Art -

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[Ch. 82] Add /2tqp2nlhbr9 to the DeviantArt Stash URL.

Hitomi sighed as she walked down the path to Heights Alliance, glancing at her phone.

She and Yoshiho had hung out at the boba shop for an hour and a half before Yoshiho's classmate had come to pick her up. The girl, Keii Soratabi, Hitomi recalled, had bought herself a drink while Yoshiho got her a pastry before they left.

Hitomi found herself smiling as she opened the door.

Even if Yoshiho didn't see it, it seems like she's finally making more friends.

She shut the door softly behind her, a voice jolting her out of her thoughts.

"You were out for a while."

Hitomi jumped, turning to find the Bakusquad sitting on the couches. She smiled at them as she made her way over.

"Oh, I was just showing Yoshiho the boba shop Nari works at."

Kirishima leaned back in his seat, quirking a brow. "Koatsu? How'd she make it all the way over here from the west?"

"One of her classmates was nice enough to use their Portal quirk for her…"

Sero whistled. "A Portal quirk? Wow, that's awesome! How is that Koatsu girl, anyway?"

Hitomi closed her eyes with a smile. "She's honestly not that bad. Nice, even. A bit blunt and awkward… but I can tell she's not a bad person."

Her eyes opened back up to see Mina staring at her oddly, before a bright smile erupted on the pink girl's face. "Hey, I recognize those earrings!"

"Eh?!" Hitomi's hands flew to her ears, feeling crescent shaped metal dangling from her earlobes.

Ah!

I completely forgot I had them on...!

Hitomi's cheeks turned a red hue, the girl getting flustered. "Uh- what about 'em?" she choked out.

"You're finally wearing them! Took you long enough, don't ya think, Bakugou?" Mina exclaimed, turning around to look at the ash blonde.

Bakugou only scoffed, looking away. "About damn time. It only took her almost three fucking months."

"I- I've been wearing them!" Hitomi protested, gripping her bag strap.

"Yeah, right. 'Next time I go out,' my ass."

Well, I can't argue with that…

Hitomi huffed, her cheeks puffing out as she made her way to the elevators. "I'm going to bed."

"You're not eating dinner?" Kaminari called after her.

Hitomi stepped into the elevator once the doors opened, giving them a wave over her shoulder. "I already ate out. Good night, you guys."

"Night!" the squad exclaimed as the doors closed.

Tuesday -

"That's right!" Mina exclaimed, pumping her fists. "They're having a discount this weekend for the new ice rink's grand opening!"

"How much?" Uraraka asked, her curiosity piqued.

"I think it's supposed to be 535 yen (~$5) in total per person. 320 for admission, 215 to rent ice skates." Mina slammed her hands down on the table, a determined look on her face. "But it's only for this weekend! It's starting to get colder anyway, and I think it'll be fun to go together as a class! The rink is really big too, since it's in the Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall!"

"That sounds delightful!" Yaoyorozu exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "Oh, but…" She turned to glance at Tsuyu and Uraraka. "You two have your work studies along with Kirishima and Midoriya, not to mention Todoroki and Bakugou have their license course lessons on weekends…"

"That's true," Tsuyu said, placing a finger on her chin. She and Uraraka shared a look, their faces somewhat melancholic. "But… the school actually decided to put our work studies on hold, for now. Bakugou-chan and Todoroki-chan can't miss their provisional license course, though, and I doubt they'd be up to ice skating after their grueling lessons."

"Then, how about this Friday?" Yaoyorozu proposed. "That's when the rink opens, yes?"

Mina nodded enthusiastically. "That's right! As long as we don't have any other plans, and everyone's up for it, we should be able to get in about 3 to 4 hours tops before curfew."

"After everything that's happened, I… I'd like to do something a bit more relaxing," Uraraka laughed, leaning back against the couch. "So I'd love to go."

"It's decided, then!" Hagakure exclaimed, her clothes bouncing.

"Class A is going ice skating this Friday!"

…

Hitomi was lying down against the couch cushions next to Kirishima, swinging her legs over the armrest as she texted her group chat with Nari and Yoshiho.

It was Wednesday night, and the Bakusquad was lounging around in the common area.

"Everyone!" Mina exclaimed, bounding towards the couches. "Most of the class is going to the new ice rink that's opening up at the Kiyashi Ward mall this Friday! You guys wanna come?"

"Ooh, sounds fun!" Kaminari exclaimed, the cord charging Sero's phone dropping out of his mouth. "I don't think I have any plans."

"Me neither," Sero and Kirishima both chimed in. Kirishima poked Hitomi on the cheek, catching her attention.

"Are you coming, Hitomi?"

She hummed in response, halting her typing. "Um, this Friday, right? Sure, I don't think I'm doing anything."

Mina grinned, turning to Bakugou. "Are you coming? Pretty much the rest of the class is going!"

Bakugou shrugged, readjusting his feet that were on the table. "I'd rather not spend more time hanging around you losers."

"But you're hanging out with us right now!" Kaminari pouted, flicking a piece of candy at him.

"Hey!"

Sero and Kaminari shared a look, both thinking the same thing.

The classic use of reverse psychology.

"I think I know what it is," Sero tutted, leaning back in his seat and crossing his arms. "You can't ice skate! And you don't want us to know there's one thing you can't do!"

"Huh?!" Bakugou growled, taking his legs off the table.

"Honestly Bakugou," Kaminari smirked, shaking his head. "We all know you can't be good at everything. It's fine if you can't ice skate."

"Oh, yeah?" the ash blonde scowled, leaning forward. "Fine. I'll come, and I'll show all your sorry asses how great at ice skating I am!"

Kaminari and Sero both smirked.

Too easy.

Hitomi readjusted her sweater, seeing her breath come out as mist. Even though it was only autumn, Iida had reminded everyone to dress warm, as it would be colder at the ice rink.

A majority of the class was already out on the ice, either gliding gracefully or constantly falling over. Hitomi was still in the bleachers, bouncing her leg anxiously. She realized as she was putting her ice skates on that…

She had absolutely no idea how to ice skate.

I don't even know if I can walk in them.

"Kanetsukabe-san?"

Hitomi turned her head to see Midoriya standing beside her, his legs wobbling.

"Are… you nervous to try skating too?"

Hitomi laughed sheepishly, scratching her cheek. "Is it easy to tell? I've never done this before."

Midoriya laughed, offering her his hand. "Me neither… Need some help to the rink?"

Hitomi smiled back, grasping his hand as she stood up. "Sure. Seems like you might need some help, too."

They both laughed, before proceeding to leave the stands. Hitomi could feel her ankles wobbling as they made their way to the ice, gripping Midoriya's hand every time she nearly fell over. Midoriya wasn't doing much better, his legs nearly caving out from underneath him. They finally stopped at the entrance of the rink, the slippery ice intimidating them.

Midoriya's eyes narrowed, letting go of Hitomi's hand to hold onto the wall. He tentatively set his foot on the ice, his ice skates sliding on it slightly. Hitomi followed after him, gripping the wall as well. Her feet slipped out from underneath her, making her yell in surprise. "Woah-!"

"Kanetsukabe-san!" Midoriya exclaimed, grabbing onto her arm as Hitomi steadied herself. "Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine," she choked out, feeling embarrassed. "This may take some getting used to…"

"Well, we've got 2 hours," Midoriya laughed. He clenched his fist, a determined smile on his face. "I'm gonna master this today! And the best way to do that is…"

He turned away from the wall, taking a deep breath before suddenly pushing himself off of it.

"...to just go for it!"

Hitomi watched as he slid to the other side of the rink, stumbling slightly before he stopped against the opposite wall. She laughed, finding his determination to learn how to ice skate cute. Uraraka made her way over to him, fretting over him and checking to make sure he was okay. Hitomi turned back to the wall, gripping the edge.

I'm gonna learn how to do this too…!

But…

Hitomi sighed, her legs still feeling unsteady as she leaned against the wall.

I'm still too afraid to let go.

…

Hitomi skated along the edge of the ring for half an hour, trying to get used to the feeling of her feet sliding on the ice. She still slipped occasionally, but she could feel herself getting steadier.

Hitomi took a deep breath, standing up straight.

It's time to let go of the wall.

Her grip loosened on the edge, and Hitomi pushed herself slightly as she let go. She could feel herself smile as she slid across the ice.

I'm doing it!

She continued to skate forward, staying upright and gaining speed.

I'm doing it!

Hitomi kept skating, laughing to herself before she felt her weight shift too far forward.

…Fuck.

She stumbled, yelping as she waved her arms erratically trying to steady herself. Her feet inadvertently brought her out towards the middle of the rink, no wall left to grip and balance on. Hitomi could feel herself falling forward, closing her eyes to brace herself for hitting the floor before her face bumped into someone's chest instead.

She opened her eyes, looking up to see dual-colored eyes staring back at her.

"Todoroki?!" she exclaimed, jumping back and nearly falling backwards before Todoroki grabbed her arms.

"Careful."

He helped Hitomi balance herself, before letting her go.

"Sorry for crashing into you," Hitomi laughed, scratching her head. She stared at him for a few seconds before she gasped, grabbing his arms. "Todoroki, I know! Can you teach me how to ice skate?!"

Todoroki's eyebrows raised slightly. "Huh?"

"You're already really good at ice skating, especially because of your quirk, right? Do you think you could help me?"

Todoroki stared at her, dumbfounded. "Uh…"

Hitomi clasped her hands together, pulling out her best puppy dog eyes. "Please?"

Todoroki's stoic expression didn't change, only blinking as he nodded in reply.

"...Um, alright."

…

Bakugou had proved the Bakusquad wrong, as usual.

He was great at ice skating, never falling once and sliding across the ice with the skill of a professional hockey player.

Kaminari was pouting, his arms crossed as he leaned against the wall where the rest of the group stood. "Of course he's great."

"Well, that's Bakugou for you," Sero shrugged as the ash blonde made his way over to them.

"Told you I'd prove you all wrong," he snarked, a shit-eating smirk on his face.

Mina suddenly squealed, grabbing Kirishima's sleeve and gesturing towards something erratically. "Oh my god, look!"

They followed her gaze, seeing Hitomi was practically hugging Todoroki with her face mashed into his chest.

"Woah," Kirishima muttered, his eyes widening.

"I'm telling you guys!" Mina exclaimed, bouncing in her skates as the crew watched Hitomi pull back. "There's got to be something going on between those two!"

"Mina," Sero cut in, looking stern. "What did I say last time?"

"You can't blame her," Kaminari pointed out as they watched Todoroki keep Hitomi from falling over. "I mean, just look at them."

Hitomi was grasping Todoroki's arms, muttering some words to him before clasping her hands together and giving him an odd look.

"Oh my god!" Kirishima nearly shrieked. "She's using her puppy dog eyes!"

Bakugou could feel himself scowling.

The group continued to watch as Todoroki began skating with Hitomi, keeping a hand on her shoulder while grasping her hand. Hitomi stumbled, nearly falling on her butt had Todoroki not hooked his arms under hers and helped her stand back up. Bakugou could see her giving the half-and-half bastard a sheepish smile.

"You can't deny what we're seeing right now, Sero," Mina smiled, placing her hands on her hips.

Sero ran a hand through his hair, sighing. "...You're right, I can't. But don't you think Hitomi would've… told us, if they're being this obvious?"

"Not exactly," Kirishima said, looking at him. "She's the type of person who tends to get embarrassed about this kind of stuff. Remember when we thought she was on a date?"

"Yeah, she was super flustered," Kaminari laughed. "But… do we know if Hitomi even likes guys? I know we joked about her having a crush on Kyo that one time, but…"

Mina placed a finger on her chin, her eyebrows furrowing in concentration. "I'm pretty sure she does. The few times she hasn't been embarrassed to talk about it she's said she's mostly attracted to boys." Mina suddenly snapped her fingers, pointing at Bakugou. "I think she even said you were attractive one time!"

Bakugou's eyes widened slightly. "Huh?!"

"But she said that about all you guys," Mina continued, shrugging. "'In their own ways,' she said. Hitomi's nice like that."

"Are you insinuating something?" Sero asked, raising a brow.

Mina whistled, looking away. "Nope!"

"Well, regardless of what she thinks of us," Kirishima started, the group turning back to the sight of Todoroki and Hitomi, "it's obvious who she thinks is the most attractive, huh?"

Kaminari grinned, laughing. "Woah, is she blushing?"

The group watched her for a few more seconds to realize that yes, her cheeks looked very red.

"Don't be delusional, Pikachu," Bakugou scoffed, feeling his scowl deepen. "It could just be from how cold it is in here."

"Ha, Bakugou's jealous 'cause Todoroki's got him beat in attractiveness too!" Sero laughed, holding his stomach and pointing at the ash blonde. "He can't face the fact Hitomi thinks Todoroki's hotter than he is!"

"SHUT UP! I'LL KILL YOU!" Bakugou yelled, nearly lunging at Sero.

"Dude, admit it," Kirishima smirked. "Most girls would say Todoroki's got you beat, at least looks-wise. Especially with how scary you make your face sometimes."

"I agree," Mina smiled. "I mean, just look at him! Cool hair, cool eyes, that quiet and mysterious personality of his. No wonder Hitomi would fall for that! It's romantic!"

"Their personalities seem to go pretty well together too," Kaminari added. "Both pretty quiet, but Hitomi's got this sweetness that could balance his more aloof nature."

Bakugou's eyes narrowed, a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Well, who cares?! You don't even know if they're dating anyway, you idiots just came up with that on your own!"

Sero put his finger up against his mouth in a "be quiet!" gesture. "Shush! Hitomi's gonna hear us!"

"How can she?!" Bakugou growled, pointing at Hitomi and Todoroki. "Just look at how mesmerized she is with him!"

The group turned back to see Hitomi fall backwards, before Todoroki grabbed her arm and pulled her back to him. The position they ended up in looked as if they were in the middle of a dance.

And Bakugou hated it.

"They are totally dating," Mina reaffirmed, a glint in her eye.

Bakugou scoffed, shoving his hands into his pockets. "This whole conversation is stupid. I don't even know why I came over here," he grumbled, skating away.

He didn't care if Hitomi was dating Todoroki.

He definitely wasn't jealous. No, sir.

No way in hell.

A/N: These chapters are so old lol. Sometimes I still can't believe these are from 2019 and it took me 4 years to post them. Life (and my own procrastination 💀) is a bitch like that.