Katsuki woke up before the rest of class the next morning and replenished the fires. All Might watched him from his chair.

"It's much appreciated, Young Bakugou," All Might said when he finished.

"It's nothing," Katsuki said quietly.

"You'll need to be dressed in your Winter Suit today," All Might told him. "But you've got time."

Katsuki didn't have anything better to do. No one had woken up by the time Katsuki was ready. He'd even walked the perimeter of the campsite to see if there were any good views. The sun was only beginning to rise and the mountain did not disappoint. Katsuki re-entered the camp, ignoring All Might's gaze, and squatted next to Uraraka. He gently tapped her shoulder to wake her.

"Mmm, five more minutes," Uraraka mumbled.

"You're gonna miss out," Katsuki whispered. "I found another moment."

Uraraka opened one of her eyes hesitantly.

"Another time-stopping moment?" She asked sleepily. Katsuki nodded. Uraraka closed her eyes and stretched.

"Okay," Uraraka said with a yawn. She got out of her sleeping bag and within moments her teeth started chattering.

"You're gonna wake everyone else up," Katsuki said as he wrapped one of her blankets around her. How she was cold while wearing a puffy jacket and insulated pants was a mystery to him.

"S-sorry," Uraraka stuttered as she put her shoes on.

"Would you like some tea?" All Might offered to Uraraka as they passed him. Katsuki refused to look at him.

"That's very kind of you. Yes, please."

All Might made Uraraka a cup and placed it in her gloved hands.

"Young Bakugou?"

"No," Katsuki said immediately.

"He'll take one," Uraraka said. Katsuki gave her a death glare but it didn't phase her. "In case I'd like another."

All Might chuckled, watched Katsuki for a moment, then poured him a cup.

"Take care of each other and be back for breakfast," All Might said. "The day will be taxing if you don't eat."

Uraraka agreed before Katsuki led her away.

"He's trying," Uraraka whispered.

"He shouldn't," Katsuki said.

"Stop it. You're being petty. You and I both know that he's only training with Deku because Deku asked for it. Deku only asked because he knows All Might is-"

Uraraka stopped when she saw where Katsuki had led her.

"-lonely," she finished. Uraraka staredhi!at the clouds below her. "You know he isn't doing well. Maybe All Might didn't want to bother you. He's stretched thin as it is."

Katsuki looked out and saw a sea of white. Wisps of stray mist swirled here and there. A sense of calm washed over him. Is that why he was so angry? He could see All Might deteriorating as time went on. Deku had been the one to initiate his meetings with All Might after All For One was defeated. It was almost like All Might was only humoring him at those so called training sessions. Katsuki hadn't made an effort when All Might stopping training him and Deku together but it still didn't feel good to be pushed aside; even if All Might thought he had a reason.

"I don't need to be saved from All Might dying," Katsuki said.

"I know," Uraraka said softly. "He doesn't think that way."

"So what should I do? Just act like I'm okay with getting treated like I don't matter anymore?"

Uraraka didn't look at Katsuki. Her eyes were fixed on the clouds slowly moving across the sky.

"You should drink the tea, Bakugou," she finally said. "It'll get cold soon if you don't."

Katsuki looked down at the cup All Might had given him. It would be like All Might to push everyone away. The thought that All Might didn't think anybody needed him anymore made Katsuki more angry than the thought that he'd intentionally stopped wanting Katsuki around.

Katsuki sipped the tea.

Uraraka and him watched the clouds for a while. There was something soothing about watching them float by never-ending.

Eventually, the sunlight peeked over the clouds. The brilliant brightness of it caused both of them to cover their eyes. Their moment was almost over. Katsuki looked down at Uraraka and, for a second, considered saying everything he wanted to tell her right now. She was illuminated by the sun, her cheeks red from the freezing temperatures. Even wearing the ugliest scarf he'd ever seen, she was beautiful. It certainly wasn't the main reason Katsuki liked Uraraka. It wasn't even in the top ten yet he couldn't deny how much he wanted to tell her that.

"You have a knack for picking the most beautiful views," Uraraka said, looking up at him, her hand over her eyebrows to block out the sun. "Must be all that time mountain climbing. You know what's good. Maybe we can go together sometime after camp."

Katsuki nodded, the words he wanted to say catching in his throat.

"Time for breakfast?" Uraraka asked hopefully.

"Yeah, the sun ruined it anyway," Katsuki muttered, gulping down the rest of his tea.

"What? That was my favorite part! It came over the clouds and-" Uraraka started talking excitedly and Katsuki had to keep his face in check. If he played his cards right, this is what it could be like after camp. He wanted more moments like this.

Mr. Iida wasn't lying when he said this campsite was dangerous. The mountain campsite specialized in harsh environment rescue training along with survival skills. Katsuki and Uraraka had to navigate simulated avalanches, participate in timed rescues, and were tested on basic survival techniques.

"You need to be a hero in every circumstance," Mr. Iida told them. "It's rare to have to survive like this with victims but you need to have enough experience to keep them alive."

Katsuki didn't see the point since he could fly out of any dangerous situation but it was interesting to learn about foraging for edible plants. He passed the survival skills easily without much practice. Uraraka had the most trouble with building a fire.

"It's impossible!" She said after failing that test. "How am I supposed to twist a stick onto a piece of wood so fast and hard that the friction causes a fire?"

"Stick with me and you won't have to worry about it," Katsuki said without thinking. As soon as the words left his mouth, his breathing sped up.

"Well, I'm not gonna always have you," Uraraka said without missing a beat. "However much I'd like that."

Katsuki's heart pounded. Uraraka smiled at him and started talking about the other tests.

Unfortunately there weren't any winter sports equipment to race on and there weren't any games planned. The class decided the best thing to do in the dark on top of a freezing, remote mountain top was to tell spooky stories. Uraraka and Ashido clung to each other as Iida told a story about a person who was quirked to kill whoever he set his eyes on. Kaminari bit his nails as Jirou absentmindedly played with her earphone jacks while her head laid in his lap. Katsuki didn't think it was bad but it wasn't scary.

"I've got one!" Uraraka said when Iida was done.

"You don't even like horror movies," Katsuki said. "How do you know a good scary story?"

Uraraka grabbed a flashlight and shined it underneath her face.

"I know what's scary, that's how," Uraraka said with a smile.

"Wipe the grin off and maybe you'll do okay," Katsuki smirked. It was then that he realized that this wasn't a moment they were sharing alone. The entire class saw or at least heard him blatantly flirting with her. Hopefully they didn't see it that way. Ashido crawled over to Kirishima and clung to his arm when Uraraka started her story.

"Have you tried hiding your crush at all?" Ashido whispered.

"Shut it," Katsuki hissed.

Uraraka's story was only mildly scary at parts. Somehow she had turned it into a narrative on how society treats the less fortunate and it ended rather sadly.

"Why did you have to make me cry?" Hagakure asked. "I wanted to be scared."

"You weren't scared?" Uraraka asked the class. The majority of them shook their heads.

"I was at the part where the girl gets trapped in the cellar," Deku said to encourage her.

Uraraka shrugged and handed the flashlight to Katsuki.

"No," he said.

"Oh, come on. You were actively listening. I thought you'd want to try."

"You thought wrong. I don't participate unless I lose a bet."

"Ayo!" Kaminari said. He raised his hand for a high-five with Todoroki who reluctantly high-fived him back.

"Fine. I bet it wouldn't be that good anyway," Uraraka said with a sly look.

"Still not doing it," Katsuki said, taking the flashlight and handing it to Kirishima. He saw right through what she was trying to do. Katsuki didn't have any stories in his belt anyway. He hated to acknowledge it but he wasn't great at story-telling. It went hand-in-hand with being shit at talking to people.

The class left the mountain campsite earlier than normal the next day. They had to hike all the way down to the last Refresh Station. That meant that there would be a lot more time to hear the stupid conversations his class engaged in.

"What kind of plants would we be?" Hagakure asked after the previous conversation had derailed into what it would be like if plants were sentient like animals. "I'd be an orchid I think or maybe a lily!"

"Midoriya would be broccoli," Todoroki said, then clarified. "The hair."

The group minus Bakugou laughed.

"I think Deku would be a cherry blossom tree," Uraraka said. "Always around to bring joy and happiness to people."

"But is that green enough?" Ashido asked. Uraraka giggled and shrugged.

"Either is fine with me," Deku said with a wide grin. "I like broccoli and cherry blossom trees."

"What would I be?" Uraraka wondered, like it wasn't obvious.

"You'd be a rose," Katsuki said immediately. The group was silent.

"Yeah?" Uraraka asked. "Why?"

"I've got my reasons."

Uraraka raised her eyebrows at him and he stared at her, refusing to explain. This was not the moment he wanted to tell her how he saw her.

"Sure. I'll take that," Uraraka accepted. "I'm a rose. I love roses."

"I'm not taking that!" Ashido said. "Explain your reasoning! It's the rules."

"What rules? This conversation is bullshit anyway," Katsuki grumbled.

"So--you don't think I'm a rose?" Uraraka asked.

"That's not what I fucking said! Of course you're a rose!"

A few snickers erupted from the class.

"What plants can survive both ice and fire?" Todoroki asked aloud, trying to change the subject.

"Grass?" Iida offered.

"Yes. I am grass. That works."

"Nice and boring as well," Katsuki muttered.

"Better to be nice and boring than prickly and unpleasant," Hagakure said with sass.

"Yes, Bakugou is a cactus! Low maintenance, great at surviving," Iida listed.

"Hurt when you touch them," Kaminari added.

"They only hurt if you don't know what you're doing," Uraraka whispered to Katsuki. "It kind of fits perfectly in my opinion," she said to the group. "Cacti aren't for everyone but the people who know how to handle them like them a lot."

"Fine, sure, whatever," Katsuki agreed, trying not to obsess over what she said.

"Iida is bamboo. Fast, dependable, strong," Deku determined.

"Everywhere--all the time," Katsuki added, his tone laced with frustration.

"What bet did you lose, Bakugou?" Kaminari asked. Katsuki cracked his knuckles menacingly. "Are you--is he not participating? Does anyone care?"

"No," Jirou said. Giggles broke out again.

"I'm proud to be bamboo!" Iida said seriously. "To be everywhere as fast as possible so that I can save people is the ultimate goal."

They finished the trail discussing what plants the others in the class would be. After Kaminari's exclamation, Katsuki mostly stayed out of the conversation except to mutter to himself about how they were all idiots. His time was better spent rehearsing what he'd say to Uraraka when they talked alone. He wished he hadn't told her she was a rose. Now that's all Katsuki could think about.

When they got to the bottom of the mountain, Mr. Iida decided that a twenty-four kilometer hike wasn't enough torture for his class.

"Picture!" He said, handing his phone to All Might. Groans erupted from the students. Katsuki sighed angrily and took off his pack.

"We still have to hike to the campsite," Hagakure whined.

"Consider this a small break," Mr. Iida said happily. He stood by Shouji and put both his hands on his hips. "Please smile!"

"Can I wrap my arms around you?" Uraraka asked after taking off her own backpack. "I never know what to do with my hands."

Katsuki wordlessly lifted his arm up so she could hug him. He tentatively placed his arm around her and held his breath for her to shrug him off. When she didn't, Katsuki's mouth went dry.

"Everyone ready?" All Might asked. Mr. Iida nodded.

"Smile! We can always look back and remember when we were camp buddies. I'll add it to my collection of pictures," Uraraka said, grinning wide for the camera.

Katsuki gave his best camera smile but he knew it was bad. It'd probably look like he was angry.

"Thank you! My first class as a teacher," Mr. Iida said proudly as he looked at the photo. "I can't believe we're almost done with camp!"

"Me either," Uraraka mumbled. Katsuki almost didn't hear it. She must still not want to tell him whatever it was she was keeping from him. Katsuki honestly didn't want to wait any longer. The past few days had shown him what things could be like if Uraraka responded positively to what he was going to tell her. The only thing Katsuki was unsure of was making a fool of himself. If she didn't like him back, he'd be the dumbass.

That's what he dwelled on for the next couple days. Katsuki tried to look for signs that she might like him back but it was difficult. Uraraka was probably one of the nicest people in Japan and Katsuki had never cared if anyone liked him before Uraraka. He didn't know what to look for. Along with that, quirk training at the Refresh Station made it impossible to read her as Katsuki was focused on increasing the duration and size of his explosions. Uraraka was off increasing her weight limit and working on her partial gravity. They barely saw each other except in passing at meals or around the campfire. Both of them were too exhausted to do much of anything except listen to their classmates play music.

Once they arrived at the last campsite, it hit him how little time Katsuki had left before everything changed.

Katsuki and Kirishima were tasked with setting up the boys area, which was luckily out of earshot from the rest of the class who were cooking or getting firewood.

"Camp ends in two days. Why the fuck did I make that stupid promise?" Katsuki muttered angrily.

"Because it was making you miserable thinking that this was going nowhere."

"I'll be pretty fucking miserable if Uraraka decides she wants nothing to do with me."

"Bakugou," Kirishima said, snapping the tarp to get his attention. Katsuki's eyes met Kirishima's gaze. "It's Uraraka. She's not going to stop trusting you because you like her. Especially if you make it clear you're okay with being friends. She'd probably find it endearing even if she doesn't feel the same way."

Katsuki huffed and pinned down his side of the tarp.

"You think she might not feel the same way?" Katsuki asked quietly.

"I'm not Uraraka and neither are you. Stop trying to fill in the blanks. That's why I said to talk to her about it. You've spent how many days watching her like a hawk?"

Katsuki hit the last pin with the hammer a little too hard and it went all the way into the ground.

"I got it," Kirishima said. He hardened his hand and dug into the earth to pull the pin out. "You both have something to tell each other. If you're that worried about it, let her go first."

Katsuki nodded and looked toward the sound of footsteps heading this way.

"Hey, Mina," Kirishima said with a wide smile.

"Hey," she said, matching his expression. "After dinner, we're gonna play a game of hide and seek then sing songs at the campfire. Want to join?"

"Sure!" Kirishima answered.

"No," Katsuki said immediately.

"Well, I know you're gonna join the campfire. You like to listen," Ashido said to Katsuki. "But I guess I'll tell Uraraka that you said no to hide and seek. Mr. Iida is only letting us play in pairs with our buddies so…"

"Fuck," Katsuki said under his breath. "She wants to play?"

Ashido nodded, pushing out her bottom lip and giving him puppy-dog eyes. Katsuki groaned.

"Fine."

"Yay!" Ashido jumped and ran back to Uraraka to tell her the news. She grinned and clenched her fists in excitement. With a wave in Katsuki's direction, she mouthed 'thank you' and finished preparing the girl's sleeping area.

"I'm glad you're telling her," Kirishima said. "You've got it bad."

"Hey, Mina," Katsuki mocked him.

"You're right. I'm not one to talk."

Ashido decided to make hide and seek more aggressive with the seekers only taking people out by pinning them for three seconds. Knowing Katsuki hated hiding and loved fighting, Uraraka volunteered them to be the seekers. Stalking out his classmates with Uraraka was not something he thought he wanted but watching her take down his peers in their hiding spots made his heart pound. She was so badass.

"Got you!" She yelled when she trapped Sero on the ground with her thighs. Katsuki took down Mineta with one hand.

"That should have been me!" Mineta yelled at Sero. Sero grinned as Uraraka counted to three. This interaction did not go unnoticed by Katsuki who tightened his grip on Mineta.

"Ouch!" Mineta shouted.

"You're out!" Uraraka shouted and jumped off Sero with glee. Katsuki let go of Mineta, who argued with Sero as they left the tree line. "Isn't this fun?"

Katsuki nodded, imagining how great they'd be as a duo in a hero agency. He'd never considered working with someone else but if he had to pick anyone it'd be Uraraka. She could handle the press when Katsuki didn't want to, he could make them go away when she wasn't in the mood. Then after work they could go out to try new restaurants and chat like they had at I-Island.

He didn't want to end up like All Might: alone, thinking nobody wanted him around. Uraraka made him want to surpass All Might in more ways than before. Katsuki could have it all. He could be the top hero and have a life outside of it. His life could be full with her.

Katsuki wanted that. Right now, he could only picture Uraraka as the person he had a life with. He knew it was stupid. They weren't dating and he didn't know if she felt anything for him. Yet, Katsuki couldn't stop fantasizing about what life could be like if everything went according to plan.

After they won, Katsuki and Uraraka parted ways at the campfire. She wanted to sit next Ashido for some idiotic reason. Katsuki tried not to take it personally. He sat next to Kirishima and Sero on the opposite side so he could at least see Uraraka.

Jirou announced that this would be the last campfire with songs as the class was playing Truth or Dare for the last night of camp. Excited murmurs for the game and disappointment at the last night of songs traveled around the fire.

She started with an acoustic rendition of a popular radio song. Kaminari sang another cheesy classic that made the class interact with him. Tokoyami surprised the entire class by singing a dark, somehow sadder version of While My Guitar Gently Weeps.

To bring people back into a happy state of mind, Kaminari serenaded Tokoyami, citing his appreciation for his buddy as inspiration. Tokoyami then returned the favor and sang a song dedicated to Kaminari, who teared up as soon as Tokoyami played the first chord.

As a sort of finale, the trio played and sang the last song together. Katsuki wondered how much time they practiced these songs. They weren't horrible. In fact, part of him hoped they'd continue this for the rest of the school year or at least next year for camp. It made the long days of intense training somewhat less exhausting.

"Encore, encore!" Hagakure started chanting when the trio finished. A few people joined in. Jirou blushed and raised her hands to shush the audience.

"All right, I-I might have one more song. I started practicing it right before camp and I think I have the chord progression down," Jirou said. She re-tuned her ukulele then started strumming softly.

Jirou sang the first note and Katsuki immediately knew what song it was: La Vie En Rose. Katsuki had watched his parents dance to this song as long as he could remember. It was one of his mother's favorites and the song his parents had danced to at their wedding.

Katsuki closed his eyes as memories of his parents swaying in the living room filled his head. He wanted that.

Jirou smiled at Kaminari as she sang the first few lines. Katsuki only had eyes for Uraraka. He didn't want to distract Jirou or else he'd ask Uraraka to dance.

Katsuki waited for Jirou to keep singing but something was wrong. She was playing the same chord pattern again and again. He looked at Jirou and his stomach dropped. Jirou had forgotten the words. Her earphone jacks twitched anxiously and Jirou looked on the verge of tears.

"Fuck," Katsuki muttered. He didn't want this to permanently ruin Jirou's confidence. She was a good singer but she was one missed note away from never singing again by the look on her face.

So, Katsuki did what any hero would do. He saved her.

Keeping his voice in a range he could manage, Katsuki picked up where she left off. It wasn't a long song. He could get through it with ease. The song was simple.

The problem was he didn't expect Uraraka to be looking at him with pure adoration. He couldn't look her in the eye. With every word Katsuki sang, the song became less about his parents and more about her. He remembered how he'd felt in the cave when she'd pressed her face into his heart; how fully at peace he'd been. Her laugh and smile overtook his thoughts like flowers blooming in the spring. Even the word 'rose' now made him think of her. This song was made for her. After all, a life with Uraraka would likely be very pink.

Jirou kept playing and watched Katsuki for the tempo. Everyone's eyes were on him. Katsuki knew his voice wasn't the best but at least he wasn't tone deaf. However, after another second of thought, they probably weren't staring at him for that reason. Katsuki was singing a love song that he knew by heart. They likely thought he'd been possessed.

At the final lyric, it seemed like no one else was breathing. He was starting to feel like this was a mistake. However, when Katsuki sang the last word of the song and finally met Uraraka's eyes, time stopped. Katsuki didn't know if Uraraka felt the same way about him as he did about her but, by the end of the last note, he thought that she might at least feel something. Uraraka looked at him like he was the only person in the circle. Flames reflected in her eyes and flickered on her skin. Heat morphed the air so she shimmered in front of him. The darkness of the forest behind her framed her perfectly. It was only the two of them even though they were surrounded by people. She blinked and time started again. When he stopped singing, Katsuki looked back at the fire and stared at it. Jirou played the concluding chords on her ukulele. Everyone was silent. The campfire crackled and popped but the air was still.

Katsuki got up and walked over to Jirou.

"Learn it properly. I won't finish it again," Katsuki told her. Jirou nodded quickly. The entire class watched him walk away. He could feel all their eyes on his back. Katsuki heard small conversations break out behind him. He didn't care what they were saying. The only thing that mattered was what Uraraka was thinking. It was a mystery he desperately wanted to solve to the point where part of Katsuki wanted tomorrow to be today. That way he wouldn't have to go to sleep wondering.

CHAPTER END NOTES

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