Chapter 16: Shitty Hair

There was only one way to keep clear of Bakugou, Todoroki and Aizawa's questions before next period: Akane waited until the very last second to swing into class, taking her seat a precise second before the bell rang. Everyone else was already at their desks, chatting amongst themselves.

Seeing Akane, Bakugou perked up. He didn't get a chance to talk to her before Present Mic barged in, already screaming out his lesson plan.

Akane did her best to focus on the class. She took her notes even more diligently than usual and pointedly avoided eye contact with her classmates—hard though it was to ignore Bakugou's burning glare from two desks over.

When the bell rung, announcing the next period, Akane was first out of her seat. Bakugou was all-too-close behind her.

"Oi," he said, storming after her down the hall. "Slow down."

"I'm trying to get to class."

"Yeah, no shit."

At that, Akane finally returned his look. She shot him a warning glare over her shoulder but did not stop walking.

Bakugou groaned. "Look, I know you're pissed, and fine. But you can't just run off like that. It's not—"

"I can't?" Akane challenged.

Only then did she fully register how crowded the corridor was. How many students were travelling to their next class. Not just 1A, but every UA resident. She was boxed in. Exposed. The more she fought back, the more she'd draw attention to herself. Short of making a break for it and ditching school grounds altogether, her best bet was to shut up.

So, when Bakugou said, "Don't twist my words, newbie", she said nothing. Just clenched her gloved fists and trudged onwards.

Next up was combat training with All Might. Thankfully, after previous experiences, he was far too scared to pair Akane up with Bakugou again. So, instead, she ended up partnered with Kirishima (who tended to be a safe bet, who never seemed to cause her major bodily harm).

Approaching Akane, Kirishima grinned widely. He cracked his knuckles.

"Ready for some drills, partner?"

Ten feet away, Akane could sense Bakugou's burning glare again. No doubt, he was going to be giving his partner even more trouble than usual.

Akane rolled her shoulders back. "Ready."

"Just so you know," Kirishima said, sizing her up, "I'm not gonna go easy on you. Even if your boyfriend is on the warpath."

Despite everything, Akane had to suppress a blush. "He's not my…I mean, I wouldn't call him that exactly."

"My bad. Though…" he went in for a long jab, which Akane effortlessly dodged. "You guys would make an epic couple."

Akane swerved and ducked. Then she asked, "What makes you say that?"

"I dunno." Kirishima tried another jab, then a hook. Miss and miss. "He's a hothead. You're cool as a cucumber."

"You make us sound like polar opposites."

"Well kinda, yeah! But you're both total badasses. And that's the best common ground there is."

Akane was so taken aback, she almost let him get a hit in. She was quick to recover, and finally—at the opportune moment—landed her first and critical hit.

Kirishima dropped to his knees with a short ooft! He laughed.

"Told ya."

Akane was quick to help him up. Somehow, this ridiculous conversation was helping her. So divorced from the drama of bullies, villains, and her loved ones' protection, talking to Kirishima gave her a moment to breathe. It made her feel…normal.

Fuelled with newfound determination, Akane readied herself.

"Round two?" She asked.

"Hell yeah!"

Kirishima came at her again; a little faster this time. Akane was quicker to counterattack, exploiting every opening, showing him where his weaknesses were.

Kirishima knelt over, winded. "Hey All Might!" He whined. "Can we use our quirks yet?"

"I don't think so." Bakugou's voice entered Akane's space seemingly out of nowhere. He marched directly into her combat zone with Kirishima.

Kirishima tried to laugh it off. "C'mon man, give me a fighting chance!"

"I said no."

"It's not up to you," Akane reminded him.

"You're right—it's up to that damn limp of yours. No way you should be fighting all-out."

"Bakugou," Akane said; a warning this time. Back off.

"You've pushed your luck as it is," Bakugou grunted. "All Might should've benched you three rounds ago."

"Bakugou." Kirishima's tone took on an uncharacteristic hardness. "That's enough, man."

"You got a problem, shitty hair?"

"No problem," Kirishima responded, "I just think Akane can make her own decisions."

Akane blinked. He was…standing up for her? She didn't have much time to be flattered.

"Young Bakugou," All Might approached them, finally picking up on the disturbance. "It seems you've abandoned your sparring partner?"

"I want her benched," Bakugou declared, pointing at Akane. It must have been loud enough for the whole class to hear, as everyone stopped what they were doing to look on.

"Oh." All Might stopped, confused. He glanced between Kirishima, Akane and Bakugou. "I see. Uh…"

They were staring. Everyone. Staring. Akane grit her teeth.

"Let me save you the trouble," she muttered.

And with that, she took off, making a beeline for the changing rooms.

"Hey!" Bakugou snapped. Akane flinched, but kept moving.

Flustered, unsure of how to handle the situation, All Might just called, "Very wise, young Akane. Take five. I'll…check on you shortly!"

Bakugou was not as patient. He sprung after Akane, anxious to catch up to her.

Out of nowhere, he froze in place. Literally. Ice caught his footsteps, anchoring him to the ground. He snapped around to see Todoroki puff out a breath of frosty air.

Fuming, Bakugou roared, "The hell is wrong with you, icy hot!"

"Your classmate is right," All Might tried to defuse the tension. "If young Akane needs a moment to catch her breath, she should take it. Privately."

Whatever argument Bakugou was going to throw at them fell flat. He cursed under his breath. And then, finally, he used two miniature explosions to free himself from Todoroki's ice. But rather than use his newfound freedom to charge after her, he forced himself to stay put. Heed the advice he and been given.

The entire class was on edge, waiting for his next move.

At last, Bakugou snapped, "Deku! Get ready to die—it's time for round three."

Akane knew she should've just hid out in the girls' changing rooms, but she knew she'd only feel suffocated in there. She needed some air.

She walked across the courtyard. With fourth period in full swing, she didn't see anyone else about, but stuck to the shadows all the same. She'd just do a quick loop and return to the gym. No one had to know. If Todoroki, or Bakugou, or heaven forbid Aizawa knew she was out and about unsupervised—

"Akane?"

Seriously?

Aizawa slipped out from a nearby classroom. He slid the door shut behind him, cautiously scanning the courtyard.

"What's going on?" He asked in a low, urgent tone. "You should be in class. With All Might."

Akane couldn't help but stiffen, worried she was being rebuked. "I-I'm sorry."

Instantly, Aizawa softened. He gave the courtyard another uncertain sweep before gently guiding Akane behind a nearby pillar, out of sight. Just in case.

Then he said, "I'm not mad. Just tell me what happened."

"Nothing happened," she promised. "I just needed a minute. Away."

Aizawa quirked an eyebrow. "From who? One of Kiera's friends?"

"No." From Bakugou, she almost added, but decided against it.

"Akane." There it was again; that hard, pressing voice Aizawa only used when he was deadly serious. "I want to protect you, but I need to know what's going on."

Of course. He was worried. Everyone was just…worried. They wanted to protect her. Keep her safe. It was all they could think about.

But, as a result, all she could think about was how only someone so weak and useless could warrant such vigilant concern. She opened her mouth to say something to placate him, to prove these intrusive thoughts otherwise, but nothing came out.

Burden. Burden. Burden. Burden.

"Please, this is important," Aizawa pressed. "I can get you out of here, take you wherever you want, but I have to know."

Tentatively, he put his hands on Akane's shoulders. She shrunk away.

"There's nothing to know," she found herself blurting out. "So please…stop asking."

Aizawa stopped. He retracted his hands, sensing he'd overstepped.

"I didn't mean," he chose his words carefully, "to make you uncomfortable. I just want you to feel safe."

"I feel safe," she assured him, a little too quickly.

"Something is bothering you. Or you wouldn't be here."

Akane looked away. There was no way she could tell him how she was feeling without exposing herself, or seeming ungrateful.

Aizawa sighed. "This was too soon. I should just take you home—let you rest off that limp fully."

Her limp. Her weakness. Everything Bakugou had been reminding her of all day, as had Todoroki. Enough was enough. Akane took a full step back, asserting her non-compliance.

"No," she said. "Don't. Look, I'll go back to class. So you can stop worrying."

She started to move, heading back toward the gym. Bakugou might've been driving her crazy, but at least she had the rest of 1A there to keep him off her back.

Aizawa reached out for a split second before realizing what a foolish move that would be. Instead, he called out her name a final time, and; upon her refusal; begrudgingly resigned to letting her go. Something was wrong and he knew it, but there was nothing else he could do about it right now. Not until she let him in.