"So what did you want me to train with you for?" Ayumu pulled on her ponytail as she met Bakugo on the gym floor.

"I heard what you said in the hallway, Smurf-"

"Suzuki."

Bakugo stopped stretching and looked at her. "What?"

"My name is Suzuki Ayumu. Not Smurf, not extra, Suzuki. You can call me by my name or nothing."

Bakugo watched her for a moment. Her heart was pounding. She knew he called everyone names, but if he wanted her help she wasn't going to let him push her around.

Bakugo rolled his eyes, "Tch. Whatever. I heard you talking in the hallway with that kid in general studies. You have another quirk."

Ayumu shifted uncomfortably, "Yeah, I guess." There was no sense in lying now.

"What does it do?"

Ayumu took a deep breath. "I can create an illusion that blocks out your senses. I can make you hear, see, feel whatever I want."

"Show me."

Ayumu hesitated for a second. She had never used her quirk on anyone but Shinso and her mother and father. She didn't even talk about her quirk.

"You have to promise you won't tell anyone."

"Whatever, just show me."

Ayumu held out her hand for him to take. Bakugo hesitated for a moment before he grabbed her hand roughly and suddenly his body felt cold. It happens slower than it had with Shinso, but it felt almost instant to Bakugo.

A blanket of white covered the floor, trees were weighed down with heavy snow. Bakugo looked around and his breath was visible to him. His skin stung from the cold and the flakes of snow fell softly around him. He looked back to Ayumu and saw the snowflakes catching in her hair. He pulled his hand back suddenly from hers and the scene flickered before her hand closed tightly and it disappeared all together.

Bakugo shivered from the memory of the cold and stared at her, "Why don't you use it?"

"It gives me headaches and it's useless."

"It seemed pretty useful to me."

"Well it's not, okay?" Ayumu snapped.

Bakugo stretched his arm across his chest and remained silent for a moment, "I want you to use it on me during training."

Suzuki took a deep breath calming herself. "Why?"

"When we were at the USJ and that villain came up behind me I wouldn't have been able to react fast enough if he hadn't given himself away. I want to be able to hit things I can't see. You're gonna help me."

Ayumu stood silent for a moment, arms crossed before finally looking up at him. "Fine, but you have to swear you won't tell anyone about my quirk."

Bakugo rolled his eyes, "I'll keep your stupid secret. Now let's get started. We only have two weeks until the festival."

The days passed and Bakugo and Ayumu met everyday after school to train together. Everyday was the same, Ayumu would set up a scene and throw marbles at Bakugo for him to dodge. Three days into their training, Bakugo paused and gave Ayumu a look.

"You're right. Your stupid quirk is useless."

Ayumu felt her heart stop in her chest and she dropped the image she had created. After all this practice with the quirk, making her illusions more believable, pushing the time she could hold the image, and now what she had always known had been confirmed.

"It's useless if I can see you. Can't you put yourself outside of the image? I'm not going to get any better if I can see you throwing shit at me!" Bakugo scolded.

Ayumu snapped out of her thoughts and looked at Bakugo stunned. Put herself outside of the image? "I've never tried it."

Bakugo scoffed, "Well it's not going to help you much if your opponents can see you and it's defeating the purpose of me letting you help me in the first place. Here," Bakugo held out his hand for Ayumu to take, "try it now."

Ayumu took his hand gently and sent them to a forest. The trees towered over them and they could hear the birds chirping loudly, calling to one another. The sunlight streaking in through the leaves. Ayumu listened to the sound of a brook babbling nearby just out of eyesight.

"Now let go of my hand and take yourself out of the image." Bakugo was staring down at her.

She let go of his hand and tried to imagine the image without her in it. Bakugo watched the space she was standing shimmer slightly before she began to blend more with her surroundings. She was still visible, but less so, looking more transparent against the greenery of the scene she'd created.

Bakugo's mouth twisted into a determined smile. Ayumu shifted her weight and her image shimmered, but she was concealed enough to make it hard for someone who didn't know she was there to see her.

"Now this should be more interesting."

That's how they trained day in and day out for two weeks. Ayumu got harder for Bakugo to see each day and he was able to hit almost every target without seeing it. Before they knew it, two weeks had come and gone. Ayumu could hold her illusions as long as 15 minutes at a time and the headaches lessened. Bakugo's blasts became more accurate, more powerful. Finally, their final day of training ended.

Ayumu leaned against the wall, her eyes closed tightly against the light of the gym. Bakugo stood nearby taking a long drink out of a water bottle.

"You've gotten better." Bakugo dropped the bottle of aspirin in her lap.

Ayumu struggled for a moment before Bakugo snatched the bottle out of her hands and opened it before handing it back to her, muttering something under his breath that Ayumu couldn't quite hear. She dumped out two pills and popped them into her mouth and grabbed her water bottle.

Ayumu looked up at Bakugo, squinting, "You have too."

Bakugo rolled his eyes, "Of course I have, I'm going to be the number one hero and surpass All Might someday."

Ayumu studied his face for a moment and felt a small smile tug at her lips before she turned away and forced herself to her feet. "I think that's enough training for today, I don't think my head can handle anymore."

Bakugo and Ayumu grabbed their backpacks and headed out of the gym. The sun had set without either of them noticing the passing of time during their training. Ayumu pulled out her phone and began scrolling. Bakugo stopped at the bottom of the stairs and looked back up at her.

"What are you doing, let's go."

Ayumu stayed in the well lit opening of the gym. "Oh, I'm calling my friend. He usually walks me home and it's pretty dark so … Anyways, you don't need to wait for me. He doesn't live very far."

Bakugo turned to fully face her and furrowed his brow in annoyance, "Don't be stupid, I'm going to walk you home."

Ayumu paused, Shinso's contact was pulled up on her phone, her finger hovering over the call button. Her heart pounded so hard in her chest she was sure Bakugo could hear it even from the bottom of the stairs.

"You don't have to. I know it's late and the sports festival is tomorrow-"

Bakugo made a noise of frustration, "Last time I left you alone, you almost got yourself killed, so I'm walking you home whether you like it or not so let's go."

Ayumu glanced down at Shinso's name again before shutting her phone and making her way down the steps. Bakugo shoved his hands into his pockets as Ayumu fell into step with him. Instinctively, Ayumu moved to link her arms with his as she did whenever she walked with Shinso.

Bakugo pulled away quickly, surprised by the sudden affection and Ayumu realized her mistake and side stepped from him. Her face began to heat up from embarrassment, "Sorry, force of habit."

Bakugo didn't answer and they continued walking silently. Ayumu was grateful for the dark as she tried to regain control of her breathing and lessen the red that was surely still in her face.

Bakugo stayed at the bottom of the stairs as she took them two at a time. She paused at the door and looked back at him. He had turned like he was going to leave, but had waited to make sure she got inside. She hesitated for a moment.

"Thank you for walking me home."

Bakugo turned back to face her again, "Don't mention it. I just didn't want you getting yourself kidnapped or something because you were alone."

"Well… Good luck tomorrow."

Bakugo turned away from her and started down the sidewalk, "I don't need luck. I'm going to win tomorrow easily. Just watch."

Ayumu chuckled and called out after him, "Text me when you get home, so I know you got there safe!"

Bakugo didn't answer as Ayumu went inside and shut the door tightly behind her.

"Ayumu? Is that you, honey?"

"Yeah, Mom, it's me. I'm going upstairs."

Ayumu showered quickly and changed into her PJs. As she fell into bed her phone lit up with Bakugo's name.

'home'

Ayumu stared at the message for a minute before replying, 'good :) c u 2morro!'

She switched on her alarm and closed her eyes. As she drifted off the sleep, her phone lit up once more, this time with Shinso's name, but that message went unread.