Summary: UA takes pride in their ability to push their students to become the best heroes they can be. When it's clear one of their most hot headed students has hit a wall in his development, the answer to his continued growth is found in a new student from a rival school. Bakugo refuses to accept her as his equal despite the irritating woman somehow keeping up with him every step on their journey to become pros. It's only a matter of time before his flaming attitude gives way to her quirks fire that burns even hotter. Whoever thought putting two fire users together would be a good idea must have had a few screws loose...

{Bakugo X OC}

Sneak Peak:

"Was that the hottest you've got? Pathetic." he scoffed as he dusted his gym uniform. "You didn't even melt the uniform."

I raised an eyebrow in his direction, he knew perfectly well that was nowhere near the hottest I had. "Why would I want to do that if I can't even enjoy the view?"

"SHUT UP YOU DAMN FREAK!"

I laughed as I made my way toward Midoriya's heat signature who remained frozen in place after what they'd just seen. "He's blushing isn't he?" I asked with a grin when I reached his side.

A/N: Hi everyone! After a long hiatus I'm back with a vengeance. Please enjoy my newest MHA fic :) Rated M for language and gore/blood/death. I can also be found on AO3 under the same username. Disclaimer: I do NOT own My Hero Academia or their characters. Aki is my original character created for this story and she holds a special place in my heart because of her disability that she shares with someone in my own family. Please be warned; some content may be triggering as there is name calling and jokes revolving around her disability. My goal is not to offend any one but to bring readers deeper into her life and character. The fic starts up where our three favorite U.A. students start their work study with Endeavor. I will try to follow the anime as closely as I can at those scenes but a lot of this fic will be non-cannon. I have not read the manga, so there will be no concerns of spoilers. For my comfort, we're going to pretend all the characters are aged up because I'm not about writing fluff with 14 year old characters XD and let's be honest, what 14 year old have you EVER met that has tits as big as Momo?! Rant over! Feedback always welcome. ENJOY!

***Aki***

I glanced up as the bus slowed to a stop and pulled my bag over my shoulder. People were already getting off but the audio system hadn't yet confirmed what stop is was. Finally hearing it announce my destination, I waited for the people standing in the aisle to move forward before falling into line behind them. Exiting the bus, I looked around and realized finding my work study in the crowd might be more difficult than I anticipated. With no choice but to wander aimlessly, I scanned the crowd in search of the brightest flame. That was probably the biggest benefit of being accepted to work with the new number one hero. His flames burned so hot I shouldn't have too much trouble keeping up with him. Once I was able to find him anyway. Finally I spotted three flames in the sea of people, two that burned blood red and the third more a crimson color. My school mentor said there would be other work studies from U.A. but hadn't mentioned who. I could only hope the group of four I was approaching was who I was looking for.

"What the hell are we waiting for?" a voice reached my ears as I weaved through the crowd.

"You three aren't the only students I accepted this term. There is one more." I recognized Endeavor's voice from the many times he'd been on the television and sighed in relief knowing I'd picked the right group to approach.

"I thought you didn't like taking in work studies." another voice spoke up, sounding detached but curious.

"Usually. But this one I needed to see in action with my own eyes."

"They have to be powerful if Endeavor has taken notice. I wonder what quirk they have. Are they from U.A.? I'm pretty sure I know nearly everyone in the school with power quirks..." a boy began mumbling to himself as I neared them. Skating around a couple walking in my path, I finally was within visibility of the four men.

Focusing on who I believed was Endeavor based on his height, I bowed in greeting. "Hirano, Aki. Thank you for this opportunity."

"Clearly not that thankful considering you're late." one of the boys scoffed but I ignored him.

"Let's go." Endeavor announced and we followed without question. We walked for some time, the boys chatting amongst themselves and me hanging at the back of the group observing our surroundings. I thought I heard the sound of a scream in the distance and the flame hero abruptly changed course. The other three stopped as I tuned into what they were talking about.

"Sorry but I don't plan on looking after anyone but Shoto." Endeavor suddenly started running without warning. "If you want to learn, then watch from the back!"

I didn't hesitate and took off after him, leaving the three boys behind. I'd known learning from the number one hero wouldn't be easy. I'd been warned that he might not be the greatest teacher. That didn't matter to me. As long as I could better myself, it would be worth it in the end. I could hear the other three on my heels now, all of them using their quirks to gain speed. Unfortunately for me, my quirk couldn't boost my speed. I felt disappointment coil in my stomach as two of them shot past me without much effort. Glancing ahead, I could see Endeavor was far ahead of us. How was I possibly going to keep up? I could only run so fast. Just as I starting getting frustrated with myself, someone grabbed my wrist and yanked me forward. My feet nearly slipped from under me as if I were sliding on ice and I wrapped my fingers around the wrist of whoever was dragging me along.

"I'm assuming you're quirk doesn't help with speed." It was the monotone sounding boy. The one that burned the same shade of red as Endeavor.

"You'd be correct in that assumption." I mumbled.

"Widen your stance and bend your knees. It can be difficult to keep your feet when I make turns." he called back to me as he increased his speed, easily catching up to the other two students.

"Thank you." I didn't know why he was helping me but I wasn't going to complain. What I was going to do was figure out how the hell I was going to make it through the next few months without his help.

"He told us to watch from the back." yelled the boy that was dragging me along what I assumed was his ice quirk, which was surprising given his heat signature was red. Meaning he probably had two quirks.

"We can't watch if we don't follow him." I recognized that voice belonging to the mumbler.

With nothing to do but hang on to ice boy for dear life, I focused on my hearing to try and determine what caused Endeavor to blast off so suddenly.

I am the one who will destroy the source of the darkness.

An voice edging on elderly and unhinged. And the screams of innocents surrounding it. "There's a villain up ahead." I announced. I pulled on the boy's wrist so I could slide closer to him and rested my other hand on his shoulder. I felt him tense but ignored it as I tried to look around him. I could see Endeavor's flame not too far and it suddenly darted to the left. I squeezed the boy's shoulder. "Turn! Go left! Endeavor is chasing the villain down an alley, we can cut them off!"

To my surprise, all three boys changed direction without question. I'd expected at least the cocky one to bite back but maybe they were feeling as stressed about keeping up as I was. We curved around into another street as I kept an eye on the chase and let them know we were slightly ahead of them. We suddenly cut right and I nearly lost my balance as the boy somehow deposited me onto the sidewalk and the three of them converged on three people gathered right where Endeavor was about to cross. With so many in the fray, I decided to stand back and let them handle it. I'd never worked with Endeavor or the three U.A. students before, whereas they likely knew exactly how to fight together efficiently. Another person came darting into the chaos and I was about to step in until I heard his familiar voice.

"Oh, work study students?"

"Hawks?!" Mumbler sounded just as surprised as I felt at seeing the number two hero make an appearance.

"Sorry, I was just a little faster. I thought Endeavor was in trouble." he said as he detained the three that were apparently working with the villain that Endeavor was restraining.

"Did it look like I was in trouble?" the number one hero grumbled.

Hawks landed in front of ice boy. "It did, didn't it? Shoto."

"Sure." the boy answered offhandedly.

"I thought I told you to let me know when you were coming." Endeavor said.

"Well, I just happened to be in the area." Hawks replied as the sound of sirens approached.

Endeavor's sidekicks arrived just as the police did, taking over the situation.

"N-nice to meet you. I'm in U.A. High's hero course, Class 1-A. My name is Izuku Midoryia!" Glancing toward the three students, I finally had a name for Mumbler. So he was the boy with the quirk so powerful he would injury himself. I remembered hearing about him during the Sports Festival.

"I know. You're the kid who destroyed his fingers." Clearly Hawks knew of him for the same as I did. "I've heard about you from Tsukuyomi. Man, I wanted to work with him again, too."

"Where's Tokoyami? Isn't he continuing his work study at Hawks Agency?" Midoryia asked.

"He's working back home with my sidekicks. I'm too busy, so I feel bad."

"Earlier, I was faster than you." the grumpy boy piped up, interrupting their conversation.

Hawks didn't sound offended, brushing his statement off. "I wonder about that."

Endeavor passed me as he approached the number two hero. "Well? What do you want, Hawks?"

"I don't want anything, but Endeavor, have you read this book?"

I couldn't see what book he was talking about so hung back to just listen.

"What about it?"

"Well, you know, it's gotten really popular recently. It's from a long time ago, but it has predictions about the present. 'If you give freedom to a limited number of people, then the negative consequences will go to the others.' If you don't have time to read it all, I've highlighted some parts for you. So you can just read those parts."

Something about his voice, and the way he was talking, put me on edge. Why did it sound like Hawks was trying to tell Endeavor more than he was actually saying? Hawks had just told Midoryia that he was too busy to take on a work study student directly, but he had time to go through an entire book and highlight sections for Endeavor to read? That didn't make sense. I was so lost in thought, overanalyzing what he'd said, that I didn't hear the rest of their conversation.

"Please make sure you read it." Hawks said as he handed the book to the flame hero.

"The book the number two hero is pushing! I should read it too. Maybe the secret to his speed is hidden in it!" Midoryia mumbled beside me and I rolled my eyes. Silly boy. His speed was because of his wings, not some silly book.

"I brough these just for someone like you!" Hawks turned to us and began handing out more copies of the book. He must have seen something in my expression because he stopped himself from handing me one. "Except you my dear, you seem more a... hands on learner than a reader." I could hear the smile in his voice. He was more observant than I initially gave him credit for.

I watched the number two hero as he stepped away from us and his wings spread, preparing to take off. "You should look over at least the parts that were highlighted. I recommend the second part. Do your best with the work studies, all five of you!" With that, he flew off. Endeavor resumed leading us to the agency and we fell into step behind him. The boys were talking amongst themselves as I was once more lost in my thoughts. Everything about our conversation with Hawks raised warning bells in my head but I wasn't sure why. And I didn't think it was safe to approach Endeavor about it out in public, where anyone could hear. I strongly felt there was a hidden message Hawks was trying to relay and the book was the key to figuring out what he meant. We finally arrived and I pulled myself from my worries as I heard Midoryia excitedly talking about Endeavor's well known sidekick, Burnin.

Glancing up, I could see her heat signature burned an obnoxious orange color but she didn't seem anywhere near as strong as the four people I'd just spent my evening with.

"It's Bakugo and Shoto's first work study, right? We'll have you all working like us starting today, but as you can see this is a big agency. There are more than 30 sidekicks. In other words, there won't be much chance for you to shine!" Burnin sounded like an intense person, it matched her fire quirk that was for sure. And now I finally knew who the other two U.A. students were. Seeing as Shoto's flame was so similar in color to Endeavors, I should have guessed he was his son.

"Interesting. So we need to beat the pros at their own game?" Bakugo actually seemed pumped about fighting for his place here.

"And Shoto, don't think you'll get special treatment just cause you're Endeavor's son." One of the other sidekicks piped up.

I glanced toward where I could see Endeavor's flame, he'd walked ahead of us the moment we'd entered and Burnin had taken our attention. I needed to talk to him about Hawks, about my concerns. Even if he thought I was overthinking things, I needed to get it off my chest. Glancing toward Shoto beside me, I leaned toward him. "I need to talk to your dad. I have... a bad feeling about that interaction with Hawks." I muttered. I could sense his curiosity but I didn't wait for his response and began toward where the number one hero was. Based on the sounds in the room, I could tell there was a wall or door in front of me, so he was likely in his office. Knocking softly, I pushed the door open when he permitted my entry and closed it behind me.

"Hirano, what is it? I'll be out in a moment to talk to all of you." he sounded distracted and I wondered if he'd already been looking at the book.

"Sir, I don't mean to speak out of place but I think you should read the book Hawks gave you."

There was a long pause before he addressed me again, I could only assume he was probably staring at me, trying to figure me out. "And why do you say that?"

"I... Something about our interaction with him seemed off. Scripted or like he couldn't say what he wanted to say. And he was oddly pushy about the sections he'd highlighted just for you to read, even after just telling us he was too busy to take on a work study student."

"You're more observant than I expected, considering your disability."

I shrugged. "I've learned to live with it and I try not to let it effect my hero work."

He must have nodded or given me some other gesture because silence stretched between us for a moment before he realized he needed to speak to me. "I was actually just going to skim through the book now before giving the rest of you instructions. I, too, did not have a good feeling about our conversation with Hawks. But that isn't for you to worry about, leave it to the pros. Go back to join the others, Burnin will be showing you all around the agency."

I nodded, relieved that I wasn't the only one that felt on edge. Exiting his office, I returned to the three U.A. students just as Burnin announced she'd begin the tour. I tried my best to memorize the building's layout but I knew it'd take me a few days to know where I was going. By the time we returned to the main room, the boys were arguing with the sidekick about Shoto being the only one that would train directly under Endeavor. I'd hoped I would learn from the flame hero directly but beggers couldn't be choosers. It was an opportunity of a lifetime that he accepted this many students at all to begin with. I was pulled from my thoughts when I heard the heavy footfalls of what I'd identified as the flame hero himself.

"Shoto, Deku, Bakugo, Hirano. I'll be looking after you four."

***Aki***

My excitement hadn't dwindled since Endeavor said that. Having relocated to the training room, we stood before the number one hero.

"I will train you four. But before that, Deku, Bakugo and Hirano, tell me about yourselves. Tell me what you need to work on right now and what you can do."

I listened intently as both boys gave their answers, knowing this was my first chance to understand their quirks and abilities. If I was going to be working with them for the next few months, I needed to know their power. Sure I'd heard about their quirks from the sports festival but that'd been nearly two terms ago. They likely grew in strength tremendously since then. Midoryia's quirk was a strong one, enhancing his speed, strength and endurance but it seemed it was too powerful for him to handle to the fullest yet. He was still growing into his abilities. I could understand the frustration of a quirk that caused your own body harm. Based on what he was saying, he'd also recently unlocked another ability to his power that he hadn't figured out yet. I stopped paying attention when he started rambling and it was clear it was something he did often. Finally it was Bakugo's turn.

"I want to know what I can't do. That's what I came here to find out. With my Explosion, I've been able to do everything I wanted."

I listened as he continued on and I realized that although he came off as a cocky bastard, that was just a front. He had a very versatile quirk if he was smart enough to figure out the different ways to apply it, and it sounded like he had so far. But what I was hearing is that he'd hit a wall in his growth, and he didn't know how to overcome it. I was startled from my thoughts when Endeavor called my name and refocused my attention on him.

"My goals are endurance and control. My quirk can get out of control if I overuse it. Because of that, I haven't pushed my limits as often as I want to."

"Does your disability affect you in the field?" the pro asked and I could hear the curiosity in his voice. I had no doubt he'd been surprised I was able to function as much as I could and I'd bet the last chocolate bar in my locker that no one else had noticed I was different yet.

"Disability?" Midoryia asked, his voice coming from my left.

I smiled as I looked toward him. "Yea, I'm blind."

Chaos erupted throughout the room just as I'd expected. It was the same reaction I got from everyone I met. How could someone that couldn't see become a hero?

"How the hell do you expect to be a pro if you're blind?!" Bakugo snapped, Midoryia quickly trying to quiet him down probably thinking the boy had insulted me. He hadn't. His question was valid. People relied on heroes, we held lives in our hands. If I couldn't keep people safe then I was shooting for the wrong career. But there was a reason I was in the Hero Course at Shiketsu High.

"Explain how it works." Endeavor said, silencing the rest of the room.

"My quick is called Phoenix, you could say its a typical fire ability like yours or Shoto's but I've yet to encounter someone who's flames burn hotter than mine." Other than my father, anyway. "My quirk gives me the ability to see heat signatures to determine the degree of heat in an object or person. Despite my lack of sight, I can see these heat signatures."

"And things that do not radiate heat?" he asked.

"Are invisible to me. Anything that runs room temperature or colder."

"How do you know where walls and doors are then?" Burnin piped up. Another valid question.

I shrugged. "Sound. They say when you lose one of your senses, the others are stronger. And my quirk also enhances my hearing. Sound bounces off of solid objects."

"Like echolocation!" Midoryia sounded overly intrigued by this new discovery. He came off as a nerdy type so I shouldn't have been surprised.

"She's a fuckin bat." Bakugo snorted.

Endeavor hummed in thought. "Interesting. I look forward to seeing you in action. Your teacher spoke very highly of you."

"Doubt we'll see much of her if she can't figure out how to keep up without Icy-Hot doin' it for her."

Midoryia scolded his friend once more but Bakugo wasn't wrong. I couldn't rely on Shoto to keep me up to pace with them. "I'll figure something out, I won't be deadweight." I voiced my determination.

"Very well. Then lets-"

"Can I go too?" Shoto spoke up for the first time since his father began speaking. I got the feeling they weren't on good terms, based off their interactions and the vibes I sensed from them both. And as Shoto began telling his father about his goal during our work study, I realized I hit the mark. Something went down within their family, between his mother and father, that caused a rift. And Shoto made it clear that he wasn't here as Endeavor's son, but as an up and coming hero learning from a pro.

"Right, very well. From now on, I will look at you four as heroes."

***Bakugo***

I glared impatiently at every person that passed while I waited for the useless girl in our group to get dressed in her costume. After I finished getting changed, Endeavor took Deku and Icy-Hot, telling me to wait for Batgirl and meet them at the strip mall a few blocks west from the agency. Why did I get stuck waiting for the baggage? Scowling toward the locker rooms, I resisted the urge to leave without her. For all I knew, the idiot was lost in the locker room and couldn't find the damn door.

"If she holds me back or gets in my damn way..."

"I already promised I wouldn't."

I turned to see her standing several feet away with her arms crossed under her breasts, a half hearted glare on her face. The one good thing about this girl's disability? She couldn't see when I let my eyes wander. She was basically asking for attention in her skin tight black jumpsuit with red, orange and white designs along the arms and legs that looked like delicate feathers. A matching feathered eye mask completed her fairly plain costume. It complimented the shape of her body well and although I didn't like her or want her dragging us down, I could certainly appreciate a beautiful woman. Glancing back up at her foggy lavender colored orbs, my glare returned. Was there a teasing twinkle in her eyes or was it just the light? Could blind people even have twinkles in their eyes? "Whatever Batgirl. Hurry up, we've already wasted enough time."

I pushed through the doorway, remembering a moment later that she definitely couldn't see that I hadn't held the door for her and glanced back to see if it'd hit her in the face. I hadn't done it intentionally but I sure as hell wasn't going to save her either. If she wanted to be a hero, there were far more threatening things in her future than a glass door. With a knowing smirk on her face, she shoved her arm forward to catch the door as she followed me outside.

"Seems you can see more than you lead on." I grumbled as I began down the street toward the meetup spot.

She snorted in amusement from behind me. "I can't decide if you pulled that stunt to test the extent of my vision or just to be an ass and watch a door hit a blind person."

"Like I care which you decide it is."

"For the record, majority of my world is darkness. The heat signatures I can see are in the shape of whatever device or creature it is. For example, I could see your arm extend to open the door but didn't stay to keep it open for me."

"I know you didn't just call me a fucking creature when you literally navigate using heat vision and echolocation."

I saw her shrug from my peripheral vision. "It's sometimes difficult to explain what I can see."

"I never asked in the first place." I snapped, picking up my pace. I didn't come here to babysit a wannabe hero.

***Aki***

Endeavor and two of his sidekicks, Kido and Onima, led us through the city on what I assumed was a usual route the hero typically took in his district.

"Rescue, evacuation and fighting. These are the three basic categories of what heroes are asked to do. Normally, heroes focus on either rescue or fighting in their agencies but my policy is to do all three. I know every corner of the city under my jurisdiction and don't let even the smallest abnormality go unnoticed. If there's an incident or accident, then I rush to the scene faster than anyone. In order to keep casualties down, if there are bystanders, I keep them back with fire. The most basic of basics."

This was the most I'd ever heard our number one hero talk and every word out of his mouth was gold to me. It wasn't candy coated, no beating around the bush. It was cold hard facts. No one knew the struggles each hero faced on their climb to the top but I could practically see the years of hard work Endeavor devoted to his work. AllMight was a hero that would go down in history. Filling his shoes was probably far more pressure than anyone could imagine, even for the hero that held the number two spot for as long as he did. AllMight may have been the symbol of peace but it was clear to me now that Endeavor was the symbol of hard work and dedication.

"Parallel processing and swift response. Make that the norm. It's a matter of what you accumulate. At U.A. and Shiketsu, it's hard work. Out here, it's experience. Build up a mountain of that. The things all four of you need to work on can be conquered by experience. This winter, show me that you can capture a villain faster than me just once!"

And with that, he took off. My immediate panic at seeing Bakugo blast off was calmed as Shoto grabbed my wrist and pulled me with him. Although I appreciated his thoughfulness, I needed to figure out how to keep up on my own. In the meantime... "Thank you Shoto, I promise I won't be a burden for long."

"It's not a problem." I heard him say as we sped to catch up to the others but it was clear Endeavor was far faster.

"Hey Batgirl! Make yourself useful and listen in to the reports!" Bakugo yelled over the loud blasts that I guessed were his quirk.

"Ka-chan!"

"It's fine Midoriya, he's right." I called out to the boy, smiling to reassure him. Focusing my hearing as far as possible, I could barely hear the static from the earpiece Endeavor was wearing.

The hit and run suspect has turned the corner and is heading east.

"He's about to go east!" I called out just before I heard them grunt in surprise. As expected, I spotted the heat signature of the flame hero cut to the left without even slowing. By the time we caught up, the criminal was already detained.

"You were a step late." Endeavor called out to us as Shoto released his hold on my arm and I felt the cold of his ice beneath my feet melt away.

"It takes me longer to get warmed up in the winter." Bakugo muttered grudgingly.

"Bakugo, did you notice?" Shoto asked quietly.

I could sense the irritation rolling from the hot headed student. "There's nothing you could realize that I couldn't! Anyway, just spit it out!"

"He used flames to propel himself whenever he sped up." Shoto explained. I had no idea what they were talking about since I hadn't seen it. Sure I could see heat signatures flare brighter when fire was being used but when people like Endeavor completely surrounded their body in flames, he just looked like a big... Blob.

"He's copying my Explosion. You just noticed that now?"

"Yeah, I took the long way."

And then we were off again but this time when Shoto grabbed me, he positioned me in front of him with his hand on my low back to propel me forward. "Shoto, I'm fine behin-" A screech of surprise escaped me as he reached his other hand back and blasted his fire quirk to increase our speed. When we both nearly lost our balance from the sheer power he'd expelled, I glanced back at him. "You need to control how much heat your pushing! Don't just dump it!" We stabilized and hurried to catch up to the rest. I could hear Endeavor instructing Bakugo and when he suddenly dove to the street where I could hear heavy traffic, I saw the hero stop a vehicle moments before it struck two people crossing the street.

"If you don't make it in time, what you'll lose isn't points for a grade. It's a person's life."

"Are you alright?" Midoryia asked as he hurried to the pedestrian's side.

"Shoto, Bakugo, Hirano. The three of you have the same homework."

"Why am I always with this guy?!" Bakugo growled in annoyance and I rolled my eyes at his attitude.

"It's connected to learning Flashfire, right?"

Endeavor used his quirk to go airborne once more. "Store it up and fire. Condense your power. Be able to release your maximum output in an instant and focus your power precisely. First, keep repeating this until you can do one of those things without thinking."

As he lectured us, I stared at the pro curiously. He had a fire based quirk. How was he able to essentially fly by using it? Come to think of is, so did Bakugo and he was able to go airborne using the blasts. Since Shoto had his father's quirk, I was sure he'd also learn to travel in a similar manner. I needed to figure out a way to move faster using my quirk. The nature of my flames were similar to Endeavor's and Shoto's, I'd just never consistently used my quirk in such a way because of my fear of it getting out of control. How ironic that my quirk was named after a legendary bird and yet I didn't have wings.