"You all did an excellent job today. I'm thoroughly pleased. Now everyone, turn in your prosthetic infants to that black bin over there." Explained Midnight as she pointed over to the corner, near the entrance. As instructed, Akane felt around the carrier strapped to her torso until she found the latch and unhooked it, allowing the plastic child to drop in her arms.

She turned it over to give it one last look and cringed. U.A. definitely paid good money to make these fake dolls look and act like real babies. Its eyes were still bloodshot red from excessive crying and its nose still had bits of dried "mucus". Needless to say, the monthly exam was NOT what anyone would've expected, not at all. They were right about splitting the class up to fight, but it wasn't so they could fight each other. They had to partner up with a teammate against several robot enemies, all while holding babies! They had to treat them as if they were the real deal, and thanks to the crying, the constant diaper changes, the feedings and burping - it may as well have been an actual baby. The point of this was to show that they could provide care to pedestrians while still being able to subdue a villain. If they could manage to safely handle a baby, then they could do it for anyone.

So far, this was the most unusual and challenging experience for Akane. Whenever she tried to transform, the harness would snap off, which almost dropped the kid twice! It was crazy trying to do it all at the same time, and having to do it over and over and over again! God, it was annoying!

There were no words to describe how exhausted they all were physically. For some, it was also emotional, like Emiri. She didn't want to give her child up. Oddly enough, she developed some kind of attachment to it. She even put glasses on it and gave it a name. In the end, it wasn't real, and like the others in her class, Akane was more than ready to give hers back. Her responsibilities were now over, for the moment. She unstrapped the carrier before she marched right over to the bins. As she lined up with the rest of her classmates, she caught her teacher's gaze.

"You need to be more mindful of using your quirk around children, Hattori. Even the smallest amount of strength can make the biggest impact."

She slumped her shoulders as she stepped up to the boxes and dropped the items in. She trailed behind the other students making their way back to the main campus, trying not to let those words of criticism get to her too badly. She knew that Midnight was only looking in her best interests, but the talk still stuck to her like a leech. She kept the child alive, which was the main objective for today's lesson, but maybe she was right. She could've handled it better, more tenderly, like a mother. Unfortunately, that was an act she wasn't too familiar with. It's just, something about seeing that baby doll didn't feel right. It was almost like it gave her a feeling of emptiness...

Akane followed the other girls through the double doors, then down the hall until she found her locker number. She pushed the latch to open it, but suddenly stopped when she saw something fall out onto the floor. She bent down and picked up what appeared to be a letter sealed in a bright red envelope with her name on the front. She didn't recognize the sloppy handwriting, but she understood what it was. Typical that she would get a love letter, since it was Valentine's Day. As she went to put it to the side, she noticed the series of unopened letters and the chocolate bars stacked right on top of her uniform. Were these all from different people? Why couldn't they just work up the courage to give it to her in person?

Curiously, she turned the envelope over to see if she could spot a name anywhere, but found nothing, which meant she'd have to read it. A part of her thought about it, but since there were so many, it was probably better to do it later, in the comfort of her room. Plus, with so many classmates around, they'd definitely end up bugging her about it. She didn't like drawing any attention to herself, if she could help it. Besides, she had to head back to the dorms soon. She still had to shower and change before heading out tonight, and she really didn't want to go out super late. They still had to honor the curfew for those who stayed in on the weekends, and she knew well enough that it was dangerous for a girl to stay out when it got dark. Not that she couldn't handle herself on her own, she just didn't want to deal with any bullshit.

She managed to collect everything in her arms and made her way to the nearest bathroom. There, she peeled off her leather costume and put it back in her brief case before slipping on her uniform. After grabbing the handle to her briefcase, she tucked the letters and candy under her arm and walked towards the back that led to the shortcut back to the dorms. She pushed the metal doors of the main building to the outside and took a soothing breath of fresh air. At least it wasn't as cold as it was yesterday. Spring was coming, she could feel it.

With each step she took, she thought more and more about who the letters were from. She secretly dreaded the thought of it being one of her classmates. If so, it might end up making things very awkward the next time they meet. Even though this wasn't the first time she got a confession note, she hadn't really made an effort for things like dating or love, like the other girls. After dealing with all that shit with Ren, she didn't think she'd ever want to fall in love again, well, that was until she started spending time with Bakugo... but he didn't want a girlfriend. Even thinking about it now, she could still feel the lingering tension in her bruised heart.

As she went, her curiosity managed to get the best of her. She figured she could at least see if they were anyone she knew, and it would be rude to just throw it away without at least reading what they had to say. And you never know who could be watching. Finally, she made up her mind and was enticed to open the red letter. She unveiled the poorly folded piece of notebook paper tucked inside and started to read.

My sweet Hattori...

She could already feel the words starting to make her cringe.

I know we've never met in person, but when I first saw your face as you walked by me down the hallway, you've constantly been on my mind...

Her eyes continued to pass each word until she couldn't take it anymore and decided to crumple it up. He may seem like this poetic, eloquent prince, but once she read between the lines, it turned out this guy was only after her looks. It wasn't the first one and it definitely wouldn't be the last. The letters she had gotten before, they'd start off by saying something flattering, like that she had nice hair or a beautiful face. The creepy ones would compliment the obscure parts of her body and, or brag about how they would constantly follow her around even when she wasn't looking. A few guys managed to get to a stalker level and that's when she'd have to scare them off with her quirk. As much as she hated to think about it, her red strength did make her quite intimidating, and thankfully, those guys found it off-putting. She managed to stomach through the rest until she made it down to the bottom of the page, and there, she found his name.

She immediately felt her body sigh in relief. It wasn't a name that she knew. Whoever this guy was, they weren't in the same class. Maybe she should be grateful for that... Deep down, she knew she would end up denying all these confessions. It's better to rip the band aid off now than let it drag on. If only she could get a genuine letter, from someone who actually knew something about her and not just her looks. That was wishful thinking.

Just as she passed the corner edge of the building, she nearly clashed with another person. She caught herself just in time, but she could feel the heat radiating off his chest. The adrenaline and embarrassment started to wash over her, for they were still terribly close, as she shifted her gaze up. Once again, those heterochromic eyes were looking down on her.

"Geeze! You really need to stop sneakin' up on me." she exclaimed, holding a hand over her rapidly beating heart. Why did he always have to show up at the worst of times? He breathed a small chuckle as he took a step back to give them some room.

"I wasn't trying to. I'm more of an offensive fighter."

Her brow dropped in confusion. Seemed a little unnecessary to say that. "No, I didn't really mean- It's an expression."

"I see..." His complexion still came off as if he didn't fully understand, but she figured it was best not to care about it. "I was actually on my way to look for you."

That's a first. Her ears perked with perplexity. "Oh, really? Something wrong?"

"No, I just wanted to ask you something." His eyes were then captured by the brightly colored notes in her arms. His body tensed as he pointed to them. "It looks like you've gotten a lot of Valentines."

"Huh? Oh, yea..."

He watched as her bright green eyes looked wistfully away. His anxiety grew bigger, wondering if he might've said something wrong. He never was so good with chit-chat.

"Is everything okay?"

She turned back to him. "Yea, why?"

"You don't look happy."

"It's that obvious, huh..."

"Did you not get one from someone you wanted to?" As much as he hated to say it out loud, he couldn't help but ask.

"No, that's not it. I'm just not as into the holiday as everyone else. I've got all this stuff, but it feels so pointless..." she reached into her stack to pull out the largest candy bar. Without thinking, she offered it to him. "Here, have one."

"But don't you want it?"

"I don't like chocolate, at least, not by itself. I'll only really eat it if it's mixed in something, like cakes or a protein shake or somethin'. Besides, I've got a lot of them. I can spare one for a friend."

Friend... what a discouraging word. He stood there for a moment before he hesitantly took it from her hand.

"Did you get many valentines? Any from anyone special?" She asked, pondering if Momo finally worked up the courage to tell him her feelings. Now would've been the right time to do it.

"I got some, but I'm not sure about answering them."

"Were they from anyone you know?"

"Not really."

"Oh..."

Hmm... maybe she didn't tell him yet. It's possible that she could be planning to do it later on tonight, or maybe not at all. Who knows? It's got to be a stressful situation for her, to say the least, so she decided to drop the subject. It wouldn't be good if he found out about Momo's secret without her knowing. Besides, she promised she wouldn't. If she were to do the same for Bakugo, it would be nerve-racking. Either way, Akane knew it wasn't up to her, it all fell on Yaoyorozu.

"Well, do you want the rest of the chocolate? I don't really want it." she asked, holding the remaining bars out for him to take. He hesitated again. She didn't have a lot, but the size of the chocolate bars were overwhelming. No way was he going to be able to eat all that among the other treats he already received today. He quickly shook his head.

"No, thanks."

She shrugged her shoulders and tucked them away. "Okay, I'll see if Ochako wants it then. And hey, maybe you'll get the right love note later on. The day's not over yet. Maybe the person that's right for you just needs more time to figure out how to approach you."

"Maybe..." He knew she was trying to be sincere, but it only made him feel worse. She definitely didn't seem to want anything to do with Valentine's day, or love... or anyone.

"Well, I need to be heading back." Right when she took a step forward, she instantly remembered. "Oh! Didn't you say you had something to ask me?"

"Uh-y-yea." he curled his fingers into a fist to contain his nervousness. "My classmates are having a midnight show for the entire dorm tonight. I think they decided to watch a scary movie. If you didn't have any plans, then maybe you'd like to go... with me." His voice trailed off at the end, almost in a whisper.

"Aww, sorry, Todoroki. I'm only going back to the dorms to change and then I'm heading out."

"Are you going home for the weekend?" he asked, but she shook her head.

"No, I'm just going out for a bit. I'll be back before curfew though, so maybe if it hasn't started yet, maybe I'll get back in time to watch it."

"Are you going out alone?"

"Well, I'm going to meet someone."

The fingers in his fist dug deeper into his skin. "Oh... Are you going on a date with someone?"

"?!"

What's going on? Why was everyone suddenly so interested in her love life? Another reason why she hated this damned holiday. If people were going to be this personal, it should be annulled and never allowed to exist.

"No. It's not like that."

"I see." He eased up the pressure in his body once he heard that.

There was a small pause of awkward silence as neither one of them could come up with something else to say. It didn't take long for Akane to move on from it. She already had a time limit and had wasted more than enough of it talking to him. At the very least, she appreciated the invitation.

"I should get going before it gets too late. I'll see you around, Todoroki. Hope you have a happy Valentine's day."

"You too..."

He watched as she gave him one last smile before moving past him. Once more, he was alone. He stared at the enormous chocolate bar in his hand and noticed the small yellow sticky note attached to it. It said - I like you. Will you go out with me? Check yes or YES! He couldn't recognize the name at the bottom, but this guy definitely didn't want to take no for an answer. If he was in her shoes, he would've given the chocolate away too. This guy sounded like a creep.

Still, it was too bad he didn't get a genuine valentine from her instead of this...

With his free hand, he felt the side pocket of his uniform and pulled out the long, rectangular, golden box. Her name was written elegantly on the front with the candies still nestled inside, still wrapped and untouched. He bought these from a famous chocolatier. They were said to be the most expensive and tastiest chocolates money could buy on this side of Japan. Of course, he used his dad's credit card to buy them. Every once in a while, he'd splurge on something ridiculous just to piss off his dad with his next bank statement. He figured since everyone was giving out the similar items to those they liked, then he should do the same. Unfortunately, he didn't expect her to hate chocolate.

The longer he stared at it, the more he grew weary. When he could no longer keep it contained, he let out a quiet sigh in frustration and slumped his back against the concrete wall. At least there was still the movie, that is, if she decided to show up.

"This is insane! I can't believe I didn't get a single valentine!" Sparkplug whined as he threw himself across the couch in defeat.

"Did you get any responses from the ones you sent?" Kirishima asked.

"Yea..."

"And?"

"No!" he muffled into the couch cushion.

"You idiot, why the hell would you give away a hundred damn love letters?..." Bakugo muttered sarcastically. Not that he gave a shit, but that was pretty damn stupid of him. Girls talk, and to ask them all out at once, it was bound to end badly. It just made him come off as more of a lowlife than he usually is.

"I thought it would get me more dates."

"You didn't think this through, moron."

"I didn't expect they'd all say no! I didn't even get ONE!"

At this point, Bakugo heard enough of his shit and decided to let it be. He dug his own grave, let him sit in it, for once. As his usual way of tuning out, Katsuki relaxed himself against the couch and scrolled through his social media. Every once in a while, he stopped to listen in on their conversation to see if it was anything worth talking about, but nothing peaked his interest. It wasn't until he heard her voice that his gaze at last drifted away from his phone. His eyes followed the direction of the sound to the foyer where she had just walked in. Her wavy hair looked ruffled and messy today, more likely from the test, yet for some reason, she looked good like that. He didn't know why he was thinking about it, but it suited her.

On cue, a few of the girls hanging out in the lounge started to flock around her. They'd been awfully annoying today, going on and on nonstop with their dumb fucking questions, seeing who got who candy or how many love letters they got. It was so stupid and pointless, but knowing these girls, anything having to do with love or crushes, they wouldn't leave it alone until they got some answers. It didn't help that today was that damn holiday! He should've expected this, but he didn't think that it would be this aggravating. Bakugo couldn't understand the whole concept of giving out candy and flowers, or writing down one's feelings on a piece of paper. If they couldn't bring themselves to say it to their face, could they even call it love? Real love has to take a certain amount of bravery, otherwise, what's the point? Is it even worth the words? If you can't say it, probably not.

Right away, Pinky pointed out the envelopes in her hands and his stomach flipped. He couldn't count the exact amount she had, but the stack was fat, which meant there was a lot. He assumed she'd get one or two, but she really got that many? Immediately, he forced himself to ignore it and go back to his funny videos, but after thumbing to the third video, it got boring quick. What was the big deal? He shouldn't care about that kind of crap. It's not like he gave a damn about that stuff before. Who cares if a bunch of assholes want to date her? It shouldn't have come as such a surprise, since she was pretty attractive and strong, but still...

It didn't take long before he stole another glance at her from the corner of his eye. He didn't get it. Just how many guys wrote to her? What the hell did those idiots think they could offer her? Giving in to his curiosities, he focused his ears to listen in. Sadly, their voices were too faint to make out. Then the idea came to him. He turned his body sideways before he scooted himself back to the other end of the couch. No, he wasn't moving so he could eavesdrop, he was simply trying to make himself more comfortable. At least, that was the excuse he planned in his head if by some chance someone caught on to him. Luckily, people weren't that observant.

"You mean- you didn't read any of them?" He could hear the confusion in Pinky's tone.

"I read a couple."

"And?"

"Are you gonna answer one?" Jiro butted in. Bakugo held his breath.

"Well, I- uhhh..." she started, but it was getting very embarrassing. "I don't even know the person who gave it to me. I don't think I can accept it if we never met..."

He exhaled as he allowed himself to settle deeper into the couch. Too bad those wimps didn't have the balls to tell her face to face. People like that were all the same, pathetic. They didn't deserve her.

"But you could GET to know them if you tried." Mina suggested with a hearty smile.

Dammit! Why couldn't they just give it up already? She just said she wasn't interested.

"I don't know... I guess I'll think about it." Akane needed to end this conversation before it kept on going. This had taken up way too much time and she hadn't even changed yet. "Look, let me get outa this uniform. It's been a long day."

"Sure. By the way, we're having a scary movie night, if you wanna come?" Hagakure suggested, waving her invisible arm in the air. Though she was invisible, she always had such an energetic personality.

"That sounds nice. Maybe if I have time."

Before they could intrude any further, she nudged her way past the group and disappeared through the doorway that led to the elevators. That's right, he forgot she had plans tonight. She seemed pretty eager to leave. Sometimes those idiots were too blind to see when they were making other people uncomfortable. Whatever she was feeling, he knew it all too well. Now he understood why she wasn't sociable before. Sometimes people want to be left alone, and that's okay.

Bakugo adjusted his focus back to his phone, trying to take his mind away from her reading those letters. She said it herself, that she wouldn't answer if she didn't know who they were, but the possibility still weighed on his conscience. What if one of them was some psycho or turned out to be a huge jerk?

Wait! What was he getting so worked up about? It's not like they were dating... She could be with whoever she wanted. The more he tried to push the thoughts away, the more they continued to fester.

A few minutes went by and soon enough, he absorbed his mind back to the funny videos in his feed. That was, until she stepped back into the lounge. It was impossible to miss that bright red hair, and as soon as he saw it, his body froze. She adjusted the hoodie from her black denim jacket before she tossed her hair back. She wore a black lace crop top and her high-waist jeans hugged tightly around the curves of her hips. Though the jacket covered most of her, torso, he could still see her exposed stomach. He could feel the temperature rising in the room, especially in his hands.

Shit! He quickly wiped the sweat on his pants before it could go off. Why did it have to happen now?

When he went to look at her again, she had already left. Geez... What the hell was she getting so dressed up for? Going out like that... in that stupid, ugly shirt. She touched up her makeup too, making her eyes look all dark and shadowy. What for? Did she normally go out like that or was it for someone else? Immediately, he remembered their conversation the other day. She said that she planned on meeting someone, but didn't say who. Could be a friend from her class, a relative, or maybe a boyfriend... but she said she wasn't dating anyone. Even if she could tell he was lying, he didn't know her well enough to do the same. That was so frustrating.

All this emotional shit was starting to leave a sour taste in his mouth. He needed a drink. Quickly, he turned his legs off the couch and stood up to go into the kitchen. Opening the fridge, his eyes skimmed across the various snacks and food items until they landed on a bright red can, his favorite energy drink. He snatched it before he rejoined the group and took his spot back on the couch.

"Bakugo, what'dya think about switching out from an hour of studying to an hour of chillin'?" Kirishima proposed, but Bakugo didn't really care. It's not like he wanted to do this study session anyways. They should be grateful he even agreed to help.

"Do whatever you extras want, but I'm not gonna be responsible for your failure if you can't keep up with me..."

"Hey, guys?!" The lounge fell silent as all heads turned to Uraraka as she bolted through the doorway. "Has anyone seen Hattori?"

"Yea, she left a while ago." Mineta explained.

"Why? What's up?" Kirishima butted in. Even Bakugo was puzzled. She wouldn't have gotten everyone's attention for nothing.

She held up the small cellphone with a purple case. "She forgot her phone. I was hoping to catch her before she left, but..."

That idiot! She had made some dumb decisions before, but this didn't seem like her at all. He thought she was more careful than this. Ah, well... We've all been there before, forgetting things last minute while in a rush, so he couldn't completely hold it against her. Still, now wasn't the time to be going out all alone without a way to call for help. The crime rate was going up and the number of heroes on patrol were depleting. If she were to come across someone dangerous, she wouldn't have any way to contact anyone.

"She couldn't have gone too far. I'll take it."

"?!"

His head snapped to that Icyhot bastard as he approached her. He held out his hand to take the phone away and Katsuki felt his blood boil. He surged off the couch and angrily went to snatch the device out of Uraraka's hand. The sudden gesture caught everyone off guard and right away, he could sense their eyes watching him. What was going on with him? His stomach churned as he kicked himself for giving in so easily. He needed to come up with an excuse. Quick!

"I'm faster than you, Icyhot. Besides, I gotta go out and pick up some shit."

"You shouldn't go out alone either." Ida butted in. "There's no reason you can't both go. Just make sure you two take your phones and be back by curfew."

"Tch. Don't tell me what to do, Four-Eyes."

As he turned away, he met Todoroki's eyes and narrowed them. It didn't matter what the class president said, he wasn't going to take this bastard with him. There was no time to go back to his room, so he stepped back to his group and grabbed Kirishima's black hoodie off the coffee table.

"Hey, Dumb-hair, I'm taking this."

"But what about our study-bro time?" he asked with those same sad puppy-dog eyes. Shit, he might not make it back in time. As much as he discreetly felt bad for disappointing his friend, this needed to be taken care of.

"Move it to tomorrow. I gotta beat this idiot's ass into submission."

"A-alright..." That wasn't what he wanted to hear.

"And I need to get more drinks and stuff for my room. Might as well catch two birds with one stone."

"Hey, since you're going out, get me this." Before he knew it, Denki's phone was shoved in his face, revealing a screenshot of an unusually-colored, fuzzy... snake? With googly eyes?

"The fuck is that?"

"A worm on a string." he smiled, like the five-year-old kid he still is, at least mentally. Bakugo cringed in disgust.

"The fuck's wrong with you?" He's not going to get that thing.

Without another word, he pulled down the hoodie, slipped on his sneakers, and went out the back entrance, leaving the two of them behind. Now that the plans had changed, they weren't entirely sure of what to do. Looks like they're coming to movie night, after all.

"Ya wanna just move it to tomorrow?" Denki requested, which only made Kiri slouch in discontent.

"I guess..." This sucked. He had been looking forward to spending some bro time with his best friend for a while now. The last time they hung out, it had been over a month ago. They had been so busy with their internships since then. Now they hardly ever did anything outside school or social media.

"Hey, who's drink is this?"

He shifted his gaze back to Kaminari holding up the unopened, red can. "That's Bakugo's."

"Well, he didn't drink it, so I'm taking it. I dunno why he said we needed more. There were like fifty of these in the fridge this morning."

Kirishima bit his lip anxiously as he watched him pop the top and take a nice, long swig. His eyes followed the place where his friend last stood and felt a sudden spasm inside his torso. Why did Bakugo lie?

Katsuki tread down the sidewalk until he made it past the campus gate. With his hands stuffed in his pants pocket, he grazed his fingers across her phone to make sure he still had it. It was still there, and thankfully so was his. Now all that was left to do was figure out which direction she went.

Out of nowhere, he started to hear a familiar sound, almost like broken glass, and it was growing louder. He knew exactly what that noise was. Damn it, not this asshole again! His neck snapped back to see the newly formed path of ice on the ground behind him with Todoroki sliding across the top on his make-shift board. Once he made it all the way down, he leaped off the ice onto the concrete and turned to face Bakugo.

"What're you doin' here, Icyhot?" he snarled through his gritted teeth.

"I'm going to help find Hattori."

"Like hell, you are! I said I got it!"

"Do you even know where she's going?" he questioned.

"Tch... Like you would know either, ya Bastard..."

They both peered to their left, then to the right, trying to adjust their eyes to spot her bright red hair and denim jacket, but found no trace. As much as he hated to admit it, Icyhot was right. Where the fuck did she go? The longer they stood there, the more time they wasted with her moving further and further away. They needed to do something.

When his eyes scanned the sidewalk once more, they instantly landed on the kitty cafe across the street. It was the main location for students to get a fresh coffee or tea, and if they wanted to release some stress, they could love on one of their cute cats. To drum up some advertising, they'd often send one of their employees outside dressed in that bright orange cat costume to hand out flyers. Just their luck, he was already out there today. Katsuki nudged him on the shoulder.

"Maybe this guy saw where she went."

He gave a nod and together, they walked over to the mascot. On cue, he offered them one of his flyers.

"Hey, guys. We're having our two-for-one special until the end of this month, if you're interested."

Bakugo crumpled up the paper and shoved it in his hoodie. "We're not here for that. A girl just walked out of U.A., black jacket, long red hair, dark jeans..."

"Oh yea! She's cute." he nodded the giant cat head. Bakugo clenched his jaw to suppress saying something he'd regret. The important thing was finding that dumbass.

"Do you know which way she went?" Todoroki requested.

"Uhhh... I think I saw her go that way, towards the train station." he pointed.

"Thanks."

Without another word, Bakugo turned on his heels and took off the direction he said. Todoroki jogged to catch up to him and together they continued on. They darted their eyes across the various faces of pedestrians, but were not successful. Shoto stopped a couple of times to ask some people if they saw her pass by and still, they had no leads. Bakugo wasn't willing to wait for him and kept on moving. It wasn't until they reached the train station that they finally stopped. This was it. If she wasn't here, they might as well pack up and head back to campus. Deep down, they both hoped that the person she was going to meet was a good friend or family, someone that wouldn't do anything bad to her. Still, it was pretty stupid for her to go without her phone. Katsuki would have to scold her hard for that later.

"Bakugo, look! Over there."

He followed the tip of his finger into the crowd of people huddling around the station and that's when he caught a small glimpse of her bright red hair. She stood offside the sea of people with her hands in her jacket pockets, waiting for the train to come. Without hesitation, Bakugo nudged his way through. Shoto did his best to stay close. It wouldn't be good if they all ended up getting separated. Just when he made it halfway, they heard the loud screeching of the brakes. The train had arrived.

Akane took a quick glance at her surroundings before she pulled the hood over her head and stepped onto the platform. She still hadn't noticed they were there. Shit. They needed to get on that train.

Bakugo turned back to give his classmate one final look. Thinking the same thing, he nodded, and together they shoved their way to the front and crammed themselves in the cart like a pack of sardines. There was a lot of pushing and unwanted touching as the remaining passengers got on board. After several minutes, everything settled down and they were able to find a decent spot with a bit of room to breathe. The doors closed shut and he could feel the conductor release the clutch, allowing the train to jerk forward until it smoothed into a controlled ride.

This was getting annoying. Katsuki didn't expect to go this far just to return a damn phone. He didn't know where she was going or why she needed to take the train, but how could she have gone all this way without checking her phone? Did she even realize she left it behind and just decided to keep going? In the end, he knew he was going to get some answers for this. He gripped onto the handle dangling above his head as he searched around the cart for her. The several bystanders didn't help with the situation at all, which made him even more contempt.

"Do you know where she's going? I heard her say she was planning to meet someone." Shoto asked him.

"Yea, but she didn't say who..."

"At this point, should we even try giving it back to her?"

"We're already on a moving train, Dumbass. Wha'd you think?"

"Still, it seems strange for her to come this far without it."

Bakugo hummed and thought it over. The train continued to ride for about thirty minutes until it came to its first stop. When the brakes stopped screeching, it released the massive gust of air and the wheels firmly locked into place. Once that was done, the doors slid open and the passengers scrambled outside. Hanamaki providence... That's where they were. The tall businessman standing in front of them picked up his suitcase and walked off the platform and that's when they finally saw her, just about to pass through the doors.

Quickly, they scrambled to get off the train just before the doors closed. No way were they going to be stuck like that for another half hour! It was bad enough having Icyhot around, but feeling the body heat of so many germ-infested people was too much for him to handle. He hated feeling confined in one area. It was suffocating. Looking around, they tried to spot her in the crowd.

"Over there!" Shoto exclaimed. He nudged Katsuki's shoulder towards the exit and there she was. They followed her up the stairs, out the station until they made it back onto the city streets.

The sun had disappeared over the skyscrapers and night was starting to close in on them. It would be only a matter of time before it was pitch black and everyone knew that once it got dark, that's when the crazy people showed up. The longer he stared at her, the more twisted knots he felt in his gut.

"I bet we can catch her if we use our quirks. We're licensed now, so we should be able to use them out in public." he explained. Bakugo halted in his tracks and held a hand out for him to do the same.

"No, I wanna see where this idiot's going first."

"But we're just here to give her phone back."

"I didn't stand on a train and come all this way for nothing. I wanna find out what she's doing."

After that, he continued to walk off. With no other rebuttal to counter his argument, he gave into his friend and followed him. They kept a fair distance away, but were still able to see the back of her head. As long as they could see her, she was safe. Not that she couldn't handle herself with that powerful quirk. They just wanted to be extra cautious. Who the hell was she trying to meet all the way out here?

A few blocks down, she stopped at a corner where a rugged old man stood with a small basket. At first glance, the guy looked homeless. The many stains on his worn shirt and the wrinkles in his pants were a dead giveaway. The expression on his face showed that he had to be at least over fifty years old and the toothy grin meant he didn't have good hygiene. The small basket he had on him contained an array of small flowers and weeds. He more likely hand-picked them out of somebody's garden, trying to sell them just to get by. For some reason, Akane was drawn to it. She pulled out her wallet and offered him a couple of bills in exchange for a few flowers. It was kind of nice to see that she was helping the man out, yet somehow, Bakugo started overthinking it. She wasn't buying flowers for the person she was going to meet, right? No, she was doing it to aid a poor old man who's seen better days.

He clasped his hands and bowed to thank her, which she returned the gesture and continued on. Three steps... She took three steps and the old man turned right behind her. His arm reached around to the back of his pants and they saw the metallic gleam. Katsuki held his breath as the fire burned right into the palms of his hands.

BAM!

The ground shook as the old man was shoved face-down into the asphalt. The entire back of his shirt was singed and his skin was blistered and bloody. The knife clanged across the pavement away as Bakugo dug his knee harder into his lower back.

"Don't you fucking touch her!"

He spat the back of his head, trying his best not to give in and kill this sick motherfucker.

"You bastard! What kind of sick fuck pulls a knife on a chick that's trying to help you?!"

The rush of anger caused more explosions to detonate between Bakugo's hand and his already damaged skin. He yelped from the pain, but Bakugo didn't care. This attack was too weak for someone like him. He might as well finish him off now, that way he'd never do it again, ever. The very idea sounded too good.

"I should just finish you off now!" Bakugo raised his right arm, concentrating all the sweat he had to one hot detonation.

"No, please!"

"Bakugo, don't!" Todoroki cried as he immediately held out his hand. He didn't want to have to use his ice on his own friend, but...

"!"

Out of nowhere, his hand was caught. His eyes drifted upwards to see her standing over him, her muscular red hand completely wrapped around his, absorbing the explosion. The smoke seeped through the cracks of their fingers and he noticed the concerned shimmer in her eyes. The realization hit him at last of what he almost did, and Katsuki forced himself to relax. He slipped his hand away from her and turned back to the homeless man still trembling in fear on the ground. Now that he got the knife out of his grip, he was no longer considered a threat, but Katsuki couldn't just let him go without some form of punishment. What he did was unforgivable! And to think, if they hadn't followed her or showed up when they did, she could've...

He bit down hard to contain his rage and balled his hands into a fist.

Whack!