine Dion started wailing, everyone began getting up, stretching, yawning.

"Well, what did you think, Kaylee?" Ashido managed to choke out through sobs. Bakugou looked around the room. The girls were passing around tissues.

"Fuck, are you crying?" Bakugou asked Kirishima. "You too, nerd?"

"My tear ducts are crying uncle over here." Kirishima took a tissue from the box as it passed by.

"No, just some dust got in my eye, Kacchan. I'm fine."

"That's what I was going to say," said Sero from the other sofa. "We need to clean more here. There's too much dust flying around."

"Well, Kaylee?" prompted Uraraka. "Wasn't it the best movie ever?"

Kaylee stretched out her legs, rubbing her calves as she thought. "That old woman had that necklace all along."

"What?" Nearly all the girls were gaping at her.

"That poor boat guy said he spent the past three years looking for that necklace and she had it the whole time. She just threw it in the water. Not to mention that piece of wood she was on was the size of this sofa. Couldn't she have moved over?"

"THANK YOU!" Kaminari cried, startling Jiro who had fallen asleep on his shoulder. "Finally, someone gets it!" He gave Kaylee a thumbs up, beaming.

"It was waterlogged!" protested Uraraka. "It wouldn't have held Jack."

"There are-" Kaylee began counting-"five people on this sofa." She continued as though she hadn't heard Uraraka. "And a bunny! Hey, Momiji," she cooed softly as Koda's bunny hopped beside her. "Besides," she continued as she gently petted Momiji who was now in her lap. "It takes under a minute for a human adult to drown. Hypothermia takes about 60 to 90 minutes."

Bakugou couldn't contain his laughter as everyone stared at her in shock.

"It's romantic!" cried Hagakure.

"It's homicide," Kaylee retorted. She flushed as she noticed all eyes were on her. "Sorry. I just don't think it's going to be my favorite movie."

"There wasn't enough boobs in it," Mineta said, as though anyone cared what he thought.

"I think our Kaylee here is going to go for more action type films," said Sero, getting up and starting to clear the table of trash. "You like explosions, right?"

"Of course she does, dumb ass!" Kirishima began helping him. "Who is she with most of the day? Ouch!"

Bakugou smacked the back of Kirishima's head as he rose from the sofa. He held a hand out for Kaylee.

"It's ok, Kaylee," Asui said. "We'll find you a good movie next time."

"Everyone, it's past time we all finish packing and get to bed!" Iida came downstairs, and began herding the group. "We have a busy day tomorrow." The room groaned collectively as they began heading for bed, calling out goodnights as they went.

"You go on," Kaylee told Bakugou. "I'll finish cleaning up, there's not much left."

"Not a chance in hell," Bakugou grabbed the last of the snacks and placed them in the trash. "You're exhausted and need to get to sleep."

"Actually, I think I just had the best sleep ever during the movie." Kaylee told him as she started putting the few dishes in the sink and began washing. "Do you think they noticed? I hope I didn't make them angry."

"Tch. Who the fuck cares what they think." Bakugou began wiping down the table. "Are you not sleeping well in your room? What's wrong?"

"There's security lights outside that shine right in my window. I can't reach them, they're too high up, plus they look like they're built in, so I don't even know if I could do anything if I could reach them. And I'm not ever sleeping with the curtain's closed again, it reminds me…" her voice trailed off. "Well, anyway, it keeps me up most nights." She put the last dish up. "We're done!"

Bakugou waited for her at the stairs. "You gonna be ok while we're all gone?" He didn't like the thought of her being alone, but he knew she wasn't allowed to leave the campus.

"Yep!" She took the hand he'd held for her as they walked up the stairs. "Mr. Aizawa is taking me and Eri to the USJ. He's going to let us play on the beach there." She smiled, and in the darkness of the stairway, Bakugou clearly saw the slight warm glow of her skin, her sunburned cheeks now a warm rose, the freckles now appearing dark against her skin. It was so slight that Bakugou thought back to all the times he'd noticed that Kaylee had appeared to be illuminated by some sort of light. How long had she been doing that? Was it her other quirk? Did the drugs finally wear off? Fuck, did she even notice?

They made it to the top of the landing, and before Bakugou could even think to ask, Kaylee did something that drove all thought from his mind. She wrapped her arms around his neck, whispered, "Thank you for today," right in his ear. Then she kissed his cheek, so quickly that he thought he could have dreamt it, and closed the door to her room. He wasn't too sure how long he stood there, his hand pressed to the spot she kissed as though he was trying to preserve the feeling of her soft lips.