'Training?'

(Name) had gone on a run that day, early in the morning so she could stop by the beach close to her apartment and watch the sunrise. She didn't count on running into a classmate, let alone this guy.

'That's what I said,' Bakugou was standing in front of her, hands in pocket and demeanour unusually calm. He almost looked like a decent, docile citizen. 

'... Uhh,' the poor girl's anxiety was kicking in now. She was speaking to a ticking time bomb, a currently dormant one that still might explode. 

But then again, if this guy wants to train with me, then he has to learn to deal with me. I refuse to change myself because of some guy, even if he is my classmate.

'Why me, though? Training with someone like Kirishima can help with your attack power more than I ever can.'

'It's not about the attack, dumbass,' he muttered, voice deeper to keep it quiet, even though (Name) was sure no one was awake or close enough to even see them right now. Also, his deep voice was nice and all, yet also so quiet, she only heard it because her hearing was inhumane.

Ohh. So that's what he's going for.

'You mean, you want to train your mobility?' she asked. He nodded, glare back on his face.

'We meet here at five tomorrow, don't be late,' Bakugou declared, about to turn around and leave when his wrist was grabbed gently from behind.

'I can't at five. I have my extracurricular then, so the earliest I can go is at five-thirty,' (Name) said, silently congratulating herself for not stuttering. Seriously, this guy was scary to mess with. No one can blame her for being frightened, really. Additionally, her natural bunny-senses make her a tad bit jumpier around difficult individuals. She realised her hand was still clasped around his wrist and hastily let go. 

Bakugou paused for a bit, sighing aggressively and replying with a short 'fine'. And a reminder to be on time 'or else I'll blow your sorry ass to pieces'.

(Name) watched him stalk away, stopping her urge to burst into laughter at the unique way that Bakugou walked -- hands in pockets, slouchy, pants baggy and looking like they might trip him at any moment.

He looks like a... what was it?

Ah, yes.

A gremlin.

.oOOo.

It was the weekends. 'YESH' was what (Name) originally felt, until she realised she had training. With both her brother and Bakugou. 

NOO.

Now, the bunny stood awkwardly between two glaring males who were both tall, intimidating and powerful. She could feel the lightning spark between their eyes and shivered even if she knew the glares weren't directed at her.

'So,' Wakatoshi was the first to speak. 'You are... (Name)'s classmate?'

'That's right. What's it to you?' Wrong thing to say, Bakugou. He was actually intimidated from the height of the sports star in front of him, not to mention he was his lifelong idol. But I can't lose to him! I'm gonna be number one!

Which was what lead to their glaring contest right now. Wakatoshi did not approve of his sister's classmate's response. First impression approval? Minus 100 points. This guy's already in the negatives, and it hadn't been five minutes yet.

'UH... A-ANYWAY, um, let's begin the training, shall we?' cut in (Name), holding her arm out like she was pleading for a time out.

A long silence ensued, which finally ended with Wakatoshi's mature confirmation. Although his subtle glare at Bakugou quietly declared a war. Bakugou, our temperamental boy here, returned it with a glare of his own. (Name) sighed.

'First, let's start with a warm-up,' boomed Wakatoshi. 'There's an obstacle course that has been prepared in this forest. You are expected to finish four laps of the course, a total of eight kilometres, in under twenty minutes.'

(Name) and Bakugou positioned themselves at the starting line, (Name) stretched her legs while Bakugou cracked his shoulders.

'On your marks. Get set. GO!'

And they were off.

(Name) could have jumped straight away, but chose to run instead to get her body pumping more blood. Bakugou ran with his explosions propelling him just head of her. The first obstacle was a tall wall, about thirty metres. Bakugou huffed, angling his arms so that he was sending explosions towards the ground, flinging him up to the top of the wall. He heard a small boom behind him and assumed it was Bunnygirl performing one of her massive earth-shattering jumps.

The girl behind him lept up, not even touching the wall, and landed gracefully in front of him. She didn't waste any time and kept running. Bakugou growled from his spot on top of the wall, letting his body free fall for a bit before softening his landing with a small blast. He was on her tail in a flash.

The second obstacle was a bit more on the cool side. For roughly half of the course, the two could see a long river of ice reaching out into the horizon. (Name) came to a stop, tapping the ice gently with her feet to realise that there was water underneath. That meant she couldn't jump and Bakugou couldn't use his quirk either, or else they would risk shattering the ice and falling into the water. That would definitely slow them down. 

(Name) swiftly chose the safe way of darting across the ice as quickly and as lightly as possible. Bakugou seemed to have chosen the same thing. They both ran as fast as they could, still mindful of the ice. Ahead, Bakugou notice icebergs that jagged out, ready to spear at them if they got too close. He narrowly veered out of the way of one and dodged another. He glanced to the right, growling to see (Name) adapting exceedingly well to the ice. 

I get it. 

This is a test of agility. 

'GRAH!' Bakugou roared like a feral beast, determined to not only finish the race on time but to finish before Bunnygirl. 

'Ah! Bakugou, be quieter will you?' 

'HAH?!'

'Shh. Ice can also break because of sudden sounds that disturb the tension. If you don't wanna fall, then shut up,' came the surprisingly helpful advice of his competitor. 

Who the hell does she think she is?!

He looked down at the small cracks that have already formed due to his outburst. 

Godammit. The extra's right. This will only slow me down.

I definitely ain't used to shit like this, but I gotta complete this if I wanna be number one!

An idea clicked inside his head. The ice may be a disadvantage to him because of its lack of heat, but he could use that. He secretes nitroglycerin, which was much more stable when cold. This also meant that when it explodes, it wouldn't do nearly as much damage. 

Bakugou held his left arm out at an incoming iceberg. He shaped his hand so that it looked like a claw, limiting the range of the blast, and released his quirk. The explosion was small, quiet and almost invisible except for the small spark on his palm. But it did its job. He was alive and not a human kebab, instead, cruising on the ice as if ice-skating. Just without the ice skates.

HELL YEAH THAT WORKED.

He grinned at his hand, feeling quite accomplished and began to practice the new technique on more icebergs, getting faster until he was nearly head-to-head with Bunnygirl. His grin turned malicious (he was actually really satisfied) as he got more and more confident. (Name) heard him and smiled to herself. Bakugou was a lot more heavily built than she was, not to mention that being soft was decidedly not his style. He couldn't resort to running like she was doing, because he would break the ice accidentally sooner or later. His explosions were too big, so he just adjusted. Adapted.

That was genius.

'Great job, Bakugou!'

'HAH?!'

'Still need to work on the anger issues though, but aside from that, you're doing great!'

'WHAT DID YOU SAY YOU LOUSY EXTRA--'

Crack. Boom. Man overboard. 

Bakugou flailed in the water, taken aback by its freezing temperature. 

WHAT THE HELL THIS WATER ACTUALLY FEELS LIKE ANTARCTICA?? WHY THE HELL IS IT SO COULD WHEN IT'S SUMMER THIS IS ABSOLUTE BULLSHIT.

He resurfaced, coughing slightly as he hauled himself onto the more stable ice.

'WHY THE HELL IS THE WATER SO FUCKING COLD? HOW DID USHIWAKA PULL THIS STUNT OFF IN FUCKING SUMMER?? WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK--'

'Bakugou, be quiet for once will you?' (Name) sighed, crouching down next to her classmate and inspecting him for injuries.

'WHO THE HELL ARE YOU TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO--'

'You just fell in the water and you start screaming again? Disappointing,' and from in the bushes somewhere, popped out Ushiwaka.

'WHAT--'

'Has my sister not told you? Although it is common sense that sudden noises often cause thin ice to break,' Ushiwaka casually cut off Bakugou, ignoring the student's fuming tantrum. 'You are late already. Dry yourself and continue. That is if you can.'

Bakugou and (Name) were left to stare at Wakatoshi's disappearing form with mixed feelings.

Bakugou was raging internally. Even if it was his idol, no one can dare to insult him like that. He was the future number one hero! They should be bowing to him and kissing his feet. He was gonna make sure that Ushiwaka eats his words because he was gonna finish this course on time. Bakugou would make damn sure of that.

'No, don't stand yet!' (Name)'s warning registered a tad too late as he stumbled on his feet and collapsed back to the ground. 'Your ankle is twisted. You need to go find some medical help. I think the nurses we have on standby is just a bit away from here. I can call them to bring a stretcher--'

'I AIN'T LEAVING HERE UNTIL I FINISH THIS DAMNED COURSE IN TIME.'

(Name) frowned at him, gesturing to his ankle, 'Do you not see this?? You are injured! Pushing yourself beyond this will just make it worse! You can do this course again after your ankle is--'

'SHUT UP. SHUT UP JUST...' he gulped and felt exhaustion hit him all at once. The cold had eventually eaten away at his adrenalin. '... Just shut up.'

They sat there in silence. (Name) didn't know what to do. Should she call for help? He needed it. But she also wanted to respect his wishes and let him continue the course, even if she knew that would destroy him.

She was about to say something when Bakugou spoke again. This time, his voice was quiet, soft... meek. 

'I'm not weak,' he muttered, arms trembling from the cold. 'I will fucking finish this goddammed obstacle course 'cause I'm not weak. I'm strong. I'm gonna be the fucking number one hero and no one can get in my way. This is nothing. I... I can win. I need to. I won't lose. I can't...'

His voice got quieter with every passing second until it was nearly inaudible. (Name)'s eyes widened in surprise, having seen someone that greatly resembled Wakatoshi in Bakugou, even if they hate each other. He used to be an arrogant powerhouse as well. So desperate to win that he would tear his body apart to taste victory.

'Katsuki.'

Bakugou tensed. He looked up to meet (Name)'s eyes and relaxed when he saw the familiarity in them. They were warm, but not overwhelming. (Name) didn't touch him, instead, opting to crouch across from him, just observing. She spoke, 'I know you can do it.'

... What?

He was confused now. Not irritated, just confused. What was she trying to do? What was her motive? This was none of her business, so why? 

'You're one of the strongest people I know Katsuki. Not just on the outside, but also on the inside. Why do you doubt yourself when you're already so high up?'

'... I don't,' he said, mostly just for the sake of replying.

'Is it because Midoriya has a quirk?'

Warm. She was very close.

'Or because you saw Todoroki's capabilities?'

Warmer. She was getting there. (Name) threw the last cannonball.

'Or because you childhood friend, who you thought was weak, is catching up to you in a blink of an eye?'

That hit a nerve and she knew it. It was the last straw for Bakugou and he burst at the seams.

'I GET IT, OKAY? STUPID USELESS DEKU IS ALL OF A SUDDEN A BIG THING. HE WAS QUIRKLESS, JUST A FUCKING LITTLE PEBBLE IN MY WAY, BUT NOW HE'S A FUCKING BOULDER. HOW?? HE LIED TO ME! HE LIED, HE TRICKED ME ALL THOSE YEARS, PROBABLY LAUGHING AT HIS SCHEME LIKE THE FUCKING SHIT HE IS.'

Bakugou sniffled, failing to try to hide his tears. They came rolling down uncontrollably after having been held back for so long. The large droplets fell and blurred his vision, making him feel even more vulnerable than he already felt. But he couldn't care less now. He needed this.

'BUT YOU KNOW WHAT? I DON'T GIVE A FUCK ABOUT USELESS DEKU! I'M GONNA BE THE NUMBER ONE HERO NO MATTER WHAT. I'M GONNA BLAST ANYONE WHO STANDS IN MY WAY AND I'M GONNA BE AT THE TOP. DEKU CAN HAVE HIS STUPID QUIRK, BUT I'LL STILL MAKE SURE I BEAT HIM SO HARD, HIS MOTHER WON'T RECOGNISE HIS PATHETIC ASS ANYMORE.'

Despite the outburst, (Name) smiled. 

'YA HEAR ME? I'M GONNA BE NUMBER FUCKING ONE! THE WORLD WILL KNOW MY NAME. I'M... I'M GONNA BE A HERO WHO WINS!'

'Mhm,' (Name) hummed out a reply, satisfied with the turn of events. 'I know.'

She stood up, planning to leave him be then (she thought that he'd be even more embarrassed if she sat around to witness him cry) when a hand wrapped around her wrist gently. Bakugou didn't meet her eyes. His gaze was on the ground, examining the ice and the swirling water underneath. A breeze fluttered by and shivers wracked his body. Not that he showed it much.

'... Bakugou?' (Name) tentatively asked. She noticed his grip was warm.

'... What happened to you calling me Katsuki?' he muttered, gaze now drifting to meet hers again. He was welcomed with her innocent tilt of the head and silence.

She slowly smiled at him, a different smile this time. This smile was toned down, more comforting and warm. The damned smile made his neck and face flush with red.

Doki doki.

What the fuck?

Doki doki. 

Shut the fuck up or I'll tear you apart.

Doki doki fucking doki.

But then again, Bakugou couldn't tear out his own fast-beating heart, could he?

.oOOo.

(Name) ended up shouldering Bakugou back to the emergency infirmary to treat his ankle. The young nurse, Wendy, was a shy child with a healing quirk that also restores energy.

'H-He should be good to go now, Miss (Name),' Wendy stuttered slightly, relieved that she successfully helped a patient and that this problematic teen would be away from her. Her innocent ears couldn't hold much more of his colourful language. She was left to wonder how an injured person could still be so lively even through their pain.

A... unique lively.

'How many times have I told you to call me (Name)? I'm not that much older than you, you know,' smiled (Name), ignoring the grumbling UA student on the bed. 'Well, we should get going now. My brother will be expecting us back there in a few minutes. Thanks again, Wendy.'

'I'm just glad to be of service!'

.oOOo.

Ushiwaka was not impressed. Not only did this lousy excuse of a hero-in-training just show up, but he was also flirting with (Name).

How dare he lay his grubby, sweaty fingers on my little sis. 

'I see you couldn't finish the course,' Ushwaka began with a critical hit to Bakugou's pride. 'Children born from concrete could never compare to the fruitful students brought up from fertile soil.'

What is up with that metaphor? Brother, you get weirder by the day.

'I AIN'T WEAK, AND I'LL SHOW THAT WHEN I FINISH THIS COURSE IN HALF THE TIME YOU GAVE US!'

'Oh? Show me, then.'

(Name) was about to discourage Bakugou from taking up that challenge when he was still slightly limping. 

The look in his eyes, though. Even if I wanted to, I don't think I can stop him.

(Name) was alongside Bakugou for the obstacle course, ready for a redo of it. 

'GO!'

Bakugou was concentrated this time. He would make damn sure that he lived up to his words. As he approached the ice, he could make out the faint outline of the spot where he had fallen in the water. Amazingly, someone had already fixed it, leaving only a thin crack to indicate that the ice had previously broken. 

However, any person with common sense would know that that part of the ice would still be fragile. They would avoid it t all costs to avoid the risk of falling.

On the other hand, Bakugou was not just anyone.

Instead of swerving around the ice, he dived right for it, cackling maniacally when he heard the ice shudder underneath him. 

Nothing will stand in my way.

As predicted, the ice shattered again. This time, Bakugou was ready and launched an explosion right as he was about to touch the water. The heat and the cold clashed and made an even greater explosion, ripping apart more ice and shooting him all the way to the near end of the ice section. 

(Name), who was running with him, looked back to see the catastrophic damage and laughed to herself. That really was a move that Bakugou would pull. He was limping on his leg, so getting him as close to the finish line with as little effort as possible as quickly as possible killed two birds with one stone.

She sped up, determined to not fall behind.

They both reached the end line at the same time, grinning and panting and satisfied.

.oOOo.

Wakatoshi was watching from the viewing room, eyebrows slightly slanted up when he saw Bakugou's stunt.

He was impressed. It reminded him of the time Hinata Shoyo surpassed his expectations in the Volleyball Spring tournament.

The door behind him opened and in came the two students. They were sweaty and each had a towel, provided by Claude, around their shoulders.

(Name) lept into her brother's open arms and cheered at her new record on the course. Bakugou stared openly at Ushiwaka with a newfound confidence that he had lost ever since the battle against Midoriya.

They silently stared each other down again, but (Name) could tell this staredown was different from the others. They respected each other and themselves. This was probably a 'manly agreement through the eyes' or something. She didn't even know anymore. 

'Our next course of training is aerodynamics,' Wakatoshi declared, walking out of the room after he patted (Name)'s head affectionately. 'See to it that you are prepared. Both of you.'

Bakugou felt accomplishment wash over him like a tidal wave. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw (Name) also about to leave to clean herself up a bit more. She shot him one more dazzling smile and closed the door.

Doki doki.

At that moment, Bakugou swore to himself.

I'll ace this training. I'll ace the UA Sports Fest. 

And I'll figure out what the fuck is wrong with me.

Doki doki.

.oOOo.