The final day of camp had arrived and everyone in the mess hall was chatting excitedly about their summer plans. Bakugo was seated beside Kirishima and across from Kaminari and Sero. He silently started into his breakfast as the three talked gleefully about their summers.
"We should all get together and train," Kirishima pointed out. "We have the provisional license exam at the end of summer, so I think it could help."
Kaminari and Sero agreed and began to eat.
"What about you, Bakugo?" Kirishima turned to the blonde. "Do you have some exciting plans?"
Bakugo always had great summer breaks. When he was a kid, he and his buddies would wander around causing enormous amounts of trouble and as he they got older they turned toward video games. His parents didn't really bother him during the break, setting him loose to do whatever he pleased. However, he felt that this summer would be different.
He glared at Kirishima, "I'm going to train all day, every day."
Kirishima cackled and patted Bakugo shoulder, much to the blonde's dismay. "That sounds boring! We should all hang out and do some stuff!"
Bakugo was about to retort rudely but was cut off when Uraraka joined their table. Pure annoyance filled his chest.
"Good morning, Bakugo!" Uraraka smiled but her eyes dared him to snap at her.
The blonde shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "Hi." Yeah, today is going to suck.
Uraraka picked up her apple from her tray and bit into it, her mischievous grin never leaving her lips. "So are you guys talking about summer plans?"
Kirishima was the only one who knew Bakugo's predicament, so he tried to help the conversation along. "Yeah, actually. We are all thinking about getting together to hang out and train. Do you have plans?"
Uraraka set her apple back onto her tray and kept up her infectious smile, "I'm going to go back home for a few weeks to visit my parents and then I'm going to come down and stay with Yaoyorozu for the rest of the summer to see everyone. My family lives pretty far away, so I'll have to crash with someone to be closer to UA."
Kaminari gaped at her, "You're going to stay with Yaoyorozu on her family's estate?! You're so lucky!"
Uraraka giggled lightly, "I'll have to make it up to her somehow!"
Bakugo felt his nerves grating at the conversation. Who cared what anyone else does during the summer? He was simply looking forward to getting some peace and quiet after the long year.
Uraraka turned back to the menacing blonde, "What about you, Bakugo?"
He grit his teeth and tried to relax under her expectant gaze, "Training."
Short and curt answers were the best he could do to prevent himself from telling her to shut her damn mouth. Holding up his end of the bargain was going to be much more difficult than he anticipated. How could he be nice to someone?
Uraraka picked up on Bakugo's inner struggle and mused at his attempts. She had planned not to push his boundaries today, but it was very tempting. "That sounds like something you would do."
He was irked, but he jammed his retorts back down his throat. Instead, he occupied himself with his food and let the rest of the people at his table do all the talking. He hated sucking up like this, so he closed off his ears and tuned out the conversation. He didn't have to talk to her, he only had to not yell at her.
When breakfast had come to an end, Aizawa had announced that their final day of camp was free to them. They could train or relax. It was left to them to do whatever they desired. He called it a well deserved break after a rough week of training.
Everyone poured out the mess hall and began going their separate ways, talking amongst themselves about what their plans were for the rest of the day. Some decided to swim, some decided to train, and others opted to lounge in the sunlight and play games. Uraraka decided to hunt down her new friend.
She spotted him shuffling away toward the trees on the border of the main camp area, so she followed. It became clear to her that he was attempting to avoid her as she gave chase through the trees.
"Bakugo, please slow down!" She called out hopefully.
He stopped and threw his head back in annoyance, "What?"
When she caught up, she smiled at him. "I thought I would hang out with you for a bit."
He flitted his eyes back the way she came, "Don't you have Deku and four-eyes for that shit?"
She nodded and replied, "I told them I would hang out with them later today, so they'll be fine. I won our bet, so you're going to have to pay up."
Bakugo bit back a nasty retort and simply moved ahead once more, trying to hold his composure. "What do you want, round-face?"
She followed him as he began walking again, "I already told you that. I want to get to know you better."
His gait quickened, a reflection of his irritation, "What the hell do you want to know?"
She perked up at his question, "Good question!" She tapped her chin thoughtfully, "What do I want to know about you, Bakugo?"
Her smart mouth was only fueling his inner rage but he held his tongue as they happened upon the same clearing they had utilized on for their first day of training. He crossed the mossy ground to rest on a shady boulder, finally facing her. He rested his back on the rock comfortably, tucking his hands behind his hair. "Well?" He asked expectantly, a hint of indignation on his lips.
She wandered toward him and sat in a sunny sprout of grass, "What kind of food do you like?"
"Spicy." He responded curtly.
She nodded her head in recognition, "Favorite genre of music?"
He paused and pondered her question. "Metal, I guess."
She probably could have guessed that. "Umm…" She thought aloud, "What do you like to do in your past time?"
He squinted at her, "Train."
She was growing tired of his single worded answers. "Could you be more specific? I'm asking you what your guilty pleasures are, Bakugo."
'Guilty pleasures? Why the hell would she want to know that?' He rolled his eyes at her, "I don't have any."
"Liar," She accused. "You must have one."
Bakugo was taken aback, "Fuck off."
"Hey," She pointed a finger at him, "You have to be nice, remember?" Her brown eyes narrowed and she furrowed her brow.
Bakugo didn't like this game. "This is stupid."
"Fine," She replied despondent, "Clearly, you suck at keeping up your end of our deal."
Her jab struck Bakugo in all the bad ways. "Well you suck at asking questions!"
She groaned loudly, covering her face with her hands. "I knew this was too good to be true."
Bakugo didn't necessarily feel remorseful, but he did feel a small amount of regret. "Damn it, round-face. I came out here to train, not waste my time. Either stay and train or get lost." The least he could do was extend an invitation to train. He hoped she would turn in down in favor of relaxing.
"Alright, fine." She grumbled and picked herself up from the ground. "But I want a rematch."
"Rematch?" He asked as he began to stand as well.
"Yeah," She held up a fist, "For the carrot thing. You do remember, right?"
She was referring to their day of training together. She had nearly won before he ate the carrot that they were sparring for. He stretched his arms and let his eyes go dark, "I remember. I'm not going to go easy on you this time."
She smiled wantonly back, "I'd be insulted if you did."
There wasn't much around to fight over, so they opted to simply just spar. The goal would be to defeat the other opponent and render them unable to continue by means of capture or overpowerment. Before long, both were positioned defensively and eyeing their opponent. The use of quirks was not allowed, so they were restricted to just their own hands.
"Bring it, jerk." Uraraka taunted, surprised at her own confidence.
Bakugo grit his teeth and went on the offensive, "You asked for it." He moved to strike her with a right hook and wasn't surprised when she anticipated it. She ducked low and swiveled out of his line of fire. He fell back a step and observed her defensive pose.
She smirked at his determined face. 'He always looks so sinister!' She bounced back and forth on her toes, waiting for his next move. He jumped at her again and she noted how precise his footwork was. It was purposeful and demanding. He held hid his eyes behind his fists to conceal his intentions as he moved to strike, ducking and attempting to knock her off balance with his shoulders. She blocked his advance without a second to spare and bounced away from him. 'He's so fast! I can't predict him.'
When they had sparred earlier in the week, she had only seen his defensive moves. His offense was much faster and even more calculated than she had assumed it to be. For a guy that always appeared to rely so heavily on his quirk in combat, he didn't seem that way now. He was well practiced and quick on his toes. She admired his tenacious eyes for a moment as he allowed them to peer out from behind his fists.
She pouted and held up determined fists. "Come on, Bakugo. I know you're better than that."
He snarled at her taunts, musing at her refreshed attitude. He would have no issues taking her out, but he figured he'd play around with her some more. "Be careful what you wish for, round-face." He shot toward her again, ducking low once more and aiming for her abdomen. Just as he was about to reach her, she dropped her elbows to block and he smirked inwardly. She had so foolishly fallen for his trick. He abruptly ended his advance and instead jammed his hands between her forearms, forcing them apart. A devilish smile crossed his face when her eyes grew with shock. He ended the confrontation with a swift shoulder to her gut, knocking her off balance and sending her into the dirt.
She coughed for a moment, wheezing for breath. "Ow…" She murmured and rubbed the back of her head. When she sat up again, she found the audacious blonde standing above her with crossed arms and an evil glint in his eyes. "Well, it looks like you got me this once, but it won't happen again."
He almost laughed at her feeble threat. "Give up already."
"No way," She shot back and got to her feet. She quickly dusted the dirt from the back of her pants and returned to her defensive pose. "Let's go again."
He smirked and took his stance once more, pondering what he would practice next. To his surprise, he didn't get much of a chance to think because Uraraka was rushing him. He threw up a left arm to block her right hook and staggered due to his lack of preparation. He fumbled for his other fist, but was surprised once again when her palm struck his chest. She had hit him pretty hard, but his sheer mass kept his feet centered on the ground. Her attack had hurt, but it didn't do much more than that.
Her eyes widened when he didn't budge. Her attacks should have staggered him a little bit, right? She was now caught in a bad situation with no back-up plan. She tried to withdraw her hand, but he was already on the offensive again. He snatched her wrist and yanked her toward him. She fought to keep her center of gravity, but was unsuccessful as he began to twist her arm. She didn't have time to think, only time to act. Her left foot hit the ground and she propelled her right to kick him in the shin. Thankfully, she found her target and began to untwist herself in the aftermath.
Her wrist was still trapped in his tight hold, so she yanked her arm down as hard as her arm would allow. He was somewhat surprised at her move, and tensed his abdomen for her following knee to his gut, effectively preventing him from being hurt by it. The only success she had was his release of her wrist so she leaped back as soon as his grip was gone.
'This is intense!' She fought to keep a worried look of her face. 'Bakugo is a great fighter. I don't think I can beat him like this…'
"Scared yet?" He teased and allowed his eyes to glare at her over his closed fists.
A new adrenaline pumped through her, "No way," She replied defiantly. Although she doubted her abilities in comparison to his, she knew this was the best way to improve.
He grinned a threatening smile and took the offensive once again. She was growing accustomed to his speed now and prepared to defend. However, she did not expect him to take to the air. With unbelievable speed, he launched himself off the nearest boulder and maneuvered himself over her to land behind her back.
As he careened over her head, she watched mystically. For a split second, it felt dream-like, but she was shattered from it when his battle-hungry grin fell on her face. Just before he landed behind her, she managed to summon up the forethought to turn and face him. She pivoted as quickly as her legs allowed, but he was already attacking. He rammed her shoulders with the palms of his hands and knocked her back a few inches. She stumbled for her footing and blocked his left jab to her right shoulder, barely managing to throw up a protective arm in time.
He was enjoying their spar immensely. However, he had decided that they had fooled around enough and he'd end it and save her from further embarrassment. He hunched his shoulders and went in for the finishing move while she was off her balance. He pressed his wrists together with palms out and drove them toward her chest. Just as they were nearing her, she saw them coming and threw both elbows up to protect herself. His hands collided with her forearms, but she still fell into the dirt. He cussed inwardly at her defiance.
She knew that in any fight, it was always a bad thing to be on the ground, so she knew she had to bring him down with her. As soon he had hit her and she began to fall, she threw her arms out to the side to catch herself and allowing her to re-utilize the momentum. As she hit the ground, she immediately used her arms to swing her body, more specifically her legs, around and strike him in his right calf. Using all the strength she had available to her, she managed to break his stance and topple him.
He felt himself losing balance and with her legs tangled with his, he had no control over his fall. His right leg crumpled and he reached his hands out in front of him to break his fall, only to find Uraraka in his way.
"Move!" He barked, his eyes widening as he descended to the ground.
She squirmed to try and get away, but his hands hit the ground on each side of her head, effectively caging her in and his torso collided with hers. Both teenagers were suddenly frozen in place. Bakugo was over her, dripping sweat from his spiky hair and she was below with bewildered eyes and cheeks that were growing pinker by the second. Both were panting hard from their spar and they stared at each other with horrified gazes.
Neither knew what to do or say for a few seconds as they looked at the other and tried to process their current position. It was like the moment clicked in both of their heads and they sprung apart. Bakugo rolled off her, his teeth clenched and his eyes blazing with discomfort. In an effort to shake off his embarrassment, he soared to his feet. He turned away as she scooted out from behind him with a shocked expression.
An awkward silence hung in the air for a minute or so. Neither knew what to say or do, so they remained tense with their backs turned to each other.
Uraraka clutched the collar of her shirt and panted, "Uh…" She started shakily. "I'm going to get get a drink of water." She hurried to her feet and ran into the tree line.
Bakugo heard her retreat and finally turned to see her bobbing brown hair disappearing into the woods. He released a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. 'What the hell was that?'
Author's Note:
Hello everyone! I'm so sorry for the late update. My cat has been ill the last few days and I finally decided he was ill enough that he needed to see a vet. He's good now but it cut into my normal writing time, hence the late update. Also, I apologize if this chapter felt a little rushed, it certainly was LOL. I will try to make sure this doesn't happen again.
Anyway, I loved writing this chapter. I'm getting excited to continue! For those of you who think the story will end after the camp, I am happy to inform you that it will certainly be continuing after the camp is over. Do not worry, more Kacchako is coming!
I hope you guys enjoyed reading this and thank you for doing so! I'll see you soon :)
~NumberSixteen