***Aki***
By the end of the first day, we were exhausted but I was nowhere near as drained as the boys were. Only because I kept hitching rides with Shoto everywhere we went. And after a full day of being dead weight, I refused to allow it to continue into my second day. Everyone else went to the rooms we'd been assigned in the suites the sidekicks used for the day but I stayed with the graveyard crew. They said it was perfectly fine to use the training room and so that's where I spent the entire night. For some reason, I hadn't been able to steer away from the thought of wings. A bird without wings. It felt wrong and it plagued my mind all day. I needed some way to increase my speed. My concerns lay with keeping my flames active for an extended period of time. I never used my quirk for more than a few minutes at a time to avoid overusing it but I had to increase my stamina somehow. So why not kill two birds with one stone? I would give myself wings a bird should be blessed with, in turn increase my endurance by keeping them active at a low level heat, and use my quirk to fly just like Endeavor could.
Unfortunately, it was much easier said than done. I had exceptional control over my flames when it came to lower degrees of heat and I tended to avoid kicking up the intensity unless absolutely necessary. I had to if I wanted to prevent a rebirth. Shaping my flames into a pair of wings that sprouted from my back was the easy part. Maintaining them at a degree of heat so low that it was barely hotter than the average human body wasn't as difficult as I feared either. Using them to fly? Now that was where I struggled. I knew I didn't have the endurance to maintain my flames for long periods of time in such a large shape but the lower the heat intensity, the longer I could hold out. I'd always feared pushing my flames too hard but I realized maintaining the wings wasn't difficult. I just wasn't practiced at keeping them lit. I hadn't even realized I spent the entire night in the training room until I started hearing more voices and commotion around the building. I had no idea what time it was either but I'd never changed out of my costume so I decided to try to catch my breath before the others arrived. By the time we were gathered at the front of the agency waiting for Endeavor to direct us, I'd caught my second wind and was ready to take on the day. I hadn't progressed nearly as much as I'd hoped but I had a plan to practice my endurance through the day.
When Shoto approached me to prepare for departure, I smiled up at him in appreciation. "I want to try something today, if you're ok with it?" He wasn't much for words but I got the feeling he was watching me curiously. "My flames are of the same nature as yours and Endeavors. I can add my controlled flame to yours, we might be able to move faster or at least split the work so you're not burnt out."
"Sure, it would probably help for me to learn a degree of control to that extent."
Day two of our work study went about the same as day one. The four of us struggled to keep up with the pro hero as he did his usual duties. I couldn't figure out how they were using their flames to propel themselves but I didn't feel as much of a burden sharing my power with Shoto. I allowed him to use less of his fire power and more manipulate our combined flashes as I expected keeping up both his ice and fire abilities was likely taxing. He'd flinched away from me when I first started fueling his flames with my own white ones but once he realized my fire was so mild it only warmed his skin, he relaxed. He'd asked me how I was able to control how hot my fire was and I didn't really have an answer for him, it was just part of my quirk. Could all fire users not adjuster their heat intensity? By the time we made it back to the agency, I couldn't feel the heat of the sun anymore so it was likely well after dark. The others disappeared into the lockers to change back into their street clothes and go back to their rooms while I snuck my way back into the training room.
I'd taken Endeavor's advice to heart, I knew what I needed to do to get my wings working. Keeping my flames burning needed to become second nature. I had no issues controlling the degree of heat and after an entire day of sharing flames with Shoto, I was more confident in my ability. Less worried about them getting out of control. That night, I sat in the center of the room and meditated. Keeping my wings activated the entire time. I hadn't meant to barrel right into the next morning and when the familiar sounds of sidekicks returning for the day reached my ears, I groaned. I hadn't gotten a lick of sleep for two days now. But it didn't matter, I couldn't keep relying on Shoto. I had better endurance now, I just needed to figure out how to use my wings to fly. I needed to figure out how Endeavor flew, how Bakugo and Shoto propelled themselves with their flames.
I pushed to my feet as I heard others entering the training room, immediately noticing Bakugo's crimson red heat signature as he approached me.
"I leave early every morning to beat you idiots here. How are you getting here before me?" He demanded grudgingly.
I stifled a yawn and shrugged. "Guess you're just slow."
A growl rumbled from him and I held back a smirk. Something about Bakugo made it so much fun to rile him up.
"Aki-chan! Good morning!" I smiled toward Midoriya as he joined us, Shoto not far behind. "You're always the first one here, you must wake up really early."
"Naw, she never left." Burnin said from my left, surprising me. I hadn't even heard her. Then what she'd said registered and I couldn't stop the blush burning my cheeks.
"You stayed here all night?!" Midoriya asked in surprise.
"She hasn't left since day one. Comes straight here after you all return. Listen kid, I get you want to improve but you gotta sleep! You're going to burn yourself out."
I shrugged again, desperate to get the spotlight off me. "I'm fine."
Before anyone could grill me further, Endeavor entered the room and cleared his throat. "Today you four will stay here and work on integrating your quirk training with combat. Control is important not only for personal growth but also when facing off an opponent. Burnin will oversee your training, tomorrow we will resume patrols." He announced before disappearing once more.
"Alright punks! Pair up, I wanna see what you can do." Burnin instructed.
"Kaa-chan! Do you-"
"Why the hell would I want to spar with you nerd?!"
I snorted a laugh as the poor boy retreated to ask Shoto if he would partner with him. That left me to fight the hot head. Perfect, I was probably the best choice for him anyway. Glancing toward him, I couldn't stop the grin that pulled at my lips. "Guess you're stuck with me, Inferno."
"Call me that again and I'll kick your damn ass." he growled.
I lifted a brow at him. "My quirk may not help me keep up with Endeavor blasting around the city but none of you have seen me fight. How do you know it's not your ass that's going to get handed to you?"
His temper burned hotter and I felt satisfaction in the knowledge that I clearly got under his skin. "You're going to regret those words, Batgirl." He snapped at me and his aura flared for just a moment before he lunged at me. What Bakugo didn't know was that I excelled in close quarters combat. Sure I didn't know his level of skill but I'd yet to lose to anyone in my school. He was easy to read and predict, dodging his punches was childs play for me. It quickly became apparent he was realizing that. I focused more attention and began countering when he started integrating his blasts, using them to alter his direction rapidly and attempt to catch me off guard. But I was faster and reading his heat signature made fighting him pretty easy. When he used one arm to blast in a different direction, the heat in that limb increased seconds before the blast went off. Meaning I knew what he was going to do several seconds before he made the action. Deciding I'd played around with him for long enough, I swept in close and caught him off guard. Sweeping my leg, I took his from under him and quickly dropped my weight onto him. Sitting on his back, I smirked down at him even as his heat signature flared with his fury.
"I thought you said I was going to regret my words?" I couldn't resist teasing him.
"Get the hell off me, freak!" I was more than prepared when he blasted the ground, propelling us into the air. Landing in a crouch, I spun and grabbed his leg that was aimed to strike my side and twisted so that he lost his balance. In a last ditch effort to catch himself, he shot out a blast as he went spinning but instead of it hitting the floor as he intended, it struck my chest.
"Aki-chan!" Panicked gasps filled the room around us and for the first time, I realized that no one else in the room had been moving. They were probably watching our fight. The smoke cleared and I wafted the strong smell from the air around my sensitive nose. I touched my hand to my costume to make sure there weren't any burn holes in the material. I specifically had it made to withstand heat almost as hot as mine could be at max intensity so it was unlikely Bakugo's blast did any damage but I still checked anyway. It was embarrassing enough being a dead weight, I didn't need to flash the entire agency to add to my stress.
Someone grabbed my shoulders and spun me around, I recognized Midoriya's sage and mint scent before his panicked voice reached my ears. "Are you alright?! Where are you burned? Let's get you to the medic!"
I brushed his hands off. "I'm fine, no harm done." Bakugo was still sitting on the ground where he'd landed on his ass, probably wondering how the hell I wasn't fried to a crisp from such a direct hit.
"How... your costume isn't even damaged." The hot head muttered as he stood.
A smirk pulled at my lips. "At least ask me out on a date first before checking out my rack, Bakugo." His blast hit me square in the chest. If he was examining the condition of my costume, I knew his gaze was on my breasts.
"Shut up freak! You could've gotten hurt!" He snapped.
I shrugged. "Not against you, or any fire user for that matter."
"You're immune to fire." Shoto said as he joined us and I nodded, turning a curious glance his way. How'd he figured that out? "When we were working together to follow Endeavor around yesterday, your hand was practically in my flames but you weren't affected. And I definitely can't control how hot my quirk is like you apparently can."
"You're immune to fire and you didn't think to say something?!" Bakugo growled and I refocused my attention to him.
"Why would it have mattered? Were you worried about the 'dead weight'?" I teased. He scoffed but I could tell he'd also had a slight panic attack when his blast hit me. Though he'd never admit to it.
"If I'd known, I wouldn't have had to waste my time holding back." He snapped. Fair point, but I enjoyed knocking him down a few pegs. He knew it wouldn't have mattered in the end. He could have hit me with the biggest blast he could muster, since I wasn't effected by his fire my superior fighting skills still would have put him on his ass.
"Now that was interesting to watch! Aki, catch!" I looked toward Burnin just as she launched a huge fireball at us. Midoriya squealed but I simply shielded the three U.A. students with a wall of my own flames as I reached out and caught her fireball in my other hand. Testing its heat, I tossed it back toward the sidekick.
"Pretty hot but Bakugo's hotter."
"You can't even see what he looks like, how would you know?" She teased playfully.
I smirked as I disbursed my flames and winked at the boy in question. "I have a thing for bad attitudes."
"In your dreams Batgirl!" He snapped, but I could hear the quiver in his voice. He was embarrassed, probably blushing. It made my smirk widen.
"Well now I understand why Endeavor accepted you. Not only are you an exceptional fighter, you're fireproof! What better way to push his son to his limits than to have him train with someone that can't be hurt by his flames?! Aki, I want you to rotate partnering with Bakugo and Shoto. Midoriya can spar with the one you aren't partnered with until the next switch. Boys when you're against her, I want to see the best you've got, don't hold back!"
***Bakugo***
The day was finally over and although I'd thought it would be a waste when we started, it didn't turn out that way. We sparred with our classmates all the time. Aside from our book studies and situational training, it was all we did. When Endeavor announced we'd be stuck in the training room all day, I figured it would've been a wasted day. But then Batgirl ended up being immune to fire. Never in my entire life had I been able to safely unleash the full extent of my quirk without fear of seriously harming someone, until now. I took my time changing back into my school uniform, ignoring Deku and Icy-Hot as they both said their goodbyes for the day and left. I wasn't going anywhere yet. I needed to see what Batgirl was up to. What did she do staying in the training room all damn night? I waited a few more minutes before making my way back to the main room. The graveyard shift was in full swing and one of the sidekicks smiled toward me.
"You're still here Bakugo? Planning to get some extra training in like Aki?"
"None of your business." I mumbled as I headed toward the training room. She had super hearing and I didn't want her to know I was spying on her so I tried to move as quietly as I could as I pushed the door open a crack. My eyes widened as I took in the huge flaming wings behind her back as she stood in the center of the room.
"Why the hell won't it work?!" She growled in frustration. Was she... trying to fly? She'd said she wasn't going to let Icy-Hot taxi her around once she figured out how to keep up with us in the city but I hadn't expected this. With her back turned to me and her clearly focused on her task, I doubted she noticed as I slipped into the room and silently shut the door. I watched her struggle with her flames for several minutes before she huffed angrily. "Are you just going to stand there watching me suffer or are you going to help me?"
I wasn't that surprised she spoke to me, probably knew I was there the entire time. "How exactly do you expect me to help you fly, fire chicken?"
She turned to face me and let her flaming wings disappear. "Endeavor and Shoto mimic your Explosion to propel themselves. I need to figure out how to direct that through my wings."
"Why wings?" She could have done the same as Endeavor and surrounded her body with her flames. Why did she take a specific shape? I thought back to the goals she'd told Endeavor on the first day. She probably didn't have the control to just let her fire flow. Focusing on a specific shape was probably easier. But then why not just flame her feet or her hands?
She shrugged. "Every bird needs wings."
Whatever. Not like I would ever admit to her out loud that they looked pretty badass. Crossing the room, I glared down at her even though I knew she couldn't see my expression. "Why should I help you?"
"Because we're a team?" she asked hopefully. I scoffed. Her body slouched as she plopped down on the ground, clearly exhausted. She looked tired. When was the last time she'd slept? "I don't want to be dead weight anymore. I will figure this out whether you help me or not so either stay and help or leave so I can concentrate."
"When's the last time you slept?" I had no idea why that was the first thing out of my mouth but it was too late to take it back now.
Her nose scrunched in confusion. "Why does that matter?"
"Exhaustion isn't going to help your control. Explosions are the nature of my quirk, it comes naturally for me. I can't burn an open flame like you or Icy-Hot. To mimic my quirk, you have to push the flames from you, blast them out of your skin. Takes a lot of control." I found myself explaining. Why the hell was I helping her?
She sighed. "Well control isn't my problem per say. I guess its visualizing and putting it into action." Her flaming wings burst to life once more and her jaw clenched with the amount of concentration she was putting into making them flap, the shape rippling as she increased the intensity of heat throughout the entire wing structure.
"You're going about it wrong, Batgirl. Real wings use air to fly. Yours aren't real, you're wasting energy trying to make them move."
"I don't understand. How am I going to make them work if they don't flap?!"
She was getting too technical, thinking too much into it. "I get you want to keep your stupid wings, Bird Brain, but use them more like a jetpack. Blast your flames from the tips of them."
It took her a minute to process that but the moment she figured out what I meant, her face lit up with a smile. I hated how that smile seemed to make me fidget. Stupid Batgirl. She closed her eyes and the flames at the bottom half of her wings intensified. She suddenly blasted off the floor and smashed into the ceiling before falling back to the ground with a groan. I couldn't stop the laughter that burst from my chest and I didn't feel bad as she pinned me with a glare. She would've laughed too if she'd seen what just happened and after today, I was more than positive she was tough enough to take the fall.
"Asshole." She muttered under her breath as she returned to her feet.
"I told you exhaustion won't help your control. Go to your room idiot." I said before leaving the training room and heading back to the lodge to get some much needed rest of my own.
***Aki***
I woke with a start when someone kicked my leg. My gaze whipped up to see Bakugo's crimson aura and I groaned.
"You really are an idiot."
He wasn't wrong. I hadn't listened when he told me to go to my room. I'd spent the night practicing my new ability until I'd been so exhausted, I must have fallen asleep in the training room. I knew I should have taken his advice and retired to the lodge to get some rest but I couldn't. I couldn't be a burden anymore, I needed to be better.
"Aki-chan! You didn't spend the night here again did you?" Midoriya's concerned voice reached my ears and I leapt to my feet with a smile.
"Of course not!"
Bakugo snorted beside me and I rolled my eyes. I already knew today was going to be rough, he didn't need to rub it in. Shoto soon joined us and Burnin instructed for us to meet Endeavor, Kido and Onima at the park to the east of the agency. Once we were all gathered, Endeavor addressed us.
"Today we'll be doing the same we've been doing. Running routes, dealing with issues as we go, responding to calls. Try to keep up." We were already prepared for him to take off as he usually did but what they weren't prepared for, aside from Bakugo, was wings to burst from my back just as Shoto was approaching me.
"Whoa!" Midoriya gasped as I took a deep breath and smiled toward Shoto.
"Thank you for helping me so far, I'll try to keep up on my own from here. You have your own growth to work on without worrying about hauling me around." With that, I blasted off after Endeavor. I still didn't have control over my speed so taking turns was a problem. Just as I expected, the day was rough. Although I lagged behind everyone and was the last to arrive at the scene, at least I was doing it on my own now. I just needed more practice to get better at it. By the end of the day, we were all so exhausted we could barely catch our breath. I collapsed to the ground beside Bakugo as he bent over to rest his arms on his knees. Midoriya and Shoto were trying to catch their breath too, anticipating the pro hero was about to hurry off once more.
"Let's stop here for today. You should all go back to your rooms and get some rest." Endeavor called to us.
Bakugo shot upright, "I can still keep going!"
"Kaa-chan..."
I respected Bakugo's spirit but we were all running on fumes. I didn't think I'd make it much longer before I passed out. Endeavor dismissed us and for the first time since starting my work study, I'd be going to my assigned room in the lodge the agency used for the Flaming Sidekicks. I couldn't remember the last time I slept so hard. The next day I felt refreshed and confident we could finally beat Endeavor. The guys were just as motivated, and we had good reason to be. We'd exceeded our limits and grown in just a matter of days under the number one hero's instruction. I spent the day perfecting my control on flying, getting the speed right then pushing myself to move faster... trying to beat Endeavor's speed to the next criminal or rescue. But no matter how hard we pushed, none of us could beat him. Sure we'd gotten close but every single time he was there first. After today, continuing our work study with the agency was going to get much more difficult. We'd had an uninterrupted week with Endeavor because of winter break. Now that it was ending, we would have to do classes and work study at the same time. Our focus would be divided. I had no idea what time it was and with how hard I'd worked, I couldn't even use the temperature around me to make a guess. I was sweating bullets and I could hear the other three around me huffing just as heavily as I was as we tried to catch our breath.
"Let's go!" Endeavor yelled and we leapt into action, following him back to the agency. "Get changed, we're going out." He instructed. I hurried to the locker room and changed into my school uniform before meeting everyone back at the entrance. I had no idea where we were going and when Bakugo started complaining, I was even more confused.
"My sister said for everyone to come over for dinner. She wanted to meet my friends." Shoto announced calmly.
I shifted awkwardly beside Midoriya. "Then why am I here?" I muttered.
His hand landed on my shoulder and I glanced up at the burn of yellow where his face would be. "After everything we've been through this week, you're our friend Aki."
"Mmhmm." Shoto agreed and I couldn't resist a small smile as I followed them into what I assumed was the number one hero's home. After introductions with Shoto's sister and brother, she served us an incredible meal but I could sense tension in the air. It wasn't from our awkwardness, it was from the Todoroki family. His sister was clearly trying to keep the conversation cheerful while Endeavor, Shoto and his brother Natsu were fairly quiet. Any comments from the oldest son to his father seemed coated in resentment. Finally Natsu stood from the table and left the room, mumbling an apology to his sister. I had the distinct feeling that I was the only one in the room that didn't know at least some of what was going on. Smiling to try to redeem what was left of our meal, I began carefully reaching around the table to gather dishes I was able to feel within my reach. Midoriya and Shoto were quick to help. Once I helped bring a pile of dishes to the kitchen for Endeavor, I excused myself to use the restroom. Whatever was going on within the pro hero's family wasn't my business, I felt it was only right that I try to extract myself from any further conversation purely out of respect for Shoto and his father.
By the time I returned to the main room, everyone was gathering their things and I sighed in relief. It was time for Endeavor to drive us back to our schools, the official end of our work study under his guidance until the next week. After thanking Shoto's sister for the wonderful meal, we all piled into the backseat of the pro hero's car until Midoriya was the last to enter and realized there wasn't much more space. I gasped in surprise when I was suddenly dragged into someone's lap so the boy could cram in with us.
Glancing behind me, I couldn't stop the smirk that pulled at my lips as I gazed at a familiar crimson aura. "You just can't get enough of me, huh?"
"Shut up! That idiot wouldn't have fit and like hell was one of us gunna sit in each other's laps!" He yelled and I laughed. I should have guessed that Bakugo would do what it took to get us moving, he was impatient and a man of action. Midoriya would have fumbled around awkwardly for who knows how long and Shoto would have just sat quietly waiting for someone to make a move.
"Sorry about the space, we don't have a larger vehicle." Endeavor muttered as the car started moving. My guess was that the guys would be dropped off first, given U.A. was much closer than my school. "I'm going to train you all up quickly. Going forward, in addition to weekends, you'll work two days a week if you can shift your schedules around."
I thought about my current class schedule and knew the work days wouldn't be a problem for me. I excelled in class and didn't have much of a personal life so that meant I had a lot of free time outside of classes. I was jolted from my thoughts when Bakugo complained about the number one hero having such a small car. The driver, probably an assistant, yelled back at him about free rides not being good enough for him and I stifled a laugh because the aggressive man shut Bakugo up real quick. Suddenly the car lurked to the side and I grabbed the seat on front of me to keep from being thrown across the back seat.
"Natsu?!" Shoto called out in confusion.
Chaos ensued, Midoriya yelling about the lines on the road and the driver reprimanding him to bite his tongue. The car hit something and I glanced around the car desperately. I couldn't use my quirk in such close proximity to the others, I was immune to fire but they certainly weren't. This was a situation my limited vision couldn't help me figure out what the hell was going on. But we needed to get the hell out of the car! As if on cue, Endeavor burst from the passenger side door. The car spun and skid to a stop, the sound of something heavily wrapping around the vehicle surrounding us. I tuned my hearing into what was going on outside to get a better idea of what we were up against.
"There's a villain, he's using Natsu to..." I gasped as I heard the man's desire.
"To what?! Spit it out!"
"He wants Endeavor to kill him. If he doesn't, he'll kill Natsu!"
"Let's go!" Shoto used his ice to break through the window of the door beside him just as Bakugo blasted his window. Poor Midoriya had to rush out Shoto's side to avoid getting burned by Bakugo's quirk. Once we were out of the car, we didn't hesitate. Didn't think about what needed to be done, we just acted.
"Hey brats! You forgot something!" The assistant yelled at us before I heard a distinct popping noise from the vehicle behind us.
"Our costumes!" Midoriya yelled as he doubled back to grab the cases. I didn't need mine, the only benefit my costume had was its fire resistance and there wasn't time for me to fully change my damn clothes. I barreled straight toward Endeavor, Shoto and Bakugo beside me when we were all suddenly assaulted. I couldn't see this villains quirk, which meant it was something that didn't carry heat. Glancing around to make sure my comrades weren't too close, I unleashed the full intensity of my flames for the first time since I started my work study. My vision lit up with white as my quirk melted whatever the villain was using to attack me. The guys around me disposed of their restraints as well and we pushed forward. Endeavor was trying to catch up to the villain but he kept using Natsu as a shield and for the first time, I watched the number one hero freeze up. But we couldn't afford to. Whatever had happened between him and his son didn't matter to us, didn't slow us down. Over the last week, swift action had been drilled into our heads. All that mattered was saving Natsu.
We zoomed past the frozen hero, quickly gaining on the villain until I spotted several vehicles with innocent people in them launch into the air.
"Because you won't hurry up and kill me, more people are gonna end up dead!"
My eyes followed Natsu as he was thrown in front of what I believed had to be a quickly approaching train based on the size of the vehicle and the amount of people it was carrying. I glanced toward Bakugo and spotted his aura flashing aggressively, knowing he was about to blast off after Natsu. Midoriya was handling the civilians in the vehicles, that left Shoto and I to deal with the villain. Bursting my wings to life, we both closed in on our opponent simultaneously. My fist connected with his face as Shoto's struck his abdomen, sending him flying. I could hear ice cracking along the ground and slowed my pace knowing that Shoto would make sure he was detained and couldn't harm anyone else. Bakugo yelled to us to make sure we had the villain taken care of before checking with Midoriya about the civilians. We'd done it, we stopped a horrible situation with no injuries or casualties.
"Let go of me!" I glanced back toward Endeavor to see him in deep conversation with Natsu. I busied myself with going to check on the pro hero's assistant and helping him out of the trapped vehicle. By the time I burned away the restraints around the car, the sound of sirens could be heard rapidly approaching. Once the villain was detained and Natsu made his rounds thanking us for saving him, we continued our way back to our schools to take advantage of the last weekend we would have to ourselves for the unforeseeable future.