***Aki***

Exams were quickly approaching and juggling classes with my work study was challenging. I scrubbed a hand over my face in irritation as I realized I'd forgotten the audio disc for my assignment in class the day before. I'd been so focused on my training plan for the day, I hadn't even thought about it and now I'd have to wait until the next morning to pick it up. That would leave me with only one day to complete the assignment. "Ugh!"

"Aki-chan? What's wrong?" I startled when Midoriya's voice reached my ears. I'd rushed to my dorm after classes and went to bed early so I could get here early because I'd planned to work on my homework and train at the same time. We weren't expected to meet with Endeavor for another two hours to start patrols. So much for that plan.

"I forgot my homework assist in class yesterday and only just realized now." I mumbled as I set down my binder and laptop. I heard the rustling of paper and figured he was looking at the assignment.

"Does your teacher audio record the assignment for you?" he asked curiously.

I nodded. Most schools weren't equipped to cater to the blind, Shiketsu High was no different. So when I was forced to reveal my disability to my instructor, he'd taken it upon himself to record himself reading each assignment so I could listen to it after class. I would type up my assignments on the laptop my mom had bought with brail on the keys, listen to everything to make sure it was correct, and print it to be turned in.

"If it'll help, I can read it for you."

My gaze whipped up to him in surprise. He'd do that for me? "You don't have to do that Midoriya, I'm sure you're here early for your own reasons."

He moved to sit beside me at the table and set down the assignment in front of him. "I couldn't sleep, studying all night. So I just decided to come here early instead of stare at the ceiling for the next few hours." he laughed.

I hesitated, not many people other than my parents offered to help me. I knew how much of a burden I could be and I hated having to rely on others to complete basic tasks like reading. "Are you sure? I was just going to pick up the disc in the morning..."

"Nonsense! I'm happy to help."

For the next hour and a half, he read through the assignment and even checked my answered as I typed at my computer to let me know, live time, if I'd made a mistake or typo. Most assignments took me nearly half a day to complete since I usually had to listen to the assignment several times, type up my answers, then listen to all of them and make corrections. But with Midoriya's help, we finished before Shoto and Bakugo even arrived. Packing up my things, we both got changed and decided to meet in the training room for warm-ups while we waited for the others to join us.

"I don't think I've actually sparred with you yet, Aki. This will be interesting."

I couldn't agree more. From the brief moments I'd watched him fight and ramblings from the sidekicks, I understood he'd adapted his own hybrid way of fighting that he called Shoot Style. It seemed to consist mostly of attacks using his lower body rather than his upper and from what I'd gathered amongst the gossip was that it was the easiest way for him to use his power quirk without bringing harm to himself. As most close quarters spars felt for me, I'd be at a slight disadvantage since I couldn't use my quirk but my opponent could. Fighting in real situations was easier than training since I could actually use my quirk to prevent physical attacks. Most people didn't enjoy getting burned so avoided close combat with me once I revealed my power, as was the same with most fire users. It was well known that the best way to take down a fire based quirk was with a ranged attack and to keep away from the flames at all costs. Fire users with ranged attacks as well were especially difficult to defeat.

Dropping into a defensive stance, I nodded to Midoriya that I was ready. I wasn't prepared for how agile he was, nor was I educated enough in his fighting style to understand how he could so quickly shift from standing on his feet to suddenly using them so efficiently. But since I'd always feared my quirk, fighting was one thing I'd never held back on. I was notorious in my school for holding the title of most deadly close combat fighter and I'd faced plenty of different fighting styles. Although Midoriya had me on the defensive for the first half of our match, what he didn't realize was that I'd also used that time to figure out his Shoot Style. It was a combination of kenpo, jujutsu and Muay Thai. It was rather brilliant and unique, I couldn't help but be impressed that he'd managed to make it his own to best utilize his quirk. But unfortunately for him, now that I'd learned his style, I wouldn't be playing the dodging game I'd fallen into since we first started.

A smirk pulled at my lips as he gasped in surprise when I abruptly shifted my weight and landed a punch to his ribs just as he was winding up to deliver another series of kicks. He staggered to the side and I took full advantage of the break in his concentration as I went on full offensive. But he held his own, and I lost track of time as we traded blows and danced around each other trading offensive and defensive positions. In the blink of an eye, I spotted my opening and took it. As he spun to strike his heel at my hip, I took a swift step back to shove my back against his as I hooked my right arm around his knee and my left around the front of his neck. With him off balance, I dropped my weight back against him until he landed with an 'Oof' on his chest. I held him pinned with my back to his, my weight keeping him on the ground as I bent his body backward. I released him the moment I heard his other hand slap the ground in forfeit and rolled off of him.

"You owe me lunch Icy-Hot." Only then did I realize we weren't alone anymore. Glancing around, nearly the entire agency was packed into the training room.

"No one's beat Midoriya in close quarters without using a quirk before, though I shouldn't be surprised Aki is the first." Shoto said, sounding impressed.

I shrugged off his compliment. "If he'd used more of his quirk, I wouldn't have stood a chance. He could easily overpower me."

Bakugo scoffed. "And if you'd used yours, he'd be dust."

"That was amazing Aki-chan! I haven't gone that all out in a while, it was so much fun." Midoriya said in excitement as he closed in on my left and I smiled. I couldn't deny our spar had been some of the most fun I'd had in a long time.

"It's unfortunate you're not in our class, training with you once a week has been more beneficial to me than an entire week with our class." Shoto sighed and I couldn't help but feel surprised. Was he indicating that he'd actually miss me once our work study was over?

"Can't you just transfer? U.A. would be lucky to have you! And our class would love you!" Midoriya fell into one of his usual ramblings and I rolled my eyes. There was no way they were serious. I couldn't just transfer schools. I'd applied at U.A. and wasn't accepted, Shiketsu High was the only school willing to take me in with my disability and I'd worked my ass off to get into the hero course. The doors creaked open and Endeavor's familiar orange heat signature entered the room, effectively halting any further conversation.

"Make a run through route one and meet me at the daycare on route two. I have a meeting to attend this morning but it shouldn't take long." he instructed us before taking his leave and we quickly departed to follow orders.

***Aki***

A week of uneventful shifts had me on edge. Our exams were around the corner, I was falling asleep almost every night listening to audio of my class textbooks and I hadn't had much progress in increasing my quirk endurance beyond utilizing it to fly in short bursts. It was late Wednesday, I only knew because the temperature had dropped several degrees and I was sure it wasn't because of the snow that had started several hours ago. After a few minor encounters, dispatch had been quiet and we hadn't run into any trouble for over an hour. We were on our way back to the agency when I caught wind of a distressed phone call from a home we were passing.

'We need help! There's a man in our house, he's captured my wife and children. It's only a matter of time before he finds me too!'

I reached out to grab Bakugo's arm to stop him, pressing my finger to my lips as he turned to probably yell at me as he usually did. Scanning the homes to my right, I couldn't pin point where the call had come from and I could see multiple families residing in the neighborhood.

"There's trouble in this neighborhood, I can't tell which house. A family is being held, I just heard the father make a call to the police."

"There's over a dozen homes crowding that street, how the hell are we going to figure out which one is under attack?" he said in irritation but kept his voice down to match my own, probably understanding that I wasn't sure how close the danger could be.

Instead of answering him, because I didn't have a solution just yet, I nodded toward the first house and followed him until we were pressed against the wall of the building. I tried to pick up the man's voice again but all I could hear now were families having dinner and televisions. Taking a closer look at each building, I knew we could rule out the homes with three or less people since the man had said his wife and children were captured. That meant we were looking for any places with two adults and at least two children.

I pointed at the three homes that met that description. "It's one of these three. We'll have to check each one."

Grabbing onto my partner's shirt, I let him take the lead as we approached the first home I'd pointed out. After circling the property, him likely peeking through windows while I tried to hear what was going on inside, it was clear nothing was happening so we moved on to the next. Just as we snuck around the back, Bakugo suddenly shoved me away from him and the sound of glass shattering filled the air.

"Stupid heroes always thinking they're so smart. I saw you slinking around the second you left the main street!" a man's voice reached my ears as I leapt to my feet and turned toward the voice but I couldn't see anyone. Glancing around, I spotted Bakugo blasting away at something and I suddenly got the feeling this was going to be far more difficult that we'd anticipated. As if to prove my point, a shiver trailed up my spine as ice secured my legs to the ground. Fantastic, an ice based quirk.

"All you had to do was give me that promotion Kano, and everything would've been fine! But no, you had to give it to Renji! That bastard hasn't worked for a thing in his life! I DESERVED THAT PROMOTION!" the man ranted and I realized with a heavy heart that I couldn't really do anything in this fight. I couldn't see my opponents attacks or him for that matter. I was completely useless.

"Batgirl! I'll deal with this asshole, get those people out of here!" Bakugo's voice jolted me into action and the ice holding me in place was melted before I'd even realized what I was doing. I didn't hesitate, I trusted that Bakugo would have my back so I dove into the house straight for where I could hear children whimpering in fear. Throwing my arm up to braced for any potential impact into a wall or door, I was relieved when I reached them without hitting any obstacles.

"Show me where the nearest window is!" One of them pointed straight ahead and I shot out a current of flames strong enough to melt the glass. Helping the family out, I instructed for them to move to the house furthest away from the commotion just as other civilians began exiting their homes to see what was going on. "Get back! Follow them, it's not safe here!" I directed the residences of each house that was dangerously close to where Bakugo was fighting the ice user toward the other end of the block. I gasped in surprise when the familiar crimson of my partner's heat signature flew past my vision and skid toward the civilians.

"You fools! Now you can all freeze together!"

I flung a wall of flames up in front of me, anticipating an incoming attack. Knowing the civilians and my partner were behind me, I was sure the ice user intended to take us all out in a single large scale attack. And I'd guessed right. I could feel his power pushing against my flames, the ice so thick I wasn't melting it fast enough. When the chill of the glacier seeped into my skin, I knew I was dangerously close to turning into an icicle. I had no choice but to turn up the intensity of my flames. The ice user was stronger than I'd anticipated, still advancing on me even with the heat turned up. I grit my teeth as I came to the difficult decision to crank my power beyond what I knew was safe. I couldn't let these people or Bakugo get hurt. And if that meant I had to experience a Rebirth, then so be it. What felt like hours of melting ice was really only several minutes and the moment I felt the ice recede, I pulled my flames back to avoid turning the man to dust. I heard Bakugo leap into action and take the guy down but I couldn't focus on them as I shrunk the flames small enough to fit in my hands before absorbing them into my body.

I tried to regain control of the heat but my body temperature continued to climb, gradually igniting the familiar burn in my chest I recognized as a rebirth starting. I'd gone to the point of no return, so focused on saving not only the civilians but my partner as well. I understood his quirk functioned through the nitroglycerin he produced in his sweat, which explained why his blasts had been gradually failing him and he was overpowered. The cold of the ice was preventing him from producing the trigger for his sparks. The only way to put my flames out now was for them to consume something; me. Closing my eyes, I knew there was no stopping my quirk now but I didn't regret my actions. The civilians were safe and I'd given my partner the break he needed to finish off the bad guy. I just wished I'd explained this part of my quirk to him before... it was likely he would think my quirk killed me once I turned to ash.

My body heat continued to climb and the burn in my chest began to spread, the pain nearly becoming unbearable. No matter how many times I rebirthed, I'd never get used to the agony of burning from the inside out until I was nothing but ashes. Unable to handle the pain any longer, I curled in on myself, clenching my jaw tight to keep from crying out as the flames inside me burned hotter by the second. It was all I could do to keep them contained within my body.

"Get ahold of yourself you idiot!"

My eyes snapped open as a hand roughly grasped my wrist and panic consumed me. Bakugo's voice had been so close and he sounded pained. The smell of burning flesh hit me so hard I suddenly reacted on pure instinct. My palm collided with his chest, flames bursting from my control and spiraling wildly toward my hand where they disappearing into my partner. He hissed in pain, dropping to one knee as he clenched his jaw so hard I feared he'd crack his teeth. It only lasted several seconds then my flames completely disappeared and he coughed as he tried to catch his breath.

"Fuck, that hurt." he growled, pushing back to his feet. "What the hell just happened?"

I choked back a sob, feeling tears streaming down my cheeks as I slowly removed my hand from his chest and cradled it to mine. "I'm so sorry..." I mumbled.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Although he sounded irritated, I could hear worry in his voice.

"I'm sorry Bakugo... but I think I marked you..."

"Marked me?" he asked in confusion.

I tapped a finger on my chest above my left breast with a shaking hand. The mark stood out against his crimson signature, glowing white and mocking me. I watched him reach a hand up to touch the mark. "What the-"

Another sob escaped me as I stared at it. "I panicked and reacted without thinking... why did you touch me?! My flames could have easily killed you!"

He scoffed, looking down at his hand that I knew was healed. His hand that should have suffered severe burns from him touching me while my quirk was out of control. "It wasn't even that hot, I'm perfectly fine." He was a terrible liar. I'd heard his grunts of pain, smelled the burning of his flesh.

"That's because of the mark! You couldn't feel the burns on your hands healing while the mark was taking place. If I hadn't... you could have died Bakugo." I whispered.

"You're making a big deal over a stupid little mark. Pull yourself together Bird Brain, the police just arrived."

Wiping my tears away, I quietly followed him. Once he'd explained the situation and made sure the ice user was in custody, he walked off toward the agency and I trailed right behind him. He growled in irritation after nearly half the trek back and I was still dragging my feet.

"Stop your moping woman, it's annoying."

"You don't understand..."

He stopped so abruptly that I bumped into his back and nearly stumbled backward had he not grabbed my arm to steady me. "Its just a scar. We're training to be heroes, it's part of the job."

"It's not just a scar, Bakugo. It's a phoenix mark."

He waited for me to elaborate and growled impatiently when I continued to fiddle my hands nervously. "Are you going to tell me what that means or just stand there like an idiot?"

"It's..." I sighed heavily, deciding I couldn't tell him the full truth. "It means you can't be affected by my flames anymore. It's kind of like a bond, your body took in the essence of my flames and now will be immune no matter how hot they become."

He was silent for a moment before shaking his head. "You say that like it's a bad thing. Just means we're both immune to each other's quirks now."

I remained silent as I debated his response. He wasn't wrong but... this was just a work study. He wasn't my permanent partner and once our contract was over we'd both go back to our respective schools. Possibly never see each other again. But I'd never forgot him after what transpired... how could I forget about the man I placed the only immunity marking I could ever use for the rest of my life? Mom had explained the phoenix mark before I started school. She placed her mark on dad when they got married, so he would forever be safe from her quirk. The only other exception were children she birthed. She told me the soul of the phoenix only accepted one life partner, like a soul mate, and our quirk allowed us to make it so that soul mate could never be harmed by our power.

"Hurry up, I want to get this paperwork done before the end of the day. I'm not staying longer at that damn desk than I have to." his voice rumbled, startling me from my thoughts. "You gunna explain what happened back there in the first place?"

I sighed. "I should have warned you about that part of my quirk. It's called Rebirth. When I overexert my flames, I hit what I refer to as 'the point of no return' and can't stop my flames from continuing to burn. I can control them enough to not harm those around me as long as they don't touch me but once it happens, my body literally burns until it turns to ash."

I could sense he was about to lose his shit on me. "Your quirk fucking kills you?!"

I shrugged. "More or less. But after about 24 hours, my body is recreated or 'reborn' from my ashes. That's why my quirk is called Phoenix."

"That's one hell of an ability." he muttered.

"I see it as more of a quirk weakness than anything else. It's not ideal in a combat situation as you clearly saw. And I'm incapacitated for an entire day after."

"But you're basically invincible."

I shook my head. "No, I can still die like any other person by normal means. My rebirth only happens if my own flames turn me to ash."

"That fucking sucks." he snorted. "And here I thought your quirk was slightly superior to mine since you're immune to fire."

A laugh escaped me. Only Bakugo would sympathize for me in the most insulting way possible. "So you're not upset?"

"You expected me to be mad about a little burn mark over dying a slow painful death? Don't be an idiot."

I remained silent, thinking over the part of the mark I hadn't told him. He didn't have to know, it didn't affect him in anyway. I was just going to have to come to terms with the fact that whoever I ended up spending my life with, I'd have to always be careful with my quirk around. The phoenix mark had always been something I lumped in with my fantasies of a wedding. Falling in love, marking him with immunity, and living happily ever after. But I didn't regret what happened. Despite only knowing him for a few weeks, I cared for Bakugo.

If I were honest with myself, I more than just cared about him but I knew it was absurd to have feelings for someone I barely knew. But something in me shifted when I felt him grab my arm while I was mentally preparing myself to turn to ash. He'd thrown caution to the wind, risked his life, to try to help me. He hadn't even known what was happening, just knew something was wrong and he'd come to my aid. I knew I felt more for him than an average partner or friend but had shoved it aside. Locked it in a box and threw away the key because at the end of our work study, I might never see him again. And why would he be attracted to a burden like me? Especially now that he knew how much trouble my quirk could be. Sure I could fight and was fire proof but I literally self combusted if I over used my flames. What kind of hero had such a self destructive quirk? Not any pros, I was sure. He would easily surpass me in the field and forget about me.

"Quit dragging your damn feet Batgirl, it's annoying." he snapped. I sighed once more as I picked up my pace, coming to terms with the fact that I had given my soul mate mark to a man I would never have.