The class was abuzz with amicable chatter; a few students were already in their seats, holding pleasant conversations with their desk neighbors or making last minute attempts to help each other finish their homework. Others were gathered around a specific person's desk, laughing at jokes and sharing small experiences in which they learned something new about fellow classmates. All together the atmosphere was pleasant― not even a dark, exploding cloud could make it not so.

In one corner at the front of the room sat a tight knit group of girls, the tuft of pink hair and curly horns in the center of the mob indicating that the host was none other than Mina. Everyone listened to her speak, rapt and highly interested in the little morsel of details that she had to share. While leaving school grounds the day before she had spied something significant happening not very far from the gates. The point of interest to Mina, though, as well as a peculiarity, was that the event she had witnessed concerned none other than the local exploding boy, Bakugo Katsuki.

"It was so strange yet absolutely endearing," she gushed in as quiet of a voice as she could manage. "I mean, this little kid looked so happy to see him, and she even gave him flowers and a card! And the weird part? Bakugo wasn't even remotely scary or mean to her at all. In fact I think he gave her a hug. I had no clue he even knew what that was!"

She put a hand to her cheek, feeling how warm it had become from just talking about the tender moment she had witnessed. Despite the fact that the moment had involved Mr. Unpleasant Mina couldn't help but succumb to the sheer innocence of the memory. Even from where she had stood the admiration had been unbelievably clear on that little girl's face (so much so that she was nearly glowing with it). Bakugo had been a bit more difficult to gauge, but he seemed flustered enough that it showed just how far out of his element he was.

It had been unbelievably cute and refreshing, in her opinion, though at first she almost didn't believe what she had been seeing. After all, an image of a more tolerable and kinder Bakugo was difficult to reconcile with all the negative energy he had made a point to project himself as. And it seemed that the rest of the group was struggling with that same little detail, if the confused looks on their faces were anything to go by.

"Bakugo being nice? And to a kid?" Jirou closed her eyes and shook her head in disbelief. "I can't even imagine something like that ever happening."

"Who was the little girl though? The two have to know each other somehow, one would think," Tsuyu wondered aloud. She placed a large finger on the corner of her mouth and looked up at the ceiling. Despite how her neutral expression never changed it was quite easy to tell she was thoroughly mulling the details over.

Something shifted to their right and they all looked towards their mostly invisible classmate, Tooru. "Maybe that was his little sister?" she suggested, though rather uncertainly.

A wave of shrugs ran through the group, each girl no more knowledgable than the next. Not much was known about Bakugo other than his temperamental personality― and they all doubted he'd be eager to share any of his personal life with them. It wasn't like he was the most socially agreeable person in the first place.

"It's possible, I guess, but they didn't look anything alike― you know, like how siblings do? And the kid ran away pretty quickly afterwards too...," Mina's thoughts, spoken aloud, trailed off as she once again recalled the moment. After doing something that made both Bakugo and herself turn bright red, the little girl had run away in a giggling mess, eventually shouting somewhere further down the path about how she had kissed a hero.

Now that she thought about it the admiration the child emitted was familiar, a sort of enthusiasm everyone felt in the presence of someone they greatly idolized. It was something she witnessed nearly every day in class whenever one particular teacher made his appearance in the classroom; though the novelty of All Might being their teacher was slowly starting to wear off, it was still impossible to miss the awestruck grins students shared with each other over the fact that they were being taught by the number one hero.

Uraraka, who had been quietly listening to the entire discussion with a contemplative look, sat forward, briefly sparing a glance behind her before offering her own suggestion. "Deku's known Bakugo since they were kids, maybe he knows something about the little girl too. Why don't we go ask him?"

Faces lit up, and before anyone could agree Mina had already jumped out of her seat and began marching towards Midoriya.

The green haired boy didn't seem to take notice of her approach, his focus entirely zoned in on a journal― the burnt up one he used for cataloging heroes ―a hand over his mouth to muffle his muttering. He was so wrapped in his own little world that he didn't react to the shadows that fell over him as the rest of the girls joined Mina, just as eager for closure to this mystery as Mina was. It was only when Mina placed both pink hands on his desk and asked in all seriousness that Izuku finally registered that he was surrounded.

"Does Bakugo have any siblings?" The pinkette asked, nearly bordering a demand.

Izuku looked up from his journal, his round, emerald-like eyes widening in surprise from the sudden inquisition. Immediately following the surprise, his brows furrowed and he shook his head, glancing at the (thankfully) empty seat in front of him.

"Kacchan? No, he's an only child." He looked around at all the girls as some sighed in frustration or disappointment. Now curious, he added his own question. "Why?"

Mina shrugged, blowing a bit of air hard enough to cause her fluffy bangs to quiver. "Well yesterday I saw him with a little girl outside the gates. They seemed familiar with each other so I was― we were curious."

A light frown pulled at the corners of Izuku's mouth and Mina began to explain to him what she had seen. His expression only grew even more confused and and the girls suspected that no doubt he was trying to picture what had just been described, only to find that it was nearly impossible to do.

But as it were, that wasn't the case. Knowing Kacchan for as long as he had made it difficult to imagine him being nice to kids in general, but the idea itself wasn't so far out of reach that it was rendered impossible. While Bakugo always had up some sort of aggressive front on display for the world, there were moments, like windows, in which one could see right through him and view the qualities that made him good. Ever since he was a child he had been strong― stronger than Izuku and always what he himself wished he could be ―and (most of the time) he knew how and where to apply that strength, making him a great asset to most. Kacchan was also smart, though awkward when it came to himself and others. And only recently it seemed that he had learned to humble himself to some degree when it came to his own pride.

Bakugo had his own form of potential in the field of heroics, there was no denying it, but he was also learning and growing the same as everyone else. And that was what made the idea of the angry teenager being nice to a child possible for Izuku.

As Midoriya drew further into his shell of thought the girls eventually pulled away from him, recognizing that they wouldn't be able to get anything else out of the boy for awhile. But while one group left, another closed in, and the young man remained oblivious to it all.

"So, Midoriya," The easy going drawl began, the opening presented with a knowing smirk on Kaminari's face.

Whipping around in his seat, Midoriya faced the other boy with an expression that suggested he was a deer caught in the headlights. The expression charged the atmosphere and only grew more heightened when Mineta popped up on the other side of his desk, demanding, "What did you do to get surrounded by the girls? More importantly― did you get any of their numbers?"

Izuku blinked, a confused, almost incoherent stutter leaving his lips. "Wha― Numbers? What does―? Why would―? Huh?"

The yellow-blonde haired boy smoothly sat himself down in the seat across from Izuku, lacing his fingers together as he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, that smirk only growing wider. "Let's be frank here― You're not the type of guy that strikes me as a chick magnet. And yet it just so happens that you had almost all the girls in class surrounding you. How did you do that?"

There was almost an underlying edge of desperation to the question, and though Izuku wasn't very well acquainted with either Kaminari or Mineta, he knew enough about them for it to click that they wanted― no, needed ―to know how to get popular with the ladies. And what with him being his natural, awkward around women self and suddenly getting attention from multiple girls? It was no wonder they were seeking him out.

The green haired young man quickly held up his hands, waving them around to dispel the misconception floating about in the air.

"Y-you've got it all wrong! They were just asking me something about Kacchan and―"

"Why Bakugo?" Kaminari cut through Midoriya's explanation midway. The electricity user turned to Mineta, a cross between a childish pout, intense concentration, and a hint of hopelessness contorting his features. "I didn't think the girls found any appeal in him. I didn't think anyone could find appeal in him. Did you?"

The smaller boy shook his head with an expression that mimicked his friend's. "He seems to be the kind of guy that only a mother could love― but even that sounds like a stretch."

A frown creased downwards heavily upon Izuku's face as the boys continued to trade theories and insults about his childhood friend, having come to completely ignore him altogether. While Bakugo wasn't without his faults it still felt wrong to listen to other people discuss them without remorse. To say that the temperamental blonde was unlovable was the real and outrageously far stretch of this conversation.

"Mina wanted to know if Kacchan had any siblings because she saw him hanging out with a little kid yesterday, that's all!"

Perhaps it wasn't the most articulate or brilliantly thought out explanation― and it definitely felt like he just sold out vital information that he wasn't supposed to let others know existed ―but it got Mineta and Kaminari to fall silent. At this point it also seemed that a ritual was catching on with the rest of the class; as they tried to process the information they would imagine the scene in which such a thing might occur, only to scrunch their faces in defeat at the impracticality of the notion. Yet one thing differed from the others, showing itself quickly through mischievous glances and knowing glints in their eyes. The feeling that he had just given the enemy something important only increased within Izuku, and only one word came to mind at what Kaminari and Mineta now had:

Blackmail.

If Kacchan didn't have a reason to kill him before then the moment he found out Izuku had anything to do with the spread of such information (whether true or not) would surely be like handing the explosive teen the death warrant, signed and sealed on accident by Izuku himself.

Almost as if he had been summoned, the sliding door slammed open and in stepped the moody boy of the hour. Bakugo glared at the class as people turned in their seats, startled or not by his arrival, to look at him; this barely lasted a minute before he stomped his way across the room, towards his desk. He slumped into his seat without so much as a second glance at Izuku, folding his arms tightly across his chest as he unceremoniously swung his feet on top of his desk. From the angle Izuku had due to sitting behind Bakugo he noted the tense and methodical way Bakugo's jaw clenched and unclenched.

'Something's bothering him,' he thought, a reflex of leftover understanding from having grown up almost always watching Kacchan from behind. For a second he wondered if the blonde knew about the current stream of gossip revolving around him― the thought was quickly discarded, also from knowing that if Bakugo knew about it then he'd put a stop to it, if he didn't like it that was.

So what―?

"Oi, shitnerd, what the hell do you think you're staring at?" Bakugo suddenly hissed, craning his neck around the barest minimum in order for him to make eye contact; shadowed crimson met with deep, light pierced emerald with a harsh challenge. Izuku automatically backed away as far as his seat would allow for with his hands held up in a placating manner. He struggled to come up with something to say that would keep the peace for a little bit longer, but his words were failing him.

"Now now Bakugo," Kaminari, though almost a little reluctantly, interceded and drew the heated attention towards himself. "You may act all angry and tough, but we all know that deep down you're actually a decent guy with a soft spot for children, so there's no need to put on airs around us."

Mineta nudged the electricity user in the side, his bug-eyed face saying retreat! while the action congratulated his friend for his eloquent delivery of the jibe. Kaminari, well aware that he was beyond toeing the line of life and death, gulped and stood his ground regardless of how the intensity of Bakugo's glare burned holes through his soul. On the other side, with the attention momentarily shifted away from him, Izuku was able to glimpse the way Bakugo's eyes slightly widened before narrowing― a window of opportunity, one might say, although this tiny window only added another piece to this puzzle of confusion that was surrounding Kacchan.

As a slew of insults raged their way out of Bakugo's mouth, Midoriya could only wonder about this mysterious child that had somehow found her way into the angry boy's life, and if he might ever get the chance to meet her.

Bakugo's eyes narrowed the second he spotted the small pink umbrella, the child to which it belonged to happily entertaining herself by performing an odd little dance of hops on the edge of the sidewalk. What was she doing here again? Hadn't yesterday, when she had come to give him a proper thanks, been enough? Surely she didn't have anything more to give him. Or worse, perhaps she was that certain type of fan that would go so far as to stalk their favorite heroes.

Were six year olds even capable of understanding the concept of stalking? (Well… if Deku was anything to go by…)

He shook his head, clearing the random tangent from his mind and set about to glaring at the little girl. Regardless, she was causing him more problems than he had the time or the patience to be dealing with. Not only was her presence at the gates of his school causing wild rumors to spread and speculations to accumulate, but her presence in his regular life was beginning take an unprecedented toll.

Even after accepting the fact that being this weird, quirkless kid's hero wasn't going to be all that bad, he couldn't stop thinking― no, it was more like agonizing ―about how much he saw himself in those other kids. It was something that, no matter how much he described his symptoms to the internet, searched for answers in books, or even voiced aloud to himself to understand, he just couldn't figure out why it made him feel like such an utter piece of undeserving shit. Why, even though it was something that he dreamed of and strived for as an ultimatum, he didn't feel like it was okay for him to be a number one hero figure to such a young child.

That he couldn't truly be proud of his achievement as a good guy.

Seiko twirled around before stopping abruptly, her amber-hued eyes lighting up the moment she spotted him at the edge of the flood of students leaving school grounds. A toothy grin spread across her face and before he knew it she was running up to him, the little green rain boots she wore making soft squeaking sounds against the concrete tile.

"Big bro!" He couldn't stop his frown from deepening at the way she called out to him; her high pitched calls betrayed every ounce of admiration she held for him, the respect and pure joy just from seeing him, being able to talk and be near him― it almost made him sick. But it wasn't condescending, not like in the way he made fun of Deku for. No, this sickness felt heavier; a balloon that had been popped in his chest, leaving behind in its wake a thick cloud that hurt like sinking lead.

He swallowed hard and walked past her without a word. Perhaps if he just ignored her, made her another face in the crowd, then this feeling would go away and his own thoughts would leave him alone. And in return, so would she.

The smile slightly fell from Seiko's face as she watched the boy she called her hero brush by her without even a hello. She turned, tilting her umbrella back a little, and observed the tense outline of his backside. It was an image she was familiar with, having seen how work wore her big sister down, tiring her out. Maybe learning how to be a hero was tough work too and big bro was just all tired out?

Brightening, the smile returned to its full glory, and Seiko hurried to catch up with Bakugo. Since he hadn't gotten far then it was easy to catch up with him. However, if she wanted to stay caught up then she would have to take two very fast steps in order to keep up with just one of his long steps. It was difficult, and she almost was unable to talk to him, but she managed somehow.

"Big bro, what's it like learnin' how to be a hero?" she asked curiously, looking up with a bit of hope that he'd look back. "What kind of stuff do they teach you?"

Bakugo glanced at the child from the corner of his eye, gritting his teeth. How dense was this kid? Did she not notice the most obvious social cue he had presented before her, or was she simply choosing to ignore it? If he couldn't get rid of her in the nicest way he could manage then he'd have to do it the old fashioned way― get angry enough that it scares her off and she never comes back.

Just as Seiko opened her mouth to ask another question he snapped at her. "What are you doing here? Why were you waiting for… me… again?"

He blinked as his voice died down, shutting his mouth with a tight clack of his teeth and sealed with a frown. That had definitely not been what he had planned on saying. Just when exactly had his mind changed and let that awkward crap come spewing out instead? And why couldn't he muster up the energy to be angry? It was always so easy to become enraged― one wrong word or even a funny look could send him into a fit ―and yet he just couldn't force himself to get mad at the kid when she hadn't actually done anything wrong to him.

She was just being… nice. To him. And the only one that made him mad at was himself.

Seiko stopped, cocking her head to the right, messy bangs sliding across her forehead, and gave him a thoughtful look. Her answer was simple, yet pierced him deeply.

"Wouldn't you want to be as close as you could to your favorite hero?"

Katsuki opened his mouth, poised to say something, yet he had no words to say. So instead he looked away from the innocent little girl, heat rising up his neck, and fell back on an insult. "You're an absolute Quack, you know that?"

The child tilted her head to the other side, lips and eyebrows puckering together in a confused pout. 'What's a Quack?' she wondered. 'Is it another name for a duck?'

She glanced down and immediately the pout transformed into a wide grin at the sight of her yellow hoodie. Shifting the handle of the umbrella to the arm in the sling, she quickly flipped the puffy hood over her head and began marching in place to a series of small quacking sounds. Bakugo's head whipped around and he stared at her with an incredulous look, now truly speechless.

'What even is this kid?' he questioned weakly.

Without really realizing it he began walking again and Seiko followed, still keeping the duck noises in time with her steps. They didn't get very far though when someone suddenly called out to him.

"Hey Bakugo! Wanna join us and go to the―," He and the little girl turned around in time to see Kirishima walking towards them with Kaminari in tow. The redhead stopped short the moment he spotted Seiko at the blonde's side, sparing a side glance at Kaminari as he realized the rumors about Bakugo hanging out with a kid were true. He quickly returned his attention to the duo in front of him, a large grin splitting across his face as he crouched down so he was eye level with the little girl.

"And what's your name?" Large eyes shined with awe as they took him in, a cheesy, crooked smile breaking along the kid's face.

She stepped forward― a quiet quack muttered under her breath ―and pointed at herself with her thumb. "My name's Yoshida Seiko! Who're you? What's your quirk?"

Kirishima couldn't help but chuckle at how upfront she was. He absolutely loved kids― he himself was one at heart ―and even more so he loved making friends with kids. Now he was no clairvoyant, but even he could see that a friendship between himself and this little girl was just around the corner in the near future.

"I'm Kirishima Eijiro, it's nice to meet you Seiko. And this guy over here is Kaminari Denki," he said, gesturing towards the other boy who stood nearby, observing everything curiously. At the mention of his name he snapped out of his reverie and offered the kid a lopsided smile with a wave of his hand.

"Yo."

Seiko giggled and waved at Kaminari.

"As for what we can do…"

Kirishima held up his hand and watched as it hardened. The little girl gasped and reached out to touch it, her amazement causing her to completely forget to ask if it was okay―although Kirishima didn't mind in the slightest. Behind her Bakugo scoffed, folding his arms over his chest.

'Is someone getting jealous?' Kirishima wondered with no small amount of glee tagging along. Keeping his attention focused on Bakugo while Seiko entertained herself by watching Kaminari demonstrate a fraction of his quirk, the redhead observed the gradual, miniscule changes to Bakugo's features. There was the irritation as it tugged and pulled at the corners of his frowning mouth, the faint twitch of his jaw as he ground his teeth together, and the consistent flicker of his eyes as he tracked each and every move the little girl made. But there was also something else in those crimson eyes― a shine of confusion clashing with a dull cloud of… guilt?

'Now what could that be about?'

"Whoa! You guys are so awesome! -quack!" Seiko pumped her fist up and down excitedly. She spun around, turning her enthusiastic attention on Bakugo, her squishy little cheeks glowing pink with delight. "You've got such cool friends big bro! When I get my quirk I hope it'll be something just as neat as your guys's!"

Scowling, Bakugo immediately began to correct the little girl. "They're not my friends and you won't―"

He caught himself just in time, a sharp stab of pain emanating from the heavy feeling in his chest. There it was again, that flash of a reminder― him, the cruel little boys, and the quirkless children they had both made a mockery of. 'When I get my quirk…' How many times had he heard that phrase? How many times had he scorned the boy that had once been his friend? How many times had he put Izuku down for his genetics, something he had come to view as a disability, a weakness? Had he really just been about to do the same thing to this little girl?

Seiko appeared not to have caught on to his near slip up, and she turned around again to talk with Kirishima and Kaminari, the former of the two throwing the occasional contemplative look towards the explosive boy. He had been confused by the little girl's statement, having thought that she had a Duck related quirk since she would say quack! at the end of her sentences similar to how Tsuyu would say ribbit!, but after Bakugo's mouth nearly ran away with himself, and after witnessing that unguarded flash of guilt on the boy's face, Kirishima seriously began to question how the two came to be involved with each other. As far as he knew and understood, Bakugo seemed to hold some sort of deeply rooted, almost sort of subconscious, prejudice against those that were without quirks. At least, that's how it always seemed in regards to his relationship with Midoriya anyhow.

So what did that make these two then?

"Do you wanna be a hero when you grow up?" Kirishima asked, letting go of the need to interrogate and clear away his confusion about this new mystery. If he wanted the answers to these particular questions then he was going to have to let them come along naturally through the conversation. He didn't think Bakugo would appreciate the direct prying anyways,nor did he like the idea of having his face being blown off in that particular moment.

The child beamed at him and Kirishima felt his heart swell within his chest before melting into a warm, gooey puddle. 'This kid's just too damn cute, it's not fair!'

"Yeah! I'm gonna become a great hero one day― maybe even the number one hero!

Just as Kirishima opened his mouth to compliment her enthusiasm― wanting to be the best hero one could be was always a good dream, even if it was quite common these days ―he was beat to the point by Bakugo's loud mouth and usual condescending proclamations.

"You can't do that."

All eyes turned towards Bakugo― two pairs more disapproving and annoyed than the littlest, whom was moreso confused ―and the blonde immediately set about internally slapping the shit out of himself. There was a saying he had often heard growing up: Think before you speak. God how he now wished he'd actually learned how to do that. Why did he have to continuously add to his steadily growing pile of problems? Why couldn't he just do or say one fucking thing right in regards to this stupid kid?! Why was being a hero suddenly so damn hard?

When he had said what he had said out loud it was out of habit― a god awful habit that happened to be ingrained into the core of his thinking ever since he was also a stupid little kid. And it wall because of one green-haired nuisance he had grown up with. It didn't help that the defensive nature of the statement came from years of warding off other people that tried to stake their claims on a title he had called dibs on so long ago. At least that left him with an excuse to fall back on, even if it now sounded ridiculously petty to him.

Katsuki cleared his throat and stared the kid down. Well, he dug this hole himself so he might as damn well use it.

"You can't do that," he growled, "because I'm going to be the number one hero. And we can't have two number one heroes running this joint."

Seiko thought about what he said while ignoring the brewing argument between the boys. It was clear in her eyes that she still had many years to go before she could even make it pro, many years in which she would have to study and work hard to reach such a high level. By the time she made it out into the field of heroics someone else most likely would take the number one title from All Might― even she knew that the big man couldn't be expected to hold the position forever, no matter how awesomely powerful he was ―and that someone very well could be her big bro.

She smiled at the idea. It made a lot of sense now that she thought about it; hadn't she even decided that he was capable of being stronger than All Might?

So if she couldn't be the number one hero… Amber eyes met crimson, beaming, and she said, "Then I'll just become the number one sidekick for the number one hero!"

Bakugo's face grew bright red and he spluttered wordlessly as he tried to wrap his mind around the statement. He hadn't been expecting such a thoughtfully compromising answer, and neither had the others. There came the sounds of wheezing from Kaminari's direction, the boy having turned around and bent over clutching his stomach (whether he was laughing or suffering from the effects of a pure innocence overload was unclear). And before anyone knew it Kirishima had scooped the little girl into his arms to deliver a bone crushing bear hug.

"You are too good, too pure for this world!" he practically sobbed. "Bakugo, how come you didn't say anything about having such an adorable little sister?!"

"She's not my sister dammit!" Katsuki scowled.

"Right, of course, this kid's too nice to be your sister," Kaminari scoffed, avoiding the smoking fist that came flying at him immediately after. "But if she's not your sister then what does that make her to you then?"

"Big bro's my hero," Seiko proudly declared, her voice muffled by Kirishima's jacket, where she had eagerly succumbed in acceptance to his hug. "He saved me!"

"Haah?!"

The little girl disentangled herself from the hug, absently adjusting the strap on her sling as well as the position of her umbrella before launching into story mode. "Well, Zeke and Lau and I were walkin' home from the playground where we'd been fighting off some of Melon Lord's army," she began, taking the story back to what she felt was the beginning of it all. "And we found this kitten stuck on a ledge of the wall that channeled the river so we tried to save it. Since I'm the smallest and Zeke's got an expansion quirk we decided that he'd lower me down so I could grab the kitten and―"

"And then that fat bastard and his equally stupid buddy tried to drown you," Bakugo finished with a hiss. It made him cringe to think about the moment when he had seen Seiko suspended in midair, dangling upside down high above the water's surface. The panic he had felt as he watched her fall had been too real, too vivid even in his recollections of the moment. He had never been so afraid of failing, of losing the child even though she was just a stranger to him.

Seiko avoided looking at Bakugo as she finished telling her story, of how Bakugo had jumped in and pulled her out of the river, even moving her hoodie out of the way a little bit to display the large bruise that wrapped around her shoulder as a result of hitting the water. She felt uncomfortable with the way he talked about her friends, though somewhere deep inside her a little piece of her agreed with him, and knew that Zeke and Lau were not wholly good kids. But she had her reasons for being friends with them, reasons that he might not understand.

So she acted as if he hadn't said anything more than a passing comment about what happened, and Bakugo in turn did not say anything else about her friends― though she sensed that he wanted to.

Grinding his teeth as he ignored the others, Katsuki frowned while eyeing the child, trying to figure out this little girl known as Yoshida Seiko. The harder he thought the less sense he could make of her, and the less sense she made the more Bakugo began to realize that he honest to god did not know how to truly be her hero― not the one she had drawn him out to be anyways. All his life he had tunnel vision when it came to the job of a pro hero, and at the end of that tunnel was just a large melee where he creamed villain after villain. But now that vision was broadening and he had absolutely no idea how to deal with it.

He wasn't anywhere near being the number one. Not yet anyways. It was with startling clarity that he understood this and finally accepted it as the truth. He thought he had already acknowledged this fact when he had so pitifully lost to Deku, but now he knew that it would take a lot more work and understanding on his part before he could honestly and proudly declare that he was anyone's hero.

There was a tug on his sleeve that dragged him away from his thoughts and Bakugo looked down. For whatever reason Seiko smiled at him, poking her finger into one squishable cheek; it almost seemed like she was trying to tell him to smile too, and he could hear her humming something that sounded suspiciously like 'cheese'. And for whatever reason on his part, Katsuki genuinely (oddly) felt compelled to smile back― though in his case the most he would ever bring himself to do in front of a bunch of strangers was muster a half smirk.

The little girl took what she could get, glad that, in some small way, she was being her own kind of hero too.

"You're an absolute Quack, you know that?" Bakugo sighed with a slight shake of his head. There was no way she was anything but, and it was the only thing he could think to use to perfectly describe her anymore.

Seiko giggled and tugged on her hoodie.

"Quack!"

I'm back, complete with wifi and a new place! I was really surprised to see all the reviews and general interest in this story, I feel so blessed :') Thank you guys, seriously. With that said I have two things to address, one being a request and the other a question.

First, since I'm still feeling my way around the canon characters then I'm kinda paranoid that I'm not doing them any justice in both their personalities and relationship developments, so please bear with me if you find me repeatedly asking if I did okay or not at the end of some chapters. Because of this I would actually like to invite you guys to suggest some cute one shot ideas that would help Seiko and Bakugo's relationship develop a little more smoothly (as I've also discovered over my temporary hiatus that I ended up putting a lot more plot into this than the 'loosely interconnected drabbles' that I said I would be doing). If you could help me out with this then I will be forever in your debt + you get to be in the honorary mentions.

Second, I've been stuck trying to decide on this for awhile, and I have ideas for either way this could go, but should I keep Seiko quirkless or should she develop a quirk? Opinions much appreciated.

And because I actually quite like the idea of teasing with titles for the next chapter, have the title for chapter four: Secret Bases and Dinner

P.S. If any of you caught it, Melon Lord was totally an ATLA reference, and will become more important/explained later on.